Chapter 47: The Matter Concluded, the Master Demands an Explanation

Su Miaoqing scrutinized the man in blue. He was gentle, refined, and radiated the calm assurance of someone in control. More importantly, he had effortlessly blocked her Vermilion Bird Burning the Heavens with a single defensive technique.

She knew when she was outmatched. Fighting him would yield nothing but embarrassment.

“Fine,” Su Miaoqing said, tossing her hair back. “For Xiao Feng’s sake, I will give you some face. But let me be clear: if you don’t give me a satisfactory answer, I will go straight back up the mountain and tell my father.”

She wisely took the opportunity to step down gracefully.

Xuan Yi offered a bitter, polite smile. “Rest assured, I will handle this impartially. I will ensure justice is served for this Junior Brother. Please, tell me exactly what happened.”

Xiao Yifeng didn’t waste the chance. He recounted the events in vivid detail, omitting nothing. Su Miaoqing chimed in from the sidelines, adding colorful commentary whenever she felt he missed a point.

As the story unfolded, Xuan Yi’s expression grew colder and colder. Finally, he turned slowly to face the sweating overseer.

“Steward Li,” Xuan Yi said, his voice dropping a few degrees. “Is what my Junior Brother Xiao and Junior Sister Su described true?”

Li Yuanming couldn’t possibly admit to it. He shook his head frantically. “No! Absolutely not! None of that happened!”

“Oh?” Xuan Yi’s eyes narrowed. “So, you are implying that two True Disciples of the Wentian Sect are liars? You are suggesting that our sect makes a habit of framing innocent overseers with slander?”

The accusation was heavy, a mountain pressing down on Li Yuanming’s neck. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He was trapped.

“I can testify!”

Ling Sisi stepped forward from the crowd, her voice trembling but determined. “Li Lifang and this Steward were indeed conspiring to frame Senior Brother Xiao. I saw everything.”

Xiao Yifeng looked at Ling Sisi with gratitude. She met his gaze and gave a microscopic nod.

After confirming her identity, Xuan Yi turned to Tang Pei and the other disciples. “And you? What did you see?”

Tang Pei and the others, seeing the wind blow in a different direction, didn’t dare hide the truth. They spilled everything, corroborating Xiao Yifeng’s story. Xuan Yi even questioned a few passing merchants, cementing the facts beyond doubt.

“The evidence is irrefutable,” Xuan Yi said, staring down at Li Yuanming. “What else do you have to say?”

“I… I was just following the rules!” Li Yuanming stammered, making a desperate, dying struggle. “Perhaps I was a bit excessive, but—”

“Enough.” Xuan Yi cut him off. “I will report this matter to the Sect immediately. We will demand a formal explanation from the Green Mountain Sect regarding your conduct. As for Junior Brother Li Lifang, the Enforcement Hall will be conducting a thorough investigation into his actions.”

Hearing the words “Enforcement Hall,” the blood drained from the faces of both uncle and nephew. They collapsed to their knees, begging for mercy, their foreheads banging against the pavement.

Xuan Yi ignored them completely. He turned back to Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing, his expression softening into an apologetic smile.

“This incident occurred due to my lax supervision,” Xuan Yi said with a sigh. “I caused trouble for Junior Brother Xiao and Junior Sister Su. If you hadn’t brought this to light, I don’t know how long I would have been deceived by these subordinates.”

He waved his hand, and two objects floated out from his storage bag, carried by a gentle current of Spiritual Energy. One was a shimmering azure shield, the other a lustrous pearl.

“These are two Middle Grade Magical Artifacts I obtained by chance,” Xuan Yi explained. “They are of little use to me now, so I gift them to you. It cannot undo the trouble you faced, but please accept them as my apology. I hope you find this satisfactory.”

Su Miaoqing raised an eyebrow. Seeing that he had handled the matter fairly and was even offering expensive gifts, her opinion of him improved slightly.

“Not bad,” she said, snatching the items from the air. “I won’t stand on ceremony then.”

Without a second thought, she shoved both the shield and the pearl into Xiao Yifeng’s arms.

“Here, Xiao Feng. You’re poor and short on Magical Artifacts, right? Take them both.”

