Chapter 78 Master Qingyu learns the truth and vomits blood.

Lu Ziting assumed that Qingyu Zhenren had forgotten everything about the Misty Camphor Forest due to his serious injuries, so he tentatively reminded him, "Master, you've forgotten, Ye Li, she's already dead in the Misty Camphor Forest..."

"shut up!"

The stern rebuke left Lu Ziting stunned on the spot.

Normally, Master Qingyu was unapproachable. Even if they made a mistake, a single glance from him would send shivers down the spines of their disciples.

At this moment, Qingyu Zhenren's usually aloof and indifferent face was tinged with anger, his eyes swirled with fury, and his hands, which were supporting him on the bed, clenched into fists, with veins bulging.

Even Su Ying'er, who was standing to the side, was frightened and stopped crying, letting out a timid cry.

"Master, what's wrong...?"

Realizing his loss of composure and not wanting to frighten Ying'er, Master Qingyu calmed down and said, "Call Wen Yao over."

"Yes, Master."

Wen Yao rushed back from outside the sect.

Upon seeing that Master Qingyu had woken up, he respectfully greeted him, "Master, you are awake. Your disciple has come to treat you."

Master Qingyu shook his head. "No need. I summoned you here to ask you some questions."

He spoke several times before finally managing to utter a tense voice, "That day, when you picked up Ah Li, did you notice anything different about her body?"

Although it was only a short sentence, Master Qingyu hesitated several times before finally asking it.

Wen Yao understood what Master Qingyu meant. He slowly raised his head and said, word by word, "Indeed, there is."

Su Ying'er's expression changed.

She tried to stop her, saying weakly, "Master has just woken up, so let's not talk about such sad things. Besides, I heard that Master and the others were under an illusion that day and saw many things that didn't happen. Let's not recall them anymore, lest our minds be corrupted by evil spirits."

"Yes, Master."

Lu Ziting chimed in, "Han Nian and I have already analyzed it. Ye Li and that person acted intimately, clearly old acquaintances. Those illusions must have been deliberately used by that evil demon to confuse our minds so that we could be wiped out in one fell swoop. Although Ye Li eventually realized her mistake and perished with the demon, it is an undeniable fact that she was wrong."

Seeing Qingyu Zhenren's brows furrowed in thought, Su Ying'er's eyes flashed with smugness. It was worth all her efforts to "enlighten" Lu Ziting these past few days; she didn't even need to say a word, as Lu Ziting spoke for her.

Wen Yao suddenly asked, "So, was it also to disturb your minds that she had her bones broken, her golden core emptied, and became a cold corpse?"

He looked straight at Master Qingyu, “Didn’t Master ask me what was different about A-Li? I saw it with my own eyes, A-Li’s dantian is empty.”

"What did you say!"

“I saw it with my own eyes. The wounds on Ah Li’s body corresponded one by one with everything in that illusion. She was already dead! She died on the day of the apprenticeship ceremony!”

The echoes of Wen Yao's excited voice reverberated within the cave.

A dark shadow welled up in Qingyu Zhenren's eyes, and his chest heaved violently, each movement of his Adam's apple seeming as if he was suppressing something.

"Wen Yao, do you know what the consequences will be for deceiving your master?"

Before being questioned by Ye Li, Wen Yao might have hesitated, but now he was focused on doing something for Ye Li, not out of selfishness, but genuinely for her sake.

He steeled his resolve, slashed his palm, and swore an oath in blood to the heavens, "If this disciple has uttered even half a lie, this disciple is willing to have his soul scattered and never be reincarnated again!"

Upon hearing this, even Lu Ziting's expression changed.

I swear by the laws of Heaven that if I break this oath, I will be punished by Heaven.

He dared to swear such an oath; could it be that he was telling the truth?

When Master Qingyu saw the resolute look in Wen Yao's eyes, his back trembled. Something seemed to be breaking inside him, making a faint yet deafening sound.

If everything in the illusion was real, then Ye Li wasn't deliberately sending them away on the day of the apprenticeship ceremony; she was...

Dead...

In a daze, Master Qingyu saw the talisman that flew into the cave to ask for help.

He reached out to take it.

The next second, he casually kneaded the talisman, turning it into powder.

He heard himself say coldly, 'Stubborn to the end.'

Then, he saw another scene.

He stood in the misty camphor forest, coldly declaring, 'I will show no mercy to such a wicked disciple. From this day forward, Ye Li is expelled from the Heavenly Gate Sect!'

As he announced the punishment, Ye Li's corpse lay on the ground just a short distance away.

Her eyes were open, her body covered in blood, and she died with her eyes wide open...

A crack appeared in Qingyu Zhenren's indifference as he felt regret for the first time in his life.

This feeling was extremely unfamiliar, as if someone was stirring his internal organs with a wooden stick, without stopping for a moment.

He struggled against the pain, his voice taut as if a string was about to snap, "Even if she didn't deliberately orchestrate Ying'er's apprenticeship ceremony, she colluded with evil spirits. She deserved to die."

Ignoring the fact that his hands were still dripping blood, Wen Yao stepped forward and questioned Master Qingyu in an almost offensive manner.

“Master, you suspect that Senior Sister is colluding with evil spirits, but Senior Sister has grown up under your care since childhood. You know her best. Don’t you know whether she might be colluding with evil spirits?”

"..."

Wen Yao's words seemed to unlock some hidden place, and a flood of memories swept over Qingyu Zhenren.

The image of Ye Li when she first entered the Tianmen Sect flashed before his eyes.

Four or five-year-old Ye Li, with two little pigtails, tried her best to cross her legs in the same posture as him and meditate like him.

A little girl, seven or eight years old, stood by the lotus pond, practicing swordsmanship. Beads of sweat dripped down her face, which she wiped away with the back of her chubby hand.

The first time he took her down the mountain, she was ten years old.

He was used to being alone, and when he thought of Ye Li, he found her entangled with a magical beast.

Despite being covered in wounds, she continued to attack relentlessly, refusing to let the monster leave.

After slaying the monster, he asked her, "Why didn't you run away?"

Her face was covered in blood, but her eyes were bright and clear.

"This place is close to the foot of the mountain. If I let it escape, it will harm the civilians. My master taught me that as a Daoist cultivator, I must slay demons and monsters and walk the righteous path. Only in this way can I live up to the cultivation that Heaven has given me. I will keep this in mind."

"..."

Ye Li was only ten years old at the time, her face still showing signs of childishness, yet she was willing to sacrifice herself for her cause.

She always respected and loved him, knowing that he disliked worldly affairs, and even managed the entire sect for him.

How could he suspect Ah Li of colluding with evil spirits...?

Ah Li was clearly the disciple he placed the most hopes on.

How could he just stand by and watch her suffer and die?

Her ending shouldn't have been like this.

"Cough cough cough-"

Master Qingyu suddenly coughed violently, and his usually straight back hunched over.

With each cough, his heart ached.

He actually vomited a mouthful of blood.

"Master!"

Su Ying'er cried as she went to help Qingyu Zhenren, "Third Senior Brother, Master has just woken up from serious injuries. Are you saying these things to make Master get into trouble?!"

Wen Yao slammed his knees heavily on the ground and kowtowed three times.

"This disciple is unfilial and willing to accept punishment, but rumors about A-Li are rampant in the sect. I beg Master to clear A-Li's name and restore her innocence!"

Only in this way can Ah Li possibly come back and return to their side.