The more the crowd thought about it, the angrier they became. The Sect Master of Wentian Sect, someone meant to uphold justice, had stormed in without even confirming the truth. Now, they had been dragged into the mess and humiliated alongside him.
Under the weight of everyone's gaze, the Sect Master felt like he was choking on his own words. He had never expected Ye Chuxue to be so unreliable. Everything she said turned out to be a lie.
Now Song Wanníng was staring at them like a predator, and they had backed themselves into a corner. His face turned red, then even redder.
The two elders beside him looked just as embarrassed, their expressions dark with shame, wanting nothing more than to dig a hole and crawl inside.
"Junior Sister Song, we're all part of the same sect. No need to let outsiders laugh at our expense…"
"That's right, that's right. Let's talk this out back at the sect. With so many watching, it's not a good look." The elders plastered on forced smiles, trying to smooth things over and downplay the situation.
The Sect Master's face was taut, but deep down, he was thinking the same. They were all fellow disciples. Was it really worth making such a scene?
Their shameless behavior made Song Wanníng purse her lips in disdain.
"Funny," she said coolly, "I remember very clearly how relentless you were just a moment ago. Now that it's your turn, suddenly apologizing is too humiliating?
So it's fine for me to be humiliated?"
She wasn't someone so easily pacified.
"There are plenty of witnesses here. If you don't apologize, who knows how the rumors will twist things later. I'm saying this for your own good, wouldn't you agree?"
She even put on a gracious, understanding tone as she stared at the three men, calm and unyielding. If they wanted to mess with her, they had to be ready to pay the price.
And an apology was only the appetizer.
"You…" All three felt the threat behind her words. Their faces darkened, but none of them dared to lash out.
Song Wanníng had become utterly unpredictable, prone to lashing out at the drop of a hat. They were all wary of provoking her again. They still had reputations to maintain.
The elders looked toward the Sect Master, waiting for him to make the call.
Outside, the murmuring from the crowd hadn't stopped. Their sharp tongues and judgmental expressions were enough to make anyone seethe.
The Sect Master's face was now black as the bottom of a pot. The very people he had summoned as witnesses had become shackles around his neck. He had no choice. If he didn't apologize now, he had no doubt the gossip would get even worse.
He muttered quickly, "I apologize. We were misled. It was a misunderstanding."
The two elders followed suit with stiff, reluctant apologies. It was clear they were swallowing their pride. A sect was like a dye vat, saturated with all kinds of forces and undercurrents. The politics were complicated.
Song Wanníng's background had long made her a target of suspicion, and while she had powerful allies, she was not widely liked.
Jealousy and slander followed her more often than support.
Still, there were a few cultivators who remained neutral, choosing not to get swept up in sect drama. But these three in front of her were different—drunk on power, and always ready to exploit Wentian Sect for personal gain.
Song Wanníng's expression remained unchanged, her smile deepening with layered meaning.
"Since you've all apologized, we can leave it at that. Just remember next time, Sect Master—learn to judge right from wrong. Don't let yourself be used by others so easily." Her words clearly pointed toward the unconscious Ye Chuxue, and for the first time in a long while, Song Wanníng felt genuinely satisfied.
The Sect Master's face was ashen. He said nothing and turned to leave with the others, retreating in defeat, his swagger gone and his posture slumped. It was almost comical.
Bai Yang followed after them. Despite everything, he was still worried about Ye Chuxue's injuries and couldn't relax until he had seen her safely back.
Before leaving, he had tried to ask Song Wanníng for medicine, but before the words left his mouth, the cold look in her eyes sent him shrinking away. He left without saying a word.
The crowd, having seen enough drama for one day, scattered quickly. No one wanted to be the next person Song Wanníng dealt with. They fled as fast as they could.
The shopkeeper snorted with laughter.
"These little bastards sure ran fast, huh? Weren't they just screaming a moment ago?"
"Forget them," Song Wanníng said lazily, rolling her neck. "Just a bunch of clowns."
She glanced over at "A-Yue."
From the beginning, she had planned this. She had deliberately found someone who looked almost identical to the man from the Demonic Abyss—and it had worked like a charm.
So what if Ye Chuxue was clever?
Without proof, her accusations were meaningless.
"Handle the rest. I'm going back to the Song family," she instructed the shopkeeper, then departed without another word.
There was still that pearl waiting for her.
—
At the same time, on the flying vessel headed back to the sect, every face was grim. Not a single word was spoken.
Under the effects of Bai Yang's pills, Ye Chuxue finally regained consciousness. She looked deathly pale, lips bloodless, barely able to move.
She lay in An Ze's arms without speaking, and even blinking made her head spin with pain.
The Sect Master tried to hold his tongue, but in the end, he couldn't swallow the bitterness. He looked at her and said sharply:
"Junior Niece Ye, we understand that you're worried about Junior Brother Gu, but you can't go around making false accusations."
"You made us all look like fools!"
If he hadn't trusted her, would he have lost so much face?
The two elders nodded in agreement.
"That's right. Because of you, we had to apologize to Song Wanníng. We lost all dignity."
"You really handled this poorly, Junior Niece."
They took turns complaining and pointing fingers, not once showing concern for her condition. Ye Chuxue's heart turned cold. Her expression grew more distant with each word they spoke.
She etched their coldness into her memory.
They were only acting this way because her master was gravely ill, and she had no one to rely on.
They would regret this.
Seeing her remain silent, the three men lost interest and stopped talking. An awkward silence settled over the ship.
Ye Chuxue shut her eyes again, utterly exhausted.
Bai Yang's betrayal. Her master unconscious. Her body injured. Her storage ring gone. One disaster after another. Nothing seemed to go her way.
Since arriving in this world, she had never been so humiliated. Not even when she had been nothing but a weak, five-spirit-root cultivator.
She opened her eyes again and turned to look at Bai Yang, who sat quietly nearby. Somewhere in her heart, she still clung to a shred of hope.
Maybe Bai Yang still believed her?
Fighting through the dizziness, she asked weakly, "Bai Yang, do you believe me? Everything I said was true. Song Wanníng must be behind this."
If she had only suspected before, now she was absolutely certain.
Song Wanníng had done this on purpose. It was revenge.
And she had fallen right into her trap. All her savings, gone.
Bai Yang furrowed his brow and looked down at her, confused.
"The auctioneer wasn't a demonic cultivator, and Master didn't take your storage ring. Everyone saw that. Why do you keep slandering her?
I know a lot has happened lately. I understand if you resent Master. But that doesn't justify this kind of behavior. Junior Sister Ye… You weren't always like this."
At some point, the bright and kind Junior Sister he once knew had started to fade. In her place was someone erratic, intense, and unrecognizable.