Chapter Five: The Instinct of Double Standards

Seeing that Shen Yanchu remained silent, Huo Shiqing frowned impatiently and spoke up: "In front of everyone today, you will give An'an a proper apology. We will reluctantly overlook what happened previously, and we will still acknowledge you as our junior sister in the future."

"If you continue to be stubborn and insist on arguing, don't blame me if my sword shows no mercy!"

The disciples gathered around the hall echoed his sentiments with righteous indignation.

"Exactly. If Senior Brother Huo hadn't reacted quickly at the time, An'an would have suffered far more than just minor injuries."

"As a senior sister, you don't think about protecting your junior sister, but instead put her in such a dangerous situation. Do you have no shame?"

...

Xu Ning'an, as usual, kept trying to stop everyone from blaming Jiang Heng, her eyes red with anxiety, yet she could not hold them back.

Suddenly, Jiang Heng spoke: "Junior sister, I was wrong."

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone went silent.

This was the first time Jiang Heng had ever admitted fault. Previously, she would stubbornly refuse to yield, always finding excuses to justify her actions.

Xu Ning'an was stunned, as if she had not expected this turn of events.

Jiang Heng continued calmly: "I shouldn't have been so cowardly and desperate to save my own life. I shouldn't have struck out in self-defense when you were desperately grabbing me to act as your shield, and in doing so, accidentally hurt you."

"I should have disregarded my own life entirely. Even if you were to cause my death on the spot, I should have displayed the demeanor of a senior sister, willing to die without a single complaint."

The atmosphere in the hall grew even quieter, turning somewhat eerie.

Everyone vaguely sensed the irony in Jiang Heng's words, yet they could not find a point to refute her.

At the time, the spirit beast had gone berserk for no reason. Xu Ning'an had been the closest to it, on the verge of dying under its claws.

She had screamed and cast a magical artifact to bind Jiang Heng, who was trying to flee, attempting to pull her behind her own body.

Jiang Heng's first reaction was to use all her strength to shatter the artifact. Since the artifact was connected to its owner's spirit, Xu Ning'an had vomited blood, and Huo Shiqing, seeing this, had immediately struck out, severely wounding Jiang Heng.

Xia Zhiyu was the first to jump out to defend Xu Ning'an: "What do you mean by that? How can you make it sound like An'an deliberately tried to harm you! At that moment, she was simply too afraid and acted out of an instinct to protect herself."

Jiang Heng curled her lips: "Then I was also simply acting out of an instinct to protect myself. Why do you all insist that I was deliberately trying to harm her?"

"In the same crisis, some people's instinct is to flee, while others' instinct is to drag someone down with them. Why is it that the former is blamed, while the latter is pitied?"

These words landed with such weight that everyone fell silent.

Xia Zhiyu's face turned beet red instantly, and she stammered, unable to say a word.

The other disciples also vaguely sensed things they had previously ignored. They were shaken, looking at one another, wanting to speak but holding back.

Xu Ning'an's face turned slightly pale, her eyes brimming with tears: "I'm sorry, Senior Sister. I really didn't mean to..."

Xia Zhiyu scrambled to comfort her: "Don't cry, Junior Sister, don't cry. Everyone knows how kind you are; no one would think you did it on purpose."

Seeing the situation turning, Huo Shiqing scolded Jiang Heng: "If it weren't for your history of bad behavior and constant bullying of An'an, no one would think the worst of you. If you don't act like a human, don't blame others for not treating you like one!"

Once these words were out, those watching sided with Xu Ning'an again, voicing their support.

"That's right, if your character is bad, don't blame others for always harboring malicious suspicions."

"It can only be said that three feet of ice does not form in a single day. Why don't you reflect on yourself?"

Jiang Heng ignored these accusations and looked at the indecisive Shen Yanchu: "Is this why you called me here, Senior Brother? To apologize? I have apologized; may I leave now?"

Shen Yanchu recovered his senses and sighed: "I called you here not only to have you apologize to your junior sister, but also because I want to apologize to you."

The hall erupted in an uproar. No one expected that their noble and refined senior brother would actually apologize to such an unsightly person!

Shen Yanchu's gaze was firm, his tone apologetic: "It is my fault. Between managing the affairs of the peak and the fact that our junior sister is young and has only recently joined the sect, I have inevitably spent too much time and energy on her, neglecting you."

"It is natural for you to have harbored resentment and, as a result, not treated her well. We senior brothers should not have just blamed and punished you, exacerbating the conflict between you two; we should have guided and taught you better."

"In the future, I will try my best to set aside time to practice and train with you. Please treat An'an well and stop bullying her, okay?"

The disciples watching were deeply moved, feeling both pity and admiration for Shen Yanchu.

No wonder their senior brother was so beloved. How many people possessed such a spirit of self-sacrifice for the sake of the sect?

Huo Shiqing stared at Jiang Heng, feeling both angry and helpless.

Wasn't this whole pathetic display by Jiang Heng just a ploy to monopolize their attention and steal their favor away from An'an?

Before she had even revealed her true colors, the senior brother had proactively offered her what she wanted. It was giving her far too much credit.

Just as everyone expected Jiang Heng to happily agree to this request, she smiled slightly and looked at Xu Ning'an.

"Junior sister, your birthday is coming up in a few days, isn't it?"

Xu Ning'an was caught off guard: "Yes... yes, it is..."

Jiang Heng pulled an object from her storage bag, took Xu Ning'an's hand, and placed the item in her palm.

It was a cave dwelling key!

"Your senior sister is penniless and cannot offer a proper birthday gift. You have always wanted my cave dwelling, so I am giving it to you."

The crowd of onlookers exploded once more.

The quality of the cave dwellings on Snow Crane Peak varied. The best ones, located near the peak, were naturally used by the direct disciples—there were exactly five of them.

Xu Ning'an had long coveted Jiang Heng's cave dwelling, which not only had abundant spiritual energy but was also situated in the center of the senior brothers' dwellings, as if held up by the stars.

She had asked for it several times, but Jiang Heng had naturally refused to give it up, even taking the matter to their master, though she ultimately failed to get it.

Now that the dream had come true, Xu Ning'an should have been happy.

But after Jiang Heng's earlier remarks, the gazes cast upon her were different from before.

They thought blankly: Always asking for others' cherished and important possessions—this behavior... seems a bit wrong, doesn't it?

Xu Ning'an sensed the shift in atmosphere and hurriedly refused.

"How can that be? This is your cave dwelling, Senior Sister; how could I possibly occupy it?"

Jiang Heng said calmly: "Take it. This time, my foundations were damaged. My cultivation will only grow slower from here on out; to keep such a good place would be a waste."

Only then did she finally answer the astonished Shen Yanchu: "Senior Brother, you don't need to waste any effort on me. Eighty percent of my meridians are destroyed; I am no different from a cripple. Instead of spending time with me, it would be better to guide our junior sister so she can break through sooner."

After speaking, she turned and left without a hint of reluctance.

The atmosphere in the hall plummeted to freezing point!

Although Jiang Heng did not say what had injured her, everyone present knew exactly why she had been severely wounded, and who had caused it. They all turned in unison to look at Huo Shiqing.

Huo Shiqing had gone rigid the moment he heard Jiang Heng's words.

He stood stunned for a long time, then suddenly realized what had happened. With reddened eyes, he chased after her...