Everyone's gazes converged on Shen Chuyun. He looked back and caught a glimpse of Lin Yibai, who gave him an encouraging look.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Chuyun took out an image stone from the storage pouch around his waist.
Shen Qing saw it. Her expression remained calm, but a flicker of confusion flashed across her eyes.
Wasn't Shen Chuyun's storage pouch long ago lost in the swamp? Where did he get this image stone?
Could it be that Shen Chuyun had gone to the swamp pool overnight to retrieve it?
If so, why didn't he retrieve the others' storage pouches as well?
Shen Qing's thoughts drifted further away, completely oblivious to Shen Chuyun's increasingly darkened complexion.
He had originally thought that when he took out the image stone, Shen Qing would panic, be afraid, and plead with him not to play the content of the image stone.
However, Shen Qing's current performance was completely different. Instead, she seemed to be daydreaming.
Shen Qing was actually daydreaming!
Shen Chuyun almost lost his composure. How carefree must Shen Qing be to daydream in such a situation!
Seeing that Shen Chuyun remained motionless for a long time, only glaring angrily at Shen Qing, who was in a daze, everyone felt quite puzzled.
They looked at Real Person Hengling, silently asking with their eyes, "Are your disciples all so strange?"
Real Person Hengling coughed lightly. "Where is the evidence?"
Only then did Shen Chuyun come to his senses. He quickly injected his spiritual energy into the image stone.
After trying several times, he only felt a stabbing pain all over his body.
Last night, Junior Sister Xiaobai had already told him that because of Shen Qing, it would be extremely difficult for him to make any further progress in his cultivation in the future, which had temporarily shattered his dream of cultivating immortality.
Therefore, when Junior Sister Xiaobai proposed that they could use the soul - searching method to record Shen Qing's "crimes", Shen Chuyun readily agreed without hesitation.
When Pei Xuanjing learned that Shen Chuyun was going to let Real Person Hengling conduct a soul - search in order to bring down Shen Qing, he first tried to persuade Shen Chuyun earnestly.
Shen Chuyun's body was weak and his meridians were damaged. If he were to undergo a soul - search, there was a risk that he might become a fool. Moreover, one had to endure great pain during a soul - search, as if thousands of needles were piercing into one's brain.
However, Shen Chuyun seemed to have gone crazy. With his hair disheveled, he shouted that Shen Qing had let him down and that he would surely make her pay the price.
Lin Yibai also chimed in. Although Pei Xuanjing was reluctant to admit it, Lin Yibai's words did seem to be fanning the flames. For the first time, Pei Xuanjing felt a bit dissatisfied with Lin Yibai regarding this matter.
Real Person Hengling also didn't want to keep Shen Qing. So after Shen Chuyun agreed, he didn't say anything. After all, he didn't really regard Shen Chuyun as his disciple.
After a night of soul - searching that was worse than death, Shen Chuyun finally obtained this image stone.
His lips pale, he endured the stabbing pain from his spiritual consciousness, feeling that victory was in sight. So, he gathered his strength and finally got the image stone to work.
A huge light screen appeared in the air. On the light screen were the memories of his and Shen Qing's external training from Shen Chuyun's first - person perspective.
The first scene was in the forest. Shen Qing only focused on looking for spiritual herbs by herself and ignored Shen Chuyun behind her. When Shen Chuyun cut off a large chrysanthemum leaf, everyone clearly saw Shen Qing glance at Shen Chuyun but didn't remind him that the leaf was poisonous.
In everyone's eyes, it seemed that Shen Chuyun was helping Shen Qing collect spiritual herbs, but Shen Qing turned a blind eye to him and even watched him make a mistake.
The second scene was in front of the Green Wood Hall in Yaotai City. Shen Qing joined the disciples of the Green Wood Hall in scolding Shen Chuyun.
The third scene was in the inn. Shen Qing threw down three third - grade spiritual stones and took a superior room, completely ignoring Shen Chuyun. As a result, Shen Chuyun had to return some goods to be able to afford a room.
The fourth scene was after leaving Yaotai City. Shen Qing flew away on her sword, leaving him behind to be beaten by a group of rogue cultivators. When she finally came to rescue him, she even detonated a puppet, causing him to be blown away.
The fifth scene was in the forest...
The sixth scene was during a rescue...
...
One by one, these scenes showed the most "disgraceful" side of Shen Qing in Shen Chuyun's memory.
After all the scenes were played, a confident smile curled up on Shen Chuyun's lips, and his face was filled with a disturbing morbidity.
Seeing these scenes, everyone felt that Shen Chuyun had truly suffered a great deal of injustice.
Real Person Red Butterfly sat on the high platform, looking down at Shen Qing and Hong Chaoyang standing beside her.
The overwhelming sense of oppression made Hong Chaoyang subconsciously shrink back.
Her mother always made her feel so suffocated.
After returning last night, He Ming told Real Person Red Butterfly about her friendship with Shen Qing, which resulted in her being punished to stand in the cold wind on the Cliff of Self - Reflection for a whole night.
Real Person Red Butterfly simply couldn't accept that her daughter was on good terms with a disciple with a bad reputation. In particular, she had heard Real Person Hengling complain about Shen Qing to the sect master more than once.
Saying that she was stubborn and naughty...
She believed the truth in Real Person Hengling's words and had already marked Shen Qing with a big cross in her heart.
Seeing Hong Chaoyang still standing beside Shen Qing, Real Person Red Butterfly raised her eyebrows and silently asked, "See? Mom didn't lie to you. Shen Qing is just a duplicitous bad person!"
However, Hong Chaoyang gently shook her head. Although she had watched Shen Chuyun's memories, she still didn't believe that Shen Qing was such a person. There must be some hidden story behind this!
Real Person Honghua looked at Shen Qing with a complicated expression. He had never seen this disciple whom Real Person Hengling always talked about but never had a good word for.
When he first saw her just now, he observed that Shen Qing had a gentle appearance, behaved frankly, and had a clear look in her eyes. He knew that Shen Qing was not the kind of sneaky person that Real Person Hengling had described.
But then...
Real Person Honghua sighed and decided to give Shen Qing a chance to prove herself.
"Shen Qing, do you have anything to say? If not, you will be accused of harming your fellow disciples. According to the sect rules, you will have your cultivation abolished and be expelled from the sect."
Shen Qing knew that Real Person Honghua was giving her a chance and felt grateful in her heart.
Without showing any sign of panic, she took out an image stone from her storage pouch and calmly said, "Disciple has recorded the entire journey from leaving Qingyun Sword Sect to returning. What's stored in this is disciple's evidence. However..."
"However..."
Before Shen Qing could finish, Lin Yibai immediately interrupted. She must not let Shen Qing have a chance to defend herself. Today, she was determined to nail Shen Qing to the pillar of shame.
"However, this image stone may be affected by illusions and record inaccurate images. Senior Brother Shen's image stone was obtained through soul - searching. So, Junior Sister, to ensure fairness, shouldn't you also..."
Hearing this, Pei Xuanjing was full of disapproval, but was instantly overwhelmed by guilt towards Lin Yibai.
He knew that Lin Yibai was being somewhat unreasonable, but for some reason, his inner feeling told him that he should agree with her.
Shen Qing put down the image stone and looked at Lin Yibai's eager attempt to convict her. She only felt it was extremely ridiculous.
So, she looked at Real Person Hengling on the high platform, who seemed like a statue without joy or sorrow, and coldly asked,
"Master, do you think so too?"