"You!"
Cang Dongqing's face turned pale in an instant.
"I didn't..." She hurriedly turned to look at Le Changxi. "Senior Brother, she's slandering me... I didn't mean that..."
Le Changxi immediately stepped in front of her like a mother hen protecting its chick. "Li Nanzhu! My junior sister—"
"Fellow Daoist Le," Li Nanzhu interrupted directly. "What is the first rule of your Sword Heart Sect's sect regulations?"
Le Changxi frowned. Who would bother remembering such things? Besides, the sect regulations meant nothing to direct disciples like them.
"I don't know. Don't try to change the subject."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Nanzhu spoke with a calm expression. "Maintain integrity in conduct, seek truth through verification..."
"Who knows if you're just making that up," Le Changxi interrupted her. "You aren't even a disciple of our sect—"
"What she said is correct." A cold female voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. The onlookers parted, and Lin Shuang, dressed in white, walked forward slowly. The Ice Soul Sword hanging at her waist shimmered with a cold light.
While they had been arguing, Lin Shuang had been watching coldly from the sidelines. She only stepped forward when Li Nanzhu recited the first rule of their sect.
"I can testify that what Fellow Daoist Li said is entirely correct." Lin Shuang nodded slightly to Li Nanzhu. Li Nanzhu immediately understood her intention, though she hadn't expected this low-profile sword cultivator from the Sword Heart Sect to help her at this moment.
"In that case!" Li Nanzhu clapped her hands. "Then may I ask you two—" Her gaze swept across the Sword Heart Sect group like a blade. "When you identified my companion and me as evil cultivators, did you seek truth through verification? Even an outsider like me knows your sect's regulations, yet you do not. Could it be..." she deliberately dragged out her words, "that the rules of the Sword Heart Sect are only meant to exist on paper?"
This final blow left the cave in dead silence. Several cultivators from smaller sects couldn't help but nod in approval.
Qu Chen was now completely silent, and Le Changxi's face turned pale. With a member of his own sect testifying against him, he couldn't deny it no matter what. Besides, sect regulations weren't secrets; anyone could find out with a bit of inquiry. He couldn't deny them.
A crisp hum suddenly came from the scabbard of the Ice Soul Sword, and everyone's gaze turned toward the white-clad sword cultivator.
"The first rule of the sect's instructions." The tip of her sword touched the ground, and frost spread along the rock crevices to Cang Dongqing's feet. "Did you verify your claims?"
Seeing their silence, Lin Shuang's gaze fell on Li Nanzhu. She bowed slightly. "This matter was indeed a lapse in judgment on the part of the Sword Heart Sect. I apologize to Fellow Daoist Li on behalf of my fellow disciples."
Suisui tilted its skull, the blue fire in its eye sockets flickering curiously. It mimicked Lin Shuang's gesture, making a bowing motion with its bone claws, which made several rogue cultivators chuckle.
"Senior Sister Lin Shuang!" Cang Dongqing stomped her foot in frustration. "How could you..."
"Be quiet." Lin Shuang shot her a look. No matter how unwilling Cang Dongqing was, she couldn't speak further. Le Changxi opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Lin Shuang's next words.
"Junior Brother Le, before we left, Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao specifically instructed us to prioritize the sect's reputation while abroad. You have already embarrassed us once outside. What more is there to say? A mistake is a mistake. Admitting it is no big deal, but deliberately hiding it when you know you're wrong will truly ruin our reputation."
As she spoke, she shot a pointed look at Cang Dongqing. Cang Dongqing's expression shifted, while Le Changxi's face flushed with varying shades of red and white. In the end, he could only let out a heavy huff.
"But that doesn't prove there isn't a problem with that skeleton, does it?" Qu Chen suddenly spoke. He could admit it was wrong to jump to conclusions without evidence, but they had never seen this skeleton before. He was a stubborn person by nature, and when it involved evil cultivators, he wouldn't let it go so easily, even if it meant offending the son of the Water Moon Sect's sovereign.
"Suisui is a product I created through a stroke of luck, using something my father gave me. If you say it's an evil thing, aren't you saying that I, its creator, am an evil cultivator?" Liu Qingyang's face darkened. "Qu Chen, I'm warning you. If you don't drop this, I'll have to advise my father to reconsider our cooperation with the Sword Heart Sect."
