"I..."
Luo Yuxuan didn't know how to respond. Although he wanted to retort, his junior sister was right; he genuinely didn't know Mu Qingwan's identity.
"This heroine seems to have gone too far. I'm just a pitiable person being chased!" Mu Qingwan's voice was full of sorrow.
"Yes, Junior Sister. Have you misunderstood?" Luo Yuxuan quickly chimed in.
"There's no misunderstanding. While we don't know who this young lady is, the bloodshed she committed in Lishan is a fact," Zhang Yang said, glaring at Mu Qingwan.
"Blood, bloodshed? Who died?" Everyone in Lishan was his kin. If they had indeed killed people from Lishan, and he brought them back to Lishan, then he...
"It was just a few villagers. Lishan Sword Sect seems to be making a mountain out of a molehill!" Mu Qingwan said indifferently.
Villagers? Thank goodness, thank goodness! Luo Yuxuan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't someone from his sect, he truly didn't want to see anyone from his sect die.
"Villagers?" Zhang Yang chuckled sarcastically. "Just villagers? This young lady speaks with such arrogance. To treat human lives as mere weeds, what kind of identity do you possess to utter such words?"
Mu Qingwan naturally couldn't reveal her identity. After all, her identity was antithetical to the entire righteous path of the martial world. If she truly revealed it, she likely wouldn't escape today.
At this moment, Luo Yuxuan also realized that someone who could say such things couldn't possibly be pure and innocent. However, Miss Mu was so beautiful and delicate; she shouldn't be malicious.
"Since Lishan Sword Sect doesn't welcome us, we'll leave!" Mu Qingwan said, preparing to seize the opportunity to escape while Zhang Yang and his group were caught off guard.
"This isn't about whether you're welcome or not. You committed such acts in our Lishan Sword Sect, so don't think about leaving," Zhang Yang stated, simultaneously signaling his fellow disciples to be vigilant and prevent them from escaping.
They had been tracking the group since they discovered the corpses of those people during their patrol. Those individuals were hunters, living alongside them in the valley, people they had watched grow up.
Now that their lives had improved, these hunters no longer solely relied on hunting. They mostly ventured into the mountains to check for large beasts that might endanger the residents of the valley or the lowlands.
Yet, they had died in the mountains, pierced through the heart with a sword, and not even buried. Their families reported them missing to Lishan Sword Sect when they didn't return.
When his fellow disciples found them, their blood had attracted carnivorous animals, and their bodies were no longer intact. How could this not incite hatred?
As some were sent back to report and others began the grim task of collecting the corpses, they discovered that the martial arts skills of the killers were not low. But why would these people attack a few individuals who only knew some basic martial arts?
Fortunately, this group had also sustained injuries, which explained why they hadn't left Lishan's borders. Coupled with being brought back by the senior brother, this led them to the culprits.
But now that they had found them, how could they let them go? Murderers must pay with their lives!
"Is there no room for negotiation in this matter? Third Junior Brother, Miss Mu and her companions have been continuously pursued. Is there some hidden difficulty?"
Luo Yuxuan was in a dilemma. On one side was his sect, and on the other were friends he had just met and invited as guests.
If the friends he invited were treated like this by his sect, his reputation would be ruined once the news spread in the martial world.
"Hidden difficulty? What kind of hidden difficulty necessitates killing people?" Zhang Yang scoffed.
Lin Yan, standing nearby, remained silent. She was communicating with the system in her mind.
"System, tell me, is this woman a supporting female character?"
"Yes, Host. She is the second female lead. She is also the male lead's confidante. It's just that because she is the Saintess of the Demonic Cult, and her innate alignment is opposed to the male lead, they couldn't be together.
However, in the early stages, they did develop feelings for each other. Their relationship was quite ambiguous."
"Is that so? Didn't the female lead become jealous of her?"
"Later, as the male lead became the leader of the righteous path, he did not openly acknowledge this affection. Mu Qingwan and he had a tacit understanding, so this relationship remained unknown.
However, they both offered each other significant assistance within their capabilities. This is how the male lead achieved the status of the righteous path's leader, and she later became the leader of the Demonic Cult."
"I don't think this woman is someone who would let her affections hinder her," Lin Yan observed Mu Qingwan, thinking that even if she were to indulge in romance, it wouldn't be with someone like Luo Yuxuan.
However, Luo Yuxuan in the original work experienced more and grew. But judging from the fact that one became the leader of the righteous path and the other the leader of the Demonic Cult, it was likely more about mutual benefit.
With this sort of ambiguous relationship between them, it was as if the entire martial world was controlled by them. Even if the female lead knew, she would probably just pretend not to notice.
"We were being pursued precisely to avoid our whereabouts being discovered! After all, we are just a group of weak women; we must protect ourselves! Young lady, as a woman, you should understand, right!"
Mu Qingwan said this, looking at Lin Yan, hoping for her support.
Along the way, she had already heard Luo Yuxuan talk about his sect members. In his words, this junior sister was the kindest, always pleading on behalf of her fellow disciples when they made mistakes.
"I cannot understand. After all, in my heart, human life is more important than anything!" Lin Yan shook her head.
"Junior Sister?" Luo Yuxuan, whose heart had slightly settled after Mu Qingwan's explanation, became anxious again because of Lin Yan's words.
"Senior Brother, is there anything more important than human life?" Lin Yan looked at Luo Yuxuan. "Do you know who died?"
Lin Yan's gaze was filled with disappointment, making Luo Yuxuan feel uneasy, and he avoided her eyes.
"That was Uncle Xu and his son, and Uncle Wang and Uncle Feng. There were childhood playmates of yours, elders who picked wild berries and roasted rabbits for you when you were young. Do you still believe any hidden hardship is more important than their lives?"
Lin Yan felt that this male lead was being so praised that he had lost all sense of direction. Having been away for so long, what had he learned, to utter such words!
Luo Yuxuan looked at the people around him. They all gazed at him with expressions of disappointment and anger. This prideful man could not accept it. He took a step back, unsure of what to say.
"Stop your incessant babbling. I killed them. It has nothing to do with my young lady. If you want to kill or dismember me, I'll accept whatever fate you decree!" A maidservant stepped forward, appearing fearless of death.
"I will submit to your judgment. Let my young lady leave!"