7. They Wanted You to Tell the Truth
The banquet was suddenly stained with blood, a turn of events no one had anticipated.
Looking at Baili Yue’s feigned panic, shouting for his guards, one would think he had nothing to do with it.
—This guy truly deserved an acting award.
Gong Yiling calmly surveyed the scene. Besides the Returning Heaven Sect, who seemed to be trying to help, the others, including Tianyin Daoist Mountain and the remaining Sword Alliance ancestors…
They didn’t even try to deal with the archers outside, but instead turned to protect the ignored Baili Yue.
To avoid getting involved, they would resort to anything.
“Heh… hahaha, hahahaha—”
Watching this ridiculous performance, the long-silent Gong Yiling couldn’t help but laugh.
“If you want someone to die, at least let them die with dignity. That’s what a true king would do.” She stood up, walked to the center of the hall, her hands behind her back, and said sternly, “If the king wants his subject to die, the subject must die. But you can’t even say the first half of the sentence, yet you want to take a life.”
“Baili Yue, how insecure is your throne?”
The next volley of arrows flew from both sides.
However, they were all intercepted by a dark aura before they could travel far. The aura returned to Gong Yiling’s hand and disappeared, and she removed her veil, revealing her face to everyone.
Besides the stunning beauty, everyone immediately realized one thing.
Her appearance, and her earlier actions… could she be!?
“Gong Yiling!?” Tian Zhenyin, still in the hall, immediately recognized the face and looked at her with a distorted expression. “You… why!”
“What? You thought that person who just left was me?” Miss Gong crossed her arms and sneered. “Without a few tricks up my sleeve, how could I have deceived you into carrying out my plan?”
“Wantonly slaughtering the officials who have dedicated their lives to the Baiyao Dynasty, Baili Yue, compared to that scoundrel Shangguan Long, you still have a long way to go.”
Hearing this, the ministers behind her were shocked, and Baili Yue himself roared, “Even if you are the Young Palace Master of the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace, you shouldn’t slander me.”
“Why would I kill them?”
“I know why you would kill them, but if I were to say it, it wouldn’t be very credible.”
Gong Yiling clapped her hands.
Suddenly, a woman crashed through the window, holding two men in black, armed with crossbows.
She casually tossed them to the ground, then her body dissolved into a pile of dirt.
“An earth puppet…!?”
The Sword Alliance ancestors exchanged glances, immediately recognizing whose spiritual art this was.
“Gong Muzhi!” They looked around alertly, trying to find the puppet’s controller.
Seeing their nervousness, Gong Yiling turned to the shocked ministers and said, “If I’m not mistaken, these people should have been dealt with.”
“And you saw, these high and mighty figures didn’t seem to care about the assassins’ origins, but rather who caught them.”
“So, you should understand who wanted to kill you.”
Hearing her words, the ministers were skeptical. After all, her identity as the Young Palace Master of the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace made her words less credible.
But… Baili Yue and the three Sword Alliance leaders’ attitudes were indeed strange. And even now, the imperial guards and the Red and Black Demon Slayers hadn’t appeared.
With their mobilization capabilities, how could there be no news?
“Miss Gong!” Baili Yue continued, “Although I don’t know your intentions, my actions are clear for all to see. These assassins have nothing to do with me, and I have no reason to publicly kill these ministers at this event.”
“Is that so?” Gong Yiling raised an eyebrow.
At this point, Baili Yue’s plan had already failed.
Although there were casualties among the ministers, the core of the court was still intact. Whether the remaining officials believed him or not, the seeds of suspicion had been sown.
The next time something like this happened, they would immediately think of him, and they would be wary of any large gatherings.
However… this wasn’t enough.
She wanted to use this opportunity to at least tarnish the Baili royal family’s reputation.
“Baili Yue, would you like to hear what these two have to say?” Gong Yiling pointed at the two men on the ground. “Their words should be of some value, right?”
“Wait,” Baili Yue interrupted her and said to one of the Sword Alliance members beside him, “The truth-telling pill, bring it to Miss Gong.”
Well, this guy had even prepared for this. He seemed quite confident.
The most likely reason was that these men didn’t know who their mastermind was from the start.
So even if they confessed, they would only implicate some unknown figure.
And this was exactly what Baili Yue had planned.
He had deliberately formed a team where no one knew who they were working for. Even if something went wrong, there would be no evidence linking it back to the Baili royal family.
“Miss Gong, you can listen to what they have to say, and you’ll know how foolish your guess is.”
Gong Yiling just glanced at him, then forced the truth-telling pills into the two men’s mouths.
Then, she asked, “You two, do you know who your mastermind is?”
The two men seemed to be resisting the effects of the pill, but in the end, they could only nod reluctantly.
“Then… tell me now, who made you do this?”
“It was…”
Under everyone’s gaze, the two black-clad men, after a long and arduous struggle with their own will, finally squeezed out the answer.
“It was… it was the Baili royal family!”
This answer stunned everyone and wiped the smile off Baili Yue’s face.
No… how could this be? How could their answer be this…!?
