When Long Aotian arrived at Xingfeng, he was in much better condition, though his face was still pale and he walked with a strange limp.
"Disciple Long Aotian greets the Sect Leader, Master, Elders, Senior Brothers and Sisters." He bowed politely. Although he was not in good condition, he had passed the most difficult fusion stage.
His head no longer hurts, but he still feels a tearing sensation in his anus.
When he heard that the elders had summoned Lin Fan for questioning because of the theft of the Evil Dragon Relic, he was overjoyed, hoping that their crimes would be proven.
After being consulted by Elder Xing Feng, Long Aotian responded calmly and composedly, his answers being almost identical to Wu Qiankun's.
He and Wu Qiankun were in cahoots; they could act as alibis for each other, leaving virtually no loopholes.
As for his injuries, they came from the Monster Mountain Range. The wounds showed that they were inflicted by monsters, and his travel records also mentioned the Monster Mountain Range. These were all traceable clues.
There are six disciples from Youzhu Peak who have mastered the Flying Immortal Slash. Wu Qiankun and Long Aotian have also learned the Flying Immortal Slash. They did not hide it, fearing that others would find a way to break through their defenses, so they simply put it out in the open.
Of the four direct disciples of Youzhu Peak, three are highly suspicious. Only Lin Fan cannot prove his alibi. Furthermore, the Xishan Bamboo Forest is the closest to the forbidden area, which is even more disadvantageous for him.
This time, Long Aotian did not fuel the fire; he remained silent and let things develop as they would.
Only those who wrong others know how wronged the wronged person is!
He was the real culprit, and only by speaking less could he avoid making mistakes. The current situation was in his favor, and he didn't want to help Lin Fan clear his name by talking too much.
Wu Qiankun also remained silent. He knew that the sect leader and elders would not side with him this time, so he did not try to smear Lin Fan.
If the blame is solely placed on Lin Fan, it will only arouse more suspicion from the elders.
"Lin Fan, why are you in the bamboo forest thirty miles outside of West Mountain?" Elder Xing Fengfeng asked.
"Reporting to my senior brother, I have arranged to practice swordsmanship with my senior brother in the bamboo forest every night. However, I forgot to tell him last night when I was in seclusion, so he went there to wait for me," Chu Yunying explained.
"This is my fault. I believe that my senior brother would not do such a thing as harming his fellow disciples."
Um?
All eyes were on him; Chu Yunying was the object of admiration for many male disciples of the Qingxiao Sect.
She was also known as an ice queen, usually quiet and reserved. She was focused on cultivation, had severe mysophobia, and disliked getting too close to male disciples.
There has never been any talk of her having any entanglements with any male disciples; she is the most sacred goddess in the hearts of the male disciples.
"Is this true?" Elder Xingfeng asked Lin Fan.
"It is indeed true, and it has been more than a month!" Lin Fan did not deny it. If Chu Yunying did not explain, he would not argue either.
Upon hearing his admission, Su Youxue, Lu Shuisheng, and the other junior sisters felt envious and jealous. They wished they could be the ones who could spend time alone with their senior brother and practice swordsmanship together.
Unexpectedly, Chu Yunying, who usually appears pure and aloof with an ascetic demeanor, beat everyone to the punch and secretly started dating her senior brother.
They didn't believe that Chu Yunying would go looking for her senior brother if the two had no relationship. Originally, they had all thought that the sisters would be rivals in love, but they never thought that Chu Yunying would be the one who was hiding the deepest secret.
Su Youxue and Lu Shuisheng clenched their fists in anger, gritted their teeth, and glared at her with eyes blazing with fury.
“Junior Nephew Chu, although we would like to agree with what you said, based on our understanding, you don’t seem to be the type to get close to Lin Fan,” Elder Xing Feng said.
"I didn't lie!" Chu Yunying shook her head. Everyone looked at her, thinking she was going to produce some evidence, but she said something shocking, completely shattering the remaining hope of the male disciples present.
"The dual cultivation sword technique that my senior brother and I practiced together is a technique that only we know."
Clang
Countless heartbroken sounds rang out as many men clutched their chests, writhing in anguish and wailing in agony. It was too painful.
It should be noted that dual cultivation of swordsmanship requires two people who are in perfect harmony, meaning they must express their feelings to each other and accept each other's intentions for the swordsmanship to continue.
If anyone shows even the slightest unwillingness or hesitation, they will be unable to practice swordsmanship.
Not only them, but also the hearts of several golden flowers on Youzhu Peak were broken.
"Ah, why, my dear junior sister Yunying, how could you taste someone else's eagle without saying a word!"
"God, why are you doing this to me? I have remained chaste for my junior sister for twelve years, but she has become someone else's."
"I once had a chance to be a simp, but I didn't cherish it. I only regretted it when I lost it. If God gave me another chance, I would definitely try twice as hard to simp!"
...
The disciples wailed in despair, each staring at Lin Fan with bloodshot eyes. If looks could kill, Lin Fan would already be riddled with wounds.
To prove her point, Chu Yunying drew her sword and then channeled her spiritual energy into it.
In an instant, sword energy filled the hall, then condensed into the phantom of a phoenix. As she slowly raised her sword and pointed it at Lin Fan, the sword on his body also emitted a faint dragon's roar.
"It is indeed a dual cultivation sword technique!" Upon seeing this, the elders of the various peaks dispelled their doubts.
Those who practice dual cultivation sword techniques will invariably become Daoist partners in the end. As long as one person draws their sword, the other person's sword will resonate with it.
