12: Chapter 12 Interrogate me? Why not interrogate the Chosen One first?

[Warning: The Child of Destiny has initiated a countermeasure!] [Main storyline branch "Discipline Hall Public Trial" has been activated, expected to begin in half an hour!]

These blood-red characters were like a basin of ice water, dousing the sense of satisfaction Shen Xiao had just ignited.

This brat Lin Yun, it's one thing that he can't afford to lose, but he even learned how to call for backup?

A public trial?

This is meant to blow the matter completely out of proportion and make him unable to back down.

There was no time to complain; Shen Xiao immediately focused his mind on the newly unlocked [Plot Deduction] function.

This thing sounded quite high-end; hopefully, it wasn't just a flashy showpiece that looked good but was useless.

"System, deduce Lin Yun's next specific action."

[Plot Deduction function initiated, requires 5 points of destiny value. Confirm?]

"Confirm!"

It hurt.

The 10 destiny value points he had just obtained weren't even warm yet, and he had to spend half of them.

But there was no choice; intelligence was always the primary productive force.

As he confirmed with his mind, the "25" destiny value points that had just refreshed on the System panel instantly jumped back to "20".

Immediately after, a pale blue light screen unfolded in his mind, like a god's-eye view sandbox.

On the sandbox, the terrain of the Qingming Sect was precisely replicated, and several small light spots representing characters were moving.

Among them, the light spot representing Lin Yun was shooting straight from his Immortal Cave towards the Discipline Hall.

A scarlet line, exuding an ominous Aura, extended from Lin Yun's light spot, connecting the Discipline Hall, Xia Lengbai, and finally pointing towards this small, dilapidated house representing Shen Xiao.

Beside the line, a line of small text clearly appeared.

[Highest probability event (70%): The Child of Destiny, Lin Yun, will utilize the "frame-up" by Deacon Sun to perform a reverse operation, requesting a public trial from the Head of Discipline Hall, Zhou Tong. He will use the "survivor's suspicious points" as a Breakthrough, summoning the key witness Xia Lengbai, in an attempt to frame the host as the true culprit who "colluded with Yao Beasts and harmed fellow Disciples" in front of the entire Sect's upper management and Disciples, aiming to turn the tables in one fell swoop.]

What a brilliant move to shift the blame.

Shen Xiao's eyes instantly turned cold.

Lin Yun was trying to put him to death.

Deacon Sun being captured seemed like a blunder for Lin Yun, but he could immediately turn this blunder into a weapon to attack him—look, my person just wanted to investigate the case, and they were captured by your person; are you feeling guilty because you have something to hide?

Although this logic was ridiculous, in the eyes of the uninformed onlookers, it was extremely inflammatory.

Especially summoning Xia Lengbai...

Shen Xiao narrowed his eyes.

He had tampered with and plundered parts of Xia Lengbai's memories; the key parts in her mind regarding the Ice Abyss were a blank slate.

For a key witness to say "I don't remember" at a public trial was, in itself, a piece of evidence unfavorable to oneself.

This move of Lin Yun's was vicious enough.

Just as Shen Xiao was rapidly calculating countermeasures, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside, along with two distinct Auras.

One was the returned Senior Sister Liu Ruyan, her Aura carrying the faint scent of Medicinal Pill and a hint of anxiety.

The other was cold, rigid, and filled with the murderous Aura unique to the Discipline Hall's enforcement Disciples.

"Knock, knock, knock!" A rough knocking sounded, and an emotionless voice came from outside the door: "Discipline Hall handling a case! Inner Sect Disciple Shen Xiao, by the order of the Head of Discipline Hall, Zhou Tong, proceed to the Discipline Hall immediately to undergo trial!"

Almost at the same time, with a "creak," the door was pushed open from the outside by another, gentler force.

Senior Sister Liu Ruyan, holding a small white jade bottle, walked in with hurried steps, her face still carrying a hint of relief at having found the antidote for him.

When she saw the two Discipline Hall Disciples in black robes with cold expressions at the door, the relief on her face instantly froze.

"Discipline Hall? What is this..."

Shen Xiao didn't give them any chance to communicate at all.

The Opportunity had arrived!

A flash of light shone in his eyes. Before Senior Sister Liu Ruyan could ask, he suddenly sprang up from the bed.

"Pfft—!"

A surge of retrograde Qi, under his deliberate guidance, acted like a wild dog off its leash, crazily ramming into his already "fragile" Meridians.

Intense pain struck, and a mouthful of fresh blood was forced out, spraying onto the bedding in front of him, staining it a striking crimson.

His body seemed to have been drained of all strength, and he collapsed softly, his face instantly turning as pale as paper, devoid of any color.

"Junior Brother Shen!"

Senior Sister Liu Ruyan was shocked, rushing to the bedside in one stride, hurriedly supporting his tottering body.

