[Scum Villain Fanfic] The Writing Adventures Of Liu Su Mian Hua

#10 : Troubled trade (of) heart(s) (3)

The woman introduced herself as Qiu Haitang and told the gathering how her family had bought Peak Lord Shen, formerly known as Shen Jiu, from a human trafficker when he was twelve, how her family had taken pity on him and cared for him well. They taught him to read and write, and eventually adopted him as a foster child. Shen Jiu was also engaged to Qiu Haitang, who had cared for him dearly. But one day a famous rogue cultivator visited their village and set up a platform to test interested individuals and pick up disciples. Shen Jiu went to the testing platform and got selected by the cultivator - he wanted to leave the household. He got into a big argument with Qiu Haitang's older brother. Everyone thought that Shen Jiu would calm down after a few days and move on. But that very night, Shen Jiu killed Haitang's older brother and all the servants in the house! He burnt the entire house and ran away with the cultivator! The rogue cultivator she mentioned was Wu Yanzi – a wanted criminal of the cultivation world who had died a violent death.

Associating a Peak Lord of the renowned Cang Qiong Mountain Sect with an ill-famed criminal was like throwing black ink at their face. The crowd burst into gasps of shock and disbelief. Mingyan didn't know about Peak Lord Shen's former associations, but she knew that he was not the kind of person the Palace Master and this woman were trying to frame him as. After the woman finished her blabbering, the Palace Master suggested that Peak Lord Shen be transferred to the Palace's Water Prison till further investigation is done. They really wanted to paint Master Shen as a criminal! The Huan Hua Palace Water Prison was a public prison for cultivators. It had tight security, winding mazes, and was full of torture equipment. Those who were locked up there would suffer from immense physical and psychological damage. Naturally, Cang Qiong Mountain Sect wouldn't have that.

Liu Qingge, who had been trying his best not to burst out, drew his sword to protect his Shixiong, but Sect Master Yue told him to stand down. Sect Master Yue was a kind and gentle person, but nobody had expected him to step in and almost declare war! The famous Xuan Su Sword at his waist that had left its scabbard only on two occasions before, revealed an inch of itself. And immediately it was as if an invisible blanket full of roaring spiritual energy had been draped over everyone except the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect - it was the cry of the sword! It was unbearable to hear and those who could not tolerate it scrunched their faces and covered their ears in hopes of drowning out the sound. The Palace Master did not stop at that. "Lay formations!" he yelled at his disciples. Mingyan and the others too got ready to fight - they would not let anyone hurt Peak Lord Shen. But before the war could begin, Peak Lord Shen drew out his sword and threw it on the ground -  it fell right before the Palace Master's feet. He chose to  surrender! The Palace Master and his disciples retreated to their original places. Sect Master Yue was not ready to let him go. "Shidi..." he said with a hint of distress. Peak Lord Shen spoke, "Shixiong, you don't need to say more, the truth will speak for itself. Qingqiu is willing to be restrained. Discussing any more is pointless. I offer myself up freely."

Sect Master Yue held a troubled expression. After a long time, he let out a deep breath and finally re-sheathed his sword. The invisible blanket and the roaring were gone. Peak Lord Shen bowed deeply before the Sect Master and then stepped forward to be bound by Immortal-Binding Cables. The Palace Master had a winning smile on his stupid face and the sobbing Qiu Haintang was being consoled by the female Palace disciple who had brought up the match against the demons. Nobody from Cang Qiong Mountain Sect was happy with what was happening. Liu Qingge chose to look away from the scene to stop himself from acting rashly. Qi Qingqi clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. Qian Cao Peak Lord Mu Qingfang and An Ding Peak Lord Shang Qinghua sighed at the sight. Mingyan felt as if she herself was being wronged. Peak Lord Shen did not deserve this kind of treatment. She glanced at Binghe to see if he felt the same, but he was as calm as a lake at daybreak. "Why won't Binghe speak up for his Shizun?" Chuntao was agitated. "Did we treat him so badly that he did not want to return? Did he forget his Shizun's grace that he spoke of just five minutes ago?" "Luo Binghe has changed..." Xiuying sighed. "He's like a whole different person now." About that, she was right. Even Mingyan thought something was off about Luo Binghe.

AN : It has been fun to write this work and there's still a lot more to come. I'd love to know your thoughts about the story so far. That'd be fun to read. Suggestions for improvement are always welcome.