Chapter 256: Threat?
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By the time Su Cheng arrived, Cangjue was already crying from the beating!
"Shiyao, what's going on?"
Seeing her master arrive, Li Shiyu set down the Fallen Immortal Ruler and snuggled close to him.
"Master, Shiyu caught the thief! Isn't Shiyu amazing?"
Li Shiyu beamed with pride and self-satisfaction, as if she had cracked a major case!
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Of course! Shiyu followed him all the way and caught him red-handed when he made his move!"
Su Cheng naturally didn't take it seriously. Cang Jue wasn't a fool. Stealing?
Even if she had no shame, she'd still need to live, right?
"Wow~ Shiyu is so awesome! Where's the stolen goods?"
Shiyao froze. Stolen goods?
"Um… I saw her about to act, so I tied her up and brought her here. The stuff is obviously at Wanyue Pavilion."
Su Cheng smiled as he ruffled Huang Mao's hair, his face brimming with affection while offering an explanation.
"Didn't Shiyu know? Catching thieves requires both the person and the goods. You only caught the person. What if she denies it now?"
Su Cheng waved his hand, signaling Yu Lan to untie Cang Jue. Yu Lan grinned, seemingly unconcerned.
Spitting out a thin cloth resembling a bellyband, Yu Lan declared, "I'm not a thief! I didn't steal anything!"
Li Shiyu immediately protested, "Don't try to wriggle out of it! I saw everything! Next time, I'll catch you for sure!"
Even the most skilled horse stumbles, and even the most vigilant person slips up. Li Shiyu felt she was so close—it seemed her timing just wasn't quite right!
Once she tucked the treasure away in her bosom, no amount of wriggling would save her!
"I was investigating, not stealing!"
"Investigating? Why did you go to Wanyue Pavilion if you just wanted tea? Shiyu, you're clearly just making excuses!"
Cang Jue also remembered that Li Shiyao wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Arguing with her?
She wouldn't even understand your insults—like punching cotton!
And now you expect her to listen to your explanation? Forget whether you can explain it clearly—even if you did, she probably wouldn't understand!
"Su Cheng, is this how you teach your disciples?"
Su Cheng smiled. Protecting her own was her specialty.
"Exactly. I think Shiyu handled it perfectly. Sure, there was a misunderstanding, but she wasn't at fault. What if carelessness really led to something being lost?"
Li Shiyu stood beside Su Cheng, riding his coattails!
"Senior Sister said the safety of Lingxian Hall's property isn't just about minding one's own business—it's the shared responsibility of everyone in the sect!"
Yu Lan and Dongfang Jue seemed to be on cheer squad duty, clapping their hands and cheering!
"Exactly! Shiyu has truly matured—no wonder she's the Grandmaster's second disciple!"
"So cool! Senior Sister, when will Jue'er be like you?"
Oh my~
With Yu Lan and Dongfang Jue taking turns praising her, Li Shiyu was starting to feel a bit flustered. Her face grew slightly red, and she shyly hid behind her master.
"Hehe, Shiyao just… did it effortlessly~"
Cangjue was stunned: Am I just a pawn in your game?
"Master Su, I did underestimate you back then. If things are like this now, even with evidence, no one could intervene in the matters of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, is that correct?"
Just as Su Cheng was about to speak, Bai Tao's figure suddenly appeared.
"Huh? Haven't eaten yet? What's everyone doing gathered here?"
"Fairy Bai Tao, it's not quite dinner time yet~" Yu Lan replied casually with a smile.
"Oh well, I'll be off then."
……
At this moment, Cangjue felt nothing could surprise him anymore in this Lingxian Hall. So this Bai Tao really was a freeloader!
"Elder Cangjue, this Sect Leader has stated repeatedly: while Lingxian Hall sympathizes with the matter concerning the Tian Dao Pavilion, it bears no connection whatsoever to our Hall."
