novelraw Chapter 14 – Weakness is the original sin
Chapter 14 – Weakness is the original sin
[September 3rd, you had no heart for cultivation, and indescribable events unfolded throughout the day.]
[September 4th, you had no heart for cultivation...]
[September 5th, you had no heart for cultivation...]
[September 6th, the old maid couldn't bear it any longer and advised you to exercise restraint...]
[You told her not to meddle in your affairs.]
[...]
Chen Shi: ???
In reality, he was walking on thin ice, but in the simulation, he indulged in pleasures?
Isn't this a bit like reversing the natural order?
Moreover, with danger looming, not finding a way to cope and wasting all his energy on matters between men and women all day... this simulator must be broken!
He wasn't that kind of person at all!
[September 18th, you heard that an Innate Realm expert from the Song family had escorted Elder Wang back, and he is currently being interrogated.]
[This left you with mixed feelings.]
[On one hand, you hoped they could extract some results and obtain information about the Mastermind.]
[On the other hand, you feared your lies would be exposed, and Lin Manqing would take your life. In this regard, you could only hope Song Fan would be reliable.]
[September 19th, after many days of hard work, you noticed a slight loosening in your stagnant realm, which surprised you greatly. You immediately took a Bone Tempering Pill, and your cultivation broke through to the Late Bone Refining Stage. The old maid stared at you with a suspicious gaze for quite a while.]
[September 21st, Lin Manqing came to your small courtyard again, but this time, she was accompanied by several Song family elders with unfathomable auras. Seeing them, you immediately understood that Elder Wang might have confessed, and the accusations were directed at you. You even suspected that Elder Wang was deliberately captured, planning to use himself as bait, concocting lies to harm you with an open conspiracy.]
[Just like in the original history, Lin Manqing suddenly suspected you were hiding secrets and wanted to soul search you, cutting off your martial path.]
[A Song family elder scrutinized you for a while before bluntly asking where the Heaven-Grasping Vase was.]
[Hearing this, you were stunned for a moment and instinctively looked at Lin Manqing. Her face instantly turned cold, and she turned her head away, unwilling to speak to you.]
[A Song family elder snorted coldly and took out a dossier from his storage ring, throwing it to you.]
[You opened it and were thunderstruck.]
[It was a confession from Elder Wang, claiming he accidentally discovered the secret of your Heaven-Grasping Vase, then threatened Lin Qiushui to frame you and imprison you, intending to steal the treasure in prison without anyone knowing, and then fabricate a charge to have you killed outside the Divine General's Manor. But unexpectedly, you climbed the big tree that was the Seventh Madam. In the end, seeing things out of control, he fled the Divine General's Manor to monopolize the treasure.]
[But unexpectedly, he fell into your trap.]
[Because after he escaped the manor, he found the Heaven-Grasping Vase was fake, only the liquid inside was real.]
[In Elder Wang's description, you, through Lin Qiushui, anticipated his plan to frame you, so you turned the tables, using his greed, a fake vase, and a few drops of real spirit liquid to make him kill himself on the spot and defect from the Divine General's Manor. Afterward, you told Lin Manqing about the Heaven-Grasping Vase, using her to have the Spirit Sword Sect send experts to hunt him down worldwide, leaving him unable to defend himself, living in constant fear...]
"???"
Seeing this, Chen Shi was full of questions.
The matter of the Heaven-Grasping Vase was clearly a fabricated lie, so why did the other party act so convincingly?
But that wasn't the key issue.
The key issue was, how did Elder Wang know about this matter?
Only three people knew about it!
Him, Lin Qiushui, and Lin Manqing.
In the simulation, Lin Qiushui and he were as close as could be, knowing each other inside out, and she had been under house arrest, so it couldn't have been leaked.
Lin Manqing was even less likely, as she had kept it from even the Song family.
So how did Elder Wang know?
Chen Shi became increasingly confused.
[After reading the confession, you couldn't calm down for a long time.]
[You couldn't understand how Elder Wang knew about the Heaven-Grasping Vase, which was clearly a lie you made up, but one thing you could be sure of was that he wasn't caught by accident but came prepared. And this time, there were no schemes, only an unsolvable open conspiracy.]
[Even if you confessed the truth, admitting the Heaven-Grasping Vase was a fabrication, no one would believe you, because in the eyes of the Song family, you were just a lowly stable hand at the Bone Refining Stage, while the other party was a True Lake Stage elder.]
[The difference in status was worlds apart.]
[If not for that treasure, Elder Wang had no reason to make such a grave mistake, abandon his future, and persecute you for no reason.]
[But if you couldn't provide a satisfactory answer, you would face endless suspicion.]
[Ultimately, you couldn't escape the fate of being soul-searched.]
[Your martial path would be cut off.]
[And this was probably the purpose of the Mastermind sending Elder Wang back into the Divine General's Manor, to find a way to completely kill your path to advancement in cultivation, even if you stayed in the Mountains and Rivers Residence.]
[In response, you could only insist that Elder Wang took the Heaven-Grasping Vase.]
[After shifting the blame, to prove your innocence, you even stated you were willing to undergo a soul search, but before that, you hoped they would start with Elder Wang.]
[Your response surprised Lin Manqing and the Song family elders.]
[But then, a Song family elder regretfully stated that even if a soul search was conducted, it would start with you, because after Elder Wang consumed a few drops of spirit liquid produced by the Heaven-Grasping Vase, his cultivation broke through from the Late True Lake Stage to the Perfected True Lake Stage, with a thick aura, only half a step away from the Innate Realm. Such a strong expert, if resisting, could easily lose memories during the soul search.]
[More importantly, since Elder Wang had shown a good attitude in admitting his mistakes, had previously contributed to the Song family, and voluntarily planted a Slave Seal, the Song family had decided to be lenient and not pursue his responsibilities too harshly.]
[Finally, the Song family elder gave you three days to provide a satisfactory answer, otherwise, they would proceed with the soul search as you suggested. Of course, if they wronged an innocent person, the Song family would compensate you, ensuring you a life of wealth and worry-free, even if you could no longer cultivate.]
[The words of the Song family elder left you feeling extremely bitter.]
[Weakness is the original sin.]
[Now, you felt this statement even more deeply.]