Xuan Yi’s smile froze. He had clearly intended the gifts to impress the beauty, perhaps hoping she would keep one for herself. Instead, she had unceremoniously dumped his courtship tokens onto her junior brother.

“By the way, Senior Sister,” Xiao Yifeng asked, clutching the artifacts. “Why are you down here? Do Master and Mistress know?”

“What kind of question is that?” Su Miaoqing rolled her eyes. “I told Mom I was coming down to bring you home for dinner. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten! Come on, if we don’t hurry, we’ll get scolded. Mom and Dad are waiting.”

“Wait, wait!” Xiao Yifeng turned back, bowing quickly to Ling Sisi and the others.

Then he faced Xuan Yi. “Yifeng thanks Senior Brother Xuan Yi for upholding justice. I will take my leave now.”

“Why are you thanking him? It’s his job!” Su Miaoqing grabbed Xiao Yifeng’s arm and physically dragged him away. She waved her hand, and the white kitten—which had vanished during the fight—leaped onto her shoulder.

Xiao Yifeng smiled bitterly. He tried to explain the concept of social etiquette to her as he was hauled away, but she just waved him off.

They exited the market gate, transformed into streaks of red and blue light, and shot into the sky.

Xuan Yi stood rooted to the spot, watching the two figures disappear into the clouds, their laughter fading in the wind. His expression was unreadable.

Nearby, Ling Sisi also watched them leave, a look of quiet desolation in her eyes.

That evening, inside the dining hall of Wuya Hall.

“Qing’er,” Lin Ziyun asked casually while serving rice. “Where did you run off to today? I didn’t see you all afternoon.”

“Nowhere special,” Su Miaoqing lied with the practiced ease of a troublesome child. “I just went for a walk in the back mountains.”

Xiao Yifeng buried his face in his bowl. So she really did sneak out. He now had leverage over her, but he wouldn’t dare use it. After all, she had broken the rules to protect him.

“Hmph.” Lin Ziyun slammed her chopsticks down. “How long do you plan to lie to me? I received a message from Qiankun Hall an hour ago. You two really know how to cause trouble.”

The jig was up.

Su Miaoqing’s face fell instantly. “Mom! That guy Xuan Yi is so annoying! He actually betrayed us? How shameless! A grown man tattling to parents!”

“This matter involves a diplomatic incident between the Wentian Sect and the Green Mountain Sect,” Su Qianyi barked, his face stern. “How could he not report it? If he dared to hide it, that would be audacious. Do you think everyone is as reckless as you?”

“Dad! I was getting justice for Xiao Feng!” Su Miaoqing protested. “They were bullying him right there in the market! That Xuan Yi guy was ignoring it. If I hadn’t stepped in, who knows how long Xiao Feng would have suffered?”

“You nearly beat a Green Mountain Sect steward to death, and you call that ‘justice’?” Lin Ziyun scolded, though her tone lacked real fire. “However… seeing as you didn’t cause a major disaster, I will let you off this time.”

Xiao Yifeng opened his mouth to defend his Senior Sister, but Lin Ziyun turned her gaze on him like a hawk.

“And you, Xiao Feng. You were bullied during the training and said nothing? Do you take your Mistress’s words as wind past your ears?”

“This disciple wouldn’t dare!” Xiao Yifeng bowed his head deeply. “I know I was wrong. It won’t happen again.”

Su Miaoqing stuck out her tongue and made a quick face at Xiao Yifeng behind her mother’s back. Xiao Yifeng fought the urge to laugh.

“Xiao Feng,” Lin Ziyun sighed, her voice softening. “Maybe you shouldn’t go back to the training. Tomorrow, I’ll go to Qiankun Hall and withdraw you. It’s not worth the abuse.”

“Mistress, that really isn’t necessary,” Xiao Yifeng insisted. “After the scene Senior Sister caused today, no one will dare touch me.”

“Ai…” Lin Ziyun shook her head, then shot a glare at her husband. “This is all your Master’s fault.”

Su Qianyi blinked. He had barely said two sentences, yet somehow, the blame had landed squarely on his head. He opened his mouth to argue, saw his wife’s expression, and wisely shut it again.

The Hall Master of Wuya Hall, a powerful cultivator, could only lower his head and eat his rice in sullen silence.