"The killer's methods were clean and efficient, and his movements were ethereal. Judging from the strength and habits, he must be a male disciple. If I remember correctly, among your male disciples, only Lin Fan seems to have mastered this Flying Immortal Slash," said Xingfeng's disciple.
Leng Xingyue remained expressionless and indifferent, saying, "I'll bring him here for questioning. If it's him, I won't protect him."
After speaking, she took light steps and left Xingfeng.
"Fan'er, could it be you?" Her heart was in turmoil, her eyes flickered, and she hesitated.
In her past life, she remembered that after Lin Fan's meridians were destroyed and he was exiled, he stole the Evil Dragon Relic and then disappeared without a trace. She never saw him again.
In this life, the evil dragon relic disappeared ahead of schedule, catching her somewhat off guard.
She was terrified and didn't want to think about it anymore. If Lin Fan really had killed her fellow disciple, could she really bring herself to do it and hand him over to the sect leader? These were two capital offenses.
Chu Yunying immediately went into seclusion upon her return, hoping to break through to a higher realm.
With nothing else to do, Lin Fan went to the place where they usually practiced swordsmanship. Chu Yunying knew how to choose a place; it was quiet and no one would bother them.
In the distance, there were subtle energy fluctuations. Lin Fan walked over curiously and saw a white figure lying on the ground, unable to get up. Her body was ethereal and very weak, and she could dissipate at any moment.
This is a remnant soul, severely injured.
Ding: Congratulations, host, for saving Fengxi from danger. You are rewarded with one Soul-Returning Pill.
Lin Fan rolled his eyes. He had only glanced at it once, and before he could even save the person, this damn system was already handing out rewards. If it wanted him to save the person, it could have just given him pills directly. Why did it have to go through this kind of trouble?
He took out the Soul-Returning Pill and stuffed it into Feng Xi's mouth. Seeing that she couldn't open her mouth, he simply reached out and pried open her mouth, forcing the pill in.
Suddenly, he sensed a powerful aura approaching. He used a Soul-Nourishing Jade to contain Fengxi's soul, and upon looking at the approaching person, he realized it was his master, Leng Xingyue.
"Fan'er, what are you doing here?" Leng Xingyue asked.
She knew that Lin Fan and Chu Yunying would come here to practice swordsmanship every night, but Chu Yunying had already gone into seclusion, so it was a bit strange that Lin Fan was still here. Could it be that the two of them had developed feelings for each other?
"I just came here to browse because I was bored," Lin Fan said casually.
He had a vague feeling that something was wrong; Leng Xingyue usually wouldn't come to him in person.
"Today someone murdered a fellow disciple and stole the Evil Dragon Relic from the forbidden area. Fan'er, are you aware of this?"
She looked into his eyes, as if searching for the answer she was looking for.
"Master is joking. How would I know about the forbidden area?" Lin Fan remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic.
He might admit to things that happened normally, but harming fellow disciples and breaking into forbidden areas to steal the Evil Dragon Relic are capital offenses, and he cannot admit to them.
"Come with me to the Hall of Enforcement." Leng Xingyue sighed helplessly, feeling a headache coming on. If this matter wasn't handled properly, she would lose a disciple.
"You have to give me a reason, right? I'm not from the Enforcement Hall. Otherwise, if I had to handle every little thing in the sect, I'd be too busy to handle anything."
Lin Fan didn't take it to heart. He guessed that this was a frame-up. Anyway, he didn't do it. If he was framed like this again, even he would get angry, no matter how good his temper was.
"The victim died from the Flying Immortal Slash," Leng Xingyue replied.
Lin Fan was slightly taken aback. As expected, they were coming for him, so he had no choice but to go along.
"Fan'er, tell me honestly, did you do this?" Leng Xingyue looked directly into his eyes, hoping he would deny it.
"I haven't practiced this sword technique for a long time!"
Lin Fan's eyes turned cold. Who wanted to kill him?
Leng Xingyue was astonished. She noticed the change in Lin Fan's attitude. In the past, he would always address her as "disciple" or "apprentice," and rarely used the term "I" to refer to himself directly.
Was this his protest and dissatisfaction? She wondered. Or had he become completely disillusioned with his master?
"Fan'er, don't worry. If it wasn't you who did it, no one can hurt you," Leng Xingyue said solemnly.
When they arrived at Xingfeng, all eyes turned to them. This matter was of great importance, alarming all the direct disciples of the Seven Peaks, as well as the inner and outer disciples.
Chu Yunying, Su Youxue, Lu Shuisheng, Qin Wunian, Hua Nongyue and others looked at him with worry. Having memories of their past lives, they naturally knew that the evil dragon relic from their previous lives was stolen by Lin Fan.
Whether it's harming fellow disciples or stealing the Evil Dragon Relic, both are capital offenses. Therefore, even though they were in seclusion, upon hearing this news, they all came out to see what was going on.
"Lin Fan, let me ask you, where were you last night, and what were you doing?" Elder Xing Feng asked.
"I was just standing there in the bamboo forest thirty miles west of Xishan!" Lin Fan said truthfully.
Chu Yunying was slightly taken aback. Wasn't that the place where the two of them secretly practiced swordsmanship? So, when she was in seclusion, her senior brother would miss her and go there to daydream?
"Are there any witnesses?"
