Sure enough, after hearing those words, everyone fell into deep thought.
“I think Junior Brother Su Fan makes sense. We have all seen his character with our own eyes. To say that he framed Qin Yuan, I absolutely refuse to believe it.”
“I think so too. Besides, Offering Sun is Senior Sister Gu Qingxue’s man, and Gu Qingxue is Senior Brother Qin Yuan’s fiancée. With that relationship, Offering Sun’s words may not be reliable.”
“Not may not be reliable. They are absolutely not reliable! No matter what anyone says, I refuse to believe that Junior Brother would frame someone.”
“That’s right. I think so too.”
The discussions quickly merged into a single voice. Almost everyone supported Su Fan without exception.
“Junior Brother, we believe you. You’re the one who was wronged!”
The reversal came so fast that even Su Fan had not expected it.
Looking at the overwhelming support, Su Fan was ecstatic inside, yet he put on a deeply moved expression.
“Thank you, Elders, Senior Brothers, and Senior Sisters. Thank you all for trusting me.”
He looked so emotional, as if he had truly suffered a grave injustice, that the crowd believed him even more.
Look at him. Such a kind Junior Brother. How could he possibly deceive anyone?
They had almost listened to slander and misunderstood him just now. That truly should not have happened.
Lan Yun’s face turned cold as she chose to believe Su Fan. “Qingxue, what else do you have to say?”
Su Fan could not possibly be wrong. It had to be Gu Qingxue covering for Qin Yuan.
Lin Xuan’er looked disappointed. “Senior Sister Qingxue, I never expected you to be this kind of person. You actually slandered Junior Brother for Qin Yuan.”
Lin Xuan’er’s voice trembled with emotion. “Junior Brother is such a good person. How could you bear to smear him? How could you?”
Gu Qingxue gave a bitter smile.
Just as she had expected.
No matter how hard she tried, she could not change anyone’s mind. Even if she produced solid evidence, it could not outweigh a single casual sentence from Su Fan.
This matter was filled with doubts and suspicious points. It only required further investigation to uncover numerous flaws. Yet no one thought that way, and no one chose to act.
Almost everyone had unhesitatingly chosen to believe Su Fan.
Su Fan’s heart tightened again. If Master chose to investigate, real problems would definitely be uncovered.
“The facts are already in front of us. What is there to investigate?” Lin Xuan’er shouted angrily.
“Are you saying Junior Brother would lie to us? He has already suffered such a great injustice, and you still want to keep tormenting him. Can you truly bear it?”
“I agree. There is no need to investigate. Su Fan would never lie.”
The crowd echoed in unison.
Suffered such a great injustice? Keep tormenting him?
When facing Qin Yuan, why had they not shown the same attitude?
Gu Qingxue wanted to laugh, but she could not. Her heart ached terribly, aching for Qin Yuan.
Lan Yun’s faint doubt had nearly driven her to seek the truth, but hearing the voices of the crowd, she felt she had been overthinking it.
After all, how could Su Fan possibly deceive anyone?
“You heard them. Everyone has spoken. The evidence is conclusive. There is no need for further investigation,” Lan Yun said coldly.
Gu Qingxue slowly closed her eyes and offered no further explanation or argument.
There was no meaning in it anymore. None at all.
Lan Yun’s gaze turned icy. “Gu Qingxue, you harmed a fellow disciple and then framed him. You have violated a great taboo of the Supreme Profound Sect. According to sect law, your cultivation should be abolished and you should be expelled from the sect. However, considering this is your first offense, I will punish you…”
Lan Yun hesitated. Gu Qingxue was her most beloved disciple. If the punishment was too heavy, she would feel heartache. But if it was too light, she would not be able to convince the public.
A gleam flashed in Su Fan’s eyes. He knew his moment had come.
“Master, perhaps we should forget it. I believe Senior Sister Gu was misled by someone and acted irrationally in the heat of the moment. Moreover, it is her first offense. She should be given another chance.”
Su Fan spoke weakly, his voice full of tolerance, stirring the emotions of everyone present once more.
“Junior Brother, you are too kind. After what she did to you, you are still speaking up for her,” Lin Xuan’er said, deeply moved.
Su Fan smiled magnanimously, though a trace of pride flickered in his eyes. “We are fellow disciples after all. Who hasn’t made mistakes before?”
Repaying grievance with kindness not only earned him greater favor but also erased even more suspicion.
Gu Qingxue would surely feel guilty toward him as well. As long as he continued to work harder, he might regain her favor.
Lan Yun sighed helplessly, her heart softening. “You foolish child.”
Gu Qingxue, however, sneered inwardly. If it were her former self, she truly might have been deceived by Su Fan’s disguise.
But not anymore.
Never again.
Lan Yun looked at her. “Fan’er is magnanimous and does not pursue the matter, but you did violate sect law. If you are not punished, it will damage the authority of the Supreme Profound Sect. I will suspend your cultivation resources for six months and order you to remain in your cave dwelling for three months of Wall Reflection. Do you have any objections?”
Such punishment was practically nothing.
Given Gu Qingxue’s background, whether she received sect resources or not made little difference. As for staying in her cave dwelling, it held no real consequence.
Lin Xuan’er muttered unhappily, “Master is too biased. Junior Brother was injured like that…”
Gu Qingxue shook her head calmly. “This punishment is too light. I injured a fellow disciple and violated a grave taboo. Master, I request to be expelled from your mentorship, stripped of my core disciple status, demoted to an outer sect disciple, and punished with three months of Wall Reflection at the Cliff of Contemplation.”
“What?”
The crowd was stunned.
Was Gu Qingxue out of her mind? She was actually asking for a harsher punishment.
Lan Yun froze for a moment, then her face turned cold. “Gu Qingxue, are you throwing a tantrum at your Master?”
“If Master believes so, then so be it. Please expel me from your mentorship and punish me with three months of Wall Reflection,” Gu Qingxue replied calmly, her tone utterly emotionless.
She was tired. Truly tired.
She did not want to say another word.
All she wanted now was to return to Qin Yuan’s side.
“Brother Qin Yuan… at least now I have the right to see you, don’t I?” she whispered silently in her heart.
When she had learned everything that had happened between her and Qin Yuan, she had longed desperately to see him, to see the love of her life.
But she had not gone, because she felt unworthy. She felt she had wronged him.
She had to do something for Qin Yuan.
That was why she confronted Su Fan publicly and tried to clear Qin Yuan’s name.
Though she had failed, at least now she possessed a shred of dignity to face Qin Yuan again.