“It really was her who stole my Spirit Pearl!”
The woman pointed her finger at Bai Muyao, and the crowd instantly erupted into an uproar.
“Quick, seize her! Send her to the Supervisory Envoy!”
“To think a thief has emerged within our ranks—how can we enter the Monster Beast Mountains with any peace of mind now?”
“Catch her!”
From atop the eaves, Xu Qing watched the scene with a cold gaze. Below, the cultivators were beginning to stir, appearing ready to take action against Bai Muyao.
Xu Qing felt a twinge of hesitation. If Bai Muyao truly falls into a life-threatening crisis, should I intervene?
However, when she looked at Bai Muyao, she found the girl’s eyes were as clear and calm as still water, devoid of even a hint of panic. Faced with the collective accusations, Bai Muyao didn’t bother with lengthy explanations; instead, she calmly shifted into a defensive stance.
“She’s trying to resist!”
“Everyone, charge together! Subdue this thief first, then we’ll take her to the Supervisory Envoy!”
“Be careful, she’s in the Golden Core stage she might be a handful!”
Xu Qing frowned as she watched the chaotic scene. Suddenly, she felt a subtle vibration from the spirit jade pendant she was carrying. She used her tail to lift the Youlan Spirit Jade, a gift from Bai Muyao.
Understanding dawned on her.
Bai Muyao was currently using her own Youlan Spirit Jade to release spiritual energy to scout the surroundings. The spiritual energy released by this jade was extremely well-concealed; had Xu Qing not possessed an identical piece, even she might have found it difficult to detect. The Youlan Spirit Jade could expand the wearer’s range of perception, making them more sensitive to nearby spiritual fluctuations and the presence of living beings.
However, Xu Qing’s cultivation was profound. Even with the boost from the jade, Bai Muyao was unable to discover her presence.
So, Xu Qing wondered, what is Bai Muyao trying to do by using the jade now?
As the crowd surged, Xu Qing’s sharp senses caught sight of someone moving stealthily through the throng.
Hmph!
It seemed this was the person behind the framing of Bai Muyao. Even though Xu Qing had seen through the truth, she could not step forward to testify for her.
Just then, she noticed someone else nearby holding a piece of white paper, seemingly recording the events. Why is she here as well? Xu Qing had been so focused on Bai Muyao that she had only just noticed this third party. However, she didn’t pay it much mind.
The tension was palpable; a battle seemed ready to break out at any second.
At this critical moment, Bai Muyao calmly crossed her arms and addressed the crowd. “I can prove that I did not steal the Spirit Pearl! Please, give me a chance to explain.”
Shi Shuyan also felt that something was amiss. She calmed the crowd’s emotions and asked, “Very well. How do you explain yourself?”
The glowing talisman was clear evidence that Bai Muyao had indeed come into contact with the Spirit Pearl.
Bai Muyao explained, “Since arriving here, I haven’t touched a single object, except…” she paused, looking at Shi Shuyan.
Shi Shuyan frowned. “Are you implying… me? Our handshake?”
Bai Muyao nodded. “Please use the talisman to test Senior Shi’s hand. If I am correct…”
The crowd’s gaze shifted toward Shi Shuyan.
“Fine, let’s do it!” Shi Shuyan said without hesitation.
The woman handed the talisman to Shi Shuyan. Upon testing her, it actually emitted a faint glow. Did this mean Shi Shuyan had also touched the Spirit Pearl?
“What’s going on?”
“Could it be that both of them are thieves?”
“That doesn’t make any sense!”
Shi Shuyan was startled and hurried to explain to the crowd, “I, Shi Shuyan, could never be a thief! Everyone, stay calm! Bai Muyao, explain this immediately!”
Seeing her hypothesis confirmed, Bai Muyao felt a slight sense of relief. “We’ve all been set up! Anyone who shook hands with Senior Shi has likely been tainted with the traces of the Marking Talisman.”
Hearing this, members of the crowd began testing themselves with the talisman. Sure enough, most of the people in the team emitted a glow upon contact.
“This…”
“It seems we’ve wrongly accused Fellow Daoist Bai!”
“But then, who is the real thief?”
“With a thief in our midst, how can we feel safe going to the Monster Beast Mountains? I’m out!”
“I’m leaving too!”
Though Bai Muyao’s name was cleared, the presence of an unidentified thief left everyone unsettled. The scene descended into chaos as many prepared to withdraw from the expedition. Shi Shuyan felt a massive headache coming on.
Bai Muyao spoke up: “Everyone, don’t worry. I already know who the thief is!”
Shi Shuyan asked urgently, “Who is it?”
She was the person most desperate to keep the team together. After all, organizing this many people had taken significant effort. If it fell apart now, she wouldn’t be able to stomach a meal for a month.
Bai Muyao said in a low voice, “Senior Shi, please first lay down a barrier to seal the space. I’m afraid that once I point him out, he will try to flee, and we won’t be able to confront him.”
“Alright! I’ll follow your lead.”
Shi Shuyan immediately erected a barrier. No cultivator below the Nascent Soul stage could hope to break through it alone.
Taking a deep breath, Bai Muyao pointed toward a man. It was the same man who had struck up a conversation with her earlier.
“He is the one who stole the Spirit Pearl! Moreover, in the chaos just now, he has pocketed several other treasures!”
Upon being identified, the man already panicked by the appearance of the barrier—shouted frantically, “What nonsense are you talking about? Don’t go hurling false accusations!”
