JSCMU-Chapter 90: She Doesn’t Mind, I Do

Zhao Wuji’s expression darkened slightly.

He fixed his gaze on the disciple he favored most.

He didn’t even know why, but he always felt an unusual affinity toward Ye Danxia.

During the entrance exam for new disciples, the first moment he laid eyes on Ye Danxia, he felt she was suited to become his disciple.

What followed didn’t need to be said, both Ruan Jun and Gu Jinghong’s troubles were, to some degree, related to her.

Those were disciples he painstakingly cultivated, and yet all because of Ye Danxia, one was now in seclusion, while the other became someone’s servant.

He should have been furious, should have been angry.

But…

Whenever he saw Ye Danxia, he just couldn’t bring himself to be mad.

He always felt that none of it was truly her fault, that it was all because Yun Jin pushed too hard, refusing to let things go.

But this time…

He really didn’t expect for Ye Danxia to lie to him.

Last night, when he saw the severity of her wounds, Zhao Wuji nearly lost control and almost crippled Gu Jinghong then and there.

He never once doubted Ye Danxia.

So when Yun Jin raised that doubt, he was truly stunned.

That’s right.

That protective artifact was supposed to activate automatically upon being attacked.

Then how did Ye Danxia’s first injury happen?

He indeed personally witnessed Gu Jinghong going insane, trying to kill her. But at that time, the shield was already activated, and it was clear that he hadn’t broken through it.

Such an obvious flaw…

He didn’t even consider it because he trusted Ye Danxia!

Zhao Wuji couldn’t help glancing at Gu Jinghong.

Gu Jinghong calmly looked back at his master. He, too, wanted to know, how would Zhao Wuji choose this time?

“Master…” Ye Danxia looked at Zhao Wuji, her voice sorrowful.

Zhao Wuji looked at her.

She looked so pitiful like this, it was truly heartbreaking.

That child even said during the day that she feared Gu Jinghong would be used by Yun Jin. Perhaps she was just too afraid?

Because she was too afraid, she had no choice but to take such a desperate measure.

Zhao Wuji’s mind was spinning.

“Sect Master,” Lin Ya said with interest, “So it was truly you who deliberately altered that life-saving artifact so that it would require manual activation? Although such a modification does seem rather… unintelligent, if the Sect Master personally did it, then you surely had your reasons. We’re all ears.”

Ye Danxia merely looked pitifully at Zhao Wuji.

Lin Ya’s tone was laced with sarcasm. Zhao Wuji fell silent for a while, then said slowly, “Indeed… it was refined by me. I did that while mainly considering how there shouldn’t be any great danger within the sect. Even if something did happen, Danxia would have enough time to manually activate the artifact. When she goes on missions outside the sect in the future, she can switch to an automatically triggered one. I simply didn’t expect Yun Jin to be so bold as to harm her fellow disciples.”

Ye Danxia immediately let out a long sigh of relief.

Regardless of whether that explanation made logical sense.

As long as it could be spoken aloud, who would dare question the sect master?

Gu Jinghong lowered his gaze, a cold smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

If Zhao Wuji made Ye Danxia admit fault the same way he once forced Gu Jinghong to do so, he could’ve still believed that his master was fair and just.

As a result?

He was even willing to gamble his reputation just to help Ye Danxia cover up this lie.

Gu Jinghong didn’t know why Zhao Wuji favored Ye Danxia so much.

But he didn’t need to know anymore.

From now on, none of this had anything to do with him.

“It is exactly as I said,” Zhao Wuji said slowly. “I have no reason to lie.”

That protective jade pendant had already been used once and was now inactive, there was no way to verify it anymore.

At this point, no one could prove he was covering for Ye Danxia.

Zhao Wuji’s thought process was simple.

After last night’s events, the master-disciple relationship between him and Gu Jinghong was beyond repair.

But Ye Danxia still had a bright future ahead.

