Ten years ago, when Luo Ying and Qinghe returned with Su Zhuyi, Sect Master Duan Linshu already felt something was amiss. His flying sword had shown a trace of unusual movement, which made him suspicious.

Later, after seeing the wounds on Luo Ying’s body—demonic qi had entered her body—he was powerless to help. At that time, he confirmed in his heart that Luo Ying had struck that sword blow. He later searched everywhere for healing pills, instructing Luo Ying to rest well and recover. He also revealed this information to the two elders of the Gujian Sect, but said nothing more about the other details.

Now, when Su Zhuyi looked at him and spoke, it was because he knew the details of what had happened. Therefore, Sect Master Duan Linshu understood Su Zhuyi’s meaning—if it wasn’t Qinghe who killed, then it was Luo Ying who killed. He said, “When Luo Ying returned, she was severely injured. To suppress the evil creature, demonic qi entered her body, and she hasn’t recovered even now. Over these years, I’ve searched everywhere for medicine. Peak Master Yi and Peak Master Hu are also aware of this.”

Speaking to this point, Sect Master Duan Linshu continued, “Some time ago, I even paid a hefty price to obtain a Spirit Purification Pill from that pill refining elder of Yunxiao Sect, also to heal Luo Ying’s injuries.” Previously, Su Zhuyi had offended Hua Yining, the daughter of Yunxiao Sect’s pill refining elder. Obtaining that pill had been extremely troublesome—not only did it require tremendous effort, but it also cost a fortune. It turned out it was used on Luo Ying.

Having said this much, everyone understood what Su Zhuyi had left unsaid.

The disciples of the Feihong Sect, while passing through Qilian Mountain, had broken the seal on the evil creature there out of greed, and consequently died under Luo Ying’s sword.

Everyone looked toward Luo Ying, and Su Zhuyi also looked at Luo Ying.

She was so nervous that cold sweat covered her entire body. Her hands clutched Luo Ying’s skirt, and the sweat from her palms had dampened the fabric.

Luo Ying’s thoughts drifted far away, and she remembered things from her childhood.

“Luo Ying, do you like swords?”

“I do.” What kind of emotion was liking? I was looking forward to sword practice every day. Back then, even when she held a wooden stick and gestured with it, she felt happy. Yes, it was happiness, smiling with the corners of her mouth turned up in joy.

At that time, she could smile and cry, just like her little disciple now, crying with tears streaming down her face.

“The disciples of Luoxue Peak in our Gujian Sect are all people who love swords to the point of obsession.” Her master held her hand and walked to the Sword Heart Stone of Gujian Sect. “Are you willing to give your heart to it?”

No one knew why the Gujian Sect had a Sword Heart Stone. No one knew why the Sword Heart Stone could help Gujian Sect disciples cultivate their sword heart ahead of time. Even the disciples of Luoxue Peak didn’t know—they only knew that each generation of Luoxue Peak disciples would constantly accompany the Sword Heart Stone. With sincere hearts, they guarded the Sword Heart Stone and protected the entire Gujian Sect.

She agreed.

There was no carving out of the heart, and she didn’t feel like anything was missing from her body. She just gradually felt that, aside from the sword in her hand, no person or thing could move her heart. Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness gradually drained from her body. After five hundred years, she became the expressionless, neither sad nor happy, Luo Ying.

When did ripples return to her heart?

After Qinghe stole the Sword Heart Stone—was that stone held close to his chest? So her heart began to stir slightly? So now, seeing her little disciple crying with tears streaming down her face, Luo Ying felt a trace of reluctance to cause pain.

That emotion was called heartache?

She couldn’t bear to see Qinghe, who had accompanied her for three hundred years, die. She couldn’t bear to watch Zhuyi cry.

Perhaps because of the Sword Heart Stone, Luo Ying could more or less sense the thoughts of others. So from the beginning, she would say that Su Zhuyi had improper intentions. However, now this little disciple truly didn’t want Qinghe to die and didn’t want her to come to harm.

That Qinghe would kill people was because she hadn’t taught him well.

Luo Ying’s long eyelashes trembled slightly. She lowered her gaze and said, “I was the one who killed them.”

