Chapter 212: Reflecting the Heart

Accusations from loved ones are always more powerful than the abuse of enemies.

This is a principle that also holds true in officialdom; no matter how vicious the attacks of political enemies are, they are often painless, but two or three sentences of testimony from a confidant are enough to ruin a high official.

Listening to Zhao Zhang's account, Sui Zaihua looked at the man and woman on the arena, his expression gradually drooping, and he looked at Qijiao Shang Huaitong calmly. Clearly, this matter had become cautious again in the old man's heart.

Just as Luo Defeng had worried before, matters of reputation do not need evidence. As long as the old man is inclined to believe it, Qijiao Shang Huaitong's path to the Sword Academy will add countless new reviews and difficulties.

Can they endure them one by one, and do they have that time?

Tianshan and Cuiyu pressed down, everything was a denial.

Sui Zaihua looked at Qijiao Shang Huaitong: "Do you have anything to say?"

Qijiao Shang Huaitong's face had already turned somewhat white, and at this moment it turned even whiter. He cupped his fists and said in a low voice: "My lord, betrayal by a loved one, I have nothing to say. But things will not change because they are said by another mouth. I still ask my lord to investigate clearly; I have no motive to harm the two."

Sui Zaihua was silent for a moment and looked at the woman: "This is indeed true. Just now, everyone didn't believe this matter, and Qijiao Shang Huaitong also stated that the motive didn't make sense, which was understandable, so I didn't doubt him. Now that you speak, everyone is inclined to believe it again, and I also feel that there might be something fishy. However, the key point is still unclear—in your opinion, why did Qijiao Shang Huaitong want to harm these two?"

Qi Zhaohua said: "Please know, my lord, this person stops at nothing to achieve his goals, and it is definitely not that the righteous path is blocked that he takes the evil path—the two were rivals for the championship, and Zhang Junyu trusted him with her heart. For him, the conditions for doing evil are the reasons for doing evil."

"So, Zhaohua," Qijiao Shang Huaitong suddenly looked at the woman, his voice low and hoarse, "why didn't I harm Bai Yuliang?"

"Young Master Bai is the pride of Cuiyu; you naturally find it extremely difficult to take action."

"..." Qijiao Shang Huaitong smiled self-deprecatingly, "Is that so? Have you... always thought so too?"

Qi Zhaohua was slightly startled.

She suddenly remembered the sentence "I have been misunderstood for a long time" when the man parted just now.

That should have been the true heart he revealed, and it should also be the answer to this question.

But her heart-to-heart with the man was originally a performance.

"You think I didn't have the absolute confidence to defeat him completely in the ring, worried that the championship would fall into someone else's pocket, so I wanted to harm all three, right? It was just limited by the environment, so I only harmed two, and in the end, I really didn't win against Bai Yuliang... hehe, what an ugly, cowardly rat." Qijiao Shang Huaitong restrained his expression and looked at the woman softly. "If I had known earlier that I was this kind of person in your eyes, how could I have believed that you had any feelings for me?"

Qi Zhaohua was speechless for a moment—she of course thought so. If the person Zhang Junyu liked wasn't Gu Guang, but Bai Yuliang, would Qijiao Shang Huaitong have let him go?

But there was no opportunity.

This was also the consensus of everyone. Seeing Pei Ye, Li Piaoqing, Bai Sibing—everyone who caught a glimpse of the pus under Qijiao Shang Huaitong's cloak thought he was a poisonous snake and evil rat, always removing obstacles with venomous means and then performing ridiculously to gain fame.

But after this sentence, Seeing Pei Ye indeed felt that something was wrong, because he suddenly remembered that if it weren't for the Tianshan matter, the Seven Serpents originally had no intention of taking action against Li Piaoqing.

He looked at the arena. Qijiao Shang Huaitong had turned to the east arena, straightened his body, and cupped his fists: "My lord, my defense is very simple—I did not harm Bai Yuliang, just because I never thought of harming him, just as I did not, and never thought of harming Zhang and Gu. Because I firmly believe that everything I want can be obtained uprightly with the sword in my hand."

Sui Zaihua looked at him: "What is the proof?"

Qijiao Shang Huaitong raised his head calmly: "Please, reflect with the Sword Heart."

The old man raised his eyebrows slightly.

The agitated discussion on the arena suddenly fell silent.

From the moment Qijiao Shang Huaitong came on stage, one astonishing thing after another happened, and people had long forgotten that such a magic tool was placed on the arena, and also forgot that they had just been full of expectations waiting to see the mind and realm of this Bowang number one.

Just now, the man had no intention of satisfying everyone's curiosity, walking straight to the old man, and only exceeded the standards of the Sword Academy with a round of questions and sword testing. Now the center of the event was no longer here, but the man had suddenly returned to this point.

Sui Zaihua reached out and gestured for him to do as he pleased.

Li Piaoqing frowned slightly again. She looked at the "Zhuge Liang" beside her and saw that the young man's gaze had also moved away from the book and looked at the arena.

"What does he mean?" The young girl said.

Seeing Pei Ye was silent.

