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Chapter 141: Am I Dead?
Chapter 141: Am I Dead?
"How can you not be one of them?" Xiang Xinghe asked.
"Why should I be?" Fang Che questioned, "According to your logic, if one of your relatives is a bad person, then all the others must be bad as well? I'm asking, can your reasoning hold any ground?"
"What proof do you have that you're not a member of the Demon Sect?"
"And what proof do you have that I am?" Fang Che retorted.
Xiang Xinghe had no evidence.
But Fang Che did: "It's common knowledge that the Demon Sect has a mysterious method. If anyone insults or humiliates the Demon Sect, they will die on the spot. Is this not true?"
Huang Yifan coughed and said, "There is some truth to that. Although it's not exactly as you described, it's basically the same."
"I've always been determined to fight the Demon Sect to the end, until my last breath. The Only Me Sect is a bunch of bastards, and the Unified Heart Sect is a group of scoundrels. They've lost their humanity and conscience, and they should have been exterminated long ago, leaving none alive!" Fang Che said.
He spread his hands and asked Xiang Xinghe, "Am I dead?"
Xiang Xinghe stared at him in shock.
"Oh, and their revered deity, the Celestial Scorpion Deity, is just a load of rubbish. What kind of thing is that? It's ugly and menacing, just like something a rooster would eat. It's not something to be taken lightly!" Fang Che continued.
He spread his hands again and asked Xiang Xinghe, "Am I dead?"
Everyone was staring at him.
Fang Che sat in the chair with ease, his posture completely relaxed and stable.
The more he spoke, the more composed he became, changing his stance.
Everyone was speechless.
Just as Fang Che had said, although no one understood what was controlling the Five Spirit Puppet, they knew that the puppet would not allow anyone within the sect to betray it.
If there was any sign of betrayal, it would immediately take action.
Especially, it would not tolerate any disrespect towards the Celestial Scorpion Deity.
If Fang Che were truly a member of the Only Me Sect, especially a lower-ranked disciple, and had dared to curse the sect so recklessly, he would have likely died on the spot.
But Fang Che was clearly unharmed.
"Perhaps you haven't joined the sect yet, but you will eventually!" Xiang Xinghe said with a sinister tone.
"I think you're no different. You will eventually betray the continent and become a disgraceful traitor, joining the Only Me Sect!" Fang Che retorted.
"Why don't you try cursing a few words yourself?" Fang Che challenged Xiang Xinghe.
Xiang Xinghe became furious, "You little brat, how dare you insult me!"
"Why is it that only you can accuse me of being from the Demon Sect, but I can't do the same to you?" Fang Che questioned.
"You have a tough mouth, kid." Xiang Xinghe said with a chilling tone.
At that moment, Lu Jiaoshan spoke up, "Brother Xiang, although Fang Che's actions are indeed suspicious, as we've said, it's just suspicion. I believe Fang Che is right, and if you accuse him of being from the Demon Sect, you should provide evidence."
Xiang Xinghe humphed, "Brother Lu, your reasoning..."
On one side, Meng Chizheng, the supervising elder, spoke up, "Although Fang Che should explain these suspicious points, directly treating him as a member of the Demon Sect seems inappropriate."
Meng Chizheng furrowed his brows and said, "Elder Zhao, we don't know where you got your information from. If there's real evidence that Fang Che participated in Demon Sect activities or did something harmful, he could be arrested or even executed on the spot. But... if there's no proof, it's a bit unreasonable to..."
Zhao Shanhe calmly replied, "I received a report about this matter and, taking it seriously, I came here to investigate while on official business."
He stroked his beard and continued, "After all, if the White Cloud Martial Academy were to mistakenly nurture a Demon Sect seed as their top genius, it would be a huge joke if it were exposed in the future. Our thousand-year-old reputation would be ruined in an instant."
Gao Qingyu, who had been silent since the beginning, finally spoke up, "Over the years, there have been countless incidents of Demon Sect disciples infiltrating martial academies. Haven't there been traitors from the eight great martial academies as well? Some of them were highly regarded geniuses from the various academies, as those without talent wouldn't be specifically cultivated by the Demon Sect..."
"Not only our White Cloud Martial Academy, but other martial academies as well. There have been many serious cases. In all these years, when has it ever been stopped? If they didn't face any consequences, why should our White Cloud Martial Academy become a laughingstock?"
Gao Qingyu continued, "Elder Zhao, your words make it seem like you hold our White Cloud Martial Academy in too high regard. Among the eight great martial academies, we're only ranked third. The top two academies, as far as I know, have produced even more Demon Sect disciples over the past thousand years. For example, that..."
Gao Qingyu was about to start listing examples.
"Shut up."
Zhao Shanhe's cold command silenced him.
"Hehe... I'll shut up, then. You send people to pick on our students, and now you won't even let us speak. Indeed, rank has its privileges. Fine, I'll shut up!" Gao Qingyu said unhappily.
Zhao Shanhe turned to Gao Qingyu with a slight toothache, "Headmaster Gao, isn't this for the benefit of your martial academy?"
