Chapter 176 - System vs. System (26): Authenticity, feeding medicine, falling from grace
Translator: kiribold
editor: yoantlers
Chi Xiaochi didn’t dare to turn around at first. He was shocked when he heard his weak speaking manner, but soon he didn’t care anymore and looked back. “Shifu…”
In full view of everyone, a hand gently squeezed his right cheek and tenderly shook it.
Wen Yujing said nothing, looking down at him with a smile.
I’m here, I’m fine, and I can even touch your face.
When all the disciples saw this scene, how could they not understand?
If Duan Shujue was the one who conspired to kill his teacher and had bad intentions, how could Wen-Shishu, who had returned from his tribulation, treat him like this?
Ren Tingfeng jumped from his high seat and held Wen Yujing’s arm. “When did this shidi come back?! Why wasn’t anyone informed?”
“I entered the mountain just as the trial began.” As Wen Yujing spoke to his shixiong, he lowered his eyebrows and regained his self-confident and gentle tone. “I asked the disciples guarding the mountain not to pa.s.s the news. I wanted to hear the public trial. I’m sorry to bother you all.”
If not for the fact that Chi Yunzi was still mindful of his authority as the Peak Master, he would also be standing up in a hurry like his shidis.
He leaned forward and ordered, “Ting Feng, let’s focus on business first! How is Wen-shidi’s injury?”
Ren Tingfeng took his pulse and was shocked and angry. “How did you get hurt like this?”
Wen Yujing turned his head, and his gaze fell on the ashen-faced Yan Jinhua, startled by the demonic cultivator’s head. “Yan-shizi, third Shishu asked you a question. Why don’t you answer?”
Yan Jinhua couldn’t say a word.
All the words rolled back and forth in his mouth, burning his mouth so that his throat clenched, and he could not speak a word.
How did Wen Yujing come back?
Why did his system disappear?
The bad feeling wrapped him up so that he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t dare look at the freshly decapitated head on the ground. He hurriedly said, “Shifu, this disciple doesn’t know the purpose of Wen-Shishu’s statement! What does Wen-Shishu’s injury have to do with me? With my cultivation level, am I capable of hurting Shishu?”
Wen Yujing took the hand Ren Tingfeng used to take his pulse back. “Your ability is indeed more than that. Slandering and backstabbing Shujue, you’ve done enough.”
“This is even more nonsense!” Yan Jinhua a.s.serted, “Who in the mountains doesn’t know about your biased treatment towards Duan Shujue? Even if Duan Shujue made a mistake, it’s hard to say that Wen-shishu wouldn’t cover up for him!”
Yan Jinhua was eager to be let off the hook, so naturally, he questioned Wen Yujing’s position to speak for Duan Shujue.
However, Chi Yunzi, who had been dealing with headaches over such rumors a few days ago, hated such unsubstantiated claims.
The words that could ruin Wen Yujing’s reputation came out of his mouth, and all the disciples heard them. How could Yujing continue in the future?
Wen Yujing’s complexion didn’t change. Even the speed of his speech was as gentle as usual. “Since Yan-shizi doesn’t know what I mean, I’ll ask someone to explain it to you.”
Yan Jinhua’s heart throbbed, and he turned to take a look.
Yan Jinhua’s vision darkened. He wished he could pa.s.s out on the spot when he saw the painter he had hired to draw the little yellow picture books and the “blind old man” who stole his purse being escorted by two guarding disciples and stepping forward.
Su Yun, standing beside Chi Yunzi, immediately recognized that the person below was the strange old man he met in the city when he went to subdue the ghosts.
Now that he saw his eyes madly looking around, not a hint of blindness, an understanding fell upon him, and he bowed to Chi Yunzi and said, “Shifu, this is the prophet I mentioned meeting in the city. When he met this disciple, he said it was ominous. When this disciple asked what he meant, he said nothing and ran away. This…”
Chi Yunzi waved his hand and stopped Su Yun’s words. “Shidi, these two?”
The sword-wielding cultivators surrounded the two. How could they hold on? They flopped down on their knees and confessed to everything.
The painter still had some integrity, truthfully explaining the matter of fabricating the yellow books. He said that he didn’t know they were two immortals when he painted. He was only in a hurry to make a profit and was apologetic. But the old man who made up nonsense was a well-known rascal, and he had almost no bottom line. When he was approached by Wen Yujing, who was covered in blood, he was scared out of his wits. To get out of his crimes, he simply pushed all the charges on Yan Jinhua’s head, saying that he didn’t know anything and it was all directed by Yan Jinhua. On the matter of “heavenly thunder splitting the mountain,” widely circulated in the city after, he insisted that Yan Jinhua was the calamity and that heavenly thunder should strike him on the head.
