Against the Heavens

Chapter 28 - Upheaval 7

“Xiao Che! What do you mean by that?” The First Elder Xiao Li suddenly bellowed: “Don’t tell me you’re implying that Clan Master had stolen the Profound Opening Powder from himself, and then shifted the blame to Xiao Lingxi! You’re the reason why Xiao Lingxi had stolen the Profound Opening Powder. If you keep blabbering such nonsense, be careful or else even you will get punished together if you don’t step down!”

“Don’t be agitated, First Elder.” Xiao Che shook his head as he laughed, appearing harmless: “Where would I get the courage to even dare question Clan Master, I’m just voicing out the suspicions in my heart, and I believe, that most of us here have the same question too. Many of us here understand Clan Master’s nature and must be puzzled as to why Clan Master had handled the situation that way. Of course Clan Master is innocent. He couldn’t have done this kind of low and dirty thing that even the world would despise. I’m sure Clan Master will give a perfect explanation. Am I right, Clan Master.”

(TL: “low and dirty” was interpreted from Chinese idiom that literally meant “worse than pigs and dogs”)

The people of Xiao Clan and the nobles of Floating Cloud City all stared at him surreptitiously… The Xiao Che they knew was a weak and timid person, someone who was terrified of even coming into contact with outsiders. However, not only was he able to be speak frankly under the watchful eyes of the crowd in this tense atmosphere and situation, his expression did not even change when the First Elder had shouted at him… This Xiao Che and the Xiao Che they knew seemed to be two fundamentally different people.

“Low and dirty that even the world would despise” These few words caused Xiao Yunhai’s face to cramp momentarily. He raised his head to look at Xiao Che, faintly smiled and said: “There’s no need to get agitated First Elder, it’s normal for Xiao Che to question this way and just like he said, many of our friends here should have the same question as well. Actually, when I received the Profound Opening Powder from Young Master Xiao yesterday, I indeed had prepared to keep it by my side. However, the Profound Opening Powder is a high-grade medicine from the Xiao Sect that’s also extremely precious. The higher the grade of the medicine, the easier it is for the effects to dissipate. In the case of this treasure elixir, even if the effect was to dissipate by a bit, it would still be a great loss. If I were to carry it with me, it will often come into contact with impure vital energy so even though it is protected by the Black Profound Ebony box, its effects will still dissipate easily. That’s the reason why I placed it inside the infirmary. After all, in the infirmary, a numerous variety of herbs have been gathered over the years, resulting in plenty of ‘medicinal energy. In places with ample ‘medicinal energy’, the elixir’s energy will not dissipate that easily… That is the reason.”

“Another reason is that we of the Xiao Clan have always been serious about abiding to the law. I never would have expected a ‘domestic thief’ to appear, or even think that she would have the audacity to steal the important gift the Xiao Sect had brought… But no matter the reason, it is nonetheless my fault that the Profound Opening Powder was stolen. In regards to this, I can’t escape that responsibility. I won’t complain if Young Master Xiao also demands my punishment.”

Xiao Yunhai sighed heavily after he finished speaking.

Xiao Yunhai explanation was completely perfect. The First Elder suddenly yelled once more: “Xiao Che! Did you hear that clearly? Clan Master had left the Profound Opening Powder in the infirmary was because of this meticulous reason and wanted to protect the Profound Opening Powder’s potency! Who would have thought a house thief would appear! What else do you have to say?”

“Oh, oh! So that’s it!” Xiao Che nodded his head, as if he was pleased with Xiao Yunhai explanation: “To even know the existence of ‘medicinal energy’, Clan Master sure is knowledgeable. Then, the second question that I wanted to ask is coincidentally related with this ‘medicinal energy’.”