Volume 3, Chapter 321 – She Is Still Pure

“Since Elder Lu has no objections regarding the cause of Chi Chun’s death, then this matter can be considered settled.”

Chi Jingwen glanced down at Chi Chun on the floor and waved his hand. “Alright. Take her away.”

Several guards carried Chi Chun’s body out.

“Sister, sister.” Lu Zhuxin tugged at Chi Xiyan’s sleeve and whispered beside her, “Chi Chun. Did she really take her own life?”

Although Lu Zhuxin had lowered her voice, she had only just set foot on the path of cultivation and had no ability to conceal her voice with spiritual energy.

In such a quiet setting, most of those present could hear her clearly.

As for the true cause of Chi Chun’s death, every one of the decision-makers present knew it full well.

Chi Xiyan pressed Lu Zhuxin’s small hand and said, “Even Elder Lu of Lingxiao Sword Sect has said so. Then Chi Chun naturally died by her own hand.”

Lu Guan heard those words and found them particularly grating.

He had finally seen through it. This sly old fox Chi Jingwen. What was he really after?

He had summoned so many Chi family elders and even called in Wei Qingyu from the Demon Suppression Bureau. It was not to give him any formal accounting.

It was to make Lingxiao Sword Sect look bad.

Chi Jingwen turned to Song Shutao, smiling. “How unexpected. To think the Young Sect Master happened to see Chi Chun just before she died. What a coincidence.”

“Someone had informed me that the Second Young Miss might be in danger,” Song Shutao said. “On my way to find her, I ran into Chi Chun. It was from her lips that I learned of Second Young Miss’s whereabouts.”

Chi Jingwen pressed on. “So the Young Sect Master knew from the beginning that she had administered poison?”

“I…” Song Shutao’s words faltered. A flash of guilt crossed her eyes. “I did not know.”

At the time, Song Shutao had been consumed with worry over Chi Muxue’s safety and had not thought further on it.

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“If only I had been more careful. Things would not have come to this.”

“Is that so.” Chi Jingwen let out a light laugh. A thread of cold intent moved behind his eyes. “The Young Sect Master truly has a warm and generous heart.”

Song Shutao was flattered beyond measure. “The family head speaks too highly of me.”

Beside her, Lu Guan’s brow furrowed deeply.

He desperately wanted to sew shut the mouth of that fool Song Shixuan.

Chi Jingwen had clearly already figured out who was behind it, and yet that fool was still smiling and pressing herself forward.

How humiliating.

“Young Master Song.” Chi Xiyan stepped forward, her expression grave as she looked at Song Shutao. “Xiyan has something she wishes to ask you.”

“Please speak, Miss Xiyan.”

“Young Master Song. Last night, did you encounter Xiyan’s handmaid Qingshan?”

“Qingshan?” Song Shutao startled slightly.

She had been so preoccupied with the matter of Chi Muxue that she had pushed the handmaid entirely from her mind.

“Forgive me, Xiyan. The situation was urgent at the time, and I did not manage to help her.”

Chi Xiyan’s gaze sharpened. “So you did see her?”

Song Shutao looked puzzled. “Yes. I saw that she was injured, and that was how I knew something had happened to Muxue. I told her to go and find you first.”

“Did she not tell you herself?”

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In Chi Xiyan’s palm, she still held that blood-soaked strip of blue gauze.

Her eyes remained fixed, unmoving, on the man before her who still wore that look of perfect innocence. He gave nothing away. Not a single crack.

Chi Xiyan wanted nothing more than to hurl the gauze strip in her hand into that man’s face and demand an explanation.

But she could not. She must not do that.

Chi Xiyan drew a slow breath and said, “I see. My questions are finished.”

Song Shutao’s face remained puzzled.

She could not understand what Chi Xiyan had meant just now.

Qingshan had been injured, yes. But it was not a fatal wound. With Chi Xiyan’s skill in medicine, it should have been simple to treat.

For Chi Xiyan to be this upset. was it because the one who hurt Qingshan was a disciple of Lingxiao Sword Sect?

But Song Shutao did not know who had hurt Qingshan either.

She was only an impostor. She was not particularly familiar with the people of Lingxiao Sword Sect.

“Miss Xiyan.” Song Shutao said, “I do not know who harmed Qingshan. But if it truly was a disciple of Lingxiao Sword Sect, I will personally see to it that they come forward and apologize to her.”

Chi Xiyan’s figure stiffened for a moment. She drew a slow breath and said, “There is no need. Qingshan has no more use for that now.”

The servants had searched through the night and found no trace of Qingshan. By now, the odds were not in her favor.

But what could be done about it?

Chi Chun had still been a young miss of a Chi family branch. And her death had been ruled and sealed just like that, without a single ripple.

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Qingshan was only an ordinary handmaid.

Song Shutao was full of unspoken questions, and was just about to ask something more, when Lu Guan cut her off directly.

“Junior Sister Song! This is not the occasion for idle chatter.”

Lu Guan silenced her, dreading that she might say something else to embarrass them. Then he turned to face Chi Jingwen.

“Family Head Chi. Now that the true culprit has been apprehended, this farce can come to an end.”

Chi Jingwen still smiled lightly. “Elder Lu, we are nowhere near done.”

“There are still many unanswered questions from last night’s affair.”

Lu Guan’s expression darkened. “What else is there to say.”

“Why, the most important matter of all.” Chi Jingwen’s gaze turned sharp. “My daughter’s honor.”

Lu Guan said in a low, steady voice, “Family Head Chi. What exactly is your intent? To have the Young Sect Master take Chi Muxue as his bride instead?”

Chi Xiyan was Chi Jingwen’s pride. Gifted in both alchemy and sword cultivation, she was the only heir to the Chi family.

Chi Muxue, on the other hand, was a village girl the Chi family had only just reclaimed.

Chi Jingwen wanted a village girl to take Chi Xiyan’s place and become Song Shixuan’s betrothed?

That old fox’s calculations were ringing loud and clear.

“Absolutely not!”

“That will not do!”

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What Lu Guan had not expected was that two voices of opposition rang out at the same time.

Chi Xiyan and Song Shutao.

Song Shutao’s expression was complicated. It was she who had ruined Chi Muxue’s honor. The responsibility of making amends fell on her. This was her mistake. It had nothing to do with Song Shixuan.

But Song Shutao did not know what she could possibly do to make up for the harm she had caused Chi Muxue.

After all, she had taken from a young woman the most important thing she possessed.

“It was I who wronged Miss Muxue,” Song Shutao said. “I am willing to offer any compensation she asks for.”

Chi Xiyan cut her off. “Nothing happened last night.”

Chi Xiyan stood in the center of the hall, her voice solemn and deliberate. “Muxue was not violated. She is still pure.”

Song Shutao froze. She looked at Chi Xiyan in disbelief.

Why was Chi Xiyan lying?

Last night, I truly did break Chi Muxue’s purity. That is an undeniable fact.

Otherwise, there would not have been those traces left on my hands.

Was Chi Xiyan doing this to protect Chi Muxue?

Lu Zhuxin remained seated in her place, watching all of this unfold with still eyes.

In this moment, she was nothing more than a bystander. Everything before her had nothing to do with her.

Even though she was the very subject these people were arguing over.