Chapter 136

“The Saintess’s case is going to trial next Sunday. Sigh… who would’ve imagined that the Saintess, who always seemed so pure and flawless, would commit such a brutal murder?”

Inside the tavern, the man’s sigh sounded regretful on the surface, yet it couldn’t conceal the underlying excitement of gossip.

He went on animatedly, his face slightly flushed. “Tell me, why do you think she killed them? This might not even be the Saintess’s first time killing. The more pure and spotless someone appears, the more likely they are to…”

“That’s enough. Everyone’s witnessed the Saintess’s good deeds in the Lower District. The trial hasn’t even begun yet!”

“How naive. Why would you sympathize with Ye Zheng, a noble lady? Her father’s the Chief Justice. Do we even need to speculate about the outcome?”

“I read in the newspaper that the two civilian researchers she killed were ordinary people without abilities. They came from poor families, finally managed to secure stable jobs to barely support their wives and children, and then this happened…”

Someone took a sip of wine and couldn’t help but sigh, their voice brimming with sympathy.

“By the way, what exactly was that experiment in the Western District about? Why has no one been talking about it anymore?”

“I heard it was research related to abilities, trying to use some kind of external force to enhance strength. In the end, the noble lady’s child had an accident and ended up dragging all the ordinary people in the Western District into disaster.”

These past few days, the tavern had been unusually bustling. Pei Xi and his two teammates sat in a small booth, listening to the heated arguments outside with grim expressions, unusually quiet.

Before heading to the Western District, the three of them had sat here and decided to go look for Lu Qi. Now that they had returned, it was still just the three of them sitting here once again.

While tracking the traces of the Fallen Ones, Pei Xi had run into Lu Qi in York Town. She’d seemed extremely rushed. When she saw him again, there was no joy on her face, only startled fluster. She told him she needed to stay behind to reassure her frightened family and couldn’t return to the Eastern District with them for the competition for the time being.

After their extensive time as comrades, Pei Xi needed only a single glance at Lu Qi’s subtly evasive expression to realize that she was being untruthful.

He encouraged Lu Qi to stay with her family, then completely gave up on following Sykes’s team to track Sela and the Fallen Ones. Deep down, he had a vague suspicion that Lu Qi might still be in contact with Ye Zheng.

After that, the dragon-boned people seemed to have disappeared entirely. There wasn’t a single rumor or trace of activity, nor had they caused any harm to ordinary people as everyone had anticipated.

……Ye Zheng had been right. She hadn’t done anything wrong, at least, not based on what they could see so far.

Once he realized this, a heavy weight settled over Pei Xi’s heart, making it difficult for him to breathe. Why had he so rashly stood against Ye Zheng back then? He likely resisted admitting Ye Zheng was right because such an acknowledgment would strip all meaning from his personal struggles and the tragic loss of Aunt Mingyue.

If Ye Zheng truly had a way to restore them, then what Sykes had killed weren’t monsters, but the elders who had once carefully looked after him.

A sudden crash of tables and chairs overturning, followed by the sounds of fierce scuffling, erupted from outside. Pei Xi snapped back to his senses and looked over, another group had started fighting over Ye Zheng again.

“Pei Xi, have you made your decision? You’re not going to testify as a witness?” Roy suddenly asked.

Probably because Pei Xi had interacted with Ye Zheng in the base and had even seen her carrying Kieran’s head, the noble accusing Ye Zheng wanted him to appear in court and testify, to prove that Ye Zheng was cruel and bloodthirsty.

Pei Xi shook his head. “I don’t like getting involved with those nobles.”　

Roy said, “Ye Zheng nearly got you killed. Calling her an enemy wouldn’t be wrong. Pei Xi, maybe you should be a bit colder. Besides, didn’t the emperor also hint that you should go?”

Pei Xi frowned. “His Majesty didn’t intend for me to testify. He probably thought I was friends with Ye Zheng and merely gave me a seat to observe the trial.”

He looked at Roy, his eyes filled with disapproval. Roy shrugged and replied, “Fine. Anyway, you’re not an important witness. Whether Ye Zheng can turn things around still depends on herself.”

“However, I don’t agree with your naive view of the emperor, Pei Xi. He is… Ha.”

Roy cut himself off halfway. Pei Xi stared at him in confusion, feeling that Roy’s attitude was somewhat odd. But Roy had always been enigmatic and occasionally temperamental. He disliked others prying into his affairs, so Pei Xi didn’t press him further.

“Hey, guys, besides the Saintess Ye Zheng’s case, don’t we have something even more troublesome to deal with?”

Kyle raised his hand, his voice cautious as he interrupted the discussion about the emperor.

