Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Give an Explanation

The Kaiming Beast swooped down in front of the Steward Hall, and Bai Meng Jin wasn’t surprised to see a crowd already gathered.

Master Sun had led his students in a grand procession, and on the way, curious disciples had joined in like a river swelling with rain. By the time they arrived, the commotion had drawn even more onlookers.

The Steward Hall handled day-to-day affairs. Disciples came and went in a constant stream. Seeing this, many stopped dead, eyes bright.

“What happened?”

“Is someone causing trouble?”

“Don’t you see?” someone whispered back. “That’s Master Sun. He’s the most upright person there is. How could he lead a disturbance?”

“Then someone must’ve caused trouble in his place, and he came to demand justice.”

“That has to be it.”

“Come on—let’s see which brave fool managed to make Master Sun this angry.”

A steward hurried out, saw Master Sun, and immediately saluted.

Master Sun’s face was hard. “This is serious. Please ask the Hall Master to come out.”

The stewards who handled chores were mostly Foundation Establishment or Golden Core Stage cultivators. Master Sun was Nascent Soul Stage, and a highly skilled talisman master besides. The steward didn’t dare delay; he asked him to wait and went to report.

The Hall Master of the Steward Hall was also a sect elder and rarely stayed there. Most duties were shared out among disciples.

The one on duty today happened to be You Yan.

When she heard Master Sun had come to ask about something, she paused mid-step. “Martial Uncle Sun has always focused on talisman arts. He’s not the type who enjoys stirring up trouble.”

A Steward Hall disciple, catching bits of rumor, hurried over. “Martial Uncle You, I heard it has something to do with the Young Sect Master.

“Today, the Young Sect Master and that… Martial Uncle Bai went to Master Sun’s class, and somehow they got into an argument.”

You Yan’s smile twitched. “Oh no.”

She smacked her forehead, already feeling the headache bloom. “All right. I’ll go take a look.”

Outside, the crowd’s whispers were rising into argument.

“A devil cultivator? You didn’t see wrong, did you?”

“We might be mistaken, but could Master Sun be mistaken?”

“So the sect took in a devil cultivator—and she’s even in that relationship with the Young Sect Master?” A voice sharpened with anger. “How can that be? We cultivate for one reason—to slay devils and defend the Dao, don’t we?”

“Exactly. Even if there’s some special reason, making her a servant would be one thing. How could she be formally accepted as a disciple?”

“And they even want her and the Young Sect Master… after this, how will we still have the face to call ourselves the leading sect?”

“We need an explanation!”

“There’s no such thing!”

You Yan stepped forward with her usual sweet smile and saluted properly. “Martial Uncle Sun, what brings you here today?

“If you needed something, you could’ve just sent a disciple to tell me.”

Master Sun’s face didn’t soften. “Martial Niece You, are you in charge of the Steward Hall today?”

“Yes.” You Yan’s smile didn’t crack. “I just happen to be on duty. Did we do something poorly? Just tell me, Martial Uncle Sun. I’ll straighten it out.”

“No need.” Master Sun’s voice was sharp. “This isn’t something you can decide, but you definitely know the inside story!”

“Do I?” You Yan straightened—and, at a glance, spotted Bai Meng Jin and Ling Bu Fei lingering at the edge of the crowd.

Those two looked almost leisurely. Ling Bu Fei was leaning against the Kaiming Beast as if he’d come to watch street theater. Bai Meng Jin was outright cracking sunflower seeds, ignoring hostile looks like the entire uproar had nothing to do with them.

You Yan withdrew her gaze and smiled politely. “Please speak, Martial Uncle Sun. I’ll tell you whatever I know.”

Master Sun turned and pointed straight at Bai Meng Jin. “Is this woman a devil cultivator or not?”

You Yan’s smile faltered for half a breath. “Uh…”

“What’s so hard to say?” Master Sun snapped. “Is she or isn’t she? It’s one sentence.”

