Free Web NovelChapter 9: The Guilty or Guiltless
The crack of a firework, a hard smash and the split of concrete resounded within the second of her speaking.
She had been slapped so hard that she crashed to the ground on one side and the air had been knocked out of her lungs.
Qianye’s eyes had snapped open, watching her grab for breath and cough out blood several broken teeth.
The male enforcer that had slapped her intoned, "Supervisor Han was not speaking to you, elf."
"Speak, cripple," The enforcer that held the sword to his throat pressed harder against his throat, drawing blood.
"..."
"Ouyang Qianye," the supervisor now stood directly before him, looming over him, "if I have to ask you again, I will immediately assume that what Inner Disciple Meng Jue has accused you of is true."
For a moment, Qianye didn’t respond. He glanced over to Meng Jue, that gloryful gaze of his, seemed so untouchable.
Qianye’s eyes drifted over to meet the cold, stern blue of the supervisor, and finally, he spoke:
"It’s not exactly... comfortable to speak when one has a sword cutting through their neck. Wouldn’t you say, Supervisor Han?"
"Insolent fool!"
Qianye didn’t bother looking over to Xiao Bo who had barked. His eyes remained trained on the man before him.
’If he really wanted to, he could have killed me instantly the moment that he saw the scroll.’
The insecurity of what kind of people would come from the disciplinary hall when he had manipulated Meng Jue into calling them was the biggest hurdle that he had to cross.
Everything depended on the type of person they were, and initially, he was truly, desperately worried about it.
That was why he had tried to catch that cunt as soon as possible. Alas, he happened to be rather unfortunate not to.
"Ease the blade, Xue Jingde."
"At once, Supervisor Han."
Qianye finally took the first comfortable breathe that he had taken, though still swallowing down the pain of his fractured knees.
"Thank you, Supervisor Han, for being so impartial and understanding."
"Cease the charlatanry and answer the question!" Came the demand from the enforcer that had slapped his elf.
Qianye didn’t glance over at him, keeping his gaze locked on Han.
"I trust that as I did not interrupt Meng Jue’s arguments, neither did I shout against the jeers of the crowd, I will be afforded the same grace, yes?"
"So long as the answer you give me does not confirm that you have been secretly cultivating profane techniques, and provides the answer to whether the technique is yours or not." The man’s brows furrowed a little, "Do not think for a second I believe what the elf said."
"That is all I ask, Elder Han."
Qianye smiled faintly, and before he said anything else, he glanced over to Meng Jue slightly daringly.
His eyes drifted back over to supervisor hand and one of his hands went to rest over his heart.
"Then, to ensure that everything is clear and without any chance that I mislead you or anyone here in witness, I will prove my sincerity."
His smile grew wider, and suddenly, the air was relieved of all the lingering profanity from opening the scroll.
Leaves that had fallen to the ground were drifted and swirled, being drawn around the supervisor and Qianye.
Then, a breeze washed through the yard. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
The enforcers and the supervisor, understanding what was about to happen, had their eyes widened a little.
"I swear by my Dao Heart, that if I lie about anything in my response to these accusations of profanity, whether by omission or by intent, to the disciplinary enforcer supervisor, Elder Han Tieliang, may I be reduced to a mortal, have heart demons haunt me for the rest of my life and may I be struck by lightning the moment after I lie, and each storm after that moment."
Ouyang Qianye may have been crippled, physically, by Chu Xuan, however, there was a stark difference between how disconnected mortals—who could not cultivate at all—were to cultivation, and a physically crippled cultivator. It was like bland food and the greatest buffet.
After all, the existence of a being was not singularly about the physical body. His soul was still connected to the essences of cultivation and Dao, and thus, he could still swear upon his Dao Heart.
Hearing his declaration, Meng Jue and the inner disciples were each immediately condemned to being possessed by ugly, shocked expressions.
And so had everyone in the crowd. None of them had expected him to do such a thing!
Because if he was confident enough to do it in the first place, did that not mean... They all dreaded to imagine anything further than that.
"Supervis—"
"Silence!" A damning pressure descended and Xiao Bo, who had attempted to speak out, was crashed to face plant over the ground. "And do not disrespect me further, before I sentence you to two weeks in the Gorge." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Everyone muted even the sound of their breaths as best as they could at that, and Xiao Bo remained pressed against the concrete.
Meanwhile, Han Tieliang had not looked away from Qianye, and thus, with the intrusion quelled, he said, "You may continue."
Qianye’s hand fell back to his side and he brandished a faint smile as he began:
"Elder Han, it is not true that I practiced profane cultivation. Not once, ever, have I considered practicing a profane technique. All of my unscrupulousness was the consequence of my desperate upbringing.
When you must grow us scrounging for food from the days you are young, hardly able to sleep without fear that someone might kill you for the morsels of bread that you salvaged for yourself in the throwaways of those more fortunate than yourself, it is only natural that you end up... callous and insensitive.
I will not act as if what I have grown up as, and done as a consequence of it is right or justified by using this as an excuse, however, I will certainly stand for my upbringing if it is being conflated with degenerate practices."
Meng Jue’s countenance fell uglier and uglier as his sentences rolled on. He kept glancing to the skies, as did many of the disciples.
[ 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. ]
After swearing on his Dao Heart, the moment even the slightest slip of falsehood had slithered from Qianye’s mouth in those words that he said the clouds should have already formed to smite him!
And yet there was nothing.
[ Your actions have significantly affected Meng Jue’s Alignment towards you. His contempt has become one star Hatred. ]
[ You have raised the Negative Alignment grade of an individual with Nascent grade Destiny towards you. You have gained 25 Fortuity. ]
Nevertheless, Qianye continued:
