Refuse to trample on the pride of heaven

Lu Wensheng frowned slightly, sorting through his memories: "According to the dossier, you attempted to kill someone to steal a treasure. Your target was a newly acquired combat puppet imbued with ancient power by that personal disciple. When you failed to steal the treasure, you ruthlessly killed him. Also killed was an inner disciple who happened to be passing by. It is said that he witnessed your crime and was silenced. The witnesses who identified you all gave consistent testimonies, saying that they had many disagreements with you in the past..."

Then Lu Wensheng changed the subject, his brown eyes flashing: "However, there are many strange things - first of all, with the talent and skill you showed in puppetry at that time, you had already surpassed your teacher and were rarely matched by your peers in the sect."

That so-called puppet is certainly valuable, but is it truly worth risking everything for you, committing murder and robbery, and ruining your future? That's one point.

"Secondly," Lu Wensheng's voice became clearer, "after the incident, all the disciples who testified against you were people who were on good terms with the murdered inner disciple. Their testimonies seemed seamless, but they were too uniform and seemed deliberate."

According to the scattered information I've gathered, you didn't have a close relationship with the murdered disciple, nor any past grudges. However, you did have a few unpleasant arguments with the inner disciple who 'happened' to be passing by and was killed, over the distribution of puppet materials.

His gaze sharpened, as if piecing together fragments: "I suspect the truth might be quite the opposite. The one who truly coveted the treasure and sought to steal it was probably the murdered inner disciple."

He may have accidentally learned that his disciple had obtained a treasure, and, driven by greed, secretly followed him, waiting for an opportunity to strike, only to be caught by you.

Fearing his deeds would be exposed, he tried to silence you first, but he was outmatched and was either subdued or accidentally killed by you.

The other disciples who were close to him and were present at the time, seeing that things were escalating, either to protect themselves or because they were already involved, decided to coordinate their stories and pin the murder on you, someone who was not on good terms with them and had no powerful connections.

Lu Wensheng's tone carried a barely perceptible sigh: "At the time, the evidence in this case seemed conclusive, but upon closer examination, there were many suspicious points. However... at the time, I'm afraid no one was willing or dared to investigate further."

Lu Wensheng's meticulous analysis was objective and calm, not an attempt to exonerate Qu Yanhui, but a deduction based on facts and logic.

What he revealed was precisely the heavy fog that shrouded the "ironclad case" back then.

Yes, Lu Wensheng, a thoughtful person who had been away for a long time, was able to see that Qu Yanhui was innocent as soon as he investigated. Why did no one investigate further at the time?

Is it because they're too lazy to expend the effort to overturn the case of an insignificant disciple? Or... are they unwilling to touch upon the deeply entrenched network of interests and rigid hierarchy within the Kui Sect, where a single move could have far-reaching consequences?

Within the Kui Zong sect, factional infighting is rampant, and powerful clans abound.

A disciple with no background but exceptional talent, who might even threaten the position of some, versus a group of disciples with varying degrees of influence and who all speak with one voice... which is more important?

In some people's view, maintaining 'stability' and quickly resolving the case to quell the storm is far more important than investigating the so-called 'wrongful conviction' of a 'reclusive genius'.

Within the hierarchical and oppressive Kui Sect, Qu Yanhui, a rootless, exceptionally talented but unsociable individual, was undoubtedly the perfect scapegoat in the eyes of some.

His very existence is a kind of "original sin".

Some high-ranking members of the Kui Zong faction may need such an "ironclad case" to balance their factions and cover up certain shady dealings, and Qu Yanhui is precisely the chosen pawn that can be sacrificed at will.

However, despite their meticulous planning, they ultimately underestimated the resilience, intelligence, and... the vengeful flames that could erupt when this "chess piece" was driven to the brink of despair, flames powerful enough to incinerate everything.

Who could have predicted that this young man, abandoned by his sect and misunderstood by the world, would struggle out of his predicament and not only reach an astonishing height in the art of puppetry, but also, after cultivating demonic arts, earn a fearsome reputation that would make all forces take notice?

As for Kui Zong, who met a tragic end... his fate is no secret.

Several years after Qu Yanhui's defection and the rise of his demonic reputation, the major sects were busy hunting down spies, and Lu Wensheng learned about it from Jun Ning.

Overnight, the gates of Kui Zong Mountain were breached by an army of countless raging demons and unpredictable puppets.

That was not a simple massacre of the entire family; it was more like a premeditated, cruel, and precise act of revenge.

According to a very few peripheral disciples who managed to escape, flames soared into the sky that night, and the once magnificent palace was reduced to ruins by the demonic fire and the self-destruction of the puppets.

Many of the disciples and deacons who had testified against Qu Yanhui, or who had bullied him, and even a few elders who had an ambiguous attitude towards the matter at the time, were torn apart by the powerful puppets or devoured by demons, their deaths were extremely tragic.

He repaid his former "master's" "cultivation" and "favor" in a way that was almost cruel and destructive to the very foundation.

Everyone says that this is Qu Yan Hui's bloody revenge against her former sect after she defected to the Demon Clan, using the Demon Clan's power. It is irrefutable proof of her wolfish ambition and cruelty.

Few people delve into whether behind that tragedy lies a deliberately forgotten injustice and a heart driven to desperation, ultimately twisted into a vengeful desire.

How many of these are bitter fruits that ultimately stemmed from the evil seeds sown years ago? Is it their own fault, or is it the cycle of karma? Thinking about it now, one can't help but sigh with regret.

Who could have imagined that the old case, almost nailed to the pillar of shame, might hide such a convoluted truth? A brilliant young man, who did not perish on the perilous path of cultivation, was destroyed by the framing of his fellow disciples and the indifference of his sect.

A long silence fell over the Lark puppet.

Qu Yanhui listened to Lu Wensheng's clear and logical speculation, which almost perfectly reconstructed the truth of what happened back then, through the puppet, and remained silent for a long time.

On the other end, he could almost hear the dull, sluggish beating of his own heart, which had long been frozen in his chest.

The humiliation, anger, and despair that he had deliberately forgotten, as well as a bittersweet feeling that he himself was unwilling to admit was being understood, rose up like sediment, impacting his strong mental defenses.

After a long silence, Qu Yanhui's voice, tinged with complex emotions, drifted back again, less mocking and more hoarse and indescribable:

"...It is rare that in this turbid world, there are still people...willing to go through those old papers and say a few words...of fairness."

He neither admitted nor denied it.

But this reaction already says a lot.

The truth is often far more cruel than what the world sees.

The ice in the hearts of the wronged cannot be easily melted by a few words of justice.

Qu Yanhui's voice returned to its usual cold and sarcastic tone: "Hmph, but as I've already said, it's because you... took care of the old man."

I, Qu Yanhui, am clear about gratitude and resentment, and I dislike owing favors. Guiding you here today is my way of repaying that debt. From this day forward, we are even. Don't presume to think I'm some kind of benevolent person who remembers old friendships and has returned home after a long period of disloyalty.

His words were spoken with absolute certainty, as if he wanted to sever all possible emotional ties with a single stroke.

However, none of the people present were dull-witted.

If he were truly so cold-hearted and only wanted to repay a favor, there would have been other ways. Why would he personally risk his life to set up puppets to guide him at the bottom of this demonic abyss, and then reveal such an important secret?

Beneath these seemingly awkward words and actions, perhaps lies a trace of sincerity that he himself is unwilling to face, a lingering affection for the faint warmth of the past.