Bai Muyao’s voice remained firm. “Everyone, please check your belongings and see if anything is missing!”
At her words, people began checking their items. Soon, voices of realization rang out.
“My mid-grade talisman is gone!”
“The ornament on my sword is missing!”
“Who stole my tools?”
All eyes focused on the man Bai Muyao had pointed out. The man was struck with consternation. He had thought his movements were stealthy enough that even a Golden Core cultivator wouldn’t notice—he never expected to be caught!
From the rooftop, Xu Qing watched with growing interest.
The man’s thefts had occurred during the confusion. However, Bai Muyao had used the Youlan Spirit Jade to expand her spiritual perception long before that. Did she anticipate this even then?
Furthermore, Bai Muyao’s immediate attempt to explain herself earlier was actually to stop the chaos and force the thief’s hand? If that was the case, her Junior Sister was indeed quite clever.
The man continued to argue, “What proof do you have? You’re slandering me!”
Bai Muyao knew the stolen goods must be hidden in the man’s storage ring, but a cultivator’s private storage space was not something that could be searched at will.
Shi Shuyan said, “Bai Muyao, explain how you know. Only then can I truly believe you.”
Bai Muyao took a breath. “The Marking Talisman that the senior who lost the Spirit Pearl used it wasn’t a coincidental purchase. I suspect this man carefully planned it and specifically sold it to her!”
The thief had used an illusion technique to sell the Marking Talisman to the woman. The woman, thinking she was protecting her Spirit Pearl, marked it and joined the team. Subsequently, the thief stole the pearl and used the handshake method to cleverly spread the marking to everyone.
Bai Muyao added, “The thief utilized Senior Shi’s small habits to execute this plan.”
Shi Shuyan stared at her own hand, frowning. “If that’s true, what was his ultimate goal?”
“The goal,” Bai Muyao replied, “was to create chaos.”
“Chaos?” the crowd exclaimed.
After being framed, Bai Muyao had used the Youlan Spirit Jade to locate the missing Spirit Pearl. It was buried deep beneath the floorboards of the inn. Since the team members were only at the Golden Core stage, they were unable to detect its location.
While the pearl had been found, Bai Muyao was left with another question: Why didn’t the thief flee after stealing the pearl? Why hide it instead?
She eventually came to a conclusion.
Bai Muyao stated, “This person stole the Spirit Pearl to throw everyone into a panic, thereby shifting all attention toward a ‘thief’!”
He had marked everyone just so one person would become the scapegoat. Unfortunately, Bai Muyao had been selected for that role. The purpose was to throw the team into disarray.
Bai Muyao continued, “While everyone’s attention was focused on catching the thief, he took the opportunity to steal even more items!”
There was another benefit to this plan. If people discovered items missing later, they would likely suspect the person who had been wrongly accused of the initial theft. Meanwhile, the real culprit could slip away unnoticed.
Bai Muyao pointed out, “Furthermore, even if the scheme with the Marking Talisman was exposed, this person would likely lead the charge to disband the team.”
She turned to the man. “Just now, the person who said, ‘With a thief in our midst, how can we feel safe going to the Monster Beast Mountains? I’m leaving!’—that was you, wasn’t it?”
Someone immediately recalled, “Yes! He was indeed the first one to say it!”
Following Bai Muyao’s analysis, the crowd’s collective anger swung toward the man.
The man still tried to bluff his way out. “There is no evidence! How can you ruin a man’s reputation based on nothing!”
Shi Shuyan asked again, “Bai Muyao, do you have physical proof?”
Bai Muyao shook her head helplessly. “No, but I am certain he is the thief. In such a short time, the stolen items can only be hidden in his storage ring.”
This meant that as long as the storage ring was checked, the truth would come to light. In reality, with the help of the Youlan Spirit Jade, Bai Muyao had already witnessed his thieving actions. However, she couldn’t explain that directly, as it would just be her word against his.
Shi Shuyan pondered for a moment before walking toward the man. “Hand over your storage ring. I want to inspect it.”
The man refused emotionally. “No! Why only check mine? If you’re checking rings, hers should be checked first!”
Shi Shuyan countered, “During the second wave of thefts, everyone’s eyes were on her. She couldn’t possibly be the thief.”
The man snapped, “No! I don’t care! Why is it only me being checked!”
Bai Muyao felt a bit of a headache. In the past, she would have unhesitatingly handed over her own ring to prove her innocence. But now, her ring contained a vast amount of immortal materials and treasures gifted by her Senior Sister. If others found out…
Just then, Shi Shuyan said coldly, “How about this: we will check both my storage ring and yours. Is that acceptable?”
Cold sweat poured down the man’s face. He knew there was no escape today. The surrounding barrier was unbreakable; he was like a bird in a cage. He had roamed the world for many years and was known as the “Jade-Faced Jack-of-all-trades”—he never dreamed he would face such a pathetic end.
And all of this was because of that woman Bai Muyao!
He glared at Bai Muyao with hatred and resentment. When he first saw her, he thought she was quite cute and even intended to “help” her. That ointment he offered was originally intended to erase the mark on Bai Muyao’s hand so she wouldn’t be suspected. Of course… it was also an excuse to cop a feel of those tender little hands.
Dammit!
“AAAAAAAAAH! DAMN YOU!!!”
The man completely broke down. With a furious roar, he lunged at Bai Muyao before anyone could react.