Chapter 002
Chapter 2: Sent Away to Penitence Cliff to Reflect on Her Sins
Shi Zi Chu wasn’t interested in hearing them softly whispering sweet nothings to each other. Her gentle voice broke the quiet atmosphere plainly, “Where is the proof?”
The Hall Master of the Punishment Hall, seated upon the main chair, momentarily froze in shock.
Clearly, he had not expected Shi Zi Chu to react with such calm and grace.
According to previous incidents, shouldn’t Shi Zi Chu be pointing a finger at Chu Zhi Rou’s nose right now, furiously accusing her of being fake, hypocritical, and vicious?
Once Venerable Xing Lan arrived, she would normally cry and deny her guilt, prompting him to punish her personally.
Seeing the Hall Master momentarily stunned, Shi Zi Chu slowly stood up, her hand resting lightly on her knee, her soft voice now carrying a chilling edge, “The proof?”
Xu Zhou Ye was the first to recover, instantly pointing at Shi Zi Chu and shouting angrily, “You want evidence?! I’m the witness! Shi Zi Chu, are you even human? Little Junior Sister is kind and gentle; she has always tolerated you, yet you actually tried to kill her!”
Shi Zi Chu calmly reached up and gently touched her smooth earlobe, her brows slightly furrowing in irritation.
[What noisy barking.]
“What about physical evidence?” Ignoring Xu Zhou Ye’s furious barking, Shi Zi Chu turned her gaze to the Hall Master.
When their eyes met, the Hall Master felt inexplicably uneasy for a split second.
But how was that possible? Shi Zi Chu was merely a disciple at the Foundation Establishment stage!
“What about the image recording stone from the Green Mountain Secret Realm?” Shi Zi Chu spoke plainly again.
Her composed and tranquil presence strangely drew everyone’s attention.
Seeing this new side of Shi Zi Chu, Chu Zhi Rou felt an unsettling anxiety bloom in her heart.
But remembering that the image recording stone from the Green Mountain Secret Realm had already been destroyed, she relaxed again.
“Second Senior Sister, I know you don’t like me, but…” Chu Zhi Rou bit her pale lip softly, “Forget it, I fell down by accident; Second Senior Sister didn’t push me.”
Chu Zhi Rou’s words instantly reignited Xu Zhou Ye’s anger, while several other Junior Brothers shot disgusted, cold glances toward Shi Zi Chu.
How could they have such a malicious Senior Sister!
“The image recording stone was destroyed,” the Hall Master finally said, casting suspicious eyes upon Shi Zi Chu.
It wasn’t that he intended to be unfair—Shi Zi Chu simply had too many previous offenses!
First, she had cried and thrown a fit at Chu Zhi Rou’s initiation ceremony, completely ruining the event.
Afterwards, her behavior worsened, repeatedly framing and scheming against others.
And now, unbelievably, she had even attempted murder!
“I see,” Shi Zi Chu replied without any surprise.
Amidst angry and disdainful stares, she calmly raised her hand, her voice steady and clear, “I, Shi Zi Chu, swear upon the Heavenly Dao that if I pushed Chu Zhi Rou into the Hundred Demon Valley during the Green Mountain Secret Realm trial, may lightning strike me down instantly, condemning me to a miserable death!”
A streak of white light appeared at the horizon.
This was proof that Shi Zi Chu’s vow had been acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao.
When everyone expected a lightning strike, only silence remained.
Chu Zhi Rou’s eyes darkened dramatically.
[Since when did Shi Zi Chu become so clever?]
Shouldn’t Shi Zi Chu be yelling angrily out of shame and embarrassment right now?
Xu Zhou Ye stood blank-faced.
Shi Zi Chu actually swore a vow?
Even stranger, why hadn’t the lightning struck her?
Impossible!
Shi Zi Chu lowered her hand, looking sharply at the Hall Master, “Hall Master, what do you think now?”
Just as the Hall Master was about to speak, a fierce, suppressive aura instantly swept through the Punishment Hall.
Everyone except Shi Zi Chu immediately fell to their knees.
“Isn’t our sect’s Punishment Hall famous for fairness and justice?” The cold and authoritative voice held traces of anger.
Being forced to swear a vow was considered humiliating among cultivators. No cultivator would choose this method to prove their innocence unless left without options.
