Do you really think you can get me with just a banana?

The weather was fine this morning, but for some reason it was covered with dark clouds at noon. A dark cloud came from nowhere and blocked the sunlight in the sky. The surroundings suddenly became as dark as night, which made people feel depressed and bored, just like Qiu Shui Sword Lady.

Because of Si Xuanqing's incident, Tianxuan Dao Sect strictly blocked the news and closed the mountain gate. The outside world had been speculating about Tianxuan Dao Sect's actions, and now suddenly the matter of Si Hongyin and Song Ziye was reported.

If it is just a relationship between two ordinary disciples, it is not a big deal even if it is known to outsiders. Instead, it is something worth blessing.

However, rumors spread that Si Hongyin and Song Ziye had been childhood sweethearts, secretly harboring feelings for each other but never making them known. During this period, Si Hongyin misbehaved, flirting with Song Ziye while also becoming involved with another disciple of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion. Though gifted and beautiful, the disciple came from a humble background and mistakenly took Si Hongyin's joke seriously, ultimately leading to his ruthless abandonment.

Even when Song Ziye went up the mountain, she had an ambiguous relationship with him, and it seemed that she had gone too far and became pregnant. It was because of this immoral thing that the Tianxuan Dao Sect quickly blocked the news.

This rumor has been passed around for many times and has evolved into multiple versions, some of which are exaggerated and describe how Si Hongyin is shameless and how she and Song Ziye committed adultery in broad daylight.

Since you readers probably aren't interested, I won't explain it in detail here.

What really makes people angry and dissatisfied is that the cuckolded hero Yan Ruchen in the story, because of his humble background, is manipulated by powerful people and is unable to resist. This plot deeply touches the hearts of the common people.

The public echoed this sentiment, questioning: Should people be treated as pawns simply because they were born into poverty? Are the emotions and dignity of ordinary people unworthy of respect?

Although this incident diverted the outside world's attention from the Si Xuanqing incident to some extent, the reputation of both Tianxuan Mountain and Zixiao suffered severe damage and suffered unprecedented negative impact.

That's why Yuan Chongxiao came to Tianxuan to discuss countermeasures. Otherwise, he would not care about such a small matter at all. However, since it concerns the reputation of the two major sects, how to deal with it is very important.

He even regretted that he should not have borrowed Song Ziye to Tianxuan earlier, and such a thing happened.

Now, no one cares whether Si Hongyin and Song Ziye are having an affair or not. Everyone just wants to find a way to stop the outside world from gossiping. They must explain the matter clearly and at the same time, they must find a perfect solution that does not let the matter of Si Xuanqing be revealed. The elders and Yuan Chongxiao gathered here to come up with such a solution.

As for whether it is an affair or not, only the parties involved care.

Yan Ruchen understood this principle. He had no say in the matter and could only listen to the arrangements made by the Council of Elders and follow their lead. Although Song Ziye wanted to refute them, he still had a clear grasp of the major issues. He waited until the Council of Elders came up with a plan before explaining his situation with Si Hongyin in detail.

But Si Hongyin couldn't sit still.

She was already heartbroken over her father's tragic death. The days of investigating the case and dealing with sect affairs had left her with no time to rest, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted. Now, she was being accused of being unfaithful to her husband. This double blow was simply unbearable. Everything was moving so fast, it was obvious someone had orchestrated it.

Si Hongyin looked at Song Yin and Guan Shanyu beside her. One of them was a suspect related to her father's death, and the other was a junior sister who reported her misconduct. The actions of these two people were always directed at the Si family. She felt that they were clearly spies sent by the outer sect, who wanted to deliberately create chaos in Tianxuan to achieve their own goals.

The more Si Hongyin thought about it, the angrier she became, and her breathing became faster and faster. She couldn't suppress the anger in her heart no matter what she did. The grievances she had suffered in the past few days made her collapse in an instant. So when everyone was caught off guard, Si Hongyin, who was kneeling, suddenly stood up and slapped Song Yin in the face.

There was a crisp "pop" sound.

Song Yin fell to the ground, clutching her face. She didn't react for a long time, then she heard Si Hongyin scolding her, "Are you resentful of my usual harshness, or are you like Guan Shanyu, being sent to frame me? Why do you always have to make things difficult for our Si family?"

Everyone was stunned. Guan Shanyu, fearing Si Hongyin would crawl over and slap him again, quickly retreated to a corner and curled up in a ball. Seeing this, Song Ziye wanted to step forward to comfort her, but he felt the timing was wrong. He could only calmly advise, "Hongyin, there's no solid evidence yet. Don't be impulsive or speak rashly!"

