I am destroying the protagonist in the fantasy world!

Lei Yi slammed the table, stood up, and with a sharp look around, he shouted, "Everyone!"

The sudden movement and noise made the originally noisy scene suddenly quiet down. Everyone looked at Lei Yi with curiosity and a bit of scrutiny in their eyes.

Lei Yi took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. He knew that anger wouldn't solve anything at this moment; only calmness could resolve the situation. He looked around, his gaze finally landing on Killer Xiao. A sneer curled his lips. "Brother Xiao, since you say I'm just pretending, why don't you tell me what I'm pretending to be? Which of my statements are false?"

Killer Xiao obviously hadn't expected Lei Yi to refute him so directly. He was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "Mr. Lei, everyone knows what kind of person you were before. The fact that you've suddenly become so eloquent, doesn't that make people suspicious?"

"Doubt?" Lei Yi sneered. "Even suspicion requires evidence! Do you think you're being chivalrous by slandering me with empty words?"

Lei Yi paused, his eyes sweeping over the people pointing and criticizing him. He spoke in a loud and powerful voice, "Everyone, I, Lei Yi, was indeed young and reckless in the past, and I did some wrong things, but I'm brave enough to take responsibility for them and never shirk my responsibilities! I admit that I had a bad reputation before, but I'm working hard to change it. Is that wrong?"

"I'm here today to attend this Jianghu gathering to exchange ideas and learn with all the heroes, and to make progress together, not to listen to some unfounded rumors! I, Lei Yi, am upright and have nothing to fear from anyone slandering me!"

Every word Lei Yi spoke was powerful. His gaze was firm and confident, his tone was frank and sincere, and his words were full of power, which infected everyone present.

The crowd gradually quieted down, and the looks that were originally full of suspicion and disdain towards Lei Yi gradually became complicated.

Lei Yi ignored everyone's reactions. He stared directly at Killer Xiao and pressed on: "Brother Xiao, since you say I'm pretending, then tell me, why am I pretending? What good does it do me?"

Killer Xiao was so overwhelmed by Lei Yi's aura that he was speechless for a moment. He stammered, "You...you're definitely trying to clear your name so your Lei family can regain their footing in the martial arts world!"

"Ridiculous!" Lei Yi shouted. "My Lei family has been loyal for generations. Why do we need to whitewash ourselves? Even if I, Lei Yi, want to revive our family's reputation, I will only rely on my own strength, not these hypocritical tricks!"

As he spoke, he turned his gaze towards the crowd and said loudly, "Everyone, I, Lei Yi, swear here today that everything I say is true and there is absolutely no falsehood! If there is even a single lie, I, Lei Yi, will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!"

After Lei Yi finished speaking, he suddenly raised his right hand and pointed it at the sky, his eyes firm and his tone resolute.

There was silence in the crowd. Everyone was intimidated by Lei Yi's aura. No one dared to speak, and no one even dared to breathe loudly.

He Cainv quietly watched Lei Yi from the side, wanting to see how he would deal with this situation. Dongfang Liuli secretly encouraged Lei Yi, her clear eyes filled with worry...

He Cainu observed Lei Yi with great interest. She was no ordinary woman of the Jianghu, but a renowned heroine, possessing a brilliant mind. She had seen too many who claimed to be righteous but were in reality hypocritical, and too many who remained true to their hearts despite the adversity. Lei Yi's performance gave her some hope, but a few impassioned words alone would not be enough to convince her completely. She wanted to see how he would break free, how he would prove his innocence through concrete actions.

Dongfang Liuli hid in the shadows, her heart clenched. She knew Lei Yi better than anyone, and the immense pressure he was under. She longed to emerge and fight alongside him, but she knew she couldn't. She had to hide her identity and protect him, not only for him but also for their shared goal. She could only pray silently in her heart, hoping he would make it through this.

Seeing Lei Yi so strong, Xiao the Assassin began to panic. He had thought he could easily defeat Lei Yi this time, but he hadn't expected him to be so difficult. His eyes swiveled, a plan coming to mind. Just as he was about to interrupt Lei Yi, Lei Yi suddenly turned around, facing the crowd, and spoke loudly: "Everyone, the Jianghu gathers, making friends through martial arts and convincing people through reason. I'm not here today to argue with anyone, but to take this opportunity to clarify some facts. I know that some people here are prejudiced against me, but I believe that if you give me a chance and let me finish my words, everyone will understand what kind of person I am!"

