He just wants to find a replacement - Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The Consequence of Not Resisting
Bai Lianhua’s sudden move caused everyone present to show looks of astonishment, and private whispers immediately broke out.
An atmosphere of shock instantly spread through the crowd. Among those who witnessed this scene, only Liu Suxin secretly curled her lips.
Although Bai Lianhua’s action was unexpected, it perfectly aligned with the result she most desired.
Once the seed of doubt is planted, it will take root and sprout in people’s hearts.
Regardless of whether there were flaws in Liu Suxin’s subsequent arrangements, this greatly increased her chances of success.
To be honest, she had expected Bai Lianhua to be calmer than this. The whole performance was merely a small interlude she arranged with a testing mindset, intended to spice up the subsequent setup.
She hadn’t expected the other party to be so impatient. Sure enough, a rogue cultivator is just a rogue cultivator, difficult to rely on for serious matters.
As the drama concluded, Liu Suxin put away the last trace of a smile on her face, waved her hand, and signaled for the elders and disciples behind her to begin their action.
Soon, a Bl00d Contract Array was completed, overseen by two elders and jointly drawn by several inner disciples.
Bai Lianhua watched the intricately patterned array on the ground, his heart gradually sinking to the bottom.
The Bl00d Contract Array was originally created by evil cultivators, a tool used to enslave others through bloodline constraints.
Because the array is extremely sensitive to the source of essence bl00d, it also holds a certain level of credibility in tracing kinship.
It’s just that due to its improper origin, it is rarely used, making it a relatively unconventional testing method.
It was precisely because this array was little-known that Bai Lianhua felt uneasy.
Even with an ordinary array, Bai Lianhua wasn’t very knowledgeable, let alone such a highly specialized array.
It would be too easy for the other party to tamper with it here.
Thinking of this, Bai Lianhua decided to give himself an extra layer of protection. He slightly raised an eyebrow at Liu Suxin, and his half-closed eyes widened a little, “Junior Sister Liu, have you thought about how you will explain to the Sect Leader the matter of trampling on the sect’s and the Immortal Venerable’s reputation?”
“If I’m not mistaken, the Sect Leader will be returning to the sect soon, right?” He hid his face behind his sleeve, secretly curling his lips.
Faced with Bai Lianhua’s provocation, Liu Suxin tightly bit her lower lip and sternly threatened, “You lowlife, why are you still feigning benevolence now? What if the Sect Leader returns soon? No matter who comes today, you won’t escape!”
“Still trying to put up a brave front at a time like this, are you scared?” Liu Suxin turned her face away, reaching out to stroke the sword tassel on her sword hilt, and cast a sidelong glance at Bai Lianhua.
However, Bai Lianhua did not take the bait, only letting out a light laugh: “Haha, scared or not, I just feel that with a hall full of guests today, a petty squabble like this is too boring.”
“I just want to ask, Elder Liu, do you dare to play for higher stakes?”
Hearing this question, Liu Suxin instinctively became alert and took a step back, “What is there to dare? Everything will be settled once you step through this array today. Why would I do anything else?”
Bai Lianhua shook his head lightly upon hearing this and stepped forward, “Tsk, tsk, it seems Elder Liu doesn’t even have this much sincerity when it comes to defending the reputation of the sect and the Immortal Venerable.”
“Liu Suxin, do you really think that slandering the Immortal Venerable’s reputation can be done merely by the use of your tongue and manipulating right and wrong!” His brow suddenly tightened, and he immediately put on a serious face as he looked at Liu Suxin, “I, Bai Lianhua, am willing to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao right now: if I have done anything to let down the Immortal Venerable, I will give up my elder status, forfeit being the Immortal Venerable’s Dao Companion, and willingly relinquish the Immortal Venerable’s inheritance.”
“It’s your turn, Elder Liu. Don’t decline, everyone is watching.” Bai Lianhua raised his hand, gesturing to the other party.
Liu Suxin glanced around, seeing hundreds of eyes focused on her. She immediately felt immense pressure and suddenly realized that Bai Lianhua had unknowingly put her on the spot.
With the arrow already on the bowstring, it had to be shot. She lowered her head, bit her teeth, and finally hardened her resolve, “I, Liu Suxin, am willing to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao: if I cannot prove that Bai Lianhua is morally flawed in his private conduct, I will relinquish my position as Elder of Yunyan Peak in the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, be expelled from the sect, and sever my ties with the sect forever.”
