Chapter 51 You've all been fooled
The next day, the various sects arrived one after another, and Changjin Mountain prepared a banquet in advance to welcome them.
Chu Jianshan and Cheng Yuanji separated and hid in a corner at the back. He never liked such grand occasions; he preferred to be alone and quiet.
Although it was Jiang Rusheng's birthday, he was still a junior. Logically, each sect could simply send someone to make a token gesture. However, it seems that many important figures were present, but the birthday celebrant was absent due to health reasons. It was ostensibly a birthday banquet, but what it was really about was self-evident.
Jiang Yan was busy receiving the various envoys, so busy that she barely had time to breathe. Just as she finally sat down to meet them, the sect leader of the Shao Xuan Sect arrived.
The Shaoxuan Sect is also one of the five major sects and has always had a good relationship with Changjin Mountain. This time, the sect itself came to visit, which is a great honor.
"Sect Leader Jiang, congratulations!" Dong Huai Ren walked over with a smile. "Your daughter has grown up so much in the blink of an eye. Changjin Mountain has a worthy successor."
Although it was clearly flattery, Jiang Yan didn't seem happy for some reason. She just smiled and replied, "Not at all, she's still young and has a lot of experience to learn."
"Come, come, take a seat!"
Upon hearing this, everyone took their seats and chatted idly about recent events. Chu Jianshan was a little bored and poked at the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks. The food at Changjin Mountain was too bland, and after several years, he couldn't get used to it.
Suddenly, he felt a gaze fixed on him. Chu Jianshan looked up and saw Cheng Yuan looking at him from a distance, gesturing for him to move to the front seats. Chu Jianshan shook his head. He felt quite at ease staying in the corner; no one would notice if he sneaked away.
Halfway through the banquet, a servant at the door suddenly announced loudly, "The Sect Leader's wife has arrived!"
In an instant, the crowd erupted in uproar.
Chu Qinglan was helped into the hall, her gaze somewhat vacant, and she slowly walked towards Jiang Yan step by step.
Even through the crowd, Chu Qingyuan instantly spotted his older sister. His hand, gripping the cup, trembled slightly. Had his older sister become so haggard?
Everyone knew about Chu Qinglan's madness, so no one questioned why the sect leader's wife was absent from such an important occasion. But what did it mean that she suddenly appeared halfway through the banquet?
Some gossipy people at the banquet started whispering among themselves: "Hey, wasn't this person supposed to be crazy? How come a madman can come? She's from a major sect, after all. If she doesn't have her servants keep an eye on her, it would be terrible if she lost face."
The other person next to him replied, "Hey, who doesn't know Jiang Yan? He loves his wife like his own life. How could he bear to really lock her up? But she's also pitiful. She used to be a famous beauty, but now she's fallen into such a state. Anyone who sees this madman would avoid her like the plague."
The man laughed and said, "What's the use of being beautiful? One of the siblings is dead and the other is insane. Jiang Yan is also incompetent. In my opinion, Changjin Mountain is finished. Otherwise, why would they be in such a hurry to summon all the sects? If Linyi Sect really has the intention to rebel, the first one to be attacked will definitely be Changjin Mountain!"
Chu Jianshan was right next to them, and he heard every word they said clearly. His heart ached instantly, but he couldn't do anything to them. After all, what they said was true. Changjin Mountain was no longer what it used to be.
Jiang Yan, who was seated, was startled when she saw Chu Qinglan approaching. She quickly got up from her seat to help her and settled her down beside her. Then she asked softly, "Why did you come here? Didn't I tell you to stay in your room and rest?"
Chu Qinglan was stunned for a moment before slowly saying, "It's Asheng's birthday, I want to come over."
Jiang Yan breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief. The fact that she could still speak meant that she wasn't having a relapse. She thought it was good that she came, since it was her daughter's birthday after all.
After the minor incident, everyone continued eating and drinking as usual. However, Dong Huai-ren, who was sitting at the front of the table, asked, "I wonder if Madam's illness has improved?"
Jiang Yan replied with a smile, "Thank you for your concern. It was only more serious in the first two years after Qingyuan left, but it's much better now."
After listening, Dong Huai-ren shook his head and sighed, recalling, "Back when Immortal Venerable Nanxu and Immortal Lord Xie were still around, Changjin Mountain was so magnificent. Now, alas."
Anyone with a modicum of sense knows that you shouldn't say these things in front of others; anyone can understand that he's implying something.
Sure enough, Jiang Yan's expression wasn't good, but she still managed a forced smile and added, "Yes, Qingyuan was too impulsive back then. If only he had listened to advice more..."
"Huh?" Dong Huai Ren raised his hand to stop him: "Sect Leader Jiang, you are mistaken. Everyone witnessed what happened back then. It was clearly Linyi Sect who harmed Immortal Lord Xie first, and Immortal Venerable Nanxu was just eager for revenge."
“This…” Jiang Yan seemed a little embarrassed: “Back then, Linyi Gate was also trying to repair the barrier. If it can protect all living beings, Changjin Mountain will do its best.”
Upon hearing this, Dong Huai-ren simply smiled and shook his head: "Sect Leader Jiang, you are being rather naive."
Jiang Yan asked, "What does the Sect Master mean by this?"