After saying this, he turned to an old man sitting in the main seat and said with a bow, "Master Chairman, is there a rule in Jianghu gatherings that prohibits others from defending themselves?"

The old man was a highly respected figure in the martial arts world, and he held rules in high esteem. He stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and then spoke slowly, "When martial artists gather, they make friends through martial arts and convince others through reason. Therefore, we should allow others to argue their case. My dear nephew, if you disagree, wait until Young Master Lei has finished speaking, and then you can refute him."

Killer Xiao wanted to say something more, but was stopped by the old man's sharp eyes, so he had to shut his mouth in disappointment.

Lei Yi bowed to the old man to express his gratitude, then turned to face the crowd and said slowly, "Everyone, I know there are many rumors about me, but the most important one is nothing more than..." He paused deliberately, his eyes sweeping over the crowd, arousing their curiosity to the highest point, before slowly speaking a few words, "They say I am cruel and ruthless, and will do anything to achieve my goals!"

"Regarding this, I want to say..." Lei Yi took a deep breath, a gleam in his eyes, "This is completely false!"

He looked around, his tone firm and powerful, "Although I, Lei Yi, was young and frivolous and made some mistakes in the past, I have always been open and aboveboard in my actions and never stabbed others in the back. I admit that there were indeed some conflicts between Brother Xiao and me, but there were reasons for that..."

He briefly recounted the previous grudge between him and Killer Xiao. Of course, in the process of narration, he cleverly concealed some information that was unfavorable to himself and deliberately highlighted Killer Xiao's faults.

"...This is how things happened. You can judge for yourself who is right and who is wrong. I, Lei Yi, believe I have acted uprightly and done things with integrity. Why am I being slandered like this?"

His words were half true and half false, but he spoke with sincerity and tears in his eyes. Coupled with the oath he had made before, many people had begun to waver, and there was a bit more sympathy and understanding in their eyes when they looked at him.

Seeing this, Killer Xiao was extremely anxious. Just as he was about to open his mouth to refute, he saw Lei Yi pull out an exquisite wooden box from his arms and slowly open it...

Inside the wooden box, several pieces of paper lay quietly, their yellowed pages showing their age. Lei Yi carefully took out one of them, unfolded it, and faced everyone.

"This letter was written to me by Brother Xiao before we started having problems. It's full of brotherly love and respect." Lei Yi's voice was low, but it carried clearly to every corner. "Please look, everyone. Is this handwriting Brother Xiao's?"

Everyone craned their necks to carefully decipher the letter. The handwriting on the letter was uninhibited and unrestrained, completely different from the deliberately steady style that Killer Xiao usually wore. However, those who knew him well could still discern a hint of familiarity in it.

"This..." Someone hesitated, "This handwriting does look somewhat similar..."

"Just because it bears some resemblance, does that count?" Killer Xiao snorted coldly, "Who knows if this letter is real or fake? Maybe you forged it yourself to deliberately slander me!"

"Whether it's a forgery or not, Brother Xiao will make his own judgment." Lei Yi calmly put the letter away and took out an object from the wooden box. It was a jade pendant engraved with a tiger descending a mountain, and its value was obvious at first glance. "This jade pendant was given to me by Brother Xiao three years ago after we wiped out the Black Wind Village together. He said it was a souvenir."

He raised the jade pendant above his head. In the sunlight, the jade pendant shone brightly, making the tiger look vivid, as if it was about to jump out of the jade pendant.

"This jade pendant is finely crafted and rare in the world. I have seen Brother Xiao wearing it before, so it should not be fake." Someone in the crowd recognized the origin of the jade pendant.

"Yes, this is indeed Xiao's jade pendant." Killer Xiao's face turned pale, but he had to admit it.

"Since Brother Xiao has admitted it, then things will be easy." Lei Yi smiled slightly and put the jade pendant back into the wooden box. "Brother Xiao and I were once as close as brothers, sharing everything. If he hadn't become obsessed with greed, how could I have turned against him?"

His words were reasonable and logical, and with the support of the letter and the jade pendant, many people had begun to believe his words, and their eyes were full of suspicion and dissatisfaction when they looked at Killer Xiao.

Killer Xiao was burning with rage, but he also knew that he could not retreat at this moment, otherwise after today, he would be ruined and would never be able to recover.

