The incident happened so fast that it was all over in a moment.
The stunned crowd grew restless again.
Ye Jueyao looked crazy, her eyes bloodshot as she shouted:
"You die! Die!"
"It's all your fault! You broke your promise! You were bought off by that bitch Yun Xi! You colluded with each other to frame me for having an affair with Cao Sheng! That's why I ended up like this!"
"You deserve to die! All of you deserve to die! You..."
"Slap!"
Yun Xi slapped her hard across the face. The force was so great that Ye Jueyao's face involuntarily turned to the side. Her rough, yellowish skin quickly swelled and turned red.
"Stop acting crazy here! Your affair with Cao Sheng is an established fact. You ended up like this because Ye Pengcheng was an immoral official who embezzled and took bribes, which implicated his wife and daughter. What does it have to do with others?!"
"If your family had been upright and done the right thing, how could such misfortunes have befallen you? It's all your own doing. You deserve it!"
The angrier she got, the more Yun Xi slapped Ye Jueyao twice. She said hatefully:
"Now you even dare to hurt someone in public! Ling Yan, tie her up and hand her over to the Supreme Court of Justice. Whip her and flog her. Make sure she doesn't have an easy time!"
"Yes!"
Ling Yan clasped her fists in response and immediately stepped forward to act.
Someone outside shouted:
"This person actually dared to cause trouble during the master's apprenticeship ceremony and even injured Master Hunyuan. This is trying to ruin our country's fortune and make our lives difficult. Beat her to death! Beat her to death!"
The stunned commoners suddenly came to their senses. Their emotions flared up immediately. Shouting, they picked up whatever was at hand and threw it at Ye Jueyao.
Some unlucky officers maintaining order and those preparing to escort Ye Jueyao to prison were unfortunately affected.
The situation got out of control for a moment.
Yun Xi thought it was bad. If things continued like this, something might happen.
"Sai Xing,"
Yun Xi said worriedly:
"Go find my brother and father quickly. Ask them to bring more people. The commoners' emotions are unstable. There might be a stampede and people could get hurt."
Just as she finished speaking, two voices suddenly came from the crowd:
"Master Hunyuan was injured while trying to save Immortal Maiden Manping. She is also a disaster. It was she who tempted the master into having mortal desires!"
"The master is so highly cultivated but still has selfish motives. How can he protect the Great Yin in the future? She is a vixen. Drive her away! Get out of the Great Yin!"
A glint of coldness flashed in Yun Xi's and Yi Yuan's eyes.
If they had suspected something was wrong before, now they were almost 99% sure that someone was deliberately causing trouble among the commoners.
"Mian Xiao, Lin An."
Yi Yuan's eyes were fierce. He lifted his chin slightly and said:
"Go and check it out."
The two responded in unison and disappeared in a flash.
But the commoners' emotions had already been stirred up. They were all extremely indignant. After all, Manping's "fortune - telling" ability didn't matter much to ordinary commoners, and it also cost money.
But Hunyuan was different. He was like the guardian god of the entire Great Yin. His existence was like a reassurance to them. Even if something like what happened fourteen years ago happened again, as long as Hunyuan was there, they wouldn't be afraid.
But seeing Hunyuan instinctively blocking in front of Jiang Ning just now, they couldn't help but wonder. If one day Hunyuan had to choose between the commoners and Jiang Ning, would they be the ones to be abandoned?
Their own interests were touched, and they seemed to have foreseen the day of being abandoned. Fear sprouted in the commoners' hearts like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Pushing the officers aside, they shouted:
"Get out of the Great Yin! Get out!"
"Everyone—"
Sweat appeared on Yun Xi's forehead. She shouted anxiously:
"Don't listen to the instigation of villains. We should trust Master Hunyuan's character. He will always be our Master Hunyuan and won't change easily!"
But the noise of the crowd was too loud. No one heard Yun Xi's voice.
Or rather, no one was willing to listen to Yun Xi.
Hunyuan's face was pale, and his wound was still bleeding. But he didn't hesitate to stand in front of Jiang Ning.
Using his inner strength to project his slightly weak voice, he said to everyone present:
"It's my lack of stability in the Dao heart. I had delusions."
"It has nothing to do with A Ning! If you have any dissatisfaction, come at me. If there is any punishment, come at me too. A Ning didn't do anything wrong. Don't..."
But unfortunately, no one was willing to listen.
Because what Hunyuan said implied that he really had feelings for Jiang Ning.
They knew this was true, but they couldn't accept it. The person they regarded as a god couldn't have a favorite. A god should only have great love and treat everyone equally.
The crowd became even more angry. The noisy voices drowned out Hunyuan's words.
"We don't believe it! We don't believe it! The master must have been bewitched by this Manping to say such things!"
Someone immediately echoed:
"Exactly! If she hadn't deliberately seduced him, how could the master have easily fallen in love? I think she did it on purpose! It's all Manping's fault!"
The people who spoke were immediately locked onto by Mian Xiao and Lin An. Just as they were about to arrest them, they heard Yi Yuan's cold voice in their ears:
"Don't act rashly for now. There are so many people here, and everyone thinks the people around them are just like themselves. If we arrest someone in this emotional state, it will only arouse public anger."
"Just keep an eye on them for now."
Yun Xi craned her neck anxiously, looking around. She kept muttering in her heart:
Why haven't my brother and father come yet? The situation is getting out of control!
The angry commoners surged closer, as if they were going to devour people alive.
Jiang Ning's face under the veiled hat had already turned deathly pale.
So, the feelings she had for A Yuan were so unacceptable to the world...
So, if they really had feelings for each other, not only would the people in the palace oppose them...
So, this relationship could only be that of siblings...
One tear after another...
Bitter and astringent tears welled up in Jiang Ning's eyes and dropped silently to the ground.
"That's enough!"
Jiang Ning didn't know where she got the strength. She suddenly shouted, and actually managed to suppress the noisy crowd.
"A Yuan and I have never been in love."
Perhaps Jiang Ning's sudden words were so powerful that the crowd inexplicably fell silent for a moment.
Yun Xi and the others suddenly turned around. After a moment of surprise, they felt a heart - wrenching understanding.
Ignoring the others, Jiang Ning continued:
"He blocked that knife for me only because we are from the same sect. He is my senior brother, half my elder brother. It's only natural for an elder brother to protect his younger sister."
"We've only ever had..."
Her voice trembled slightly. Jiang Ning closed her eyes and said firmly:
"Sibling affection."
"I don't like him, and he has never been in love with me. Since he took this position, he will be the Hunyuan of the Great Yin for life. Moreover..."
"I... already have someone I like. I've always planned to return to secular life and go back to my hometown to prepare for my wedding after Lian Yi officially becomes a disciple."
The tears rolled down faster and faster, but Jiang Ning's voice became even more determined:
"Everyone can rest assured. This is absolutely true. A few days ago, my parents came to the capital to take me home for my wedding."
"At that time, I welcome everyone to come and have a glass of my... wedding wine."