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Maybe My Soulmate! (GL)-Chapter 182: Trial!
"Such a terrible thing must be reported to the court of punishment!"
Suddenly, the matter of Jiang Sang’s servants causing trouble in the Shanglong peak as well as the matter of her demanding more and more spirit stones from Mo Yuxin also spread throughout all over Cangran.
The hongmen order was buzzing with the latest news as well as the gossips and rumors of all the disciples.
Everyone started having opinions about Jaing Sang and her legitimacy to the position of an Elder.
After all, it’s a known matter that Jiang Sang has stayed in Cangran for a hundred years without doing anything at all.
Very soon, the matter got so out of control that it even reached the master of the punishment hall- Long Jin, Taoist Master of the JinTian Peak!
Along with the heavy pressure from the righteous disciple’s demand to remove bullying elders from the sect, the punishment hall was soon forced into holding a trial for Jiang Sang as well as the aligations against her.
In her Bailin Peak, Jian Sang waited for a long time for the sum of spirit stones that she usually demanded and got from Mo Yuxin but after waiting for so long, what she got was not the spirit stones but a message of summon from the punishment hall through her hongmen order.
Jiang Sang was silent for a good few minutes because she couldn’t comprehend the turn of events before the survent beside her called out in a respectful and fearful manner, Read new chapters at novelbuddy
"Master Yuanjun.... The people from the punishment hall..."
But before the servent could even finish the other half of the sentence, Jiang Sang suddenly looked up at him. Her gaze was so cold and frightening, almost like the gaze of a sinister and poisonous snake, sending shivers down his spine.
The servent was scared and overwhelmed by her presence and the coldness exuded from her that he didn’t dare evn move a single muscle in his body as his head hung lower and lower.
Finally, after a few seconds, he seemed hear a soft scoff before Jiang Sang’s cold voice penetrated his ear drum,
"Go, tell them to wait. I am coming."
The servent immediately bowed hurriedly before leaving with a few words,
"Yes! Yes! Right away, Master.’
..
..
Su Yubing didn’t go to the punishment hall to see the follow up of the matter in person.
She took Mo Yuxin’s arms and sat on the soft couch, urging her to open the hongmen order and watch the live video of the entire procedure of the punishment hall court.
Of course, this live video was definitely not available for all to see.
Only people of higher position and authority in the sect are allowed to the live video of the entire procedure inside the punishment hall court.
Mo Yuxin, as the future sect master, as the second disciple of Master Immortal venerable Tan Qingxuan naturally has every right to see the procedure of the trial through the live video.
The carved windows were wide open, and the peach blossoms outside the house, which bloomed all year round, fluttered in the wind and drifted into the hall from time to time. Mo Yuxin sat rigidly on the edge of the soft couch, her spine straight as a blade, fingers clenched around the jade surface of the Hongmen order. The faint glow of the live trial footage cast shifting shadows across her face, illuminating the sharp angles of her cheekbones and the frost in her eyes. Yet her attention was not on the flickering images of Jiang Sang’s cold defiance in the punishment hall—it was on the woman beside her, who seemed determined to unravel her composure thread by thread.
Su Yubing leaned back against the cushions, one arm draped carelessly over the back of the couch, her fingers dangerously close to brushing the strands of Mo Yuxin’s hair where they spilled over her shoulder. She had been like this since they’d sat down: a study in calculated nonchalance, her posture loose, her gaze heavy with something that made Mo Yuxin’s skin prickle. When she shifted slightly, the scent of peach blossoms clinging to her robes intensified, sweet and cloying, and Mo Yuxin found herself holding her breath.
"You’re staring at the order as if it’s personally offended you," Su Yubing murmured, her voice a low hum that vibrated through the scant space between them. "Relax, Yuxin. The trial is merely theater. Jiang Sang’s fate was sealed the moment the rumors reached Long Jin’s ears."
Mo Yuxin did not turn her head. "You sound certain."
"I am." A petal drifted onto Su Yubing’s sleeve, and she plucked it free, twirling it between her fingers. "Certainty is a luxury afforded to those who plan three steps ahead. For instance…" She leaned in abruptly, her breath ghosting over Mo Yuxin’s ear as she tucked the petal into the dark waves of her hair. "I was certain you’d blush if I did this."
Mo Yuxin stiffened, a traitorous heat creeping up her neck. "Don’t be absurd."
