Was it you that night?
Chapter 148 - 146: The Plot Unveiled, Public Confrontation

Chapter 148: Chapter 146: The Plot Unveiled, Public Confrontation

Xiao Bai broke out into a waterfall of sweat upon hearing this, "Fairy Qinghe is just a little tired. The top-grade elixirs the master usually provides should be enough for Fairy Qinghe to recover her vitality, so there’s no need to use an Immortal Pill."

That was an Immortal Pill!

How many cultivators and mortals alike yearn to possess just one Immortal Pill, yet the master gave one to Fairy Qinghe simply because she was tired from practicing her swordplay. Who wouldn’t want to vomit blood upon seeing this?

"What now, you think you can teach this lord how to conduct his affairs?" Dongfang Wuya sneered with a hook of his lips.

Xiao Bai’s confidence dwindled under Dongfang Wuya’s daunting gaze as he repeated, "Nonetheless, master must remember that there are only three Immortal Pills left, only three, precisely three..."

Following that, he couldn’t make a sound anymore—of course, it was because his master had cast a Silencing Curse on him.

Meanwhile, Shen Qinghe felt as if she were flying while walking. The abundance of Spiritual Energy within her body was so intense that it seemed on the verge of exploding. She even had the illusion that she was about to breakthrough at any moment.

Of course, this was probably just her illusion.

After all, it had only been a few months since her Core Formation; how could she possibly breakthrough in such a short time?

After returning to the Simple Residence Courtyard, she continued practicing the Soul Capturing Technique. By the time she felt she was proficient enough, it was already the following morning.

It was at that moment that An Lu suddenly came to the Simple Residence Courtyard on her own.

Since An Lu had delivered herself to the doorstep, she decided to use An Lu to test the effectiveness of her Soul Capturing Technique.

The disciples of the Sky Pole Sect all had Soul Restrictions, put in place to prevent other sects from probing Sky Pole Sect’s secrets using the Soul Searching Technique.

But Mr. Wuya had said that the Sky Pole Sect’s Soul Restriction would not work against the Soul Capturing Technique, and she could use An Lu to test it.

An Lu’s visit today was meant to confront Shen Qinghe about whether she had an unsightly relationship with Mr. Wuya.

Little did she know that Qinghe would ask her first, "An Lu, who is your favorite male cultivator?"

An Lu looked directly into Qinghe’s eyes, thinking, why should I answer this question? Yet, before she knew it, the words involuntarily spilled from her mouth, "Mr. Wuya."

She couldn’t believe she had honestly answered Qinghe’s question. She then heard Qinghe ask again, "What’s so good about Mr. Wuya?"

An Lu responded uncontrollably, "He’s handsome, has high cultivation base..."

Seeing the effectiveness of the Soul Capturing Technique, Shen Qinghe suddenly caught An Lu off guard, "Was it you who harmed my elder sister?"

An Lu answered truthfully, "Yes, and Rong Yu and Nan Sheng..."

Shen Qinghe had not expected there to be three people who harmed Shen Zhiyao; she was so shocked that she couldn’t focus on interrogating An Lu anymore.

At this moment, An Lu also came to her senses, her face turning pale as she asked in horror, "What did you just do to me?"

Why did she answer Shen Qinghe’s questions so honestly?

"That’s my question for you. Why would you conspire with Rong Yu and Nan Sheng to harm my elder sister? What has my elder sister done that emboldened you to come to the Simple Residence Courtyard to commit such a crime?!" Shen Qinghe’s eyes were fiercely sharp as she pressed An Lu relentlessly.

An Lu’s face turned pale, knowing something had gone wrong.

She wanted to run, but was blocked by Shen Qinghe, "You’re coming with me to see the Sect Master!"

An Lu, of course, was unwilling. She tried to repel Shen Qinghe, but Shen Qinghe was not someone easy to deal with now, was she? An Lu only managed a few moves under Shen Qinghe’s palm before being controlled by her.