"Lei Yi, don't be so complacent!" He waved his hand fiercely. The men behind him understood and immediately stepped forward, holding a stack of papers high in their hands. "My master said that if you dare to slander me today, he will make all the evil things you have done public!"

He threw the stack of papers in his hand into the air, and the papers fluttered down like snowflakes, landing in front of everyone.

"These are all evidence of your evil deeds and the harm you've done to innocent people over the years!" Xiao Sha pointed at the papers and said sternly, "What else do you have to say?"

Lei Yi bent down and picked up a piece of paper. He unfolded it and his expression suddenly turned grim. The paper detailed the course of a murder, and the murderer was...himself!

"This..." His hand trembled slightly as he held the paper, and a storm of fear surged in his heart. This was clearly a frame-up! But where did Killer Xiao get these things?

"What? You have nothing to say?" Seeing him like this, Killer Xiao was secretly delighted, and his tone became even more arrogant. "I advise you to confess your crime and accept the punishment. Perhaps you can..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Lei Yi's sudden sneer.

"Killer Xiao, do you think you can bring me down with just these things?" Lei Yi crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball, staring at him with a sharp gaze, "You are too naive!"

Lei Yi threw the paper ball to the ground and looked around. The crowd was buzzing with discussion, clearly unsettled by the seemingly unfounded "evidence." He took a deep breath, his mind recollecting the clues Dongfang Liuli had uncovered: Killer Xiao was closely associated with the Black Tiger Gang outside the city, and the victims of these so-called "homicides" were often linked to the Black Tiger Gang.

A cold smile curled his lips as he pointed at the papers on the ground and said loudly, "Everyone, these so-called evidence are nothing but lies carefully fabricated by Killer Xiao! Take a closer look. Isn't the timing of these cases too coincidental? They all happened when the Black Tiger Gang was opposing us, and the victims all happened to be enemies of the Black Tiger Gang. Isn't this a means of framing others?"

He paused, his gaze swift as lightning as he swept across the crowd, finally landing on Killer Xiao. "My feud with the Black Tiger Gang is well known to everyone in the martial arts world. I, Lei Yi, act openly and honestly, never shying away from anything. Killer Xiao wants to take this opportunity to pin the Black Tiger Gang's crimes on me. His intentions are truly sinister!"

A sudden cry of surprise erupted from the crowd, and many began to reconsider Killer Xiao. Even those who had previously firmly believed that Lei Yi was a villain began to waver. He Cainv stood in the crowd, watching Lei Yi's calm response from behind, a flicker of admiration in her eyes.

Killer Xiao's face darkened. He hadn't expected Lei Yi to think of this, much less expose his plan in public. Suppressing his rage, he sneered, "Lei Yi, you say I made all this up. Do you have any evidence? You're trying to exonerate yourself with empty words. How ridiculous!"

"Evidence?" Lei Yi sneered. "Of course I have evidence!" He turned to the crowd and shouted, "I came here today to dispel the rumors, but I didn't expect that Killer Xiao would be so deliberate and want to kill me. If I, Lei Yi, was really the unforgivable criminal he claimed to be, why would I come here so unprepared? I had long expected him to frame me, so I asked a highly respected witness to testify on my behalf!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a path automatically opened up in the crowd, and a graceful figure slowly emerged. She was dressed in white, whiter than snow, with a beautiful expression. Her cool demeanor carried a hint of authority that could not be ignored. It was Dongfang Liuli.

"Miss Dongfang?" someone exclaimed in surprise as they recognized her. Dongfang Liuli was renowned throughout the martial arts world, not only for her martial arts prowess but also for her mastery of the art of Qimen Dunjia. She was known for her fairness and rigor. With her testimony, the truth of the matter seemed self-evident.

When Xiao the Killer saw Dongfang Liuli appear, his heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding washed over him. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Dongfang Liuli looked at him coldly, her eyes seemingly seeing through his every thought. He panicked, unable to utter a single word.

Lei Yi looked at Dongfang Liuli and smiled slightly, his eyes full of trust and gratitude. Dongfang Liuli walked over to him, nodded gently, then turned to face the crowd and slowly spoke...

At this moment, a ragged beggar squeezed through the crowd, came to Lei Yi, and handed him a letter: "Master Lei, your letter."

Lei Yi took the letter, unfolded it, and his expression suddenly became solemn. There were only a few short sentences in the letter: The remnants of the Black Wind Village have reappeared, and their target is the Qingyun Sect!