"Ye Chuxue, did you kill Lu Nanfeng? What happened exactly? You owe us an explanation!"
"Ye Chuxue, are you ignoring our messages to avoid the truth?"
"Ye Chuxue…"
Message after message came flooding in, all demanding to know why she had killed Lu Nanfeng.
Ye Chuxue swayed, barely able to stand.
She had been careful, even hiding the truth from her Master. How did the sect find out?
A storm surged in her chest. Gu Qingyuan, standing beside her, was just as shocked.
"Chuxue killed Lu Nanfeng?"
Impossible.
His first instinct was to deny it, but when he opened his own message talisman, all he heard were the same furious questions from the sect—asking whether he had known.
Gu Qingyuan's brows furrowed tightly. The whole thing was absurd.
"How could Lu Nanfeng be dead? And how would it have anything to do with you, Chuxue? The Sect Master must be out of his mind!"
Everyone had seen how Lu Nanfeng treated Chuxue. Even if he did end up dead, it had to be someone else. There was no way it was her.
But Ye Chuxue didn't respond.
Only silence.
A long, heavy silence.
Gu Qingyuan's heart sank. He turned to stare at her in disbelief.
"You... Why?"
He couldn't understand. A storm was already raging in his heart. If Ye Chuxue really had killed Lu Nanfeng, then what would happen to her?
Killing a fellow sect disciple was a grave crime.
She looked back at him, eyes red but defiant. Her lips were pressed into a hard line. She didn't believe she had done anything wrong. But she couldn't speak the truth either. No matter the era, men always cared about things like this. Even if they said nothing aloud, who knew what they'd think deep down?
She couldn't destroy the image of herself that lived in Gu Qingyuan's heart. So this secret could only remain buried forever.
"I killed Lu Nanfeng. But he brought it on himself. No one else is to blame. As for the reason, Master, please don't ask. He tried to harm me first. I only struck back."
Ye Chuxue raised her chin, defiant light flashing in her eyes.
She was waiting—for Gu Qingyuan's response.
If he could believe in her, without reservation, choose her unconditionally, then she could finally hand over her heart completely.
Gu Qingyuan froze, his gaze locking onto hers.
"Chuxue wasn't joking. She really had killed Lu Nanfeng."
His throat tightened, his expression shifted several times, before finally ending in a heavy sigh. He reached out and pulled Ye Chuxue into his arms, gently stroking her hair.
"If you killed him, then he must have deserved it. I believe you. I'll speak to the sect. I'll do what I can to lighten your punishment."
What worried him most now was Song Wanníng. That woman was fiercely protective of her disciples. If she found out, there was no telling how far she'd go. And if things spiraled out of control, it wouldn't end well.
Ye Chuxue clearly had the same thought. Her brows drew together as she said in a low voice, "Master, do you think Song Wanníng will let me off? Between me and Song Wanníng, who do you think the sect would choose?"
A dark glint flickered through her eyes. That woman—Song Wanníng—would love nothing more than to see her dead.
"No matter what she does, I'll protect you."
Gu Qingyuan's arms tightened around her, his heart aching. He hated that his strength was lacking, that he couldn't defeat Song Wanníng.
Ye Chuxue lifted her head and smiled faintly, testing him with a question.
"Master, if the sect decides to cripple my cultivation and expel me, what will you do?"
She had long wanted to leave that accursed place.
The people of Wentian Sect were selfish and cold. She felt nothing for them anymore.
Even if she was expelled, she could still live well.
But what about Gu Qingyuan?
Would he be willing to let her go?
Hope flickered in her chest. Her eyes glowed faintly, watching him without blinking.
"No."
Gu Qingyuan's voice was low but firm. "Chuxue, you are my disciple. I will not allow anyone to humiliate you. I'll explain everything to the sect. At most, the Sect Master will punish you with a few years of seclusion and reflection..."
He was still clinging to hope.
Ye Chuxue's eyes dimmed. A trace of disappointment slipped through her expression.
But she could understand. She had transmigrated from another life and held no deep attachment to Wentian Sect.
But Gu Qingyuan had entered the sect as a child, lived there for over a hundred years. His ties ran deep. Of course he hadn't considered leaving.
She buried her thoughts. This wasn't the time to push. No need to shatter his lovely illusion just yet. Song Wanníng would never let this go, and neither would the Lu family.
In the end, the only person she could rely on was her Master.
Ye Chuxue lifted her hands and hugged Gu Qingyuan tightly.
He froze at the sudden gesture, then a wave of sweetness surged in his heart.
He could feel the shift in her attitude. He wasn't the only one whose heart had been stirred.
But…
Their identities meant they couldn't be together openly.
Then they would cultivate. Ascend together.
When they ascended to the Spirit Realm, they could begin again with new identities.
…
Half a month later, the anxious Sect Master of Wentian Sect finally received a reply.
The moment he heard Gu Qingyuan's plea for mercy, he slammed a glazed teacup against the floor, shattering it in fury.
Ye Chuxue really had killed Lu Nanfeng?
Gu Qingyuan begged relentlessly, insisting Lu Nanfeng had tried to kill Ye Chuxue first, that it had escalated beyond reconciliation.
But when pressed for details, he had nothing to offer. That left the Sect Master deeply unsatisfied.
And yet, he couldn't ignore the fact that Ye Chuxue had already broken through to the Golden Core stage. Her cultivation speed was unmatched—even Bai Yang had been left in the dust. To waste such a gifted disciple would be a tragedy.
Especially now, when Wentian Sect was in dire need of talent. No matter how he looked at it, this matter had to be resolved quietly.
The Sect Master immediately summoned the Seventh Elder to the main hall. He paced back and forth, trying to work out how to deal with Song Wanníng and the Lu family.
The Lu family might not be top-tier, but they had their own foundations. They would not let this go.
The Sect Master's face was twisted in frustration, sighing repeatedly.
The Seventh Elder arrived soon after. Once he heard the news, his expression mirrored the Sect Master's: complete headache.
"That little girl Ye Chuxue is insane. If there was a problem, she should've brought it to the sect. Why go and kill someone? And of all people, she had to kill Song Wanníng's disciple!"
He sighed again and again, clearly at a loss.
The Sect Master shared the same concern. No one knew better than them how protective Song Wanníng was.
Killing her disciple? That was as good as digging your own grave.
"What do you think we should do now? We can't seriously cripple Ye Chuxue's cultivation, can we? It would be a waste of a prodigy. And Junior Brother Gu wouldn't take it lying down either..."
This wasn't just a matter of two core disciples anymore.
It involved two Nascent Soul Zhēnjūn.
One wrong move, and this would explode into something much worse.
The mere thought made his head ache.
"This is a real mess. Junior Sister Song has been pressuring the sect for an answer every single day."