"This has nothing to do with Master! Not long ago, when people from Yunxiang City tried to stop us, it was Master who stepped in and saved me!
Junior Sister Ye, after you escaped, Master stayed with me the entire time. There's no way she could've done any of this!
Even if there really were a demonic cultivator, it has nothing to do with her." Finishing those few sentences seemed to drain him, and he even avoided looking directly into Ye Chuxue's eyes.
His relationship with Master was already strained. If he kept standing by without doing anything, she would only grow more furious. And then things would be impossible to fix.
As for Junior Sister Ye, he would explain everything to her later. She was so understanding—she would surely see where he was coming from.
After Bai Yang finished speaking, An Ze and Ye Chuxue's expressions changed drastically. For a long while, they couldn't find any words.
"Senior Brother, how could you—how could you take her side?" An Ze's temper flared. In that moment, he felt utterly betrayed by Bai Yang.
Senior Brother was supposed to be on their side!
"I'm not taking Master's side, I'm just stating the facts. She really was with me the whole time. She couldn't possibly be the one behind this." Bai Yang straightened his back. He wasn't lying in the slightest. He could understand Junior Sister Ye's urgency, but falsely accusing Master was out of the question.
"Bai Yang…" Ye Chuxue looked stunned. She stared at him in disbelief, eyes filled with disappointment. She had known for a while that Bai Yang had changed, but she never expected him to betray her so openly.
A wave of unspeakable heartache and disillusionment surged through her. Her eyes grew misty, but she forced herself to hold back the tears.
She would never let Song Wanníng see her weakness.
She would never let Song Wanníng have her way!
Seeing Bai Yang come to her defense, Song Wanníng raised an eyebrow. A hint of mockery flickered in her eyes.
"Spineless fool. How pathetic."
Still, it meant her plan was working, little by little.
The unity they once had in the previous life—how tightly bound they were—was already starting to unravel. If everything went as expected, they'd soon be turning their swords on each other. That was exactly the outcome she wanted most.
"Of course you'd defend her. You're her disciple, after all." Ling Wushuang let out a cold snort. "Hand over the person now, or we'll storm the Song family and take them ourselves!"
"That's right! Hand them over!" The crowd started shouting again, aggressive and unrelenting. Bai Yang felt a heavy weight press down on his chest.
He wanted to speak again, but Song Wanníng suddenly laughed.
"You all are quite amusing. So eager over a minor staff member from our auction house. Since you're that curious, go ahead and take a look. Bring him out. Let these mad dogs stop barking."
"Yes, Miss." The manager quickly stepped away, looking utterly unbothered. The others, on the other hand—being called mad dogs made their faces twist like they had swallowed feces.
Before long, the person in question was brought forward.
Ye Chuxue's heart leapt. She rushed to the front and pointed at the figure. "That's him! He's the one who stole my storage ring! He's a demonic cultivator!"
"Oh?"
The sect leader finally had a reason to act. He released his divine sense, probing the man thoroughly. Ling Wushuang also couldn't wait to examine him, inspecting every inch, inside and out.
Ye Chuxue was delighted. She threw a triumphant glance at Song Wanníng. Now that they had both evidence and witness, let's see how she tries to worm her way out of this! She wanted Bai Yang to see clearly who was truly behind all of this!
But in the next second, the sect leader turned to her with a dark expression and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure this man is a demonic cultivator?"
"Yes, I'm sure! He used demonic energy right in front of me!" Ye Chuxue nodded repeatedly. She was sharp—she immediately noticed something off about the sect leader's expression, and her heart gave a hard jolt.
She quickly looked again at the man.
Same build, same clothes, even the same mark on his face, with a matching mask.
It had to be him!
Then why did the sect leader look like something was wrong?
"What? See anything interesting?" Song Wanníng casually picked at her nails, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"I told you already, there are no demonic cultivators in the auction house. But you just had to believe her one-sided accusations." She shook her head and sighed. "Foolish and noisy. What a combination."
"Song Wanníng!" Ling Wushuang flushed red with rage. He had failed to catch the Song family in a mistake and felt utterly humiliated.
It was all that idiot's fault, making baseless accusations without any evidence!
"What? Did I lie?" Song Wanníng sneered. "Her Master and I have a grudge, so she decided to frame me. And fools like you just couldn't wait to join the circus. Happy now?"
She wasn't just insulting Ling Wushuang. That comment dragged everyone into it—including the ones still standing at the entrance.
Their faces turned awkward, but none could refute her.
They could only swallow their frustration and start blaming Ye Chuxue.
Why did she start shouting in the first place? Now they had to take the scolding too.
"Song Wanníng, don't push your luck!" Ling Wushuang had never been so publicly insulted. He nearly lost control.
Thankfully, reason held him back. He knew he couldn't win in a fight against her. In the end, he could only storm off in fury, sleeves flaring. He had arrived full of bluster, but left like a joke, earning nothing but scorn.
Song Wanníng remained calm. She cast a glance at the sect leader—who now looked like he was suffering from constipation—but decided to spare him and turned her attention back to Ye Chuxue.
"Junior Niece Ye, shouldn't you be apologizing now?" She crossed her arms, her eyes filled with open provocation. Ye Chuxue was shaken. She closed her eyes, steadied her breathing, and when she opened them again, her gaze was once more determined.
"I only spoke the truth. What is there to apologize for? That man is not the same one I saw before!
Song Wanníng, you planned all of this, didn't you? You had this whole scheme set up from the start! You had the Heavenly Origin Heart-Nourishing Pill but refused to use it to save anyone. You lured us here on purpose. You arranged for someone to steal my ring!
You did it all to get revenge on my Master and me, didn't you?" The more she spoke, the more convinced she became. Her eyes filled with fear as she stared at Song Wanníng.
How could someone be so vicious?
"Senior Brother Bai, look closely! That man must be fake! Song Wanníng sent him to mislead everyone!" Ye Chuxue turned to Bai Yang again, still hoping to give him one more chance.
In terms of talent, character, and everything else, Bai Yang was a dragon among men. And after everything they had been through, she couldn't bear to let go.
Giving up now would feel too much like defeat.
"Oh? Bai Yang, then you'd better take a good look. Is that the same man you saw before?" Song Wanníng called out to him with deliberate sweetness, making Ye Chuxue's face turn green, then pale.
She glared at Bai Yang, waiting for his final decision.
Both women stared at him, their gazes sharp and pressing. Bai Yang furrowed his brows and turned to study the figure closely.