Chapter 235 : Unfounded Accusations
Tiandao Sect had rushed over aggressively to demand accountability, yet their so-called evidence turned out to be merely the one-sided account of a disciple. Not only did the Xuanqing Sect members refuse to believe it, even the Buddha Sect members who had been brought along shook their heads slightly.
Peak Master Qingxu and the others were already in a poor mood due to their injuries. After the Tiandao Sect disciple finished speaking, they didn't even want to verify his claims, simply waving dismissively: "This is merely hearsay. You neither captured anyone nor have any other evidence. Do you expect Xuanqing Sect to hand over our disciple based on just these few words?" He finished with an impolite snort: "This is simply too ridiculous."
To be blunt, he had never even seen the disciple who came forward to testify, suggesting his status was insignificant. In contrast, Yun Qingyue was the senior disciple of Mount Mingxia, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, would be the future Peak Master of Mount Mingxia. The difference in status between them was like heaven and earth. Without evidence, attacking her reputation was impossible, even with the Grand Elder of Tiandao Sect personally leading the charge.
Undoubtedly, everyone from Xuanqing Sect thought the same way. The three Peak Masters didn't yield an inch, and the disciples instinctively rallied to protect Yun Qingyue. Even Bei Luo, with his severed arm, stood in front of her.
Seeing this, Yun Qingyue was deeply moved, but having done nothing wrong, she felt no guilt.
Seeing the intense reaction from Xuanqing Sect, with the atmosphere becoming tense like drawn bows and nocked arrows, even the Buddha Sect members, who typically avoided such entanglements, had to step forward as peacemakers. Dharma Master Huiming stepped forward, positioning himself between the two sects, raised a single palm, chanted a Buddhist invocation, and then said to Tiandao Sect: "There may be a misunderstanding here. Grand Elder, perhaps you should return and investigate further, to avoid misunderstandings that could create rifts between our sects."
This was well-intentioned advice, but the Grand Elder was harboring a burning rage—it was he who had proposed using Jianbing as bait to ambush Nine Abyss Sect. Now, the three sects had cooperated with his plan only to suffer devastating losses, and one can imagine the pressure he felt. As soon as they were ambushed, he had declared that someone had leaked information, which was somewhat an attempt to shift blame. Now, with such an opportunity handed to him, he could completely transfer responsibility for this failure, and naturally wouldn't let it go.
So the Grand Elder didn't heed Dharma Master Huiming's advice, instead stubbornly insisting: "This matter is of great importance—how can we delay? If we wait too long and the evidence is destroyed, wouldn't it seem as if I'm intentionally making false accusations?"
These words were truly grating, and the three Peak Masters' faces darkened. If not for their concern about the demonic path's powerful enemies nearby, and the inappropriateness of creating discord among the three sects at this time, they might have rolled up their sleeves for a "discussion" with him on the spot.
But while the Peak Masters had reservations, Jianbing did not.
The Little White Tiger's still childish voice rang out, reaching the ears of everyone present: "Grand Elder's meaning is that Xuanqing Sect would shield its disciple? But why do I feel that the Grand Elder's hurried arrival is an attempt to shift responsibility?"
The Xuanqing Sect members weren't fools; they naturally sensed the subtle dynamics at play. However, the Grand Elder of Tiandao Sect was a venerable figure, and such words weren't appropriate for them to voice. Now that the Little White Tiger had bluntly pointed it out, everyone felt relieved, while the Grand Elder himself found these words extremely offensive, his expression changing several times.
The Tiandao Sect members also felt they had lost face, each wearing an extremely unpleasant expression, their gazes toward the Little White Tiger even containing hints of resentment. Only You Yi, who had spent nearly half a year with Xuanqing Sect members and had been saved by them several times, showed an extremely awkward expression.
He stepped slightly forward, moving to the Grand Elder's side, wanting to offer some words of persuasion.
However, the Grand Elder guessed his intentions and, before he could speak, raised his hand to interrupt him, saying directly: "Regardless of what you think, today you must give this old man an explanation."
Once again, it was the Little White Tiger who retorted: "You make baseless accusations, yet demand explanations from others—what kind of reasoning is this?"
She was Jianbing, the divine beast. Despite her young age and current weakness, as long as she didn't perish midway, her future ascension as a Divine Lord was assured. Even though the Grand Elder held a high position and possessed profound cultivation, he couldn't do anything to her—divine beasts protect their own, and even if Xuanqing Sect's Divine Lord Zhiming had not yet ascended, if he truly did anything to the Little White Tiger, even the Qilin divine beast from his own sect wouldn't look kindly upon him.
The Grand Elder was extremely frustrated but had made up his mind not to let the matter rest. So the Buddha Sect members had to step forward again to mediate. This time, Dharma Master Huiming addressed the Xuanqing Sect members: "The great battle has just ended, and everyone is eager to return and heal their wounds. This matter should not be delayed, as rumors would damage Disciple Qingyue's reputation." After explaining the consequences, he continued: "The Tiandao Sect disciple mentioned that Xuanqing Sect disciples also witnessed the demonic cultivator and can testify. Why don't the three Peak Masters summon these two disciples for questioning?"
The Little White Tiger had just been thinking favorably of the Buddha Sect members, but now found their fence-sitting attitude extremely annoying, rolling her eyes directly at Dharma Master Huiming.
