JSCMU-Chapter 53: Selfish and Cold-Hearted

“Senior Brother, do you really have nothing to say?” Ye Danxia pressed urgently.

She still had a bright future ahead and absolutely could not bear such a stain on her name.

Second Senior Brother did it, so he should take responsibility for the consequences!

Gu Jinghong pressed his lips together tightly.

Looking at Ye Danxia’s pitiful state, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Fine.

His little junior sister was still so young, this incident must’ve terrified her.

Gu Jinghong took a step forward, just about to speak.

But Ye Danxia, seeing him pause, assumed he was unwilling to confess. She couldn’t wait any longer and blurted out, “This matter truly has nothing to do with me. It was Second Senior Brother who said he wanted to teach Yun Jin a lesson. I even tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen. Everything that happened today must’ve been because of something he did. I ask the Master to investigate thoroughly.”

Gu Jinghong, mouth already half open, slowly closed it again.

He stared at Ye Danxia in a daze.

The innocent, kind-hearted little junior sister? The soft, sweet girl?

Looking at her now, eager to throw him under the bus, he felt a chill run down his spine.

He was originally ready to confess.

But the way Ye Danxia so urgently pushed him under the bus… It left a strange, bitter taste in his heart.

“Jinghong, is this true?” Zhao Wuji turned to Gu Jinghong.

Gu Jinghong’s lips trembled slightly, and for a long time, he couldn’t speak.

“How interesting,” Lin Ya suddenly said with a cold laugh. “So what you’re saying is, this whole scheme was originally aimed at my disciple? And if something hadn’t gone wrong, the person being accused of harboring evil aura right now would be my little disciple? Sect Master, is that what you mean?”

A faint glint of cold light flickered in Lin Ya’s eyes.

This time, Xiao Jin had been clever enough to dodge the trap.

But if she wasn’t able to?

She probably wouldn’t even get the chance to defend herself before being tortured and thrown into the abyss!

Zhao Wuji said slowly, “I, myself, also don’t know what the situation is. Jinghong, you should explain.”

Gu Jinghong looked at his stern-faced master, then at the teary-eyed Ye Danxia, and calmly said, “It was me. After I returned, I heard Yun Jin made Little Junior Sister upset and caused Eldest Senior Brother to be confined. I was blinded by rage and made a mistake.”

“What did you do to my spirit beasts?” Ling Fei looked at Gu Jinghong, his eyes stripped of all former warmth.

Once, he had deeply valued Gu Jinghong’s talent for beast-taming and treated him with kindness and care. He had no direct disciples of his own, yet he taught Gu Jinghong as though he were one.

But now…

Ling Fei had finally realized.

The one he had treated as a disciple had used him, used the spirit beasts of the Beast Pavilion! To orchestrate this entire setup!

If Gu Jinghong didn’t unexpectedly make a mistake, then today, he would’ve been manipulated into wrongly accusing an innocent girl!

Ling Fei was filled with rage at the thought.

Gu Jinghong also understood.

At this point, there was no way he could salvage his relationship with Ling Fei.

He let out a bitter laugh and said, “It was Beast-Luring Powder. Early this morning, I volunteered to help feed the spirit beasts. In truth, I mixed some of the powder into the food of the Qi Refining and low-level Foundation Establishment beasts. I timed it so the effects would erupt during the entrance ceremony.”

“And then?” Ling Fei stared at him. “You must have done something else.”

Just making the spirit beasts go berserk wouldn’t be enough to frame anyone.

Gu Jinghong didn’t try to hide anything further and admitted, “I also sprinkled some of the powder on the direct disciple’s robe. That robe was supposed to be worn by Yun Jin, but for some reason, there was a mix-up and Little Junior Sister ended up wearing it. That’s the whole story. Little Junior Sister isn’t the one with evil aura, it was all my doing.”

Ling Fei’s face darkened completely. He gritted his teeth. “Do you understand that Beast-Luring Powder causes irreversible damage to spirit beasts?”

Gu Jinghong fell silent.

Having spent so much time at the Spirit Beast Pavilion, of course he knew that.

Ling Fei was thoroughly disappointed. “You clearly knew, yet still used it to frame someone. And was even willing to harm the spirit beasts! I don’t care how the sect punishes you, but from this moment on, Gu Jinghong, you are forbidden from ever setting foot in the Spirit Beast Pavilion again!”

Ye Danxia, hearing Gu Jinghong confess, finally let out a sigh of relief. She quickly said, “Everyone heard that, right? I’m not the one with the evil aura, it was all my Second Senior Brother’s scheme!”

She said it eagerly, and even with a hint of delight.

But the crowd’s gaze toward her began to shift.

Everything was done by Gu Jinghong.

But his motive was to stand up for her.

And recalling how, when the spirit beasts charged at her, she stood firm without flinching, utterly confident…

Everyone could understand that even if she didn’t know Gu Jinghong’s exact plan, she definitely suspected something.

Back then, she thought Yun Jin would be the one to suffer. Her expression looked quite pleased, didn’t she?

Did she think about exposing Gu Jinghong then?

That seems unlikely.

But now…

With things having gone awry and the blame landing on her instead, she didn’t hesitate for a second before throwing Gu Jinghong to the wolves.

She looked like she wanted nothing more than to drag Gu Jinghong into the abyss, just to escape herself.

Such a woman…

Selfish. Cold-hearted. Absolutely terrifying.

Many present began to silently resolve themselves to keep their distance from Ye Danxia.

Yun Jin watched it all, her lips curling slightly.

In her past life, Ye Danxia wasn’t only doted on by her master and senior brothers, everyone in the sect treated her like a little fairy, describing her with nothing but praise.

But in this life?

Her facade was being peeled away layer by layer.

Would anyone still call her a little fairy now?

A sect darling?

Heh. Don’t even think about it.

Ye Danxia’s expression was so radiant with relief that even Zhao Wuji paused, a strange feeling rising in his chest.

This little disciple of his…

Ye Danxia sensed something was off and quickly tried to recover: “I… I didn’t mean anything else. I just didn’t approve of Second Senior Brother’s actions and want to help him realize his mistake. But he did this all for me, so Danxia begs the Sect Master to show leniency.”

As she spoke, she started kowtowing again.

Her reaction was fast, but her earlier behavior had already been seen by everyone.

Now, not just outsiders, even Gu Jinghong’s expression turned cold.

Gu Jinghong said calmly, “Everything is my fault. I ask the Sect Master to punish me.”

He knelt down steadily.

“Sect Master, how do you intend to handle this matter?” Lin Ya sneered. “I still don’t understand what grave sin had my young disciple committed that you all insist on utterly destroying her. First it was Chen Hao, then Ruan Jun, and now Gu Jinghong. Luckily, Xiao Jin was blessed by the heavens, turning misfortune into fortune. Had this scheme succeeded, I trust everyone here understands the fate that would have befallen her. What Gu Jinghong did is no different than attempted murder. I’ll leave the punishment to you, Sect Master.”

Gu Jinghong knelt there in defeat.

Zhao Wuji’s face twisted with inner conflict.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

At that moment, Yun Jin suddenly spoke up, “Senior Brother Gu tried to frame me, I’m the victim. May I say a few words regarding the punishment?”