“What should we do with these documents?”

All three of them shifted their gazes to the stack of white papers lying on the table.

Several days earlier, while everyone was still in the Western District, when Pei Xi and his two teammates left the base with Sykes to stop Zhou Yun, they learned that the base had been breached and overrun by the Fallen Ones. Worried about Lu Qi, who was still inside the base, Roy and Kyle had decided to return to search for her.

They hadn’t found Lu Qi. By the time they arrived, the base was already in complete ruins. However, while searching for her, they had accidentally uncovered something.

✧✧✧✧✧

Inside a certain guest room in the imperial palace.

The glow from the phone screen illuminated Ye Zheng’s face. Too many things had happened recently. She hadn’t opened her phone for a long time and hadn’t had the chance to check the forums.

Ye Zheng’s rapidly surging popularity made her intensely curious about how readers now perceived her. However, she could only push that curiosity aside for the moment. She had far more important matters to deal with.

——The preview of the original manga.

Her fingertips skillfully swiped across the screen until she stopped on a certain colored page.

On the screen, three young men were gathered around a table, their expressions a mix of anger and sorrow as they argued fiercely about something.

“Lu Qi hasn’t completely turned into a Fallen One yet. There must still be a way to save her! This information points directly to Wen Jian. That means he definitely has a method!”

“Use this information to threaten Wen Jian? The Pope being involved in such an experiment would be a massive scandal, but Wen Jian has countless ways to suppress any rumors.”

“No, we still have Ye Zheng. She’s the Saintess of the church. She might be able to negotiate with him. We only want Lu Qi to return to normal. Wen Jian has no reason to refuse.”

Ye Zheng slightly tilted her head back and carefully reviewed the original plot development once again.

In the original storyline, Ye Zheng hadn’t saved Lu Qi. The Cloud Soarers team had wanted to restore Lu Qi, who had half-transformed into a Fallen One. They planned to use the information related to Wen Jian that they’d discovered in the base to force him into helping restore Lu Qi.

That’s right. In the original plot, she, Ye Zheng, had still been a member of the Cloud Soarers team.

Ye Zheng stared at the inconspicuous stack of white papers on the colored manga page, feeling a trace of unease. What exactly was written inside that was connected to Wen Jian?

If she could prove that Wen Jian had any ties to the three people accusing her of murder, or directly establish that they were acting under the church, then there’d be a chance for this trial to be transferred to the church’s jurisdiction. Although the church wouldn’t necessarily favor her, having an additional path was always better than having none.

Ye Zheng lightly brushed her fingers across the phone screen. She was currently confined within the imperial palace, where every single move she made would undoubtedly be watched, including Heath, who was handling errands on her behalf.

That was why she could only have Heath take care of minor tasks for her. If any crucial evidence were intercepted by those with vested interests, her position would only become even more passive and constrained.

After considering it for a moment, Ye Zheng chose not to act for the time being. As the protagonist, Pei Xi would certainly appear in court. She could adapt to the situation when the time came. Even though this trial didn’t exist in the original plot, Ye Zheng believed it would inevitably become a significant part of the manga.

『Of course! You’re now the top-ranking, most popular villain. You might lose to the protagonist, but you’ll never fall because of some absurd trial!』

The system spoke up in encouragement.

Even though it said that, in truth it wasn’t entirely confident. This sudden trial had introduced far too many variables. Every individual’s decisions and attitudes could influence the final outcome, the emperor, the Pope, the protagonist’s group, the noble factions… And naturally, the most unpredictable variable of all was still Ye Zheng herself.

Strangely, whenever it thought of Ye Zheng, the system felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance. Ye Zheng had always been the one who stirred storms in others’ lives. Those who intended to bring her down were the ones who ought to pray for their own fortune.

『Don’t worry. Although public opinion about you is extremely heated both within and beyond the manga, more and more people are starting to like you.』

　　Ye Zheng hadn’t yet had the chance to check the feedback on the forums, but she could already guess that her actions in the Western District would stir up quite a bit of controversy. The girl pressed her lips together and let out a helpless smile. “Liking me must be pretty exhausting, right?”

『But the happiness you bring them definitely outweighs the hardship, that’s why they keep supporting you.』

『Don’t worry. Your fans are just as energetic as their oshi. Zheng push never cry!』

The system offered its encouragement.

Ye Zheng set her phone aside, leaned back onto the bed, and slowly exhaled. Her dark eyes remained fixed on the luxurious crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

There were still seven days left until the trial. In her mind, Ye Zheng carefully went over the instructions she’d given Wende on the train: track down the dragon-boned individuals Wen Jian was hiding, keep in contact with Annabella, and take care of comforting her mother.

