As the prestigious young master of his sect, raised with all the resources the clan had to offer, he had actually run in crying that he had been beaten in front of Nine Saints Hall, the Wen family, and the people of Medicine King Valley?!
Ye Chongguang had assumed his son had run into some powerful foe, only for the culprit to turn out to be such a weak-looking, fragile little girl!
He had truly lost all face because of him!
Ye Chang'an, having received a slap, looked at Ye Chongguang in disbelief. “Father...”
Ye Chongguang took a deep breath, suppressing his rage as he tried his best to restore his calm and collected composure. “Shut up and stand aside. I will settle this score with you when we return.”
Ye Chang'an reluctantly shut his mouth.
The Third Elder, who was looking for a place to vent his frustration, spoke up in a sarcastic tone upon seeing this. “Oh my, our Little Seven is just a pill cultivator who only joined the sect last year. She hasn't learned any swordplay or spells at all, so how could she possibly beat anyone up? Could Young Master Ye have made a mistake?”
Ye Chang'an had wanted to save face initially, but he instantly jumped up in anger. “Her, a pill cultivator?! She has beaten me up more times than I can count! She...”
“Shut up! Get out!”
Ye Chongguang closed his eyes in fury. “Do not come back in without my command.”
Ye Chang'an opened his mouth, wanting to argue his case, but upon meeting his father's livid face, he was forced to shut it. He glared resentfully at Song Yao before walking out.
The Third Elder picked up his teacup, slowly blew away the floating tea leaves, and took a sip. “Sect Master Ye, why are you so angry? Perhaps our child really did hit Young Master Ye. Why don't we have Lin Mu apologize to him?”
Ye Chongguang said with a cold face, “There is no need.”
Zhu Zhao spoke up at the right moment. “Since there is no need, let's get down to business.”
She turned toward Ji Duchuan. “Senior Ji, how is it? Did you find anything?”
Before Ji Duchuan could speak, a figure walked in quickly. “I should be the one to say it.”
Everyone looked over. “Young Mistress Wen?”
Wen Yu entered the room. Her plain white mourning clothes were still stained with black soot from the burnt room, and her hair was messily held up by a wooden hairpin. Traces of unshed tears remained at the corners of her eyes, but her expression was entirely different from before.
Ye Chongguang's gaze shifted as well. His fingers tightened violently around the armrest of his chair, causing the wood to emit a faint creaking sound.
Wen Yu said, “Since my mother is dead and Senior Ji has already gathered the evidence, I have nothing left to hide. I might as well speak the truth.”
Song Yao was just stuffing the last two segments of her mandarin orange into her mouth. Hearing this, the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
Not bad.
She was quite clever after all.
Speaking of such matters in public was the best way to secure a path of survival for herself. It would make Ye Chongguang even more hesitant to touch her.
Catching sight of her Fourth Junior Brother walking in from outside and standing at the doorway out of the corner of her eye, Song Yao quietly shifted over and hid behind him.
In case Ye Chongguang went mad and tried to drag everyone down with him once exposed, hiding behind her Fourth Junior Brother would at least offer some safety.
A dark shadow fell over Ye Chongguang's brow, and his heavy gaze pressed down on Wen Yu. “Young Mistress Wen, you had better think carefully before you speak.”
Zhu Zhao immediately spoke in a calm voice, “Young Mistress Wen, feel free to speak. My Nine Saints Hall will protect your life.”
Ye Chongguang: “...”
He could barely contain his rage.
These personal disciples of Nine Saints Hall were each more audacious than the last, never showing him any respect.
Wen Yu glanced at Zhu Zhao.
This was the Second Senior Sister Wen Tang had told her about. Though she looked cold, she was righteous and the most reliable.
She wiped away the cold sweat seeping from her palms and calmed down significantly. “My mother and Elder Huaisang were killed by Wen Tang.”
The teacup in the Third Elder's hand trembled. “What did you say? Tangtang?”
Wen Yu lowered her eyelashes and continued, “My mother did not want to be controlled by Nine Saints Hall anymore, nor did she like Wen Tang. Wanting me to become the young mistress, she conspired with Taiqing Pavilion to let them take Wen Tang away.”
“I have seen Wen Tang. She is very different from before. Taiqing Pavilion must have done something to control her, which is why she went around poisoning and attacking people.”
Her words quickened, carrying a tone of certainty. “These matters are definitely tied to Taiqing Pavilion!”
Everyone froze.
Dark poison was already a major taboo, utterly unacceptable to the orthodox path. Controlling a poison cultivator to commit murder was an extremely sinister and unorthodox method. If word of this got out, it would be enough to ruin any sect's reputation.
Ye Chongguang slammed his hand on the table, rising to his feet as the teacups clattered loudly. “Utter nonsense!”
Several Taiqing Pavilion cultivators beside him drew their swords, pointing them in unison at Wen Yu.
On the opposite side, the Third Elder and Zhu Zhao immediately stood up as well. Zhu Zhao raised her eyes, and the phantom of the Black Bird flashed across her body. “Is Pavilion Master Ye trying to silence the witness?”
Ye Chongguang's chest heaved violently a couple of times as he forced down the rage rising in his throat.
He sat back down with a dull thud, his tone slightly softer than before. “My Taiqing Pavilion is one of the three great sects. It is absolutely impossible for us to commit such inhumane acts.”
He stared at Wen Yu with burning eyes. “If Wen Tang were truly under the control of my Taiqing Pavilion as you claim, how could Huaisang have died by her hand?”
Wen Yu reached into her robes and produced several letters, holding them high above her head. “I have the correspondence between Elder Huaisang and my mother. The seal of Taiqing Pavilion is on them; it cannot be forged.”
Ji Duchuan took them from her hands, looking down to inspect them closely. He even leaned in to sniff them before clicking his tongue twice. “Pavilion Master Ye, what do you have to say to this? Under these circumstances, I'm afraid we will have to convene the All-Sects Council.”
Generally, the various sects of the Tianshu Realm would only be summoned for such a meeting under extremely severe circumstances, to denounce a disgraced immortal family.
And the one being denounced would inevitably be someone of high standing in the Tianshu Realm.
The last time such a council was nearly convened was because of that sword cultivator.
However, before it could even be held, Nine Saints Hall had already taken the initiative to exile him to the Earth Realm.
Ye Chongguang fell silent for a moment, his finger tapping rhythmically against the armrest.
Song Yao shrank back even further.
No joke—if Ye Chongguang decided to tear off his mask and fight, no one present would be his match.
She didn't know the exact cultivation levels of her Second Senior Sister and Fourth Junior Brother, but if the two of them teamed up, they might at least be able to stall for a while.
The atmosphere grew tense. Her Fourth Junior Brother was playing with two talismans in his hand, clearly prepared to make a move.
After a moment, Ye Chongguang's movements stopped. When he spoke, his voice had softened considerably. “I was in closed-door cultivation at the time and was not aware of this matter.”
He looked at Wen Yu, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness. “However, after the fact, I did indeed hear Huaisang mention it. Your mother claimed that Wen Tang had a dispute with her senior sister and had her marriage contract annulled. In her distress, she suffered a qi deviation. The Wen family could not control her, so they turned to Taiqing Pavilion for help.”
“Tangtang was once betrothed to Chang'an, and I watched her grow up. Naturally, I could not just sit by and do nothing simply because of a rift between the two children. Furthermore, Huaisang had long been acquainted with your mother, and since he volunteered to handle the matter, I did not refuse.”
His expression turned apologetic. “Had I known he actually went there to use Tangtang, I would never have agreed to hand her over to him under any circumstances!”
“I... I am truly too ashamed to face Old Master Wen!”
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