Zong Lei said coldly, “Elder Luofeng is eager to protect his disciple, which we all understand. We ask, your disciple answers. If the explanation makes sense, wouldn’t that be better? All the other disciples who were not taken away have also been interrogated. Could it be that only your disciple is precious? Please cooperate!”
Looking at Zong Lei’s rooster-like, gloomy, villainous face, Gu Baiqing did not think this was something that would end with a simple answer. There was bound to be a follow-up move; the matter was not that simple. Why the suspicion was directed at Mo Xuanli for no reason at all was itself unreasonable.
“Master, I’ll answer,” Mo Xuanli suddenly stepped forward and said.
He did not like seeing his master suffer grievances for his sake. These people were merely suspecting him of being a spy. He was upright and forthright; he had done nothing wrong, so what was there to fear?
“First, that night I was resting in the courtyard with my master. I was tired and drank too much alcohol. I couldn’t handle the liquor. In the latter half of the night, I was affected by the formation. Because my mental state was unstable, I almost went into qi deviation, so afterward I stayed inside the room to recuperate.”
The people of the Hidden Gods Clan listened and nodded, indicating that such a situation was indeed possible. Zong Lei’s expression changed slightly; so did his son’s.
“Second…” Mo Xuanli glanced at Gu Baiqing.
Gu Baiqing’s eyes flickered. That day, Mo Xuanli had probably misunderstood and thought they were already together, so those sightseeing arrangements actually counted as… a date?
“Second, it was my first time at Taixu Hall. I had heard that Taixu Hall has many beautiful sights. I was afraid that after going to Constellation Island I would leave, so I begged my master to accompany me to see the scenery. Every place we went, I can recount. Each scene’s features, what we saw at the time, and what we encountered, I can tell them all.” Mo Xuanli then proceeded to describe every place’s scenery along with its characteristics and the events encountered, fully presenting to everyone a beautiful sightseeing tableau, making them feel as if they were there, experiencing the joy he felt while viewing the scenery at the time.
Gu Baiqing was utterly stunned, so that was how happy Mo Xuanli had been in those moments.
When they were together, even mountains and rivers in Mo Xuanli’s eyes ceased to be mere scenery; they became vivid, colorful worlds. He himself had never looked that closely…
Even others who had been there said that Mo Xuanli’s descriptions were far more beautiful than what they had actually seen.
To depict it so beautifully, even down to including the weather of that day, wasn’t something one could fabricate just to make excuses. It must have been truly felt, savored with heart at that time.
People around couldn’t help but nod. There was nothing to criticize, they could only say that the master and disciple shared a close bond, leisurely enough to appreciate the view together.
Gu Baiqing lowered his gaze.
It really had been a romantic and youthful date.
He had put so much thought into it… and realizing that, Gu Baiqing’s heart gave a faint, involuntary tremor.
“The third point,” Mo Xuanli continued, “I acted alone to seek Black Xuan Jade for crafting a spatial artifact. Taixu Hall should know where on Constellation Island such jade can be found. I can clearly describe the size and shape of the piece I retrieved, you can send people there to verify whether I’ve been there. Including travel time, after that I’ve been cultivating in the Spirit Spring.”
His gaze flickered slightly, but he still took out a brocade box from his robe, something he had kept close all this time.
When the box opened, inside lay a ring made from Black Xuan Jade, faintly emanating hidden spiritual power.
The moment Gu Baiqing saw that ring, his breath hitched as though an invisible hand had gripped his heart hard.
That was what Mo Xuanli had prepared… A token of affection, nearly a perfect match for the one he had given.
Gu Baiqing’s hands unconsciously tightened into fists, his expression growing strained and uneasy.
“We can attest to that,” Jingzhan was the first to speak but was suddenly tugged by Jingcheng beside him. Jingzhan looked over, puzzled, only to find that his elder brother now bore a trace of guardedness toward Mo Xuanli.
“That’s right, we can testify,” Li Xiuran also stepped forward. “We personally saw him return with the Black Xuan Jade and forge it, even your daughter witnessed the whole process.”
He Jingyuan’s face darkened when he saw Li Xiuran speaking on Mo Xuanli’s behalf, glaring furiously but Li Xiuran ignored him. After all, what he said was simply the truth.
“The fourth point: my master and I left early not because we discovered anything, but because there was a private matter to discuss. We only heard about the Constellation Island incident afterward, and I went there with my master, we then split up.”
As he spoke, Mo Xuanli’s expression dimmed. That night was like a jagged wound crawling over his heart, one he least wished to recall.
“I already said that when I went back, they were still there,” Fu Zhiyi interjected.
Li Xiuran added, “Jingzhan, Si Chun, and I met Mo Xuanli in the woods. With such a tight timeline, he couldn’t have done anything.”
“We can all testify,” said Si Chun.
