"Please, I'm begging you, return my storage ring…"
Ye Chuxue wrung her hands, her tone soft and pitiful. Her fragile posture stirred sympathy among the crowd.
"A Nascent Soul cultivator like Song Zhēnjūn snatching a disciple's storage ring? Isn't that a bit much?"
"Right? That's way beneath her station!"
"She even has tracking on it, and Song Zhēnjūn still won't admit it. She probably didn't expect anyone to be that prepared."
"…Yeah."
Voices murmured across the gathering. Most of them believed Ye Chuxue's side of the story. If she claimed to have a soul imprint tracking the ring, then it couldn't be fake. After all, what Foundation Establishment cultivator would dare falsely accuse a Nascent Soul elder?
The tide of opinion clearly leaned toward Ye Chuxue.
Not only the onlookers—even the Sect Master and the two elders were swayed. A flicker of doubt even surfaced in Bai Yang's heart.
Junior Sister Ye had always been deliberate with her words. Could it really be that their master had taken her storage ring?
"Junior Sister Song," the Sect Master finally spoke up, seizing what he thought was leverage. "We're all from the same sect. If you just return the ring and offer Junior Niece Ye an apology, let's call this matter resolved."
He even adopted a tone of gentle persuasion. "No need to make this any bigger than it already is. It would only damage your reputation."
"Yes, Junior Sister Song, let's not let this get out of hand," one elder added.
"We're family, after all," said the other.
Everyone seemed to have already decided the ring must be in her possession.
Song Wanníng swept her gaze across the room. She caught the suspicion in their eyes and found it almost laughable.
It was always like this.
Every time Ye Chuxue opened her mouth, people would believe her without question. Then they would point fingers, shout accusations, provoke her, and wait for her to break down.
She had tried again and again to prove herself, only to fall into their traps. Her efforts did nothing but speed along her own unraveling.
And no one else ever got hurt—only her.
It was precisely because she understood this cycle so well that she had already dealt with the storage ring. Even if she denied it, they would still believe it was her doing.
In her previous life, she had shouldered countless false accusations. This time, she might as well own it outright.
She let out a long sigh.
"Junior Niece Ye, how could you slander me like this? I'm not pretending to be a saint, but I've always known right from wrong. If I did it, I would admit it. But you can't just throw filth on me and expect me to roll over."
She tilted her head up slightly, eyes reddening, a hint of stubbornness clinging to her expression—playing the victim now, was it? She could do that too.
Turning her face to the side, she stepped into shadow. Her voice dropped, trembling with just the right note of pain. "We're all part of the same sect… and none of you trust me. That's what really hurts."
"Master…" It was the first time Bai Yang had ever seen his master look so vulnerable. His heart wavered. She was not someone who lied. There had to be more to this than met the eye.
"Junior Sister Ye, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?" Bai Yang asked gently. "Master doesn't lie. If she really did it, she would have admitted it long ago."
She was domineering, yes, and acted on her own whims, but she always had a line she wouldn't cross.
She had no reason to hide, and even less desire to.
"Senior Brother Bai…" Ye Chuxue's voice trembled. She looked at him in disbelief.
Bai Yang had chosen to believe Song Wanníng. Not her.
What was going on in his head?
"The ring is on her. Don't be fooled by her act!" she shouted, her voice cracking with emotion. Once again, betrayal from the man she loved shattered her defenses.
But before her cry had even faded, Song Wanníng calmly brushed her fingers against the charm hidden in her sleeve.
At that moment, the black market owner received her signal. A smirk tugged at her lips. Without hesitation, she erased the soul imprint from the storage ring.
One was a Nascent Soul cultivator. The other had only just entered Foundation Establishment. Erasing the imprint? It was child's play.
She opened the ring and arched a brow in interest. So the girl hadn't lied after all—this really was a favored daughter of the Heavenly Dao.
But now…
It belonged to her.
Just as the soul imprint was erased on one end, Ye Chuxue, standing across the courtyard, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Her face went deathly pale. Her body staggered. Her spirit flickered and dimmed.
"My ring!" she cried, then collapsed on the spot.
An Ze rushed forward and caught her in time, shouting in panic, "Senior Sister Ye! What's wrong? Don't scare me!"
The Sect Master and Bai Yang also hurried over. But when they checked her condition, their faces dropped.
"Not good," the Sect Master said, voice tight. "Her soul's been damaged. Someone forcibly erased her imprint from the storage ring!"
His face turned ashen.
Ye Chuxue's old injuries hadn't even healed, and now her spirit had taken another blow. One disaster after another… Would she even be able to recover from this?
Bai Yang's heart clenched. He gripped her hand tightly and quickly pulled a few pills from his ring, feeding them to her one after another.
"Saw that, did you?" Song Wanníng let out a sigh, voice sharp with irony. "I've been standing right here the whole time, with every move under your watch. How could I possibly have tampered with her storage ring?
You're all so quick to trust Ye Chuxue's accusations, and yet none of you ever stop to question her words. That's what's truly disheartening." She looked toward the Sect Master, her eyes cold and disdainful.
"As for you, I've said it before—you're blind and unfit to lead this sect. Under your guidance, Wentian Sect will only slide further into decay." Her words were laced with feigned regret, but every sentence cut deeper than the last. The contempt in her gaze made the blood rush to everyone's heads.
"Song Wanníng!" The Sect Master's chest rose and fell in fury. But this time, he had no comeback. Everyone had seen how foolish he'd been. He couldn't even defend himself.
"What's this now? Are the Sect Master and the two elders planning to apologize?" Song Wanníng tilted her head, pressing her fingers to her lips in mock surprise.
"I mean, you did falsely accuse me of harboring demonic cultivators, then again of stealing someone's treasure. That's some serious damage to my name. A formal apology is the least I deserve, isn't it?" Her smile was sweet and innocent. The Sect Master and the elders flushed red with shame, unable to respond.
After all, those were the very words they had used earlier when lecturing her.
Outside, the crowd that had gathered finally realized they had been tricked. Whispering turned into open curses.
Most of them were lower-ranking disciples who had tried to support someone they thought needed help. Who would've guessed they'd been used?
If Song Wanníng decided to hold a grudge, they were doomed.
"Damn it… That wretched girl actually fooled us!"
"Didn't she say she could sense the ring was on Song Zhēnjūn? Was it all a lie?"
"Was she using us as tools?"
"This is what passes for Wentian Sect's true disciples?!"