She certainly trusted her Senior Sister. Even if Senior Sister's background might indeed be problematic, someone of her character would never betray her sect or contact the demonic path. Conversely, those two unnamed Xuanqing Sect disciples might be the ones with issues.
The Little White Tiger flicked her tail anxiously, but being within Xuanqing Sect, she couldn't voice such thoughts.
The three Peak Masters exchanged glances, and faced with this "reasonably fair" request, they ultimately couldn't refuse time and again. Otherwise, it would indeed appear as if they were guilty and blindly protecting their disciple.
Finally, Peak Master Qingyu stepped forward. She first looked at Yun Qingyue and asked: "Do you have anything to say?"
Yun Qingyue finally had the opportunity to speak. She stepped forward, bowed to the elders, and then said frankly: "Master, I have not colluded with anyone from the demonic path. My conscience is clear, and I do not fear investigation."
Peak Master Qingyu clearly trusted her disciple deeply and didn't ask any further questions, her expression softening as she responded with a simple "Good." But when she turned around again, her face was once more ice-cold as she addressed the Tiandao Sect disciple who had made the accusation: "Very well, tell us who these two disciples are."
The Tiandao Sect disciple stepped forward again, but he didn't know the two individuals' names and could only describe their appearance and clothing. Fortunately, the two had distinctive features, and some Xuanqing Sect disciples present quickly identified them. Before long, the two were brought over—they turned out to be two small Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The two seemed unaccustomed to such grand occasions; facing three Peak Masters plus the high-ranking members of the other two sects, they were so nervous that their backs were soaked with sweat. They trembled as they bowed, not daring to utter a word.
It was Peak Master Qingyu who questioned them: "Someone says that a few days ago, you saw a demonic cultivator enter Qingyue's residence. Is this true?"
The two had sweat all over their foreheads, stammering without saying anything concrete. Only when Peak Master Qingyu pressed them again did they reply: "We did indeed see a stranger enter Senior Sister Yun's residence, but whether that person was a demonic cultivator, we don't know." They hurriedly added: "Our cultivation is too low, and our perception isn't good—we can't be certain of anything."
This statement was hardly different from saying nothing at all; it only confirmed that someone had indeed entered Yun Qingyue's residence. But undoubtedly, given that someone had already drawn conclusions beforehand, the two's testimony only added to the suspicion surrounding Yun Qingyue.
It was unclear whether the Peak Masters had noticed, but the Little White Tiger certainly saw that the two were being dishonest. She immediately challenged: "Your cultivation may be low, and we don't blame you for failing to capture the person. But many days have passed—why didn't you report this? Even at that time, within the Xuanqing Sect compound, you only needed to call out once, and some elder would surely have come to capture that suspicious person!"
With these words, everyone's expressions showed sudden realization, and their looks toward the two became subtle.
The two reacted quickly, immediately answering: "That person was indeed suspicious, but there are thousands of disciples in Xuanqing Sect, and we brothers don't know everyone. Besides, we're not from Mount Mingxia—what if that person was someone Senior Sister Yun knew?"
This explanation wasn't without merit, and the crowd's suspicion lessened somewhat, but the situation returned to its starting point.
Peak Master Qingxu and the others felt this should be sufficient; based on the Tiandao Sect disciple's one-sided account, they had already summoned their disciples for questioning. As for actually arresting Yun Qingyue as a traitor for interrogation, how could that be possible without evidence? Even with evidence, with Master Qingyu present, she would certainly protect her own, not allowing the matter to become public.
Feeling they had done all they could, Peak Master Qingxu and the others were about to conclude the matter and dismiss their unwelcome guests. Unexpectedly, the Grand Elder, throwing caution to the wind, spoke before Peak Master Qingxu could, directly suggesting: "Since there was indeed a suspicious person, why not conduct a search?"
Peak Master Qingxu and the others' faces completely darkened, and Yun Qingyue also revealed a hesitant expression—she knew nothing about a suspicious person sneaking into her residence. Because she had been helping the elders manage the compound these past days, she had spent most of her time on the Spirit Boat, rarely returning to her quarters in the compound. If someone truly wanted to frame her and left something in her residence, she might indeed be unable to explain.
Yun Qingyue felt some unease, but recalling her brief encounter with the Crimson Blood Sect Leader, the other party's attitude hadn't seemed intent on making things difficult for her. So she relaxed a bit and waited to see how events would unfold.
The Little White Tiger wasn't as composed as Yun Qingyue; she had already sensed hints of conspiracy in how things were developing and asked the system: "System, can you scan Senior Sister's residence to see if anything unusual has appeared?"
The system was quite troubled: "Host, I can scan, but I don't know what would constitute something additional."
This was true—though the system was quite capable, its energy wasn't sufficient to scan everywhere it went and keep constant records. Moreover, she and the system were outsiders; even after more than two years in the cultivation world, they weren't as sensitive to certain things as native residents. For instance, they might overlook things that ordinary cultivators would immediately find problematic.
Nevertheless, the Little White Tiger still told the system: "Scan it first and see if there's anything strange. I remember Senior Sister doesn't usually like clutter, and since this is temporary lodging, it was furnished very simply."
The system obediently conducted a scan, but unfortunately couldn't find anything suspicious—not even an incriminating note.
The Little White Tiger didn't know whether to feel relieved, only hoping that the Peak Masters would exert some effort and not let this farce continue. But the result clearly disappointed her—once a farce begins, it's not so easily ended.