Hehuan Poison?
Lan Feier, Qing Zhu, and the other five Phoenix Hairpins fought over the chance to engage in Dual Cultivation with Gu Qingfeng?
They even came to blows over it?
And despite all that, Gu Qingfeng actually refused?
In the end, the five Phoenix Hairpins, both Great and Little, flew into a rage from shame and jointly besieged Gu Qingfeng?
They exerted every ounce of their strength yet failed to budge Gu Qingfeng an inch?
Heavens!
Was this true or false?
Could this be possible?
Xiao Jinr's words truly caused an uproar within the hall. Those unaware of the truth were all speculating about its veracity. This time, not only did the three Little Phoenix Hairpins—Lan Feier, Shui Yunruo, and Huo Wu Chenyue—panic, but even the expressions of the two Great Phoenix Hairpins, Xiao Danrou and Qing Zhu, who had been calmly handling the situation moments before, changed repeatedly, and they lost their composure.
"Xiao Jinr, how could you spout such nonsense!"
"Jin'er!
You've been deceived!
Nothing like that ever happened!"
"I have never been afflicted by any Hehuan Poison!"
"I had never even laid eyes on this man surnamed Gu before, how could I have begged him for Dual Cultivation!
Jin'er, you must have been tricked by someone!"
The five Phoenix Hairpins, Great and Little, could no longer maintain their calm. Each rushed forward, vehemently denying the claims, publicly stating they had never been poisoned by Hehuan Poison, much less begged Gu Qingfeng for Dual Cultivation.
Originally, no one had doubted the matter, and everyone thought it impossible. However, the five Phoenix Hairpins' intense reaction, their hurried denials and explanations, especially the unconcealable panic on their faces, gave off a distinct feeling of protesting too much.
Many clearly remembered that when the Black-Raven Secret Realm erupted in chaos, Lan Feier and Shui Yunruo emerged with disheveled clothing, flushed cheeks, and chaotic spiritual auras that seemed mixed with disordered Yin-Yang energy. At the time, some suspected they might have encountered something within the Black-Raven Secret Realm, but upon further thought, it seemed impossible, so the matter hadn't drawn much attention.
Now, thinking back carefully, the incident back then was indeed quite suspicious!
Especially the panicked demeanor of the five Phoenix Hairpins—no matter how one looked at it, it seemed like they were hiding something.
Could it be...
Could it be true?
Did the five Phoenix Hairpins truly fall victim to Hehuan Poison in the Black-Raven Secret Realm?
Did they truly fight over the chance for Dual Cultivation with Gu Qingfeng?
Good heavens!
It can't be true, can it?
Each of the five Phoenix Hairpins possessed beauty that could sink fish and down geese. If they had actively sought Dual Cultivation, what man under heaven could refuse?
Moreover, given the five's strength, how could it be possible that they exerted their full power yet failed to budge Gu Qingfeng an inch?
The crowd in the hall buzzed with discussion, speculating about the truth of the matter.
Lan Feier and the other four desperately denied and explained, but the more they explained, the more muddled they became; the more they denied, the more suspicious they appeared.
In a fit of rage, Xiao Danrou directly charged forward, drew a long sword, pointed it at Gu Qingfeng, glared with furious eyes, and shouted sternly, "You, surnamed Gu!
Quickly tell everyone whether this happened or not!"
"Gu Qingfeng!
I have never met you before, how could you fabricate such lies!"
"You, surnamed Gu!
You scoundrel, when did this young lady ever beg you for Dual Cultivation!"
"Despicable and shameless villain, you actually coached an innocent young girl!
You have absolutely no shame!"
"Gu Qingfeng, I advise you to clarify this matter immediately. Otherwise, I, Qing Zhu, will be irreconcilably opposed to you from this day forth!"
Xiao Danrou, Qing Zhu, Lan Feier, Shui Yunruo, and Huo Wu Chenyue all rushed over, threatening Gu Qingfeng with fierce momentum to clarify the matter. Judging by their angry expressions, it seemed that if Gu Qingfeng dared utter a single word of refusal, the five women, for the sake of their own reputations, would not hesitate to attack.
Xiao Jinr was terrified. Young and naive, she had spoken of the matter simply to have the five women prove Gu Qingfeng's prowess. How could she have known it concerned the women's chastity and honor? Seeing Lan Feier and the others pointing their swords at Gu Qingfeng, Xiao Jinr was about to speak when Gu Qingfeng quickly pulled her into his arms, signaling her to say no more.
Who knew how much that mysterious 'big sister' Jin'er mentioned had told her? The situation was chaotic enough already; Gu Qingfeng didn't want the little girl speaking further. Looking at the five Phoenix Hairpins before him, Gu Qingfeng felt utterly speechless. He also knew this matter concerned their reputations, so he loudly declared:
"Ahem, everyone, listen to me. Nothing like this ever happened. I am unacquainted with these five young ladies and have never been to any Black-Raven Secret Realm. Perhaps someone who dislikes me deliberately coached Xiao Jinr to sow discord. But everyone, please don't believe it!"
Sitting in the four-horse carriage, holding Xiao Jinr, Gu Qingfeng addressed the crowd: "Think about it. If the five young ladies and I were all in the Black-Raven Secret Realm, and if they were poisoned by Hehuan Poison, then I surely would have been too. These five sisters are first-class great beauties. If they sought Dual Cultivation with me, how could I possibly refuse, right?
No one in their place would refuse. Isn't that right, five sisters?"
Whether out of guilt or something else, when Gu Qingfeng posed this question, the expressions of the five women became very unnatural. They weren't fools; they could naturally hear the implied meaning and sarcasm in Gu Qingfeng's words, mocking them for their superb acting skills.
"Moreover, each of these five sisters possesses extraordinary strength. How could I possibly be their match? If I truly stood there letting them attack me, I would have been beaten to death long ago. Clearly, someone behind the scenes coached Xiao Jinr to frame me. Xiao Jinr is young and doesn't understand things. Others say something, and she believes it. Everyone, don't take it seriously. If the little girl's words have upset you all, I apologize to you on her behalf."
"What 'coached by others'? It was clearly you who coached Xiao Jinr, you despicable, shameless scoundrel! Taking advantage of Xiao Jinr's innocence and kindness, you're truly a bastard!" Huo Wu Chenyue roared in fury. She didn't believe in any 'big sister.' The events of that day in the Black-Raven Secret Realm were known only to themselves and Gu Qingfeng. In her mind, it must have been Gu Qingfeng who told Xiao Jinr. Not just Huo Wu Chenyue, but the other four women thought the same.
"Chenyue sister, it really wasn't Big Brother who told Jin'er. It was that big sister..." Xiao Jinr tried to explain, but Gu Qingfeng cut her off. He couldn't be bothered to defend himself further and simply took the blame: "Yes, yes, yes. I coached Xiao Jinr. I'm despicable, I'm shameless, alright?
Are the five of you satisfied now?"
Satisfied?
The five women were not satisfied.
With the Black-Raven Secret Realm incident exposed, even if they forced Gu Qingfeng to clarify now and even if everyone believed it, there would still be gossip and rumors more or less in the future. How could the five women be satisfied?
But what could they do even if they weren't satisfied?
The Black-Raven Secret Realm incident was, after all, true. They knew better than anyone how terrifying Gu Qingfeng was. Facing such a mysteriously bizarre and outrageously powerful existence, even if they didn't want to, they had no choice but to accept their loss.
"Since the matter has been clarified, let's leave it at that, shall we?"
Leave it at that?
For the five Phoenix Hairpins, Great and Little, they could only leave it at that.