Li Ruo knelt on the floor, confused and stiff.
"Disciple Li Ruo greets the Sect Master and all Elders," she said, voice steady despite the unease in her eyes. She didn't know what was happening, but judging from the tense atmosphere, something had clearly gone wrong.
Kneeling quietly, her first instinct was to look for her Senior Brother, Bai Yang.
But Bai Yang didn't return her gaze. His expression was cold as he turned his face to the side, refusing to even meet her eyes.
She turned to her Third Senior Brother, An Ze, only to find him glaring at her with hostility.
"Li Ruo," An Ze snapped, stepping forward before the Sect Master could speak. "When you delivered the Qianshan Spring yesterday, did you tamper with the pill furnace?"
"What?" Li Ruo blinked in confusion, her small face growing more bewildered by the second.
"You're still pretending?" An Ze laughed coldly. "If you didn't add something to the furnace, then why would the pills turn out to be poisoned?"
"Be honest. Was it your master who told you to do it?"
He didn't wait for her answer. "Your master has always targeted Junior Sister Ye. And now you use such despicable tricks, causing another disciple to be poisoned and fall unconscious. Speak now, or when someone dies, you'll be the one cast out of the sect!"
"Poisoned pills? Harming fellow disciples?" Li Ruo froze, her gaze sweeping toward Wu Dan's unconscious figure. Only then did she understand what this was about.
They thought she had poisoned the pills?
Even worse, they were dragging her master into it?
Li Ruo's expression darkened. "I didn't do it! You asked me to deliver the Qianshan Spring. When I arrived, no one was in the pill room, so I left the springwater and left. I never even opened the furnace, let alone tampered with it!"
She looked An Ze in the eye, voice firm despite her shaking frame. "And Master has been in seclusion. How dare you involve her in this?"
She couldn't understand. What good would it do An Ze to frame their master?
An Ze sneered. "You say you didn't open the furnace, then how did the pills end up poisoned?"
He strode up to her and looked her over from head to toe. "With your kind of talent, it's a miracle you were even accepted as a direct disciple. Who knows what sort of deal you made with her?"
"You're not getting away with this. I trusted you enough to let you deliver something, and this is how you repay us? You've implicated Junior Sister Ye!
If anything happens to her because of you, even a hundred deaths won't make up for it!"
As he spoke, he suddenly raised his foot and kicked her.
"Ah—!"
The blow landed square in her chest. Li Ruo gasped, staggering as pain surged through her ribs. She clutched her chest, eyes wide with shock.
"Third Senior Brother," she choked out, her voice trembling, "how could you think so little of me?"
Her pale face was filled with disbelief. She had known An Ze disliked her, but she never imagined he hated her this much. Her eyes turned red, body quivering with restrained fury.
"These past six months, whatever you asked of me, I did. When you told me to go east, I didn't dare go west. You made me hunt beasts in the back mountain, cook your meals, run errands, clean your room, plant herbs, weed the fields... I did it all because you are my Senior Brother!
I thought if I was obedient enough, one day you would accept me."
Tears shimmered in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "You can dislike me. That's fine. But don't slander me. And you have no right to accuse Master either!
Master is upright and honorable. She never once ordered me to harm anyone. How dare you drag her into this!"
In that moment, hatred filled her chest.
So this was her Third Senior Brother.
Fine. If that's what he was, she didn't need him anymore.
"Master raised you. And this is how you repay her? All for the sake of another woman? Aren't you afraid of karma?" Her tiny frame trembled with rage, but her back remained straight.
"You want to say that again?" An Ze's voice dropped cold. A killing intent flashed in his eyes as he lifted his hand, palm glowing with power.
He wasn't holding back. If that strike landed, Li Ruo would either be crippled or dead.
Just before his palm could fall, Bai Yang finally stepped in.
"Senior Brother, what are you doing?"
An Ze frowned. "Why are you stopping me?"
"Let's question her properly before jumping to conclusions."
Bai Yang's expression didn't change as he glanced at Li Ruo. His gaze was flat and emotionless.
"Senior Brother..." Li Ruo looked up, grasping at a sliver of hope. "You think I did it too? I didn't. I swear, I didn't poison anyone. Master didn't tell me to do anything. I didn't do anything!"
Bai Yang looked at her again.
She was just a young girl, trembling and helpless.
But in his heart, there wasn't even a flicker of sympathy. Only annoyance.
"This matter clearly has nothing to do with Master," he said. "But whether or not you're involved, we'll only know after an investigation."
From the moment Li Ruo entered the sect, he had never liked her. Even now, knowing he should defend her, he still felt nothing.
Maybe it was time he acted selfishly for once.
If Li Ruo was expelled from the sect, all the better.
"Senior Brother..." Li Ruo slumped to the floor, hope vanishing from her eyes.
No one believed her.
"Bai Yang, you're all from the same master," Second Elder said with a frown.
She could understand An Ze's reaction. He was brash and hot-headed.
But Bai Yang should have known better.
"I can't believe this. You've all been brainwashed!" She finally saw the truth. None of them cared about justice. All they cared about was Ye Chuxue.
"If you're going to accuse someone, show evidence! So what if she went to the pill room? Does that prove she tampered with the pills?
For all we know, it could've been Ye Chuxue's own mistake during the refinement!"
Most of the crowd had already taken Ye Chuxue's side. No one cared whether Li Ruo lived or died.
If she didn't speak up now, the girl would be forced into a corner.
"Master," Ye Chuxue said softly, "Second Elder is right. Maybe the issue was with my own alchemy. You don't have to trouble Junior Sister Li anymore. I will take full responsibility for this matter. Whatever punishment the sect decides, I will accept."
Seeing that the situation was slipping out of control, Ye Chuxue quickly shifted tactics.
Better to take a step back now, before people started saying she bullied a younger disciple.
As expected, her words immediately won everyone's admiration.
"See? Senior Sister Ye is so generous, she's even willing to take the blame!"
"Li Ruo is despicable. How could she do this to such a kind person? And she even dragged in innocent disciples!"
"She should be expelled! If not, people will think they can get away with anything!"
"Even if she's Master Song's disciple, she can't be treated differently!"
"That's right. Punish her severely!"
The crowd grew louder, their outrage feeding off each other. In their eyes, Ye Chuxue was radiant and untouchable.
Li Ruo? She was nothing more than a villain.