Si Hongyin's eyes were red with grievance. She pointed at Song Ziye and shouted excitedly, "What right do they have to slander me like this? Brother Ziye, can you kneel here to change anything? Today they attacked our family, tomorrow it could be you, or someone else. Isn't the black hand behind this obvious? Don't you guys notice it at all?"

"Hongyin, that's enough!"

Qiushui Jianji sternly stopped him, slamming the table angrily, "Don't forget your identity! If there's a problem, solve it calmly. What's the point of making a fuss? It will only make things worse!"

Si Hongyin's eyes were red as she glared at Qiushui Jianji. There wasn't a trace of fear in them, only resentment and despair. Yan Ruchen, watching from the side with a frown, saw clearly that the double blow of her father's death and the destruction of her innocence had already weakened her spirit, like a taut thread that would break at the slightest strain. In such a situation, how could she care less about her dignity?

But it was not his turn to speak yet, so Yan Ruchen gently turned his head away and did not look at her again, just hoping that she would not say anything excessive.

Jin Yunche and Yue Lingwu shook their heads repeatedly and looked at Si Hongyin with displeasure. After all, there was a leader of the Purple Sky Spiritual Realm here, and such a loss of composure was indeed inappropriate.

But they didn't say it out loud after all, but the action of shaking their heads might have irritated Si Hongyin.

Si Hongyin glanced around at everyone in the main hall of the Elders' Council, and finally fixed his gaze on Qiushui Jianji and the others. He suddenly burst into a sharp and sarcastic laugh:

"Haha, what you're saying about the demons causing trouble, isn't that all just an excuse? Or is this all just a drama you wrote and directed yourself? You knew that the Heavenly Sword Pavilion was powerful, and that there were rumors outside that we were going to set up our own sect, but did you just believe them? So you got rid of my father first, and now it's my turn? Then who will be the next target? It can't be..."

"Si Hongyin!"

Qiu Shui Swordswoman slammed the table with such force that the solid Tai Chi table was split in two. The loud bang accompanied by flying wood chips instantly shocked the whole audience.

Everyone was shocked and looked at each other. The atmosphere was so heavy that water could drip from it.

Although Qiu Shui Jian Ji's temper wasn't usually very good, this was the first time she'd been seen so furious. Everyone was afraid to speak, remaining silent and trembling. Qiu Shui Jian Ji was afraid Si Hongyin would say something outrageous again, so she immediately ordered the two female disciples standing outside the door, "What are you standing there for? Quickly take your senior sister away and let her have a good rest! Without my order, don't step out of the room. Wait until the matter is fully investigated before making any plans!"

Two female disciples of Ziwei Society responded immediately and swiftly lifted Si Hongyin up. Although she struggled desperately and tried to explain herself, one of the disciples quickly covered her mouth and she was eventually half-dragged away from the main hall.

The main hall suddenly became quiet.

But Si Hongyin's cursing outside the house did not stop. Words like "the cuckoo taking over the magpie's nest", "blind", "can't judge people well" and so on could be heard continuously. Everyone in the house remained silent until the cursing completely died down.

Yuan Chongxiao kept his eyes closed throughout the entire process, but he couldn't hide his worry, sighing repeatedly. Once the scene had completely quieted down, the disciples of Xuanshuangju quickly rushed forward to clean up the place and replace the tables, performing their tasks with a well-trained and smooth process.

Jin Yunche smiled bitterly and stroked his forehead, appearing quite helpless. Yan Ruchen stood aside, looking at the direction where Si Hongyin left, feeling powerless and could only sigh deeply.

Qiushui Sword Lady sat down heavily again and slammed her palm on the new table. Seeing everyone sighing, she couldn't help but scold, "How shameless it is for you to sigh so loudly. I summoned you all to the Elders' Council to find a solution, not to have a competition to see who can sigh the loudest!"

Yue Lingwu spread his hands and said helplessly, "Then do you have any good ideas that can both silence the outside world and prevent Senior Brother Si's affairs from being spread? Tell me about it and I'll consider it."

Qiushui Sword Lady was silent for a moment. Yue Lingwu scoffed disdainfully, then continued to sigh. Unexpectedly, Qiushui Sword Lady turned her gaze to Yan Ruchen and said slowly, "There is a way, but Ruchen, you may have to suffer a little."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ruchen was stunned for a moment before bowing respectfully. "Elder Qiushui, you are too kind. I am willing to help the sect. If you need anything, I will do my best."

Everyone looked at each other, confused. Just as they were about to ask, Qiushui Sword Lady stood up and said:

"The solution is actually very simple. If we want to calm public opinion without causing panic among the sects, let Si Hongyin and Song Ziye get married as soon as possible."

Now not only the seniors in the main hall were shocked, but even Guan Shanyu, who had been huddled in the corner, jumped up and screamed, "What?!"