"Heh..."

With the spiritual energy transferred in by Rong Qingxian, Chi Yuan's external injuries healed rapidly, and his energy and spirit recovered considerably. After taking a few difficult breaths, his body, which had been drained of strength, finally regained some energy.

"Yuan'er, are you... feeling better?"

Rong Qingxian looked at Chi Yuan with heartache and spoke very carefully.

Chi Yuan remained expressionless, using his newly recovered strength to shove You Rong Qingxian away forcefully. He then took two steps back to distance himself from his seven junior sisters. However, due to his extreme weakness, he was momentarily unsteady on his feet and nearly fell to the ground.

"Yuan'er..."

"Senior brother..."

Seeing this, the women felt sorry for Chi Yuan and wanted to help him up, but Chi Yuan suddenly raised his hand and waved it forward, shouting hoarsely, "Get out!"

This roar startled You Rongqingxian and the other seven women, Lu Ziling, who froze in place, completely bewildered. They had never seen Chi Yuan so angry before, his face contorted with rage, his usual gentle and warm demeanor gone.

Rong Qingxian felt as if her heart was being pierced by needles, and regret surged like a tidal wave, crashing against her mind. Afraid of further upsetting Chi Yuan, she said with a sob in her voice, full of tenderness, "Yuan'er, Master believes you. You are so gentle and kind, and you love your junior sister so much. How could you possibly deliberately belittle Wan'er? It's all Master's fault. Master shouldn't have doubted you..."

"Senior brother, I'm sorry... Zi Ling shouldn't have doubted you. You treat us like family, so how could you intentionally hurt junior sister?"

Lu Ziling sobbed, her face filled with regret.

Ning Wan'er was also crying her eyes out, sobbing as she said, "Senior brother, Wan'er was truly bewitched... You doted on and protected Wan'er so much, how could Wan'er... Wan'er could have such doubts about you... Waaah, senior brother, Wan'er knows she was wrong..."

"Senior brother, Qingli was wrong too. I... I was truly bewitched..."

"I'm sorry, Senior Brother... Ningyan was confused. I shouldn't have doubted you..."

"Senior brother, Fei'er knows she was wrong, please forgive Fei'er..."

"Waaah, my senior brother was so good to me, yet I wronged him... Rou'er deserves to die!"

"Yun'er is incredibly foolish to doubt her senior brother's character. I'm just speechless..."

...

Looking at his master with teary eyes and his seven junior sisters who were sobbing uncontrollably, Chi Yuan felt a chill in his heart.

He first looked at Lu Ziling, his tone full of sarcasm, and said, "Lu Ziling, why pretend to cry like this? When you asked me to go to Lava Valley to pick Earth Flame Spirit Mushrooms for Ye Chen, did you care about my life or death? That place is a place where even Spirit Kings of the fifth rank or above are in danger of dying!"

"You don't even care about my life or death, so what are you pretending for now?"

These words were like a steel knife, piercing deep into Lu Ziling's heart. Her face turned deathly pale instantly, and she staggered back two steps, her lips trembling as she was unable to speak.

Chi Yuan then turned his gaze to Leng Feiruo: "And you, I once risked offending the chief of Duanjian Peak just to vent your anger, and I have driven away and punished those petty villains who had ill intentions towards you many times. But you treat me like a beast and have no trust in me whatsoever. What right do you have to ask me to forgive you?"

Leng Feiruo felt as if she had been struck by lightning; her delicate body trembled like a leaf, but she was powerless to refute it. She could only weep and repeatedly apologize, admitting her mistakes: "Senior brother, I was wrong... Fei'er really knows she was wrong..."

Chi Yuan's gaze shifted again, sweeping over the other junior sisters one by one: "And you, you, you... Ask yourselves honestly, how have I treated you all? When you have questions about cultivation, I patiently answer them for you. When you lack pills, I either pay out of my own pocket or refine them myself. When have I ever failed to meet your needs for pills? As for spiritual weapons, talismans, and rare and precious materials, as long as you ask, have I never failed to do my best to get them for you?"

"I've done so much for you, have I ever asked for anything in return? Have I ever harbored any improper thoughts about you? And how have you treated me?! You won't even give me the slightest bit of trust!"

Hearing Chi Yuan's scathing rebuke, Yu Qingli, Su Ningyan, Yue Qianrou, and Mu Lingyun were all filled with remorse, tears streaming down their faces. Recalling the kindness Chi Yuan had shown them, and then reflecting on his words and attitude just now, they felt that they were more vicious and ugly than the demons from hell...

Chi Yuan then looked at Ning Wan'er, whose face was ashen, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips: "I thought I had been doing my job as the senior brother very well, taking good care of you, my junior sister, and always keeping my distance, afraid that you would have any bad misunderstandings about me. But I never expected that all my actions were just wishful thinking. I couldn't even gain your trust in the most basic character. I have truly failed miserably."

"No...no..."

Ning Wan'er shook her head, sobbing, her throat choked with sobs, "Senior brother is so good to Wan'er, better than anyone else! It's because Wan'er lost her mind that she doubted senior brother... It's all Wan'er's fault!"

Chi Yuan didn't reply, but looked indifferently at You Rong Qingxian, a cold sneer appearing on his lips: "As for you, my good master, what kind of good person are you pretending to be here? Don't you know why I was bewitched by the Divine Incense? This hypocritical face is truly disgusting!"

"What...what did you say?!"

Rong Qingxian was shocked and stared blankly at Chi Yuan, finding it hard to believe that Chi Yuan... suspected her of harming him?!

"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place!"

Chi Yuan sneered, looking at You Rong Qingxian with cold indifference and mockery, all traces of his former respect and reverence gone.

Rong Qingxian felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She never expected that her eldest disciple, who had always trusted her without reservation and had never overstepped his bounds in the slightest, would harbor such suspicion towards her. Moreover, his attitude had lost all the respect and affection a disciple should have for his master, and was as cold as if he were looking at an enemy...

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