…He didn’t have to say it to be considered the truth.
As for Yan Jinhua, who was miserably being publicly executed, it felt like ants were devouring his body.
After the two of them had finished talking, Wen Yujing took out a silver bag with gold and red embroidery and said, “Yan-shizi, is this familiar to you?”
When Yan Jinhua looked at it, he felt like he was going to have a stroke.
That was the money purse the blind old man robbed of him!
With his restlessness and being called “Yan-shizi,” by Wen Yujing, Yan Jinhua’s blood pressure couldn’t stop rising. His brain buzzed, and his shoulders and neck became numb.
His first reaction was to deny it. “I haven’t seen it before, it’s not mine!”
The money purse was a personal and intimate thing. What could Wen Yujing do to him if he refused to admit it?
“You really don’t know it?”
“What a joke! There are thousands of money purses in the world, how can Shishu be sure it’s my stuff?”
The shabby robber interjected at this point, “Planning to close up? It’s obviously the reward you gave me!”
Yan Jinhua wanted to pounce and tear this old man’s mouth off.
Will you suffocate if you don’t speak? Will you suffocate?
Besides, the reward money is bulls.h.i.t! It’s obvious that you stole it!
However, he dared not make a fuss in front of Chi Yunzi, so he had to hold back a mouthful of blood and said indifferently, “These slanderous words are not enough to be believed.”
Wen Yujing glanced at him, smiled, and said to Chi Yunzi, “This shidi went down the mountain a few days ago, wanting to buy some books and wine, but inadvertently saw this person buying wine with this money purse in a liquor store. This shidi felt that the workmanship was familiar, but didn’t think about it. But after being imprisoned for a few days, shidi had the answer in his heart.”
After speaking, he tossed the purse, one-handedly pointed at it with his sword, and his sword intent swept it away. The money purse broke in the air, and the few remaining copper coins tumbled to the ground.
Wen Yujing grabbed a piece of fabric flying in the air with his hand and handed it to Ren Tingfeng beside him.
The three characters, “Yan Jinhua,” were st.i.tched in iron hook silver on the lower left corner of the inside of the purse.
Wen Yujing said, “…This is my answer.”
Although the development of the situation far exceeded Chi Xiaochi’s expectations, it didn’t prevent him from improvising as a beaten-down dog.
He timed his interjection and tone of voice perfectly, and his voice trembled slightly as he said softly, “This silver bag is embroidered by this disciple to thank Yan-shixiong for his life-saving grace in the past. Inside the purse is embroidered with a prayer formation and the eight characters of Yan-shixong’s name. I have also done some needlework for Shifu, so Shifu can recognize that this item came from my hands…”
Yan Jinhua: “…” Mothef.u.c.ker.
This was like wearing a facemask for a robbery, but there was an online shopping order sticker on the back with your actual address and phone number.
“Life-saving grace?”
Wen Yujing smiled coldly, pushed away Ren Tingfeng, who was supporting him and strolled to the front of Yan Jinhua. He grabbed his back collar, and forced him to face the demon head. “Tell him right now, you tell Shujue, what kind of life-saving grace?”
This time, Yan Jinhua was stunned.
He didn’t know which monster this was?
He struggled fiercely, crying out injustice, “I really don’t know! I was wronged!”
“You are wronged?”
Wen Yujing’s breathing was a bit heavy, and he pressed one hand against his waist and abdomen, which must have been a severe injury.
He let go of the hand controlling Yan Jinhua, took two steps back a little unsteadily, and raised his voice a lot. “Why were Shujue’s parents hunted and slaughtered by demons back then? Do you dare to say that you don’t recognize this monster? In order to win the compet.i.tion, you poisoned me. I recognized that your method was similar to that of a demonic cultivator. How dare you say that you haven’t done it? I was in the Mo Xie formation with Shujue, and was suddenly sent to the demon cave by a different formation. In the cave, all the demons said that they were entrusted by the ‘cave master’s friend’, you dare to say that you don’t know anything?”
After saying so much emotionally in one breath, Wen Yujing’s forcibly suppressed injuries instantly exploded. He coughed a few times violently, a wave of dizziness struck, and Wen Yujing swayed and fell to the side.
Chi Xiaochi was quietly watching him. Seeing that the situation wasn’t good, he immediately got up and grabbed hold of Wen Yujing’s waist in front of everyone.
