After Changing Her Fate, the Vicious Female Villain and the Protagonist Got an HE! - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Framing

Qin Niyun was not very optimistic. A sense of foreboding lingered in her heart.

The source of this premonition was still elusive, and to prevent her Junior Sister from worrying, she kept it to herself.

Within the secret realm, there were numerous heavenly materials and earthly treasures. In the following period, the two traveled around, gaining a considerable harvest.

About half a month later, the secret realm was on the verge of closing.

On this day, a mysterious force descended, carrying all the living cultivators in the secret realm to the outside world.

At that time, above the Sea of Illusion, the flying ships of the four sects—Lingxiao, Tianxuan, Taiyi, and Dangqi—were suspended in the air.

After Wen Shurong and Qin Niyun were teleported outside, they each activated a stream of light and flew towards their respective sect’s spiritual ship.

Before long, the Mahayana ancestors of the Taiyi, Tianxuan, and Dangqi sects questioned their disciples one after another, their faces filled with anger.

This was because the three sects had suffered significant losses in cultivators.

Of the hundred cultivators each of the four major sects sent into the secret realm this time, less than fifty from the Taiyi Sect emerged now that the secret realm was closed. The Tianxuan and Dangqi sects fared slightly better, but their losses were also considerable.

Only the Lingxiao Sect had only one person perish. A very small number of the rest were injured, but most were safe and sound.

In stark contrast, the Mahayana ancestors of the three sects were naturally resentful. Among them, the Taiyi Sect’s reaction was the most intense.

The white-haired, bearded Mahayana ancestor leading this sect was now glaring furiously, questioning the Lingxiao Sect’s Mahayana ancestor.

“Fellow Daoist Xu, the disciples of the four sects entered the secret realm together. Now, the Taiyi, Dangqi, and Tianxuan sects have suffered heavy casualties, yet the Lingxiao Sect has only lost one person. Is there some hidden truth in this?”

“In the secret realm, life and death are up to fate. Fellow Daoist Wang should be very clear about this.”

“If the casualties of the four sects were similar, this old man naturally wouldn’t ask further. However, this result compels one to suspect that the Lingxiao Sect planned this beforehand, deliberately encircling and killing the disciples of the three sects!”

“With no evidence, does Fellow Daoist Wang intend to provoke a war between the two sects by slandering my sect like this?”

“Hmph! If this matter is true, this old man will find evidence sooner or later! When that time comes, I’d like to see how the Lingxiao Sect explains itself to the three sects!”

After issuing the threat, the Taiyi Sect Mahayana ancestor led his disciples away first.

The Mahayana ancestors of the Tianxuan and Dangqi sects remained silent, secretly controlling their flying ships and heading toward their respective sects.

At this moment, on the Lingxiao Sect’s flying ship, Wen Shurong’s thoughts were racing.

Apart from the incident at the Bishui Hantan, she and Senior Sister had not fought with anyone else. The combined number of cultivators lost by the three sects exceeded a hundred, suggesting they mostly encountered other misfortunes.

However…

There were a total of eighty-six cultivators who attacked the barrier initially. Before they struck, eighteen people voluntarily left. If she remembered correctly, among those people, sixteen were disciples of her own sect, and two were from the Tianxuan Sect.

The fellow sect disciples were not a big problem. Only the two Golden Core cultivators from the Tianxuan Sect were a variable.

If they spoke of what happened that day, it would likely cause considerable trouble.

For now, they could only take one step at a time.

A moment later, at the Lingxiao Sect’s mountain gate.

The colossal flying ship slowly approached. After half a month, Wen Shurong returned to her usual cave residence once again.

The sky was already dark at this time. After a simple rest, she lay down on the couch and quickly fell asleep.

In the early morning of the next day, the restriction in front of her cave residence was suddenly attacked violently.

Wen Shurong was awakened from her sleep. Just as she put on her clothes, she was subdued by two disciples of the Hall of Enforcement who barged into the cave residence.

Her heart skipped a beat. Her first reaction was that the incident at the Bishui Hantan had been revealed.

However, in her original estimation, even if the sect learned of this matter, although it would be troublesome, it would not lead to the Hall of Enforcement cultivators directly breaking in to arrest her.

The cultivators of the three sects coveted the spiritual treasures and struck first.

In that situation, if she and Senior Sister did not fight back, those people would have directly killed them and seized the treasures.

If the sect severely punished her and Senior Sister for this, it would be too disheartening.