His hand moved to his storage bag, looking as though he would use a magic tool to blast Qu Chen if he dared to continue questioning him.
The three of them—Li Nanzhu, Duan Xianxing, and Liu Qingyang—looked at each other in surprise. They hadn't expected Liu Qingyang to lie without blinking.
It was only then that Li Nanzhu vaguely remembered how Liu Qingyang had nearly trashed the inn when they first met, and how he hadn't given Cang Dongqing any face at all. Because they had spent so much time with him, they had begun to think of him as easygoing. In reality, how could the son of a major sect truly be without a temper?
This current state was likely Liu Qingyang's true nature.
Qu Chen sheathed his sword with a grim face. "...A misunderstanding."
Cang Dongqing stumbled back, her lips trembling, unable to say another word. If her actions caused the cooperation between the two sects to end, even as the most pampered disciple of Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao, she wouldn't be let off easily. The current situation left her no room to question further.
"A misunderstanding?" Li Nanzhu sneered. "First you slander us, then you make excuses, and now it's just a 'misunderstanding'?"
Li Nanzhu's boot crushed a pebble, sending dust flying onto the hem of Cang Dongqing's skirt.
Le Changxi rushed to block her, but he bumped into the sword scabbard Duan Xianxing had suddenly thrust out—the usually smiling senior brother now had a warning coldness in his eyes.
Li Nanzhu walked slowly toward Cang Dongqing, ignoring Qu Chen and Le Changxi. With her senior brother blocking them, she wasn't worried. Furthermore, she knew very well that one of them was stubborn and the other was a fool; under the influence of the heroine's halo, there was no point in communicating further.
"I know you're retaliating for what happened at the inn, but to use such base methods for slander..." she whispered. "Do you really think everyone is as big a fool as Le Changxi?"
Cang Dongqing's body swayed, her vision actually darkening this time. The situation she had so carefully engineered had been dismantled in such an embarrassing way.
"Junior Sister!" Seeing Cang Dongqing teetering, Le Changxi quickly supported her, his eyes full of heartache.
Li Nanzhu's lip twitched at the sight. He's beyond saving, even stupider than Li Nanyi.
At this moment, Lin Shuang had the worst expression of all. She felt that her two fellow disciples, who were usually perfectly normal, seemed to lose their brains whenever it came to Cang Dongqing.
She had almost resolved the matter, but Qu Chen, that fool, had brought it up again. She was truly infuriated by this dead weight of a teammate.
Lin Shuang took a deep breath, suppressing her anger as the Ice Soul Sword vibrated slightly in its scabbard.
She stepped forward, her voice as cold as ice. "Senior Brother Qu, have you had enough?"
Qu Chen's face froze, his hand on his sword trembling. The words he had previously said to Lin Shuang were now being thrown back at him.
"I..."
"Enough." Lin Shuang interrupted him and turned to bow formally to Liu Qingyang. "Young Master Liu, today's matter was a discourtesy on the part of the Sword Heart Sect. Once we leave the secret realm, I will personally report the truth to the Sect Master."
Liu Qingyang finally took his hand off his storage bag and snorted coldly. "Fellow Daoist Lin is a sensible person."
Li Nanzhu also knew that since they were still inside the cave dwelling, making a scene would benefit no one. Instead, it would only allow the other rogue cultivators to snatch the opportunities. Moreover, she had no intention of making things difficult for this female cultivator named Lin Shuang.
In her memories, Lin Shuang wasn't mentioned much in the original text. She only knew she was an ice spiritual root genius who eventually died fighting demon cultivators. For that reason alone, Li Nanzhu wouldn't target her.
Finding the right moment, she took out a porcelain bottle. "This is a tier 1 essence-nurturing pill. Since you acted as our human cushion, consider this an apology to Fellow Daoist Le." She paused and then took out another pill that glowed with a soft luster. "This clear heart jade dew pill is for Fellow Daoist Lin."
A flash of surprise crossed Lin Shuang's eyes. The clear heart jade dew pill was obviously much more valuable than the essence-nurturing pill given to Le Changxi. She was about to refuse, but Li Nanzhu interrupted her.
