Troublemaker’s Guide to Immortality

Ye Danxia lay sprawled on the ground, her face a mask of disbelief.

She had known Gu Jinghong would no longer favor her after everything that had happened.

But seeing him coldly dismiss her while doting on another woman?

It stung.

As if what was once hers had been snatched away by Yun Jin!

Zhao Wuji, watching Ye Danxia's pitiful state, could no longer contain his fury. "Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Gu Jinghong, you are merely her servant for three months, and already you've learned her arrogance and lawlessness. Your junior sister lies injured because of you, yet you show no remorse. Instead, you raise your hand against her again. How are you any different from a demon?"

Zhao Wuji did not bother to descend himself. With a single glance, several disciples stepped forward and helped Ye Danxia up.

She stood there looking fragile and wronged, softly whispering, "Master, please don't blame Second Senior Brother. I… I can stand on my own."

As she spoke, she cast a wounded glance toward Yun Jin.

Truthfully, adding a chair for her would have been easy. But she simply couldn't stand watching Yun Jin claim what was originally hers.

"What are you looking at?" Yun Jin raised her chin. "I just happen to need a maid. Why don't you stand behind me and serve? Do that, and I won't pursue what happened earlier."

She was completely serious. Yun Jin was actually offering Ye Danxia a chance.

Humiliation flashed across Ye Danxia's face. "How dare she?!

We're in the middle of a public trial! How is she still this brazen?!

Me—a heaven-tier spiritual root—serve her as a maid?!

Delusional!"

She opened her mouth to retort, but Gu Jinghong beat her to it, sounding both aggrieved and pitiful. "Master, I don't want to stand near her."

"Am I not enough for you?"

Yun Jin shot him a disdainful look. "The more servants, the better. You don't get an opinion."

Gu Jinghong's eyes reddened, his glare shifting to Ye Danxia like she was a rival.

Ye Danxia: "???"

"Has second senior brother lost his mind?!"

She couldn't help blurting out, "Xiao Jin! You ordered Second Senior Brother to hurt me. I'm the real victim here! But I'm generous. I'll give you a chance. If you become my maid, I'll drop everything."

Having regained some footing, Ye Danxia even managed a smile.

But Yun Jin gave her a flat, almost pitying glance. "Since that's your decision, there's no going back now. Ye Danxia, I suggest you take care of yourself."

She said it with such casual indifference, yet the words made Ye Danxia's heart skip a beat.

"Did I leave any flaws last night?

Why… why is she so confident?"

"Hall Master Yue, why are you still dazing off? Isn't it time to begin the trial?" Yun Jin turned to Yue Lin, sounding slightly impatient.

One sat above, one below, yet judging by presence alone, Yun Jin looked far more like the one in control.

Yue Lin's jaw clenched.

"Daydreaming? YOU were the one monologuing!"

He let out a cold snort and began. "Last night, Gu Jinghong used Ye Danxia's guilt to lure her to Tianjian Peak. There, he ambushed her in the forest, leaving her critically injured and nearly dead. If not for a protective artifact, she would have died. And Yun Jin was lurking nearby the entire time. Given the master-servant contract, we reasonably suspect that Gu Jinghong acted on Yun Jin's orders. All of this was witnessed firsthand by the Sect Master. There is no room for doubt."

"Now, in accordance with sect rules, this matter will be judged publicly. Yun Jin, do you have any objections to what I've just stated?"

After finishing, Yue Lin fixed his gaze firmly on her.

Last time, Ruan Jun had been utterly humiliated by Yun Jin and was still in closed-door recovery. Zhao Wuji had given Yue Lin the cold shoulder ever since.

"This time, I'll handle it flawlessly."

"I object," Yun Jin said lazily. "Everything you just said is complete nonsense."

Yue Lin's face darkened instantly.

Zhao Wuji rose to his feet, his fury boiling over. "I saw it with my own eyes! Are you calling me a liar?"

"Sect Master," Yun Jin looked at him as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Even mortals know that what you see is not always the truth. With your level of cultivation, how can you still say something so ridiculous?"

Zhao Wuji's face turned livid. "Then explain it! What part of this isn't true? Danxia's wounds are still fresh!"

Right on cue, Ye Danxia wore a frail, pitiful expression.

Yun Jin, unhurried and composed, spoke again. "By your account, Gu Jinghong ambushed her and severely wounded her at first strike, then tried to kill her. Correct?"

Yue Lin nodded. "Such actions are utterly inhuman."

"I won't argue with you calling him inhuman," Yun Jin smiled, "but on this matter, let me ask you something. You say Ye Danxia survived because of a protective artifact. But isn't that type of artifact triggered automatically when attacked? If she was ambushed, how did Gu Jinghong manage to hurt her at all?"

"You—" Yue Lin started to speak, but then froze. His expression changed.

Yun Jin continued, calm and clear. "If it's truly an automatic defensive artifact, it should have activated the moment the ambush began. How could Gu Jinghong have injured her so severely?"

A bead of sweat rolled down Yue Lin's temple. He glanced quickly at Zhao Wuji.

Even Zhao Wuji looked surprised. His gaze turned to Ye Danxia.

Something about this didn't add up.

"Danxia." Yun Jin smiled sweetly at the now visibly nervous Ye Danxia. "I've heard that such defensive artifacts only fail to activate in one situation—when the wearer harms themselves. So tell me, how did those wounds really come about?"

The crowd erupted in whispers.

The logic was undeniable.

If Ye Danxia had stabbed herself to frame Gu Jinghong…

How ruthless.

Even Senior brother Wang—the disciple who'd mentored her in herbology—recoiled.

"No matter her talent… better keep my distance. Gu Jinghong fell for defending her, and she repaid him with betrayal. If I teach her everything, would she hesitate to sacrifice me too?"

Sensing the change in atmosphere, Ye Danxia's eyes turned red. Her voice trembled. "You… you're spouting nonsense!"

She quickly tried to recover, saying slowly, "My artifact was personally refined by Master. It requires manual activation. I didn't expect Senior Brother Gu to ambush me, so I didn't activate it in time."

As she spoke, she glanced pleadingly at Zhao Wuji.

Normally, defensive artifacts given to lower-tier disciples would absolutely have auto-triggering functions.

There was no reason Zhao Wuji's gift to Ye Danxia wouldn't include that.

What she was doing now, was gambling.

Gambling on Zhao Wuji's bias.

Gambling that he would back up her lie.