"Ah, but you are." Su Yubing withdrew just enough to survey her handiwork, lips curving in a feline smile. "Even the tips of your ears are pink. How charming." She reached out, as if to trace the flush, but Mo Yuxin caught her wrist mid-air, fingers tightening like a vise.
"Enough." The word came out sharper than intended, brittle with a frustration Mo Yuxin couldn’t name. Su Yubing’s smile didn’t waver. If anything, her eyes brightened, as if Mo Yuxin’s resistance was a game she’d been waiting to play.
"There’s that icy tone everyone fears." She tilted her head, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But I’ve always wondered—does it thaw? If I press hard enough?" Her free hand drifted to Mo Yuxin’s shoulder, thumb brushing the hollow of her collarbone. "Or is the frost so deep even you can’t feel beneath it?"
Mo Yuxin released her wrist as if burned, shifting away until the cushions between them formed a fragile barrier. "Your antics are tiresome. Focus on the trial."
"The trial is tedious. Jiang Sang’s excuses are as transparent as her greed." Su Yubing plucked another petal from Mo Yuxin’s hair, this time letting her fingers linger, threading through the silken strands. "You, however… you’re far more interesting. Tell me, do you remember nothing of our past? Not even the way you used to laugh when I—"
"I don’t." Mo Yuxin cut her off, cold and final. The gap in her memories was a yawning chasm she refused to peer into, a weakness she couldn’t afford. Especially not with Su Yubing, whose every word felt like a key rattling in a locked door.
Su Yubing’s smile faltered for a heartbeat, something raw flickering in her gaze before she masked it with a laugh. "Pity. You had a lovely laugh. Soft, like snow melting." She leaned closer again, undeterred by Mo Yuxin’s glare. "Perhaps I’ll simply have to make you laugh anew. Would you like that, Yuxin?"
"I would like you to cease this nonsense." Mo Yuxin turned back to the Hongmen order, where Jiang Sang’s voice now rang out in sharp defense. But the images blurred before her eyes, her focus splintered by Su Yubing’s proximity.
"Nonsense?" Su Yubing echoed, feigning offense. "And here I thought I was being charming. Isn’t that what companions do? Ease each other’s burdens with lighthearted banter?" Her hand settled on Mo Yuxin’s knee, warm even through the layers of silk. "Or is this… uncomfortable for you?"
Mo Yuxin’s breath hitched. The touch was featherlight, yet it burned like a brand. She willed herself not to react, not to give Su Yubing the satisfaction. But her body betrayed her—a faint tremor in her leg, a pulse fluttering wildly at her throat.
"Ah. There it is." Su Yubing’s thumb swept a slow arc over her knee. "You can lie to yourself, Yuxin, but not to me. Your body remembers what your mind does not."
"You presume too much." Mo Yuxin stood abruptly, putting distance between them, her robes swirling like a storm cloud. "Whatever… familiarity existed between us before my accident is irrelevant. I am not the same person."
Su Yubing rose smoothly, closing the gap in one fluid step. "Aren’t you?" She caught a strand of Mo Yuxin’s hair, winding it around her finger. "The way you tense when I touch you—the way your breath catches when I come near—that’s not indifference. That’s recognition."
Mo Yuxin’s hand shot up to grip Su Yubing’s wrist again, but this time, Su Yubing pressed forward, backing her against the carved window frame. Peach blossoms cascaded around them, caught in the sudden breeze, their petals clinging to Mo Yuxin’s hair and robes like pale pink stars.
"What are you doing?" Mo Yuxin hissed, her voice unsteady.
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"Testing a theory." Su Yubing’s free hand braced against the window beside Mo Yuxin’s head, caging her in. "If I do this—" She leaned in until their lips were a hair’s breadth apart, her gaze locked on Mo Yuxin’s. "—do you feel nothing? No spark? No flicker of… longing?"
Mo Yuxin’s heart hammered against her ribs. The scent of peach blossoms was suffocating now, sweet and thick, mingling with the subtle incense of Su Yubing’s skin. She wanted to shove her away. She wanted to—
A petal landed on Su Yubing’s lower lip, and Mo Yuxin’s gaze dropped to it, mesmerized by the contrast of pink against red. Su Yubing’s tongue flicked out to catch it, slow and deliberate, and Mo Yuxin’s breath audibly caught.
Su Yubing’s laugh was a dark, velvety thing. "Oh, Yuxin." She brushed the petal against Mo Yuxin’s parted lips. "You’re staring."
Mo Yuxin jerked her head away, cheeks blazing. "This is ridiculous."
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