Chapter 3: Wrongly Accused

Xu Ziyan had just steadied herself. The girl’s cultivation level was clearly higher than hers, and Xu Ziyan couldn’t dodge in time. She had no experience in fighting either, so she stood there blankly, watching as the slap was about to land on her face. Suddenly, the young man stepped forward, grabbed the girl’s wrist, and pulled her back. He smiled at Xu Ziyan and said,

“Let it go, Ximei.”

After saying this, he released the girl’s wrist and walked away. The girl glared fiercely at Xu Ziyan. Just as she was about to leave, a boy around twelve or thirteen years old bumped into her and quickly ran off.

“Looking for death!”

The girl vented her anger on the boy. She lifted her foot and kicked him in the backside, sending him sprawling to the ground. The boy turned over without saying a word, lowered his head, and ran away.

That kick seemed to ease the resentment in her heart. The girl no longer looked at Xu Ziyan and ran straight after the Brother Lin who had walked ahead.

Xu Ziyan shook her head. She had no intention of causing trouble, nor did she have the qualifications to do so. She gathered her thoughts, mustered her courage, and started looking around the shops one by one, hoping to find affordable materials for alchemy and talisman crafting.

Wandering aimlessly, Xu Ziyan entered another shop. As soon as she stepped inside, she heard a tearful yet excited voice:

“It’s you! How dare you come here? Fourth Uncle, she’s the one who stole the talismans from me!”

Xu Ziyan was shocked. She looked up and felt a surge of anger. The girl pointing at her and shouting was the same one who had tried to slap her. Now, tears were still streaming down the girl’s face, but the young man she called Brother Lin was nowhere to be seen.

“Fourth Uncle, it’s her! She’s the one who stole my talismans!”

The middle-aged man called Fourth Uncle looked Xu Ziyan up and down with suspicion. Xu Ziyan was utterly confused as she stared at the girl. But when she heard the girl accuse her of stealing, her face turned bright red with anger. She shouted,

“You’re talking nonsense! What do you have that would be worth stealing?”

“You stole my talismans!” the girl said angrily.

“Ximei, shut up!” Fourth Uncle scolded her. He turned to Xu Ziyan, his expression serious but his tone slightly softer. “Miss, do you have any explanation?”

“Explanation? Why should I explain?” Xu Ziyan’s eyes welled up with tears as she spoke indignantly.

“Fourth Uncle, she’s acting guilty because she is!” the girl said through gritted teeth.

“What did I steal? When did I steal from you? What did I take?”

Xu Ziyan had just arrived in Zhongdu City. Everything was still unfamiliar to her. After a whole day of searching, she hadn’t found what she needed, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted. Now, to be falsely accused like this, the injustice she felt was unbearable. She stubbornly held back her tears, refusing to let them fall.

“It was you and that twelve- or thirteen-year-old little thief! You deliberately bumped into my Brother Lin, and then that little thief took the chance to run into me and stole the talismans I was delivering to Fourth Uncle! Waa…” As she spoke, the girl began to cry.

Hearing this, Xu Ziyan immediately remembered the boy who had bumped into her and whom she had kicked to the ground. She figured that boy must have stolen the talismans. At this thought, Xu Ziyan felt a sense of vindication, and a faint sneer crossed her lips. Fourth Uncle had been closely watching her expression. Seeing the change in her demeanor, he was almost certain she had nothing to do with the theft. However, when he turned and saw Ximei’s panicked and pained expression, his heart softened. He knew that if she lost so many talismans, the clan would not let her off easily. Moreover, he was close friends with her father. He sighed inwardly. He thought it would be better to pin the blame on this girl in front of him. Even though it would mean certain death for her, it was better for an outsider to die than someone from their own clan. Besides, judging by her clothes, she didn’t seem to have any influential background, and her cultivation level was only at the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage. If she died, it wouldn’t be a big loss. With this in mind, his face darkened, and he said coldly,

“Miss, you’d better have an explanation, or I’ll have to take you to the clan’s Punishment Hall.”

“Wherever we go, I didn’t steal anything.” Xu Ziyan’s heart sank. With her experience, she could tell that this Fourth Uncle was planning to frame her. But she couldn’t fight back. With her current cultivation level, any resistance would only lead to a quicker death.

“Fine!” Fourth Uncle’s eyes turned icy. He said calmly, “Someone, tie her up.”

Immediately, two people rushed over from the side and bound Xu Ziyan’s hands behind her back. It wasn’t that Xu Ziyan hadn’t thought about resisting, but Fourth Uncle suddenly unleashed his aura, completely suppressing her and leaving her unable to move an inch.

Just as she was seething with anger, Ximei suddenly dashed in front of her and slapped her across the face, snarling viciously,

“You wretch! Let’s see where you can run now!”

Xu Ziyan bit her lip tightly, glaring fiercely at Xu Ximei. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

“Take her to the Punishment Hall,” Fourth Uncle said coldly.

“What’s going on that requires the clan’s Punishment Hall?”

Following the voice, a middle-aged man in a blue robe walked in, smiling as he looked at Fourth Uncle.

“Second Brother, what brings you here?”

“Haha, nothing much. I was passing by and decided to drop in.”

“Greetings, Second Uncle,” Ximei said timidly.

“Oh, it’s Ximei. Why are you still here? Where’s your Brother Lin?” Second Uncle teased.

“Brother Lin went to catch the little thief.”

“What little thief?” Second Uncle asked, confused.

“She’s the accomplice of that little thief,” Xu Ximei said resentfully, pointing at Xu Ziyan. “She and that little thief worked together to steal my talismans. Brother Lin went to catch the little thief.”

“You lost the talismans I asked you to deliver to the shop?” Second Uncle’s tone instantly turned cold.

Xu Ximei’s face turned pale. She fell to her knees with a thud and lowered her head, not daring to say another word.

Second Uncle snorted coldly and turned to look at Xu Ziyan. His gaze was as sharp as a knife, making Xu Ziyan feel as if her skin were being cut.

“Did you steal Ximei’s talismans?”

“I didn’t steal anything,” Xu Ziyan replied defiantly, meeting his gaze.

“Little girl, I don’t think you understand the value of talismans.” As he spoke, he took a talisman out of his pocket, laid it flat in his hand, and held it in front of Xu Ziyan. He said calmly, “This single talisman is worth five hundred taels of silver. The ones you stole amount to fifty talismans in total. Just return them to me, and I won’t make things difficult for you.”

After saying this, he fixed his cold gaze firmly on Xu Ziyan.