Gu Han calmly withdrew his gaze and looked up again, meeting Mu Bailing’s eyes. He said, “I’ll repeat myself. I was simply following the rules.”
“That powerful demonic beast was provoked by their reckless actions. According to the sect’s rules, they must bear the consequences themselves.”
“Why should I, as their Senior Brother, take responsibility for their mistakes?”
“Their lives matter, but mine doesn’t?”
“As their Senior Brother, am I supposed to sacrifice my own life to protect a Junior Brother and Junior Sister who violated the rules?”
“Then what is the point of the sect setting those rules?”
“If someone breaks the rules and pays no price, while I, just because I’m their Senior Brother, have to shoulder all the consequences—why should I?”
His voice was powerful, and every word struck deeply. For a moment, the entire hall fell silent. Some disciples even began to question whether they had misunderstood their Senior Brother.
Especially because everything Gu Han said made sense.
Was it truly fair that he should bear all consequences just because he was their Senior Brother?
One by one, the crowd began to cast doubtful and questioning glances at Ye Qingyun and Liu Ruyan.
Suddenly, an angry and cold voice, wrapped in a terrifying aura, swept through the hall. “Enough!”
Mu Bailing’s voice echoed, sharp and furious. “Gu Han! When did you become so slick with words and skilled at shirking responsibility?”
“This matter was confessed by your Junior Sister Ruyan herself. Could that possibly be false?”
“You’ve known each other since childhood. Are you saying she would lie and falsely accuse you?”
The space once again fell into silence.
Gu Han didn’t react to his master’s cold gaze, nor to the gloating expression on Ye Qingyun’s face. At this moment, he appeared calm, but inside, he felt nothing but sorrow.
Sorrow for himself.
As expected, this lifetime, his master was just as heartless as before.
He thought of the past life. No matter how much effort he gave, no matter what he did, Mu Bailing would always choose to believe Ye Qingyun.
Every explanation and defense he offered was seen as glib sophistry.
Even when he was expelled from the sect and cast into the Demon Suppression Tower, he could still clearly remember the look of disdain and disappointment in his master’s usually cold, beautiful eyes.
“Clearly, I was her first disciple, the one who accompanied her the longest, but in the end, I still couldn’t compare to Ye Qingyun, who hadn’t even been here for two and a half months…”
Perhaps it was expected.
Or perhaps his heart had long been shattered.
Either way, Gu Han no longer felt much emotional turbulence.
Mu Bailing furrowed her brows slightly and sighed inwardly. How did her once-proud eldest disciple become like this?
“Gu Han, even now, you still believe you did nothing wrong? You think your master has wronged you and you want to keep defending yourself?”
Before she could finish, Gu Han raised his eyes slightly and said indifferently, “Since Master doesn’t believe me, no amount of explanation will matter.”
“In that case, I’m willing to accept punishment and enter the Demon Suppression Tower.”
There was nothing more to say.
He already knew how things would unfold.
No matter what explanation he gave, whether it was to his master who raised him since childhood or to the Junior Sisters he cared for deeply, they would all unconditionally believe Ye Qingyun.
He was destined to face everything alone.
Rather than waste time, it was better to end it early.
Once again, the hall was plunged into silence.
It wasn’t just the few within the hall. Even disciples from other peaks who had been drawn by the commotion and gathered outside had their pupils shrink and their minds go blank at that moment.
Inside the hall, everything was still and quiet.
That once-tall figure in white now seemed to bend under the weight of an unjust world.
The setting sun cast a long shadow behind him.
His back appeared lonely… and helpless.
The Demon Suppression Tower was the forbidden ground of the Wandering Sword Sect.
Only those who had committed serious violations of principle would be thrown in to receive punishment.
Once someone entered, there was almost no chance of survival.
But based on Gu Han’s earlier words—so precise, so logical—it was highly likely that there was more to this matter.
Sending him directly to the Demon Suppression Tower seemed far too extreme.
That place was incredibly dangerous.
Even those who had committed grave offenses would often pretend to be mad or pitiful to avoid being sent in.
And yet Gu Han had volunteered to go.
Wasn’t this just adding to his own punishment?
Mu Bailing, seated atop the lotus throne, also looked astonished. Her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.
Today, her once obedient and proud disciple seemed like a completely different person.
Normally, whenever Junior Brothers or Junior Sisters got injured during a trial, even if he wasn’t at fault, he would take full responsibility and admit his mistake.
But now, he had returned looking unusually calm, as if he had changed completely. His words were even filled with evasion and resistance.
She had intended to give him a light punishment to teach him a lesson.
But she never imagined he would be so stubborn—so stubborn that he would voluntarily ask to be sent to the Demon Suppression Tower.
Was this his way of forcing her to give in?
At that moment, a timid voice suddenly sounded.
“Senior Brother… this matter isn’t serious enough to warrant entering the Demon Suppression Tower…”
Hiding behind Ye Qingyun, Liu Ruyan seemed startled. Her eyes were slightly red, and her voice as soft as a mosquito. “After all, neither Ye Qingyun nor I were seriously harmed…”
“Master, perhaps you could forgive Senior Brother this once…”
Had she not spoken, it might have been better.
The brief moment of doubt that had just surfaced in Mu Bailing’s heart—wondering if she might have been wrong—vanished completely, replaced with intense anger and disappointment.
“Gu Han! Haven’t you made enough of a scene?!”
Her icy voice, laced with terrifying pressure, swept through the hall, causing the atmosphere to become unbearably tense.
“Why have you become more and more unreasonable? No matter the truth, as the Senior Brother, your Junior Brother and Junior Sister were injured under your watch. You must be punished accordingly. Now, you even use such methods to protest against your master!”
“What, do you think I’ve wronged you?”
“If you’re so eager to enter the Demon Suppression Tower, then go!”
“Someone come—take him to the Demon Suppression Tower!”
No one moved.
Everyone remained silent.
Because they all knew—Peak Master Bailing was truly furious now.
She was using this harsh stance to force Gu Han to relent.
At the center of the hall, Gu Han stood silently. His head lowered, the shadows of his hair covered his face, making it hard for anyone to discern his current emotions.
“Heh.”
After a long pause, a cold laugh full of self-mockery and helplessness echoed out.
Gu Han looked up. His deep, dark eyes met Mu Bailing’s cold gaze without flinching.
But he said nothing.
He simply turned and walked toward the hall’s exit.
“Master, rest assured. I have never used such tactics to pressure you.”
“I will enter the Demon Suppression Tower myself. No need to trouble you.”
“Gu Han!” Mu Bailing shouted, furious at her disciple’s defiance.
But before she could explode—
Whoosh!
With a flick of his sleeve, a beautifully crafted ancient sword flew out and plunged three inches deep into the center of the hall floor.
Gu Han said, “From Master’s gaze earlier, I understood a lot.”
“You think my actions today were too disappointing. You believe I’m no longer worthy of being your disciple.”
“In that case, I won’t make things difficult for you.”
“This sword is called Baixiao. You personally crafted it for me back then. From today onward, I return it to you.”
“As for the kindness you showed in raising me, I will repay it… little by little, until we owe each other nothing.”