“Since I harmed fellow disciples of the righteous path…” Luo Ying glanced at Dongfang Yaoyang of Dong Fushang Sect, then looked toward the sect master, “I cannot judge myself properly. Please let all the senior predecessors decide.”

She swept her robes with her single arm, white clothes fluttering like she had stirred up a cloud, clean to the point of being slightly dazzling.

With a swift motion, she knelt on the ground: “Luo Ying is willing to accept punishment!”

Su Zhuyi immediately knelt beside her, confessing her guilt, “This disciple is also willing to accept punishment. Sect Master, when this disciple left the Sword Tomb early this time, I originally intended to visit my birthplace. When I arrived there, I discovered traces of demonic path activity. A townsman asked this disciple to eliminate zombies, so I went directly. I encountered a female flying corpse and a demonic cultivator skilled in corpse manipulation. At that time, this disciple subdued the female flying corpse, but when that demonic cultivator tried to escape, I immediately gave chase. Who knew I would fall into a trap and let him get away?”

“This disciple, being inexperienced in my first time down the mountain, was poisoned by corpse toxin and couldn’t catch that demonic cultivator. So I rushed back to Luoxue Peak overnight to detoxify and heal. It’s this disciple’s fault—I didn’t consider things thoroughly and acted rashly, causing the surrounding common people to suffer!”

“That area is near Suyue Sect—what does it have to do with you?” Elder Hu was already trembling with anger, his beard shaking. “Doesn’t your Suyue Sect pride itself on being righteous? You let demonic cultivators infiltrate your jurisdiction to slaughter and terrorize common people. Flying corpses were raised, and you didn’t even know about it, yet you have the face to blame our disciple!”

“You even wanted to pin the corpse raising on Qinghe!”

“Raising flying corpses in just ten short years—the common people in your area must have suffered terribly!”

“Exactly! Exactly! If not for our junior sister going there, who knows how many more people would have died?” Gujian Sect disciples had also gathered around, speaking all at once.

“Could it be that the Suyue Sect has deep connections with the Corpse Manipulation Sect?”

Qu Ningsu’s face stiffened at everyone’s words. Looking at the two female cultivators kneeling not far ahead, her heart burned with frustration.

One was charming like a begonia, crying like pear blossoms in rain, her charm gaining tenderness and allure, kneeling there in a way that made people’s hearts ache.

The other was cold like white plum blossoms blooming in ice and snow, revealing a character that made people unable to help but admire her, as if they could smell the clear fragrance emanating from the depths of her soul.

She considered herself a great beauty, but compared to these two, she was like a common cabbage in a field. Even Dongfang Yaoyang couldn’t help but keep glancing at this master-disciple pair. How could Qu Ningsu not understand that look in his eyes?

Only then did Dongfang Yaoyang step forward to mediate, “Luo Ying acted for the greater good of the world, killing the Feihong Sect disciples who recklessly released evil creatures without knowing their place. She was even severely injured as a result. How could she be punished?”

He stepped forward two paces to help Luo Ying up. Su Zhuyi moved to stop him, but saw Luo Ying raise her head and look directly into Dongfang Yaoyang’s eyes, causing his movements to freeze and his outstretched hand to pause.

Luo Ying turned her head away and said coolly, “Senior Dongfang does not represent all the people of the world.”

“Stand up. You did nothing wrong and should not be punished,” the sect master said. “Even if all the people of the world were to judge, you would not be wrong.”

Luo Ying remained kneeling, refusing to rise. She had lied.

She didn’t care about her reputation in the eyes of outsiders, but she cared about her own heart and whether she could face herself without shame.

“You stubborn girl!” The sect master went to pull Luo Ying up, but discovered that her face was pale and her lips had no trace of blood. Her body swayed to one side, and she fainted directly. Su Zhuyi, kneeling beside her, quickly caught Luo Ying in her arms.

“Master is too severely injured!” she said while wiping away tears.

“Send her back to rest first.”

Su Zhuyi’s tightly wound nerves finally relaxed at this moment. She supported herself to sit up, not exerting any particular strength, because Little Skull had been accompanying her the whole time.

She knelt, and Little Skull also knelt, except no one else could see him.