Chapter 190: The Reversal of Reputation Happened in an Instant...
Every revelation Si Yao made made the cultivators here feel that their understanding had been overturned.
In their minds, Dao Lord Chongming was clearly a cultivator who remained untouched by worldly affairs, the most promising Dao Lord in the cultivation world to ascend to the upper realm. At such a young age, his cultivation had already far surpassed that of most of his peers, earning him the reputation of a genius among geniuses.
"Impossible. Daoist Chongming could never be the kind of person you're describing. How dare you, a female cultivator, slander Daoist Chongming?"
The female cultivators who stepped forward glared angrily at Si Yao.
Looking at them, Si Yao suddenly remembered that her former master was very popular among female cultivators in the cultivation world.
Seeing how these female cultivators were protecting Chongming, Si Yao sighed and took out a fragment of a recording stone. "Take a look for yourselves. Give up your thoughts as soon as possible. Chongming Daojun's image of a gentleman as pure as jade, detached from worldly affairs, is just a persona created for him by the Heavenly Sword Sect. In reality, he is irritable and unreasonable."
Everyone looked at the item in Si Yao's hand with suspicion. The recording stone was a rare item, and it couldn't be that someone could just pull out an ordinary-looking little stone and fool them.
According to careful examination by those who have seen the philatelic stone, that small piece of stone is indeed a fragment of the philatelic stone.
Because it was fragmented, there wasn't much footage left, and it was still fragmented. It showed Chongming Daojun being irritable and angry, and saying things that made people think he had something wrong with his head.
"The image stone cannot be faked. I didn't expect the Heavenly Sword Sect to keep it so well hidden. Daoist Chongming is actually a person who cannot distinguish right from wrong."
Si Yao sighed, "Everyone, wake up! Don't be fooled by the persona he's created. He's not as good as you think at all."
The female cultivators looked at each other, some even with tears welling up in their eyes, still unable to accept that the Daoist Chongming they knew was actually like this in private.
Xiang Bei was also stunned. She pressed the system button and asked, "Wouldn't this be considered an idol's career collapse?"
The system stared at it for a while before speaking, "Of course it is. The male lead's character is inherently irritable, especially when it comes to torturing the female lead; he never holds back."
While speaking, the system even switched to a split screen and brought up the original plot, where the male protagonist abused the female protagonist in various ways. In the end, after the female protagonist died, he wanted to kill everyone in the world to accompany her in death. This guy's mind was not quite right to begin with.
Xiang Bei rested her chin on her hand and looked over. The images recorded by the fragments of the recording stone that Si Yao took out were all carefully edited by the system. Chongming was not wronged; only the essential parts were retained. After watching these, if you still think that Chongming's aloof Daoist persona is real, then you are beyond saving.
It didn't take long for those people to go from shock to acceptance.
"So it was all true. Daoist Chongming actually did such a thing."
The female cultivators were initially saddened, but they quickly realized what had happened and were left only with anger at being deceived.
They were all deceived by this fabricated illusion. Daoist Chongming actually fell in love with his little disciple and acted as if he had lost his mind, either going into a fit of impotent rage or resorting to violence. If they hadn't seen the footage with their own eyes, who would believe that Daoist Chongming was such a person?
"This is outrageous! The Heavenly Sword Sect has gone too far! How dare they protect Daoist Chongming like this? They're treating us like fools!"
"If a master can behave like this, how can we be convinced?"
"Such a person is really not worthy of being a role model for us."
"That's right, as a master, how could he have such filthy thoughts about his little disciple?"
"It's also a pity for Fairy Wenyin. I wonder if she knows that her master is such a beast."
Some people also recalled that Wen Yin said Yao Si had stolen her treasure.
Various versions circulated at that time. Now, according to one of the parties involved, Fellow Daoist Yao, she found a recipe for roasted meat that could increase cultivation in the secret realm. Fairy Wen Yin was not convinced and wanted to take it by force.
As for why he was injured, Fellow Daoist Yao didn't know either, but Wen Yin accused him of stealing her treasure, so she wasn't a good person either.
A healer was also present at the time. After Chongming took Wenyin away, he pointed out that Wenyin's wound was abnormal.
It looks like he injured himself.
Si Yao took a sip of tea, her expression calm. She had expected everyone to react this way.
