Green Leaf watched the scene unfold, laughing inwardly.
Earlier, she had stealthily taken the pearl artifact and placed it inside a wooden box, sealing it with a spirit-masking talisman. Then, under the guise of being friendly, she had approached the table where Ye Jinxiu was sitting. Initially, she felt a bit awkward after being treated coldly by Lin Huanhuan, but who would have thought that a fool like Ye Jinxiu would take the initiative to comfort her? It had given her more than enough time to tamper with things.
While she secretly conversed with Ye Jinxiu, she used a hidden technique to wedge the wooden box into the intersection of the wooden supports beneath the table. After finishing her work, she made her exit.
Now, the real show was about to begin.
‘This frame-up was my masterpiece. I want to see if you have the same luck as last time.’
***
Looking at the Wind-Settling Pearl before her, Ye Jinxiu’s pupils suddenly constricted. ‘How could this thing be here? When was it put in?’
The moment this question surfaced in her mind, she immediately had the answer: someone was definitely framing her!
‘Damn it, who is it? I’ve been diligent and hardworking, and I’ve almost never offended anyone. Why would someone frame me? It makes no sense.’
Ye Jinxiu racked her brain but couldn’t fathom the reason. She tried to guess from another perspective: ‘Generally speaking, in a situation like this where people are set against each other, the person who stands to gain the most afterward is usually the one behind it.’
‘But what benefit could be gained from dragging me into a dispute? I’m just an ordinary Lingyun Sect disciple. If they were plotting against the Nether Spring Spirit Vein, they should have carried out a secret raid like the White Tiger Hall did last time. I really don’t understand.’
Seeing her lost in thought for so long, Shangguan Muqing snorted again and said, “Have you thought of a way to lie your way out of this? No matter what you say, you can’t deny the facts.”
“If you behave and admit it now, I might consider not looking too deeply into it. I’ll ask the people from the Disciplinary Hall to treat you with leniency and give you a chance to turn over a new leaf.”
Shangguan Muqing narrowed her slender eyes, the corners of her lips curling upward. Although she had been furious when her artifact was first stolen, she felt an inexplicable sense of joy after discovering that the thief was closely associated with Lin Huanhuan.
‘Lin Huanhuan, oh Lin Huanhuan, your judgment is truly poor. To think you would take a liking to this kind of woman — a woman who covets petty wealth. Heh. But this is good. This counts as defeating you, and it’s truly a pleasant feeling.’
Shangguan Muqing laughed in her heart. Initially, she had been depressed by the array formation cultivation Lin Huanhuan had suddenly displayed, feeling that it would be difficult to defeat her in the future. She hadn’t expected this incident to happen so soon afterward. It truly made her feel delighted.
Ye Jinxiu was no ordinary person, however. Although her heart was in a state of panic and others were casting strange looks at her, she remained calm in the face of danger. “Miss Shangguan, I didn’t do this, so how can I admit to it?”
Ye Jinxiu analyzed the situation calmly. “Please think about it carefully. If I really did this, how could I possibly put it under my own table? Wouldn’t that be discovered easily?”
Shangguan Muqing nodded, her face clearly showing an expression that said, “Say whatever you want, I just don’t believe you.”
Ye Jinxiu felt helpless but could only continue, “Furthermore, even if I were bold enough to steal an artifact, I wouldn’t do it at a time like this. There are only a few of us in this secret realm. A simple investigation would reveal everything. No matter how you think about it, it’s illogical.”
“Therefore, this is clearly a frame-up.”
Shangguan Muqing replied, “How would I know what you were thinking? Maybe you thought the most obvious place was the safest and that we wouldn’t search this table. It’s just like that god-like person who destroyed the array; we normal people have no idea what they were thinking either.”
“And you claim it’s a frame-up? Then tell me in detail, what do you have on you that’s worth someone framing you for? Just don’t give me that nonsense about someone simply not liking you.”
‘Yeah, what do I have that’s worth someone framing me?’ Ye Jinxiu was temporarily at a loss for words because even she didn’t know the answer.
Despite her lack of words, Ye Jinxiu still didn’t want to give up. “Perhaps it’s because our perspectives are different, so we can’t figure out what that person is trying to do. If we investigate, we might find out.”
Even she felt a bit lacking in confidence as she spoke, and Shangguan Muqing naturally grew impatient.
Shangguan Muqing, anxious to win one against Lin Huanhuan, couldn’t be bothered to listen further. She waved her hand. “Save those words for when you get to the Disciplinary Hall. I have no interest in hearing them.”
Ye Jinxiu couldn’t help but clench her fists and grit her teeth. She tried her best not to show any fear, but just as she was about to argue further, Huyan Yazhi spoke up. “What a hassle. It’s obvious at a glance that this woman stole the artifact, yet you’re giving her so many chances to explain herself.”
“If it were me, I would have already had her seized and sent to the Disciplinary Hall. To have this much contact with a lowly insect like her — aren’t you afraid of being stained by her pathetic aura?”
Huyan Yazhi was an extremely rare array master and held a significant status outside the Lingyun Sect. This could be seen by the fact that she was the primary lead for the array restoration.
At this moment, her words were like adding a heavy weight to the losing side of Ye Jinxiu’s scales, causing Ye Jinxiu’s face to change drastically.
Misfortunes never come singly. Green Leaf stepped forward again, speaking somewhat timidly, “Um, let me say something. Senior Sister Ye is usually very good to everyone. Although she lives a frugal life, her kindness has never changed.”
“She might have just been possessed by a moment of greed this time and did something foolish. Please don’t blame her too much.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Ye Jinxiu’s eyes widened, and her heart sank to rock bottom. ‘Green Leaf, you idiot! I’ve never seen you act this stupidly before. If you don’t know how to speak, why are you opening your mouth? How is this any different from pointing a finger directly at me?!’
She was completely speechless regarding her roommate.
The current situation was sliding toward a direction she didn’t want to see.
The looks others gave her became even stranger. Although they didn’t say it explicitly, that look of “How much longer do you want to keep acting? Everything’s been exposed, just admit it” made her heart turn cold.
Shangguan Muqing said displeasedly, “So, just because she’s ‘kind,’ she can steal my artifact? What does her kindness have to do with me? Go tell it to the people at the Disciplinary Hall!”
In an instant, Ye Jinxiu felt as if the entire world was targeting her, making every step difficult and leaving her isolated and helpless. She instinctively glanced at Lin Huanhuan and then gave a soft sigh.
‘I went a bit too far with teasing Lin Huanhuan earlier. She’s probably still angry and likely won’t help me. Forget it, I’ll just endure it myself. This was targeted at me anyway.’
‘As long as I refuse to admit I did it no matter what, the Disciplinary Hall’s punishment probably won’t be too severe. If I can find evidence to prove my innocence within the time limit, there’s still a chance to have the punishment overturned.’
‘This should be the best option.’
Thinking of this, Ye Jinxiu took a step forward and said, “I’ll go with you to the Discip—”
“Wait, let me say something.”
Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a voice from behind.
Ye Jinxiu turned back in disbelief and saw an expressionless Lin Huanhuan walking forward. Lin Huanhuan stepped in front of her, blocking those judgmental gazes.