Chapter 587: Chapter 588: Am I the Clown Myself?
 

The Great Elder’s expression was icy, others might fear the Situ Household, but he wasn’t the least bit afraid.

He had long found the Situ Household displeasing and saw this as an opportunity to knock them down a peg. Before the other Family Heads stepped in, he wanted everyone present to know who the true mastermind behind the incident was.

“Cough cough, Great Elder, what is the meaning of this? My son was out cultivating all day and has not been home. Could it be that the Great Elder suspects that this matter is the doing of our Situ Household?”

“This mask and the female cultivator’s Inner Armor are clearly someone’s attempt to frame and scapegoat. Could it possibly be that my Situ Household would cry ‘thief’ to catch a thief?”

Patriarch Situ’s complexion was equally grim, this matter could not be admitted to, even under death.

“Hehe, that cannot be said for certain, as the saying goes ‘flies do not bite a seamless egg.’ Lately, all the events’ fingers have been pointing at the Situ Household; it seems there is more or less some connection to this incident.”

“Patriarch Situ harbors justice in his heart and naturally would not stoop to such lowly deeds. But as for whether there are disciples within your ranks harboring ill will, that’s hard to say.”

Elder Sun spoke in a mocking tone. He absolutely did not understand the decision made by the Great Family Head. In his eyes, with clear evidence of guilt, the Situ Household could be entirely uprooted and this cancer excised. Why are they still in a wait-and-see position?

“You!”

Patriarch Situ flew into a rage, the air around suddenly tensing, an invisible pressure sweeping across the area, whipping up a windstorm and pressing down on the cultivators’ hearts like countless giant stones.

“Hehe, Patriarch Situ, calm your anger, Elder Sun’s words were thoughtless, do not take them to heart. We are here to investigate the truth and give everyone justice,” the Great Elder said with a smile, waving his hand to dispel the fierce pressure in the void.

Just as he was about to say more, his expression suddenly changed, and he turned to look into the distance.

Several streaks of light crossed the horizon, revealing several young figures.

“Father, your son has returned!”

Situ Guixiong’s mood was greatly uplifted, his face worn with pleasure as he stepped forward; he believed that this operation had completely nailed Li Xiaobai.

But then he froze. Why were there so many cultivators gathered in front of the Situ household?

And why was someone like the Great Elder from the Punishment Hall here? What exactly was the reason?

Moreover, why were there piles of masks on the ground?

His first thought was that the matter had been exposed, the mask incident must have been discovered by the Punishment Hall; otherwise, how could he explain such a large gathering of Punishment Hall people here? Had he slipped up at some point?

Impossible.

“Hmph, you disgraceful brat, you still know to come back. Do you even know the humiliation that our Situ Household has suffered?”

Before the Punishment Hall elders could even speak, Patriarch Situ immediately scolded out loud.

“Father, what has happened?”

Situ Guixiong’s face paled a bit, but the scolding brought him back to his senses, realizing that things might not be as severe as he imagined, or else his father wouldn’t be speaking in such a tone.

“You useless thing, spending all your days mucking about outside, neglecting your cultivation. Do you have any idea of the humiliation that the Situ Household faced today?”

“Last night, someone under the cover of darkness placed piles of masks at our clan’s gate to attempt to frame us. They moved so swiftly, our disciples didn’t notice at all, leading to us being the laughingstock among many of our peers today.”

Patriarch Situ’s face was filled with rage, as he hurled the newspaper he was holding onto Situ Guixiong’s face.

“Father’s lessons are correct; your son recognizes his wrong.”

Situ Guixiong said in a cooperative tone, picking up the ‘Immortal Spirit Daily’. Just a glance made his hair stand on end.

The entire page was filled with stories of how the Situ Household led other families in masquerading as masked men to stir up trouble everywhere.

All fingers pointed at the Situ Household, or more precisely, at Situ Guixiong, while Li Xiaobai and his group had seemingly transformed overnight into heroic figures.

What exactly had happened in this period? He had been running around nonstop for the past two days trying to frame and entrap others, paying no mind to anything else. He had thought it was his victory but had not expected such a twist to unfold.

He had believed his plan was perfect in all aspects, flawlessly framing others and then using public opinion to gain momentum, pressuring the high levels of Aolai Country to capture Li Xiaobai.

Yet overnight, the direction of the wind had changed. What on earth had happened?

And most importantly, why was the Immortal Spirit Daily siding with Li Xiaobai?

Could it be in cahoots with Elder Tianji?

The Immortal Spirit Daily was the epicenter of public opinion and media storms. It was through spreading rumors and framing that he had used the Immortal Spirit Daily, which had been very effective.

He hadn’t expected Li Xiaobai to know this trick too, and even more outrageously, to monopolize the entire page!

“All this time, I thought my plan was flawless, framing and then using the public opinion to incite the people, and then harnessing that momentum to pressure Punishment Hall to execute Li Xiaobai. But could it be that all this was in vain?”

“Am I the clown in the end?”

Situ Guixiong murmured to himself, staring blankly at the Immortal Spirit Daily.

The Great Elder beside him wanted to intervene but eventually stopped himself. A cornered dog will leap over a wall, so it was better to wait for the Great Family Head’s decision.

Sudden whispering by his side, Elder Sun said, “Great Elder, there’s news from Punishment Hall. An army of citizens is pressing in and has already reached the city center. It won’t be long before they break into this core area. Should we prepare in advance?”

“What about Li Xiaobai?”

The Great Elder was startled and asked hurriedly.

“He is still inside Punishment Hall,”

Elder Sun replied.

The Great Elder breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and said with cupped fists, “Patriarch Situ, the citizens are already at our gates. Punishment Hall needs to respond urgently. Shall we discuss this investigation another day?”

“Certainly. I trust Punishment Hall will render justice to my Situ Household. Matters of state precede everything else, gentlemen, please proceed!”

Patriarch Situ said with a grave expression, appearing righteous and indignant.

“Farewell!”

The Punishment Hall party vanished on the spot in the blink of an eye, without a trace.

“Guixiong, let’s go. We’ll talk further inside the clan,”

Patriarch Situ said indifferently, no longer paying attention to the onlooking crowd. After cleaning up the debris on the ground, including the female cultivator’s Inner Armor, he led the clan’s cultivators inside, and the gates closed tightly behind them.

“Holy moly, what a bombshell! What on earth did I witness today?”

“Forget the gossip. Didn’t you hear what the Great Elder of Punishment Hall said? The citizens are storming our way, within arm’s reach. Hurry home and avoid trouble; don’t get involved!”

“Exactly, exactly! The scent of conspiracy here is too strong; we must not get dragged into this!”

The cultivators showed panic on their faces, scattering like birds and beasts. It was a joke to stay – today’s event was obviously a trap. While it was fine for ordinary cultivators to stand by and watch, getting too involved would attract the attention of mighty figures, and they would undoubtedly be made the scapegoats.

At this moment, it was imperative to distance themselves from the Situ Household!