His precious little girl had actually been forced into making a vow—perhaps this Hall Master needed to be replaced!
Shi Zi Chu’s calm and collected eyes flickered briefly, and suddenly her lovely peach-blossom eyes turned misty with tears.
Just as Xing Lan entered the hall, he saw Shi Zi Chu standing alone and isolated.
At the sight of him, she resembled a deeply wronged child finally finding her protector. Tears she had been desperately holding back instantly overflowed.
“Master~” her voice trembled with grievance as the tears fell like pearls from a broken thread, cascading down her delicate, porcelain-white cheeks.
Shi Zi Chu, now looking so helpless and fragile as pear blossoms trembling in the rain, stirred tenderness and fury simultaneously within Xing Lan’s heart.
He strode forward quickly, using his slightly calloused fingertips to gently wipe the tears from Shi Zi Chu’s face.
Shi Zi Chu immediately leaned into Xing Lan’s embrace, wrapping her arms around his lean waist, softly sobbing.
Xing Lan’s arm curled around her protectively, gently patting her back in comfort.
Chu Zhi Rou stared wide-eyed, shocked beyond words at the intimate sight.
Wasn’t Master famously known for disliking contact with others?
Why, when Shi Zi Chu embraced him crying, didn’t he push her away but instead comforted her?
The Jade Void Sect Master soon arrived, his face darkening as he surveyed the scene.
“The image recording stone has been restored,” he announced solemnly as he sat down.
With one sentence, Chu Zhi Rou’s heart fluttered anxiously, panic beginning to rise again.
Soon, the scenes recorded within the stone played out clearly upon the water mirror.
“Anyone who isn’t blind could see clearly that Zi Chu’s hand never touched Chu Zhi Rou.”
A cold, sharp voice echoed, sweeping over the kneeling personal disciples, his gaze growing icier.
Hidden within Xing Lan’s arms, Shi Zi Chu’s red lips curled slightly.
Naturally, she knew that she hadn’t touched Chu Zhi Rou.
When the system had controlled her body, preparing to push Chu Zhi Rou, the girl eagerly jumped down first.
And yet, Chu Zhi Rou succeeded, because in the eyes of those fools, Shi Zi Chu had indeed pushed her.
Shi Zi Chu lifted her face slightly from Xing Lan’s chest. Her beautiful eyes, red from weeping, appeared strangely enchanting in her pitiful state.
“Master, I didn’t push Little Junior Sister. I only reached out because I saw her about to fall, wanting to help her. Who knew that… sob sob…”
At the saddest moment, Shi Zi Chu buried her face again in Xing Lan’s chest.
The fleeting glimpse of her pitiful yet charming expression made Xing Lan’s heart ache even more deeply. His suppressive aura intensified further.
Under the increased pressure, Chu Zhi Rou and Senior Brother Xu Zhou Ye suffered the most.
Chu Zhi Rou, whose injuries had not fully healed, now coughed up blood and collapsed unconscious onto the floor.
Shi Zi Chu glanced lightly at Chu Zhi Rou, contempt and disdain clearly shining within her shimmering, watery peach-blossom eyes.
[Playing mind games with me?]
With Chu Zhi Rou’s paltry tricks—speaking bluntly—Shi Zi Chu had mastered such tricks by the age of six or seven!
“Master, forget it. Little Junior Sister surely didn’t do it intentionally,” Shi Zi Chu mimicked Chu Zhi Rou’s generous demeanor.
Yet her generosity clearly had limits.
Her tone shifted abruptly, and she spoke with a choking grievance, “But Senior Brother and the Junior Brothers hurt me so badly! We have lived together day and night, yet they actually… sob sob…”
In her previous life, after being expelled from Jade Void Sect, Xu Zhou Ye and several Junior Brothers had cruelly ripped out her spiritual root and destroyed her beautiful face!
If she didn’t avenge this, she wouldn’t be Shi Zi Chu!
“Accusing fellow disciples maliciously without distinguishing right from wrong—every one of you, get yourselves to Penitence Cliff and reflect on your sins! Without my permission, none of you may leave!” Xing Lan’s voice thundered angrily.
Xu Zhou Ye and the others stared in disbelief, eyes wide open.
How could this happen?
Although Master was cold, he had always been gentle and forgiving toward his personal disciples!
They had only spoken a few harsh words—how could they deserve such heavy punishment?