This Is What a Villain Is Like

Chapter 167: Chapter 92: This Scheming Woman Colludes with the Blood Immortal Sect, Crushed into Mud Like a Flower (Part 2)

She was dressed in a snow-white Flowing Immortal Long Skirt, her silken hair cascading freely. Though a light veil obscured her face, her features seemed shrouded in a rosy mist, making it impossible to see them clearly.

Her figure was slender and graceful, with skin like jade—like a Fairy from Guanghan Palace walking the mortal realm, otherworldly and transcendent.

"Qi Heng, why do you so brazenly accuse me of colluding with the Blood Immortal Sect?" Ling Zhuyun asked as soon as she entered the hall.

Her voice was even, as enchanting as celestial music. It was like a warm breeze caressing the heart, plucking at its strings, possessing a strange, magical power that could soothe the soul.

The hall, which had been buzzing with heated debate, fell instantly silent upon her arrival.

The few youths who had just been berating Qi Heng now wore smiles of admiration. They looked toward Ling Zhuyun, thinking, ’She must have heard what we said in her defense.’

All the cultivators turned to look at Ling Zhuyun in unison.

Many frowned in confusion, surprised to see no other disciples from the Jasper Pool Sect with her. Some, however, spotted Jiang Lan and his group following behind her, and their expressions flickered, becoming dark and uncertain.

Xia Jie and Zhu Huang hadn’t expected Ling Zhuyun to appear at a time like this, let alone with Jiang Lan in tow.

’That Jiang Lan is lucky. To think he wasn’t casually killed by the Blood Immortal Sect and even made it here.’

Xia Jie’s eyes narrowed for a moment. He quickly composed himself, putting on a cheerful and amiable smile as he nodded in acknowledgment to Jiang Lan.

Jiang Lan, however, either didn’t notice him or simply didn’t care, giving him no response.

This made Xia Jie’s face darken, but for the sake of his father’s grand plan, he had no choice but to endure it.

"Ling Zhuyun, I’m surprised you still dare to show your face."

"But at a time like this, drop the act. You know full well how you colluded with that Ye Ling to lure us all here."

"And you ask why I’m slandering you? The fact that I haven’t already attacked to avenge my brothers is me showing you more than enough respect," Qi Heng said coldly.

He too was surprised by Ling Zhuyun’s appearance, but now that all pretenses were dropped, there was no reason to hold back.

Many people weren’t sure who this Ye Ling he mentioned was, and his words left them confused.

Qi Heng quickly explained, recounting the events of the tea-brewing gathering. He clarified that Ye Ling was the name the man had used when introducing himself.

As for whether it was his real name, Qi Heng was well aware it might not be. He had mentioned it deliberately, wanting to test Ling Zhuyun’s reaction.

At the same time, Qi Heng made sure to look at Jiang Lan, who stood behind Ling Zhuyun. "Young Master Jiang," he said, "it’s good that you’re here. I don’t know if you’ve seen Ling Zhuyun’s true colors yet, but let me offer a friendly warning: it’s best not to trust her."

"This woman is a deep schemer who has long been colluding with the Blood Immortal Sect. Her plan is to trap all the young Celestial Prides gathered here in one fell swoop. She is truly vicious."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lan merely gave a casual smile and said nothing, clearly content to just watch the drama unfold.

"Enough, Qi Heng."

"How much longer do you intend to slander me?"

Even with Ling Zhuyun’s heart typically as calm as still water and her considerable composure, Qi Heng’s repeated accusations of her being a "deep schemer" and "vicious" caused her expression to turn frosty, her beautiful face showing a hint of restrained anger.

She cried out softly, and a powerful, biting aura, as cold and sharp as the bright moon, descended and locked tightly onto Qi Heng.

If Qi Heng dared to utter another word to slander her reputation or tarnish her honor, she would surely not spare him.

The expressions of the cultivators in the hall shifted. Stunned by Ling Zhuyun’s aura, none of them dared to move recklessly.

A cold shiver ran through them. ’As expected of the Saintess of the Jasper Pool Sect,’ they thought, ’her cultivation is profound and her power is immense.’

If she were to attack, truly no one in the hall would be her match.

"Ling Zhuyun, what is the meaning of this?"

"Have you lost your temper and decided to lash out? This isn’t the Jasper Pool Sect. You can’t act so brazenly here."

