“Crack!”
Thunder exploded in Jiang Han’s palm, transforming into countless fine arcs of lightning that leapt wildly across his body. The Purple Firmament Sword Art circulated rapidly within him, absorbing the lightning’s power at astonishing speed. Only after a quarter of an hour did the crackling arcs gradually dissipate.
“As expected of the Thunder Pool Forbidden Area. What terrifying aura. What dense lightning spiritual power!”
Jiang Han stood at the edge of the Thunder Pool Forbidden Area, staring at the countless purple bolts of lightning that surged and collided without end, his eyes filled with excitement.
“It seems I still underestimated this place. With lightning of this intensity, even an ordinary cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Realm would be severely injured upon contact.”
“But the stronger it is, the greater my improvement after absorption!”
“Although the Annihilation Divine Lightning seized most of the power from that outermost strand of lightning just now, it still managed to solidify a trace of spiritual energy within my body.”
Looking at the endless lightning in the Thunder Pool Forbidden Area, Jiang Han was overjoyed. “At this rate, completely solidifying the spiritual energy in my dantian within two months and forming a False Core embryo is not impossible!”
After testing the lightning’s strength, Jiang Han felt reassured. He leapt into the Thunder Pool Forbidden Area. Starting from the outer edge, he continuously grasped strands of lightning and refined them. Purple radiance flickered around his body as his own spiritual energy and the Annihilation Divine Lightning rapidly grew stronger.
…
Liu Hanyue stared blankly at Mo Qiushuang. She did not understand why things had turned out this way. She desperately searched her memories, trying to figure out how everything had come to this.
In the end, she could only shake her head. “I… don’t know.”
Mo Qiushuang did not press her. Seeing her like this, she continued, “Have you ever looked at the wounds on Jiang Han’s body?”
Liu Hanyue trembled, panic flashing in her eyes. “Wounds? Wh-what wounds?”
Mo Qiushuang noticed her nervousness but did not expose it. “I have.”
She recalled Jiang Han’s scar-covered body at the foot of the Purple Firmament Sword Sect. Her eyes grew moist again.
“Those scars… I don’t know what exactly he went through. There were fresh injuries and old ones. He even had hidden internal injuries. His blood and vitality were weak, his foundation unstable, and there were problems with all his internal organs.”
“Do you know how he got those injuries?”
“Th-that couldn’t be…” Liu Hanyue grew even more flustered. She had already guessed the truth, and that was precisely why she was so panicked. Even her speech became halting.
Mo Qiushuang felt a sharp pain in her chest. Looking at Liu Hanyue, she said, “We did that. His beloved senior sisters did that to him.”
Liu Hanyue felt a stabbing pain in her chest and staggered back a step. Yet in the next moment, she tried to defend herself. “But… why didn’t he go treat his injuries?”
“Treat them?” Mo Qiushuang let out a bitter laugh. “How could Jiang Han treat them? Who could he go to?”
Liu Hanyue froze. “Then why didn’t he come to me? He never said anything.”
Sadness flashed in Mo Qiushuang’s eyes. This second junior sister still had not grasped the core of the problem.
“If Jiang Han had come to you, would you have helped him?”
“Of course I…” Liu Hanyue suddenly stopped and fell silent.
“You wouldn’t.” Mo Qiushuang shook her head in disappointment. “Even if Jiang Han had come to you, you would have beaten him again. You would not have helped him.”
“I admit I used to hate him.” Liu Hanyue clenched her teeth.
“But wasn’t it all his fault? If he hadn’t often stolen things, I wouldn’t have treated him like that. And he was so timid, always speaking in a stuttering, submissive way. It was unbearable to look at. Who wouldn’t dislike him?”
“And his injuries weren’t all caused by me. Senior Sister, you should know I always had restraint. The worst was Third Junior Sister. She was the one who struck the hardest. Jiang Han’s hidden injuries must have been caused by her!”
Mo Qiushuang sneered. “Did Jiang Han really often steal things, Hanyue? You’re not foolish. Couldn’t you tell what was true and what was false?”
“When was there ever real evidence? And how many times did you frame him? You know that better than I do.”
Liu Hanyue opened her mouth but could not find any words.
Mo Qiushuang wiped away her tears. “Third Junior Sister truly went too far. She framed Jiang Han more than once. After humiliating him, she even bragged about it to us.”
“I truly don’t understand why she harbored such hostility toward him. Jiang Han was her junior brother too. Why did she treat him like an enemy? Why did she beat him whenever she felt like it?”
Liu Hanyue’s heart trembled. She did not know why Third Junior Sister had acted that way either.
The first person to shout that Jiang Han had stolen Xiao Xuan’s Spirit-Congealing Grass had been her.
Now that she thought about it, perhaps Jiang Han had never stolen Xiao Xuan’s things at all. Maybe Xiao Xuan had simply made a mistake.
Yet Third Junior Sister had not cared about the circumstances at all. She had dragged Jiang Han over and declared him guilty on the spot, forcing him to hand over the Spirit-Congealing Grass.
What was even more terrifying was that none of them had questioned it at the time. They had all believed it was only natural. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.
They were supposed to be extraordinary geniuses, admired by countless disciples. How had they become people who condemned someone without distinguishing right from wrong?
Mo Qiushuang looked at her. “Do you remember how Master’s Dragon-Pattern Pendant was shattered?”
Liu Hanyue felt her nose sting. She nodded with difficulty. “I remember.”
“At that time, Lin Xuan was playing with Master’s Dragon-Pattern Pendant in the garden and accidentally dropped it, breaking it.”
“He was afraid of being punished and begged us to help him. So we lured Jiang Han to the Spirit Herb Pavilion and staged the scene to make it look like Jiang Han had stepped on and shattered the pendant. We made Master believe that Jiang Han was the one who broke it. You should know all this.”
Liu Hanyue’s chest tightened painfully. “I know. Jiang Han was beaten by Master until his cultivation fell a level. It took him a full year to recover.”
Of course she remembered clearly. She had been the one who went to call Jiang Han to the Spirit Herb Pavilion.
At the time, she had not thought it cruel. Seeing Jiang Han’s confused and helpless expression, she had even found it amusing and laughed at him together with her junior sisters.
There had been no anger on Jiang Han’s face. Only panic. He truly thought he had accidentally stepped on and broken the Dragon-Pattern Pendant. He had cried while apologizing to Master, saying he had not done it on purpose.
Liu Hanyue had laughed happily then, thinking Jiang Han was like a fool, so easy to deceive.
She had never considered that Jiang Han had been deceived so easily because he trusted her.
“Do you still think you didn’t cause him great harm? Do you still think you had restraint?” Mo Qiushuang looked at her coldly.
Liu Hanyue felt as though a storm had erupted within her heart. Though she did not want to admit it, she had indeed caused Jiang Han immense harm.
“Go take a look at Jiang Han’s cave residence when you have time. He left some things behind,” Mo Qiushuang sighed softly. “After you see them, you should understand.”
Liu Hanyue nodded numbly. She suspected there might be some truth waiting for her there, yet she did not dare to go.
“With everything we did to Jiang Han, no matter how harshly he cursed us, it wouldn’t be excessive.”
She truly did not dare to go. That place held Jiang Han’s bloodstained scars. She did not dare to face them.
For the first time, Liu Hanyue felt genuine fear and panic. She truly did not dare to go.