Wen Yujing also locked his waist with a backhand, and as soon as he pushed into his arms, Chi Xiaochi laid on his shoulders as if he had actively slammed into his arms.
Wen Yujing’s bloodied black hair slid down Chi Xiaochi’s shoulders with a strange, violent, and holy beauty.
He raised his hand, brushed his hair away, and whispered, “Sorry for worrying you.”
…Where was the aggressiveness in his voice before?
After doing this, he leaned on Chi Xiaochi’s body and lost consciousness.
In the turmoil of chaos and war, Yan Jinhua knelt in place woodenly with a flush of hot and cold around him.
He had done the first half of everything Wen Yujing said.
But what was the second half?!
After thinking back carefully, the insidiousness of these words made Yan Jinhua’s scalp tingle!
When Wen Yujing opened his mouth, he threw the head of the monster to shock the audience. Then he revealed that Yan Jinhua spread the meteorological omen rumor and falsely accused the master and disciple of having an affair. After that, no matter what accusations he continued to make, they were all considered to be true.
And he pa.s.sed out before he explained it in detail. In this way, he gave everyone present infinite s.p.a.ce for imagination!
Lies are easy to debunk, but what about half-truths and half-lies?
Seeing that Wen Yujing was about to be carried down, Yan Jinhua realized that if the public trial ended like this, his reputation, plans, and dream of being the protagonist would be entirely over!
The surname Wen was taken away by the system. Where did the “demon cave” come from?
In the beginning, he only delivered a secret letter. Those demon cultivators probably didn’t know the name of the person who pa.s.sed the information or what he looked like, so where did the accusation come from?
This person relied on his knowledge of the storyline to convict him!
Yan Jinhua knelt earnestly, walking forward on his knees, and cried bitterly, “Shifu! This disciple has been wronged! I am really wronged!”
This time he cried without acting skills, tears welling up and flowing. But this wasn’t enough to impress Chi Yunzi.
He indifferently instructed. “Shujue.”
Chi Xiaochi: “Yes.”
Chi Yunzi: “Quickly take your Shifu back to Huaishou Peak, and take good care of him. Ren Tingfeng, go get the best wound medicine for treatment, I will check in later. As for Yan Jinhua…”
Chi Yunzi didn’t even want to give him another look. After a pause, he said, “Take him in custody to the Mingyue House. Choose a day for the public trial.”
Yan Jinhua saw several disciples quickly approaching him. He was terrified, so he had to seize his last chance of survival and tried his best to argue. “Shifu! Don’t listen to Wen Yujing’s words! Please listen to this disciple, this person…Wen Yujing, keeps claiming that others are monsters, but in fact he is the monster! This person is not a person who should be in this world! He is—”
After Yan Jinhua finished saying this, everyone present didn’t have time to discuss it before the Elders’ expressions changed.
…How did he know?
Ren Tingfeng, who had already sent Wen Yujing a dozen steps away, looked back at him when he heard the words.
He swept away his previous free and wandering att.i.tude. His eyes were icy, and he said, “Yan-shizi. You are probably ill.”
After saying that, he reached out and beckoned his disciples.
The two inner sect disciples that Ren Tingfeng accepted were exceptionally alert. They were ordered to come forward, gagged his mouth, and dragged him away by the arms. The disciple who gagged him didn’t forget to stuff a numbing seed into his mouth.
Yan Jinhua’s tongue immediately became swollen. It was paralyzed and unbearably painful.
He covered his mouth. His drool wouldn’t stop flowing. He couldn’t utter a single word, but he still roared with determination, “He really is—”
But people had heard enough of his lies. No one was willing to listen to the truth he was telling.
…
Wen Yujing’s injuries were strange, with clear whip marks as if he had undergone severe torture. His internal organs were burnt, and the internal injuries were severe.
The few words he said before he fell unconscious were enough for Chi Yunzi, Ren Tingfeng, and others to piece together a “truth.”
Yan Jinhua and demonic cultivators had conspired for a long time because Wen-shidi knew his secret. Yan Jinhua had the intent to kill him to silence him.
He broke away from everyone in the Valley of Lost b.u.t.terflies to take the opportunity to cast a spell with demonic cultivators causing Wen-shidi to be imprisoned and Duan Shujue to be wronged. Wen-shidi was imprisoned in the mountain for three days and suffered a lot of torture. He finally found an opportunity to escape and beheaded the demonic leader. He took his head and used it as proof to return to the mountain to settle the score with Yan Jinhua.
Except for some minor differences in specific details, the overall direction of several people’s reasoning wasn’t a problem.
After taking a few pills, Wen Yujing woke up, and his spirit improved.
But his body was so severely injured that, at first glance, it was shocking.
His shixiongs couldn’t be rest a.s.sured. They told him to take care of his wounds and not leave scars while summoning Duan Shujue to make him take good care of Wen Yujing. There were also many apologies for misunderstanding him.
Duan Shujue didn’t seem to care much about this matter, so he bowed his body, took the medicine, and went to decoct it.
When they left together, Chi Yunzi glanced at Chi Xiaochi, who turned around to boil the medicine, “Ren-shidi, when speaking to Duan Shujue just now, he seemed a little absent-minded. I’m not sure he properly listened to our instructions.”
“Shujue does things properly, there is no need to worry about it.” Ren Tingfeng said, “Besides, before today, he probably didn’t know that his parents were killed by Yan Jinhua. It’s not surprising that his benefactor becoming a blood feud would be confusing.”
Chi Yunzi thought about it and felt it was indeed the case, so he stopped thinking about it. “Blockade Yuguang Pool, and seal everything inside.”
Ren Tingfeng: “Do you still want a public trial?
Chi Yunzi’s voice was also filled with tiredness. “Public trial? And allow him to say those crazy things in front of everyone? When Wen-shidi is better, we will ask him about the specific situation, and then we will decide.”
Chi Xiaochi, who had gone to decoct the medicine, didn’t return after many hours. Wen Yujing could only lean on the couch with his hair loose, take out a volume of books, and read it to pa.s.s the time.
After waiting for a long time, there were two knocks at the door.
Knock, knock, softly and carefully, like knocking on a person’s heart, but also Chi Xiaochi’s own heart.
It was a heart that was hot and soft.
Inside the door, without seeing the other person’s face, Wen Yujing smiled unconsciously.
He hid the scroll under the quilt and cleared his throat, but his voice was still slightly hoa.r.s.e, “Come in.”
Chi Xiaochi came in, holding the mahogany tray with a small bowl of medicine he had spent so much time brewing and a small mountain of candied fruit.
He walked to the bedside. “Shifu, drink the medicine.”
Wen Yujing tucked his hands under the quilt and didn’t seem to have plans to pick up the bowl. “There’s no strength in my hands.”
Chi Xiaochi didn’t say much. He took the jade spoon and scooped up the medicinal soup. He blew on it until it was warm and took a spoonful to his lips to confirm the temperature before feeding it into Wen Yujing’s mouth. He carefully sc.r.a.ped away the few drops of medicinal liquid from the corners of his lips with the spoon’s surface, took a small piece of preserved honey-strained apricot, and brought it to his mouth.
Wen Yujing shook his head and rejected the small dessert.
“I have already heard what Third-shixiong said.” Wen Yujing looked at him and said approvingly, “You deserve a lot of credit for getting rid of evil Hui in the Valley of Lost b.u.t.terflies. Without your mermaid core, Ye Jiming would never have been able to win. Because everyone was busy looking for me, the corpse of the snake was brought into the Jingxu Peak, and it has not been dealt with. I have asked First shixiong for a few treasures from the snake, snake pills, bones, and gall, all of them are the highest quality and beneficial to your cultivation.”
Chi Xiaochi exhausted all his strength and acting skills. He only had enough support to finish the words calmly, “Thank you, Shifu.”
After that, both parties fell into a long silence.
Chi Xiaochi thought slowly and in a trance, so dazedly that he felt he hadn’t thought about anything just now.
But he still remembered one crucial matter: “Ye Jiming…”
Wen Yujing knew everything he cared about. “I have already told my shixiongs that in the Mountain of Rain and Time, I met Ye Jimng, a good child who was a little reckless. There was also a reason why he was there at that time. With my guarantee, he will be fine.”
Chi Xiaochi: “Yes. Thank you, Shifu.”
The two sides were silent again.
The bitter aroma of the medicine became clearer as the jade spoon touched the bottom of the bowl repeatedly. Wen Yujing choked, and his throat tickled, so he coughed twice.
Chi Xiaochi felt anxious. He put down the medicine bowl and rubbed his chest. “What’s wrong?”
He raised one hand, lifted it, and pressed his hand to his left heart.
He was looking at him, his fingertips clasped with his.
Chi Xiaochi only felt that his hand was soft and cold and that the gentle and insistent gaze distracted his sense of touch.
All his conditioned reflexes were invalid in front of this person.
Wen Yujing asked softly, “Is there anything else you want to ask me?”