Regardless of Wen Yin's purpose, she simply wanted to shift the blame onto Chong Ming. Any problems could be discussed with Chong Ming. Don't try to pin any more blame on her; she wouldn't take the fall.
Si Yao sighed, "When I found out about these things, I was just like everyone else, and I couldn't believe it. The Daoist Chongming I knew wasn't like this, but this is just the beginning. There are even more outrageous things to come, and I... I don't even know how to bring them up."
“Fellow Daoist Yao, please speak freely. Such a person should have his true colors exposed.”
The genius they hoped would ascend to immortality should be pure and untainted by worldly dust, but now they are told that this genius has not only been tainted by worldly dust, but has also done many things that are unacceptable to everyone, and the reversal of public opinion can happen in an instant.
Thinking about it carefully, it seems they've never known Daoist Chongming before. If it weren't for the photographic record, who would have imagined he was that kind of person?
"Yes, Fellow Daoist Yao, what else have you heard? Tell us about it."
"I heard that in order to obtain Fairy Siyao's spiritual root, Daoist Chongming promised her that if she would hand over her spiritual root, he would marry her and take care of her for the rest of his life. Fairy Siyao did not agree to such an absurd reason, and after her spiritual root was taken, she disappeared without a trace."
Si Yao shook her head and sighed, completely unaware that what she had said was anything but astonishing.
She could swear on her conscience that these were words Chongming himself had said; she hadn't lied. If he dared to say them, Si Yao would dare to spread them around. He might be shameless, but she still had her pride.
Everyone immediately began to imagine what was going on.
"It seems that Daoist Chongming is really cunning. If Fairy Siyao really hands over her spiritual root and lets Daoist Chongming marry her, then the fact that Daoist Chongming admires his disciple Wenyin will be exposed without any evidence. Everyone will not understand and will only blame Fairy Siyao for marrying Daoist Chongming."
"It seems that it really is true. I heard a rumor a while ago that the disciple who had an affair with Daoist Chongming was Fairy Siyao. The person that Daoist Chongming valued most at the entrance to the secret realm that day was Fairy Wenyin. I wonder who is so treacherous and dares to try to distort the truth."
"Fellow Daoist Yao found a treasure in the secret realm. When Wen Yin found out, she actually said that Fellow Daoist Yao stole her treasure. How ridiculous! She can't even say what the treasure is. Relying on her master's support, she dares to talk nonsense."
"Yes, that's terrifying. Fairy Siyao is also a disciple of Daoist Chongming. How could he treat her differently?"
Someone scoffed, "Although they are all disciples, there are still differences between disciples. Si Yao and Li Huang both died under mysterious circumstances. I think only the people of the Heavenly Sword Sect know the inside story."
“Fellow Daoist Yao, I think the reason you can’t find Fairy Si Yao is that she has already been poisoned by the Heavenly Sword Sect.”
While everyone felt sorry for Si Yao, she calmly drank her tea.
Her current public identity is Yao Si, and talking about Si Yao is just like talking about someone else.
This was probably the first time anyone had heard something so shocking, and they all started discussing it, with some even offering very insightful analyses.
Si Yao revealed a lot, but omitted things about herself.
After a while, someone looked at Si Yao and said, "If Fellow Daoist Yao wants to know about the demons' massacre of the village back then, I know a place that might have some clues."
"Please speak, fellow Daoist." Si Yao pushed a bag of spirit stones over.
The other party pushed it back, saying, "There's no need to be so polite. I was able to successfully establish my foundation thanks to Fellow Daoist Yao's guidance. My method may not necessarily work either. If Fellow Daoist Yao is interested, you can give it a try."
"Fellow Daoist, please speak freely. Whether it succeeds or not, I will give it my all."
"In the cultivation world, there is a cultivator named Bai Xiaosheng who claims to know everything about the world. However, Bai Xiaosheng is extremely mysterious, appearing only briefly and never returning. Even his gender is unknown."
"If that's the case, how did this all-knowing scholar's reputation spread?" Si Yao asked in confusion.
"Naturally, someone must have seen it for the news to spread. I've heard that Bai Xiaosheng often appears at the Cloud Artifact Pavilion. Fellow Daoist Yao might as well try your luck."
Si Yao nodded, "Thank you, fellow Daoist. I'll go take a look now."
