Lingxu Zhenren spoke slowly, his tone carrying the weight of finality."It's pointless to argue about this now. Whether or not Li Shuang saved Shen Yue, Zhaozhao was completely in the dark from the start and did not lie. Frankly, this is Li Shuang's fault for failing to explain herself clearly, which led to a small misunderstanding."
Li Shuang lowered her eyes slightly.
Was it truly because she had not explained clearly? Or was it simply because no one had cared to listen?She had never been as lively or eloquent as Ye Zhaozhao.
Ye Zhaozhao's mind was always bursting with new ideas.
She would read Sheng Yuan the storybooks she had written herself—tales so brilliant they could not be found anywhere on the market. Even Li Shuang had enjoyed listening to them.
Ye Zhaozhao could craft all sorts of little trinkets. Shen Yue's room was still decorated with her handmade furry dolls.
She invented games, too. Being the youngest, Chang Le'an got along best with her. Sometimes they played the strange "football" she had introduced, other times poker or mahjong.
She even brewed wine—something unheard of in the cultivation world—so well that their master could never get enough.
In the beginning, Li Shuang had genuinely liked this junior sister who always brought laughter to Lingxu Peak.
But then…
Li Shuang's eyes lowered further, her thoughts sharpening.
She could never be as clever or charming as Ye Zhaozhao. It was only natural for others to be partial toward her.
But Li Shuang…
She already had someone who would stand by her side and protect her.
She was not speaking out now in the hope of earning remorse. She was simply telling the truth—because the truth mattered.
"A bunch of blind fools," Lin Qingling sneered. She glanced at Shen Yue, who lay writhing in agony, and said, "Why don't you all focus on how to deal with Shen Yue's condition instead?"
Demonic possession was dangerously unpredictable.
If discovered immediately, the problem could be dealt with by finding a high-level cultivator with water or ice attributes.
But now…
Who knew how long Shen Yue had been possessed?
The heart fire that should have been confined to his dantian had already spread throughout his body. That meant he had been under possession for at least an hour or two.
Lin Qingling shot another sharp glance at Ye Zhaozhao.
Gone for "just a short while"?She must have been gone far longer.
"I also have a fire spiritual root," Lingxu Zhenren said with a frown. "If I intervened, I would only make things worse."
His eyes flicked toward Li Shuang.
If she were still in the Nascent Soul stage, she could suppress Shen Yue's condition—dangerously, yes, but effectively.
However, no other Nascent Soul cultivator would willingly risk themselves like that.
And Li Shuang was now only at the Qi Condensation stage. No matter what, she couldn't help.
In Shen Yue's situation, the best chance of saving him would be for a Spiritual Condensation cultivator or higher, with a single spiritual root that countered his, to intervene.
Such people were rare in the sect—and not people one could simply order around.
"I'll find help," Lingxu Zhenren said, lips pressed into a thin line, before hurrying away.
The rest stayed behind. Word of the incident quickly spread, and whispers filled the air.
"Shen Yue suffered demonic possession five years ago? And they kept it secret?""Lingxu Peak thinks Ye Zhaozhao brought him back just by calling to him? What a joke.""Senior Sister Li is pitiful—she risked herself to suppress his inner fire, and they still resent her.""So what's the truth about the Snow Mountain incident? Did she really abandon them?"
The old, unsolved Snow Mountain incident was dredged up again, each rumor twisted and reinterpreted.
Ye Zhaozhao heard the murmurs and grew paler.
"Junior Sister! Don't listen to them." Chang Le'an's voice was warm with sympathy. "They don't know how gentle and kind you are. You would never lie! What happened five years ago was a coincidence—how could you be blamed?"
He shot a glare at Li Shuang.
So… Li Shuang had stayed silent back then, only to speak up now?
This had to be a calculated move to ruin Junior Sister's reputation.
A deep conspiracy.
"Senior Brother, you have to help her. Li Shuang—" Chang Le'an began, but Sheng Yuan cut him off sharply.
"Enough! I said enough!"
Both Chang Le'an and Ye Zhaozhao froze.
"Big Brother…" Ye Zhaozhao's voice was thick with grievance, her eyes red.
But Sheng Yuan, seeing her tears, only pressed his lips together and lowered his voice. "Second Junior Brother's life or death is uncertain. I don't have the time to argue about anything else."
His gaze shifted to Shen Yue's struggling form. Even from a distance, he could feel the oppressive heat radiating from him.
What pain and injury had Li Shuang endured to save him before?
And what had they done in return?
They had accused her of abandonment, of failing her duty as senior sister.
What must she have felt back then?
He glanced at Li Shuang.
She stood quietly, surrounded by Wuqing Peak's people, her expression calm and her gaze clear.
Did she feel nothing for them now?
A pang of guilt twisted in Sheng Yuan's chest. Things should never have turned out like this.
Seeing his expression, neither Chang Le'an nor Ye Zhaozhao dared speak again. Silence settled over the courtyard.
Before long, Lingxu Zhenren returned—having paid a steep price to invite a Spirit Transformation–stage deacon from the sect to intervene.
The deacon entered, and the rest were ordered out.
Lingxu Zhenren stared at the closed door, his heart aching. He had few hobbies—wine and wealth—and this time, saving Shen Yue had cost him dearly.
"It's well known that going astray stems from a flaw in one's cultivation," Lin Qingling said coldly. "Your disciple likely developed inner demons. This isn't our fault."
Lingxu Zhenren ground his teeth. "These inner demons must be connected to you. I invited Deacon Fang at great cost, and Wuqing Peak will contribute half the spiritual stones. Let's settle this matter here."
Lin Qingling sneered. "You dare ask me for spiritual stones? It took at least an hour or two for Shen Yue's condition to worsen to this point. If it had been discovered earlier, it wouldn't have been so severe! Why don't you first ask where your precious little disciple—who claims she was gone only briefly—actually went?"
All eyes turned toward Ye Zhaozhao.
Her heart clenched. Was this never going to end?
She struggled to think of an explanation—
When suddenly, the voice of Sect Master Meng Yifei rang out:
"Old Hong, this is Lingxu Peak. Who are you here for this time?"