Li Shiyu: "The Heavenly Dao Pavilion? What happened there?"
Yu Lan leaned close to Li Shiyu and whispered loudly, "Shiyu, you don't know—that day, when Master Su learned you'd been bullied, he went to the Heavenly Dao Pavilion to avenge you!"
"Is that true? I thought Master had just gone grocery shopping."
"Master Su dealt with everyone involved—both the Heavenly Dao Pavilion and the Mo School—who had bullied Li Shiyu!"
"What? So many people… Did Master get hurt?"
"Don't worry, Shiyu. That night, Yulan examined him thoroughly—from head to toe, inside and out. Master Su wasn't injured."
Li Shiyu pondered thoughtfully: "So Master injured a lot of people?"
"Many from the Celestial Path Pavilion were injured. As for the Mo School and others, none should have been harmed."
"Senior Sister said the Heavenly Path Pavilion are all scoundrels. I always thought that Cheng Liang looked sleazy—obviously no good!"
Yu Lan laughed so hard she shook like a trembling flower branch. "Don't worry, Shiyu. Master Su gave that Cheng Liang a thorough beating! Word is he won't be able to get out of bed for at least a month!"
Li Shiyu was taken aback! A whole month bedridden?
"Really? Did the Master really spank him that hard?"
Yu Lan seemed to recall something, glanced at Su Cheng, and chuckled awkwardly:
"Heh, not really. Maybe it depends on the person, or maybe it's just how different people's constitutions are."
Su Cheng rolled his eyes, turning his gaze to Cang Jue instead:
"Though our Lingxian Hall has few members, we are a reputable orthodox sect. We conduct ourselves with integrity and sit upright!"
"While we harbor no intent to harm, this is by no means weakness. As the sect leader, I absolutely cannot ignore such slander!"
"If this is the case, how are my disciples supposed to conduct themselves in the future? Wouldn't it mean anyone can bully them?"
"In short, the matters of the Celestial Path Pavilion have absolutely no connection to my Lingxian Hall."
"Should anyone persist in slandering the Lingxian Hall or my disciples, I shall personally seek justice!"
"I implore the Elder to convey this message back to Ling Mountain!"
……
Cang Jue had never encountered such a person before. How could there be such a hollow man in this world?
Didn't you hear what your Elder and your disciple just said?
"Is this a threat?"
"Not at all. Elder Cangjue, consider this: if Lingxian Hall were the ones stirring trouble, we would have crossed paths long ago, wouldn't we?"
Frankly, the tension in this exchange was palpable. Caijue, trapped within enemy lines, was practically a lamb led to the slaughter.
It's not that I, Cang Jue, am unreasonable. When Master Su's beloved disciple suffers injustice, anyone would find it hard to swallow their pride. I can certainly understand how Master Su felt at the time.
"But Ling Mountain has its own rules. By acting thus, isn't Master Su deliberately seeking to humiliate Cangjue?"
At this point, everyone present was intelligent enough to avoid a full-blown confrontation.
Cangjue could only hope that Su Cheng, constrained by his plans for the Northern Realm, would refrain from clashing with Ling Mountain at this juncture.
Yet with such a formidable lineup assembled, she couldn't be certain. Su Cheng was no pushover.
They were all shrewd individuals, and among the women she had encountered, Cangjue possessed the most profound human depth!
Whether in speech and manner or conduct and style, Su Cheng could discern genuine humanity in her.
Compared to those few from Lingxian Hall, there were few who could even be considered human…
"Elder Cang, I harbor no ill will toward you. I hope you understand this first and foremost."
"Secondly, it seems Ling Mountain hasn't treated you particularly well either, has it?"
Cang Jue's pupils contracted…
"Then I'm afraid I'll disappoint you—I'm not the kind of woman you imagine me to be!"
As she spoke, her gaze swept over Yu Lan!
Indeed, she looked down on women like Yu Lan who only knew how to climb into bed!
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