Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Shen Sang Ruo Refuses to Take the Blame

Then Luo Chu raised his voice: “Shen Sang Ruo, do you know what a huge mistake you made? You even tried to push the crime onto me. How hateful!”

He dragged her in front of everyone.

He pointed at the circle of shopkeepers and her Senior Brothers, then snapped: “Explain everything to everyone now. Clear my name, and give them justice!”

Shen Sang Ruo’s eyes were calm as still water. She swept her gaze over the shopkeepers, then over her Senior Brothers.

Feng He Yun could not meet her eyes and, feeling guilty, looked away.

Lu Shi Qing noticed she seemed different, but he did not think much of it.

Wen Xuan, however, felt a sting from the cold look in her eyes. He pressed down the unease in his heart and asked in a steady voice: “Fifth Junior Sister, did you do these things?”

He handed the IOUs to Shen Sang Ruo.

She did not rush to answer. Instead, she studied each IOU carefully.

Seeing her stay silent, even curling her lips in a brief, mocking smile at the IOUs, Luo Chu lost his patience.

He hurried to “persuade” her: “Fifth Junior Sister, just admit it. Knowing your mistake and fixing it is the right thing. Don’t refuse to admit it just because you’re scared.”

He added quickly: “You have the Sect Master and the Master. The Master won’t punish you too harshly.”

After all, Shen Sang Ruo was Shen Dao Chen’s daughter, and he would shield her if trouble came.

But Luo Chu was different. If the Master learned he was the one who did this, he would be skinned alive.

Bai Mu Mu spoke with deep feeling: “No matter what happens to Fifth Senior Sister, the few of us are still a family, and Fourth Senior Brother will still take Fifth Senior Sister out of the sect to have some fun.”

“That’s right,” Luo Chu’s eyes lit up as he rushed to add, “as long as you admit your mistake, I’ll take you out of the sect once every two months.”

Taking Shen Sang Ruo out was troublesome, not as easy as taking a Junior Sister who caused no fuss. Once every two months was already his limit.

He had already refused her many times. Thinking back, he had not taken her out for over a year.

He felt this was a good bargaining chip, and she would surely agree.

In his mind, Shen Sang Ruo valued their bond most of all.

He even felt she would be getting a good deal.

Seeing the sure-win look on Luo Chu’s face, Shen Sang Ruo did not even need to guess to know what he was thinking.

[Does he think I will be as foolish as before and take the blame for him again?]

Under his expectant gaze, she parted her lips and said calmly: “I don’t understand what Fourth Senior Brother is talking about. These things have nothing to do with me.”

“What nonsense are you spouting!” Luo Chu froze, then shouted at once.

Noticing everyone looking his way, he tried to smooth it over: “Fifth Junior Sister, lying is wrong.”

He had warned her ahead of time and hinted more than once. How could she not understand?

Was she making a fool of him on purpose?

When talking nicely did not work, a threatening light crept into his eyes.

If she still refused to admit it, he would never take her out of the sect again.

Reading his meaning, Shen Sang Ruo almost laughed.

[Why should I long for him to take me out? I have my own hands and feet. He wants to use our friendship to threaten me? He really thinks he can control me that easily.]

She said mildly: “Whether I’m lying, Fourth Senior Brother knows better than I do.”

She tilted her head, as if remembering: “Oh, right. What did Fourth Senior Brother quietly say to me just now, asking me to help you? I forgot to ask what you meant by that.”

She pretended to be puzzled and laid everything bare, then looked straight at Luo Chu.

For a moment, he felt all eyes turn on him, with the looks from the Senior Brothers especially sharp.

He ground his teeth. [What did she eat today to act like this? Fine. If she is this heartless, don’t blame me for ignoring our ties.]

He had felt a little guilty before, but now he could push the whole blame onto her without worries.

It was all her fault for forcing him.

He put on a stern face and barked: “Fifth Junior Sister, is framing me not enough? You even slander me with baseless words.”

No one else had heard what he whispered to her just now anyway.

He pressed on, pointing at the papers: “Those IOUs are in your handwriting, with your name written on them. They also identified you. What does any of this have to do with me?”

Shen Sang Ruo asked in a steady tone: “Fourth Senior Brother, do you know that three months ago I was badly injured and in a coma?”

Wen Xuan, silent till now, spoke up: “I remember Fifth Junior Sister woke up around that time. Though she was weak, she had recovered some strength to move.”

He only wanted to handle the matter fairly and not ignore any possibility. He was not being biased.

But because Shen Sang Ruo had made similar mistakes in the past, he leaned toward believing she did it. His disappointment grew.

When he said this, Feng He Yun looked shocked, and Lu Shi Qing wore an expression like he had expected it.

A flash of triumph passed through Bai Mu Mu’s eyes.

Even with her feelings pulled back from them, Shen Sang Ruo could not help laughing in anger.

[What is between this person’s ears?]

[Talking about hairpins and Night-Luminescent Pearls is one thing.]

[But he thinks I just woke from a coma and, instead of resting, snuck out to steal someone’s hen? For what reason?]

[They always judge me with bias. They never even think about whether it makes sense.]

Luo Chu jumped as if grabbing a life rope and cried: “So it really was you! I never thought you were so scheming!”

He pushed hard: “At this point, do you still want to deny it?”

He looked proud. If he had known it would end like this, he would have made her admit it earlier.

Shen Sang Ruo ran out of patience. She only wanted to end this quickly, then go to Clearheart Pavilion for Closed-Door Cultivation.

While Luo Chu was still squawking, she flicked her finger and sent a pill straight into his mouth.

Before he could react, the pill melted on his tongue.

He gagged and shouted with wide eyes: “Peh, peh! What did you feed me? Do you hate me so much you want to poison me?”

Shen Sang Ruo ignored his question and asked plainly: “Who did these things?”

Luo Chu was about to say “you,” but the next moment his mouth slipped out of his control.

He blurted at the top of his lungs: “Of course it was me.”

His sudden Self-Detonation made everyone whip their heads toward him.

He clapped both hands over his mouth, horrified. What had he just said!

Wen Xuan narrowed his eyes and asked coldly: “Fourth Junior Brother, what did you say?”

Feng He Yun and Lu Shi Qing’s faces changed.

Bai Mu Mu thought with a sinking heart that Luo Chu was done for.

Shen Sang Ruo curved her lips in a small smile. The Truth Pill Senior Sister Su gave her really worked well.

She had not expected to use it so soon.

Luo Chu tried to defend himself, but she pressed first: “From the start, you planned to push everything onto me, didn’t you?”

He realized something was wrong and tried desperately to clamp his mouth shut, but it was useless.

The truth spilled out like beans from a split bag.