The Law Enforcement Hall was still abuzz with murmurs long after Shen Yue's shocking testimony.
Li Shuang stood silently, her gaze fixed ahead, but inwardly, her mind drifted back to that day five years ago.
Snow Mountain Peak—five years earlier.The winds howled as Shen Yue convulsed violently, his core spiraling out of control. Flames of his Fire Spirit Root lashed wildly, scorching the snow.
Li Shuang knelt at his side, pressing her palms against his chest, her own meridians screaming in protest as she forced her frost energy to suppress his fire.
"Senior Sister… don't…" his voice broke between gasps.
"Shut up," she said sharply, her breath misting in the icy air.
His inner demon roared, consuming him from within. But she poured everything she had into him, frost clashing against fire. Her vision blurred, her body trembling as the backlash threatened to tear her apart.
Finally, the fire dimmed. Shen Yue collapsed, breathing ragged but alive.
Li Shuang swayed, blood spilling from her lips.
And as darkness closed in, the last thing she heard was another's voice—soft, sweet, and false:
"Master, I'll help Shen Yue back to the peak. Senior Sister fainted, but I'll explain everything later."
When she woke days later, she found herself in her quarters, stripped of merit and surrounded by whispers:
"Zhaozhao saved Shen Yue.""Li Shuang was nowhere to be found.""She's just jealous."
She had stayed silent then.
And that silence had condemned her.
Back in the present, Li Shuang's fingers curled slightly at her side.
But she no longer felt pain. Only clarity.
"Law Enforcers," Lin Qingling's voice cut through the whispers. "It seems this so-called misunderstanding has persisted for far too long. Testimony from Shen Yue himself should be sufficient to restore my disciple's name."
One enforcer nodded gravely. "Agreed. Li Shuang of Wuqing Peak is hereby absolved of her alleged misconduct during the incident five years ago."
Gasps rippled through the hall.
"So she really was innocent all along…""Then what else have we been wrong about?"
The whispers grew louder, but Lingxu Zhenren's expression only darkened further.
Ye Zhaozhao's face was chalk white.
"No… no, this isn't fair!" she cried. "She's lying! They're all lying!"
"Silence!" barked the lead enforcer.
Her voice cracked. "I'm not the villain here!"
But her protests rang hollow against Shen Yue's quiet, unwavering words.
Li Shuang finally spoke, her voice steady and cool.
"Five years ago, I didn't speak up because I believed truth would prevail without me needing to defend myself."
She turned slightly, her gaze flickering briefly toward Ye Zhaozhao.
"I won't make that mistake again."
Her words were soft, but they struck like frost across stone.
The enforcer brought down his gavel. "This session is adjourned. Lingbao Pavilion will face penalty for fraud. Ye Zhaozhao will be placed under review."
The hall emptied slowly, buzzing with rumors and speculation.
Outside, Luo Mingyue exhaled. "Junior Sister, that was incredible. I wish I'd been there five years ago—I would've shut every one of them up!"
Li Shuang glanced at her and allowed a faint smile. "It doesn't matter anymore."
For the first time in years, her name was clean.
But deep down, she knew this was only the beginning.
The Heaven and Earth Furnace pulsed faintly within her core, as though responding to the shift.
Far behind them, Ye Zhaozhao clutched her robes, trembling with fury.
The system's voice was relentless:
[Warning: Host integrity collapsing. Emotional feedback strengthening Target cultivation. Immediate countermeasures required.]
Her lips curled.
"Fine," she whispered. "If I can't destroy her reputation, I'll destroy her completely."