You Yan exhaled. “…You could say that.”

Master Sun’s temper flared. “What do you mean, ‘you could say’? If she can draw devil talismans, then she’s a devil cultivator. How can a devil cultivator be allowed into our immortal sect?”

You Yan kept her voice patient. “Martial Uncle Sun, even if Junior Sister Bai is a devil cultivator, her cultivation came by clean means. She’s never harmed anyone. Otherwise, the elders wouldn’t have agreed.”

“Heh.” Master Sun didn’t believe a word. “If she were only at the Qi Refining Stage, maybe.

“But if I didn’t see wrong, she’s already at the Golden Core Stage, isn’t she? Forming a core requires condensing a devil heart—how much devil qi does that take?!

“At her age, how could she have cultivated it on her own?” His voice rose. “She must have used some wicked method!”

The guess sounded plausible. Disciples echoed him, one after another.

“Exactly! That makes no sense!”

“If it’s all aboveboard, why can’t you say it?”

“Right. If you can’t explain her background, you can’t let a devil cultivator into our sect. Otherwise our vow to slay devils and uphold the Dao becomes a joke!”

“My Senior Brother died hunting devils,” someone shouted, face red with rage. “If you do this, how will you face the fellow disciples who died at the hands of devil cultivators?”

Voices piled on voices until emotion drowned reason.

You Yan assessed the crowd and made a decision.

In truth, Bai Meng Jin’s background had never been sealed. You Yan could have explained it on the spot.

But she wasn’t about to be the one to announce it.

Junior Sister Bai’s admission had been handled quietly. Qiu Yi Nong had asked about it before. That meant something. The Sect Master likely didn’t want it made public unless forced.

You Yan had no intention of being the scapegoat. There were people above her. Let the Sect Master take the blame and the burden.

Her Message Talisman had barely flown off when another flying ship landed nearby. A girl in disciple robes jumped down and ran toward them, shouting, “I know where she came from, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters! Please hear me out!”

Ling Bu Fei stopped cracking seeds. He looked at Bai Meng Jin. “Looks like your older sister.”

Bai Meng Jin nodded, genuine surprise flickering through her eyes.

Bai Meng Lian dragged Bai Meng Xing behind her and forced her way to the front. She saluted You Yan first, then turned to face the crowd, voice clear. “Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, I know how she got her cultivation!”

The crowd quieted.

Master Sun frowned. “Who are you? What’s your relationship with that devil cultivator? Do you really know where she came from?”

“Yes, Master.” Bai Meng Lian answered respectfully. “This disciple’s surname is Bai, given name Meng Lian. This is my brother, Meng Xing. We are from the Bai Clan of Azure Cloud City, and she…” Her gaze lifted to Bai Meng Jin. “She is our sister.”

The disciples buzzed in shock.

“She has relatives?”

“They don’t look like devil cultivators!”

A disciple who knew Bai Meng Lian called out, “Junior Sister Bai definitely isn’t a devil cultivator! She’s kind-hearted. Yesterday I lost my talisman brush, and she helped me look for it for ages!”

“Yeah! She’s been great since she arrived!”

“Then how can they be from the same clan as a devil cultivator?”

Bai Meng Lian raised her voice, cutting through the noise. “Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, please listen.

“My sister, Bai Meng Jin, wasn’t a devil cultivator to begin with. Two months ago, she was still attending classes with us at the Bai Clan school.

“Then Devil Creatures suddenly appeared in Azure Cloud City…”

Bai Meng Jin hadn’t expected it—her older sister had the gift of storytelling.

She began with the Devil Creatures, then moved to how Cinnabar Cloud Palace sent disciples to exterminate them, and how they met Bai Meng Jin…

As the story unfolded—five people trapped in a formation, Great-Uncle prepared to offer them as sacrifices—the crowd leaned in without realizing it.

Someone blurted, “What happened after that? Did you get sacrificed?”