The Male Lead I Wronged Has Blackened

CHAPTER 34: Shock

　　On Xuanming Sect territory, to speak so presumptuously about Xuanming Sect affairs, and with such rudeness, drew the elders' sharp gazes instantly to the source of the voice

　　The offending voice came from a girl of Shuiyun Palace. She and a few other disciples from different sects had been invited to observe the ceremony.

　　Shuiyun Palace was a sect made up entirely of women, each disciple strikingly beautiful, ethereal as if descended from the heavens, graceful and untouchable.

　　The one speaking stood in front, her figure slender and poised, eyes smiling, though her smile was full of ridicule.

　　Her words were sharp, carrying a mocking edge, making the elders frown and Jiang Shuo’s expression harden. Seeing the tension, Tan Yi quickly scolded her in private, “Lin Jing, stop spouting nonsense.”

　　As the Sect Leader of Shuiyun Palace, Tan Yi commanded great respect from her disciples. Normally, her orders were never ignored. She had intended to silence Lin Jing first and then apologize to the Xuanming elders. Surely, the elders would not make an issue out of it with a junior.

　　But this time, she hadn’t expected Lin Jing to disobey. Instead, Lin Jing raised her voice and put on a mock-innocent, apologetic expression. “I am truly sorry. In all my life, I have never seen such an ugly woman. I was simply shocked.”

　　“I must be ignorant,” Lin Jing continued, bowing slightly to Si Yao, “Please, Miss Si Luo, do not take offense.”

　　Although Si Yao’s transformed appearance was plain, it was far from ugly. Anyone with eyes could see that Lin Jing was deliberately mocking her.

　　At her words, the Xuanming elders’ faces darkened further. Jiang Shuo’s expression dropped instantly the moment he heard them, his gaze cold and sharp as a blade sweeping over Lin Jing, radiating an intense, oppressive aura.

　　Si Yao was slightly surprised to see Jiang Shuo so unyielding. Was he angry just because of what that girl said? Seeing his anger rising, she quickly reached for his hand, trying to calm him.

　　She gently squeezed Jiang Shuo’s hand, her small fingers firm around his, and whispered close to his ear, “Don’t be angry.”

　　Her voice was soft, almost like music, and it calmed most of the fury raging inside him.

　　Tan Yi, hearing Lin Jing’s words, was instantly terrified. She didn’t even try to scold her disciple quietly this time. Before anyone from Xuanming Sect could react, she narrowed her eyes and snapped, “You, shut your mouth!”

　　Xuanming Sect was the top sect of the righteous path. Shuiyun Palace might have some weight locally, but it could never match Xuanming Sect. Even if the other three sects joined forces, they were no match. And then there was Jiang Shuo, the ruthless man who had wiped out Xuan Yang Sect on his own.

　　“My disciple is young and speaks without thinking. I hope the elders can show mercy and not hold it against a junior. I will punish her properly,” Tan Yi said, bowing respectfully to the Xuanming elders and apologizing, promising she would no longer let her disciple speak recklessly.

　　The leaders of the other three sects stepped forward as well, acting as peacemakers and urging the elders not to make an issue of it.

　　Lin Jing, scolded by Tan Yi, felt terribly wronged. She pouted, “I didn’t say anything wrong. Palace Leader, don’t worry. Xuanming Sect is the top of the righteous path. They won’t make things difficult for a junior over a few ill-timed words.”

　　Her words sounded sincere, her flower-like face full of regret and annoyance. In this situation, if the Xuanming elders had openly reprimanded her, it would have made the sect look petty and incapable of tolerating others.

　　Si Yao squinted, watching the succession ceremony near its final step. Suddenly, a wild card appeared halfway through. She felt even more frustrated than Lin Jing. If only she had taken the trouble to keep a beautiful face when she transformed. Being ordinary-looking apparently invited ridicule too. This world was truly cruel.

　　But Si Yao had never been the type to let insults slide. Standing atop the high platform, looking down at the girl, she let out a light laugh and asked, “Are you really a disciple of Shuiyun Palace?”

　　Lin Jing had expected Si Yao to hang her head in shame at her mockery, but to her surprise, Si Yao didn’t flinch or sulk. Instead, she seemed to probe into Lin Jing’s background.

　　“So what if I am?” Lin Jing was momentarily taken aback, then answered confidently.

　　Si Yao blinked, letting out a soft laugh. “The people of Shuiyun Palace truly live up to their reputation. Each of you is like a fairy descended from the heavens. Especially you, Miss, you honestly put me to shame.”

　　Her voice was calm, her gaze sweeping down over Lin Jing. She was not angry, nor embarrassed, and spoke with a quiet confidence that made her look unshakable.

　　The unexpected praise made Lin Jing feel flattered. She lifted her chin proudly, thinking that Si Yao, contrary to rumors, was not arrogant or deluded. She seemed to have some self-awareness after all.

　　“Just don’t be too full of yourself,” Si Yao added smoothly. “Beauty alone, without manners, can be just as detestable.”

　　Lin Jing’s smile faded instantly at those words. Everywhere she went, she was admired like a flower surrounded by petals. And now this seemingly plain woman dared to claim she could be disliked? Lin Jing snapped, her voice sharp: “Better to be disliked by some than to be ugly, mediocre in cultivation, and delusional!”

　　Her words cut through the tension, voicing what many were thinking.

　　In this world of cultivation, where handsome men and beautiful women were the norm, Si Yao’s transformed appearance was far too ordinary. Paired with Jiang Shuo, she looked even more unremarkable. Her cultivation was average too, yet she had suddenly become the future Sect Leader’s wife, which many disciples of Xuanming Sect found hard to accept.

