Chapter 4773 — The Counterattack of the Smug
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"This…" Liu Ziqi found herself in an awkward bind, as if riding a tiger and unable to dismount. Of course she did not believe Wei Zhao had done the poisoning, but the situation was visibly spiraling out of control. If she did nothing, there was no telling what might happen next.
"Vice-Headmistress Liu. Surely you don't mean to shield him even at this juncture? You are the leader of our Eastern Continent delegation—do you truly intend to disregard the lives of so many people? Are you resolved to stand with scum of such wolfish ambition?" Ren Zhongyuan sneered.
It wasn't only Wei Zhao who had humiliated him yesterday—this old woman had been an accomplice as well. Naturally she deserved to be put through the wringer alongside him. Today he would force her to lay hands on Wei Zhao herself!
Liu Ziqi shot him a glare, but at this moment she could not directly refute him; otherwise the many Eastern Continent disciples would truly explode. In a sense she had already been taken hostage by public sentiment—even if she raised every doubt, it would only make the crowd think she was shielding Wei Zhao and inflame their discontent.
"Hold on!" At this, Huo Yudie stepped forward and looked coldly at Ren Zhongyuan. "You say Wei Zhao is the true poisoner—but what about motive? He bears no grudge against any of us here, so why would he poison anyone?"
"Exactly. Wei Zhao is the consort of our Western Island—you slander him with such baseless words, do you truly think the Western Island is so easy to bully?" Ning Xuefei joined the attack at the same moment. Her strength might not amount to much, but her status was what it was; having grown up at Ning Shanghe's side and steeped in such an environment, she now genuinely carried a measure of the authority of one born to command.
At these words the crowd faltered somewhat. They were not fools either—many of the suspicious points Liu Ziqi could see, they could see just as well. Their furious clamor was purely a matter of taking the easy way out.
If Wei Zhao happened to be the true poisoner, they could obtain the antidote straight away; if not, then at worst they would have wronged Wei Zhao alone and could hurry on to the next suspect. Whether Wei Zhao lived or died mattered not one whit to them.
But now, faced with the challenge from Huo Yudie and Ning Xuefei, they dared not be the one to stick their neck out. Once Wei Zhao was wrongly accused, there would be a price to pay. For a time, every gaze turned back to Ren Zhongyuan.
"The motive is simple. Didn't you all say I overturned his table yesterday? Hmph—then he must have harbored a grudge. His strength is far beneath mine, so poisoning was the only卑鄙 trick available to him. What do you have to say to that?" Ren Zhongyuan retorted with a cold laugh.
"Absurd! Even if Wei Zhao truly wanted revenge on you, he would only need to poison you alone. Why blow the matter up so enormously and poison everyone? Wouldn't that be inviting trouble for himself?" Huo Yudie demanded.
"Exactly. Our Wei Zhao is not as foolish as certain people—using such a crude frame-up with not a shred of skill to it!" Ning Xuefei pursed her lips in agreement.
"Hmph, he's no fool, but he's deeply vindictive! Yesterday when I overturned his table, because no one else came to help, he simply bore a grudge against all of them together. How could we normal people possibly fathom the mind of such a sinister wretch?" Ren Zhongyuan retorted unhurriedly, his eyes brimming with smug satisfaction. (To be continued.)