Chapter 119

Chapter 119: Opening the Heart-Inquiry Platform

Ye Zhao Zhao burned with anger: [Li Shuang! Li Shuang! The people of the Sword Sect must be crazy. Everything I do is wrong, and everything she does is right. Is this the luck of a heaven-chosen girl?] She seemed to see that future image again, where Li Shuang commanded the Sword Sect and everyone answered her call. She bit down on her lower lip. [Is this really something that cannot be changed?]

Immortal Ling Xu’s face turned sour as he said in a low voice: “I did not expect Li Shuang to have such prestige among the sect’s disciples. Sect Master, even Jiang Rong Yi might not be able to make this many disciples speak for him.”

Lin Qing Ling gave a cold snort and answered with a smile that did not reach her eyes: “Old Ling Xu, stop trying to stir things up. Little Shuang keeps to herself and hardly interacts with other disciples. Maybe everyone is speaking for her simply because of fairness. Maybe, except for you at Ling Xu Peak who are blind in mind and eyes, the others are just reacting like normal people.”

Meng Yi Fei smiled lightly and spoke in an even tone: “My Sword Sect disciples are not the type to follow the crowd.”

He left it at that, but it said enough. Immortal Ling Xu’s expression grew even darker. If they do not follow the crowd, then their support comes from their own hearts. They support not only Li Shuang, but also the principle itself.

Meng Yi Fei raised a hand and stopped the playback: “The main points are clear. I also reviewed more records from Li Shuang’s token. After eliminating the Winged Lion Beast, she took Yan Xiao to look for other lone disciples of our sect. In the Outer Zone, she repeatedly knocked out members of the Demon Clan and saved quite a few disciples from the Six Great Sects. This shows she is not selfish. She saved those who should be saved.”

If she saved the ones who should be saved, then the ones she did not help were the ones who should not be saved. Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An’s faces turned ugly. Li Shuang’s actions felt excessive to them, yet everyone only criticized them.

Meng Yi Fei’s voice was steady: “Our Sword Sect does not need disciples who only know how to endure. In today’s cultivation world, the Demon Clan and the Devil Path are watching for weakness. On the Nanlan Continent, there are the Three Great Devil Sects, and a Demon King has even built a Demon Court. The name of the Six Great Sects sounds glorious, but crisis lies everywhere. We sword cultivators should raise our swords and sweep away injustice. If you do not dare act even for your own injustice, what kind of sword cultivator are you?”

He concluded clearly: “My view is that Li Shuang is not at fault. Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An meant to harm a fellow disciple and should be punished.”

He looked toward the five Peak Masters and Pang Zhi Xue and asked for their thoughts.

Pang Zhi Xue smiled: “Sect Master speaks the truth.”

Lin Qing Ling’s lips curved: “At last, Sect Master, you are saying something reasonable.”

The other three Peak Masters also voiced their agreement. Only Immortal Ling Xu remained.

Lin Qing Ling regarded him with calm leisure and invited: “Ling Xu, if you have something to say, say it.”

Immortal Ling Xu was silent for a while before he said: “Sect Master, in this matter Zhao Zhao and Le An indeed strayed. But in the secret realm, Li Shuang already struck back, and she did not suffer any real harm. There is no need for extra punishment, is there?”

Down below, hope lit in Ye Zhao Zhao’s and Chang Le An’s eyes.

Pang Zhi Xue replied: “Originally, Li Shuang had no wish to pursue what happened in the secret realm. It was Ling Xu Peak’s disciple Sheng Yuan who insisted on viewing the footage. Now the truth is clear and right and wrong are known. There should naturally be a result. Not only Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An, but Sheng Yuan of Ling Xu Peak also shows signs of false accusation and likely needs to be punished as well.”

Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An both turned to look at Sheng Yuan.

Chang Le An finally lost his temper and snapped: “First Senior Brother! If you hadn’t meddled, none of this mess would have happened!”

Sheng Yuan shot back, anger rising: “If you two hadn’t lied to me, how could I have gone to the Disciplinary Hall?”

His mistake was trusting these two fools.

Chang Le An glared and said with resentment: “If there was really a problem, couldn’t we have reported it ourselves?”

Sheng Yuan’s voice was tight: “I wanted to get justice for you, and that’s my fault?”

Chang Le An scoffed: “Justice? You just wanted to stand out!”

Sheng Yuan’s jaw clenched: “Fine. Then from now on, I won’t manage your business.”

Chang Le An sneered: “Good. Your First Senior Brother act has already failed. Do you really think you can help us that much?”

The people of Ling Xu Peak fell into a quarrel on the spot.

Shen Yue looked from one to the other, helplessness filling his eyes. [Why did everything turn into this?] He looked again, and this time his gaze landed on Li Shuang. Light rose in his eyes as he walked toward her.

Luo Ming Yue stepped in front of him, lifting her sword to block the way with open distaste: “People of Ling Xu Peak, do not bother my Junior Sister.”

Shen Yue’s eyes dimmed. He stopped and spoke softly: “Senior Sister Li, the few of us should not have ended up like this.”

Li Shuang looked at him, her eyes calm as still water.

Shen Yue’s voice shook: “Senior Sister, why don’t you come back? If you come back, these disciples won’t want to leave, and everything can return to how it was. Ling Xu Peak will still be Ling Xu Peak. We will forget what happened on the snow mountain, and you won’t hold on to what happened in the Langya Secret Realm. We can be as we were before, isn’t that good?”

Luo Ming Yue flared up at once and laughed coldly: “Shen Yue, what do you mean? Trying to pry away Emotionless Peak’s disciple right in front of me? And what do you mean ‘as before’? Without Little Shuang’s tireless giving, Ling Xu Peak can’t live well, is that it? Why should Little Shuang keep being the sucker?”

Sometimes a place that looks peaceful suddenly falls into chaos because the one who always swallowed her grievances finally decides she will not swallow them anymore.

Shen Yue said nothing, only stared at Li Shuang with stubborn eyes. He believed Li Shuang still held feelings for them. How could she bear to watch Ling Xu Peak fall into decline? That peak carried her effort too.

Li Shuang answered evenly: “Shen Yue, I do not owe you anything. Even if you want to forget what happened on the snow mountain, I will not forget. Some truths may be buried for a time, but sooner or later they will come to light.”

As if to match her words, Meng Yi Fei spoke from the high platform: “Since we gathered all disciples today, let us make black and white completely clear. Ling Xu Peak’s disciples once accused Li Shuang of abandoning her companions on the snowy mountain, while Li Shuang says no such thing happened. Because there was no evidence, the matter was shelved. Li Shuang almost single-handedly led our sect to first place, which is a great merit. By custom, we would tilt more sect resources toward her. But we are the Righteous Path. If word spreads that the disciple we favor has poor character, we will draw blame. So the matter of the snowy mountain cannot remain vague. Right and wrong must be decided by public judgment.”

He looked at Li Shuang and declared: “Li Shuang, on this trip to the Langya Secret Realm, you achieved great merit. I intend to break precedent for you today. The Sword Sect will open the Heart-Inquiry Platform to judge what is right and what is wrong, to decide the loyal and the treacherous.”

He asked without flinching as his eyes met hers: “Do you dare?”

Meng Yi Fei looked straight at Li Shuang.