"No!" Lin Fan tilted his head, nonchalant, as if he wasn't being questioned and it had nothing to do with him.
"Do you know if anyone used the Flying Immortal Slash to kill Xingfeng's disciples?" Elder Xingfeng continued to ask.
"This sword technique is trash; I haven't used it in ages," Lin Fan said with a shrug.
The elders' faces twitched slightly. The Flying Immortal Slash was Leng Xingyue's strongest starting move among her ultimate techniques. Its power was astonishing, capable of slaying opponents of the same realm. Even if the enemy was stronger than themselves, they could still put up a fight.
Such a powerful skill would make the disciples of other peaks envious, yet he said such things. Isn't he afraid of getting beaten up for being so arrogant?
"Lin Fan, look at your attitude! We're not joking with you," Elder Xing Feng asked.
"I wasn't joking. You can check if you don't believe me," Lin Fan said nonchalantly.
"Do you know that both of these are capital offenses!" Elder Xingfeng coldly shouted.
Lin Fan couldn't help but sneer, saying, "If you insist on pinning the blame on me, I'll accept it. Why make such a fuss?"
"Fan'er!" Leng Xingyue shouted coldly, not expecting him to still be like this, without any intention of defending himself.
"Lin Fan, do you know what you're saying?" Zhao Kuo frowned. Was this guy really not afraid of death?
"I know exactly what I'm doing!" Lin Fan remained calm, with an indifferent attitude, as if to say, "It's just two crimes. Even if you give me a few more, I'll accept it."
"What, do you feel wronged because you think you've been framed?" Elder Xingfeng said coldly, his face ashen and unsightly.
"Didn't you call me here just to frame me?" Lin Fan retorted.
"Lin Fan, when did we ever wrong you? What do you take Xing Feng for?" Elder Xing Feng roared angrily. If he weren't the chief of Youzhu Peak, he would have been taken away long ago.
"If you don't want to wrong me..." Lin Fan looked around at everyone, his face showing three parts mockery and four parts disdain, and said, "Why did you only summon me for interrogation?"
“In your hearts, am I not the murderer? Why bother with a further trial? Just bring on as many charges as you want, and I'll take them all.”
All the elders looked grim, especially Elder Xing Feng, who looked as if he had eaten shit.
Before Lin Fan is determined to be a criminal, he is only a suspect. Everyone in the Qingxiao Sect is a suspect, including Leng Xingyue.
However, this time, only Lin Fan was allowed to be interrogated, which was equivalent to excluding the suspicion of others and judging him as the murderer.
So it's no longer important whether he defends himself or not. He had tried to defend himself before, but it didn't have much effect, so he simply took the blame.
Lin Fan glanced around, his gaze gradually turning cold, and said indifferently, "The Flying Immortal Slash is indeed a unique skill of Youzhu Peak, but I'm not the only one who has mastered it. Are there no other disciples who have mastered it? No one before, and no one now?"
"What's worse, besides our Youzhu Peak, haven't any disciples leaked the technique, and hasn't anyone else mastered it? That's ancient history from several years ago, why bring it up again? Are you trying to frame me? What did you call me here for?"
He took out the chief token and threw it to the ground. The clanging sound was like a hammer blow to everyone's heart, as if even the air itself had frozen.
"It's better to resign as chief judge. Just sentence me if you want, why say anything more?"
Zhao Kuo looked at him with complicated eyes. Although his actions were rebellious in the eyes of the elders, they were also prejudiced and did not consider things thoroughly.
"Fan'er, don't worry. I won't allow you to be convicted without evidence."
Leng Xingyue stepped forward and blocked his way. She would never let her eldest disciple down again in this lifetime.
Her face was somewhat pale. Only when Lin Fan threw out the chief token did she understand his thoughts.
Since no one believed him, he wouldn't say anything more; he didn't care about his status, position, or even his life.
She restrained herself, and if the sect insisted on accusing Lin Fan, she would stand behind him and support him without hesitation.
As long as Leng Xingyue doesn't speak, no one can hurt him.
"This disciple will not allow it either!" Chu Yunying stepped forward, and Su Youxue, Lu Shuisheng, Qin Wunian, and Hua Nongyue all knelt down gracefully, saying, "This disciple will absolutely not allow anyone to frame our senior brother!"
Seeing this, Wu Qiankun and Ye Chen, though unwilling, had no choice but to come out and say something.
Lin Fan's mouth was crooked, but his eyes dimmed, and he didn't feel much joy.
This was a scene he would never have dared to dream of in his previous life. If he had been moved to tears in the past, he would have protected his junior sister and master even at the cost of his life.
But the past is like smoke. Some things cannot be forgiven simply by making amends, and some mistakes cannot be made up for simply by correcting them.
It's more like a brand on the heart; the more it's stimulated, the more painful it becomes.
"And what about Long Aotian from your lineage?" Zhao Kuo asked.
The person who usually jumped the gun the most, eager to convict Lin Fan, was absent today, which was a bit hard to explain, especially since he was the ninth personal disciple of Youzhu Peak.
"Junior Brother Aotian is injured and is resting," Wu Qiankun said quietly after thinking for a moment.
"He got injured at such a crucial moment, what a coincidence. Bring him over quickly. If he's immobile, carry him out as long as he's not dead," Elder Xingfeng said coldly.
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