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CHAPTER 6: The Truth
Back to Before the Villain's Blackening Author: Hua Qi Chapter 6: The Truth
When the name "Cheng Yi" slipped from Qiu Shi’s lips, it didn't just cause Tang Ru to frown; even Song Chenshu and his son, who had been deeply engrossed in their game of Go, paused mid-move and looked over at her. Song Chenshu pressed the black stone in his fingers onto the board. It wasn't heavy, yet it made a crisp, resonant click. With a subtle brush of his sleeve across the grid, the scattered array of black and white pieces slid smoothly back into their respective bowls, perfectly organized by color. It was exactly noon. A thin layer of clouds blanketed the sky, filtering the sunlight into fragments of shattered gold. "Xiao Shi." Song Chenshu was a man of refined and elegant bearing, possessing an inherent authority that naturally commanded trust. He gestured for Qiu Shi to come closer, tapping the empty stone seat beside him. "Sit down. Come speak with your father." Qiu Shi glanced at Tang Ru, then did as she was told. She kept her head lowered and remained silent, looking exceptionally obedient. If it had been Song Yunhe who caused such a mess today, Song Chenshu would have already been wearing a stern face, sending him to kneel in the ancestral hall to reflect on his actions. But this was his youngest daughter, the one he had held in the palm of his hand since she was a babe. When he first heard of the matter, no matter how shocked or erred he was, he could only suppress his emotions deep down, determined to reason with her properly. "Your brother told me everything that happened during this past period." As Song Chenshu spoke, his gaze drifted to her pale little face. His brow furrowed, and he couldn't help but ask the exact same question Tang Ru had: "Why do you look so pale?" Noticing his father's gaze scan around before landing squarely on him, Song Yunhe stiffened his straight spine slightly. "The Spirit-Gathering Array has already been set up around the perimeter of Baitang Courtyard. It will be fully formed in a short while. I’ve handed the task over to Lu Jue." Only then did Song Chenshu’s furrowed brow relax a bit. There was actually nothing physically wrong with Qiu Shi. It was just that she was born with a delicate frame and a pair of watery, tearful eyes, which always gave people the impression that she was frail and easily broken. Because of this, even though they knew she was perfectly capable of tearing across the Four Seas, Song Chenshu and the others couldn't help but worry the moment they saw her face. Coincidentally, right before Song Chenshu went into secluded cultivation, Qiu Shi had suffered a backlash while studying the *Lunar Demon Zither Scriptures*. For six or seven days straight, her cheeks had been devoid of color. Heartbroken, Song Chenshu had ordered Song Yunhe to establish a Spirit-Gathering Array outside her courtyard. Once fully operational, the spiritual energy within Baitang Courtyard would be at least three times denser than the outside world, a massive benefit for her, whether for future cultivation or recovering from injuries. Watching this scene unfold, Qiu Shi’s heart suddenly twinged with pain. She couldn't help but wonder: in that dream, after she had resolutely abandoned her family to leave with Cheng Yi, how had they reacted? They must have been so furious, so utterly heartbroken. Qiu Shi blinked, and then she heard Song Chenshu ask, "Xiao Shi, what exactly is going on between you and that Black Dragon youth, Cheng Yi?" The wording was stern and formal, but his tone remained gentle, devoid of any explosive rage. Song Yunhe and Tang Ru had already experienced Qiu Shi’s sharp, abrasive attitude earlier. The mere thought of enduring it again gave them a headache. Song Yunhe had even braced himself, ready to pull Qiu Shi away at a moment's notice. Qiu Shi organized her thoughts, unsure where to begin. Should she mention how she had let herself be provoked into a duel with Yun Xuan? How, before leaving home, she had told a little lie to Song Yunhe, claiming she was going to play with Qin Donglin, only to turn around and race to Baiyun Ridge? How, before a victor could be decided between her and Yun Xuan, she had run straight into the tribulation lightning of the Baiyun Ridge Mountain Master, and was subsequently rescued and