"Disciple Li Rao pays her respects to the Sect Master and the elders!"

Li Rao knelt on the ground in a daze. Though she didn’t know what was happening, she could tell from everyone’s expressions that something was wrong.

She remained kneeling obediently, her first thought turning to her First Senior Brother, Bai Yang.

Lifting her head, she saw Bai Yang turn away with a cold expression, refusing to even look her in the eye.

Then she looked at her Third Senior Brother, An Ze, who was glaring at her ferociously, leaving her utterly confused.

"Li Rao, was it you? When you delivered the Thousand Mountain Spirit Spring yesterday, did you add something to the Pill Furnace?"

Before the Sect Master could even speak, An Ze leaped forward to accuse Li Rao. He completely disregarded that they were from the same lineage, focused only on clearing Ye Chuxue of suspicion.

"What?"

Li Rao was stunned by his words, her small face growing even more bewildered.

’She had no idea what An Ze was talking about!’

"Still playing dumb, are you?"

An Ze laughed in anger. "If you hadn’t added something to Junior Sister Ye’s Pill Furnace yesterday, how could the Elixir Pills be poisoned?"

"Confess! Were you acting on Master’s orders?"

"She’s always causing trouble for Senior Sister Ye. To think she’d resort to such a despicable method this time, causing an innocent disciple to be poisoned and fall unconscious!"

"Hurry up and confess! If you cause a fellow disciple’s death, you can just wait to be expelled from the Sect!"

"’Poisoned Elixir Pills? Harming a fellow disciple?’"

Li Rao was stunned for a moment. Then her eyes fell on the unconscious Wu Dan, and she finally understood what had happened.

’These people actually think I’m the one who used poison?’

’And they’re even dragging Master into this?’

Li Rao’s expression changed, and she immediately retorted, "I didn’t! Yesterday, I followed your instructions and delivered the Thousand Mountain Spirit Spring. When I arrived at the Alchemy Furnace Room, no one was there, so I just left the Spiritual Spring and departed. I never even opened the Pill Furnace to look inside, so how could I have poisoned anything!"

"Besides, Master has been in seclusion! How can you baselessly accuse her?"

She stared stubbornly at An Ze, unable to understand why he would want to frame their Master.

’What good would it do him if something happened to Master?’

"You say you didn’t open the Pill Furnace, so why are the Elixir Pills poisoned?"

An Ze sneered, walking over to Li Rao and sweeping a cold gaze over her.

"With your level of talent, who knows what kind of deal you made with her to become her True Disciple?"

"Don’t even think about denying it! I only let you deliver it because I thought you were honest. Who knew you were secretly harboring ill intentions, implicating Senior Sister Ye in the process!"

"If Senior Sister Ye is truly harmed because of this, dying a hundred times wouldn’t be enough for you!"

As he spoke, he actually kicked out at Li Rao.

"UGH—"

Kicked hard in the chest, Li Rao’s face instantly turned pale. She clutched her chest in pain, looking at An Ze with utter shock.

"Third Senior Brother, how could you suspect me like this?"

Li Rao’s pale face was filled with disappointment. She knew her Third Senior Brother disliked her, but she never imagined he hated her this much.

Her eyes reddened, and her small body trembled with anger.

"For the past six months, if you told me to go east, I wouldn’t dare go west!"

"You made me hunt in the back mountains, cook for you, run errands for you, clean your rooms, tend to the flowers, and take care of the spirit field... I did it all, because you’re my senior brother!"

"I thought that maybe if I was just obedient, you all would eventually accept me."

Li Rao fought back the tears that were about to fall, forcing them back.

"It’s fine if you don’t like me, but you can’t frame me like this, and you certainly can’t frame our Master!"

"Master is upright and honorable! She has never asked me to frame anyone! What right do you have to accuse her so casually?"

At that moment, Li Rao loathed An Ze from the bottom of her heart.

’A Third Senior Brother like him? I’d rather not have one!’

"Master raised you, yet you treat her this way for some woman. Aren’t you afraid of retribution?"

Her small, clearly fragile body stood ramrod straight.

"Say that again?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

An Ze’s face darkened. Killing intent instantly locked onto Li Rao as he swung his palm viciously toward her.

He held nothing back in that strike. The tiny Li Rao had no way to defend against it. If it landed, she would be dead or gravely injured.

Just as the palm was about to land, Bai Yang finally intervened, stopping An Ze.

"First Senior Brother, what are you stopping me for?"

"Let’s investigate this clearly first."

Bai Yang glanced at Li Rao, his expression blank, his eyes showing no ripple of emotion.

"First Senior Brother, do you also think I did it, just like Third Senior Brother?"

Li Rao seemed to grasp a sliver of hope and quickly shook her head. "This has nothing to do with me, I didn’t use any poison! Master didn’t order me to do anything, either. I didn’t do a thing, I really didn’t!"

Bai Yang looked at Li Rao again.

She was just a young girl, and she looked utterly pitiful.

But he couldn’t muster a shred of sympathy in his heart; instead, he was filled with dislike.

"Of course this has nothing to do with Master. But whether you’re a suspect or not will only be known after a proper interrogation!"

From the very beginning, Bai Yang had been repulsed by Li Rao’s presence. Even though he knew deep down he should save her, he remained indifferent.

’He wanted to be selfish, just this once.’

’It would be for the best if Li Rao were expelled from the sect.’

"First Senior Brother..."

Li Rao plopped down on the ground, the last glimmer of light in her eyes extinguished.

No one believed her.

"Bai Yang, you two are from the same master!"

The Second Elder couldn’t watch any longer.

She could understand An Ze, that blockhead, acting this way.

But Bai Yang shouldn’t be like this!

"I see you’ve all been brainwashed by a certain someone!!!"

She could see it clearly now. These people could think of nothing but Ye Chuxue; they didn’t care if anyone else lived or died.

"Besides, Li Rao may have entered the Alchemy Furnace Room, but who can prove she put poison in the Pill Furnace?"

"For all we know, Ye Chuxue could have accidentally added the wrong ingredient during the refinement process herself!"

Right now, everyone was siding with Ye Chuxue. No one cared whether Li Rao lived or died.

If she didn’t speak up for her, the little girl would be pushed to her death!

"Sect Master, the Second Elder speaks the truth. Perhaps it was my own mistake. Please don’t make things difficult for Li Rao."

"I will take full responsibility for this incident. I am willing to accept any punishment the Sect deems fit!"

Seeing the situation turning against her, Ye Chuxue immediately thought to retreat in order to advance.

Otherwise, people would say she was bullying a little girl.

Sure enough, as soon as she said this, the crowd, which had been wavering, immediately sided with her again.

"Tsk, Senior Sister Ye is so magnanimous! To think she’d even offer to take the blame for Li Rao!"

"Li Rao is despicable! Senior Sister Ye is so good to her, yet she does something like this and even implicates an innocent disciple. I say we should just kick her out of the Sect!"

"Otherwise, if everyone starts following her example, won’t the Sect fall into chaos?"

"The law is the same for everyone, noble or common. We can’t give her special treatment just because she’s Grandmaster Song’s disciple, can we?"

"Exactly! She must be dealt with severely!"

"..."

The surrounding disciples were agitated. In their hearts, Ye Chuxue’s image was now lofty and sacred, not to be tarnished.