What surprised them even more was that Chu Yunying had cultivated her swordsmanship to the point of condensing it into a spirit. The faint dragon roar they heard just now must have been the spirit of the sword energy cultivated by Lin Fan.
Their talent is truly terrifying.
"Sect Leader, what should we do?" Elder Xingfeng asked.
The four individuals cannot be cleared of suspicion, and there is no evidence pointing to them as the murderers. It would be unacceptable to convict the most suspicious person of the murder.
"Junior Sister Leng, what do you think?" The sect leader turned to Leng Xingyue and asked.
“Sit and watch!” Leng Xingyue said calmly.
Although she believed Lin Fan hadn't done it, she couldn't very well speak up in favor of him. As for Long Aotian and Wu Qiankun's matter, she was prepared to leave it alone.
"Please use the magic mirror!" Zhao Kuo said helplessly.
All four are her disciples, so it's a bit difficult for her to make a judgment.
"Is that really the case?" The elders of the peaks were moved. The Demon-Illuminating Mirror was enshrined in the ancestral hall and was an object that suppressed the fortune of the Qingxiao Sect. It could expose all the demons in the world and make them nowhere to hide, but it could not be moved lightly, or it would lead to eternal damnation.
"This is the only way. The Evil Dragon Relic is of utmost importance and cannot be treated carelessly in the slightest," Zhao Kuo said.
If one of them is the murderer, and the evil dragon relic was stolen by them, its true form will be revealed under the Demon-Revealing Mirror.
The sect leader then returned to the ancestral hall and brought out the Demon-Illuminating Mirror, a bronze mirror with two dragons carved on its edge, shimmering with golden light and exuding a holy aura.
"All four of you, come stand here," Zhao Kuo said.
Having said that, he raised the Demon-Revealing Mirror in his hand and swept it over the four people. The mirror shone brightly, but there was no change.
Lin Fan remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic.
Although Long Aotian felt a little guilty, he dared not have any ulterior motives or make any underhanded moves. The moment the Demon Mirror shone on him, his heart turned ice-cold, as if he were in an ice cellar.
Fortunately, the evil dragon relic was well hidden and was not revealed by the demon-revealing mirror, which secretly relieved him.
Um?
Seeing that the magic mirror did not react, Zhao Kuo lifted the mirror and swept it over the four people again, but there was still no change.
Then he went straight up and used the mirror to look at the faces of the four people one by one. The mirror was still the same mirror, and the people were still the same people!
At this moment, Long Aotian's back was covered in sweat, and he felt like his body was about to collapse. The Demon-Illuminating Mirror was the most precious treasure of the Qingxiao Sect. When it was held to his face, goosebumps rose on every inch of his skin, and his hair stood on end. He felt an instinctive sense of rejection.
Seeing this, Zhao Kuo had no choice but to give up. The Demon Mirror had not found any evidence, and ultimately, due to insufficient evidence, the matter had to be put to a halt. The only option was to continue the investigation.
...
"Fan'er!"
As Lin Fan was leaving, Leng Xinyue called out to him, holding the chief disciple token in her slender hand, and said softly, "I know you feel wronged, but being the chief disciple is your identity and responsibility on Youzhu Peak. Don't abandon it again."
Lin Fan remained expressionless, accepted the token, bowed, and left.
He really didn't want to hear any more of these grand principles, nor did he want to argue with Leng Xingyue anymore. He didn't care about the chief's status; even if he didn't have it, he would be happy to live a carefree life when he left Qingxiao Sect.
Watching his lonely figure, Leng Xingyue's heart suddenly clenched. She didn't know when, but the relationship between master and disciple had become so distant.
He brought this upon himself; if I hadn't gone too far in the past, I wouldn't have disappointed him so much. Today, during the interrogation, he didn't even cry out for justice or ask for help.
"Senior Brother, when did you start practicing swordsmanship with Junior Sister Yunying? How come I didn't know!"
As soon as they left the main hall, Su Youxue ran over, ignoring the stares of others, grabbed his arm, pouted, and said unhappily.
"I want to learn too!" Lu Shuisheng appeared out of nowhere and hugged his right arm.
Although the two small waves are not fully developed yet, they are not small either. They feel very comfortable when pressed back and forth on his arm.
Qin Wunian and Hua Nongyue followed behind, looking at them with jealousy. They also wanted to get close to their senior brother, but they were too shy to be as bold as their senior sister and junior sister.
Chu Yunying held her sword, her expression cold and slightly murderous. She had already publicly acknowledged her relationship with her senior brother in the main hall and considered herself his Daoist partner. Yet these people still wanted to get closer, which made her very unhappy.
She angrily pushed the two women apart and said coldly, "Third Senior Sister, Junior Sister, the sword technique was developed by my eldest brother and me. There is still much to be improved, so you don't need to worry about it. Junior Brother is seriously injured and needs your careful care."
After saying that, she tried to pull Lin Fan away, but was stopped.
"Hmph, what a pretentious act! Why should Senior Brother go with you?" Su Youxue and Lu Shuisheng stood in front, their posture suggesting a battle was about to begin.
Currently, Lin Fan has the highest cultivation level among them, followed by Chu Yunying, but Su Youxue is not much weaker, with the same cultivation level as her. The junior sister is still at the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment stage.
"That's too much! You're the one who should be with Long Aotian!" Lu Shuisheng said angrily, clenching her fist.
She had not yet broken through to the Golden Core Realm, but her aura was already inferior, and she muttered to herself.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com