Pei Lang looked down and saw that Shen Zhaozhao had been lying on the cold ground at some point. She raised one hand tremblingly and pointed precisely at a seemingly honest and simple-looking young man who was passing by her.
Na Dan was staring blankly at the farce on the stage when he suddenly felt something tug at his trouser leg. He looked down and met a pair of almond-shaped eyes filled with accusation.
"You...you just now..."
Shen Zhaozhao was barely breathing, as if she were about to die at any moment, "You touched my sword tassel!"
Danxiu: "??? I... I didn't! I'm three feet away from you!"
"Don't even think about denying it!"
Shen Zhaozhao's voice was firm and unwavering, "It was you! You walked with such a gust of wind that you tore off my sword tassel! You disrupted its spiritual energy and damaged its appearance! This was a gift from my sect leader before his passing, and it holds great significance. One price, 800 low-grade spirit stones!"
Pei Lang: "???"
no! ! !
Shen Zhaozhao!!!
When did you sword cultivators start expanding your business to include blatant extortion in broad daylight?!
Are you here to participate in the competition or to expand your underground banking business?!
And when did your sect leader pass away?!
Just as Pei Lang was internally screaming and feeling his values being rubbed into the ground again, an even more terrifying scene unfolded.
It was as if Shen Zhaozhao's earth-shattering act of staging a car accident had opened up their meridians, or perhaps they had been enlightened by the heavenly sound of the "800" spirit stones.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
"Thump thump thump—!"
Centered on Shen Zhaozhao, within a radius of three zhang, all the sword-wielding cultivators, regardless of gender or sect, moved in perfect unison, like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, and instantly collapsed in a mass.
"Ouch! Who touched my sword sheath? Pay up!"
"You knocked the jade pendant off my precious sword! 300 spirit stones, no bargaining!"
"Your sleeve brushed against my sword! Sword energy backlash! Internal injury! 500 spirit stones for medical expenses!"
In an instant, the square was filled with cries of pain and the sounds of people trying to stage accidents to extort money rose and fell, making it even more lively than the fighting in the arena.
The crowd that had been watching the spectacle instantly descended into chaos. Countless cultivators stared in horror at the swordsman who had suddenly "died" at their feet, frantically trying to dodge these "human landmines."
The plaza, which was just moments ago bustling with noise and focused on the arena, was instantly overshadowed by this group of "sword cultivators lying on the ground, their faces clouded with despair"—a veritable "armchair fraud squad."
On the arena, Yun Wan'er, who was gloating and thinking that the whole of Lingzhou was insanely jealous of her, had her smile completely frozen on her face.
The gazes that should have been focused on her, the gazes she relied on for survival, whether of admiration or jealousy, were all stolen away by Shen Zhaozhao in such a despicable and absurd way.
Nobody was watching her; nobody cared about how brilliantly she had just won her match.
how so?
Yun Wan'er felt a cold, sticky substance stuck in her chest, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
From the moment she joined the Tianyan Sect and became a disciple of True Person Lingxiao, she became accustomed to being the center of attention.
Whether it was the attentive senior brothers within the sect or the various cultivators she encountered while traveling, their admiration, their infatuation, and their jealousy all surrounded her as naturally as air.
Her life should have been like a meticulously crafted play, with her as the sole protagonist, and all the glory, all the favor, and all the attention should have been hers.
This should have been a smooth and easy path for her.
But from some point onward, those gazes directed at her began to slip away uncontrollably, like sand through her fingers.
Senior Brother Gu was dragged away and humiliated by that madman, ruining his reputation;
The Master's reputation was tarnished because of that handwritten letter;
Now, even the spotlight that should have belonged to her under this small arena has been snatched away by Shen Zhaozhao!
This feeling of being out of control, like a fine spider web, wrapped around her, making her heart race with panic.
She absolutely will not allow it!
Yun Wan'er's eyes, which were usually good at feigning weakness and alluring, narrowed slightly. She glared hatefully at the figure on the ground, her fingertips pressing uncontrollably against her heart, as if trying to force back the surging anxiety and resentment.
These things should have been hers to begin with.
It was Shen Zhaozhao, that despicable traitor, who used all sorts of dirty tricks to take away what rightfully belonged to her.
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her surging anger, and her face instantly switched back to that tearful, pitiful look.
Yun Wan'er turned slightly to the side, her slender white fingers trembling slightly, and timidly tugged at the sleeve of a young cultivator beside her who was wearing the inner robe of the Tianyan Sect and had a calm demeanor.
"Senior Brother Lin..."
Yun Wan'er's voice was thick with nasal tone, as if she had suffered a great injustice. Her eyes quickly reddened and filled with crystal tears, which hung on her eyelashes, making her look even more pitiful.
This senior brother Lin Qingyuan is the personal disciple of the master of the "Ziyang Dange", a key alchemy center of the Tianyan Sect. His cultivation at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment is outstanding among the younger generation, and he usually takes good care of his junior sister.
Lin Qingyuan was frowning as he watched the farce caused by Shen Zhaozhao in the audience when he suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged. Looking down, he met Yun Wan'er's tearful eyes, and his heart softened.
"Junior Sister Wan'er, don't be afraid, your senior brother is here." Lin Qingyuan comforted her gently, assuming that she was frightened by the chaos and boos from below the stage.
Yun Wan'er gently shook her head, tears finally sliding down her fair cheeks. She raised her tearful eyes, her voice filled with a restrained pain and heartache, as if for the sake of the sect's reputation: "Senior Brother Lin, it's not that Wan'er is afraid... Wan'er just... can't bear to watch anymore..."
She raised her hand and pointed to Shen Zhaozhao, who was arguing with Danxiu below the stage, her voice choked with emotion: "Senior Sister Zhaozhao, although she is no longer a disciple of my Tianyan Sect, she was once a disciple of my Tianyan Sect. Her current behavior...won't it make all the fellow cultivators in the world think...that my Tianyan Sect produced a disciple of such character?"
Lin Qingyuan frowned even more, his eyes visibly widening in surprise, clearly indicating that he hadn't considered the lofty concept of "sect reputation" at all.
Seeing that he wasn't taking the bait, Yun Wan'er gritted her teeth and immediately put on an even more worried and concerned expression for Shen Zhaozhao: "Senior Brother Lin... why don't you... why don't you challenge Senior Sister Zhaozhao?"
“Senior brother, you are usually the most composed and have the best sense of propriety towards us juniors. You also know how to be gentle when you do things... It’s better than letting Senior Sister Zhao Zhao continue to make such a fuss.”
She paused, looking terrified: "What if...she gets involved with those unreasonable, ruthless, and vicious people?"
"Wan'er...I'm really worried about Senior Sister Zhao Zhao's safety..."
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