　　Other disciples from surrounding sects had also heard of Si Yao’s antics in recent days. She was set to marry Mu Yuanbai one moment and Jiang Shuo the next. To outsiders, such behavior seemed shameless and unbecoming.

　　Lin Jing, already proud and competitive, despised Si Yao for this. She had even made a bet with a male cultivator from Tianluo Sect on who could openly humiliate Si Yao during the succession ceremony.

　　Lin Jing was stunning and one of the top beauties in Shuiyun Palace. To her, putting Si Yao in her place seemed effortless. After all, someone as ordinary as Si Yao should never be able to raise her head in front of her.

　　What Lin Jing did not expect was that Si Yao not only did not shrink from her ridicule but countered it with a sly jab. Lin Jing was furious, practically seeing red.

　　The other disciples from the surrounding sects stifled laughter, watching the scene unfold like a private comedy.

　　Si Yao had no idea what twists and turns were running through Lin Jing’s mind. To her, Lin Jing just seemed plain stupid, trying to embarrass Xuanming Sect in such a situation—utterly brainless.

　　Si Yao let out a faint smile, her voice sharp and clear: “No matter how plain or ordinary I am, whether I can become the Sect Leader’s wife is Xuanming Sect’s business. Why does Shuiyun Palace care so much? Are you trying to run our sect for us?”

　　Her words magnified Lin Jing’s provocation, turning it into an audacious claim that Shuiyun Palace dared meddle in Xuanming Sect’s affairs. Tan Yi instantly panicked. She stepped in to sternly stop Lin Jing from speaking and personally offered apologies to Si Yao and the elders.

　　Lin Jing’s face went pale. She only wanted to embarrass Si Yao and didn't dare interfere in the Xuanming Sect's internal affairs. Si Yao's words had put her in a precarious situation.

　　Not daring to face the wrath of Xuanming Sect, Tan Yi ordered Lin Jing to apologize properly. Lin Jing bit her lip and, reluctantly, stepped forward to bow deeply. “I spoke out of turn. I beg your forgiveness,” she murmured.

　　Lin Jing bowed below, while Si Yao stood atop the high platform, looking down at her with disdain.

　　Having to apologize to someone so inferior stung Lin Jing’s pride, but there was nothing she could do. As Tan Yi had expected, Lin Jing was a junior. Even if she had spoken rudely, the elders could not punish her further, especially since she had already apologized.

　　This little incident did not slow down the succession ceremony. Si Yao joined Jiang Shuo hand in hand, walking toward the center of the altar. For some reason, her heart was racing. Now that it had come to this, she realized she didn’t feel as strongly against this marriage as she thought she would.

　　Jiang Shuo held her hand firmly. Together, they walked toward the ancient altar that had stood in the sect for ten thousand years. The trailing hems of their ceremonial robes swept the steps behind them. Everyone watched in solemn silence, except Mu Yuanbai, who clenched his fists in secret.

　　The moment Si Yao stepped onto the altar, the ancient, towering structure suddenly burst with a dazzling light. No one could make out the color, for the brilliance was so intense that even under the bright sun, everyone shielded their eyes instinctively.

　　Si Yao blinked and raised her sleeve to cover her face from the blinding glare.

　　Only the elders of Xuanming Sect remained composed. They knew the light was the altar’s power. The altar, a supreme treasure, had existed since the sect’s founding. Whenever a new Sect Leader ascended, they had to step onto it. If the successor had any anomaly, the altar would emit a light capable of revealing the person’s true essence, ensuring that the sect would never fall into the hands of someone with ill intent.

　　Yet in all the centuries, the altar had never reacted this way. Even the experienced elders were shocked. This meant Jiang Shuo might have a problem, potentially unfit to succeed as Sect Leader.

　　After a long moment, the light finally faded. Si Yao felt the surroundings dim and slowly lowered her sleeve, opening her eyes.    

　　Si Yao opened her eyes and saw everyone below looking utterly confused, as if they had no idea what had just happened.

　　When the light faded, the people on the platform instinctively tilted their heads toward the altar that had just shone so brilliantly.

　　Their eyes swept from the altar to Jiang Shuo and Si Yao standing atop it. Confusion and bewilderment quickly shifted into shock and complete helplessness.

　　The most stunned of all was Lin Jing. Her eyes widened, and her delicate hand flew to cover her slightly open mouth in disbelief. “This… how is this possible…”

　　“Am I dreaming…”

　　“Did they switch the person up there…”

　　The murmurs of astonishment kept coming from below, leaving Si Yao utterly baffled. She instinctively glanced at Elder Situ, thinking he must know what had just happened.

　　But even Elder Situ, a man of vast experience, looked just as shocked when he met her gaze. Compared to the disciples from the other sects, his expression held not only surprise but something stranger, almost unreadable. The other elders also stared at Si Yao without blinking, their eyes fixed on her.

　　While Si Yao struggled to make sense of it all, those below were completely frozen. The girl now standing on the altar seemed even more beautiful than the celestial beings from the highest heavens. Her features were delicate and refined, her eyes like clear water, and a faint trace of doubt lingered in her brow, evoking an involuntary sense of pity.

　　“This… this is peerless, unmatched. Truly divine,” someone murmured in awe.

　　The incomparable woman now stood where Si Luo had just been, wearing the same garments, yet it was as if an entirely different person had taken her place.

　　“Is that… Si Luo?”

　　One person finally spoke what everyone was thinking. No one could believe what they were seeing.

　　Lin Jing's face was the most ashen. This breathtakingly beautiful woman, whose presence made everyone else seem dull by comparison, was the same Si Luo she had just mocked and ridiculed?

    

    

   

Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter