"Brother Song shouldn't show himself now!" Ji Chen reached out to stop him.
"Forget it." Lin Feiyuan leaned against the tree trunk, brushing fallen petals from his sleeves. "There's no stopping him anyway."
Meng Heze and Ji Chen exchanged helpless glances, finding this quite reasonable.
Once drunk, Song Qianji did whatever he pleased, acting on every whim that crossed his mind.
They hadn't been able to restrain him earlier in the Cosmos Palace, and now they couldn't very well knock him unconscious and drag him away.
Song Qianji stepped onto Fleeting Water Bridge under a circle of astonished, complicated gazes.
Having just broken through the Grand Formation's blockade and caused hundreds of flowers to bloom, the Huawel Sect members regarded him warily, all looking toward Xu Yun, waiting for their sect leader to speak.
But Xu Yun only watched Chen Hongzhu, slowly approaching: "Hongzhu, let's stop the bleeding first, alright? This is heart's blood!"
His back slightly bent, he seemed to have aged many years overnight.
He Qingqing shook her head slightly at Song Qianji, whispering: "Senior Brother Song..."
Even though Chen Hongzhu's vow had already cleared Song Qianji of involvement, he would still inevitably face gossip behind his back.
This was trouble any normal person would avoid, yet Song Qianji was stepping forward voluntarily.
Song Qianji walked up to He Qingqing.
"You have nothing to do with this!" He Qingqing stopped him.
Song Qianji paused: "Then do you have anything to do with him?"
He pointed at Wei Zhanyang.
He Qingqing shook her head.
"Since there's no relationship, you were merely righting a wrong, drawing your sword to help the weak." Song Qianji smiled. "Now that you've helped, naturally there's nothing more to it."
Wei Zhanyang was shocked: "Immortal Qingqing, you can't do this, aren't we two...ｗwｗ•ｈｅtｕshu.ｃｏｍ.ｃｏｍ"
Before he could finish "two hearts beating as one," Song Qianji asked: "Do you know him?"
He Qingqing answered truthfully: "We've met twice."
Wei Zhanyang cut in: "Though we've only met twice, Immortal Qingqing and I fell in love at first sight!"
With Chen Hongzhu already turning against him beyond repair, he had to make a decision to keep He Qingqing and the Celestial Sound Sect.
Hearing this, the female cultivators of the Celestial Sound Sect blushed and stepped back.
"Did you ever promise him anything?" Song Qianji asked.
"Never," He Qingqing replied.
"No, we clearly agreed..." Wei Zhanyang felt chilled to the bone.
Only now did he realize that from beginning to end, He Qingqing had indeed never promised him anything.
Song Qianji said: "Fellow Daoist Wei, you see, this situation should be called unrequited love, not love at first sight or mutual affection."
His serious tone while explaining this logic made everyone burst into laughter.
m.hetushu.com.com Feng Ziyi laughed loudly: "I thought there were some grand vows that made you faithlessly abandon Hongzhu. Turns out it was just you obsessing over someone else!"
"I'm not joking. Though I don't understand these matters well, I know..." Song Qianji thought for a moment, "sometimes we male cultivators get the wrong idea. When we realize our mistake, we should correct it."
In his previous life, he had thought he and Miaoyan were mutually in love, only to discover it was all a misunderstanding in the end.
The laughter at the bridgehead grew louder.
The seamless Fleeting Water Bridge left the Wei clansmen with nowhere to hide, wishing they could jump off.
"Outrageous!" Wei Zhenren shifted his sword's direction. "Song Qianji, what are you scheming by distorting the truth? Why are you protecting this seductress? Are you involved with her? Everyone look - with her appearance, how could this enchantress resemble the spotless immortals of the Celestial Sound Sect?"
Wei Zhenren burned with hatred.He Qingqing's actions were unorthodox and rebellious, and none of her fellow disciples present were willing to step forward. Why was Song Qianji stirring up trouble?
"Bastard! How dare you slander Senior Brother Song!" Meng Heze was furious but was held back by Lin Feiyuan.
"If you have a point, argue it. Why resort to insults?" Song Qianji smiled faintly and pulled a jade box from his sleeve. "A blood oath is too drastic and drains one's vitality. I have a treasure here that can determine the truth."
He opened the jade box, revealing a small, pale purple flower with yellow stamens resting on velvet.
"This flower may look ordinary, but it contains a long-lost Truth Spell. If it hears a lie, it will wither immediately. Whatever you have to say, speak it to the flower," Song Qianji said.
Wei Zhanyang lowered his head for a closer look and saw that the flower indeed radiated vibrant Spirit Qi, unlike any mundane plant.
The cultivators craned their necks to see, but none could identify its origin, assuming it was some rare or extinct spiritual plant.
"Song Qianji actually has a Truth Spell?"
"With his powerful backing, it's no surprise he has a few good treasures."
Otherwise, who would store an ordinary plant in such an exquisite Spirit Jade box beforehand?
Song Qianji glanced toward the crowd at the bridgehead and raised an eyebrow slightly.
He had just used an identical jade box to gift wheat to Ziye Wenshu. He hoped the principled and sharp-eyed Courtyard Overseer wouldn't expose him.
The students of Green Cliff misinterpreted Song Qianji's gaze, thinking Song Xian Guan was isolated and seeking help.