Under the gaze of a hundred people, Qijiao Shang Huaitong had come to the small mirror. He looked at the mirror surface, then his gaze swept around, flowing over everyone one by one: Qi Zhaohua, Zhang Mozhu, Fang Jidao, Li Piaoqing, Seeing Pei Ye... and countless people who stared, expecting to watch his failure.

He revealed a gentle smile and reached out to touch it.

The familiar scene appeared again. Under the urging of true Qi, the jade quality slowly flowed, and then, completely caught off guard, a burst of short, surprised gasps erupted from everyone's throats.

Li Piaoqing grabbed Seeing Pei Ye's arm tightly.

Seeing Pei Ye did not move. He saw himself from another angle.

It was as if tens or hundreds of beams of light had pierced through the clouds and mist; the entire mirror lit up like a sun, incomparably bright, without a single impurity or shadow.

【Holding the Heart】

The second Holding the Heart, or perhaps the only two Holding the Hearts in Bowang.

Countless people were shocked and speechless, and then, that strange change happened on the mirror again. The mirror frame turned into a black flow and suddenly covered it.

But in the confrontation with the sun wheel, a brand new manifestation appeared.

Only to see the black flow suddenly surge onto the mirror surface, then slowly erode, climbing toward the center from four directions. The white sun pierced the black substance with various dazzling rays of light. But it had no effect; the black substance still occupied more and more, and soon it was about to swallow the entire small mirror. Just when everyone thought this would be an 【All-Control】 or 【Facing the Scene】, they discovered something wrong again—the black substance stopped completely.

It was only a fingernail's distance from drowning the center, but the erosion of the black substance could not advance an inch, finally completely still, and the pearl in the center of the mirror radiated dazzling light.

The arena was silent.

Only Sui Zaihua's voice said slowly: "Holding the Heart · Uninvaded."

There was still no sound.

Qi Zhaohua looked at the mirror, her fingernails slowly sinking into her flesh as she clenched her fists. Bai Sibing's face was as heavy as water, and countless people looked at this scene speechless.

Under the tree, facing the young girl's solemn gaze, Seeing Pei Ye said softly: "He indeed never thought of killing Bai Yuliang, just as he never thought of killing you."

Yes, a villain who is narrow-minded, arrogant to those below, jealous of those above, and uses dirty and venomous means... almost useless in every way. When he looks at himself in the middle of the night, he will look down on himself. Then where does that arrogant confidence come from? And why does he think so highly of himself?

It is the sword in his hand.

Number one in Bowang sword path, seed of the Sword Academy, self-created sword technique... none of them are false. That is the sword path talent he can be proud of. He treats it as his life, respects it as a saint, and has absolute confidence in it, absolutely unwilling to stain it in the slightest.

He is indeed a complete villain, holding a sword that is enough to make him look down on everything. This is the part he is most proud of, making him stand above everyone in Bowang, still able to talk and laugh when the Seven Serpents collapsed, looking at the young man with amazing sword skills with fiery eyes, and not panicking even when Qi Zhaohua suddenly betrayed him.

During the winter competition, he did not take action against Bai Yuliang because he really wanted to defeat him in the ring. They were the talents mentioned together, and he had long been jealous and hateful of this name in his heart.

He used venomous means to remove Zhang and Gu, even though he recognized that Zhang Junyu's chance of winning against him was not great; but he never thought of avoiding a fair duel with another swordsman, even if Bai Yuliang might have already mastered "Yellow Jade".

However, that year Bai Yuliang entered the Sixth Life, and Qijiao Shang Huaitong did not lose to the sword, but lost to cultivation. When he entered the Sixth Life and created a sword technique, Bai Yuliang had already been killed by the Soul-Snatcher, and he could only vent his anger on the corpse.

So when Li Piaoqing performed her entry into the Sixth Life and mastery of Yellow Jade, he had no intention of doing anything to her.

Wouldn't that just be the blood of the sword-washing?

He would erase any threat, but only for the battle on the sword, he wanted to win uprightly.

Seeing Pei Ye remembered the fiery gaze he cast at himself; that was the look of someone eager to prove something.

On the arena, Qijiao Shang Huaitong opened his eyes and moved his hand away from the mirror.

He had been misunderstood for too long and had been stifled for too long. He didn't mind these people who saw through him regarding him as a venomous snake or fly, but he couldn't tolerate them thinking he didn't dare to challenge Bai Yuliang head-on and could only use dark means to kill him.

No one hoped he was still alive more than himself! If he dared to live until the autumn competition, he would abolish him in the ring!

Thus, the first moment he opened his eyes, Qijiao Shang Huaitong did not look at the old man, nor did he look at Qi Zhaohua. He turned his head toward the Cuiyu direction, looking at the young man sitting under the tree shadow, and revealed a provocative smile.

Who will prove the washing of this humiliation for me?

————————————

Qijiao Shang Huaitong did not need to make any verbal defense for himself; the light of the mirror had not completely dissipated.

Holding the Heart, of course, would not fear any challenge in the ring.

He of course had no intention of using any means against Bai Yuliang, and therefore had even less reason to harm Zhang Junyu and Gu Guang. This was a support pole enough to prop him up from the abyss again.

