Ch. 117 - You Went Off Script

In the days that followed, Xu Zimo stayed in the sect, focusing on absorbing the Blood Demon Crystals.

The blood energy within them wasn’t particularly pure, so he had to refine them with spiritforce before absorption.

…

Xu Zimo exhaled deeply as the hundredth Blood Demon Crystal shattered before him. His body surged with vibrant blood essence, like a roaring river boiling within him.

He stood up, a breath of white mist escaping his lips. His face was slightly flushed, and after the surging energy calmed down, he stepped out of his room.

Just as he left South Goose Mountain, a disciple approached and said the Vice-Lord was summoning him to the council hall.

Xu Zimo already had a good idea of what was happening and followed the disciple straight to the main hall.

Inside, Xu Qingshan sat high above at the central seat. On either side were the seven Grand Elders of the sacred ground.

Besides them, several disciples who had entered the Blood Demon Hidden Realm were present, including Lin Ruhu and Little Gui.

The atmosphere was heavy with tension. The First Grand Elder's expression was particularly grim.

As Xu Zimo walked in, the First Grand Elder was the first to speak. His voice boomed like thunder.

“Xu Zimo, do you admit your guilt?!”

Before Xu Zimo could reply, Xu Qingshan frowned slightly and said, displeased:

“First Grand Elder, no conclusion has been reached yet. What crime has my son committed, exactly? Please clarify.”

Seeing Xu Qingshan’s stern expression, the Grand Elder quickly bowed and said:

“Vice-Lord, I’ve just lost a beloved disciple and may have spoken rashly. I apologize.”

After his apology, he turned back to Xu Zimo and demanded:

“Xu Zimo, did you kill Zhong Xin?”

“What? Senior Brother Zhong is dead?” Xu Zimo looked genuinely shocked, then quickly shook his head.

“I have no idea.”

“Then let me ask you,” the Grand Elder continued, “witnesses say he was with you throughout the hidden realm. If you and your group all returned safely, where is he?”

“How should I know?” Xu Zimo replied. “He wasn’t with us for long before he left. Where he went isn’t my concern. But if the Grand Elder insists I killed him, then please… provide evidence.”

“You…” the Grand Elder trembled with anger. If he had evidence, he wouldn’t be raging in the hall like this.

He knew full well, it was his own instruction that had sent Zhong Xin to tail Xu Zimo through the Blood Demon Hidden Realm to ruin his chances.

Now that something had gone wrong, he was convinced Xu Zimo had something to do with it.

“Grand Elder,” Xu Zimo said calmly, “As one of the sacred ground’s respected elders, your words and actions carry great weight. Please remember your status and speak responsibly. Let facts and evidence do the talking. If we start making wild accusations, what happens if we wrongly condemn someone? That could leave a lasting scar in a disciple’s heart. One careless word might alter someone’s entire fate.”

“Fine,” the Grand Elder said coldly, “Then I’ll personally go to the hidden realm and investigate Zhong Xin’s death thoroughly.”

“That’s your business. I only hope you’ll act with the dignity of an elder and not deliberately target certain disciples,” Xu Zimo replied indifferently.

The Grand Elder sneered and snapped:

“I don’t need you teaching me how to do my job.”

“Of course not,” Xu Zimo said with a smirk. “I just find your teaching methods questionable. I happened to overhear a rumor outside the sect. They say Senior Brother Zhong was a hypocrite, he looked decent on the outside but behaved disgracefully behind the scenes. Now that he’s dead… maybe it’s for the best.”

The Grand Elder’s face turned dark purple.

“Xu Zimo, my disciple is already dead and you still insult him? Fine. Very well. You must give me an explanation today, or I’ll personally throw you into the Forbidden Cliff.”

“And what kind of explanation would the Grand Elder like?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Weren’t you the one demanding evidence just now?” the Grand Elder glared. “And now you’re slandering my disciple. Where’s your proof?”

“I can testify for Senior Brother Xu,” came a voice.

Everyone turned to see Little Gui step forward.

“Actually, I was the one who told him about this in the first place.”

“Think carefully,” the Grand Elder said darkly. “You’re just an inner court disciple. You can’t bear the weight of this kind of accusation. Do you have any evidence?”

“No,” Little Gui said, “but I saw it with my own eyes. Senior Brother Zhong tried to assault an innocent girl. He was worse than a beast, utter scum.”

“If the Grand Elder doesn’t believe me, let Zhong Xin confront me face-to-face. I’ll be right here waiting.”

“Confrontation? Confrontation with who? His body hasn’t even been found. How the hell do we confront him now?” the Grand Elder fumed.

Clearly, these two were banking on the fact that Zhong Xin was dead and couldn’t defend himself, smearing his name even in death, kicking his corpse, essentially.

“Then why didn’t you report this earlier?” the Grand Elder glared at Little Gui. “Now that he’s dead, what’s your motive in speaking up?”

“Sigh… it’s my fault,” Little Gui said, voice low and somber.

“I didn’t dare speak out. The gap between us was just too great. I’m just a regular inner court disciple, powerless and alone. But him? He was one of the elite core disciples, the pride of the sacred ground. His master was the First Grand Elder himself. He could kill me as easily as squashing a bug.”

Little Gui wiped a few forced tears from his eyes.

“So I chose silence. But when I returned, my conscience tormented me. That poor girl’s tragic end haunted my dreams like a nightmare.”

His face hardened with resolve.

“But today, I’m standing up. No matter what happens to me, at least I’ll have peace of mind. Today, I’ll say this in front of everyone: Zhong Xin was trash. A disgrace. Worse than a dog. And you, Grand Elder, don’t you bear some responsibility too? As the saying goes, like master, like disciple.”

The entire hall fell silent.

You could’ve heard a pin drop.

Even Xu Zimo turned to look at Little Gui, his expression unreadable.

That last line… wasn’t part of their script.

“You damn bastard,” Xu Zimo thought, “you went off script just to add drama for yourself.”

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