Meanwhile, Nan Sheng had intended to locate An Lu to collude on their story, but she couldn’t find her. Only after asking around did she learn that An Lu had gone in the direction of the Simple Residence Courtyard.

Waiting anxiously near the Simple Residence Courtyard, she saw no sign of An Lu coming out.

Just when she was fidgeting nervously, Rong Yu quietly appeared beside her and whispered, "I’ve inquired, and Zhiyao will wake up soon. Once she does, she’ll surely accuse us three of attacking her to the Sect Master. It might be better if we take the initiative and confess to the Sect Master before she wakes up. We can tell the Sect Master that we injured Shen Zhiyao by accident... it was a misunderstanding..."

Nan Sheng frowned upon hearing this, "The Shen sisters have no evidence, why should we admit guilt? We did not intend to stab her at that time; there was nothing wrong with what we did."

"It’s precisely because our consciences are clear that we should confess this matter to the Sect Master. It’s better than letting Shen Zhiyao take the initiative once she wakes up. After all, she didn’t die, and we didn’t intend to harm her. Furthermore, with our sincere attitude, the Sect Master is unlikely to punish us severely. If we wait for Shen Zhiyao to wake up and turn the tables, where will we stand?" Rong Yu persisted, "If you won’t go, then I shall go by myself."

After all, it was Nan Sheng who had stabbed Shen Zhiyao, not her; she certainly did not want to be expelled from the sect after the truth came out.

In fact, thinking it over, at the time, she was merely accompanying Nan Sheng to the Simple Residence Courtyard. They originally intended to find Shen Qinghe, and the confrontation with Shen Zhiyao was merely a result of impulse.

After Shen Zhiyao was injured, she should have reported the incident to the Sect Master immediately.

"Ah Yu, don’t rush..." Nan Sheng tried to stop Rong Yu, but Rong Yu had made up her mind and was already on her way to the Sect Master Cave Mansion.

Seeing the situation as irreversible, Nan Sheng had no choice but to follow.

Shen Qinghe, too, was eager and took An Lu towards the Sect Master Cave Mansion.

However, she did not expect that by the time she arrived, Nan Sheng and Rong Yu were already there.

Seeing Nan Sheng and Rong Yu, An Lu felt like she had seen saviors: "Shengsheng, I was forcibly brought here by Qinghe."

"Don’t panic. Just now, Ah Yu and I have already explained the accidental injury of Zhiyao to the Sect Master. Ah Yu and I were just about to look for Qinghe to offer our apologies. Now that she’s here, it saves us another trip to the Simple Residence Courtyard." Nan Sheng gently smiled at An Lu, her tone comforting.

Zuo An saw Shen Qinghe arrive and invited her to sit down to discuss the incident.

"Nan Sheng and Rong Yu have already explained the accident with Zhiyao. That day, the three of them were originally going to find you, but you were not around. Zhiyao has a fiery temper, and they hadn’t exchanged many words before an argument broke out. Nan Sheng was first struck by Zhiyao’s sword, and then the fight became uncontrollable. While Nan Sheng was trying to mediate, she accidentally injured Zhiyao..."

At this point, Shen Qinghe suddenly interrupted Zuo An, "Does the Sect Master believe Nan Sheng’s words?"

Zuo An, not favoring anyone in particular, replied evenly, "I have questioned Nan Sheng and Rong Yu separately; their accounts matched, and there were no contradictions in their statements. How about this, let An Lu recount the sequence of events?"

Zuo An turned to An Lu, prompting her to repeat the story.

Encouraged by the looks from Nan Sheng and Rong Yu, An Lu recounted the events once again.

In conclusion, she added, "Initially, it was indeed my harsh words that provoked Zhiyao to draw her sword, but afterward, we all stopped. It was just then that Zhiyao’s sword unexpectedly struck Shengsheng. It was under these circumstances that the fighting resumed. In the chaos that followed, Zhiyao was accidentally injured. At that moment, all of us panicked; Shengsheng was also seriously injured, and we dared not spread the word about the incident, so we did not immediately report it to the Sect Master. That was our mistake."