Chapter 118

Chapter 118: Li Shuang Is Not at Fault

In the secret realm footage, Chang Le An and Ye Zhao Zhao joined forces at once, while Yan Xiao raised a few objections that the two of them completely ignored.

On another screen, Li Shuang was focused on gathering resources, never imagining that someone would drive a Winged Lion Beast straight at her.

Sheng Yuan looked at Ye Zhao Zhao with hope in his eyes: “Zhao Zhao, you…” [This cannot be what I think. There has to be a twist, right? Otherwise… How could Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An have sworn to me like that?]

Ye Zhao Zhao lowered her head and dodged Sheng Yuan’s gaze, already calculating how to get through this.

Sheng Yuan turned to Chang Le An, and Chang Le An’s eyes drifted, clearly unsure.

Shen Yue could not hold back a Dao-Questioning, asking in a low voice: “What is going on here?”

Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An wanted to make excuses, but the recording kept playing; even if they argued, who would believe them? They could only keep silent.

Then someone in the crowd suddenly spoke up: “If you line up both sets of footage, don’t you notice something? When Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An went to find Li Shuang, they almost walked in a straight line.”

Another voice followed, surprised: “Huh, you’re right. They didn’t take a single detour. It’s like they already knew the direction where Li Shuang was.”

When you watch the scenes together, new details pop out. Once this point was raised, everyone looked even more closely.

Normally, in the Langya Secret Realm, the range of spiritual sense is very limited. Li Shuang had already left the forest, so Ye Zhao Zhao should not have known her exact position. Yet from the footage, Ye Zhao Zhao charged straight toward Li Shuang.

The purpose was very clear. Calling it a coincidence was not convincing at all. Did Ye Zhao Zhao also know Li Shuang’s movements inside the secret realm? The disciples looked toward Ye Zhao Zhao, and chatter filled the hall.

Chang Le An suddenly came to his senses and snapped his head toward Ye Zhao Zhao. It had looked like he was leading the way in the Langya Secret Realm, but little by little, the person steering their path was Ye Zhao Zhao. Because of that, they ran into Li Shuang again and again. He had thought it was chance, yet the footage showed her aim had been clear from the start. So neither time they met Li Shuang was a coincidence.

His feelings grew complicated. If not for Zhao Zhao insisting on finding Li Shuang, how could their harvest have ended up so poor? [Was this trying to steal a chicken and ending up losing the rice?]

In the murmur of voices, the two sides in the footage finally crossed paths.

Ye Zhao Zhao rushed straight at Li Shuang and dragged the Winged Lion Beast’s attention fully onto herself.

After that moment, while Li Shuang fought the Winged Lion Beast, Chang Le An and Ye Zhao Zhao turned and ran.

The hall burst into an uproar. Wasn’t Sheng Yuan accusing Li Shuang of abandoning her fellow disciples and throwing them into danger? So what was this? Who actually abandoned whom? Who really pushed their companions into danger?

Sheng Yuan’s face turned pale, then dark. By now he understood. He had been fooled by Chang Le An and Ye Zhao Zhao. He swung his gaze to Ye Zhao Zhao.

Ye Zhao Zhao swayed on her feet, looking like she might faint at any second.

Sheng Yuan’s lips trembled, but the words stuck in his throat.

Suddenly Chang Le An pointed at the projection and shouted: “I didn’t lie! Look, Li Shuang is purposely luring the Winged Lion Beast toward me and Zhao Zhao! She is doing it on purpose!”

In the image, Li Shuang moved with quick, nimble steps. The beast’s strikes missed her and fell toward Chang Le An and Ye Zhao Zhao instead.

Chang Le An yelled and scanned the crowd, trying to find someone who would agree with him.

But the eyes on him were still full of contempt.

Jiang Yun Ge let out a cold laugh and spoke clearly: “Whether Li Shuang did it on purpose is not the point. Sect Rule seventy-three: fellow disciples must unite and help one another, but if someone first harbors ill intent, the one who fights back is not at fault. Disciples of Ling Xu Peak, Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An had a plan to harm a peer from the start. Even if Li Shuang struck back on purpose, by the rules this is not a mistake.”

Jiang Yun Ge’s way always draws clear lines between kindness and grudges. She saw nothing wrong with Li Shuang’s counterattack. If it were her, she would have done the same.

She paused, then added in a cool voice: “Also, this footage is from early in the secret realm. From Junior Sister Ye’s later actions, she still had several Fourth-grade talismans on her. Chang Le An, you should ask Ye Zhao Zhao why she kept her trump cards hidden. If she had used a Fourth-grade talisman right when the Winged Lion Beast appeared, Yue Feng would not have been eliminated, and the rest of you would not have been badly hurt at the start.”

Right then, in the recording, Ye Zhao Zhao’s speed suddenly jumped a hundredfold as she pulled Chang Le An to run.

Jiang Yun Ge chuckled again: “She clearly had attack talismans, yet at that moment she only used a speed talisman. What was she thinking?”

Ye Zhao Zhao’s face went a little white. She said weakly: “I just didn’t think that far. And also, that Winged Lion Beast was not even a match for Senior Sister Li. Senior Sister Li pretended to be losing to force me to waste precious Fourth-grade talismans. Even if my Third Senior Brother and I were wrong, what about Li Shuang? Is she really without a single fault?”

She looked at Li Shuang, and a hint of hatred rose in her eyes.

Li Shuang gave her a calm glance, then answered without fear: “The Supreme Unfeeling Art can tell kindness from malice. To those with good will, I protect. To those with ill will, I strike back. I act openly and honestly. I do not fear schemes, but anyone who schemes against me should be ready to bear my counterattack.”

Her gaze stayed cool. She did not hide what she thought. Before this, she had been too easy to talk to, which only made the people of Ling Xu Peak push further and further. In truth, if you repay every wrong with kindness, how do you repay true kindness?

She could have explained that what the footage showed was not on purpose, but she felt there was no need. Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An tried to harm her first. If she did fight back on purpose, so what?

If that still counts as wrong, then the Sword Sect wants saints, not disciples. Saints cannot survive in this harsh world of cultivation.

Having learned her lessons, Li Shuang now knew how to show the edge hidden inside her kindness.

Jiang Yun Ge spoke first, her voice crisp with disdain toward Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An: “I say Li Shuang is not at fault.”

Yan Xiao answered without hesitation: “I also say Senior Sister Li is not at fault.” He had shown her goodwill in the secret realm, and Senior Sister Li returned it by protecting him for a time. Those who came at her with malice, why should they beg for her help?

Yue Feng hurried to add: “Senior Sister Li is not at fault!”

Voices rose one after another: “Senior Sister Li is not at fault!” “Senior Sister Li is not at fault!”

If this counted as a mistake, then they might as well all be pushovers.

Li Shuang turned, gave the crowd a small nod, and showed her thanks.

Ye Zhao Zhao’s fingers curled into a tight fist.