A fierce, unhinged look burned in Liu Yao's eyes.
Backed into a corner, he had already thrown caution aside.
All this humiliation—he swore Song Wanníng would suffer every bit of it in return.
But Liu Yiyi was far less optimistic. Liu Yao's situation now implicated even the sect master. It wasn't something that could be cleared up with a few words.
Worse, Liu Yao had no solid evidence. If they made a wrong move, things could easily backfire.
But Liu Yao was in no state to listen to her advice. His obsession drove her mad with frustration.
Liu Yiyi even had the impulse to just leave him behind.
But in the end, he was still her older brother. She couldn't harden her heart. All she could do was try to clean up after him.
The next day, new rumors began spreading everywhere.
People were shocked when they heard and quickly launched into heated debate.
"Wait, what? How is this connected to Song Wanníng now? I thought Liu Yao was in love with her? Why would she frame him like that?"
"Exactly. It doesn't make sense. Song Wanníng has no reason to go after Liu Yao."
"Hmph, what if it's Liu Yao stirring the pot? Trying to shift suspicion by dragging her name through the mud?"
"Wouldn't be surprising. After what she did to humiliate him, maybe he's holding a grudge and trying to frame her in return..."
Most people thought the new rumors were nonsense.
After all, how could Song Wanníng drug someone as powerful as a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, drag him into bed, and secretly record the whole thing?
It sounded ridiculous. Liu Yao wasn't some fool.
Still, a small number of people believed it.
"With her strength, Song Wanníng probably lost interest in Liu Yao ages ago. Maybe this was her way of forcing him to give up."
"Maybe they had some personal feud behind the scenes."
"I've heard Song Wanníng is arrogant and unpredictable. It wouldn't be out of character for her to do something like this."
The two opposing views led to fierce arguments among cultivators.
But without knowing the full story, most people couldn't find a clear motive for Song Wanníng to act. The voices that supported her guilt were soon drowned out.
The Song Clan also issued a public clarification at the first opportunity and even doubled down on slandering Liu Yao in return. The scandal only grew larger.
...
In Wàngshān Sect, the sect master Xu Zhiyuan was in complete disarray. He stood with his head bowed low in the ancestral hall at the rear of the mountain.
Standing before him was none other than Wàngshān Sect's former Sect Master and elder, Meng Yang.
Xu Zhiyuan bowed so deeply it was as if he wanted to sink into the earth.
The pressure coming from Meng Yang was terrifying.
Meng Yang's eyes bore into him, his fists clenched tight, bones cracking audibly. His voice was low and menacing.
"Xu Zhiyuan, are the rumors outside true?"
He had only gone into seclusion for a while. But the moment he emerged, he found everything in chaos. Now the face of Wàngshān Sect had been utterly disgraced.
He had already sent word to the other two Divine Transformation cultivators, hoping to discuss a solution.
"Patriarch, I... I don't know why Hundred Ghosts Gate released that information... but I swear I'm innocent!"
Xu Zhiyuan looked up, his face full of urgency.
"I have no grudge against Hundred Ghosts Gate. All of this started with Liu Yao. I have no idea why I was dragged into it!"
"Oh?"
Meng Yang's voice turned colder, his gaze like a blade cutting straight into him. "Are you sure none of it is true?
Because to me, this doesn't sound like some baseless rumor."
As he released his pressure, the weight of a late-stage Divine Transformation cultivator came crashing down on Xu Zhiyuan.
His knees buckled, and with a loud thud, he dropped to the floor.
"Patriarch—no, Martial Uncle—I... I didn't mean to..."
Xu Zhiyuan's face was pale, cold sweat pouring from his forehead.
The last sliver of hope in Meng Yang's heart shattered at that moment. He had already sensed something was off the moment they met. But he hadn't expected it to be true.
Looking at Xu Zhiyuan, Meng Yang felt nothing but disappointment. He closed his eyes in pain.
The man they had carefully chosen to lead the sect turned out to be morally bankrupt—no different from a demon cultivator. How could he face the ancestors of Wàngshān Sect now?
"Martial Uncle... as long as you don't speak of it, and I don't speak of it, there's no proof...
Martial Uncle, I was wrong, I really was. I was young and foolish back then. It was a terrible mistake... I won't do it again...
Please give me another chance!"
Xu Zhiyuan's eyes were filled with pleading. He didn't want to admit it, but Meng Yang had a soul-extracting technique. If he refused to confess, things could get much worse.
He had no choice but to admit it now and try to maintain some control over the situation. After all, for the sake of the sect's reputation, Meng Yang wouldn't dare throw him to the wolves—right?
Xu Zhiyuan looked panicked on the surface, but in truth he was calculating behind the scenes. What he couldn't understand was how Hundred Ghosts Gate had found out his secret. He had been extremely cautious. There should have been no witnesses.
"What's the point of saying this now?"
Meng Yang's eyes burned red. He raised his hand and struck Xu Zhiyuan hard across the face, sending him flying.
"You harmed those children. You should be begging them for forgiveness!
How did Wàngshān Sect produce a thing like you?!"
He slapped him several more times, sending Xu Zhiyuan crashing to the ground, blood dripping from his face.
"M-Martial Uncle... please, spare me... I truly know I was wrong..."
Xu Zhiyuan began to cry.
"I was young and reckless. It was a mistake I deeply regret. All of this is my fault. I've brought shame to the sect. But as long as neither of us speaks, no one will know."
A dark glint flickered in his eyes. He had worked tirelessly for Wàngshān Sect for half his life. Even if he hadn't achieved glory, he had shed blood and sweat.
Now that something had gone wrong, they couldn't just cast him aside like trash. He thought his petty schemes were well hidden—but Meng Yang saw through it all.
Fury erupted in Meng Yang's heart. He grabbed Xu Zhiyuan by the throat and yanked him up.
"Xu Zhiyuan, all these years, you actually deceived us all!
You will not escape this. Wàngshān Sect will never shelter someone like you!"
Then he flung him away with a powerful throw.
Bang—
Xu Zhiyuan slammed into the corner of the hall, too terrified to cry out in pain. He stared at Meng Yang in disbelief.
"M-Martial Uncle, what... what did you mean by that? You're going to turn me in?"
He struggled to his feet, eyes filled with unwillingness.
"I told you, as long as neither of us speaks, no one can prove anything! Why are you forcing me into a dead end?
So what if those children are dead? Killing me won't bring them back!
Why must you wipe me out completely? I've served Wàngshān Sect for half my life. My cultivation's been stagnant for years because of it. Have I ever once complained?"