Free Web NovelChapter 10: The Guilty or Guiltless ~ 2
Everyone around was taken by visible shock, their faces searching for any kind of answer in the faces of their neighbours.
Many even looked across the yard, searching there, far off, whether it was at those across the yard, or at the think mountains surrounding their outer disciple region. Neither the inner disciple mountains or the core disciple mountains gave them answers.
All of them, for the briefest moment after he had said it, were wondering whether such an explanation could really be the truth.
The consequences of the sect finding and capturing a profane practitioner were not kind at all.
To accuse someone of being one of them... No one had seen it happen amongst them yet, but logically thinking, if your accusations were false, the consequences would likely not be kind. Not at all in the slightest.
The last profane practitioner that the sect had found, although they were not from the sect themselves, but instead one of the senior inner disciples that they had captured from the Ashen Dusk sect, was tortured and then decapitated.
It was a public event, celebrated by the whole lot of them, and at the same time that it was something that they celebrated, every disciple understood the true reasonings behind why the sect had made the decision to kill her publicly.
It had first of all been a great insult to the Ashen Dusk sect. Then secondly, it was a warning to the rest of them.
Ouyang Qianye would have likely suffered an even worse and more shameful death. He had been one of their Core Disciples for heaven’s sake!
Someone like that practicing profane techniques was amongst the greatest disrespects that could be done to their righteous sect!
They would have become a laughingstock amongst the top 5 sects of the region, as well as those sects below them.
Not to mention that it would severely complicate the ongoing negotiations for aid in their efforts against the Ashen Dusk.
Who would trust them? No matter what they offered as compensation for help, in the negotiations, once the news got out that one of their core disciples—even if he had been crippled and disgraced—had been practicing profane techniques, it would have been disgraceful!
At the very least, it was like the equivalent of a thief knocking on your door asking you to offer all of your belongings to them for nothing more than a pat on the back, a thank you and the disrespect of them gloating about their gifts to their thieving comrades!
They would all be sent back, shamed with their faces beaten bruised to blue and black because of him!
Thus, to see there being no consequence for what he said, there were hints of relief on the enforcers faces, despite the fear and worry on the expressions of most of the disciples.
Even the supervisor, although his was much more concealed, Qianye noticed the glimmers of it in his eyes.
’When you are amongst those that are sent out to fight in the skirmishes against the Ashen Dusk sect you do appreciate that the very same people that you are trying to protect at home are not burning the house down and making enemies of your neighbors at the same time.’
And right there, while the irons of their relief were still hot and scorching through Meng Jue’s assurance, Elder Han Tieliang asked first:
"Why was it in your possession?" The words slipped out of him with that little more urgency, "Is it yours?"
And Qianye smiled faintly, confessing, "Honestly speaking, Elder Han, there is no explanation for that beyond the simple fact that it is not mine."
"..."
Wind brushed through the area amidst the silence that descended from that moment.
[ You have disgraced an individual with Nascent grade Destiny. Meng Jue has lost 5 Fortuity, and you have gained 5 Fortuity. ]
[ You have disgraced an individual with Nascent grade Destiny. Meng Jue has lost 5 Fortuity, and you have gained 5 Fortuity. ]
[ You have disgraced an individual with Nascent grade Destiny. Meng Jue has lost 5 Fortuity, and you have gained 5 Fortuity. ]
[ Your actions have significantly affected Meng Jue’s Alignment towards you. His hatred grows darker at your insults, growing to two stars. ]
[ You have raised the Negative Alignment stars of an individual with Nascent grade Destiny towards you. You have gained 50 Fortuity. ]
[ Your actions have significantly affected Meng Jue’s Alignment towards you. His hatred grows darker at your insults, growing to three stars. ]
[ You have raised the Negative Alignment stars of an individual with Nascent grade Destiny towards you. You have gained 50 Fortuity. ]
Meng Jue, Xiao Bo and Mo Chen’s expressions soured as if they had swallowed the rotten innards of a long dead mystical beast with the faeces festered within it.
"So, as you can see," Qianye shrugged, chuckling to himself faintly, "I am utterly innocent. I do not know how that technique got into my residence. I’m being framed, perhaps by that brutish fool over there," Qianye waved a dismissive hand to Meng Jue who’s jaw was tensed so hard that it would not be a surprise if he broke his own teeth, and then he shrugged to himself, "or perhaps by someone else that I might have offended? It would have to be someone that has access to the Core Disciple mountain."
Here, his elf had been raising herself from the ground, grinding her teeth, perhaps feeling for what was left of the teeth in her mouth. She, with the sleeve of her green robe wiped off the blood from her mouth. Then the enforcer that had slapped her held her in place again, still without reducing the pressure on her despite him clearing his name. freewebnoveℓ.com
And Qianye quickly, before anyone could comment, then said:
"Another thing to clarify, Elder Han," He began, looking back into the man’s eyes that had lost some of their sternness, "I believe that my elf did not try to kill Meng Jue. Not without good reason, so may you, for this moment at least, put away any prejudice against elves to hear me out?"
The supervisors brows furrowed, as did the enforcers. Suddenly, she snapped her head towards him, her eyes widened a little. And regardless of the sharpened shift in attention, he continued:
"In the three years since I have taken her in, not once has she broken a single rule of the sect, or of propriety. She is decorous, respectful and considerate." Qianye scoffed faintly, and in the peripheries of his vision, he saw her eyes fall back to a graced calm, "Elder Han, I have admittedly made... rivals of many within the sect." freeωebnovēl.c૦m
She looked ahead again, seemingly at nothing as the enforcer held her down, still not loosening his hold, and he went on:
"This is not the first time that anyone with grievances against me has sought me out and because of her intervention, had not been allowed to see me and saw it fit that she should receive disciplinary slaps," he re-emphasised as his laugh grew sharper and derisive, and he briefly glared at Meng Jue who looked to be suffering to keep himself from saying something, "And still she has not once tried to attack or kill anyone for it," his voice grew more and more conspiratorial, "Yet someone like that has suddenly attempted to kill a disciple? A talented inner disciple no less?"
Then he paused once more, he glanced over at her briefly.
She was looking at him again, though discreetly and their eyes met for those few moments.
[ Your actions have significantly affected an unnamed beings Alignment towards you. ]
[ Your actions have significantly affected an unnamed beings Alignment towards you. ]
[ Your actions have significantly affected an unnamed beings Alignment towards you. ]
[ Her esteem shimmers brighter at your acknowledgement, growing to four stars. ]
[ You have raised the Positive Alignment stars of an individual with Fated grade Destiny towards you. You have gained 40 Fortuity. ]
[ Her esteem shimmers brighter at your acknowledgement, growing to five stars. ]
[ You have raised the Positive Alignment stars of an individual with Fated grade Destiny towards you. You have gained 40 Fortuity. ]
He let the faintest smile slip, then, as his expression sobered again, he looked back up at Elder Han.
"And that then begs the question: Under what circumstances would she use and be allowed to use lethal force? After all, as much as she might not have tried to kill him, there is always some truth to a lie. Thus, what is true is that they fought."
