Everyone nodded in silence at the mention of the Grey Wolves.
This was the only scenario that fit their suspicions.
After all, apart from the Grey Wolves, the Chaoyang Sect had no other enemies!
"I'll go raze their lair now!"
Han Ling Shuang rose with haste, about to dash out the door.
Tang Feng and Bai Zhan Chen each grabbed her hand, and Tang Feng said, "Junior Sister, don't be impulsive. You are the only lineage of the Chaoyang Sect now. If you're gone too, our Chaoyang Sect will be..."
Bai Zhan Chen added, "Junior Sister, are you willing to see the Sect Master and the Saintess dead in the main hall? To see our junior brothers and sisters scattered dead in the wilderness?"
Han Ling Shuang stopped in her tracks. The immense sorrow struck her like a bolt from the blue, and she immediately vomited a mouthful of blood, then fainted.
"If it really was the Grey Wolves, my three friends are likely in danger."
"There's no trace of them anywhere. I fear it's to lure you out. However, I truly can't fathom how this entanglement came about."
Even after analyzing it this way, without seeing it firsthand, it was impossible to guess what had actually happened at the time.
Ren Yuan Hao suddenly recalled the 'betrayal' mentioned by the aged voice in the cave! A chill swept through his heart!
— If there was a traitor among them, wouldn't all of this be a natural consequence!
He continued to follow his line of thought, considering who was most likely to be the traitor.
Xiao Yue?
Impossible. That was a complete chance encounter, and she had inadvertently called out his real name. Therefore, Xiao Yue was absolutely not a possibility.
Zhao Yi Shu?
She was the employer, and even the system had judged her character. Moreover, Zhao Wei had indeed died in her apartment. All of these experiences could not have been faked!
The remaining person made him gasp in fear!
Mu Ziyue?
This woman's background was the most peculiar, and she was the first girl he had met in Xiling City. If everything she had done was deliberate, for instance, drinking the burning knife, it was to gain his trust, to accompany him in interrogating the Grey Wolves, to formulate plans with him, and even under such covert circumstances, how could Liu Yu have determined his location? At that time, he had never revealed his abilities!
Thinking of this, Ren Yuan Hao's legs went weak, and he immediately knelt on the ground.
If Mu Ziyue were truly a traitor, then there would be no need to read the confessions of those defecting sects. Mu Ziyue alone would suffice!
By simply sending a coordinate, the Grey Wolves would swarm in. And as someone by Ren Yuan Hao's side, the Sect Master, the Saintess, and even the entire sect would never harbor any suspicion!
"We were all wrong. It was her!"
Ren Yuan Hao laughed with such heartache, such helplessness. He had naively offered to help her rescue her sister, only to be manipulated from the very beginning.
Calling him her 'brother' was complete nonsense. When he was attacked that night, even if he hadn't shielded Mu Ziyue from the blade, the blade wouldn't have cut her, would it!
— Damn it, I'm such an utter idiot!
The others, not understanding, watched as Ren Yuan Hao kowtowed repeatedly to the two corpses. "Sect Master, Saintess, it's all my fault. Without me, you wouldn't have met this fate. I am a sinner of the Chaoyang Sect!"
As he spoke, Ren Yuan Hao drew his Tang blade, intending to slash his own throat!
Clang!
Yao Yue Sheng drew her sword and blocked Ren Yuan Hao's Wuji Blade.
"What madness are you indulging in by yourself? Can't you talk things out and solve them together? Aren't there enough corpses here already? Do you want to add to the chaos? You are the one holding the reins now, the leader. If you give up, who will seek revenge!"
If Yao Yue Sheng hadn't seen Ren Yuan Hao's utterly dejected state, she would have loved to slap him twice.
"Where did your spirited, strategic demeanor from the competition grounds go? Only spineless men think of suicide!"
Bai Zhan Chen also chimed in, "Brother, we've experienced life and death together. Is there anything that can't be discussed and solved together?"
Tang Feng wiped away his tears and said, "That's right, is there anything that can't be spoken of?"
Ren Yuan Hao's heart turned to ashes, but then he chuckled, "A sinner who has harmed your entire sect, how can I still dare to ask for your trust?"
"What do you know that you're talking about!"
Yao Yue Sheng looked at Ren Yuan Hao with her incomparably beautiful eyes, like a clear spring.
Ren Yuan Hao seemed to see a glimmer of hope, a hint of salvation, in her eyes, which finally prompted him to tell them everything he could think of.
…
"That's how it is. Even my name is fake. I deceived you all~ I~"
As Ren Yuan Hao confessed everything, his heart felt a little lighter.
Tang Feng said, "It's not your fault. If it were any of us, we would likely have fallen into such a trap. But at least you, Ren Yuan Hao, prevented the Eight Kings from ambushing us at the competition grounds. For this, you are a benefactor to our Four Great Sects."
Yao Yue Sheng added, "That's right. You don't need to blame yourself too much. We need to find a way to rectify this. And have you considered, why would Mu Ziyue do this?"
"Mu Ziyue herself is probably not a lie. I guess she was also coerced, monitored me, lured me into a trap, and in exchange, saved her sister," Ren Yuan Hao said with a cold laugh. "Why didn't she believe me? If I said I was going to save her sister, I would have done it. Why!"
Yao Yue Sheng patted his shoulder, seeing such a proud man cry like a child, her heart felt as if it were melting.
"You don't need to be sad. I think Mu Ziyue must have wanted to believe you countless times, and perhaps already believed you. But her sister's life, her only kin in this world, is in the hands of the Grey Wolves. Sometimes, she has to force herself to do those things."
Ren Yuan Hao kowtowed again to the Sect Master and Saintess. "Senior Saintess, you trusted me so much. Without your Qing Xin Jue, I wouldn't have survived until now. However, I, Ren Yuan Hao, have made a grave mistake. I have no face to remain in the Chaoyang Sect, nor the face to see you. I will go and seek revenge now. I promise you, I will bring the heads of those who killed you to your graves."
Ren Yuan Hao prostrated himself and kowtowed, his forehead bleeding. Unable to control his emotions for a moment, the violent internal energy within him surged, and he immediately vomited a mouthful of blood!
But he did not faint. Instead, he propped himself up with the Wuji Blade and stumbled down the mountain gate.
"Ren Yuan Hao!"
Yao Yue Sheng rushed down and, before she could reach Ren Yuan Hao's side, saw him fall headfirst to the ground, spewing blood.
"Ren Yuan Hao, wake up! Don't scare me~"
…