The man in the green robe had not yet spoken when another, slightly smaller figure in a green robe stepped forward, pointed at Yu Sifeng's nose, and sternly said, "Where is your mask?!"
Yu Sifeng, startled by his stern shout, trembled, and the words on his lips failed to come out.
The man coldly said, "Yu Sifeng, are you aware that this is a serious breach of Lize Palace's laws? I ask you, the thirteen rules of Lize Palace, do you simply disregard them?"
Yu Sifeng fell to the ground, his voice trembling as he said, "I recognize my mistake! I am willing to accept the punishment!"
The man then said, "Very well. Once we return to Lize Palace, the Palace Master will decide!"
Before he could finish speaking, the man in the green robe casually said, "Hold on. Si Feng, how did your mask come off?"
Trembling with extreme fear, Yu Sifeng spoke in a low voice, "I... on the order of the Vice Palace Master, assisted Sect Leader Chu to hunt demons with five others. In the heat of battle with the demons, my mask was accidentally destroyed. I, lacking in skill, ask for the Master's punishment!"
The man in the green robe uttered "Oh," suddenly looked up, and although he wore a mask, his gaze was piercing, sweeping across everyone's faces, instilling fear.
He slowly began, "After your mask was destroyed, you took no measures to remedy the situation, and you allowed more people to see your true face, is that right?"
Yu Sifeng shook all over, and after a long silence, he finally nodded slowly.
The man who had earlier fiercely scolded him now spoke softly to the man in the green robe, "Palace Master, although his violation was not voluntary, it fundamentally still reflects a disregard for the rules and unrestrained behavior."
The Palace Master nodded. For a moment, no one spoke, and it was unclear what punishment Yu Sifeng would face.
Suddenly, a small figure stood up behind him and spoke out loud, "Si Feng only violated the rules because he was saving us. Given the dire circumstances, he had no choice; do not punish him!"
Everyone turned around, only to see Xuanji standing fearlessly behind Yu Sifeng, her clear eyes calmly meeting the frightening mask of the Palace Master without fear or tension.
Linglong, seeing Xuanji speaking out for Yu Sifeng without saying a word, and noticing those from Lize Palace looking sinister, felt unsettled and quickly tugged at her quietly, signaling her not to speak rashly.
Xuanji simply said, "Si Feng saved the lives of me and Sixth Brother, making him our benefactor. How can we allow our benefactor to be punished for this, Sixth Brother, am I right?"
Zhong Minyan had been hesitating about whether to speak up for Yu Sifeng, especially since his uncle was present and he dared not act rashly. Now seeing Xuanji taking the lead and involving him, he couldn't hold back any longer, nodding hurriedly and loudly saying, "Yes! Si Feng is our benefactor and our good friend! He said that the first person to see his true face is a brother for life. Since he's our brother, we cannot let him be unjustly punished! I urge the Palace Master to reconsider!"
The Palace Master smiled and gently said, "Si Feng, is this what you told them?"
Yu Sifeng, after a moment of silence, nodded.
The Palace Master then said, "The playful words of my disciple have been taken seriously by you. This is a domestic issue of Lize Palace, and I do not wish to say more. Thank you both for your friendship... Si Feng, rise, and let's talk back at the palace."
Yu Sifeng immediately got up and silently merged with the team in the green robes, not lifting his head again.
The Palace Master bowed to Chu Yinghong, apologizing, "I apologize for the inconvenience. We shall meet Sect Leader Chu without delay."
Chu Yinghong's lips barely moved, swallowing back the words of plea she had, and, with a smile, said, "The young disciples spoke out of turn, please forgive them. Palace Master, please lead the way."
With that, everyone proceeded towards the top of Shaoyang Peak.
"Palace Master!" someone called out crisply from behind, "I don't understand, what matters more, a human life or a mask? Right and wrong must be clearly defined. Compared to a mask, isn't ignoring the danger to others a mistake?"
The Palace Master heard this and suddenly stopped, turning back to look.
Indeed, it was Xuanji again, standing boldly in the middle of the scene, fearlessly looking at him.
He was thoughtful for a moment as he met her gaze, feeling her clear sight, although there seemed to be...
"Right and wrong are indeed hard to determine," he faintly responded, "Miss Chu is young, perhaps not fully aware of the reasons. If everything in the world could be easily divided into black and white, there would be no disputes at all."
Xuanji shook her head, "To the Palace Master, Si Feng's letting us see his true face unsolicited is a mistake. To us, Si Feng is a friend and a benefactor. Even if right and wrong are hard to distinguish, there are priorities; two lives he saved surely outweigh a single rule, don't they?"
"The rules of Lize Palace are not for you to define arbitrarily," the man with the sharp voice in the green robe yelled again, but before he could finish, the Palace Master gestured for him to stop.
"Miss Chu values friendship and loyalty; she does her father, the Sect Leader, proud," the Palace Master slowly said, "but this issue is a domestic matter of Lize Palace, inappropriate for outsiders to intervene."
Chu Yinghong, fearing things might turn ugly, quickly said in a stern voice, "Xuanji, this matter does not concern you, refrain from speaking recklessly!"