……She wondered whether her mother would come that day. Ye Zheng raised a hand to cover her eyes. Watching her husband and daughter stand in direct opposition to one another would be unbearably cruel for her.

She and Wende shared a special code for communication. Tomorrow, she’d have Heath deliver another message and while she was at it, bring her a copy of Imperial Law and one of Church Law.

Ye Zheng had no idea what moves the opposing side might make, nor what kind of evidence they’d managed to gather. All she could do was make every possible preparation within these seven days. Saintess Ye Zheng couldn’t afford to fall here.

The night grew deeper. After thinking things over for a while, Ye Zheng felt her mind gradually becoming hazy. She simply reached out, switched off the light, and let the room fall into darkness.

There were still seven days until next Sunday’s trial. There was no need to be overly anxious.

Aside from preparing various countermeasures, maintaining a healthy body was just as important. Ye Zheng thought somewhat irreverently that she was still young, she could simply outlast those old fellows.

Tuesday.

In a dim, winding alley, a well-dressed man cautiously glanced around. After confirming there was nothing out of the ordinary, he pulled out a key, aligned it with an inconspicuous small door, and turned the lock with a faint click. Just as he was about to push the door open, a sudden sharp pain shot through him, and his vision went dark as he collapsed to the ground.

From the black shadow beneath him, half a body abruptly emerged. A woman caught the key mid-fall and stepped out from the darkness. Another woman of similar build followed closely behind her.

The two of them entered the room. When they caught faint, unusual noises coming from below, their steps halted. The women exchanged a knowing smile.

“We’ve finally found it. That old bastard really knows how to hide.”

Thursday.

　　In a small building tucked away somewhere in the Western District, the elderly nun quietly put away today’s newspaper. Yet when she finished her shopping and stepped back into the living room, she discovered a group of girls already gathered around it. The moment they saw Annabella return, guilt flickered across their faces, but they still summoned the courage to ask: “Will the Saintess be alright?”

“She killed those people for us! How can they slander her like this?”

“They’ve become the victims… so what does that make us?”

Annabella didn’t scold them. Instead, she gently patted their heads and spoke in a soft, reassuring voice, “It’ll be fine. As long as we’re still alive, they can’t twist black into white.”

Friday.

Pei Xi went over the documents in his hands again and again, yet he still couldn’t figure out how to make use of them. Wen Jian and the church were the real masterminds behind the Hope Project, yet they hadn’t received the punishment they deserved. Instead, all the scrutiny and suspicion had been directed at Ye Zheng—the one person within the church who was the most innocent, the least deserving of being put on trial over this matter.

Aunt Mingyue had vanished entirely because of his own incompetence. At the very least, he wanted to make those murderers pay the price.

This information might be nothing more than worthless paper in his hands but what if he joined forces with Ye Zheng? As fellow victims of the Blood Flower incident and the Hope Project, even if they stood as enemies, they still shared a common foe in Wen Jian.

So, Ye Zheng couldn’t fall in this trial. But what could he actually do?

Pei Xi stood lost in thought beside the bed. Suddenly, a sharp, crisp sound rang out from outside the window, as though something had struck the glass. He stepped forward and opened it, only to find a small white note resting quietly on the windowsill.

Saturday.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, I heard Ye Zheng once showed you disrespect. Are you truly not going to—”

“I don’t have time for such trivial matters.”

“Understood. Still, thank you for permitting Knight Hughes to attend. With His Highness’s close attendant giving testimony, Ye Zheng will surely receive the punishment she deserves…”

“Leave.”

Sunday, morning.

　　Ye Zheng dressed in a plain white robe, her long hair neatly tied back, her face completely bare of makeup. Her expression was calm and unruffled as she leisurely enjoyed a rather lavish breakfast.

This was a breakfast specially prepared by the royal household. After a few days of eating it, Ye Zheng found the flavors quite satisfying, and the variety far exceeded what ordinary noble families could provide. Still, it wasn’t enough to make her want to stay and continue indulging in it.

A series of urgent knocks suddenly sounded at the door. Ye Zheng set down her cup, picked up a napkin to gently wipe the corners of her mouth, and then walked toward the entrance.

She opened the door and looked at the several uniformed men standing outside, their expressions stern and solemn. The corners of her lips lifted slightly into a faint smile. “Good morning.”

Her expression remained completely natural, as though this were just another ordinary, uneventful day. Surrounded by the group of men, she stepped forward and walked out with steady composure.

Today was Sunday, a universally acknowledged day of rest across the empire.

Yet no one was resting. Everyone was eagerly anticipating this trial, one destined to be etched into history.