Chapter 6: Never Show Mercy

Shu Qi did not expect Shu Wan to interrupt. He reached out and patted her head, speaking in a low voice: “Wan Wan, stop causing trouble. Father is discussing serious matters with Ah Lan.”

“What serious matters?” Shu Wan tilted her head slightly, looking up at Shu Qi, and said earnestly: “Father, didn’t you mention the Floating Heart Sutra? Senior Brother Ah Lan didn’t take it. Steward Zhao delivered it to him.”

Shu Wan spoke very smoothly: “That day, I happened to run into Steward Zhao holding a stack of books. He said they were sent by Father for the disciples to study. Out of curiosity, I flipped through them, and there it was—the Floating Heart Sutra.”

The novel was something she had written herself. 

She had mastered the most intricate details of the plot, and this was an extremely useful golden finger. 

The Forbidden Technique had been concealed by Shu Qi and sent to Yi Chenlan via Zhao Zhun, so, Shu Wan decided to make use of it herself.

Zhao Zhun froze for a moment, then immediately denied it in a panic: “Miss, please don’t joke around. It’s true that I delivered the books, but I never saw you along the way.”

The two of them began to argue, and Shu Qi furrowed his brow as he listened. Even Yi Chenlan briefly looked over at them.

Shu Wan raised a smiling face. “How can Steward Zhao say he didn’t see me? The books you took that day were the Supreme Mystery Art, Treatise of Balance, Strategy of Hidden Formations, Treatise on Celestial Mansions, and the Floating Heart Sutra. I personally flipped through them. Have you forgotten?”

Zhao Zhun’s face turned pale. 

What Shu Wan said was entirely correct. 

The books Sect Master had sent to the disciples included these, but in Yi Chenlan’s set, he had secretly hidden one copy of the Floating Heart Sutra.

He looked at Shu Qi in panic, stammering: “I really never saw Miss, Miss… how could she know so clearly?”

Whispers began to spread through the hall. 

Shu Qi’s eyes flashed with a hint of anger. After a brief moment of hesitation, he made a decision: “Steward Zhao, I have always treated you well. How could you use such underhanded means to frame my disciple? You claim you’ve never seen Wan Wan, so how could she know all the details?”

He cast a slightly pained glance at Yi Chenlan, then turned to Zhao Zhun and shouted: “If it weren’t for Wan Wan revealing the truth today, Ah Lan would have been wronged beyond measure. Will you not admit your guilt?!”

Zhao Zhun’s eyes widened, and before he could say anything, two sharp-eyed disciples covered his mouth and dragged him away.

Shu Qi ignored Zhao Zhun’s unwilling struggles and smiled gently at Yi Chenlan. “Ah Lan, it turns out I have wronged you. That villain has sown discord between us as master and disciple. Don’t worry, I will certainly make sure you receive justice for this matter.”

His words were firm and resolute, displaying the demeanor of a gentleman, and everyone present felt respect for him.

As expected, those observing could not help but show expressions of approval. A man couldn’t resist praising: “Senior Brother Shu truly has the bearing of a great hero, impartial and fair. We all admire you.”

“Where, where.” Shu Qi humbly responded: “How could I deserve such a title as Great Hero? Junior Brother Qin, please don’t elevate me.”

“Junior Brother Qin is right, Shu Brother, don’t be too modest.” another disciple added.

Shu Wan thought: Tch, what a joke.

Shu Wan secretly rolled her eyes. 

The novel was something she wrote, and she knew exactly how Shu Qi would act. 

He would come up with a thousand reasons to torment Yi Chenlan, but there was no need for him to sacrifice his gentlemanly reputation for this one occasion. 

If people in Jianghu knew he would stop at nothing to frame Yi Chenlan, even though Yi Chenlan’s identity was a fault, they would still criticize him heavily.

Thus, Shu Qi would undoubtedly have no hesitation in sacrificing Zhao Zhun.

———

Amidst the laughter and chatter, Yi Chenlan suppressed the intense disgust churning in his stomach and gave a perfectly timed, subtle smile. “Master, you have truly seen through everything. Your disciple is deeply grateful.”

What? 

Shu Wan was taken aback, her ears perked up. 

How come her male villain was so pure and kind in the beginning? 

After all the torment Shu Qi had subjected him to, he was still counting the money for him?

But upon reflection, every time she described Shu Qi’s cruelty towards Yi Chenlan, she always positioned herself from the moral high ground, brainwashing Yi Chenlan.

“Ah Lan, you must repay your father’s debt.”

“Ah Lan, it’s not that Master doesn’t protect you, but you must bear the responsibility.”

“Ah Lan, although the punishment from Master is heavy, it is to make you reflect properly.”

“Ah Lan, you are guilty.”

“Ah Lan, you must atone for your sins.”

——

The more Shu Wan thought about it, the angrier she became. She had once felt that the writing was so brilliant, but now, looking back, she wanted to smash her computer. 

Why had she written it this way? 

Terrible, terrible, terrible!

No one could hear the roar in Shu Wan’s heart. 

Shu Qi looked at Yi Chenlan, who was being obedient, and felt quite satisfied. He waved his hand and smiled: “You can go rest now. Yesterday, Master punished you, and later, I will have Junior Brother Zhou check on you.”

Yi Chenlan calmly bowed: “Thank you, Master.”

Until he walked out of the Disciplinary Hall, Yi Chenlan still felt somewhat unfamiliar to this feeling. 

He hadn’t been beaten, nor had he been imprisoned. 

This was the first time in both of his lifetimes that he had walked out of the Disciplinary Hall unharmed.

And it was actually because of Shu Wan…

Realizing what he was thinking, Yi Chenlan immediately pulled his thoughts back. 

She had just happened to pass by and seen him. 

Her ignorance and naivety had coincidentally helped him. 

If he softened his heart because of that, he would truly be too lowly.

Yi Chenlan closed his eyes and recalled how Shu Wan indifferently cut off  his right arm, her cruelty at the reflection meeting, and the smugness when she shattered his jade pendant… 

Shu Wan’s face kept flashing through his mind. 

When he opened his eyes again, the sharp, beautiful eyes concealed a ruthless light.

He would not allow anyone to humiliate or trample on him again.

He would not soften his heart.