Twisting Truths and Lies

(Oh! Those disciples of the Heaven Sword Sect must have complained to Bai Xueqing!)

Bai Zihan immediately came to a conclusion.

Indeed, in this vast Bai Clan Territory, they had no one but Bai Xueqing to turn to for the injustice they faced.

"You mean to say that I did something to the disciples of the Heaven Sword Sect?" 

Bai Zihan asked casually.

"Yes, and I want you to apologize to them!" 

Bai Xueqing said, irritation clear in her voice.

"Did you see it?" 

Bai Zihan asked, surprising both Luo Qing and Bai Xueqing.

At any other time, he would have obeyed Bai Xueqing without question, no matter the circumstance.

Bai Xueqing stared at him, clearly taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor.

Normally, he would act arrogantly, laugh it off, or try to weasel his way out of responsibility. But now, he was directly questioning her.

Something was different.

Her brows furrowed slightly. 

"What do you mean, 'Did I see it'?"

Bai Zihan leaned back, his posture completely relaxed.

"It's simple. If you didn't see me harass your senior sisters or start a fight, then how can you be sure I'm at fault?"

Bai Zihan knew he was indeed at fault, but he had no intention of admitting it.

Unless Bai Xueqing had absolute proof, he was confident she wouldn't be able to do anything to him.

He also had no intention of apologizing.

His arrogance was ingrained in him, and not even the threat of punishment could change that.

Besides, he was certain that Shen Liang and the others would one day get their just desserts—especially Shen Liang, who was clearly after Bai Xueqing by Bai Xueqing's ex-fiancee.

He was clearly a minor villain!

Essentially, this meant that avoiding conflict with Shen Liang wasn't necessary since he was just a minor villain himself.

In fact, if he bullies Shen Liang, he might earn the protagonist's favor.

Even if that wasn't the case, he simply disliked Shen Liang and would never apologize to him.

"Are you trying to say that my seniors are lying?" 

Bai Xueqing narrowed her eyes.

Bai Zihan chuckled.

"Perhaps. Who knows?"

"Hmph! Why would they lie? This is clearly you making trouble, and yet you dare to lie to me!"

Bai Xueqing's anger flared. 

She knew Bai Zihan's character well, and between him and her fellow disciples, she would always trust the latter.

Bai Zihan smirked.

"How can you trust them over me without any evidence? Words are cheap. But if we really want to figure out what happened, why don't we ask everyone who was there?"

Bai Xueqing's expression darkened slightly.

She was certain Bai Zihan was at fault, but without solid proof, she couldn't outright accuse him.

Crossing her arms, she said, "Fine! Since you're so confident, let's settle this properly."

Without wasting time, Bai Xueqing immediately ordered for all the Bai Clan servants and guards who had witnessed the event to be brought forward.

Whispers filled the air as more and more people arrived, creating silent pressure over the courtyard.

Then Bai Xueqing called for the disciples of the Heaven Sword Sect who had been present that day.

The courtyard filled up quickly as the disciples arrived, their expressions still holding lingering resentment.

Among them were Shen Liang, Yun Qingmei, and Fei Ling.

They stood at the front, their postures stiff, but there was a flicker of satisfaction in Shen Liang's eyes—he had been waiting for Bai Xueqing to handle this matter.

He had been humiliated that day, but now, he was going to take his revenge.

He wouldn't forgive Bai Zihan until he groveled and apologized properly.

Shen Liang stepped forward, bowing respectfully toward Bai Xueqing.

"Junior Sister, I appreciate that you are taking this seriously."

His tone was measured, but there was a hidden sense of vindication.

Bai Xueqing nodded slightly before turning to the Heaven Sword Sect disciples.

"Tell me exactly what happened."

Yun Qingmei spoke first, her voice sharp with grievance.

"It started when Bai Zihan appeared in front of us and blocked our path. He made inappropriate remarks and implied that we were seducing members of the Bai Clan. When we tried to walk away, he further insulted our sect."

Fei Ling nodded.

"That's right! Then Senior Brother Shen arrived to defuse the situation, but Bai Zihan continued to insult him, even slapping him."

Shen Liang frowned, his expression calm but his tone carrying hidden anger.

"I endured his provocations for the sake of maintaining peace, but he continued to insult both me, my junior sisters, and the Heaven Sword Sect."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"Junior Sister Bai, I know that he is your younger brother, but he cannot treat the Heaven Sword Sect with such disrespect!"

Shen Liang clearly wanted to emphasize the severity of the situation by invoking the Heaven Sword Sect's name.

Bai Xueqing nodded and replied, "Of course! If my younger brother has done this, I will make him apologize and punish him myself."

Then, she turned to Bai Zihan.

"Zihan, what do you have to say for yourself?"

CLAP! CLAP!

Bai Zihan clapped his hands mockingly.

"Haha… If you only listen to them, of course I'll be the villain in this story."

He sighed, looking toward the Bai Clan servants and guards who had been gathered.

"But surely, there were other people watching that day? Perhaps some neutral witnesses who don't belong to the Heaven Sword Sect?"

Servants and guards felt chilled when Bai Zihan acted that way.

They clearly knew what he meant by those words. 

Bai Xueqing, though irritated by Bai Zihan's antics, knew he had a point.

The servants and guards had been there that day. If she wanted to make this fair, she needed to hear their side as well.

So, she turned toward the Bai Clan servants and guards.

"You all witnessed the event. Speak truthfully!"

The gathered servants and guards hesitated.

On one hand, they did not want to go against Bai Zihan, who was known to be ruthless when offended.

On the other hand, Bai Xueqing had personally ordered them to speak the truth.

No one wanted to step forward.

After waiting for a long time, still no one spoke. Bai Xueqing pointed to one of the guards at random and asked him to step forward.

"You. Tell me what you saw."

The guard had no choice but to curse his bad luck as he stepped forward to answer.

"Lady Bai… it is true that Young Master Bai approached the Heaven Sword Sect disciples first."

Yun Qingmei and Fei Ling smirked slightly.

"But," the guard continued, "he never physically harassed anyone, nor did he stop them from leaving. He was merely helping them, seeing that they were lost!"

Between Bai Xueqing and Bai Zihan, the guard knew who was more dangerous.

True, Bai Xueqing was more powerful, but she was also compassionate and understanding.

Even if she found out he was lying, the worst she would do was punish him and dock his pay.

But if he got on Bai Zihan's bad side? He could kiss his job—and possibly his safety—goodbye.

His family might even suffer for it.

So, he gave a favorable answer to Bai Zihan while avoiding outright lies.

Bai Zihan smiled and nodded in approval, which relieved the guard.

Yun Qingmei's expression stiffened slightly.

"And while Young Master Bai did slap Master Shen, it was Master Shen who first called him a disgrace to the Bai Clan."

Shen Liang's expression darkened.

Bai Zihan clapped his hands.

"See? It's them who are trying to frame me! I was generous enough to let them go, yet they accuse me in return!"

"LIES!"

Shen Liang snapped, unable to tolerate the blatant distortion of events.

"Junior Sister, don't listen to them. This guard is clearly lying!"

Bai Xueqing was conflicted. 

Based on the testimony, Bai Zihan didn't seem to be the instigator.

Of course, she wouldn't just trust one guard.

She turned to the other servants and guards.

"Is what he said true?"

They exchanged glances before answering in perfect unison.

"Yes!"

After all, siding with the Heaven Sword Sect would only bring them trouble.

At least in the Bai Clan's estate, it was wiser to stand with Bai Zihan.