"Just consider it making a friend." Li Nanzhu handed the pill over gently. "I've heard that sword cultivators need to maintain a clear heart and calm spirit. Besides, I remember you were heavily injured before coming in; you need medicine."
Furthermore, Li Nanzhu wasn't entirely without selfish motives. Having a friendly contact within the Sword Heart Sect might prove useful in the future.
Lin Shuang opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing more. She accepted the pill and gave Li Nanzhu a deep look.
She turned and handed the porcelain bottle containing the essence-nurturing pill to Le Changxi. She brushed her finger over the bottle's opening to confirm there were no issues before handing it to him. "Junior Brother Le."
Le Changxi stared at the pill, hesitant to reach out. Cang Dongqing tugged at his sleeve anxiously. "Senior Brother, who knows if they—"
"Junior Sister Cang." Lin Shuang spoke suddenly, her voice neither heavy nor light. "Is that a clear heart jade pendant hanging from your waist?"
Cang Dongqing subconsciously covered the pendant. "Ye-Yes..."
"Then you should know that this object hates irritability and restlessness the most." Lin Shuang looked pointedly at her hand tugging on Le Changxi's sleeve. "If you pull any harder, it will break."
Cang Dongqing hurriedly let go, and Le Changxi eventually accepted the bottle. Qu Chen stood to the side with a grim face, not daring to say another word.
Qu Chen knew very well that by accepting this pill, all of the other party's faults would be softened. The only ones who had lost their dignity today were the Sword Heart Sect.
"Thank you for the gift, Fellow Daoist Li." Lin Shuang cupped her fists in salute. As she was leaving, she suddenly said to Suisui, "Nice bell."
She turned to the three from the Sword Heart Sect. "What are you waiting for? Let's go?"
Qu Chen had already sheathed his sword and immediately turned to leave.
Le Changxi hesitated for a moment but said nothing more, following with a dark face. Only Cang Dongqing lagged behind, turning to glare fiercely at Li Nanzhu. However, when she saw the others looking her way, she hurriedly turned to hide her expression and followed them quickly.
Suisui tilted its skull and watched Lin Shuang's retreating figure. The bell on its tailbone chimed without any wind.
Once the Sword Heart Sect group was far away, Duan Xianxing breathed a long sigh of relief. "This Miss Lin..."
"She's a sensible person," Liu Qingyang chimed in. "Did you see Cang Dongqing's face?"
"She is not simple." Li Nanzhu retracted her smile and said in a low voice, "When she took the pill just now, she used the starting movement of the Shenmu Sect's poison-identifying hand."
"But then again, Junior Sister," Duan Xianxing turned his head with a curious look, "how did you know their sect's regulations?"
Li Nanzhu turned her head awkwardly and gave a light cough. "Actually, I only knew that one line. I couldn't have made up anything after that."
This was the truth. After all, she only knew those two lines because they were mentioned in the original text, so she had memorized them. If she had been asked to continue, she would have had to find a way to change the subject.
"And here I thought you were so impressive! I really thought you knew them!" Duan Xianxing finally felt relieved. If his junior sister knew the regulations of other sects, it would have made him feel like a useless senior brother.
Though he hadn't been of much use just now.
Li Nanzhu quickly changed the subject, reaching out to pick up Suisui again. "Unfortunately, we still haven't proven Suisui's identity."
"Who cares?" Liu Qingyang waved his hand dismissively. "I believe in it anyway. Something that can be recognized by those things... cannot be an evil entity."
Liu Qingyang didn't say it explicitly, but the three of them understood what he meant.
The blue fire in Suisui's eyes suddenly brightened a bit, and its bone claws scratched its skull sheepishly.
Seeing the Sword Heart Sect leave, the other rogue cultivators either chose another direction to explore or followed the Sword Heart Sect. A few bold ones wanted to approach the young master of the Water Moon Sect, but they were deterred by Liu Qingyang's unpleasant expression. Once everyone had dispersed, Liu Qingyang suddenly bowed his head and sat on the ground. "Damn, pretending to be serious is so exhausting..."
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