"Can you make sense of this?"

Shui Qianrou blinked her wide, bewildered eyes, exchanging a look of confusion with Fang Lingxin.

While Fang Shuwen and Chen Qi were chatting idly and Fang Lingxin and Shui Qianrou were lost in confusion, things were progressing on Ye Feihua’s end.

At first, her claim that Jinghua Pavilion had never massacred anyone from the Jianghu was met with silence.

And just then, Leng Yanqiu, risking the world’s condemnation, suddenly stepped forward to speak out for justice.

She recounted the results of her investigation into how the Dragon Emperor Hall had framed them, though she omitted the detail that the Hall’s killings were not, in fact, random.

Though this gesture was of little help, it earned a measure of gratitude from Ye Feihua.

Ye Feihua was not entirely unprepared, either. She had brought with her a man who was rumored to have died at the hands of Jinghua Pavilion, but had in fact been saved by one of the Pavilion’s own physicians.

He had been brought here by Ye Feihua to clear Jinghua Pavilion’s name in person.

This was the true masterstroke.

Just as Fang Shuwen and Chen Qi had said, all Ye Feihua needed was a chance to speak.

As long as she had that chance, shaking off this false accusation wouldn’t be difficult.

But before this, without Dong Wangyou’s Flower-Picking Conference, without the Wine Immortal granting her permission to speak, she would have been struck down and killed for "spreading malicious lies" before she ever had the chance to play her trump card.

With events having developed this far, the crowd had no choice but to believe her, whether they wanted to or not.

And now, Ye Feihua proved true to her word.

She produced an object from within her robes and held it high.

All eyes followed her hand. There, she held a triangular stone. Those with sharp eyes could even make out seven faint markings upon its surface.

Someone in the crowd immediately cried out in alarm:

"It’s the Seven-String Ancient Chapter!!"

"Is it really the Seven-String Ancient Chapter?"

"Can it be? Pavilion Master Ye wasn’t bluffing. She’s really willing to hand over the Seven-String Ancient Chapter?"

It wasn’t that they couldn’t believe Jinghua Pavilion was innocent.

It was that they didn’t want Ye Feihua to clear her name. If she did, their crusade would lose its justification.

Now that the tide had turned irreversibly, many were in disbelief that Ye Feihua was still willing to produce the artifact.

But Ye Feihua’s voice rang out:

"This is the Seven-String Ancient Chapter! From time immemorial, it has been said that Divine Weapons and Treasures of Heaven and Earth belong to the worthy and capable!

"Since this item came into my possession, it has brought me nothing but trouble.

"Since so many heroes of the Jianghu are gathered here today, I will relinquish this item... You may decide its new master amongst yourselves."

With that, she placed the Seven-String Ancient Chapter on the roof.

Then she slowly backed away.

The crowd’s eyes were glued to the Seven-String Ancient Chapter, but a few kept their gazes fixed on Ye Feihua.

Clearly, not everyone was convinced that this Seven-String Ancient Chapter was genuine.

What if Ye Feihua had put out a fake, letting them fight over it while she kept the real one to study in secret? Wouldn’t they all have been played for fools today?

But at that very moment, someone could no longer restrain themselves.

With a push of their feet, they leaped into the air, flying straight toward the Seven-String Ancient Chapter.

The one who made the move was none other than Jian Yiheng, the "Cyan Mountain Cross Sword."

He reached out and grabbed the Seven-String Ancient Chapter. Without a second glance, he moved to shove it into his robes... But just then, a chain went CLANK, and a black, mechanical claw clamped down on the artifact. Before Jian Yiheng could secure it, the prize was snatched from his very grasp.

He turned to see the black-robed Ghost Slave, a chain leading from his hand.

Jian Yiheng’s face darkened.

"Give it back!"

He spun on his heel and shot off in pursuit of the Seven-String Ancient Chapter.

However, before he could catch up, and before the Ghost Slave could retract the chain, another hand shot out and grabbed it. The newcomer wrenched the Seven-String Ancient Chapter from the claw’s grip. But just as he was about to pocket it, the Ghost Slave’s body twitched. SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! A dense volley of needles, appearing from nowhere, shot toward the interloper.

With a flick of his wrist, a Nine-Section Whip dropped into the man’s hand. He was clearly prepared. It was none other than Su Heng, Young Master San Jue!

Su Heng raised a single hand. With a HUM, a golden light fanned out like a curtain, deflecting the needles.

After parrying the attack, he didn’t linger. With a push of his feet, he vaulted into the air to escape.

Jian Yiheng had already caught up. For the first time, the Cyan Mountain Cross Sword, known for his defensive style, launched an attack—a direct thrust at Su Heng’s heart from behind.

Su Heng seemed unable to defend in time, but suddenly, a hand shot out from the side, clamping onto Jian Yiheng’s wrist. It was followed by a palm strike to his solar plexus that sent him crashing to the ground.

The attacker this time was none other than the "Little Madman," Zhang Xuanfeng!

The palm strike wasn’t enough to kill Jian Yiheng, but it sent him into a towering rage. Only then did he realize: Su Heng and Zhang Xuanfeng had secretly formed an alliance.

Just as the two were about to leap away and escape, the rest of the crowd finally surged into action.

"Leave the Seven-String Ancient Chapter behind!"

"Treasures of Heaven and Earth belong to the worthy! And I’m the worthiest one here!"

"You dare steal something this Daoist Master has his eye on? Leave it here!"

The entire valley erupted into chaos. Su Heng, relying on his superior martial arts, had at first paid the mob no mind. But with so many people swarming him at once, even he—a master of the Three Absolutes of fist, palm, and whip—found himself overwhelmed and struggling to fend them off.

To make matters worse, he had already stuffed the Seven-String Ancient Chapter into his robes.

This mob fought without any decorum, simply rushing in and tearing at him. The once-dignified young master was, in a matter of moments, utterly undone. Not only was the Seven-String Ancient Chapter lost, but his clothes were ripped to tatters, leaving him in nothing but his under-breeches. Disheveled and covered in bloody scratches, he sat bare-chested on the ground, a hollow look in his eyes...