The Male Lead I Wronged Has Blackened
CHAPTER 14: Greed
Jiang Shuo's heart skipped a beat. The girl’s small, slightly cool hand rested over his, her voice soft and melodious, pressing down the storm of anger boiling in his chest. He stared, dumbfounded, at the girl whose eyes shone brightly.
“Yun Xiangxiang’s poisoning is indeed connected to Jiang Shuo. What must Jiang Shuo do to make it right, so the Yun clan can let go of their grudge?” Si Yao’s voice was crisp and calm, her gaze fixed lightly on the Yun clan.
The aggressive woman from the Yun clan thought Jiang Shuo and Si Yao were conceding. Afraid the Yun clan would reveal the truth and affect Jiang Shuo’s reputation, she crossed her arms, offering a haughty smile. “Our Yun clan has always been generous. Though Jiang Shuo owes us, we never asked for anything. Since you asked, we cannot refuse.”
She tapped her chin, pretending to think, “Then let Jiang Shuo give the Yun clan this Vermilion Bird egg.”
“His savior needs this Vermilion Bird egg.” The woman smiled mischievously, emphasizing the words ‘savior.’
“Cousin, stop it.” Yun Xiangxiang blushed, embarrassed. She reached out and gently tugged at the woman’s sleeve, quietly stopping her from continuing.
The woman, Yun Xia, glanced at Yun Xiangxiang’s reddened cheeks and assumed Xiangxiang was shy, trying to claim her position as Jiang Shuo’s savior. She softened her tone, whispering reassurance, “Don’t worry. I will make sure justice is done for you.”
Si Yao felt a wave of disgust. The Yun clan was really trying to milk Jiang Shuo for everything. She smiled faintly and asked, “So, you mean if Jiang Shuo gives this unhatched Vermilion Bird egg to the Yun clan, you will consider the debt between you and him settled?”
The question silenced the Yun clan. Yun Xiangxiang felt anxious. She had long cared for Jiang Shuo, willing to risk her life for him. She could never accept a “settled” outcome.
The Yun clan, however, felt it was far too easy for Jiang Shuo. Yun Xiangxiang had suffered and almost died for him, and he thought one little Vermilion Bird hatchling could cover it all? There was no way!
“Of course not!” Yun Xia snapped. “This Vermilion Bird egg may be rare, but Xiangxiang saved his life!”
“One measly Vermilion Bird egg really isn’t much.”
Hearing Yun Xia’s greed, Si Yao sneered. “So the Yun clan means…”
“This Vermilion Bird egg isn’t nearly enough. Jiang Shuo must give ten supreme treasures to show his gratitude.” Before Yunxia could speak this time, another young man from the Yun clan answered first.
As soon as he spoke, another Yun clan member hurriedly added, “Not only that. Xiangxiang suffered greatly for Jiang Shuo. Her body might carry hidden ailments that could affect her cultivation. Jiang Shuo must provide ten rare spirit medicines or pills to restore her.”
“Also, a heavenly-level cultivation technique…”
The Yun clan kept piling on demands. Rare pills and heavenly-level techniques were treasures seen once in a thousand years. They were making impossible requests, expecting Jiang Shuo to supply all of it.
It was no secret in the Yun clan that Yun Xiangxiang adored Jiang Shuo. He was handsome, gifted, and she was the famed beauty of the continent. Everyone privately assumed it was only a matter of time before they confessed their feelings to each other.
Yet now, an even more stunning woman had appeared by Jiang Shuo’s side. His cold, unfaithful behavior angered the Yun clan, and to protect Yun Xiangxiang, they were hurling outrageous demands at him.
Voices rose one after another, echoing through the hall. Si Yao felt the oppressive pressure next to her. She held Jiang Shuo’s hand, letting her slender fingers rub gently across his palm, quietly soothing him.
Feeling Si Yao’s touch, Jiang Shuo’s heart pounded uncontrollably. The fury in his chest melted away, and he forced down the urge to hold her icy hand in return, a faint curve appearing on his lips.
【Target Favorability +10】
Si Yao ignored the Yun clan’s greed. Her usually lazy eyes were unusually sharp as she turned to Yun Xiangxiang, asking, “Do you think Jiang Shuo owes you?”
Yun Xiangxiang quietly scolded the Yun clan, telling them not to demand treasures from Jiang Shuo or claim her life debt publicly. Her actions showed that she acknowledged her role as Jiang Shuo’s savior.
So when Si Yao asked if she thought Jiang Shuo owed her, she froze. Though she had risked her life willingly, in her heart, she did feel that Jiang Shuo owed her.
Yun Xiangxiang ignored Si Yao’s question and looked at Jiang Shuo with gentle eyes, her voice soft and tinged with a hint of grievance. “Brother Jiang, even if I had died for you back then, I would have no regrets. I do not blame you for what you’ve done today. If you want this Vermilion Bird egg, take it. The Yun clan does not need any further compensation from you.”
She looked so delicate and restrained, drawing everyone’s sympathy while silently cursing Jiang Shuo for being ungrateful.
The Yun clan quickly started urging Yun Xiangxiang not to act on impulse and hand the Vermilion Bird egg to Si Yao for free.