Before leaving, Si Yao handed some dried meat to the man as a reward; she couldn't let him provide information for nothing.
Yunqi Pavilion's Si Yao naturally knew this.
In the cultivation world, besides the four sects, there are also four major families. This Cloud Artifact Pavilion is the auction house of the Lin family, one of the four major families.
The four major families each occupied a city in the southeast, northwest, and southwest.
Si Yao was heading to the territory where the Lin family lived.
Instead of flying on her sword, Si Yao traveled by water. She wondered if the gossip was spreading too fast, but she kept hearing news about Chongming along the way.
Some things have been distorted by rumors. People are making such detailed and convincing claims that Si Yao herself is a little confused, even though she clearly didn't say any of those things.
Even amidst the distorted gossip, Si Yao couldn't escape her entanglement with Chongming.
The latest version has evolved into a story where she tries every means to dissuade her master, Chongming, from returning to the righteous path, only to be killed by Chongming in a fit of rage.
Xiang Bei couldn't hold back any longer.
This is already the twenty-seventh way you've died.
Si Yao shook her head and didn't say anything more. Along the way, she had been described by everyone as sacrificing herself heroically in all sorts of ways, which was already quite remarkable.
Chongming's reputation is far worse than hers.
For some reason, the ferry was packed with people today. Si Yao glanced around at the passengers but didn't say anything.
As the boat sailed to the middle of the river, the previously fine weather suddenly turned into a cloud cover, and the once green river water instantly turned black.
Si Yao frowned and looked over; wisps of black smoke were still floating on the surface of the river.
There was a vengeful ghost living underwater.
The so-called vengeful ghosts are those who died unjustly and are unable to be reincarnated due to resentment in their hearts.
Si Yao's cultivation level is now extraordinary, so she can naturally tell that the boatman is also a cultivator. No wonder he dares to cross the river on this kind of river.
The boat stopped in the middle of the lake. Si Yao, who was sitting on the boat, clearly felt that the boat had hit something.
The boatman took off his hat, looked at the people on the boat, and said, "They actually came."
"Boatman, what happened? Why isn't the boat moving?" someone asked.
"Yes, the weather has suddenly changed. We'd better hurry up and go, otherwise it will be even more difficult to walk if it rains later."
The boatman shook his head. "No, we can't go any further."
"Why can't we leave?"
"Ladies and gentlemen, there is a thousand-year-old vengeful ghost in this river. She has been here for a long time and has never done anything evil, but she harbors resentment in her heart and cannot leave this lake. She has been waiting for the enemy who killed her. Only when the vengeful ghost takes revenge on the enemy can she leave this place and be reborn as a human."
"Boatman, you must be joking. This isn't our first time crossing this river. What vengeful ghost could there be?"
"That's right, if you want to make more money, just say so. It's going too far to make up these lies to cheat us."
The boatman laughed and said, "Don't worry, everyone. You're not the people the vengeful ghost is looking for, so you'll be fine. Unfortunately, the vengeful ghost's enemy is on this boat. If it can't find that enemy, the vengeful ghost might get angry and won't let you leave."
"Nonsense! I think you're just trying to scare us. Let us leave right now!" someone shouted.
The boatman shook his head. "I'm not trying to scare you. You can ask them if you don't believe me. These are all regular passengers who have never had an accident. But there are quite a few new passengers today, five of them."
Si Yao is one of the five new guests.
The boatman pointed them out directly.
Everyone looked over, then avoided them.
“This young lady is certainly fine,” the boatman said, pointing to Si Yao.
"Why are you so sure?" someone questioned.
"Because this girl is also a cultivator. The vengeful ghost in the lake was harmed by someone who performed magic. It's impossible for someone who does evil to have such pure spiritual energy."
"That means the person who killed the vengeful ghost is one of those four people."
The crowd watched the four people, now even further away. But the boat was only so big; no matter how hard they tried to hide, they couldn't escape.
"Boatman, you'd better hurry up and find the vengeful ghost's enemy. I have other things to do."
"Yes, yes, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. We must not let evil spirits come after us. I have never harmed anyone."
Si Yao wasn't surprised that the boatman could tell she was a cultivator. However, the four people the boatman pointed out seemed normal and appeared to have no problems on the surface.
