In the great hall, the disciples exchanged glances before breaking into hushed discussion. Feng Shu and Feng Yi, standing among the crowd, stared wide-eyed in shock.
Mo Yan clearly had not expected a sneak attack from a fellow sect member in his own sect's great hall. After a moment of stunned bewilderment, he glared at him furiously and gritted out, "Lin Qingyang! What are you doing?"
"An accident. It really was an accident. I only wanted you to stop." Lin Qingyang gave an awkward smile.
He glanced at Qi Mo, who lay motionless on the floor. He hadn't died already, had he?
Lin Qingyang hurried down from the dais to check on Qi Mo. His eyes were closed, his face so deathly pale it had taken on a bluish cast. Blood kept spilling from the corner of his mouth, and his entire body spasmed uncontrollably from the electric shock.
Lin Qingyang frowned and gently took his icy hand, trying to remember how healing usually worked in cultivation novels. As the thought occurred to him, he felt a warm current flow from his palm into Qi Mo.
"Don't die just yet. I have a way to help you," Lin Qingyang bent down and whispered, unsure whether he could hear him.
Before long, Qi Mo's bloodstained lashes fluttered, and he actually opened his eyes slowly. His amber eyes stared at him blankly, holding a measure of confusion and disbelief.
Seeing him wake, Lin Qingyang's eyes lit up, and he quickly increased the flow of Spiritual Power.
Everyone present, however, looked as though they had seen a ghost. The Windflower Sword in Lin Qingyang's hand suddenly trembled as well. Just as he wondered why, Mo Yan's frantic, furious voice came from beside him.
"Lin Qingyang, what exactly are you doing?!"
"Healing him!" Lin Qingyang said with a frown.
The dull ache in his chest returned, probably because he had used Spiritual Power. Only after seeing some color return to Qi Mo's face and the bleeding stop did he withdraw his Spiritual Power.
His answer only made Mo Yan look more exasperated. "Of course I know you're healing him! You're an elder, yet you're spending Spiritual Power to treat a Demon Slave?! What is wrong with you today?"
"Even if he's a Demon Slave, nothing has been cleared up yet. That's no reason to just kill him!" Lin Qingyang retorted.
Lying on the floor beside him, Qi Mo's gaze shifted to the hand Lin Qingyang held. His own blood stained the other man's long, fair fingers.
The people in the hall were still arguing. Fanning himself, Jin Buhuan said, "Elder Lin's concerns are reasonable. The truth is still unclear. If this Demon Slave dies, we lose our lead."
Mo Yan frowned. Though Lin Qingyang was indeed acting rather strangely today, Jin Buhuan's explanation made sense.
"Don't worry. I know how much force to use. I won't let him die so easily," Mo Yan said with a cold snort.
At those words, Qi Mo's eyes dimmed, a hint of mockery entering them. So they were only afraid that if he died, there would be no one left to interrogate. He smiled self-mockingly and closed his eyes in exhaustion. Perhaps dying wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Just then, he heard Lin Qingyang mutter, "Lucky for you, kid. Back where I'm from, you couldn't afford me."
Qi Mo did not quite understand. He opened his eyes again and looked at him in confusion, but Lin Qingyang had already released him and stood up. Looking at his now-empty hand, Qi Mo unconsciously curled his fingers.
Lin Qingyang swept his gaze over everyone before finally looking at Mo Yan. He cleared his throat. "Elder Mo, are you trying to question him, or torture a confession out of him?"
Everyone froze again at those words.
Mo Yan frowned once more and said irritably, "The Demon Clan is base and cunning by nature. How will he confess unless we use a few methods?"
"How do you know he must be the one who poisoned the sect leader?" Lin Qingyang asked.
Mo Yan looked astonished and somewhat baffled. "Who else could it be?"
Lin Qingyang smiled. "Elder Xue just said that a mere Demon Slave like him couldn't possibly obtain Demon Poison of that caliber, so he could only have colluded with members of the Demon Clan outside. If collusion was involved, he isn't the only Demon Slave in the Nine Skies Sect. How do you know it had to be him? Besides, someone who colludes with demons doesn't necessarily have to be a demon. It could be a human."
Lin Qingyang was getting a little of that courtroom debate feeling back, but the sword in his hand was trembling even harder. He gave it a firm slap, and only then did it quiet down.
"We already said he was responsible for cleaning the sect leader's room!" Mo Yan said impatiently.
"That only proves he entered the sect leader's room, not that he was the only person who entered it. Plenty of people in the Nine Skies Sect could have gone in. That doesn't count as evidence either," Lin Qingyang countered.
Mo Yan was getting dizzy from his reasoning. He glared at him, momentarily speechless.
After listening for a long while, Jin Buhuan spoke. "Elder Lin, since you put it that way, do you have evidence proving it wasn't him?"
"No." Lin Qingyang shrugged.
Everyone present grew even more confused. Mo Yan snapped, "Then what are you going on about?"
"The burden of proof lies with the accuser. Since our Nine Skies Sect claims he's guilty, we should produce the evidence, rather than make him prove he didn't do it," Lin Qingyang said with complete conviction.
"What kind of twisted reasoning is that?" Mo Yan demanded with a frown.
Lin Qingyang fell silent for a moment. He really was being foolish. How could common knowledge of modern law possibly get through to people here?
Seeing that he had nothing to say, Mo Yan snorted coldly. "If you have nothing else to say, hurry up and move aside. Stop making trouble!"
Lin Qingyang remained where he stood, looking at Mo Yan in silence for a while. Then his expression turned serious. "Actually, when I said someone else entered the sect leader's room, it wasn't hypothetical. On the day it happened, I did see you sneaking into the sect leader's room. Perhaps the real culprit who poisoned the sect leader was you, Mo Yan!"
Everyone's eyes widened in shock at his words. In an instant, the hall grew so quiet that a falling pin could have been heard.
Mo Yan's expression changed. Then the disciples below began whispering among themselves. Even Qi Mo, who was on the verge of passing out, opened his eyes a little wider.
"Lin Qingyang, what nonsense are you spouting?!" Mo Yan pointed at Lin Qingyang and shouted furiously.
Even Xue Lanyuan's normally expressionless face changed, a rare occurrence. "Elder Lin, this is a grave matter. You must not make reckless claims."
Jin Buhuan waved his fan, his gaze moving between them, and said nothing.
Lin Qingyang glanced around at everyone before returning his gaze to Mo Yan. His face calm, he demanded sharply, "This was supposed to be an interrogation, yet you immediately resorted to brutal torture and used such heavy force. You actually wanted to force him to confess and become your scapegoat, didn't you? Or perhaps you wanted to kill him under the guise of interrogation, leaving no one alive to refute your story!"
"Lin Qingyang, stop making baseless accusations! I never entered the sect leader's room that day!" Mo Yan shouted, his face flushed with anger.
Lin Qingyang stared at Mo Yan and said each word distinctly. "How can you prove it? Was someone with you from morning until night, never leaving your side for even a moment?"
Mo Yan's expression faltered. "Everyone has to meditate and cultivate. How could someone always be at my side?"
"Then no one can prove it!" Lin Qingyang sneered.
"I'm an elder of the Nine Skies Sect! How... how could I possibly harm the sect leader!" Mo Yan was so angry that he could barely speak smoothly.
"As for a motive, that's easy enough to guess. You coveted the position of sect leader!" Lin Qingyang shrugged.
But barely had he finished speaking when a bolt of lightning blasted the floor beside his feet, gouging a smoking pit in the hard marble.
"Lin Qingyang, don't think I wouldn't dare hit you!" Mo Yan glared at him through gritted teeth.
Before you continue