Ye Chuxue froze in shock, and then it all made sense!

’She was the one who told us to come to the auction house!’

’The money was spent, but the Elixir Pills were stolen.’

’This was all a trap set by Song Wanning! She was just toying with us.’

"It was you!"

She could no longer hold back. She raised her hand and pointed angrily at Song Wanning. "It was you, wasn’t it? You set this trap on purpose, and you arranged for that Demon Cultivator too, didn’t you?"

"You just don’t want to save Master! You’re just deliberately toying with us, aren’t you?"

"Song Wanning, how could you be so despicable?"

She practically roared these words.

In that moment, Ye Chuxue was suddenly struck by the reversal of roles between her and Song Wanning.

’It used to be Song Wanning who always flew into a rage.’

’It used to be Song Wanning who would always lose her cool.’

’But now, everything was turned upside down!’

But Ye Chuxue still couldn’t suppress the rage in her heart. She was incapable of remaining calm and composed.

Just the sight of Song Wanning made her chest tighten with frustration.

The words had barely left Ye Chuxue’s mouth when Song Wanning raised a hand and slapped her across the face with a practiced swing.

Already weak, she was sent flying backward. If the Sect Master hadn’t caught her, she would have been knocked unconscious from the fall.

"Mas— True Monarch Song, what right do you have to hit her? Is it just because Senior Sister Ye spoke the truth? Because she tore off your fig leaf?"

An Ze watched Senior Sister Ye get hit, his eyes turning red with anger.

He already resented Song Wanning, and now that hatred was bone-deep.

’Song Wanning used her high cultivation to bully them at will, treating human life as worthless. To think I once had a Master like her... It’s the shame of my life.’

The Sect Master also angrily accused Song Wanning of going too far. The two elders behind him were his confidants and spoke in his support.

Except for Bai Yang, who remained silent, everyone seemed to be ostracizing and accusing Song Wanning, which made even the Shopkeeper angry.

’These people are simply going too far!’

’They certainly didn’t act like this when they were begging my master for help. Are they trying to burn the bridge now that they’ve crossed it?’

He suppressed his anger, his expression turning grim. He was incredibly relieved that his master was astute enough not to fall for their tricks.

"How ridiculous. Ye Chuxue slandered me without a shred of evidence, insulted me, and disrespected a superior. Does she not deserve to be slapped?"

Song Wanning looked at her own hand. In recent days, slapping people had almost become a mechanical action for her.

’It just goes to show how much these people are asking for it.’

’And as for An Ze, I can’t even be bothered to slap him anymore.’

’A buffoon. Harmless, but irritating. I suppose it’s about time I found a way to deal with him.’

’And the Sect Master...’

At this thought, the corners of Song Wanning’s lips curved into a smile. ’So many detestable people... they’ll have to get in line.’

"Hitting her was me going easy. In the past, I would have had to kill her to satisfy my hatred. Wouldn’t you agree, Sect Master?"

She languidly raised her gaze and wiped her hand in disgust.

"You—"

Ye Chuxue was so furious she felt a vein might pop. She opened her mouth to curse again but was hastily cut off by the Sect Master.

’Even though he despised Song Wanning, her words made sense. There was no evidence yet, so Ye Chuxue shouldn’t be speaking so recklessly.’

Shooting Ye Chuxue a look, he said to Song Wanning, "Ye is also just too worried about Junior Brother Gu’s safety, so she got a little emotional. Junior Sister Song, there’s no need to bicker with her."

"However, regarding the matter of hiding a Demon Cultivator, Junior Sister Song, you must give an explanation. With so many people watching, you can’t just try to gloss over it."

"Also, Ye’s Storage Ring was stolen and the Elixir Pills are gone. Your auction house must give us an explanation!"

"Yes, Sect Master, my Storage Ring is gone too."

What Ye Chuxue cared about most was the Storage Ring. It didn’t even matter if the Demon Cultivator wasn’t caught; the Storage Ring had to be recovered.

But she had calmed down now and was no longer as agitated as before. Instead, her eyes reddened with grievance as she silently accused Song Wanning with her gaze.

’I almost forgot. Only by showing weakness can I gain everyone’s sympathy.’

This tactic was indeed effective. Many of the onlookers began to feel that Song Wanning was being unreasonable and bullying the weak.

An Ze’s heart ached for her even more. He immediately took the lead again, shouting at Song Wanning:

"True Monarch Song, hurry up and hand over the Demon Cultivator from your auction house! Stalling for time is useless."

He had just finished speaking when another voice interjected from the doorway.

"Tsk tsk, the great Song Family’s business is actually hiding a Demon Cultivator. Could it be that the Song Family has some shady dealings with the Demon Clan?"

The voice was flippant and laced with thick malice, making one’s skin crawl.

Song Wanning looked up and saw that the person was an elder from the Ling Family, Ling Wushuang.

Ling Wushuang had an Early-stage Nascent Soul cultivation. He was now over three hundred years old, but his face was like jade, his temperament transcendent, and he looked like a young man in his twenties.

His expression was mocking, and his eyes were filled with malice as he looked at Song Wanning.

It was no secret that the Ling Family and the Song Family had been at odds for years. They had competed in business for a long time, and while there were no major disputes, minor squabbles were constant.

’In my past life, the Ling Family was certainly not absent when it came to helping slaughter the Song Family.’

A murderous aura flared from Song Wanning for an instant before vanishing.

’Seeing this familiar face reminded me of that bloody scene. It was as if I could still remember his savage smile.’

The Shopkeeper noticed that Song Wanning’s mood was off. He coughed lightly, which brought her back to her senses.

She pulled the corner of her mouth into a smile. "Ye Chuxue speaks nonsense without thinking, but is True Monarch Ling the same? You’re even trying to pin a huge accusation on my Song Family."

"I know your Ling Family lost out to our Song Family in business a few days ago, but there’s no need to use this as an excuse for a personal vendetta, is there?"

"Hmph! Talk is cheap. Anyone can spout truths or lies."

Ling Wushuang’s face turned slightly cold as he strode into the room.

"To tell right from wrong, True Monarch Song must first hand over the person."

As he got closer, his expression became even uglier.

’This damn Song Wanning... she actually broke through to the Late-stage Nascent Soul realm?’

’How long has it been?’

’I’ve been stuck at the Early-stage Nascent Soul realm for decades without any sign of progress, so on what grounds does this bitch get to have such smooth sailing with her cultivation?’

Ling Wushuang was filled with jealousy and resentment, so naturally, his words sided with Ye Chuxue.

With so many people backing her up, Ye Chuxue felt much more confident, and a vicious glint flashed in her eyes.

’That idiot Song Wanning. By admitting the auction house is a Song Family business, she’s not only screwed herself over, but she’s also dragged the whole Song Family down with her.’

’Still as stupid as ever.’

’Let’s see her try to deny it now!’

"Right, hurry up and hand him over!"

"Hand him over!"

"Hand over the Demon Cultivator!"

The crowd of onlookers also started to jeer, many of them harboring resentment for the rich and hoping to see something bad happen to the Song Family.

Seeing his Master being "forced" into such a corner, the ever-silent Bai Yang finally couldn’t help but step forward.

On one side was the woman he loved, on the other was his Master. He was now caught in a dilemma.

But recalling his Master’s earlier concern, he chose to step forward to speak up for what was right.