"Please, I’m begging you, give me back my storage ring."

Ye Chuxue wrung her hands, looking so incredibly humble and pitiful that she drew the sympathy of the onlookers.

"True Monarch Song is a Nascent Soul True Monarch, after all. To actually steal a disciple’s storage ring... isn’t that too tyrannical?"

"I know, right? It’s completely beneath her station!"

"The girl said she could locate it, but she still won’t admit it. I bet she never expected the girl had another trick up her sleeve."

"..."

The crowd pointed and whispered at Song Wanning, nearly all of them believing Ye Chuxue’s words.

Since she said she could sense its location, it had to be true. Otherwise, how would a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator dare to confront a Nascent Soul True Monarch?

The scales of public opinion naturally tipped in Ye Chuxue’s favor.

It wasn’t just them; even the Sect Master and the two elders believed it. A sliver of doubt had even crept into Bai Yang’s heart.

’Junior Sister Ye would never make baseless accusations. Could Master have really stolen her storage ring?’

"Junior Sister Song, you should just hand over the storage ring. We’re all of the same sect. As long as you’re willing to give it back and apologize to Ye, we can let this matter go!"

The Sect Master, finally having found more leverage against Song Wanning, puffed up his chest.

He urged her with "good-natured" concern, "Don’t let this blow up. It will only harm your reputation."

"That’s right, Junior Sister Song. Let’s not make this too ugly. We’re all family here, after all."

The two elders chimed in with their own persuasions.

It seemed everyone had already decided that she had the storage ring.

Song Wanning swept her gaze across the crowd. Seeing their suspicious eyes, she found it all laughable.

It seemed to always be this way. As long as Ye Chuxue opened her mouth, everyone would choose to believe her. Then they would stand up to accuse her, condemn her, and provoke her, just to watch her lose control.

Time and again, she had tried to prove her innocence, only to fall into their trap. It caused her to break down completely, while not harming anyone else in the slightest.

It was precisely because Song Wanning was so familiar with this pattern that she had chosen to get rid of the storage ring. Even if she denied it, these people would have already decided she was guilty.

In her past life, she had taken the fall for so many things. This time, she might as well do what they accused her of.

She heaved a heavy sigh. "Ye, how could you falsely accuse me? While I may not be a saint, I have always been clear about my grievances and debts. If I had done it, I would surely admit it. But you can’t just sling mud at me and force me to confess!"

She tilted her head back slightly, her eyes welling up, but her expression remained stubborn, as if she had been gravely wronged.

’Playing weak? Anyone can do that.’

Song Wanning turned her face away, hiding it in the shadows. "We are of the same sect, yet none of you believe me. This is truly disappointing."

"Master!"

It was the first time Bai Yang had ever seen his master look so vulnerable, and his heart skipped a beat.

’Master isn’t someone who lies. There must be something more to this.’

"Junior Sister Ye, could you have sensed it incorrectly? Master never lies. If she had really done it, she would have admitted it long ago!"

’Master may be domineering and willful, but she has her own principles.’

’She has no need to hide things, nor would she deign to.’

"Brother Bai—"

Hurt by Bai Yang yet again, Ye Chuxue stared at him in shock.

Bai Yang had actually chosen to believe Song Wanning instead of her!

’What on earth is going through his mind?’

"My storage ring is on her! Don’t be fooled by her!"

Ye Chuxue screamed, losing control. This latest betrayal from the man she loved had broken through her defenses.

However, the moment her voice fell, Song Wanning squeezed a talisman hidden in the corner of her sleeve.

The owner of the black market received the signal. With a slight curl of her lips, she deftly waved her hand and erased the Spiritual Mark left on the storage ring.

One was a Nascent Soul Cultivator, the other had only just reached Foundation Establishment. Erasing a Spiritual Mark couldn’t have been easier.

She opened the storage ring and took a look, her eyebrows raising in surprise. ’It seems that person didn’t lie to me. This really is the storage ring of one of the Heavenly Dao’s Favored.’

’But...’

’From now on, it’s mine!’

The instant the Spiritual Mark was erased on that end, Ye Chuxue violently spat out a mouthful of blood. Her face turned ashen, and her spirit seemed to wither.

She cried out, "My storage ring—"

And then she fainted.

An Ze quickly caught her, shouting in a panic, "Senior Sister Ye, Senior Sister Ye, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!"

The Sect Master and Bai Yang were also startled. They rushed over to check on her, only to find that Ye Chuxue’s Divine Soul had been severely injured!

"This is bad! Her Divine Soul is severely damaged! The Divine Soul Mark on her storage ring must have been erased!"

The Sect Master’s face was uglier than the bottom of a sooty pot, and he felt a profound sense of helplessness.

Ye Chuxue hadn’t even recovered from her old injuries, and now her Divine Soul had suffered a major blow. One disaster after another... he had no idea if this would affect her future prospects.

Bai Yang’s heart sank. He silently squeezed Ye Chuxue’s hand, quickly took out several Elixir Pills from his storage ring, and stuffed them all into her mouth.

"Sigh. See? I have been here the entire time, my every move under your watch. It’s impossible for me to have done something to her storage ring, isn’t it?"

Song Wanning sighed again. "You would rather believe Ye Chuxue’s one-sided story than believe me. It’s truly disheartening!"

"And you, Sect Master. I’ve long said that you are blind and obtuse, unfit to be the master of a sect. Under the leadership of a Sect Master like you, our Heavenly Inquiry Sect will only decline step by step!"

She appeared regretful and hurt, but her words grew sharper and sharper, and the contempt in her eyes was infuriating enough to make one’s head explode.

"Song Wanning!"

The Sect Master’s chest heaved with rage, but this time he had truly been too foolish. Everyone had seen it with their own eyes, and he couldn’t even argue his case.

"What’s this? Are the Sect Master and the two elders thinking of apologizing to me?"

Song Wanning tilted her head and covered her mouth in mock surprise. "Well, that makes sense. After all, you first slandered me for harboring a Demon Cultivator, and then you slandered me for stealing someone’s treasure. You’ve had a horrendous impact on my reputation. You certainly should apologize to me."

Her lips curved into a smirk. "And it was you, Sect Master, who said it first. If an apology is made, we can let the matter go. We’re all family here, after all!"

Song Wanning smiled with angelic innocence, while the Sect Master and the two elders’ faces turned shades of green and white with fury.

And yet, they had no way to refute her.

Just moments ago, they had admonished Song Wanning with those very same words!

Outside the door, the crowd of onlookers finally realized they had been duped by Ye Chuxue and began to curse.

They were all ordinary, low-ranking disciples who had intended to support one of their own. Who would have thought they’d been played for fools?

If True Monarch Song held a grudge against them because of this, the loss would far outweigh any gain.

"Damn it, that bitch dared to lie to us!"

"And what was that about being able to sense the storage ring on True Monarch Song? So it was all a lie?"

"Was she just using us as pawns?"

"And this is a True Disciple of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect?"