"Sign..."
Su Xiaobai shook his head, maintaining the innocent, wide-eyed look of someone wronged.
"I merely wanted to help you out of that illusion, but now I'm the one being accused of something I couldn't even dream of doing. Martial sisters are like second sisters to me! I would never lay a hand on them!"
Lan Meiyu's eyes burned with fury as Su Xiaobai twisted the story.
She opened her mouth to retort, but Su Xiaobai pressed on, his voice rising, taking control of the crowd.
"And you," he gestured at the group, "you all claim to be righteous. But did any of you even ask if I found the cave first? No. You just barged in, taking advantage of the opportunity without question. Now, you're enforcing one-sided justice without hearing my side of the story."
His current demeanor was the picture of innocence, like a puppy unjustly scolded.
His lies—smooth, practiced, and now entirely believable—wrapped him in a cloak of innocence so effective that even the most skeptical of the onlookers hesitated.
Lan Meiyu's breath hitched. Her mind raced. 'No... no! This can't be! He's lying, I know he is!' Her sword flared with energy again as she pointed it toward Su Xiaobai. "I'll cut your hands off! Then we'll see if you'll speak the truth!"
But before she could act, Elder Bai, her face now dark with disappointment, raised her hand and slapped Lan Meiyu across the face.
Puchi!
The sound echoed in the chamber, and Lan Meiyu staggered, blood spurting from her mouth as she coughed violently.
SPLURT!
"Wh—Cough.... Cough! E-Elder..." She tried to speak, but her strength faltered, the force of the slap leaving her gasping for air.
Elder Bai's voice was sharp and cold. "Enough of this madness. You've humiliated our sect enough, Lan Meiyu. Do not make things worse."
The disciples looked on, wide-eyed and shocked.
None had expected Elder Bai, always so measured, to strike one of her own disciples so violently.
Su Xiaobai watched the scene with quiet satisfaction. 'Looks like I'm not the only one who's good at playing people.' His lips curled into a faint smirk. He could feel the tide turning.
For now, his lies had worked.
And it bought him the time he needed to grow stronger.
Because the truth? He didn't care about any of them—righteous or not.
Lan Meiyu, her face stinging from Elder Bai's slap, tried one last time to protest. "It was... him..." she muttered, her voice strained, weakening with each word.
But even as she spoke, doubt began to creep into her mind. Was what Su Xiaobai said really true?
She had been so certain, but now the memory felt clouded.
The illusionary formation... could she have mistaken everything?
She glanced toward Liu Zhenhai, expecting support, but even he looked at her with a complicated expression, his earlier fury gone.
He didn't rush to her defense, only casting sideways glances between her and Su Xiaobai.
The betrayal stung more than the slap.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaobai was laughing inwardly. The Truth-Seeking Elixir had been burned to ashes in his meridians, consumed by the infernal flames coursing through him.
He could lie without consequence now. The thought brought a twisted satisfaction to his heart — 'this path of a sinner... maybe it's not so bad after all.'
Elder Bai cleared her throat, her face stern as she addressed the crowd. "You've all let your judgment be clouded by assumptions," she said coldly. "To mistake someone's righteous actions for evil, to jump to conclusions without understanding the truth—this is not how the Xiantian Sect operates. Su Xiaobai acted with integrity, and yet you doubted him."
Her gaze softened as she turned toward Su Xiaobai. "In light of your actions, I offer you this." She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a pristine, icy-blue lotus that radiated a gentle coldness.
"The Frostwhisper Lotus. Use it to stabilize your cultivation." She then handed him a silver token, etched with the Xiantian Sect's emblem. "And this—should you wish to join the sect, present this token. You will be welcomed without needing to explain yourself — Your rightous heart is something that our world direly needs!"
Gasp!
The gesture surprised everyone.
Su Xiaobai, standing there with a humble expression, was inwardly smirking. 'Righteous?'
The irony was almost laughable. His heart had long turned dark, his infernal flames fueling his every step.
But he masked it well, nodding gratefully as if the weight of gratitude rested on his shoulders.
'The Xiantian Sect,' Elder Bai continued in her mind, 'needs people like him—those with strong hearts who don't turn to evil, despite their suffering. With our resources, he could reach great heights.'
But Su Xiaobai saw it differently. 'A token to the Xiantian Sect?' His mind was already calculating.
'A stepping stone... That's all this is.' He would use the sect's resources to build his strength, clear his foundation, and grow.
He needed to fight and cultivate, but not in the chaos of the Heretic sects where death was certain.
Here, in this so-called righteous sect, killing should be prohibited.
But who was Su Xiaobai? A sinner, slowly emerging from the ashes of his own suffering.
'In a sect where killing is banned, accidents still happen. And when someone 'accidentally' dies, as long as they aren't important, no one will care.'
His thoughts were interrupted when Fatty Zhou clapped him on the back, smiling awkwardly. "Hey, don't mind me, brother. Just, you know... misunderstandings." He offered an apologetic smile.
Xiao Yu approached next, offering a polite nod. "You've earned the token, brother Su."
Even Liu Zhenhai and Lan Meiyu now seemed torn, their earlier hatred fading into something more complicated.
They didn't apologize, but the shift in their attitudes was clear.
Su Xiaobai couldn't help but marvel at how quickly they all changed.
'So this is all it takes? Act weak and pitiful, and suddenly, I'm innocent? Disgusting hypocrites.'
He didn't care for their sudden kindness, but he returned a polite smile nonetheless.
'They're all the same,' he thought, his smile never faltering. 'If being pitiful wins over these fools, if being pitful wins the sympathy in this world...then I'll play the part.'
But his heart had hardened beyond the reach of these trivial courtesies.
He had no intention of truly becoming one of them.
Even if he joined the Xiantian Sect temporarily, he knew he'd have to wear a mask—learn to smile while keeping his true thoughts hidden.
A sinner was slowly being born, and no one saw it.
They had no idea the darkness that had already taken root within him.
'One day,' Su Xiaobai thought, his gaze hardening for a brief moment, 'the world will shiver under my gaze.'
And when that day came, the Xiantian Sect, the righteous hypocrites, and everyone who had stood in his way would learn the truth—strength rules all.
And when that day finally comes, Su Xiaobai thought, 'I'll be the one deciding who's righteous and who's not.'