The two Discipline Hall Disciples at the door, who had originally been all business, were also stunned by this sudden scene.

This... it doesn't look like he's faking it, does it? The amount of blood he spat out is even more than what the Yao Beasts I kill spray.

Senior Sister Liu Ruyan supported Shen Xiao with one hand, while the other hand quickly rested on his wrist, a wisp of Qi probing in.

The next second, her expression became even uglier than Shen Xiao's.

It's over!

The condition inside Shen Xiao's body was a hundred times worse than when she left!

That cold Qi and the medicinal power of the nine-turn soul returning pill had completely spiraled out of control, like two Vicious Beasts fighting to the death in a small cage, stirring his Meridians into a mess, and even his Dantian showed signs of instability.

This isn't a trial; this is going to his death!

Intense guilt and self-reproach overwhelmed her again, causing her eyes to turn cold as she looked at the Discipline Hall Disciples.

"Did you not see that he is injured this severely?!" Senior Sister Liu Ruyan's voice was cold, yet carried an indisputable majesty, the Aura of a Golden Core Stage Senior Sister fully unleashed. "In his current condition, he can't even walk on his own! I will personally escort him to the Discipline Hall; if there are any mishaps, I, Senior Sister Liu Ruyan, will take full responsibility!"

The two Foundation Establishment Stage enforcement Disciples were pressed by this Aura to the point of struggling to breathe; they looked at each other and could only nod silently.

Since the Senior Sister had spoken to this extent, what else could they say?

Discipline Hall.

The atmosphere was so grim it felt like it could drip water.

On the tall pillars were engraved the four characters "Strict Laws," and an invisible pressure enveloped the entire main hall.

Head of Discipline Hall, Zhou Tong, had a face as calm as water, sitting high in the seat of honor, his hawk-like eyes revealing no emotion.

Below the hall, Lin Yun wore white robes, his posture upright, but those eyes that should have been high-spirited were now filled with gloom and resentment.

Xia Lengbai, as a witness, stood quietly to one side.

She had changed into a simple, elegant blue dress, her pretty face devoid of expression, but those cold eyes would occasionally drift between Lin Yun and Shen Xiao, who had just been "escorted" in, carrying a hint of confusion she herself had not noticed.

Shen Xiao was brought into the main hall, half-supported by Senior Sister Liu Ruyan. He hunched his body, and every step seemed to exhaust all his strength, while he occasionally let out a repressed, blood-tinged cough.

This scene was the spitting image of a poor sod who had just had the tubes pulled out in the ICU and was dragged to work.

Seeing him in this "half-dead" state, Lin Yun stepped forward, pointing at Shen Xiao, his voice loud and filled with righteous accusation:

"Head of the Discipline Hall! This Disciple strongly suspects that Shen Xiao has colluded with the Yao Beasts of the North Sea Ice Abyss!"

Once these words were spoken, the few Disciples who had come to listen in the hall were instantly in an uproar.

"With his mere Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, how could he possibly survive under the Ice Soul Demon Spider, a fourth-rank Yao Beast comparable to a Golden Core Stage Cultivator? He even had the energy to counter-kill the Yao Beast? This is absolutely impossible! Unless, that Yao Beast was controlled by him in the first place!" Lin Yun's voice echoed in the main hall, each word like a hammer, smashing fiercely towards Shen Xiao.

After speaking, he turned to look at Xia Lengbai, his tone instantly softening, carrying a hint of well-timed guidance and concern:

"Lengbai, tell the Head of the Discipline Hall, tell everyone! At that time in the Ice Cave, wasn't Shen Xiao the first to break away from the battle formation, his behavior extremely suspicious?!"

Instantly, all eyes in the hall, like spotlights, were fixed squarely on Xia Lengbai.

Being stared at by so many people, Xia Lengbai's beautiful brows furrowed slightly.

Lin Yun's question was like a key, attempting to unlock the memories in her mind regarding the Ice Abyss.

Some images began to emerge: the Ice Cave, spiderwebs, bone-piercing cold, and... the terrified screams of fellow Disciples.

But the part about Shen Xiao was like a videotape that had been forcibly cut, leaving only a blurry, disjointed blank space.

Following that blank space was an incredibly clear image—Lin Yun, her fiancé, at the most critical moment, without the slightest hesitation, flew away alone on his sword. That back view was so resolute that it made her feel like a stranger.

This intense memory gap caused her to experience a violent cognitive conflict.

She lifted her head, her cold gaze fixed directly on Lin Yun's "sincere" face, and she spoke subconsciously, her voice not loud, yet clearly spreading throughout the entire hall:

"I... don't remember him having any abnormal movements."

The expression on Lin Yun's face froze.

Xia Lengbai continued, her voice carrying a hint of coldness she herself hadn't noticed:

"I only remember that when I was entangled by the spiderweb and needed help the most, you had already left."

"Boom—!" The whole hall was in an uproar!