Xuanji calmly responded, "The rules of Lize Palace indeed do not concern me. But the matter of a good friend does concern me. You are many, and I naturally can't do much, but I know right from wrong. Such a grand Lize Palace, yet it doesn't allow speaking the truth?"
"You...!" The impulsive man in the green robe was about to shout again but ultimately held it back, turning his head away from her.
"Xuanji, no more talking!" Du Minxing said with a grave expression, pulling her behind him and bowing to the Palace Master, "My junior sister is young and impulsive, and she has offended the Palace Master. I ask the Palace Master not to take it to heart."
The Palace Master actually burst into laughter, clapping his hands and saying, "Excellent! Excellent! Truly, a tiger father does not sire a dog daughter! Hall Master Chu, the Shaoyang Sect is genuinely fearsome and enviable indeed."
Everyone, hearing no hint of mockery or irritation in his words, finally breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that this Palace Master was magnanimous. Otherwise, having rebuffed the face of Lize Palace, it would have been embarrassing for both parties.
"Si Feng," the Palace Master suddenly called out his name.
Yu Sifeng quickly bowed his head and stepped forward, kneeling on the ground and saying, "Disciple is here."
"Have you indeed become good friends with Miss Chu and Zhong Shaohua?"
He asked strangely, yet it made Yu Sifeng shiver. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, "Yes! In my life, I never knew what friends were until I met them and understood what it means to be kindred spirits."
The Palace Master pondered for a long time, then suddenly said, "If that is so, then the thirteenth rule no longer concerns you. Today this palace grants you satisfaction…"
His gaze lingered on Yu Sifeng, Xuanji, and Zhong Minyan for a moment, intense and piercing, making one's heart tremble.
"There will be no chance for regret in the future."
Yu Sifeng's body shook violently, his fingers clawing deep marks into the ground. Sweat dripped from his forehead, whether from awe or something else.
It was unknown how much time had passed when he suddenly lifted his head, gazing deeply at the Palace Master, then immediately bowed his head and said in a low voice, "Disciple obeys."
The Palace Master nodded, waved his sleeve gently to steadily raise him up, and then turned and left.
"Miss Chu, there is no absolute right or wrong in the world. You are straightforward by nature and are bound to face setbacks in the future. I hope you won't always seek to assign blame. Remember, there are as many rights and wrongs as there are people… With that, be ever prudent."
With that, everyone finally walked away, leaving only a few children standing there, puzzled over what he had just said.
"Xuanji…" Linglong, still terrified, grasped her hand and complained, "You are far too bold! How could you argue so much with that masked weirdo! He's still the master of Lize Palace! If father knew, it would be the death of us!"
Xuanji lowered her lashes, asking quietly, "Did I… say something wrong just now? But, it was clearly they who were unreasonable."
Du Minxing glanced at her, shaking his head, "Didn't the Palace Master just say that there's no absolute right or wrong in the world? Why bother arguing."
"Right is right, and wrong is wrong; black and white have never coexisted. How can there be no absolute rights and wrongs in the world?"
Du Minxing inwardly shivered, unable to help but look deeply into her clear, sharply defined eyes.
Xuanji was naturally intelligent but had a perverse nature. Once she believed in her own reason, she was convinced she was absolutely right, making others' opinions useless to her.
He knew this type of temperament was actually very dangerous. However, given her young age and natural laziness, it was easy to merely be annoyed at her carelessness, often overlooking her nearly obsessive thoughts.
Although she was still so young, when arguing she was clear and confident, never humble nor arrogant, with an inherent fierce pride in her brows—it was uncertain what she would become as she grew older.
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Right and wrong reside only in the heart. Xuanji, you are not others, how can you know their sense of right and wrong? How can you impose your own ideas on others?"
Xuanji paused for a moment, then casually smiled, "Then others should not impose their sense of right and wrong on me either."
Du Minxing was momentarily at a loss for words.
Dangerous, she was very dangerous. If this continued, once she encountered an irredeemable setback, it would be a sign of turning into a demon.
Du Minxing sighed, about to give her a proper lesson, but then heard Linglong laugh ahead, "Alright, alright! Since Si Feng is not punished, and the Palace Master didn't blame Xuanji, the Flower Pinning Conference will go on as planned. Why are you still sulking? Come on, finish your fish and then go back to the room to change into the new clothes mom had made for us!"
After saying that, she pulled Xuanji and Zhong Minyan and ran off, still looking back at him, "Big Brother, if you don't come over, we'll eat all the fish—leaving no scales for you!"
Du Minxing looked back and saw Xuanji, under Linglong's chatter, laughing innocently, her little face radiant as if carved from jade, clearly just a naive child.
He sighed inwardly, hoping it was all his own overthinking.
"You have the nerve to say that, when Min Yan and I caught the fish."
He laughed and walked over.
***********
The update schedule is as follows: One chapter around 2 p.m. each day, and another around 9 p.m.
Two updates a day, I really am a diligent Shisi~~
Recommend and bookmark~~ tears streaming~