Chapter Eleven: A Counter Move

I found myself sinking into an inky expanse of water, my body feeling as heavy as lead. The water, seeming to come to life, forced itself into my mouth and nose. The suffocating pain was like an electric current jolting my nerves, and suddenly, in this void, I opened my eyes.

A beam of light penetrated the water, shining on me.

"What is your name?" The voice was like a desolate desert, and the figure, almost fused with the light, emanated a strange power that evoked an involuntary sadness.

"My name is..."

My name is Qingyue.

The scene began to crumble, the colors fading away. White fragments floated like snowflakes, and everything was drawn together by an invisible force, returning to chaos.

It was a dream. Sweat dripped from my forehead, the cool breeze grounding me back to reality. My abdomen ached faintly, and crimson blood stained the bandages wrapped around it.

I heard the door open and saw Yi'er enter, carrying a red wooden box in her arms. Seeing me awake, she rushed over, urging me to lie back down.

"Qingyue, you're so bold. You said that there was a secret manual for rapid cultivation in the Dianlu Pavilion to lure that person to steal a book, but going alone was too reckless. Weren't you afraid of getting killed instead of catching the thief?"

I tilted my head, unconcerned. "If I didn't bait the hook, how could I catch such a big fish? Besides, if I had brought a crowd, he would have been on guard. Didn't I tell your brother to bring people to the pavilion later?" At that moment, my stomach growled, drawn by the sweet scent in the air.

I glanced at the red wooden box, wondering if Yi'er had brought me something delicious.

"Don't even think about it. You can't eat anything right now, or your wound will reopen." Yi'er opened the box, took out fresh bandages to replace my old ones, and handed me a red porcelain bottle. "This Ningxiang Jade Dew is from Elder Miaolian. It can speed up the healing of your wound. Drink it."

I took the red porcelain bottle, the sweet fragrance intoxicating. I tilted my head back and drank it all. The sweet and luscious taste lingered in my mouth, and even my stomach didn't hurt as much anymore. It was truly magical.

I burped comfortably, noticing Yi'er's surprised expression. "By the way, what happened to the man who was caught?"

She picked up the empty porcelain bottle, peering inside, and told me, "He's being interrogated by the elders and the sect leader in the main hall."

In the main hall? I had to go clear my name right away, or my suffering would be in vain.

Though my wound wasn't fully healed, I pleaded with Yi'er to take me to the main hall.

In the main hall, the burly man was sitting leisurely on a bench, eating fruit, with a few disciples bandaging his wrist.

Strange, why was a thief acting so relaxed?

As I approached, I overheard Lingluo speaking to the elders. She was explaining that the man had borrowed the book, making it seem like I was the one who wrongfully attacked him.

Let's see if I can't expose your lies.

I quickly paid my respects to the elders and the sect leader, then turned to Lingluo. "Sister Lingluo, why did your uncle wear black clothes to the Dianlu Pavilion to borrow books? Does he have some condition?"

Unfazed, she explained, "To be honest, my uncle contracted a rare skin disease years ago. His skin becomes painfully sensitive to sunlight. He mentioned wanting to borrow medical books from Qiongyun to cure his ailment. However, due to the events at the Guanyue Platform, I was too occupied to assist him, so he went on his own."

She smiled softly, taking my hand. "I didn't expect Qingyue to mistake him for a thief and cause such a misunderstanding. I feel deeply remorseful."

Wow, she really turned my words against me, spinning lies so smoothly. Now everyone would think this was just a misunderstanding.

I noticed the man's thin black clothes were drenched in sweat. Was this black outfit something he had hastily put on?

An idea formed in my mind. Mimicking Lingluo's apologetic tone, I sighed and covered my face with my sleeve, pretending to cry. "It's all my fault. I must have been confused from training too late at night and mistook Sister Lingluo's uncle for a thief. I deserve punishment! I'll prepare a cup of tea to apologize to your uncle."

Elder Miaolian nodded. "It's thoughtful of you. Go ahead."

"Yes!" I sobbed, running to prepare the tea.

If he was already sweating so much, let's see how he handles a few extra herbs in the tea to heat things up. Let's see how this black bear handles it then.

