"Senior Brother, I'll go and chase these people away." He looked at a group of unidentified people gathering at the foot of the mountain, their words cryptic and obscene.
Listening closely, almost every word was an insult and denial of Ji Mofan's achievements, and Ning Weisheng felt his heart burning with unease.
“We’ve heard these words all along the way, there’s no rush.” Ji Mofan simply sighed and raised his hand to stop him.
Seeing Ji Mofan like this, Ning Weisheng felt not only burning in his heart, but also a strange, sour feeling welling up inside him.
Look how kind their eldest brother is. Even when faced with strangers who insult him, he doesn't blame them at all because they are just being misled by rumors.
Who is spreading rumors about such a good person?
As a result, while they paused here for a moment, someone in the crowd who was originally shouting at the Yun Cang Sword Sect's mountain gate suddenly noticed Ji Mo Fan, Ning Weisheng, and the others standing here.
"Look! That's Fan from Jimo!"
"What? Where is he? That traitor who betrayed the righteous path!"
"How dare you return to the world of cultivation!"
The crowd shouted as they moved closer to Jimo Fan.
Ning Weisheng instinctively stepped in front of him, "Senior Brother, this place is not safe to stay any longer. Let's hurry back to the sect."
Ji Mofan did not refute, but drew the Snow Sword from his waist, raising a streak of icy blue light.
Ning Weisheng did not miss the few moments of loneliness that flashed in Ji Mofan's eyes when he took off on his sword.
How could he not be heartbroken? His senior brother had clearly ventured into the Demon Realm for their sake, risking his own safety to negotiate with the Demon Lord.
Instead of being grateful, these people started throwing mud at him based on hearsay.
If Ning Weisheng were in such a situation, he probably wouldn't be able to stay calm at all. He would only want to draw his sword and cut all the people who spoke ill of him into speechless scarecrows.
Since mouths and brains are useless to them anyway, it's better to remove them completely, leaving only the human skin, which can at least be used in the fields to ward off annoying birds and insects.
But in reality, Ji Mofan had no feelings of loneliness or sadness. He just thought these people were noisy, so he squinted his eyes.
Who knew Ning Weisheng would analyze so many strange emotions in him?
The members of the Yuncang Sword Sect had already sensed Ji Mofan's return when he passed through the sect's formation.
When he arrived at the main hall, all the elders and true disciples were already present and in good order.
It should be said that, apart from the days when resources are distributed annually, these people have never been so gathered together at any other time.
Today's event is clearly not just to welcome Ji Mofan back.
As soon as Ning Weisheng entered, he sensed that the atmosphere in the main hall was clearly unusual.
All eyes were on them, but the gazes were clearly meaningful.
Ji Mofan seemed oblivious, walking into the hall with a normal expression and bowing to the elders around him.
"Disciple Ji Mofan greets all elders." After performing the proper etiquette, he walked up to the high place in the hall as always, preparing to take his seat in the main seat.
Ji Mofan usually sits here when gatherings are held in the main hall. However, this time, a few soft snickers came from below the stage.
"Junior brothers, is your throat uncomfortable?" Ji Mofan's gaze swept over them.
"The eldest brother seems quite content sitting in that position," a disciple said disdainfully.
There was nothing particularly discernible in the choice of words, except that the term "senior brother" was hardly respectful.
It actually sounds rather sarcastic.
Ji Mofan frowned, looking somewhat puzzled. "Why can't I be at peace with myself?"
"Senior Brother, you've returned from the Demon Realm. Didn't you hear those rumors along the way?" Another disciple standing beside him immediately chimed in.
"Junior Brother Jiang also said that it's just a rumor." Ji Mo Fan's expression showed no sign of panic. "How can a rumor be believed?"
"Chief, it's really not that the senior disciples are being nosy," the elder sitting in front of the two true disciples couldn't help but speak up in support.
“Those rumors were quite detailed and widely circulated, even reaching the foot of the mountain gate on several occasions, so we couldn’t completely ignore them.”
"Yes, our Yun Cang Sword Sect has always been upright and honorable. When have we ever suffered such an insult?"
"Chief, your actions this time were really out of line, you went too far."
"No matter what, I shouldn't have agreed to be that Demon Lord's Demon Queen."
Ji Mo Fan listened quietly to the princes' discussion.
Before he could even offer a word of explanation, the charges were already leveled against him, as if he, Ji Mofan, were an unforgivable criminal, while they, hailing themselves as the righteous army, stood on the moral high ground and hurled accusations at him.
"Elders, you have all misunderstood Senior Brother!" Ning Weisheng, standing in the center of the hall, couldn't help but defend him.
That's not true at all! The eldest brother was forced by the Demon Lord to become his Demon Queen!
Moreover, the eldest brother had been actively resisting all along, and in the end he even kidnapped the Demon Lord, which should have been an unparalleled achievement!
How could it have been distorted to this extent!
"Junior Brother Ning."
Ning Weisheng was about to speak again when Ji Mofan stopped him.
He stared wide-eyed and turned around, only to see Ji Mofan, sitting in the high seat, shaking his head.
Why not defend yourself?
Why not tell the truth?
"Elders." Ji Mofan did not answer the question in Ning Weisheng's eyes. He looked away, his voice tinged with weariness.
"I left the sect in an accident that day, and it has been more than a month since then. Everyone has watched me grow up, but after I came back, you didn't show any concern for the junior, but instead started to criticize me."
He spoke with his eyes half-closed, looking both exhausted and so disappointed that he couldn't lift his eyelids.
"Who am I, Ji Mo Fan? Don't you all know?"
"It's fine if rumors are spread among outsiders, but it's no use talking to people who don't know the truth."
"But why do the elders also abandon me and disbelieve me?"
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Only then did everyone notice that Ji Mofan, who had returned after a long absence, was wearing somewhat torn clothes.
The spiritual energy emanating from his body also appeared less clear and pure, clearly a result of fatigue.
But no one noticed him when he walked in.
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