Zong Lei’s face was changing color as Mo Xuanli dismantled his accusations one by one, but he stubbornly pressed on: “What private matter?”
“That’s enough! Do you have to pry into every personal affair now?” Gu Baiqing snapped angrily. “What are you, some gossip-monger?”
“Elder Luofeng,” Zong Lei replied coldly, “there is nothing that cannot be spoken of openly. If you were in my place, I’d dare answer.”
Gu Baiqing gave a short, cold laugh. “Private matter, is it? Fine, I’ll tell you. It was about your daughter.”
Zong Lei sneered. “Elder Luofeng, don’t try to use this to create ties. It’s true that my daughter and Disciple Mo share a fated bond, but that doesn’t mean I can neglect the truth of this matter.”
Gu Baiqing said bluntly, “Ha! My disciple only refrained from exposing it on the spot last night. He told me later that he noticed something wrong with the Yinyuan Stone. Any two people who stand before it would trigger a response.”
Thankfully, that misunderstanding now served well to divert attention and shift the focus.
Fu Zhiyi immediately caught on, naturally trusting his junior without question, and barked, “Such fine impartiality, Hall Master Zong, you do have a sense of humor. The Yinyuan Stone was tampered with. Tell me, what are the odds that it just happened to be your daughter who fell at that exact moment? Everyone knows full well what you’ve been scheming lately, can’t have him, so you’d rather ruin it? After pulling something like that, you expect us to believe your ‘fair trial’?”
The moment those words fell, the entire hall erupted into uproar. Zong Lei’s face changed drastically. “Nonsense!” he shouted.
“Nonsense? The moon still hangs in the sky, if you doubt, go test it yourself,” Gu Baiqing said icily.
Zong Lei was left speechless, struggling for a long while before finally bursting out, “You go too far, treating a young girl like this! Is this the ‘discipline’ of the Zixiao Sect?”
Gu Baiqing sneered. “My disciple is no older than your daughter, and she dares to face what she’s done. Why can’t yours? Spare me the moral high ground, is your daughter somehow more precious than my disciple?”
He hadn’t originally held any grudge against that girl, but remembering how she and her father had conspired to deceive Mo Xuanli still made him seethe.
“Stop changing the subject!” He Jingyuan suddenly roared. “Your disciple is the one under suspicion, why bring others into it?”
“Ridiculous. By your reasoning, I could find a hundred suspects. Before you accuse my disciple, have your sect’s disciples reflected on themselves?”
Gu Baiqing shot back coldly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room, his aura as a tribulation-stage cultivator pressing down on all sides. Within moments, those of weaker cultivation were forced to lower their heads.
“I’ve said it, evidence! This whole interrogation was baseless from the start. You still want to stir trouble? What, was this whole abduction by the demon clan too humiliating, and now someone doesn’t want to take responsibility, so you’re looking for a junior to scapegoat?”
Even as he said this, Gu Baiqing felt a pit forming in his stomach. Surely these people couldn’t be that stupid, with him, a high elder, standing right here, with Zixiao Sect as backing, and Mo Xuanli holding alliances with the True Dragon and the merfolk clans, they couldn’t possibly be that reckless.
It simply didn’t make sense.
What on earth was going on?
Why, by this point, were there still so many people in the hall looking at Mo Xuanli with such hostility?
Gu Baiqing’s unease only deepened. In truth, while outside earlier, he had carefully tried to recall the plot.
Even though much of the story had already gone off the rails, the schemes of the demon clan were usually more or less similar.
A similar event had occurred in the original text, the spies hidden within the various sects had acted at the same time, abducting several people, one of whom was Yun Yue. Yun Yue’s disappearance had dealt Mo Xuanli a heavy blow and further fueled the demonic nature within him.
Heartbroken and furious, Mo Xuanli had sworn to rescue his senior sister. Yet, when his true identity was later discovered, many had wrongly accused him, saying he had been involved in the abductions himself, one of the charges that later branded him a traitor.
The strange thing, however, was that after becoming the Demon Lord, he never went back to find Yun Yue. The matter was simply left unresolved. Of course, Gu Baiqing now knew that what he had read was an altered fanfiction version, so many plot points didn’t match but the part about the demon clan kidnapping hostages should still be the same.
He had originally thought the purpose of the kidnappings was to make the cultivation world too afraid to act rashly, buying time for the demons’ greater plans. Now, however, Gu Baiqing realized something else: the demon clan had been watching Mo Xuanli all along. So perhaps this entire kidnapping scheme was aimed at him, to push him toward demonic corruption.
The more Gu Baiqing thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Mo Xuanli hadn’t shown the slightest trace of suspicion, and the so-called evidence against him had been weak from the start. Surely they wouldn’t—
“Elder Luofeng, stop using your cultivation to oppress others!” someone suddenly shouted.