Thinking the Lotus Pavilion of Elder Miaolian wasn't far, I went there to ask Danxia for some ginseng, deer antler, and caterpillar fungus. After grinding these tonic herbs into a fine powder and adding a bit to the tea, I returned to the main hall.

I respectfully walked up to the man, offering the tea with both hands. "It was my mistake, Uncle. Please forgive my ignorance. I specially prepared this tea to help you restore your energy." Seeing his hesitation, I added, "This tea contains many spiritual herbs and grasses. It can quickly enhance your cultivation."

"I wouldn't stoop to argue with a little girl like you," he snorted, taking the tea and drinking it in one go.

After a while, the medicinal effects began to show. I noticed his face turning rosy. I reached out to touch his forehead and quickly pulled my hand back in shock. "Oh dear, Uncle, your forehead is burning. Could it be you've caught a cold? Quickly, some of you fetch blankets."

Lingluo looked uneasy, trying to come over and check his condition, but I blocked her way. "This cold seems severe. If it spreads to Sister Lingluo, it would be terrible. Let me atone for my mistake by taking care of Uncle. It will ease my conscience."

"No, I must go over!" she said anxiously, breaking free from me to pull the blanket off the man.

I called a few disciples over to cover him up again. In all the commotion, he finally lost his temper. With a burst of strength, he ripped off the blankets and frantically tore off his clothes.

"Oh my, what's happening?" I covered my eyes with my hand, crouching down to pick up a yellow brocade pouch from the pile of shredded clothes and hiding it.

I walked over to Lingluo with a curious expression. "Sister Lingluo, your uncle doesn't seem to have any skin disease. Didn't you say he couldn't be exposed to sunlight?"

I picked up the Qiongyun disciple's uniform from the floor, showing it to the elders. "And why is he wearing our sect's clothes under his black outfit? Could it be..."

The man glared at me fiercely, suddenly speeding up and throwing a punch at me. I dodged, spun around, and drew a disciple's sword, placing it at his throat.

Elder Xiuling seemed to have figured something out and asked, "You just used our sect's martial arts. We never teach outsiders our techniques. Where did you learn it?"

Lingluo finally broke down, kneeling to explain, "Elders, I taught him! My uncle has long sought the path to immortality and repeatedly pressured me using our family ties. I agreed to teach him basic internal energy and superficial techniques. As for his disease, I only knew what he told me and didn't realize it was a lie."

She distanced herself from him so cleanly, not even caring about her own uncle.

I took out the yellow brocade pouch and walked forward. "Elders, look. This pouch contains Fire Scale Powder. I found it among his clothes. During the third match at the Guanyue Platform, I felt a burning pain in my hand holding the sword, forcing me to drop it."

Yi'er came over to testify. "Yes, I saw Qingyue's sword hilt glowing with a golden light during the match."

"Elders, Sect Leader, Lingluo was unaware of this! I saw her uncle sneaking around while preparing the swords for the match. He wanted to coat all the swords with Fire Scale Powder but was discovered, so he only had time to coat one."

Lingluo continued to exonerate herself, even framing her uncle. She was truly shameless.

Her uncle, now furious, struggled and shouted, "Lingluo! That's nonsense! The Fire Scale Powder was clearly...!" Before he could finish, he fainted. I wondered if the medicine's effects were too strong, causing his blood to surge. Then I saw Daxian standing behind him.

"This man is too agitated to confess now. Let's take him away for now," Daxian suggested.

The Sect Leader, seeing no point in continuing, decided, "Very well. Strip him of his martial arts and expel him from the mountain once he confesses. As for Qingyue, you did well in capturing the thief. You are granted a trip down the mountain and rewarded with some cultivation-enhancing pills."

Why was Daxian helping Lingluo? I was the victim here! I grew angrier and finally couldn't hold back any longer, turning to the Sect Leader to expose Lingluo.

"Sect Leader, actually, Qingyue knows..." Before I could finish, I felt myself being pulled back by someone.

"Qingyue is severely injured. I will take her for treatment," Daxian said, holding my wrist tightly. No matter how I struggled, I couldn't break free and had to follow him.

In pain, I whimpered and looked at him pitifully. "It hurts." Seeing me like this, he blushed and loosened his grip a bit but still held my wrist firmly as he led me away.