The door opened slowly, each half swinging in opposite directions. Yun Xiaoyan walked in slowly, deliberately, and immediately all eyes fell on her.
The Hall was stretched out wide—massive, imposing, built to intimidate. Sect members and members of the Yun family were all present, standing in neat rows along both sides. The Patriarch, Yun Minghao, sat at the far edge in the middle, elevated on a raised platform.
His presence was commanding, absolute. The weight of his authority pressed down on everyone in the room.
Hey, kid. How exactly are you going to make it out of here?
Tianxiu's voice came calm, almost curious.
By standing up for myself, Yun Xiaoyan replied in her thoughts, jaw setting with determination.
As she walked toward the center of the hall, the sect members weren't even trying to hide their hatred. She could hear all their murmurs clearly—whispers that weren't meant to be whispers, loud enough for her to catch every word.
"Trash."
"Disgrace."
"Why is she still here?"
Yun Xiaoyan stopped in the center of the hall, standing alone in the open space. Her black hair cascaded down her shoulders, catching the light. Her expression remained calm, controlled, showing nothing of the tension coiling inside her.
Everyone had expected to see a timid-looking crybaby, trembling and begging for mercy.
Instead, they saw confidence.
"Yun Xiaoyan offers her greetings to the Patriarch," she said clearly, bowing slightly with proper respect.
Off to the side, Yun Tianyu leaned toward his sister, confusion clear on his face.
"Sister, the idiot has finally lost it, hasn't she?"
"That must be it," Yun Lianhua replied, equally surprised. "Why isn't she crying?"
"Quiet, you two."
Their mother, Yun Wuying, stepped forward sharply, her voice low and harsh.
"If it wasn't for you two, this wouldn't be happening."
Both children shut up immediately, shrinking back slightly.
Yun Wuying was the second child of the Yun family and Yun Xiaoyan's aunt. She had always been jealous of Yun Xiaoyan's father, Yun Sheng, because of his unmatched talent. He had been destined to become the next Patriarch of the Blazing Phoenix Sect if not for the unfortunate "accident" that claimed his life.
Yun Sheng had married late—all his younger siblings had already married before him. Yun Wuying hadn't had a say in her own marriage, forced into an arrangement for political benefit. That fact had only deepened the hatred she harbored for her elder brother.
Of course, Yun Xiaoyan had not a single clue about any of this history.
"Yun Xiaoyan."
The Patriarch's voice cut through the hall like a blade, silencing every whisper instantly.
"You have broken the sect rules by entering the Spirit Beast Pavilion. How do you plead?"
Yun Xiaoyan could feel the pressure behind the Patriarch's words—heavy, oppressive, testing her resolve.
Before she could answer, Yun Wuying stepped forward sharply.
"Father, why are you still questioning the offender?" Her voice carried false righteousness. "This disgrace—"
She pointed directly at Yun Xiaoyan with barely concealed contempt.
"—was found at the scene. What more is there to know?"
The hall nodded in agreement, murmurs echoing through the crowd like a wave.
"Exactly."
"She was caught."
"Why waste time?"
"Silence."
Yun Minghao's single word cut through the noise like thunder.
Everywhere went dead silent immediately. Not a single person dared to speak.
The Patriarch's gaze settled on Yun Wuying, cold and calculating.
"Yun Wuying." His voice came measured, deliberate. "Explain to me how a person who cannot cultivate managed to open the seal of the Beast Pavilion."
He leaned forward slightly.
"The whole situation doesn't add up."
*The old man actually wants to hear my side of the story,* Yun Xiaoyan thought, surprise flickering through her mind.
She looked directly at her aunt and let a small smirk curve across her face.
Yun Wuying stiffened, uncertainty flashing in her eyes. The Yun Xiaoyan she knew couldn't even meet her gaze without trembling.
"Because I wasn't alone," Yun Xiaoyan said, her voice calm and clear, carrying through the entire hall.
Yun Lianhua and Yun Tianyu began shaking where they stood, faces draining of color.
She was really going to tell on them.
"My two cousins came to my room that day," Yun Xiaoyan continued steadily. "They dragged me along without telling me anything about where we were headed."
"Shut your mouth, you disgrace of a child!"
Yun Wuying interrupted sharply, panic bleeding into her anger. She knew that if the Patriarch heard Yun Xiaoyan's version of the story, her children would be punished for certain.
"Father—"
Yun Wuying turned toward the Patriarch quickly, expression shifting to something pleading and apologetic.
"Yun Lianhua and Yun Tianyu are both young and eager to get their own spirit beasts. They told me about their plan beforehand, and I gave them my permission."
She lowered her head.
"All of this was my fault."
*What a bitch,* Yun Xiaoyan thought coldly. *Just to protect her own children, she switched the narrative. Making them seem like curious learners and taking the blame herself.*
But then another thought followed.
*This turned out better than I expected. If she's taking the blame, I'm off the hook.*
"Yun Lianhua. Yun Tianyu."
The Patriarch called out their names, voice sharp.
The two stepped forward shakily, trembling at the call.
"Is this true?" The Patriarch pressed, gaze boring into them.
They couldn't even meet Yun Minghao's eyes, heads bowed low.
"Ye... yes, Grandfather," both answered quietly, voices barely audible.
"But why was only Yun Xiaoyan seen at the scene?"
The question came from someone in the crowd, murmurs spreading again.
"Exactly."
"Where were the other two?"
"This doesn't make sense."
Yun Minghao might have been strict and never paid much attention to Yun Xiaoyan over the years, but even he could see right through all of this.
The pieces didn't fit.
His eyes narrowed slightly, gaze shifting between his daughter, his grandchildren, and the girl standing calmly in the center of the hall.