brought back to the Black Dragon Clan by Cheng Yi? It was an absurdly bizarre sequence of events. Seeing her prolonged silence, Song Chenshu couldn't help but sigh. "Even if you are completely dissatisfied with Qin Donglin, or with the marriage alliance your mother and I arranged, you shouldn't have used such a method. You've raised a tempest that has set the whole city talking, utterly embarrassing both Liqi Mountain and the Capital City." "Setting aside your childhood bond with Donglin, think about your Aunt Ruan and Uncle Qin. How much do they usually dote on you?" At this point, Song Yunhe was already waiting for Qiu Shi to stand up and shout something along the lines of, *"To put it bluntly, you're just using me to maintain our ties with Liqi Mountain, to ensure our bloodline remains pure and to solidify the Demon Clan's status among the Six Realms!"* He leaned forward slightly, prepared to intercept an enraged Song Chenshu the second his anger flared. But to everyone's surprise, Qiu Shi listened quietly until the end. She didn't display the emotional volatility she had shown with Tang Ru, nor the resistance and lack of cooperation she had shown him. Qiu Shi’s lips moved slightly as she whispered, "Father, I know I was wrong." The lecture Song Chenshu had spent a long while preparing was choked back by this unexpected apology. He cast a suspicious glance at Song Yunhe, thinking to himself that the girl wasn't nearly as absurd or obstinate as they had claimed. Wasn't she perfectly reasonable to talk to? Song Yunhe and Tang Ru exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes. Qiu Shi’s fingers curled slightly. She paused for a moment, then lifted her gaze, looking as though a heavy burden had finally been lifted from her shoulders. "Father, my feelings toward Cheng Yi are not what the outsiders are claiming." "He once saved my life." Qiu Shi's eyes were clear, her words candid and sincere. "This time, he was gravely injured and had nowhere else to turn. By all accounts of honor and gratitude, I had to save him to repay that debt." Song Chenshu and Tang Ru looked at each other. The latter immediately took hold of Qiu Shi’s wrist, her willow-leaf brows knitting together in worry. "When were you injured? Where were you hurt?" Qiu Shi showed her head, her lips pressing into a thin line. When she stole a glance at Song Yunhe, her face carried an obvious sense of guilt. "It happened many years ago, right after my ten-thousandth birthday." Slowly, she recounted the events of that year. When she mentioned sneaking out to duel Yun Xuan, one of the young Celestial Kings of the Heavenly Clan, Song Chenshu and Tang Ru displayed expressions of alarm at the exact same time. Even Song Yunhe knit his brows, leaning his body forward a fraction. "…And that's how it happened. Chongying and Yunying found an opportunity to sneak me out of the Black Dragon Clan. After I returned, I didn't see anyone and went straight into the secret room for secluded cultivation. Brother thought I had just made a breakthrough and was anxious to stabilize my mental state, so he didn't press for details." "So, at that time, you were actually healing your injuries inside the secret room," Song Yunhe concluded, picking up where she left off. Under the scrutiny of three pairs of eyes, Qiu Shi nodded. "How could you be so reckless!" Just imagining the perilous situation she had been in made Song Chenshu’s heart skip a beat with lingering fear. He couldn't help but scold her in a low voice, "The three young Celestial Kings of the Heavenly Clan are successors personally trained and raised by the rulers of heaven themselves. Even your brother wouldn't dare challenge them casually. How could you put yourself in such danger?" "And you." Song Chenshu shifted his target, glaring at the innocently implicated Song Yunhe. "Xiao Shi said she was going to look for Donglin, and as her elder brother, you truly didn't bother to check? You didn't even care when you couldn't find her after she came back?" Song Yunhe was left utterly speechless. The burden on his shoulders was vastly heavier than Qiu Shi's; he had to manage both his own cultivation and the affairs of the Sea Demon Clan. Moreover, Qiu Shi had always loved running around, and knowing she carried numerous life-saving spiritual treasures on her person, he hadn't pried into every little detail. Thinking back on