In an instant, Qi Zhaohua's certainty also seemed to have many doubts.

The matter reached a stalemate. Their reasons were powerful enough, but none were so flawless.

"You are a sharp and poisonous seedling with many doubts. I will not specially recruit you. Perhaps you are a wrongly accused body, then take the autumn championship, and then follow the regulations to re-test in the Sword Academy." Sui Zaihua finally looked at Qijiao Shang Huaitong and said.

Now the sun was about to set. This old man, who combined majesty and harmony, shook his clothes and stood up, nodding to Seeing Pei Ye: "I will wait for you at the Prefecture Office."

Seeing Pei Ye hurriedly stood up and saluted.

On the arena, in a silence, Qi Zhaohua walked to Cuiyu, and Qijiao Shang Huaitong returned to the Seven Serpents. Neither of them returned to the literary arena, as if they were complete strangers, without conversation, and without even colliding with a single look.

The poetry gathering ended here, but there were many interesting activities later, watching dances and singing, fishing and painting, especially the pleasant night drinking. As everyone socialized, everything still had to be coordinated by Qi Zhaohua.

Under the tree, Li Piaoqing was teaching Seeing Pei Ye to inject true Qi to smooth out the wrinkled clothes. Qi Zhaohua walked over. Seeing Pei Ye pointed to the blanket and smiled: "Alright, no need to make room for you now, I'll give this piece to you."

"Many thanks to Young Hero Pei and the Young Master." Qi Zhaohua smiled, "But it's too generous; should I sit in a place for two people alone?"

"No." Seeing Pei Ye pulled the scholar who wanted to speak over and pressed him onto the blanket, "You sit in Piaoqing's, I'll give this place to Brother Fang."

"Ah? I, I..."

Qi Zhaohua smiled helplessly.

Seeing Pei Ye cupped his fists to everyone: "Piaoqing and I are going to see Lord Sui, and we will come back to play tonight."

Everyone smiled and nodded. Cui Xiaoyan's head suddenly poked out and shouted: "Come back early!"

Seeing Pei Ye pressed him back. When he returned, he whispered to Qi Zhaohua: "Don't be alone, stay with people."

Qi Zhaohua was startled and nodded.

Fang Jidao heard this and raised his head to say something. Seeing Pei Ye glanced at him and added: "It doesn't count with him."

"..." Fang Jidao looked at him with a stifled face.

"What are you looking at? What's the use of you two staying together? That's called a pair."

——

Prefecture Office.

The two came to the door. Seeing Pei Ye turned and explained: "You sit here first, I'll find a chance to call you in later."

Li Piaoqing nodded.

Following the clerk's instructions, he came to the book pavilion. Seeing Pei Ye knocked gently on the door, and a voice came from inside: "Come in."

Seeing Pei Ye walked in and closed the door behind him. Looking at it, there were many books here, and the ink was fragrant, but the old man was not shuttling among them, but standing in front of a wall, looking up.

Seeing Pei Ye looked over and was immediately attracted—nothing else, there were dozens of all kinds of swords hanging on this wall, which was simply dazzling.

The old man stood under this sword wall, his black clothes hanging down like a shuttle, his tied gray-white hair resting on it, and when he raised his head, the ends of his hair just touched his back.

"Your Inspector's sword skills are horizontal without vertical, but the swords he collects are really interesting." Sui Zaihua smiled lightly.

Seeing Pei Ye walked up and looked, unable to help but open his mouth slightly.

Although they were not unsheathed, the temperament revealed on the hilt and scabbard was extraordinary, and each one looked like a rare good sword. Seeing Pei Ye looked down at the long sword he won from the Fenghuai Mid-Autumn Martial Arts Gathering. Although it was still familiar and handy, and the blade was sharp as before, it looked a bit dim and rustic at this time.

"Come and see, which one is the best?" Sui Zaihua looked back and smiled at him.

"Ah?" Seeing Pei Ye swept across the wall, stunned for a moment.

To be honest, it wasn't that he didn't have the ability to distinguish the quality of sword weapons, but that was limited to the feeling when colliding with enemy weapons or cutting meat and bones. Usually, if two sword blades were placed in front of him, he wouldn't necessarily be able to tell which was better, let alone this wall of swords that hadn't even been unsheathed.

He looked at Sui Zaihua, suspecting that this lord had the habit of teasing children, and was treating a seventeen-year-old boy as a child.

"Oh? Can't guess?" Sui Zaihua smiled, "I'll point it out to you, the third one from the right, look."

Seeing Pei Ye looked, and was really surprised—this wall of sword scabbards had many unique ones, some purely wood-carved, some with bright green bamboo, some decorated with gold and silk... only this one looked very "normal," neither deliberately simple nor overly decorated.

So he realized.

"Know why?" The old man smiled.

Seeing Pei Ye said solemnly: "Because this is a real battle-ready sword."

Sui Zaihua was startled: "..."

"..."

"... You don't have to waste your extraordinary understanding in chat all the time." Sui Zaihua pointed to the top of the hilt and the two parts of the scabbard, "Because there is a mark of the East Sea Sword Furnace here."

"... Oh."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 213 =====