"There must be, otherwise why the secrecy," Yan Ruxue immediately muttered softly.
Yan Jiaojiao glanced at her, then bent down and tore off the bandage on her leg.
The wound was indeed a burn from fire, but it was only a shallow mark with no lingering fire poison.
Everyone was momentarily speechless, Yan Ruxue and Luo Guiyuan even showed a flicker of disappointment.
Xuan Chen saw it clearly at a glance and let out a soft "Mm" to acknowledge.
Luo Guiyuan flicked his sleeve and turned to examine the next person.
"Is that all?" Yan Jiaojiao asked.
"What?"
Luo Guiyuan paused and looked at Yan Jiaojiao, the others also confused.
Only Yan Ruxue and Chen Bingbing wore expressions of schadenfreude. In their eyes, Yan Jiaojiao had always been eccentric, and openly challenging Luo Guiyuan would only earn her punishment.
However, Yan Jiaojiao's tone remained ordinary, as if she were discussing what to eat that day. "You suspected me without cause and even attempted corporal punishment. Don't you owe me an apology?"
Her words, however, made everyone incredulous. To ask the sect leader to apologize to a disciple for such a trivial matter?
It was unheard of.
"You want me to apologize?" Luo Guiyuan was even more disbelieving.
"Yes, apologize."
Shangguan Yuan also felt it was inappropriate, frowning at Yan Jiaojiao, and advised in a low voice, "Let it go for now."
Yan Jiaojiao did not, her gaze stubbornly fixed on Luo Guiyuan, "Apologize."
Luo Guiyuan laughed in anger, looking at Shangguan Yuan, "This is the good disciple you chose! Good, very good!"
Shangguan Yuan showed a pained expression, discreetly glancing at Xuan Chen on the high platform, then frowning at Yan Jiaojiao. Although he liked Yan Jiaojiao's personality, he also wished she could be more restrained given the circumstances.
Yan Jiaojiao ignored them and said loudly, "Do students have no dignity? Before the matter was investigated, you bound and beat us. Did you truly consider us human?"
Those students who had been bound also began to whisper, their words filled with dissatisfaction.
"Ge Nan Academy will be overthrown by you sooner or later!" Luo Guiyuan fumed.
"So, are you going to continue to oppress ordinary students for the sake of your so-called face?"
"You..."
"Enough!"
Xuan Chen spoke, stopping Yan Jiaojiao and Luo Guiyuan. His cold face still showed no emotion, only saying, "Bickering is beneath scholars! I have already confirmed that no student is poisoned by fire. You two need not say more, or you will both be expelled from the sect. We end here for today."
Although Xuan Chen did not ask Luo Guiyuan to apologize to Yan Jiaojiao, his words "both be expelled from the sect" placed them on an equal footing.
Everyone understood the implication, especially the bound students, who cast admiring glances at Yan Jiaojiao. This hidden battle between disciple and sect leader had ultimately ended with Yan Jiaojiao having a slight edge.
Shangguan Yuan, fearing Yan Jiaojiao would say more, immediately pressed her head and made her bow slightly to Xuan Chen, "Thank you, Sect Leader Master."
Luo Guiyuan was naturally displeased, but only snorted and left with a flick of his sleeve.
Xuan Chen remained unfazed and waved his hand, dismissing everyone. The teaching disciples hurriedly bowed and left.
As Yan Jiaojiao walked away, she glanced back and saw that only a few sect leaders and the red-clothed female student remained.
From her back, Yan Jiaojiao had already thought the red-clothed woman had a graceful figure. Her face, however, was even more radiant and charming, yet it also possessed a maiden's innocent and cute demeanor, making her very captivating.
"Who is that?" Yan Jiaojiao couldn't help but ask.
Wei Congling didn't turn her head, only answering in a low, muffled voice, "That's Tang Xiye."
"Tang Xiye?" Yan Jiaojiao repeated the name, then suddenly remembered. This was the person who Wang Jingshuang had mentioned before, the one who had bullied Wei Congling!
Yan Jiaojiao couldn't help but look back again. She saw the five sect leaders bowing in farewell, and only Tang Xiye standing beside Xuan Chen.
Recalling the way Xuan Chen had looked at her earlier, Yan Jiaojiao was certain that Tang Xiye had a deep connection with the master of Ge Nan Academy.
Back in the room, Wei Congling appeared somewhat disheartened.
Yan Jiaojiao tried to talk to her, "Thank you for covering for me earlier."
"Oh, it's nothing," Wei Congling snapped back to attention, waving her hand. "I originally thought you had gone to the Sutra Repository. I didn't expect to have misunderstood."
Yan Jiaojiao did not dare to confess that it was indeed her.
After being cursed by the Fire Dragon last night, there was indeed residual poison on her leg. But when she woke up, she found that due to the effect of the Soul Devouring Grass she had taken, the fire poison had been completely neutralized, leaving only the burn wound still healing.
Therefore, when Xuan Chen insisted on examining the wound, she had unhesitatingly revealed it.
Yan Jiaojiao couldn't help but feel fortunate to have met Dongfang Cangwu. If he hadn't forced the Soul Devouring Grass on her, she would never have dared to try it in her life.
Yan Jiaojiao was lost in thought, while Wei Congling assumed she didn't know how to start the conversation. She gave a bitter smile and said, "Are you perhaps wondering about that Tang Xiye?"
She did want to ask, but hadn't thought of it just then.
Yan Jiaojiao thought to herself, but did not voice it, merely nodding. "I saw that she seems to have a good relationship with Master Xuan Chen."
"Yes, otherwise why would all the students in Ge Nan Academy follow her lead?" A hint of bitterness surfaced in Wei Congling's eyes. "I accidentally offended her before, and after she targeted me, I suffered a lot."
It was evident that Wei Congling had not fully emerged from her despondency. If she hadn't met Yan Jiaojiao, she probably wouldn't have even wanted to leave her room.
"Doesn't Shangguan Yuan interfere?" Yan Jiaojiao couldn't help but ask.
Wei Congling smiled. "The sect leader generally doesn't get involved in matters between disciples. Moreover, Tang Xiye is from the Golden Faction. They, the Golden Faction, are inherently arrogant and look down on other factions."
Wei Congling paused and added, "The sect leader hasn't completely ignored it. After I withdrew, he didn't reprimand me for skipping cultivation, which can be considered a form of care."
"You were injured within the academy, and as the sect leader, he is responsible. Is letting things slide considered care?"
Wei Congling looked at Yan Jiaojiao in surprise. "Didn't I tell you? Tang Xiye has Master Xuan Chen's protection. The sect leader is helpless, after all. If Master Xuan Chen had accepted Tang Xiye as a disciple then, she would have been the sect leader's junior sister."
So that's how it is. Yan Jiaojiao asked again, "From what you've said, Tang Xiye is not a good person. Does Xuan Chen like her that much? Then why didn't he take her as a disciple?"
"Tang Xiye isn't harsh to everyone. Everyone just thinks I provoked Tang Xiye, and that's why I've been ostracized and bullied," Wei Congling said, growing more dejected. She was clearly a cold beauty, but she had been worn down and lost her pride.
Yan Jiaojiao watched her with a pang of sympathy.