Seeing this, Xia Jie and Zhu Huang exchanged a look before stepping forward to stand in front of Qi Heng.

The few of them were united. They had long since discussed the matter and reached an agreement: if they didn’t stick together, they might not make it out of this place alive.

"Hah. I am willing to swear a Great Heart Demon Oath on everything I’ve said."

"Brother Zhu Huang and Brother Xia Jie can also testify. We wouldn’t say such things if we didn’t have proof. Ling Zhuyun, you knew that Ye Ling was from the Blood Immortal Sect, yet you deliberately brought him with you."

"We already suspected there was something wrong with that Ye Ling back then. Even the masters from the Celestial Craftsmanship Creation Institute were helpless against the Array outside the Purple Mist Mountain Range. After racking their brains, they were only able to deduce a few steps."

"But Ye Ling, so young, was able to traverse it as if walking on flat ground, without even breaking a sweat. To say he didn’t know the Array here beforehand... I’d never believe it in a million years."

"At the beginning, Ling Zhuyun, to make us trust Ye Ling, you deliberately claimed he was an Array Master. Such a young Array Master—I ask you all, do you find that believable?"

"And along the way, Ling Zhuyun, you repeatedly covered for him and protected him. Outside the village, after Han Yiming’s younger brother was tragically killed, we demanded that you inspect Ye Ling’s Sumeru Ring, but you hesitated and stalled. If you claim to have nothing to hide, who could possibly believe you?"

"It was during that opportunity that Ye Ming was able to take advantage of the chaos and escape."

"And to cover your tracks, you didn’t even spare your own sect sisters. You deliberately separated from them, leaving them to die tragically at the hands of the Blood Immortal Sect. You are truly heartless."

Facing the many gazes upon him, Qi Heng stood in the center of the hall, his face a mask of cold fury. His voice was powerful, ringing with righteous indignation.

He hadn’t exaggerated a single part of his speech.

In fact, to keep it brief, he had even omitted several other suspicious details about Ye Ling.

These were conclusions he had reached only after careful reflection, which was why his hatred for Ling Zhuyun was now so intense.

This woman appeared so pure and otherworldly, but her heart was vicious and calculating.

"What..."

The few young disciples who had just been berating Qi Heng were stunned into silence by these words.

Many people turned to Ling Zhuyun, waiting to hear her explanation.

In the face of these accusations, however, Ling Zhuyun herself seemed to be stunned.

Beneath her veil, one could faintly see her beautiful face, her brow tightly furrowed. She remained silent.

The crowd, who had believed it impossible for Ling Zhuyun, the Saintess of the Jasper Pool Sect, to collude with the Blood Immortal Sect, now watched in disbelief and horror. A chill began to creep into their hearts.

They had assumed Qi Heng was just slinging mud, but now... could it be that his words were actually true?

At this point, it wasn’t just the people in the main hall.

Even Li Daoyi and the others couldn’t help but start to wonder. ’Has Ling Zhuyun threatened Young Master Jiang? Is that why he’s so quick to trust her?’

Jiang Lan knew what they were thinking. He simply waved his hand and said, "I’ll say it again: I believe in Saintess Zhu Yun’s innocence more than anyone."

’To be honest,’ he thought, ’I quite enjoy watching a pure, otherworldly saintess get knocked off her pedestal in public. The contrast is delicious—like watching a beautiful flower wither and be ground into the mud...’

’Of course, this whole situation wasn’t surprising in the least.’

’After all, he was the one who had been fanning the flames from behind the scenes to make it all happen.’

...

Li Daoyi, Ao Xu, and the others felt helpless. ’Ling Zhuyun is under so much suspicion,’ they thought, ’and he’s still so blinded by her beauty that he trusts her completely. Is this really okay?’

Ling Zhuyun’s elegant brows were tightly knitted. At this moment, she didn’t know how to explain herself either.

Because she understood that her own actions at the time were indeed full of suspicious points and inconsistencies.

Furthermore, Ye Ming himself had many secrets, and because she trusted him, she had intentionally helped conceal them.

But who could have predicted that Ye Ming would now be accused of belonging to the Blood Immortal Sect?

This made all her previous actions look as if she were in league with Ye Ming, intentionally protecting and covering for him.

She could actually understand why Qi Heng and the others had misunderstood her.