Having benefited greatly from standing close during Song Qianji's flute performance earlier, they immediately shouted:
"A blood oath harms the body. Now that there's a Truth Spell, there's no reason to hesitate, right?"
Qingzhai: "Young Master Wei, we all trust you. Say something quickly!"
Zimo: "Young Master Wei, what agreement did you make with Fairy Qingqing? When and where? Tell us so we can hear it."
Ziye Wenshu turned his head and gave them a calm glance.
The two trembled nervously, spreading their hands: "We've gossiped and stirred trouble. We accept punishment—go ahead and strike us, Senior Brother!"
Ziye Wenshu simply turned back.
The crowd had already taken up their rallying cries.
Wei Zhanyang gritted his teeth, now three parts convinced.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Song Qianji solemnly picked up the flower. Wei Zhanyang had no choice but to speak: "I and Fairy Qingqing..."
His throat felt blocked by a heavy stone, and he ultimately stammered without finishing.
He Qingqing said, "I have no romantic involvement with this Daoist Wei."
The pale purple flower remained in full bloom, unchanged.
She recalled the night before the Music Examination, when she had spoken her truths to a flower just like this.
Song Qianji closed the box.
Meng Heze was astonished and secretly transmitted his voice: "When did Senior Brother Song refine such a treasure? But isn't this..."
He wanted to say it was a potato flower but feared he might be mistaken.
Lin Feiyuan spat: "Treasure, my foot! I saw him pluck it from a pot with my own eyes! In the dead of winter, when nothing grows in the frozen ground, he moved pots indoors to plant them!"
Ji Chen suppressed a laugh: "Brother Song can deceive people too. Potato flowers saving the world."
The three exchanged amused transmissions, but the guests at the bridgehead remained unaware, cheering enthusiastically.
The Huawel Sect members truly despised Song Qianji, but at that moment, they were even more delighted to see the Wei family humiliated and embarrassed.
What could have become a scandalous marriage dispute had now completely preserved Miss Chen's reputation, leaving only Wei Zhanyang to bear the blame and hang his head in shame.
Naturally, they stood tall and proud, gathering around Chen Hongzhu and glaring coldly at the Wei clansmen.
"Hongzhu has been cherished and adored in our Huawel Sect since childhood," Xu Yun thundered. "Did you think she would be easy to bully?"Wei Zhenren actually raised his hand and slapped Wei Zhanyang hard: "Wretched beast! How dare you do such foolish things behind my back!"
This slap was decisive, meant for everyone to see, and naturally struck with immense force.
Wei Zhanyang was sent tumbling to the ground, rolling three times before he could no longer get up.
He clutched his face in shock, hissing in pain, looking up with tears and snot streaming down: "Father!"
Instantly, his cheek swelled up high, and blood gushed from the split corner of his mouth.
Wei Zhenren's voice thundered: "I have no son like you! I will report to the Ancestor and have your name struck from the family registry!"
"Let's go," Song Qianji said to He Qingqing.
Meng Heze and the other Thousand Canals disciples stepped forward together.
He Qingqing looked past Song Qianji's back and saw the Fairy Sound Sect female cultivators hiding silently at the rear of the crowd, their expressions awkward.
She had emerged unscathed from the eye of the storm, yet they dared not meet her gaze.
"Everyone, please descend the mountain," Xu Yun's voice spread through the formation. "We have been made a spectacle today. Please forgive our poor hospitality."
A joyous occasion had turned into a disgrace. Within half a day, it would spread throughout the Cultivation World, and the Huawel Sect naturally had no heart to entertain guests.
The guests also tactfully took their leave, no one blaming the host for the breach of etiquette.
The arrival had been meticulously arranged with elaborate ceremonies, but the departure was rushed and haphazard, with guests left to their own devices.
Chen Hongzhu, her face deathly pale, was surrounded by her father, senior brothers, and sect members as they escorted her toward the Cosmos Palace.
The wound on her palm had healed but left a scar, still stinging with pain.
Before entering the palace, she suddenly stopped and looked up at the peach blossoms. On the bridge, the crowd surged, and from the corner of her eye, she faintly caught sight of He Qingqing and Song Qianji's ceremonial sleeves.
From beginning to end, she and Song Qianji had not exchanged a single glance.
Chen Hongzhu opened her hand, and a petal fell onto the fiercely scarred palm.
Counting from their meeting on the Fleeting Water Bridge, they had known each other for a short time, and their interactions had not been many.
Back then, Song Qianji was the leader of the Outer Sect, guarding his one-acre plot at Song Courtyard every day, with Meng Heze and a group of disciples by his side.
She was the Sect Leader's daughter, wandering alone wherever she pleased, whipping anyone she felt like.
It was out of curiosity about the person whose name could not be spoken that she had approached Song Qianji.
In truth, such a shallow bond, placed within the long life of a cultivator, lasted less than the time it took for a flower to bloom.
She had once given Song Qianji a small red paper crane, a specially made communication talisman.
Today, Song Qianji had traveled thousands of miles to brave the dragon's den and tiger's lair, giving her a mountain full of flowers.
In the future...
There would be no future.
"Little Junior Sister has suffered greatly today," Yuan Qingshi said, taking Chen Hongzhu's hand with deep sympathy.
"It was not suffering," Chen Hongzhu said, stepping through the palace doors and straightening her back. "It was worth it."
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