In an instant, several cultivators, each second only to Gu Baiqing in strength, joined forces, releasing their own spiritual pressure to counter his.
Gu Baiqing’s expression darkened slightly.
“I think you should all investigate properly before tearing each other apart!” The patriarch of the Hidden Gods Clan barked sharply, sending out a strike that broke up the brewing clash.
Even that brief exchange of power had nearly knocked the younger disciples off their feet, Mo Xuanli’s own face had gone pale.
“Grandfather, Mo Xuanli’s a good person! He saved me, how could he be a spy? That’s ridiculous!” Ji Chuling immediately stepped forward to defend him.
The patriarch patted her hand gently. “Quiet. Let’s hear the rest. Hall Master Zong, stop circling around, speak plainly. Some things are best tested directly.”
Both Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli felt their hearts leap to their throats.
They suddenly recalled Zong Lei’s earlier words that there were infiltrators who hadn’t been drawn away by the formation.
Zong Lei cleared his throat, then said righteously, “Mo Xuanli, ever since your rise to fame, the demon clan has always seemed to shadow your every step. We have reason to believe the demon clan was paving the way for you, helping you infiltrate the upper ranks of the cultivation world.
“We investigated you, you have no father, no mother, and your origins are entirely unclear. Before joining the Zixiao Sect, no one had ever heard of you. It’s as if you appeared out of thin air. Once, you had weak spiritual roots and no talent, yet suddenly, your cultivation soared by leaps and bounds. All of this proves that your identity is questionable!”
Zong Lei recited Mo Xuanli’s humble past with chilling calm, each word like a knife, stabbing straight into his heart, dragging his soul down into boiling oil.
Mo Xuanli felt the blood in his body begin to flow backward. That word, the one he feared most, the one he never wanted to hear was already poised on someone’s tongue, a blade ready to plunge into his chest.
“Someone reported,” Zong Lei declared, “that you are not human at all, you are a hybrid!”
A single stroke, straight to the heart. Blood, spilling everywhere.
Gu Baiqing’s face changed abruptly. It was as if something cracked loudly inside his skull; he could do nothing but stare in disbelief.
Why…? Why was the same scene repeating again?
Wasn’t the mission already complete?
The worst possible outcome.
Calm down, he had to stay calm. This must be related to the demons’ plot. Someone had reported him… but surely they weren’t foolish enough to believe the demon clan’s words?
Yet the moment that word, hybrid, was spoken, the entire atmosphere changed.
Whether they had heard rumors before or not, nearly everyone in the hall looked uncomfortable now. Hatred toward hybrids ran bone-deep.
For a cultivator to bear a child with a demon, that was the most disgraceful act imaginable, a fall even worse than becoming a demon oneself.
A humiliation to the entire cultivation world.
A filthy existence that should never have been born, something to be purged completely.
That was… the common creed of all cultivators.
Countless eyes now turned toward Mo Xuanli, piercing him like a thousand arrows.
The world seemed to blur around him.
Mo Xuanli didn’t dare lift his head to look at his master. He couldn’t bear to see what expression might be there: shock? disgust? regret? revulsion?
What should he do? What should he do?!
He’d been found out?
His soul trembled.
The nightmare he’d feared most had finally come true. He hadn’t made it in time.
All his efforts had been in vain.
What could he say now?
What explanation could possibly make them believe him?
Could he… even stay here anymore?
Would he… die here?
If he had to die—
Mo Xuanli couldn’t stop himself from wanting to look up at Gu Baiqing.
He had once made a silent wish: If one day I’m exposed, if I’m doomed to die, I’d rather die by my master’s hand.
But now, he regretted it.
He didn’t want to die by his master’s hand.
Even if others cut him into a thousand pieces, even if he was tortured to death, he didn’t want his master to strike him, not even once.
That would hurt far more than anyone else’s thousand blades.
He didn’t want that—
Suddenly, a black-clad figure appeared before him.
Mo Xuanli instinctively took a step back, as if trying to dodge, he didn’t want his master to hurt himself in trying to protect him.
But the next instant, lightning exploded through the grand hall, filling it with blinding power.
Only the white-robed figure shielded behind that black silhouette remained untouched.
Everyone present felt as though they’d been slapped, struck by the fury of the strongest cultivator in the realm.
“Outrageous! My disciple, Gu Baiqing’s disciple, how dare you fabricate such lies! You’ve gone too far. Enough nonsense, if you don’t accept this, come fight me!”
He had worked so hard to change fate, to bring things to a better end and now, when hope was finally within reach, why was it being crushed so easily?
Even if things had unfolded like in the original text, it wouldn’t have been as infuriatingly senseless as this.
What was this supposed to be now!
The instant the expression on Mo Xuanli’s face cracked, Gu Baiqing could no longer stay calm.
This crisis had to be overcome! He wanted Mo Xuanli to have a clean, bright future, he would never allow anyone to ruin it.
