Back at the True Martial Peak Small Courtyard, Chen Qing frowned slightly.
Standing in the courtyard, he did not immediately enter the Quiet Room. Instead, he called out, "Qing Dai."
Qing Dai immediately emerged from the side room and hurried before Chen Qing, bowing respectfully. "Senior Brother."
Chen Qing asked directly, "Did you already know about Senior Brother Qu being injured in his conflict with Zhong Yu? Why did you not mention it when I returned?"
At his words, a flicker of panic crossed Qing Dai's face. She promptly lowered her head, nervously twisting the corner of her clothes between her hands. "In reply to Senior Brother, Qing Dai... Qing Dai did know. I had wanted to report it to you right away, but... but there were too many rumors outside. I..."
"Rumors outside?" Chen Qing asked.
Qing Dai raised her head, indignation in her eyes as she hurriedly said, "Some people in the sect have been wagging their tongues, saying that Senior Brother Chen deliberately hid away this time and left Senior Brother Qu to face Zhong Yu alone. They said... said you did not go because you did not dare, or because you were afraid of Zhong Yu."
"They also said that the True Martial lineage was ultimately beyond saving, that the moment it faced even a little pressure, it showed its true colors... I know Senior Brother is absolutely not a coward and must have had other important matters to attend to, but those words were truly unpleasant. I feared they would disturb your state of mind, so I thought I would wait until Senior Brother had rested for a while before..."
Chen Qing listened in silence, his expression unchanged.
He waved a hand, cutting Qing Dai off. "I understand. There is no need to take a