“Is this enough, then!” She suddenly glared at Bai Lianhua, her face filled with resentment, and shouted sternly.
Seeing Liu Suxin agree, Bai Lianhua stopped pressing her, just curling his lips, in a very good mood. He walked to the front of the array, pulled out a dagger from his sleeve, and lightly sliced his index finger.
The bl00d dripped into the array, causing a red light to gradually illuminate. On Liu Suxin’s side, she also ordered someone to bring the rogue cultivator woman’s bl00d.
Finally, it was the turn of the main subject of this bl00d-testing-for-kinship ceremony: the child whom Bai Lianhua had been protecting behind him.
Bai Lianhua turned to face the child, placed his hand on his shoulder, straightened the child’s head, and gently instructed, “Jingbao, no matter what happens later, you must believe A-Die, understand?”
Following the motion, Jingbao was forced to meet Bai Lianhua’s deep gaze. His eyes were full of confusion, but he still smiled, “Jingbao will listen to A-Die!”
Seeing Jingbao agree, the corner of Bai Lianhua’s perpetually downturned mouth lifted slightly.
He grasped Jingbao’s palm, sliced his finger in front of everyone, and dripped the bl00d into the array.
Watching the streaks of red light enveloping the array, Bai Lianhua’s eyes grew darker.
He knew Liu Suxin must have tampered with it, but due to his limited ability, this was all the preparation he could make.
For now, he could only trust his own judgment.
As Jingbao’s drop of bl00d fell into the array, a brilliant light instantly burst forth. It followed the array patterns and rushed directly towards Bai Lianhua’s bl00d, stopping only when it was near Bai Lianhua’s bl00d, emitting a humming sound and echoing it.
Everyone present witnessed this strange sight and exclaimed in admiration, while Liu Suxin simply stood by with her arms crossed, secretly hooking up the corners of her mouth.
The only thing Bai Lianhua could do in response was to secretly clench his palms.
Just then, the bl00d bead resonating with his own bl00d moved again. Guided by the red light, it continuously expanded, slowly creeping along the array patterns towards the female cultivator’s bl00d.
At this moment, everyone held their breath, silently watching the final destination of this bl00d bead, like gamblers staring at a continuously rolling dice, all hoping the result would land on their chosen side.
Finally, amid everyone’s anticipation, the two portions of bl00d from different identities converged, perfectly blending into one, as if formed naturally.
In an instant, the scene erupted in an uproar.
“I can’t believe this Elder Bai, who looked so noble, is actually like this in private.”
“It’s true that one can know a person’s face but not their heart.”
“How dare he defy the common sense of the world and do such an absurd thing!”
…
Suddenly, looks of scorn, contempt, and disdain all focused on Bai Lianhua. Everyone regretted their earlier hesitation, as if he should have been nailed to the pillar of shame from the very beginning.
Liu Suxin watched the scene with secret delight and immediately issued an order to her disciples: “Bai Lianhua colluded with an outsider, gave birth to a bastard child, and then cleverly used a pretext to bring him back to the sect, ruining the reputation of the sect and the Immortal Venerable.”
“Today, I, in the name of the Sect Leader’s direct martial sister, will detain him in prison, strip him of his guest elder position and his status as the Immortal Venerable’s Dao Companion, interrogate him strictly, and definitely make the truth of this matter public to restore the honor of the sect and the Immortal Venerable.”
As soon as her words fell, the inner disciples in the hall surrounded Bai Lianhua, preparing to seize him on the spot.
Bai Lianhua, however, acted contrary to expectations and suddenly burst into loud laughter, with a hint of madness hidden within the sound, “Hahahahaha! What a ‘colluded with an outsider, cleverly used a pretext!'”
“However,” he suddenly changed his tone, ran a hand through the hair on his forehead, and looked up at Liu Suxin, “Liu Suxin, do you dare to say there was no trickery in this bl00d-testing-for-kinship ceremony?”
After saying that, he raised three fingers, including his thumb, high, displaying them to everyone present.
Apart from the cut on his index finger, there was also a fresh wound on Bai Lianhua’s middle finger, which was constantly bleeding.