When they were on the shore, Si Yao was the last to board the boat and hadn't paid attention to what was happening to the others. But after hearing what the boatman said, she looked more closely and noticed the problem.
The boatman said, "The vengeful ghost was cursed, and in exchange for never being able to reincarnate, she was sealed at the bottom of this river."
The four people were not happy about being suspected.
One of them, in particular, said to Si Yao, "That's true, but you also mentioned a thousand-year-old vengeful ghost. A thousand years have passed, and the person who harmed her must be dead by now. That woman is still causing trouble even after she's dead. As cultivators, shouldn't you subdue that evil ghost?"
Si Yao wasn't angry. She simply said, "There's a saying that's very true: every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. This vengeful ghost will only seek revenge on the person who killed her. She only seeks revenge on her enemies. Besides, the boatman only said that a vengeful ghost who was killed was suppressed at the bottom of the lake. He didn't say that it was a female vengeful ghost. How do you know that the vengeful ghost was a woman in her previous life?"
The other person stammered and couldn't explain clearly, so Si Yao asked again, "You're the enemy who killed that woman, aren't you?"
"Nonsense! You said that vengeful ghost has been dead for a thousand years. How old am I? How could I possibly have killed that vengeful ghost?"
The boatman looked over too. "Then tell me, how do you know that the vengeful ghost is a woman?"
"I heard it on the way here. They said there was a female ghost in the river. I thought they were joking, but it turns out it was true."
Seeing that they didn't speak, the other party suddenly became anxious, "What I said is true, I didn't lie to you, and I have no reason to lie to you."
The boatman then looked at the other three people, "And what about you?"
The others naturally also said that they had nothing to do with vengeful spirits.
Water plants were already tangled around the boat, clinging tightly to the hull. Everyone heard a slight cracking sound. The boatman sighed, "If we can't find it soon, none of us will be able to leave here. If the vengeful ghost gets angry, it will eat us all up."
“Aren’t you a cultivator? You can take her in.”
The boatman nodded. "That's true, but I can barely protect myself. I'm afraid I can't save everyone else."
The more this was the case, the more afraid everyone became.
Si Yao quietly looked at the boatman, then at the person with the problem.
The boatman walked over to the four people and sighed, "Actually, it's quite simple to tell who the vengeful ghost's enemy is."
"real?"
The boatman nodded. "We'll just throw all four of you overboard. One of you will definitely be the one who killed the vengeful ghost in her past life. She'll find out herself; we don't need to figure it out."
"No, if we go down there, won't we get eaten by ghosts?" The four of them naturally disagreed.
The boatman suddenly laughed, "It's better to eat the four of you than to have the whole boatload of people eaten."
As he spoke, the boatman reached out to push them, but he was incredibly strong and grabbed their hands in one go, and they couldn't break free no matter what they did.
Just as she was about to be pushed, the person Si Yao had been watching suddenly attacked. The boatman reacted quickly, immediately throwing the other three people aside and grabbing his magical weapon to fight the person.
The boatman laughed and said, "You really have shown yourself. You old monster who has lived for a thousand years, it's time to return what you took from others."
The two sides fought back and forth, and the opponent was quite strong. The boatman was almost knocked off the boat, and the boat began to rock. The people on the boat were so frightened that they all turned into scarecrows.
The scarecrows were dressed in clothes and had a puppet talisman pasted on their heads.
The boatman laughed and said, "Fairy, don't be afraid. This is a puppet I made. It won't harm you."
Those scarecrows were just acting to lure out the person who killed the vengeful ghost.
The boat began to rock violently again, and if it became unstable, it would plunge into the water.
"Fellow Daoist, please lend me a hand." The boatman's gaze fell on Si Yao.
Si Yao nodded, reached out and tapped the boatman's arm. The boatman felt his arm instantly fill with strength, and when the man attacked again, he raised his hand and slapped him into the lake.
After the person fell into the water, they were entangled in the dense water plants and dragged down. A short while later, the person surfaced again, but their hands and feet were still entangled in the water plants, and they were dragged down once more.
The boatman noticed that the strength in his arm was gradually disappearing, and couldn't help but sigh, "Fellow Daoist, what a great help you have given me."
It really did make his arms very strong.
"Don't be too happy yet, the matter is not resolved yet," Si Yao said, looking at the water.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