Everyone's expressions became colorful, and their gazes towards Lin Yun were filled with shock, contempt, and disbelief.

Fleeing before the battle? Abandoning his fiancée?

This piece of gossip was too huge!

Lin Yun's face "whooshed" from the "righteous" red to an iron-blue in an instant!

It was as if he had been slapped hard in public, his brain buzzing.

The script wasn't written like this!

How could Xia Lengbai say such a thing?

Shouldn't she have defaulted to my version of the story because of her blurred memory?!

Just at this most bizarre moment in the hall, Shen Xiao seized this once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity.

He suddenly broke free from Senior Sister Liu Ruyan's support, staggered forward two steps, and pointed at Lin Yun. His pale face was filled with grief, indignation, and humiliation, his voice hoarse, yet every word was tearful and bloody:

"Lin Yun! You still have the face to ask!"

"To save yourself, you abandoned your fellow Disciples, you abandoned your fiancée! It was me, it was me who risked my lowly life to lure that beast away, creating a glimmer of survival for Senior Sister Xia!"

"You ask me why I could survive?!" He tore open the lapel of his chest, revealing the skin underneath, which, although without wounds, exuded an ominous Aura. "I'll tell you why! Because I was invaded by the Origin cold poison of that beast into my bone marrow! I survived because I am living in agony!"

Before the words faded, he quietly activated the System, launching [Cognitive Shielding].

A wisp of the purest, extreme Origin Aura of the millennium cold marrow, disguised by him as an overbearing "cold poison," suddenly leaked out from his body!

This Aura was cold, dead, and overbearing, as if it could freeze the Soul!

Head of Discipline Hall, Zhou Tong, sitting high in the seat of honor, had his expression change suddenly!

As a great Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Stage, how sharp his Divine Sense was! The moment that Aura leaked, he perceived it clearly!

That extremely cold Aura, its degree of purity and dominance, far exceeded his understanding! Let alone a mere fourth-rank Ice Soul Demon Spider, even a legendary sixth-rank great ice-type Yao Beast might not possess such a terrifying Origin cold poison!

This poison... to let a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator live until now, it is simply a miracle among miracles!

Head of Discipline Hall, Zhou Tong, made a judgment instantly. What Shen Xiao said was not false!

He looked up at Lin Yun again, that gaze already filled with extreme disappointment and coldness.

Fleeing before the battle, abandoning fellow Disciples, and afterwards, instead of thinking about making amends, slandering and framing the survivor who risked their life to cover the retreat? This brat's Heart-Nature is vile; he is not worth using!

"Enough!"

Head of Discipline Hall, Zhou Tong, gave a cold shout, containing the pressure of the Nascent Soul Stage, instantly silencing the entire main hall.

He looked at the ashen-faced Lin Yun, his voice like ten-thousand-year black ice: "Lin Yun! As the team leader, you fled before the battle, causing heavy casualties among fellow Disciples; afterwards, you did not repent, but instead slandered a meritorious subject! Multiple crimes punished together!"

"I sentence you: be confined to the Cliff of Reflection for one month! And compensate Shen Xiao with one thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones for medical expenses!"

Lin Yun clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, blood dripping along the gaps between his fingers.

Feeling the contemptuous and mocking gazes around him, he felt the world spinning, a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat, almost ready to spew out. Humiliation! Unprecedented humiliation!

But he dared not refute, and could only squeeze two words out from between his teeth:

"...Disciple accepts the punishment."

At the same time, in Shen Xiao's mind, the most wonderful sound in the world rang out.

[Ding! Successfully reversed public opinion in the public trial, dealt a heavy blow to the Child of Destiny's Dao Heart and reputation, plundered destiny value: 15 points!]

[Child of Destiny current Luck: 60/100.]

[Host current destiny value: 35/100.]

[Ding! Accumulated destiny value exceeds 30 points, unlocking new function: Opportunity interception reminder!]

It's done!

Shen Xiao was overjoyed in his heart, but on the surface, he cooperated by coughing twice more, looking like he was about to kick the bucket at any moment, and was supported by Senior Sister Liu Ruyan with concern.

Just then, the newly unlocked function automatically activated. A complete 3D map of the Qingming Sect instantly unfolded in his mind.

On the map, most areas were gray, except for one corner in the Sect's medicinal garden, where an eye-catching red light spot was flashing continuously at a specific frequency.

[Opportunity target: seven-star grass.]

[Maturation time: three days later.]

[Opportunity introduction: A Spiritual Plant nurtured by heaven and earth, containing the power of stars, it is one of the key auxiliary Medicinal Pills for the Child of Destiny, Lin Yun, to Breakthrough to the "Perfect Foundation Establishment" Realm.]

Perfect Foundation Establishment?

The corners of Shen Xiao's mouth curled into a cold arc.

Sorry, from now on, your perfect life will be full of BUGS everywhere.