"Matriarch, this is what happened..."

Worried that Song Wanning would twist the truth, the Sect Master stepped forward to explain.

But Liu Lan Yi shot him a sharp glance.

That simple look sent a chill through the Sect Master’s heart, and he resentfully swallowed his words.

Only then did Song Wanning step forward, casting a cool glance at the Sect Master.

"I had just come out of seclusion when I saw Gu Qingyuan about to perform a Soul Search on my young disciple!"

"His reason was that she had poisoned his precious disciple’s Elixir Pills."

"But they have no physical evidence, nor do they have any witnesses. They want to use a Soul Search to convict my disciple based on mere speculation..."

"The Sect Master can’t tell right from wrong. It’s one thing for him not to uphold justice, but he’s even siding with Gu Qingyuan’s faction. It’s utterly unconvincing!"

Without any embellishment, she succinctly explained the entire course of events.

Liu Lan Yi’s expression turned icy. She looked at Gu Qingyuan and demanded, "Gu Qingyuan, is what Wan Ning said true?"

"Do you even remember that she is your fiancée?!"

Before her good friend ascended, she had repeatedly implored Gu Qingyuan to take good care of Wan Ning and never let her suffer any grievance.

But what did he do?

He dared to feign compliance!

Gu Qingyuan pressed his lips together, lowering his head. "To answer Master Liu, Song Wanning and I have already broken off our engagement..."

"What?"

Liu Lan Yi was slightly taken aback and turned to look at Song Wanning.

Song Wanning nodded at her. "Master Liu, Gu Qingyuan fell in love with his little disciple. I, Song Wanning, would never deign to be with such a man... I was blind in the past. As soon as I learned the truth, I immediately proposed to annul the engagement!"

"Now, I have drawn a clear line between us. We have nothing to do with each other anymore."

’I’ll make sure the whole world knows just how "devoted" Gu Qingyuan is...’

"You bastard!"

Hearing this, Liu Lan Yi flew into a rage. The full might of her Divinity Transformation Stage cultivation pressed down directly on Gu Qingyuan.

THUD—

His knees buckled, and he fell hard to his knees before Liu Lan Yi.

"How could you be so perverse as to fall in love with your own disciple?"

Falling for his disciple was a far more serious matter than breaking the engagement.

It was something that would earn him the scorn of the entire world!

Ye Chuxue’s face went pale, and she quickly knelt as well. "Matriarch, it’s not like that... Please don’t listen to Song Wanning’s one-sided story! Master only has feelings for me as a disciple, nothing more!"

"It was because of her despicable actions that Master broke off the engagement with her..."

She tried her best to explain clearly, but the expressions of those around her were all very complicated.

Because Gu Qingyuan had already admitted to it himself, the more she said, the more ridiculous she sounded.

"This matter is clearly about Song Wanning ordering her disciple to use poison! I implore the Matriarch to handle this impartially and not disappoint the other disciples!"

She tilted her head up, gazing at Liu Lan Yi with defiance.

Liu Lan Yi’s face darkened, and she struck out with her palm.

SLAP—

Ye Chuxue was sent flying. Half her face swelled up instantly as she collapsed to the ground.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She clutched her face in shock, unable to believe that Liu Lan Yi would show such blatant favoritism in public!

"Chuxue!"

Gu Qingyuan’s heart lurched. He immediately tried to stand and help her, but his body felt as if it were nailed to the ground.

No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t move an inch.

"Hmph. Gu Qingyuan, so this is the fine disciple you’ve taught!"

"She has no respect for her elders, daring to address them by their full names. This venerable one has taught her a small lesson on your behalf. Do you have any objections?"

’Who does this Ye Chuxue think she is, daring to tell us what to do?’

". . . I have no objections. . ."

Gu Qingyuan suppressed a surge of anger, his hands on the ground clenching into fists.

’Master Liu has never liked me. That hasn’t changed in all these years.’

’Naturally, she wouldn’t like my disciple either.’

A bitter look surfaced in his downcast eyes.

’From childhood to adulthood, no matter where she went, Song Wanning was always the one who was cherished and protected...’

’Everyone loved her openly, passionately, and deeply...’

’No matter the situation, she never had to worry about the consequences.’

’Compared to her, I’m just a pathetic wretch.’

’The person who loved me most... was actually Song Wanning.’

’Thinking about it now, it’s truly laughable.’

’But it’s fine. I have Chuxue now!’

"Hmph! As for you, I will deal with you privately about this matter of falling in love with your disciple!"

"For now, get to the bottom of this poisoning at once!"

Liu Lan Yi strode to the stone table, lifted the hem of her robes, and sat down. "With me here, no one will be falsely accusing anyone!"

With her presiding over this, who would dare to act recklessly now!

"Yes! I will find a way to uncover the truth immediately!"

The Sect Master forced a smile. He turned around, his expression instantly hardening, and ordered for Li Rao and Ye Chuxue to be brought forward together.

The current situation was giving him a major headache.

He couldn’t perform a Soul Search, and there were no witnesses...

With both of them sticking to their own stories, how was he supposed to handle this?

To make matters worse, the Matriarch’s gaze felt like thorns in his side, forcing him to pull himself together and deal with it. His loathing for Song Wanning grew to an extreme.

’If she hadn’t brought the Matriarch into this, how would I have ended up in such a passive position?’

"Sect Master, I only delivered the Thousand Mountain Spirit Spring. I never used any poison!"

With Song Wanning backing her up, Li Rao’s small face was no longer filled with fear. She straightened her back and declared with a clear conscience, "I am willing to swear a Heart Demon Oath!"

"What? She’s willing to swear a Heart Demon Oath? Does this mean this really has nothing to do with Li Rao?"

The disciples began to whisper amongst themselves again.

A Heart Demon Oath was no mere verbal promise. Once sworn, it would alert the Heavenly Dao.

If the swearer lied, they would suffer Heavenly Punishment... In severe cases, their soul could be utterly destroyed.

If she weren’t truly innocent, Li Rao would never dare to be so reckless.

Everyone’s gazes shifted subtly toward Ye Chuxue.

Could it be that Ye Chuxue had deliberately framed Li Rao?

Ye Chuxue’s expression tensed, and she immediately shot back, "I also dare to swear a Heart Demon Oath! I absolutely did not use poison, much less frame anyone!"

She had always acted with a clear conscience, so naturally, she wasn’t afraid to swear an oath.

"Huh? Both of them are swearing a Heart Demon Oath?"

"No way. Does that mean neither of them is the culprit?"

Everyone was dumbfounded. The matter had become more and more baffling.

An Ze stood to the side, clutching his chest in distress. He wanted to rush out and argue, but Bai Yang held him firmly in place.

"Senior Brother, it was obviously Li Rao! She’s just putting on an act!"

"Why are you stopping me? I’m going to expose her for who she really is!"

Bai Yang’s gaze was deep. His eyes swept over Song Wanning before he said, "The Matriarch will handle this."

’He knew that master all too well.’

’Right now, that master had a smile on her face, but he knew she was furious.’

’Absolutely furious.’

’If An Ze went out there now, he’d walk right into the line of fire.’

"Hmph, the Matriarch is clearly on that master’s side! As if she’d handle it fairly!"

An Ze huffed and shot a glare at Song Wanning, feeling indignant on Ye Chuxue’s behalf.

Bai Yang pressed his lips together and said nothing, but deep down, he felt the exact same way as An Ze.

Now, he could only hope they would uncover the truth quickly and expel Li Rao from the sect!

.

Seeing that the situation had reached a stalemate, Song Wanning took a step forward and sat down beside Liu Lan Yi.