Since the matter was still unclear and to avoid any other misunderstanding, Wen Shurong did not resist when the Hall of Enforcement Golden Core cultivators took action.

She thought that if there was some other hidden reason, she could explain the details after reaching the Hall of Enforcement.

The zither spirit and the Snow Spirit Cat Ruyi wanted to help but were stopped by her spiritual transmission.

Thus, Wen Shurong was taken to the Sect’s Hall of Enforcement.

Upon arriving, she quickly looked up at the situation inside the hall and found that Senior Sister Qin Niyun was not there.

Before she could feel relieved, a sudden roar sounded.

“Wen Shurong, you privately infiltrated the Sect’s Treasury and stole the spiritual treasure Zhenmo Ta (Demon Suppressing Pagoda)! Do you know what crime you have committed!”

“What?”

Wen Shurong’s mind went blank, her ears ringing. The sudden questioning left her completely confused.

Seeing her reaction, the woman in the gilded black robe sitting at the head of the hall frowned slightly.

“Don’t you know what you did yourself?”

Wen Shurong gradually regained her composure and urgently argued: “Sect Master, please be aware. Since returning to the sect yesterday, this disciple has stayed in the cave residence and has not been to the Treasury.”

As soon as her voice fell, an old man with a goatee in the hall said coldly: “Hmph, still daring to quibble! You are indeed a wolf in sheep’s clothing! The Image-Retaining Stone in the Treasury recorded the entire process. See for yourself!”

The old man flicked his sleeve. An ink-black, fist-sized stone immediately flew up, and then a series of scenes gradually unfolded before the eyes of the cultivators in the hall.

Late at night, a person dressed in black night clothes and wearing a mask quietly snuck into the Treasury using a secret technique. They avoided layer upon layer of seals and reached the ninth floor of the pavilion.

A Truth-Discernment Jade Mirror stood in front of the door to the ninth floor. Anyone who entered this floor had to reveal their true appearance, be confirmed as a disciple of the sect, and then they could pass. Otherwise, the killing formation would be instantly triggered.

The mysterious person took off the mask, and the appearance revealed was identical to Wen Shurong’s!

After successfully entering the ninth floor, she stayed inside for about an hour, and then quietly left the area.

The scene stopped here. The old man with the goatee retracted the Image-Retaining Stone. His sharp, eagle-like eyes looked at the girl in green kneeling in the hall and he shouted coldly: “What else do you have to say?”

Wen Shurong shook her head repeatedly: “The person in the image is not me. It’s someone impersonating me!”

In the great hall, a gentle-looking female cultivator with a Fairy Bun slowly said: “Junior Niece Wen, do you know that the entire Treasury is equipped with a Powo Zhenfa (Illusion-Breaking Array)? All illusion techniques are ineffective in the pavilion.”

“But this disciple truly did not steal the Zhenmo Ta.”

At the head of the hall, Sect Master Luo Hua said expressionlessly: “Wen Shurong, if you hand over the stolen treasure, you may still be given a lighter sentence. Otherwise, you will be dealt with for the crime of betraying the sect, have your cultivation abolished, and be taken to the Immortal Execution Platform for public execution!”

A trace of despair surfaced in Wen Shurong’s heart. This matter was absolutely not done by her. Could she conjure a treasure out of thin air to hand over to the sect?

Thinking this, she heard an extremely familiar, clear and cold voice coming from outside the hall.

“This disciple can testify that Junior Sister Wen stayed in her cave residence last night and did not go to the Treasury.”

Qin Niyun, dressed in a plain white dress, walked into the great hall.

Seeing her, Luo Hua was a little surprised.

“Niyun was with Junior Niece Wen last night?”

“No, this disciple was in my own cave residence last night.”

“Then how can you prove that Junior Niece Wen also stayed in her cave residence?”

Qin Niyun lifted the sleeve of her right hand, revealing a section of red thread. At the same time, she walked to Wen Shurong’s side, picked up her right hand, lifted her sleeve, and revealed an identical section of red thread.

“This item is called the Qiansi Yin (Thread of Connection). The Sect Master and all the Elders must recognize it. After wearing it, one can sense each other’s location. Therefore, I can confirm that Junior Sister Wen did not go to the Treasury last night.”

Hearing this, the old man with the goatee spoke calmly: “Junior Niece Qin, this is just your side of the story. The returning disciples reported that you and Wen Shurong were together throughout the secret realm. Your relationship must be extraordinary. It is not impossible that you are lying to cover for her.”

