Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Truth Emerges

As Spiritual Power slowly flowed into the Mirror of Past Events, Bai Mu Mu felt like her heart was going to stop.

Shen Sang Ruo watched the huge image the Mirror of Past Events projected and felt a hint of curiosity, thinking: [When they learn the truth, what will they say then?] Master Ling Xiao quickly fixed the time of the incident, and two figures appeared on the image.

They were Shen Sang Ruo and Bai Mu Mu.

The Mirror of Past Events could only show scenes, not sound.

They saw Bai Mu Mu seem to say something to Shen Sang Ruo, then walk alone to the cliff and leap off. From start to finish, Shen Sang Ruo stayed more than two arms’ length away and could not even touch the corner of Bai Mu Mu’s robe.

When Bai Mu Mu fell into the valley, Shen Sang Ruo jumped after her at once.

So in the end, Shen Sang Ruo was the one who carried Bai Mu Mu back to the sect.

When Shen Sang Ruo first said Bai Mu Mu had fallen into the valley, they burst into anger and decided it was her doing.

No matter how she explained, not one of them believed her.

Now, after seeing the truth, they fell silent.

Shen Dao Chen, Master Ling Xiao, Wen Xuan, and Lu Shi Qing all looked grim.

Wen Xuan, who had already blamed himself for making her lose her cultivation, looked as if struck by lightning.

His lips moved again and again, but no words came out.

Before, he had a reason to take her heartblood only because Shen Sang Ruo had supposedly done wrong.

With her cultivation destroyed, he had comforted himself that she was at fault first.

But now…

She had clearly done nothing…

Wen Xuan’s face suddenly turned pale.

The others thought of the same thing.

They were Shen Sang Ruo’s Father, Master, and Senior Brothers, the people she respected and trusted the most.

Yet they would not hear her out and, without proof, threw her into the Confinement Chamber.

They used to say Shen Sang Ruo was the most delicate of them all.

When she suffered a small grievance, she would hover around them for a long time, wanting their comfort.

This time, after such a misunderstanding, she would probably make a fuss for a long while, and they would have to coax her to calm her down.

Since it was their fault, they should make it up to her.

Luckily, Shen Sang Ruo had always been sensible and easy to soothe.

Thinking this, they looked toward Shen Sang Ruo together, and compared to before, their gazes had grown softer and more caring.

But they found that Shen Sang Ruo was not looking at them with the anger and grievance they expected.

Her pale, weak face held no extra expression, and her eyes watched them quietly.

She did not cry or complain as she used to, nor did she accuse them.

She was calm and distant, like a stranger watching from the side.

They had never seen this look on Shen Sang Ruo.

Or rather, she had never looked at them like this.

Their eyes all paused in surprise.

The air in the cave turned strange and heavy.

Bai Mu Mu finally broke the silence. She covered her face and sobbed: “It’s all my fault that I didn’t remember what happened and didn’t explain it to Father and Master. I made everyone misunderstand Fifth Senior Sister.”

She choked and added: “Fifth Senior Sister suffered so much because of me. I should be punished to make it up to Fifth Senior Sister.”

She lowered her hands and pleaded softly: “Father, Master, please punish me.”

Behind her fingers, her eyes flashed with hidden malice.

Everything had been going as she planned, yet she had not expected Master to bring the Mirror of Past Events.

So Shen Sang Ruo still mattered a little in Master Ling Xiao’s heart.

But that did not threaten her.

She had seen Shen Sang Ruo’s expression. From now on, Shen Sang Ruo would probably grow distant from them.

Bai Mu Mu kept crying and began to cough hard, as if she would faint at any moment, pulling everyone’s attention back to her.

Seeing her like this made their hearts ache.

Master Ling Xiao blurted out without thinking: “It’s not your fault, it was Shen Sang Ruo…” He stopped halfway.

Shen Sang Ruo’s lips curved in a mocking smile.

She guessed the rest of his sentence was that she had not explained clearly.

That had been Master Ling Xiao’s go-to way to comfort Bai Mu Mu for the past two years.

Master Ling Xiao remembered the day Shen Sang Ruo knelt and clutched his robe, trying her best to explain.

This time, it truly had nothing to do with Shen Sang Ruo.

For her, this was a disaster from nowhere.

[No, it is related,] he thought. His Disciple had always had unsteady thoughts, a bad temper, and hostility toward the younger disciples. Otherwise, why would everyone assume it was her the moment something happened? [He sighed inside.]

He had spent less time on Shen Sang Ruo these last two years.

As a Master, he should teach her not only techniques but also how to be a person.

When Shen Sang Ruo started cultivating again, he would teach her himself.

He would also correct the crooked airs in her.

He spoke again, changing his words: “Your body is weak, and you accidentally fell into the valley. Of course you were frightened. How could you remember what happened at the time?”

He went on calmly: “After that you were healing and did not know Shen Sang Ruo’s condition. This matter has nothing to do with you.”

Hearing Master Ling Xiao, even after cutting off her feelings for them, Shen Sang Ruo could not help but laugh.

[See? The favored one will always have someone to find excuses for her.]

At last, Shen Sang Ruo could face it.

Her Father, Master, and Senior Brothers were biased toward Bai Mu Mu.

Before, she never wanted to accept it and kept numbing herself.

Now she accepted it calmly. Their preference meant nothing to her anymore.

[I don’t care.]

After soothing Bai Mu Mu, Master Ling Xiao finally looked at Shen Sang Ruo and said: “This time your Master misunderstood you,” then added with a note of displeasure, “If it wasn’t you, why did you admit guilt?”

Shen Dao Chen also spoke with a sigh: “If we had waited a little longer, the Mirror of Past Events would have arrived, the truth would be clear, and you wouldn’t have lost your cultivation to those ten drops of heartblood.”

He added with gentle blame: “Child, you should have cared more for yourself.”

He sighed again.

This girl had once thrown tantrums to dodge punishment.

Why did she not wait this time? She wasted all her cultivation.

She was not his blood daughter, but Shen Dao Chen had watched her grow up.

He knew how hard she had worked for her cultivation.

And now…

Sigh.

Out of habit, they did not notice the hint of reproach mixed into their caring words.

Shen Sang Ruo stared at the two of them, her eyes calm and still. She asked plainly: “Master, Senior Uncle, have you ever been punished in the Confinement Chamber?”

They paused. They had always been upright and had never been sent there.

But they knew how terrible the Confinement Chamber was.

Master Ling Xiao and Shen Dao Chen suddenly realized something.

With only Foundation Establishment (Mid-stage) cultivation, how could Shen Sang Ruo have endured the Confinement Chamber’s Formation?

Not to mention a moment, even one more second was endless torture.

And they had thrown her into the Confinement Chamber for two full days.

Shen Dao Chen felt a late, bitter regret rise in his chest and looked at Master Ling Xiao with some displeasure.

It was Master Ling Xiao, in anger, who had sent Shen Sang Ruo there.

They had all been furious at the time. Now, thinking back, that punishment was far too much for Shen Sang Ruo.