As if waiting for this very sentence, Dong Huai Ren suddenly stood up, faced the crowd at the table, and said loudly: "Back then, the Linyi Sect took the life of Xie Yin, the Immortal Lord of Changjin Mountain, under the pretext of repairing the barrier. Although it was a legitimate reason, isn't it only up to the Linyi Sect to decide whether it's true or not? If this barrier is fake at all, what will you all do?"
These words immediately sparked a flurry of conversation and discussion among the audience.
Indeed, this barrier has existed for five hundred years. It was originally set up by Zhao Yi, the head of the Linyi Sect. Zhao Yi has been praised as a hero for hundreds of years. However, these are just oral traditions. No one has ever actually seen this so-called barrier that can separate humans and demons.
Dong Huai Ren continued, "Or perhaps we should all think about this: why has the Linyi Sect been able to dominate for so long, even the Southern Immortal Venerable couldn't do anything to them? What if... they are colluding with the Demon Clan?"
Immediately, gasps of shock filled the audience.
"What!"
"How is this possible? Linyimen is incredibly audacious!"
"Really? No wonder the remnants of the demon race have never been completely eradicated over the years."
“This…” Jiang Yan hesitated, “This is probably not something that you or I can say for sure, after all, there is no evidence.”
"Who says I have no evidence?" Dong Huai-ren seemed confident as he walked step by step to the center of the table, clapped his hands, and said loudly, "Bring it up!"
A man was brought forward by two or three servants and knelt down among the crowd with a thud, bowing to Jiang Yan: "Sect Leader... Sect Leader!"
Upon seeing this person, Bai Qianfan frowned. He recognized him; it seemed to be the survivor from Zhangjia Village whom he had previously found.
Sure enough, when Jiang asked who this person was, Dong Huai Ren said, "Zhang Family Village, which was wiped out in the western suburbs of Qingyao City back then. I wonder if everyone still remembers it?"
A woman in the audience said, "I remember! It's said that it was the work of remnants of the demon race. Could it be... that this person is from that village?"
Dong Huai-ren laughed and said, "That's right. The number of deaths in the village didn't match up back then, and it took me a lot of effort to find this person."
Chu Jianshan frowned slightly. He knew the village's death toll didn't match up, and Linyi Sect surely knew it too. Why did he find it first? After the big incident he and Bai Qianfan caused in Qingyao City, there was no reason why Linyi Sect wouldn't investigate the number of deaths from that year.
Dong Huai-ren kicked the man and urged him, "Come and tell everyone what happened."
The man trembled as he kowtowed, and then began to recount: "Back then, Xie Xianjun came to our village. He was seriously injured, so we took him in for the night. But who knew that as soon as he woke up the next day, he struggled to leave, saying that he had important things to report to the sect leader. But just as he was about to leave, the Linyi Sect brought people over."
"I was too far away to hear clearly at the time, but I heard them talking about demons and such. Xie Xianjun even scolded them for not being worthy of being human. I dared to go out and take a look. There was indeed a dark mass of people following behind Linyimen. They must have been demons. After that, everyone knows what happened. Xie Xianjun was no match for Linyimen, and Zhangjia Village was wiped out. I only managed to escape by hiding in the cellar."
After he finished speaking, the man was taken away. Dong Huai Ren looked smug and said, "See? If I didn't have evidence, how could I make up such a story about Linyimen? If you still don't believe me, you can take this man to Qingyao City to verify it. Everyone knows he's from Zhangjia Village. I didn't just make this up."
The people below the stage looked at each other, no one daring to say another word. Only Jiang Yan asked, "Why is Linyi Gate doing this?"
Dong Huai Ren was furious at his lack of ambition, pointing at him angrily and saying, "What else could it be but the desire to be the sole ruler! To unify the country and establish order!"
He walked up to Jiang Yan, waving his hands: "Use your brain! Seven years ago, with Immortal Venerable Nanxu in charge of your Changjin Mountain, who dared to invade? He used some tricks to make Immortal Lord Xie offer sacrifices legitimately, and then held his weakness to prevent him from speaking. Immortal Venerable Chu is such a clear-cut person, he would definitely try to storm Linyi Gate. With the help of the demons, how could Immortal Venerable Chu have any chance of winning?"
His voice softened, and he turned to the crowd, saying, "Such a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy is truly ingenious."
He looked at Jiang Yan again: "Sect Leader Jiang, don't you understand? You've already been caught in their trap!"
Jiang Yan lowered her head and gripped the armrest of the chair tightly. If this was true, two lives had been lost, and Chang Jinshan would definitely demand an explanation from Linyimen.
Seeing that things were not going well, Chu Jianshan hurriedly ran to Cheng Yuan's side. Although he did not know whether Dong Huai Ren was telling the truth or not, how could he be so kind as to find witnesses for Chang Jin Shan? This was obviously to shift the blame to Chang Jin Shan. All the sects were attacking Lin Yi Sect, but they were still missing a scapegoat and a legitimate reason.
They wanted Chang Jinshan to act as the matchmaker so that they could stay behind the scenes, not have to do everything themselves, not be resented by the Linyimen, and still be praised by the world for their benevolence and righteousness.
Linyimen was not the only one who was good at scheming; Dong Huai Ren was even more so.
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