Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Blazing Sun Sword, Shining Heavenly Dao

Steward Qiu stared at Ye Zhao Zhao with a cold look: “Do you admit this Memory Stone or not? If not, I do not mind taking out more. Let your Sword Sect’s Disciplinary Hall take a good look.”

Every time Ye Zhao Zhao came, he kept a recording.

He had even sent people to tail her and captured images of her entering the Sword Sect.

So much footage.

The proof was ironclad.

If Ye Zhao Zhao still refused, he also had an Oath Parchment. Worst case, he would make her swear on it and see if she had the nerve.

Pang Zhi Xue looked at Ye Zhao Zhao with a heavy face: “Ye Zhao Zhao, what do you have to say?”

Setting aside the past back and forth, this time she set a trap to harm a fellow disciple.

Inside the Sword Sect, that was a serious crime.

Before, Emotionless Peak and Ling Xu Peak kept arguing without real evidence, so he could not judge.

But now Steward Qiu had laid out one proof after another.

Ye Zhao Zhao’s face went white. She wanted to deny it by instinct, but the image finished once and started playing again.

In the recording, her icy voice rang out a second time.

Ye Zhao Zhao’s body shook: “I… I…”

Her eyes turned to Immortal Ling Xu, begging.

Immortal Ling Xu’s gaze was cool as he ground out the words: “Even if… even if the recording is true, Li Shuang has not suffered any loss. She is standing here just fine.”

Faced with such iron proof, Immortal Ling Xu still chose to shield Ye Zhao Zhao.

Sheng Yuan lifted his head and looked at him in a daze.

Master had said he was never biased toward Junior Sister.

Master had said he treated them all the same.

Sheng Yuan remembered clearly. The first time Junior Sister went on a task, First Senior Sister took her.

When they came back, the task was done and Junior Sister had a full harvest of herbs.

Mixed in was a poisonous sprout. Not knowing better, Junior Sister almost ate it.

Master stopped her in time, then burst into anger and sent First Senior Sister to the forbidden grounds for punishment.

Master said Zhao Zhao had just entered the sect and could not tell poison from medicine. That was understandable.

But First Senior Sister knew and still put the poisonous sprout in Junior Sister’s bag. That was a vicious heart waiting for Junior Sister to make a mistake.

With such evil intent, she should be punished.

At the time, none of them thought anything was wrong. They were busy pitying Ye Zhao Zhao and blaming Li Shuang.

Back then, whether First Senior Sister meant it or not was unclear.

But this time, Zhao Zhao truly wanted to harm First Senior Sister.

That time, Master said that even though Zhao Zhao was not hurt, Li Shuang had the heart to harm and so should be punished.

This time, Master said that since Li Shuang suffered no loss, there was no crime.

A deep bitterness rose in Sheng Yuan’s chest, and for a moment it hurt.

He cared for Zhao Zhao too, but this time Zhao Zhao was in the wrong.

[Master, have you truly never been biased, as you said? And we Junior Brothers, have we truly never favored Zhao Zhao?]

Sheng Yuan felt lost and glanced at Li Shuang.

Her eyes were calm, without a ripple.

Lin Qing Ling gave a cold laugh: “Ling Xu, listen to yourself. Zhao Zhao tries to harm someone, and my disciple should just stand still and let her do it to be a perfect victim? Li Shuang did not fall for it because she has skill. That is not Zhao Zhao’s conscience.”

“If by your logic there is no real harm, then there is no crime, the Sword Sect needs no rules. Disciples can just fight and trap each other. If the target dodges, you are innocent. If the target fails, you succeed. Either way you do not lose.”

Immortal Ling Xu’s face was dark: “Lin Qing Ling, I will not bicker with you.”

He looked straight at Li Shuang: “You and Zhao Zhao are from the same peak. Today’s matter turned out to be a blessing in disguise for you. I will decide this ends here. How about it?”

He stared at Li Shuang.

As long as the injured party gave up, there would be room to maneuver.

By now, Chang Le An also understood that the person in the recording was not an impostor. It was truly Junior Sister.

He was shocked by this side of Ye Zhao Zhao, but still spoke up to defend her: “Senior Sister Li, Zhao Zhao is young. You should not hold this against her.”

Li Shuang stayed calm. She turned and bowed to the Hall Master of the Disciplinary Hall.

“Hall Master Pang,” Li Shuang said evenly, “let it be as the rules say. All I have ever asked for are two words: fair treatment.”

Yes.

She had never asked for special favor.

She had always wanted fairness.

Yet on Ling Xu Peak, even such simple words had never been granted to her.

Once, she had been foolish enough to believe that patience would bring understanding.

In the end, patience only brought more bullying.

So why endure?

Li Shuang’s stance completely angered Immortal Ling Xu. He shouted: “Li Shuang, why are you so aggressive? What do you want? Will you only be satisfied if Zhao Zhao is punished? With a heart this black, are you not afraid of heaven’s wrath?”

Li Shuang turned.

She looked straight at Immortal Ling Xu and spoke one word at a time: “Blazing Sun Sword above.”

“Heavenly Dao above.”

“If asking for fairness is a crime,” she said, “then let punishment fall on me. Let lightning strike me. Let me be damned without end. Let me find no peace day or night.”

Her voice landed like iron.

Immortal Ling Xu’s pupils tightened.

Cultivators fear swearing to the Heavenly Dao the most.

The Heavenly Dao is cold and often ignores small matters.

But what if it does not this time?

Reverence for the Heavenly Dao is a basic lesson for all cultivators.

Daring to say such words to the Heavenly Dao, was she mad?

The Blazing Sun Sword remained steady.

A gentle breeze passed.

After a long silence, Li Shuang said softly: “I asked for fairness. The Heavenly Dao judges me guiltless.”

She turned and said calmly: “I ask the Sect Master, the Hall Master, and the Sword Sect to judge this case.”

Silence spread without end.

Everyone looked at the girl in the center of the crowd, cool as the moon, and for a moment they had no words.

What she asked for was fairness.

Who in this world does not want fairness?

If you err, you should be punished.

That is fairness.

If you commit a crime, you should be judged.

That is fairness.

“I ask the Sect Master and the Hall Master to pass judgment on Ye Zhao Zhao,” Lin Qing Ling said evenly.

By the rules of the Sword Sect, matters within a peak can be settled by the Peak Master.

But Li Shuang was no longer a disciple of Ling Xu Peak.

By sect law, the ones who could rule now were Disciplinary Hall Master Pang Zhi Xue or the Sect Master of the Sword Sect, Meng Yi Xin.

“I ask the Sect Master and the Hall Master to pass judgment on Ye Zhao Zhao,” Luo Ming Yue and Liu Jun Cheng called out.

Jiang Yi, who had been trying to stay unnoticed, spoke up softly as well.

“You people from Emotionless Peak, what are you doing, trying to force the issue?” Immortal Ling Xu had just spoken when another voice rang out: “I ask the Sect Master and the Hall Master to pass judgment on Ye Zhao Zhao!”

Who? Who said that?

Immortal Ling Xu glared at the crowd.

But soon he could not glare them all down.

One disciple after another spoke.

The call to judge Ye Zhao Zhao rolled through the sky.