Xie Jin Yan didn't say anything too ambiguous, at least not for a carefree, tomboyish girl like Qu Shanshan.

But at this moment, under these circumstances, it seemed ambiguous.

In the past, Qu Shanshan could have said that she had also invited other male disciples.

But now, if she were to say that, it would not only fail to deny that she had taken the initiative to show goodwill to Xie Jin Yan, but would also tell everyone that she, Qu Shanshan, was involved with more than one man.

Qu Shanshan bit her lip tightly, tears welling up in her eyes. With tearful eyes, she looked pitifully at Xie Jin Yan, then at Xiao Feng Yun, then at the other male disciples, and finally at Guo Chen. Seeing Guo Chen's darkened face and his questioning gaze, Qu Shanshan finally spoke with reluctance and a sob in her voice.

Wiping away her tears, she retorted Xie Jin Yan with extreme grievance, "Junior Brother Xie, you... how dare you spout nonsense? When did I ever invite you to go out and play?"

Not admitting it?

It didn't matter. She had done more than just this one dirty deed. The distant ones were hard to find evidence for, but wasn't it easy to catch her doing something recent?

Xie Jin Yan smiled faintly, sizing up Qu Shanshan with extreme sarcasm. He sneered and said, "That's right, that matter is too far back. The pure and innocent, carefree Qu Senior Sister who likes to play with men must not remember. After all... Qu Senior Sister, you've invited more than just me..."

"Junior Brother Xie, you must not..."

"I must not spout nonsense, is that it?"

"Qu Senior Sister, can you change your line? I'm tired of hearing it."

"I knew you wouldn't admit it! You're not stupid either, knowing that the distant ones can't be verified, so not admitting it means there's no proof."

"But you probably forgot that you're not the only one you've casually flirted with. If I remember correctly, you were putting your arm around my shoulders outside the dormitory today, wanting to ask me to drink alone." Xie Jin Yan chuckled lightly, his gaze sweeping over Qu Shanshan with mockery, then over the female disciples at the table. He picked out a female disciple who was standing closest to Qu Shanshan outside the dormitory today and asked her with a smile, "Junior Sister Yan, you were standing next to Qu Senior Sister today. Do you remember what she did today?"

A moment ago, Qu Shanshan was still wiping away tears and acting pitiful, but upon hearing Xie Jin Yan's words, she froze.

Guo Chen, who had been helping her speak earlier, looked even more displeased.

Even if he was a little dull, he wasn't a fool. Xie Jin Yan dared to ask that, so naturally he had evidence.

But his inner pride and love for Qu Shanshan made it difficult for him to accept it for a moment.

Suppressing his humiliation, he looked at Yan Qing Qing, who was sitting next to Zhou Shuang Shuang, with a somewhat threatening tone and called out to her, "Junior Sister Yan, just tell the truth. There's no need to be afraid of Junior Brother Xie. Although he's the Crown Prince, he still has to abide by the rules of the sect. Besides, he won't be here for many days. You don't have to worry about him retaliating against you for telling the truth."

"Jin Yan retaliating against Qing Qing? Senior Brother Guo, why does your statement sound so strange to me? I feel like you're threatening Junior Sister Yan?"

Yu Qing Wu didn't originally want to speak. After all, this matter started because of her. Xie Jin Yan deliberately dragged this out, ultimately trying to shift the conflict onto himself and Qu Shanshan, so that others wouldn't pay attention to her. As for the so-called gossip, it would probably be aimed more at Xie Jin Yan.

In fact, before entering, Qing Wu was worried about her image collapsing and what kind of eyes her junior brothers and sisters would look at her with.

But at this moment, seeing Xie Jin Yan doing this for her, Yu Qing Wu suddenly felt that if she continued to cower, she would be letting him down.

Moreover, Guo Chen was still so aggressive.

Even though she knew that her seventh junior brother wouldn't suffer any losses now, she still didn't want to leave him isolated and helpless again.

The wine glass in her hand suddenly fell, seemingly intentionally, and with a crash, it resounded throughout the hall.

Guo Chen, who had been full of threats, was startled by Yu Qing Wu's sudden action.

He paused slightly, looked at Yu Qing Wu with some resentment, and asked with a cold face, "Junior Sister Yu, what do you mean? I can understand that you're eager to protect your husband now that you're married, but you can't slander me in order to protect Junior Brother Xie, right?"

Just look at what he was saying. It was clearly him and Qu Shanshan who slandered people first, who threatened people first, but now they were turning the tables.

Yu Qing Wu chuckled coldly. Seeing Guo Chen babbling on as if he wanted to continue, she immediately interrupted him with sarcasm and mocked, "Senior Brother Guo, it's just a mutual rebuttal. Master and Uncle are here, yet you're yelling so loudly. How dare you say you're not threatening anyone?"

"I... I just can't stand you slandering people." Guo Chen was stunned and immediately realized that he had lost his composure a bit. He sat back down awkwardly, but still used a threatening gaze to hint at Yan Qing Qing.

Yan Qing Qing had always been timid and was often ostracized by Qu Shanshan's little group. Seeing Guo Chen so fierce at this moment, her eyes immediately turned red, and she stammered, "Master, Uncle, Senior Sister Qu, she..."

"Qing Qing, you don't have to be afraid of anyone." Yu Qing Wu's relationship with Yan Qing Qing was average, but she still understood her somewhat. Seeing her expression, she guessed that she didn't dare to say more.

But even if Yan Qing Qing didn't say anything, once she and Xie Jin Yan left, Qu Shanshan and Guo Chen probably wouldn't give her a good time.

Yan Qing Qing was always introverted and even more afraid of causing trouble for others. In addition, her relationship with her senior sisters and brothers was usually ordinary, so she would definitely have to swallow her suffering.

That wouldn't do...

It seemed that today, she would have to settle the old scores together with the new ones.

"Qing Qing, your senior sisters and brothers are all here. You don't have to be afraid of anyone." Yan Qing Qing was tearfully stammering when Yu Qing Wu spoke softly. She got up and walked to Yan Qing Qing's side, gently placing her hand on her shoulder and saying softly, "Qing Qing, Senior Brother Guo is right. Jin Yan and I will probably only stay here for two or three months. After three months, we will leave."

"But even though we've left, it doesn't mean we can't protect you. If you're willing, you can go to the capital with Senior Sister."

"Of course, if you still want to stay in Shu, you have to tell the truth, because only by telling the truth can the bad guys be punished. You know the rules of our sect. Lewdness, bullying fellow disciples, hmm... and fabricating rumors and slanders, these charges combined are enough to be expelled from the sect."

"Qing Qing, Senior Sister has told you before, when you're bullied, you can't always rely on others to protect you. You still have to completely solve the root of the problem."

Yu Qing Wu's tone was gentle, but every word made Qu Shanshan and Guo Chen tremble with fear.

Seeing that Yan Qing Qing seemed to be moved, Qu Shanshan couldn't sit still anymore. Before Yan Qing Qing could speak, she immediately interrupted, looking at Yan Qing Qing with a gloomy gaze and saying, "Junior Sister Yan! Slandering fellow disciples is a serious crime! You'll be expelled from the sect! Others are one thing, but your parents are gone, and your older brothers and sisters-in-law don't like you. If you're expelled from the sect, where can you go?"