In the secret realm footage, Chang Le'an and Ye Zhaozhao immediately hit it off, while Yan Xiao raised some objections, but they were completely ignored by the two.
In the footage from the other side, Li Shuang was diligently gathering resources, never imagining that someone would come straight for her with a lion-winged beast.
"Zhaozhao, you..." Sheng Yuan looked at Ye Zhaozhao, his gaze filled with expectation.
Things couldn't possibly be as he thought; there must be a twist, right?
Otherwise.
How could Ye Zhaozhao and Chang Le'an have spoken such confident words to him!
Ye Zhaozhao lowered her head, somewhat guiltily avoiding Sheng Yuan's gaze.
She was already calculating in her mind how to get through this predicament.
Sheng Yuan then looked at Chang Le'an.
Chang Le'an's gaze shifted nervously.
"What exactly is going on?" Shen Yue couldn't help but ask.
Ye Zhaozhao and Chang Le'an wanted to argue, but the recorded footage was still playing. Even if they argued, someone would have to believe them!
The two could only choose to remain silent.
At this moment.
Someone suddenly spoke.
"Speaking of which, have you noticed? Combining both sides' footage, when Ye Zhaozhao and Chang Le'an went to find Li Shuang, they went almost in a straight line."
"Oh. It's true. They really didn't take any detours. It's as if... they already knew Li Shuang was in that direction."
Watching the footage together always brought surprises.
Upon discovering this, everyone watched even more carefully.
Logically, within the Langya Secret Realm, the range of spiritual perception was quite limited. Li Shuang had already left the forest, so Ye Zhaozhao shouldn't have known her location at all.
But now it seemed that Ye Zhaozhao had gone straight for Li Shuang.
This sense of purpose was quite clear!!
To call it a coincidence was simply unconvincing!
Did Ye Zhaozhao know Li Shuang's whereabouts even while she was in the secret realm?
The disciples couldn't help but look at Ye Zhaozhao, and a flurry of discussions broke out.
Chang Le'an, however, suddenly reacted, and he abruptly looked at Ye Zhaozhao.
Entering the Langya Secret Realm, he seemed to be leading, but subtly, Ye Zhaozhao was the one directing things.
The result of Ye Zhaozhao's direction was that they encountered Li Shuang again and again.
Before, he thought it was a coincidence, but watching the footage, she clearly had a specific target.
So, the two encounters with Li Shuang were not coincidences.
Chang Le'an's mood became somewhat complex. In fact, if Zhaozhao hadn't insisted on finding Li Shuang, their gains this time wouldn't have been so dismal.
Was this a case of "losing more than you gain"?
Amidst the discussions, in the footage, the two sides converged.
Ye Zhaozhao even charged directly towards Li Shuang, completely attracting the lion-winged beast's attention.
Afterward.
While Li Shuang was fighting the lion-winged beast, Chang Le'an and Ye Zhaozhao actually fled directly.
The entire audience burst into an uproar.
Hadn't Sheng Yuan accused Li Shuang of abandoning her fellow disciples and putting them in danger?
What was the situation now?
Who was it that abandoned their fellow disciples?
Who was it that put their fellow disciples in danger?!
Sheng Yuan's face immediately turned pale, then green.
At this point, how could he not understand? He had actually been deceived by Chang Le'an and Ye Zhaozhao!
He abruptly looked at Ye Zhaozhao.
Ye Zhaozhao's body swayed, looking as if she was about to faint.
Sheng Yuan's lips trembled, unable to utter the words of accusation for a moment.
Suddenly.
Chang Le'an saw something, and he shouted loudly, "I didn't lie! Look, Li Shuang deliberately led the lion-winged beast towards me and Zhaozhao! She did it on purpose!"
In the footage, Li Shuang moved agilely, and the lion-winged beast's attacks didn't land on her at all, instead falling entirely on Chang Le'an and Ye Zhaozhao.
Chang Le'an shouted, looking at the others, trying to find approval in their eyes.
However.
The contempt in their eyes remained.
Jiang Yungge sneered and said directly, "Whether Li Shuang did it on purpose or not is not important. Article 73 of the sect rules states: Fellow disciples should unite and help each other, but if someone first harbors malicious intent, the one who retaliates is blameless. Lingxu Peak disciples Ye Zhaozhao and Chang Le'an had malicious intent first. Even if Li Shuang retaliated on purpose, according to the sect rules, this is not a fault."
Jiang Yungge's path had always emphasized clear distinctions between gratitude and resentment. She saw nothing wrong with Li Shuang's retaliation. If it were her, she would have done the same.
"What's more," Jiang Yungge paused, then slowly said, "If I remember correctly, this footage is from when they first entered the secret realm. Based on Junior Sister Ye's performance afterward, she should still have several Tier 4 talismans. Chang Le'an, why don't you ask Ye Zhaozhao why she stubbornly hid her trump cards and didn't use them? If she had used a Tier 4 talisman when the lion-winged beast first appeared, Yue Feng wouldn't have been eliminated, and none of you would have been seriously injured from the start!"
At this moment, in the footage, Ye Zhaozhao's speed suddenly increased a hundredfold, and she actually ran away, taking Chang Le'an with her.
Jiang Yungge sneered again, "She clearly had offensive talismans, but at this moment, she only used acceleration talismans. What kind of thoughts did she harbor then?"
Ye Zhaozhao's face was slightly pale, and she said weakly, "I, I just didn't think of so much at the time. And... and that lion-winged beast was no match for Senior Sister Li at all, but Senior Sister Li pretended to be no match, forcing me to waste precious Tier 4 talismans. Even if Third Senior Brother and I were wrong, what about Li Shuang? Is she truly without any fault?"
Ye Zhaozhao looked at Li Shuang, her eyes involuntarily showing a hint of resentment.
Li Shuang calmly glanced at her, then said frankly, "The 'Supreme Forgetfulness Art' can distinguish between good and evil intentions. For those with good intentions, I will protect them. For those with malicious intentions, I will retaliate. My actions are open and honest. I do not fear schemes, but those who scheme against me had better be able to withstand retaliation."
Li Shuang's gaze was indifferent.
She made no attempt to hide her thoughts.
In the past, she had been too easygoing, which allowed the people of Lingxu Peak to take advantage of her.
But in reality?
If one always repays evil with good, then how does one repay good?!
She could have explained the events in the footage, saying she wasn't intentional.
But Li Shuang felt there was no need.
Ye Zhaozhao and Chang Le'an had schemed first. So what if she retaliated on purpose?
If this was also considered a mistake.
Then what the Sword Sect needed were not disciples, but a group of saints.
And saints could not survive in this cruel world of cultivation!
Having learned her lesson, Li Shuang now knew how to show the sharpness hidden within her kindness.
"I think Li Shuang is blameless," Jiang Yungge said directly, casting a disdainful look at Ye Zhaozhao and Chang Le'an.
"I think Senior Sister Li is blameless," Yan Xiao said without hesitation.
It was clear that he harbored goodwill towards Senior Sister Li. In the secret realm, Senior Sister Li had returned his goodwill, protecting him for a while.
And those who came with malicious intent towards Senior Sister Li, by what right did they beg for her help?
"Senior Sister Li is blameless!" Yue Feng also quickly said.
"Senior Sister Li is blameless!"
"Senior Sister Li is blameless!"
One by one, the disciples stepped forward.
If this was considered a mistake, then they might as well all become pushovers!
Li Shuang looked back at everyone, nodding slightly in gratitude.
Ye Zhaozhao's hands involuntarily clenched into fists.