Qin Niyun frowned tightly: “This disciple never lies.”

The old man snorted coldly: “Wen Shurong going to the Treasury is proven by the Image-Retaining Stone. Furthermore, the pavilion is equipped with the Powo Zhenfa. No one can successfully impersonate another without being discovered. Compared to what Junior Niece Qin said, what this old man holds is irrefutable evidence!”

At this point, his icy gaze swept over the kneeling person again: “Wen Shurong, do not hold any wishful thinking. Hand over the treasure quickly!”

“The Zhenmo Ta is not in this disciple’s hands at all. How can this disciple hand over the treasure?”

Wen Shurong’s mood was extremely complicated. She had not expected Senior Sister to come here to testify for her. While deeply touched, she was also worried that Senior Sister would be implicated in this enormous conspiracy.

At the head of the hall, Luo Hua gazed at the slender, pale-faced girl in green kneeling in the hall, who nonetheless showed a stubborn spirit. Her eyes slightly moved.

After a long time, she made a decision.

“Wen Shurong is suspected of stealing the Zhenmo Ta. She will be temporarily detained in the Xianqiong Dadian (Immortal Jade Grand Hall). After the cause of this matter is investigated, a disposition will be made.”

The old man was somewhat incredulous: “Sect Master, the evidence is clearly conclusive, why would you…”

Halfway through his sentence, he met Luo Hua’s icy gaze and immediately stopped speaking, bowing in salute to show he had no further objections.

Luo Hua was not only the Sect Master of the Lingxiao Sect but also a Mahayana Completion stage mighty figure, only one step away from ascension. Her accumulated prestige was immense. No one dared to refute a decision she made.

“The matter is settled thus. You may all withdraw.”

With the Sect Master’s order, the cultivators dared not disobey.

Qin Niyun looked at her Junior Sister worriedly. After much hesitation, she ultimately left with everyone else.

She knew that her current strength was limited and she could not act rashly. Otherwise, she would only harm her Junior Sister and push her into a desperate situation.

A short while later, only Luo Hua and Wen Shurong remained in the great hall. For a time, you could hear a pin drop.

Tears still hung in the corners of Wen Shurong’s eyes. She did not know how the Sect Master would interrogate her, but no matter what, she had a clear conscience.

She could roughly guess that today’s incident was a trap set by the mastermind. But since she couldn’t even say the four words “Heavenly Mandate Jade Slip,” how could she make the Sect Master believe her?

As she focused on thinking, her chin was suddenly grabbed. She looked up in surprise and saw an ink-green elixir appear in her line of sight.

Luo Hua looked at her expressionlessly: “Take this elixir!”

“Sect Master, this is…”

“Do not ask what you shouldn’t ask. Since you insist that you did not steal the Zhenmo Ta, then take this elixir.”

“Yes, this disciple obeys.”

As soon as her voice fell, the elixir was fed into her mouth.

Wen Shurong swallowed it whole without chewing.

She had never seen this ink-green elixir before and did not know its function, but she did not believe the Sect Master would harm her.

Given the Sect Master’s cultivation and status, if she truly wanted her dead, she could have simply dealt with her just now.

Not long after the elixir entered her stomach, Wen Shurong felt a wave of dizziness in her head. Then, her vision turned black, and she fell into a coma.

Luo Hua caught the fainting girl and waved her sleeve, setting up a seal around the Xianqiong Dadian. Then, she formed a hand seal and began to cast the Wang Shen Shu (Divine Gaze Technique).

This method was something she had accidentally obtained during her early years of training outside. After casting it, she could probe the experiences and thoughts of the subject during a certain period without restriction, but it required a certain price.

And that ink-green elixir was an auxiliary item for this method.

Although Luo Hua was the Sect Master and possessed immense strength and prestige, she had been in seclusion for many years, rarely inquiring about trivial sect matters and seldom appearing in public. Most of the sect’s affairs were handled by the Elders.

She had heard Wen Shurong’s name before because of her Master, Yuelan.

Yuelan had excellent aptitude for cultivation but had spent too much effort on this disciple, to the point of almost delaying her own cultivation.

Because of this, Luo Hua was initially somewhat displeased with Wen Shurong.

However, in the great hall today, she saw the girl’s stubbornness, which strongly resembled Yuelan in the past. For this reason, she changed her mind, choosing to pay a price and use the Wang Shen Shu to investigate the truth.

If Wen Shurong was indeed wrongly accused, she would personally clear her name.

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