Rather than trying to balance both sides, it was better to abandon one.

Besides, a second disciple who now served Yun Jin? He didn’t want him anymore.

“Xiao Jin,” Ye Danxia now had the confidence to continue, “the flaw you pointed out is nothing more than your own overthinking. Senior Brother Gu treats me so well, how could I possibly use such means to frame him? What would I gain? Even if he nearly killed me this time, I don’t blame him. I know, it couldn’t have been his true intent.”

As she spoke, Ye Danxia looked toward Gu Jinghong with tears shimmering in her eyes.

Gu Jinghong stood there like an old tree in meditation, eyes lowered, not even sparing her a glance.

Ye Danxia felt a bit humiliated but still put on a wounded expression at the right moment. She turned toward Zhao Wuji and suddenly knelt down: “Master, I don’t wish to pursue what happened last night any further. Xiao Jin and I grew up together, and Senior Brother Gu only ended up like this because of me. Though I was seriously injured, my life is not in danger. I ask you, Master. Please let this matter go.”

Ye Danxia looked sorrowful, with an expression that said she was unwilling to pursue the matter further.

Zhao Wuji also understood at this point that this matter could not be investigated any deeper. He coughed twice and said some polite words, “Since Danxia has said so, I will respect her wishes and no longer pursue it. Yue Lin, close the case.”

Yue Lin hurriedly responded, “Then this matter—”

“This matter has already been brought to trial, so naturally it must be thoroughly examined,” Yun Jin suddenly interrupted Yue Lin. “She doesn’t want to pursue it? Then I will pursue it to the end!”

“Yun Jin, don’t go too far!” Zhao Wuji threatened faintly. “Yesterday, what were you trying to do by having Gu Jinghong find those five disciples? And what were you trying to do by sending him to the spiritual fields? I did promise that he would follow your orders, but did I say you could act so recklessly? Of course, these are all small matters that I can let go. I have said, all matters end here. Do you understand?”

Yun Jin gave him a brilliant smile. “End here? What, is the Discipline Hall just for show? Isn’t Yue Hall Master the actual head of the Discipline Hall? When did you, Sect Master, also take on that role? You say to start a public trial, and it starts. You say to end it, and it ends. With Hall Master Yue just sitting there, he seems entirely unnecessary. Don’t you think so, Hall Master Yue?”

Zhao Wuji’s face darkened slightly.

Yue Lin felt like he was sitting on needles.

It was true that he was Zhao Wuji’s man.

But… but this kind of thing shouldn’t be made so obvious.

Yue Lin looked at Zhao Wuji. Since he hadn’t spoken, Yue Lin could only ask, “Even if she’s not pursuing it, what more do you want?”

“She doesn’t mind but I do! I have never ordered Gu Jinghong to do anything that would harm others. Ye Danxia accuses me of instructing Gu Jinghong to kill her and now I believe she injured herself deliberately to frame me. Then let’s hold a public trial for this new accusation of mine.”

Yun Jin spoke calmly: “I also want to accuse the Sect Master of shielding his disciple and lying to everyone’s face! I also want to accuse the head of the Discipline Hall of being unjust in his enforcement of the rules, turning what should be the sect’s Discipline Hall into one that serves only the Sect Master’s faction! And finally, I want to accuse all of you sitting up there, the ten Peak Lords of Tianxing Sect. Sounds grand when spoken of, but in the end, you’re just ten puppets!”

Yun Jin seemed like she had gone mad, saying whatever she wanted.

The surrounding disciples were instantly frightened by what they heard.

But they couldn’t deny it, they also felt an odd sense of satisfaction.

Because the current Tianxing Sect really was like that.

All the good things went to the Sect Master’s faction; every decision favored his disciples.

Clearly, everyone was at the same disciple level, but if you were under the Sect Master, it seemed you were instantly a cut above the rest!

Yun Jin simply said out loud what everyone else was too afraid to say.