Chapter 4375 — It Was All a Misunderstanding

"Who was it, exactly?" Ling Yuanqing demanded, his expression darkening. Morning Star Academy encouraged its disciples to compete and never frowned on them stirring up a little trouble out in the world, but if the other party was the Hong Clan Merchant Guild, with whom they had always enjoyed cordial ties, then this was rather hard to justify.

"It was..." Qin Deli feigned hesitation, stealing a furtive glance at the Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea to gauge her mood.

"What are you dawdling for? Out with it," Ling Yuanqing said with a frown.

"It was... Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao..." Only then did Qin Deli force the words out through gritted teeth, as though it cost him great effort.

At that, Ling Yuanqing and Wei Hebei could not help turning to look at the Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea, and for a moment all of them fell silent. Since the matter concerned Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao, it naturally had to be left to the Holy Nun to decide; that was the barest minimum of respect.

The Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea was briefly taken aback. She recalled that Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao had indeed come back rather late the night before, but there was no anger in her bearing. She said at once, "As to what actually happened, we had best hear it from Yan'er and Xiaotao themselves."

A short while later, Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao appeared before the assembly, greeting each of the three magnates in turn. Having heard out Qin Deli's account, they promptly burst out laughing.

"To report to Master, and to our two martial uncles: last night your disciples did indeed pay a visit to the Hong Clan Merchant Guild with Ling Yi, and we did indeed take down Wei Zhaotong," the two women said, unhurried and composed, after exchanging a glance.

So there really was such a thing? Ling Yuanqing and Wei Hebei both raised an eyebrow. In their recollection, these two had always been good, well-behaved girls who never stirred up trouble. How had they suddenly pulled a stunt like this?

The Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea was somewhat surprised as well. She at once looked the two women up and down, her manner faintly tense, while Qin Deli watched from the side and could not help gloating inwardly. It seemed he had been right to come. As long as the Holy Nun did not shield Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao, she would certainly not side with an outsider like Ling Yi either. The tide was turning, after all!

Yet the Holy Nun's next words nearly made Qin Deli spew a mouthful of blood.

"Neither of you is hurt, are you? Why didn't you say a word to your master about a thing like this? If something had gone badly wrong, what would have become of you?" the Holy Nun said, drawing the two women to her with a face full of concern.

Qin Deli was struck dumb on the spot. He had not had much contact with this Holy Nun, a magnate of the Sect-Founding stage, and how could he have known that this so-called renunciant was in truth a champion of her own chicks through and through...

"Not at all. Apart from Wei Zhaotong, they had only two skilled retainers on their side. If we had been hurt even by that, would we not have been disgracing you, Master?" Wang Xinyan said with a smile, and Huang Xiaotao nodded vigorously along with her.

"That's good, then. You may go out and temper yourselves, but you must be careful. If you find yourselves outmatched, come to your master and let me stand up for you. Whatever you do, don't push yourselves too hard, understand?" the Holy Nun admonished.

"We know. Your disciples won't make you worry," the two women said with a laugh, each clinging to one of the Holy Nun's arms.

Qin Deli's face went blue at the sight. He could only turn to Ling Yuanqing in desperation, hoping the Chancellor would step forward and see justice done. Otherwise, not only would he fail to salvage the situation today, but a mere tongue-lashing would likely be the least of it.

"Martial nieces, why did the two of you go to the Hong Clan Merchant Guild last night? Would you tell us?" However little Ling Yuanqing intended to punish the two women, he was the Chancellor after all, and he had to at least get the facts straight, lest some unforeseen turn later leave them on the back foot.

The Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea glanced at him, then nodded to Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao. Protective as she was—she would never let the two women come to harm—the particulars still had to be explained to everyone present.

"To report to our martial uncle: last night your disciples went to the Hong Clan Merchant Guild to rid the world of Wei Zhaotong, a cunning, treacherous villain steeped in wickedness. He once laid a trap to ruin the Sky-Bearing Escort Agency. Not only did he collude with pirates to seize back his own goods, he even forced the agency to pay him three hundred thousand spirit jade in compensation!" Wang Xinyan explained.

"Oh? Is there really such a thing?" The three magnates of the Sect-Founding stage were somewhat astonished. They all knew something of Wei Zhaotong, but a man's face is not his heart, and they had never known the fellow to be so devious and shameless.

That the steward of a Hong Clan Merchant Guild branch, a man of no small standing, should collude with pirates to swallow his own goods and then turn around and extort the Sky-Bearing Escort Agency into the bargain—such an outlandish tale was simply unheard of.

"Chancellors all, there is a misunderstanding here," Qin Deli hastened to argue. "It's true that the Sky-Bearing Escort Agency made such claims at the time, trumpeting them far and wide and even bringing men to the Hong Clan Merchant Guild, but the outcome proved they had no credible evidence whatsoever. It was all fabricated out of thin air to cover up their failure to protect the shipment and salvage the agency's reputation."

"Are you saying that we twisted the facts and deliberately framed Wei Zhaotong?" Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao said with cold smiles, fixing their eyes on Qin Deli.

"Qin Deli, to speak ill of my disciples to my face—you have no small amount of nerve," the Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea said, her gaze equally unfriendly. She had never much cared for Qin Deli, and now the wretch dared to claim that Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao had framed Wei Zhaotong. If that was not courting death, what was?

A pressure like a mountain descended upon Qin Deli in an instant. With a thud, he was forced to his knees on the spot, terror flooding his heart, his eyes bulging as though they might burst with blood. The very same thing had happened at the Sky-Bearing Escort Agency the night before—only then it was Cheng Qitian who died, and now it was his turn.

Ling Yuanqing and Wei Hebei exchanged a glance and looked the other way. In their eyes, Qin Deli might be a purchasing steward of some middling consequence, but he was a nobody all the same—and one with not a shred of self-awareness. They had yet to settle accounts with him for falsely reporting the situation the day before, and now he had gone out of his way to provoke the Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea. What did he take a magnate of the Sect-Founding stage for?

An ant like that could die and it would be no loss; they would not spare him a second glance.

Qin Deli was scared witless, soiling himself in his panic. If he were given a chance to do it all over again, he would flee to the ends of the earth rather than dare come in and carry tales. At this very moment he wished he could give himself twenty-eight thousand slaps across the face. He must have been kicked in the head by a donkey to think the three magnates would believe him...

And now look—far from turning the situation around, he had thrown his own little life away for nothing. He could not even cry if he wanted to.