“Such selfless devotion,” Si Yao’s expression turned cold, her tone laced with sarcasm. “If it’s truly without complaint, then Miss Yun, please explain everything from start to finish. Do it right here in front of Tu Ming from Xiaoyao Tower so everyone can know the truth. Otherwise, once Jiang Shuo leaves, even eight mouths won’t be able to clarify it.”
The Yun clan’s aggressiveness was met with Tu Ming silently observing. Unlike the Yun and Xiao clans who were shortsighted, Tu Ming fully understood Jiang Shuo’s power. It was like staring into an abyss, and he dared not intervene. He had intended to stop things, but Jiang Shuo had privately instructed him not to get involved.
“What truth is there to tell?” Yun Xia sneered, thinking Si Yao wanted to argue deceptively. “It’s all because Jiang Shuo provoked the Xuan Yang Sect. They tried to kill him with deadly poison. If Xiangxiang hadn’t stepped in to block that toxic strike, Jiang Shuo wouldn’t even be alive to attend this exhibition.”
With just a few words, Yun Xia presented her version of the so-called truth.
“Oh?” Si Yao’s tone held a hint of doubt as she looked at Yun Xiangxiang with eyes like swirling galaxies. “Is that so, Miss Yun?”
Yun Xiangxiang said nothing, clearly tacitly accepting Yun Xia’s account.
“I do not agree.” Si Yao released Jiang Shuo’s hand and scanned the room, letting her gaze sweep over the onlookers before settling back on Yun Xiangxiang, her eyes icy.
“The Xuan Yang Sect did indeed have a grudge against Jiang Shuo, but every time they tried to harm him, it was because of you, Yun Xiangxiang.”
“You’re talking nonsense!” someone from the Yun clan shouted, but Jiang Shuo’s piercing gaze froze them mid-word.
Si Yao’s voice was cold and merciless. “The top disciple of the Xuan Yang Sect, Chu Yi, has long admired the continent’s most beautiful woman, Yun Xiangxiang. Everyone in the sect knows it, and surely, you know as well.”
Yun Xiangxiang remained silent. Si Yao continued, “You had no feelings for him, which is fine, but you constantly tried to show favor to Jiang Shuo. Unfortunately, your feelings were misplaced. He repeatedly refused you, openly and secretly, yet you remained infatuated.”
Si Yao recounted the system’s information on the tangled feelings between Yun Xiangxiang and Jiang Shuo. “Chu Yi is the Sect Leader’s personal disciple, cunning and ruthless. When he learned you had no interest in him but admired Jiang Shuo, he was humiliated and angry. That’s why he repeatedly tried to poison Jiang Shuo.”
She paused and asked Yun Xiangxiang, “Tell me, is this true?”
Yun Xiangxiang’s secret feelings for Jiang Shuo were suddenly made public. With every eye in the hall on her, her face flushed crimson. She bit her lip and admitted, “It is true.”
Hearing this, Si Yao continued, “Although the Xuan Yang Sect harmed Jiang Shuo, the root cause was you. From start to finish, Jiang Shuo never had any romantic feelings for you. Do you realize how much trouble your one-sided devotion caused him?”
Si Yao’s words were sharp and merciless. Yun Xiangxiang’s face drained of color, her heart aching at the piercing truth.
“Until that day, when Chu Yi led the Xuan Yang Sect with deadly poison to kill Jiang Shuo, you accidentally stepped in and blocked the strike for him.”
Si Yao’s cold voice stirred the crowd. They originally thought that the Xuan Yang Sect had a grudge against Jiang Shuo, and that Yun Xiangxiang risked her life to save Jiang Shuo was a noble act. No one expected everything had stemmed from her. Without Yun Xiangxiang, Jiang Shuo would not have been repeatedly targeted by the Xuan Yang Sect.
Seeing public opinion about to turn, Yun Xia quickly objected, “Stop spouting nonsense!”
Si Yao ignored her and turned to Yun Xiangxiang. “Tell me, Yun Xiangxiang, am I lying or telling the truth?”
Yun Xiangxiang’s face was pale. She clenched her teeth, thinking of how she had devoted herself entirely to Jiang Shuo. Even after being rejected, she never gave up. She had not realized that her one-sided devotion would bring him so much trouble. Only when Chu Yi tried to secretly poison Jiang Shuo did she risk her life to save him. Watching Jiang Shuo run tirelessly to find her antidote, she allowed herself a flicker of hope, thinking he might feel something for her too.
Yun Xiangxiang, her eyes red, looked at Jiang Shuo and murmured, “Brother Jiang…”
Jiang Shuo ignored her gaze. Yun Xiangxiang felt her chest tighten painfully. Seeing Yun Xiangxiang nearly in tears, Yun Xia could not help but step forward to defend her. “So what! I only know that if Xiangxiang had not risked her life, Jiang Shuo would be dead.”
Si Yao, however, sounded amused, like she had heard the greatest joke. She sneered with contempt, “Yun Xiangxiang was poisoned and is still sitting here unharmed. Why are you so sure Jiang Shuo would have died from Chu Yi’s poison?”
“Jiang Shuo’s strength is such that if Yun Xiangxiang had not intervened, Chu Yi would not have been able to harm him in the slightest,” Si Yao said coldly. She continued, “I suspect your Yun clan had ulterior motives all along, planning to cling to Jiang Shuo and suck him dry!”
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