"Reporting to Sect Master, the Lu family has arrived. They're demanding an explanation from our Wentian Sect!" The disciple delivering the message was drenched in sweat, breathless as he continued, "They've brought a lot of people with them too."
Judging by the tension in his voice, the situation didn't look good.
"They brought people?"
The Sect Master let out a cold laugh and shot to his feet.
"This time, Lu Nanfeng was far from innocent."
And now the Lu family had the audacity to come stirring up trouble?
What a joke.
"Come on, let's go meet them. I want to see exactly what they think they're doing."
With that, the Sect Master and his group made their way toward the sect gate.
By then, the entrance to Wentian Sect was already packed with disciples, all murmuring among themselves, wondering why the Lu family had shown up so suddenly. After all, the incident had happened quite some time ago.
"Master Lu, if I may be so bold, wasn't it Lu Nanfeng who harmed others first and was killed for it? What standing does the Lu family have to come here and cause a scene?"
The one blocking the gate was a steward elder of the sect, a Golden Core cultivator, doing his best to guard the sect's "honor" by stopping the intruders before they could enter.
When the Sect Master arrived and saw this, he felt a brief moment of satisfaction.
But then he took a closer look and frowned. Wasn't that elder from the Song family?
An uneasy thud hit his chest. A bad feeling crept in.
Just then, Master Lu's voice boomed through the crowd.
"Our Lu Nanfeng will not bear this false accusation! It was your own Gu Qingyuan and Ye Chuxue who acted shamelessly, sneaking around in secret. When Lu Nanfeng caught them, they killed him to cover their tracks!"
Master Lu was seething, his eyes full of fury.
The Lu family was never a major force, and among their younger generation, talents were scarce. Lu Nanfeng had shown extraordinary promise. He had even entered Song Wanníng's tutelage, with a future once as bright as the heavens. Now he had been murdered by scheming bastards.
The Lu family had to get justice. They would make Wentian Sect pay for every loss. His words struck like thunder. Everyone present was stunned.
"Wait, what did Master Lu just say? Master Gu and Ye Chuxue…?"
"That can't be true. Wasn't it just unrequited love on Master Gu's part?"
"Heavens, if this is real, our entire Wentian Sect will be a laughingstock."
"..."
The disciples looked at each other in disbelief. At this point, no one knew what to believe anymore.
The Sect Master and several elders turned pale the moment they heard those words.
"Master Lu, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't speak nonsense."
The Sect Master's expression darkened as he stared down Master Lu, releasing spiritual pressure in secret to crush the man's arrogance. "News of Lu Nanfeng's death has already spread everywhere. Do you really think a few baseless accusations will erase his crimes?
Let me tell you this. Just because our Wentian Sect has declined a bit doesn't mean we're anyone's doormat. If you keep pushing us, the Lu family won't have any peace from now on." He had already suffered enough humiliation from every direction. Now he needed someone to lash out at, and Master Lu was the perfect target.
Time to remind everyone of his authority.
But Master Lu wasn't intimidated. Without hesitation, he threw two memory stones into the air.
"Word of this has already reached the outside world. Gu Qingyuan covered up his incestuous scandal by letting his disciple slaughter a fellow sect member. And you still refuse to admit it? Then open your damn eyes and look!"
He hurled the memory stones high into the sky.
The first projection showed Ye Chuxue cruelly dismembering Lu Nanfeng.
The second showed Gu Qingyuan and Ye Chuxue fleeing in a panic, side by side.
Gasps rippled through the crowd of disciples. They couldn't believe the savage woman in the image was the same gentle and pure Senior Sister Ye they had once admired.
Even worse, in that shared image of Gu Qingyuan and Ye Chuxue, their auras were deeply entangled. One glance was enough to reveal their relationship.
The Sect Master's vision went black. He almost fainted on the spot. His hand trembled as he pointed at the image of Gu Qingyuan, his face going from pale to green, then pale again.
Gu Qingyuan… had deceived him.
"Senior Brother Gu, how could you be so shameless? How could you do something so disgraceful?"
"I told you we should've trusted Senior Sister Song from the beginning. The Sect Master refused to believe her. Sure, her temper's rough, but she's never lied."
"Now look what a mess this has become."
Originally, this was just about Lu Nanfeng and Ye Chuxue. The Sect Master had insisted on stepping in. Now, the whole sect was entangled. If they didn't offer serious compensation to the Lu family, there would be no way to settle this.
"Sect Master He, have you seen enough?"
Master Lu's face was cold, giving the Sect Master no room to save face. Back when rumors spread that Lu Nanfeng had tried to take advantage of a girl and died for it, the Lu family hadn't even dared speak up. But the truth turned out to be very different.
Now their son was dead and Wentian Sect was still trying to drag his name through the mud?
How could they possibly tolerate that?
This matter needed to explode. The bigger, the better.
The Sect Master was at a loss for words. Back then, all Gu Qingyuan had offered was a story, no evidence. And now…
He had no choice but to send a message talisman to Gu Qingyuan, demanding an explanation.
Master Lu wasn't having it.
"Don't pretend, Sect Master He. You know exactly what happened. We came here today for one reason: to demand justice."
"Yes, justice!"
"Lu Nanfeng cannot die without the truth being revealed!"
"Wentian Sect, give us justice!"
The Lu family had worked themselves into a frenzy, voices rising with righteous anger.
Whispers surged among the disciples of Wentian Sect, their eyes flickering with all sorts of emotions as they stared at the Sect Master.
The elders were fuming, their expressions dark, saying nothing.
They had warned him before. Now he could clean up the mess himself.
"Everyone, calm down! Please, calm down!"
The Sect Master frantically tried to pacify the crowd, waving his arms and pleading.
"Wentian Sect will definitely give everyone an explanation. Just… please don't rush this. Let's go back to the main hall and talk things through, alright?"
His face was drawn and anxious, clearly overwhelmed. He hoped to handle this quietly, behind closed doors. But just as he spoke, a cold voice cut through the air.
"No. Not alright at all."
That voice. That cold, unmistakable voice.
The Sect Master froze. He didn't even need to look. He closed his eyes with a helpless sigh.
Song Wanníng was back.
And this matter… was not going to be settled peacefully.
Regret surged in his chest. He never should have gotten involved. Losing some disciples was the sect's business, not his.
"Song Daoyou, you're finally back!"
Master Lu visibly brightened at her appearance, straightening his back.
He looked at Song Wanníng with eager anticipation.
But she only cast him a brief, indifferent glance.
In her past life, when the Lu family followed Lu Nanfeng to attack the Song family, their attitude had been nothing like this.
Rage coiled in her heart, but her face remained calm. She drifted quietly down into the crowd.
Receiving no reply, Master Lu let out a dry chuckle, awkwardly pulling his lips into a smile. A shadow flickered in his eyes.
As arrogant and dismissive as ever.
Still, the Lu family had yet to get what they came for. He would endure, for now.
His expression turned solemn again, and he continued speaking for Lu Nanfeng's justice.