it now, he also felt a chill of delayed terror. Qiu Shi knew she had done wrong, but now that she had laid everything out on the table, the boulder weighing on her chest felt half as heavy. "Xiao Shi, do you truly have no feelings for Cheng Yi?" Tang Ru held Qiu Shi's hand, a trace of hesitation in her voice. "What you told me earlier…" Back then, she had spoken with absolute certainty, confessing her love without the slightest hesitation. "Mother, I only said that out of anger." Qiu Shi lowered her voice, muttering softly, "I merely saved a person, yet the rumors outside made it sound so scandalous. Even the servants serving in my courtyard have foul mouths. You didn't believe me either, Mother, and came all this way just to interrogate me. I just wanted to spite everyone, so I said it on purpose." By the end of her sentence, her tone carried a distinct hint of grievance. Recalling the mess that had left her utterly exhausted, Tang Ru let out a barely audible sigh. She pulled Qiu Shi down to sit beside her, saying softly, "Neither your father nor I meant to blame you for having a man you like. Rather, knowing you have a marriage alliance, you shouldn't have used such an extreme method, utterly disregarding the childhood affection between you and Donglin, as well as the relationship Liqi Mountain and the Capital City have worked so hard to build over the years." "When your Aunt Ruan heard of this, she rushed all the way here from Liqi Mountain. Imagine how disappointed she must be." Tang Ru reached out to stroke Qiu Shi's flowing, silk-like hair, then turned to Song Chenshu. "If what Xiao Shi says is true, we indeed must save this Cheng Yi." With his hands clasped behind his back, Song Chenshu paced back and forth beside the stone table a few times before making a decision. "Have Lu Jue guard Dongheng Courtyard. Use the finest medicines and summon the best physicians for Cheng Yi. Furthermore, have someone pass along my words: tell him to rest and recover in peace. My Qinsea Capital City will never mistreat a benefactor." "Yunhe, go investigate. Any servant who spread rumors during this time is to be severely punished. Announce it publicly to make an example of them." "Since Ruan Yan and Qin Donglin have already arrived in Lin'an, whether as a matter of official duty or personal courtesy, I should personally make a trip to discuss how to resolve this matter." Now that the true story was brought to light, Song Chenshu acted with decisive efficiency, slicing through the tangled mess and organizing the once-thorny issue into orderly commands. "Qiu Shi, come with me to Lin'an." Finally, Song Chenshu looked at his daughter. "Alright," Qiu Shi agreed, a rare trace of anxiety surfacing in her beautiful, watery eyes. "How will this matter be handled in the end?" "Your father will discuss it with your Aunt Ruan once everything is out in the open." Song Chenshu couldn't predict the outcome either. Liqi Mountain was the sacred ground of the Demon Clan, and Qin Donglin was its future ruler. The nature of this incident was vastly different from the petty squabbles the two youngsters used to have. Qiu Shi understood the reality of the situation. Her marriage alliance with Qin Donglin was likely coming to an end. However, as long as the relationship between the Capital City and Liqi Mountain didn't turn sour, she and Qin Donglin would actually find it very easy to talk things through. Qin Donglin had wanted to rid himself of her, , this massive headache, , for the longest time. It was just that, given his temperament, even if the engagement was to be broken, he would probably throw a bit of a tantrum first. Qiu Shi's eyes flickered slightly. She paused her steps and looked at Song Chenshu. "Father, I want to visit Dongheng Courtyard to see Cheng Yi." Fearing her father might refuse, she quickly added, "Brother can come with me." Song Chenshu waved his hand permissively. Watching the silhouettes of the siblings leaving the courtyard one after the other, he let out a sigh filled with lament. "What a pity..." "That child, Donglin... his talent is terrifying, and his bloodline is top-tier. He is the only young genius of the Demon Clan capable of rivaling the three young Celestial Kings of the Heavenly Clan. A truly magnificent seedling..." What a pity he could no longer be his son-in-law.
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