"After all these years, isn't everything done for the benefit of our martial academy? Has our academy improved over the years? Have we risen to the top?" Gao Qingyu asked.
"Zhao, if you truly have the best interests of our Martial Academy at heart, then you should grant us some autonomy. Take today's incident, for instance; we could have handled it internally!"
Zhao Shanhe fell silent.
Dealing with this old rogue, Zhao Shanhe was at a loss.
If they continued arguing, this guy might start making a scene right here.
Thus, Gao Qingyu stopped debating and turned to Xiang Xinghe, nodding for him to continue.
Xiang Xinghe turned to Fang Che, "Then let me ask you, where is Su Yue now?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? He's come to help you several times, and you don't know where he is?"
"I don't know."
Fang Che said, "Every time Su Dage comes to help, I'm not informed. He drags me out in the middle of the night, and after the task is done, he disappears. I also feel that Su Dage has become quite mysterious lately."
Xiang Xinghe asked, "Last time he mentioned a secret department. Which department is that?"
"I don't know."
"Who are his master and senior master?"
"I don't know."
"What do they look like?"
"I've never seen their true faces..."
Fang Che was extremely troubled, "Instructor, I don't know the answers to any of your questions. I'm already grateful that Su Dage is willing to help me. How can I be so bold as to pry further?"
"Su Dage tells me everything he can, but he doesn't tell me things that are inappropriate. And as the one being helped, I can't ask either."
"All of you instructors and leaders are reasonable people. You understand social etiquette... I think I'm right in what I said."
Fang Che's face turned bitter, "I'm just a kid who hasn't even turned eighteen yet. What do I know? What qualifications do I have to deal with confidential matters? How can I dare to ask questions? Even being helped feels like a blur to me."
"Who among us isn't as fast as me?"
"Besides..."
Fang Che suddenly turned serious, his words filled with pain, "No matter how many times Su Dage has helped me, our targets are always people from the Demon Sect!"
"We are contributing to the continent."
"My merits and academic credits are not few."
"I don't understand why I'm being investigated. I killed someone from the Demon Sect by chance; am I not a hero?"
Fang Che's face was filled with unspoken frustration.
"Yes, I admit that I sometimes act without considering the consequences, and I can be impulsive. I also like to take action. These are my shortcomings, but... I don't feel like I've done anything to anger the heavens."
Fang Che hung his head in dejection, feeling utterly wronged, "How... how... did I become a Demon Sect member?! Can't you see what I've done? My merits are almost at five thousand already."
"I can't say I've accomplished great feats, but the contributions I've made are visible, right? How did I become a member of the Demon Sect?"
Everyone's faces turned solemn.
Li Changkong, sitting in the corner, wanted to stand up and speak several times, but Huang Yifan's stern gaze kept him seated.
Meng He Jun finally spoke up, turning to Zhao Shanhe and saying softly, "Zhao, do you have any more questions?"
Zhao Shanhe replied calmly, "There are always doubts, and I hope that the White Cloud Martial Academy won't take this lightly."
Meng He Jun spoke gently, "We will discuss these matters privately later."
Zhao Shanhe nodded, "Good."
After a pause, he continued, "Even if there are no obvious flaws now, as the number one genius of the White Cloud Martial Academy, the future implications are significant. Therefore, the Heart-Testing Path must be taken."
"The Heart-Testing Path?!"
Upon hearing these words, Meng He Jun's face changed.
On one side, except for Huang Yifan, Lu Jiaoshan, Meng Chizheng, Xiang Xinghe, and the others' faces also changed.
Li Changkong, sitting in the corner, suddenly stood up, "Sir, do we really need to take the Heart-Testing Path? He's just reached the Primordial Stage. He won't be able to endure the torment of the Heart-Testing Path. With his weak divine soul, he might come out... as a cripple!"
Zhao Shanhe said, "It must be taken."
His tone was gentle, but there was no room for negotiation.
Meng Chizheng took a deep breath, "Zhao, the Heart-Testing Path is usually only taken by those with the General Rank or higher. A mere Primordial Stage practitioner might not be able to withstand the torment of the Heart-Testing Path. With an insufficiently powerful divine soul, they might..."
Zhao Shanhe calmly said, "I understand that, but the person who reported Fang Che... Hehe, so the Heart-Testing Path must be taken. Whether Fang Che is a Demon Sect member or not must be clarified on the Heart-Testing Path!"
Meng He Jun's face turned, and he asked, "May I ask who the reporter is?"
Zhao Shanhe glanced at him, "How could I possibly tell you that?"
Gao Qingyu was furious, "Why can't you tell us about our Martial Academy's affairs? Zhao Shanhe, have you taken bribes? Are you here to make things difficult for us?"
Zhao Shanhe remained unmoved, "Gao Qingyu, you know what you just said."
Meng He Jun's delicate face turned red with anger, "Regardless of whether Fang Che is a Demon Sect member or not, with the current unclear situation, taking the Heart-Testing Path is like intentionally ruining a person!"
(End of Chapter)
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