The Truth? Nah

Chapter 68: The Truth? Nah.

"Is that so?" Jin Meiyu said with a strange expression but an even more strangely calm tone.

Long Bai felt an odd sense of suffocation, as if the surrounding atmosphere had suddenly dropped. Even at noon, when the sun was at its peak, he felt a chill running down his spine.

"Xu Mo, is that true?" Wei Han approached me. He was one of the few people who knew I was not actually mute and, for some reason, was keeping my mouth shut.

I nodded only at the part of the sentence where Long Bai said it was my wish to stay in the outer sect, while in my heart, I rejected all the other false claims. Even if one day the truth came out and Wei Han and Jin Meiyu questioned why I had lied, I could only say that they had not specified which part of the Head Elder's sentence was true and which was false.

It was quite evil of me, I thought inwardly. It seems like my real personality is slowly coming out. But this time, I will not let myself be controlled by desires.

Jin Meiyu finally looked away, no longer caring about Xu Mo and Long Bai. She, too, could not say that she had asked her aunt to spy on them and had learned from her that the relationship between these two was not one of father and son but rather of equals—even though Xu Mo was miles below the Head Elder in terms of cultivation.

And such miracles only happen when one has a status that commands respect from the strong. How was she so sure? Because she was one of those people. As the young lady of the Jin Family and the last heir left to inherit its throne after her grandfather, she was respected by many heads and patriarchs of other big families. These families were certain that as long as nothing happened to her, she would inherit her grandfather's position. And all of those people were far stronger than her—some even stronger than her grandfather.

Jin Meiyu nodded at me one last time, and I responded with a quick nod. But my eyes searched for the emotion I desperately wanted the Saintess to have—the same emotion she had when "I" was in the trial. But unfortunately, her eyes were clear, without any sign of disgust or any other emotion. She seemed quite generous this time.

Wait.

If "I" in the trial had done things that the real me would have never even imagined doing, could it be the same for others I encountered in the trial? Could that trial have been playing tricks on me?

For a moment, such thoughts began welling up in my mind. According to my knowledge from the trial, Jin Meiyu considered first impressions everything. My first impression must have painted me as a lecherous person. And no matter how much she tried to mask her emotions, a frown would have usually crept onto her temples, and she would have ignored me.

Then why would she still nod at me without any fluctuations in her emotions?

Jin Meiyu walked away, and the Head Elder followed behind her. Her protection was of utmost importance as long as my identity was not revealed.

"Xu Mo, I will be taking my leave now." The Head Elder waved at me while half-tilting his body.

I reluctantly raised my hand to my shoulder and waved back slightly.

"He was lying, right?" Wei Han asked as he gazed at the backs of Long Bai and Jin Meiyu. The disciples were still coming and going, unaware that their goddess and the Head Elder had been standing among them. Some, however, noticed and turned their heads because of Jin Meiyu's beauty, but they did not associate her with the Saintess of the Hidden Dragon Sect.

I did not answer. But it seemed my silence was enough for Wei Han's questions to be answered.

"Don't worry about Jiang Ren. He has created a lot of enemies during his time as the Elder of the Technique Hall. Even if I wanted to help, his enemies would not let him see the light of day again," Wei Han said with little emotion, his mind wandering back to when his friend was still alive. Their meeting had been quite the episode—he, the young master of the Wei Family, and his friend, a commoner. But his friend had been an honest guy. He did not know how his bloodline had become so corrupt.

"So that is the famous Saintess of the Hidden Dragon Sect."

None of them realized that someone had been eavesdropping on their conversation all along.

Mei Xueyin sat inside a teahouse, calmly sipping her tea in a private room while gazing out the window. She was not the only spy in the sect; they had been sent as a team, and she was their leader. Unfortunately, because threats from outer sect disciples meant nothing to the Head Elder and the Saintess, they did not keep their guard up against them. As a result, their conversation had leaked to one of her informers, who was able to share a live recording with her through a device commonly used in the mortal world.

And because these devices contained barely any spiritual energy—only about as much as an average mortal innately possessed—they were difficult for powerful cultivators to detect unless they actively used their divine sense.

"We will meet soon," Mei Xueyin murmured while stirring her tea, her chin resting on her arm in a lazy posture as she leaned forward slightly.

...

I was alone once again. Wei Han, as the chief of the Disciplinary Hall, was a busy man.

I think I should book a cell in the Disciplinary Hall since I am mostly found there anyway.

I laughed inwardly at my own thoughts.

I was lost in thought and laughing when someone grabbed my shoulder to stop me, but as my physique had enhanced—even without using spiritual energy—I was able to continue walking. The person who had tried to stop me by grabbing my shoulder was forced to tag along.

"S-Stop! Benefactor, it's me!" A small voice came from behind me. Somehow, the voice sounded familiar.

[You have the wrong person.]

I took out one of my flashcards and showed him a page where these words were written. I had recently updated the sentences in my flashcards.

Although I recognized him as the same young man who had been asking for help along the street—whom I had helped by giving away the sum of money Jiang Ren had given me—if he had not shown up now, I would have forgotten about ever doing such a thing in the past.

I calmly removed his hand from my shoulder and continued walking, once again lost in fantasies about how my very own cell in the Disciplinary Hall would look.

"P-Please, Benefactor! I know it's you!" The boy seemed to have thought of something and quickly added, "I-I am not here to ask for money."

I simply smiled at him as he rushed in front of me, blocking my way. I might have been annoyed, but his hands were shaking.

'This boy lacks confidence... A lot. Worse than some girls. 🤔'