This Is What a Villain Is Like

Chapter 168: Chapter 93: Who Would Joke About Their Own Good Name? What Do You Take Me For?

Ling Zhuyun fell silent.

She had already realized that no matter how she explained herself, a fatal flaw would emerge.

Initially, the reason she had favored Ye Ming and covered for him was her fear that his identity as the assassin who tried to kill Jiang Lan would be exposed.

At the time, Ye Ming had tried to assassinate Jiang Lan under the guise of being an accomplice to that assassin from Yu Yi City, Lin Fan. And wasn’t that assassin a remnant of the Blood Immortal Sect?

In other words, from the moment she chose to cover for Ye Ming, it was destined that she would be implicated and unable to explain herself, leading everyone to believe she was hiding his identity as a member of the Blood Immortal Sect.

At this point, her only way out was to reveal her true reason for favoring Ye Ming. But doing so would be tantamount to publicly admitting that she had lied and deceived everyone at the tea ceremony.

What would become of the Jasper Pool Sect’s reputation? Even if she, the Saintess, managed to explain everything, her own credibility would be in tatters from that day forward.

Furthermore, even now, a part of her was unwilling to believe that Ye Ming could be connected to the Blood Immortal Sect, or that he had deceived and used her.

But it seemed she had unknowingly walked into a dead end.

"Ling Zhuyun, what else do you have to say for yourself?"

Qi Heng demanded again, subtly signaling for the people behind him to join forces and apprehend Ling Zhuyun.

"..."

Ling Zhuyun remained silent, her brows furrowed slightly. The imperious and sharp aura she’d had upon arrival was completely gone.

"Qi Heng, are you truly certain that Ye Ling is a member of the Blood Immortal Sect?"

She finally asked after a long pause.

"Heh, could what we saw with our own eyes be false? All the signs pointed to him being highly suspicious. At a time like this, Ling Zhuyun, do you still want to favor him and cover for him?"

"Your junior sisters trusted you so completely, all for nothing. Yet you conspired with an outsider, led them here, and sent them to their deaths."

Qi Heng snorted, not at all surprised by Ling Zhuyun’s current reaction.

"Did you personally see my junior sisters die within the Blood Immortal Sect’s Array?"

Ling Zhuyun froze. She asked a moment later, the light in her eyes dimming behind her veil.

All along the way, she had been trying to contact the other Disciples of the Jasper Pool Sect, but she had received no response.

Now, even the younger generation from powers like the Ancient Inquiring Sect and Biyou Grotto Heaven had been completely wiped out.

Without her protection, the Disciples of the Jasper Pool Sect had likely met a grim fate.

"Are you really clueless, or just pretending to be? I didn’t see it myself, but one thing is certain: no one has seen any Disciples from the Jasper Pool Sect. They probably all died outside the Secret Realm."

"Even I barely escaped with my life. Do you really think your junior sisters could have survived an encounter with the Blood Immortal Sect?"

Seeing Ling Zhuyun’s expression, Qi Heng was actually taken aback for a moment.

’But this woman can’t be trusted. What if she’s deliberately putting on such an expression to deceive everyone?’

Ling Zhuyun fell silent again.

’Did my junior sisters really die at the hands of the Blood Immortal Sect? Because I was negligent and left, I failed to protect them...’

’I originally went to find those few missing junior sisters, but in the end, I couldn’t protect anyone.’

For a moment, Ling Zhuyun’s heart was plunged into a state of panic and confusion.

She subconsciously looked toward Jiang Lan, biting her lip beneath her veil.

Jiang Lan noticed her gaze, and a flicker of interest sparked within him.

’You reap what you sow. Shouldn’t you be the one to grit your teeth and bear the bitter fruit?’

Of course, he knew full well that in Ling Zhuyun’s smooth-sailing life, she had never encountered a situation like this. She had never even been questioned before, let alone been framed and suspected of such a crime.

However, Jiang Lan still had no intention of intervening. After all, this was about... disciplining... no, tempering her. And this level of pressure was far from enough.

So he simply responded with a warm and gentle smile, as if to reassure her that he had always believed she could never collude with the Blood Immortal Sect.

’In any case, at a time like this, all she has to do is insist that she didn’t know Ye Ming was with the Blood Immortal Sect and sever all ties with him. Wouldn’t that solve the problem?’

Jiang Lan was still counting on the immense fortune that their falling out would bring him.

Ling Zhuyun stared blankly for a second, then quickly understood the meaning in his eyes. ’He can’t help me? Is he telling me to fend for myself?’

’It’s true. At a time like this, what could he possibly do to help me?’

’I can’t even explain it myself. Whether I explain or not, the Jasper Pool Sect will be disgraced because of my actions.’

’Explain that I was deceived by Ye Ming and didn’t know he was from the Blood Immortal Sect? I can’t bring myself to say such a thing; it goes against my conscience. After all, if I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, how is concluding that Ye Ming is part of the Blood Immortal Sect any different from framing him?’

Seeing Ling Zhuyun simply remain silent, Jiang Lan clicked his tongue internally, feeling a slight headache coming on.

’If Su Qinghan were in this situation, she would have washed her hands of the matter long ago and saved her own skin.’

’But no, this stubborn, one-track-minded woman has no idea how to be flexible. She was willing to lie for someone else, but she can’t tell a little lie for herself to smooth things over and be done with it. Instead, she chooses to stay silent and wait for the end.’

In Jiang Lan’s eyes, this was a trivial matter, something that couldn’t be smaller. Why create such a sense of helplessness over it?

’Sometimes, being too principled isn’t necessarily a good thing.’

’She still needs more disciplin... tempering.’

"Saintess Zhu Yun has walked the mortal realm for many years, punishing evil, promoting good, and helping the common people. I’m sure you all have your own judgment about the kind of person she is."