“I knew long ago that you harbored ill intentions, so why would I truly follow your arrangement,” Bai Lianhua held up his bleeding hand and scanned the surroundings, then took out a silk cloth to wrap his finger, “When I dripped the bl00d earlier, the one Jingbao and I put in was my own bl00d. It’s only normal for it to merge with mine. As for why it merged with that female cultivator’s…”
“You should really be asking Elder Liu about that!” Bai Lianhua turned his head and cast a sharp glare at Liu Suxin, coldly snorting, “From beginning to end, not a single drop of bl00d in this bl00d-testing-for-kinship was Jingbao’s.”
“Liu Suxin, what method did you use to make two completely unrelated people react to the array?”
Faced with Bai Lianhua’s questioning, Liu Suxin’s expression changed dramatically. Her eyes widened, filled with panic, and she couldn’t answer.
“Liu Suxin, you have lost.”
With this final declaration, Liu Suxin slumped onto the ground, her face pale without a trace of color.
Bai Lianhua walked up to her, leaned down, placed a hand on her shoulder, and gently reminded her, “It’s time to honor your promise, Elder Liu.”
“A Heavenly Dao vow cannot be defamed.”
Liu Suxin stared at the white jade floor in front of her, trembling as she raised her right hand, seemingly about to fulfill her oath.
The next second, a fierce wind howled, and a majestic figure arrived before everyone.
Seeing the newcomer, Bai Lianhua quickly cupped his hands in salute: “Greetings, Sect Leader.”
This person was the current Sect Leader of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, the senior martial brother of Liu Suxin and Immortal Venerable Guangcheng—Li Zishū.
After entering, Li Zishū first looked around. Seeing Liu Suxin kneeling on the ground, he frowned and asked, “What exactly is going on here?”
Bai Lianhua immediately stepped forward and bowed again, “Elder Liu Suxin of Yunyan Peak, in an attempt to seize the Immortal Venerable’s inheritance, brought a strange female cultivator into the mourning hall, not only damaging the sect’s reputation and the Immortal Venerable’s honor but also falsely accusing this one of having an illicit affair with that woman. Now, she is facing the consequences for the oath she made earlier. The original cause and effect of the matter are clear.”
Hearing Li Zishū’s voice, Liu Suxin hastily turned to look back. Upon seeing the figure clearly, she kept shaking her head, her eyes filled with pleading.
Seeing this situation, Li Zishū closed his eyes and sighed heavily, “You said she brought a female cultivator in. Where is that woman now?”
Bai Lianhua pointed in the direction of the female cultivator. In an instant, a sword aura directly pierced the woman’s chest. Bl00d slowly oozed from behind her, staining the white jade floor.
Li Zishū retracted his sword finger, without even casting a glance at the female cultivator. He then cupped his hands toward the immortal families from various sects present, offering a salute, “This one now understands the matter. My Junior Sister was incited by a wicked person, and her conduct was improper, disturbing all of you. This one apologizes on behalf of the entire Flowing Cloud Sword Sect.”
“Please, fellow Daoists, move to the side hall. This one has prepared a banquet for this matter, as a small token of apology,” he raised his right hand, motioning for his disciples to quickly usher everyone to the side hall, and then looked down at the somewhat flustered Liu Suxin, “You go back to Yunyan Peak for solitary confinement and reflect thoroughly on this matter. Take care of yourself.”
Seeing this, Liu Suxin hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, continuously bowing and kneeling to him, repeatedly expressing her thanks: “Thank you, Senior Brother, for coming to my rescue. Your Junior Sister will never dare to do this again.”
Ignoring Liu Suxin’s repentance, Li Zishū merely waved his hand, signaling her to leave quickly.
Then, he faced Bai Lianhua, who was standing still, and sighed with emotion, “You have been wronged in this matter. Everything was for the sake of the sect. I will send someone to compensate you afterward. Don’t take it to heart.”
After speaking, he patted Bai Lianhua’s shoulder, shook his head, and followed the crowd to leave, leaving Bai Lianhua alone, stunned and speechless for a long time.
It wasn’t until the utility disciples came to carry away the female cultivator’s corpse that Bai Lianhua finally snapped out of his daze.
He stared blankly at the bloodstain on the ground, feeling an utter chill in his heart.
This is the consequence of obedience. The female cultivator failed to resist the coercion and ultimately met this end.
And if he were to comply with the wishes of these people, it would be no different.
But how long could he resist?
Thinking of this, Bai Lianhua dragged his heavy steps to the coffin, looked at the figure of the Immortal Venerable shrouded in white mist, and let out a bitter laugh: “Li Daocheng, you have made me suffer so much.”