A disciple from the crowd shouted once more, dispelling the silence that had encompassed them for a moment.
"Ridiculous! Following your line of reasoning, the biggest suspect behind such a scheme could only be sister Su, the leader of our defending team! She was the one who planned the whole thing, starting from preserving the sealing arrays on the treasure that kept its aura untraceable, to manipulating the argument into heading towards the outcome where they would have to reveal their technique to one of us."
Han Xuhan nodded.
"It indeed seems that way. But you're ignoring the fact that it wasn't sister Su who chose me as the representative of the Crimson Snow Sect. Nor was it the team leader of Abyss Guild. It was you. You, you, you, you, all of you chose me when the requirements for the ideal representative were declared.
A finger pointed at the crowd, Han Xuhan unleashed his entire arsenal.
"To the spy, it didn't matter who gets chosen for the role of the representation, so long as it isn't the person sister Su has chosen, so long as it is not Brother Yue who has exceptional memorizing skills. But the spy chose to go a step further, helping them attempt to make a personal attack on my martial brother Mu Ran by informing the team leader of Abyss Guild exactly which requirements could make me one of the best candidates to choose from. Luckily for them, these requirements would sound very reasonable to anyone watching without knowing the full story behind, and by anyone, I mean all of you."
He gave them a moment to digest that twist of logic before continuing.
"Facing Instructor Caizhi, I realized through several small details in her words that she knew way more about me than it is normally possible for one to learn from a minute's observation. When I asked her how she knew such details, her answer was so vague that it raised my suspicion. And since then, I've been thinking. Who could this spy be? Who would sell information to Abyss Guild? How do I find them and confront them? But it looks like my worries were unnecessary...because, here you are, making the first move to eliminate a possible confrontation in the near future. After all, if you can give me a fatal injury, a fourth-layer practitioner like me would have to recuperate for a long time. Maybe for the rest of the tournament, I might end up being bedridden. Lucky for you, you have an excuse for such an attack too. Your excuse is that I didn't cast my vote in favor of the liar."
As his impassionate eyes met the distraught gaze of the disciple surnamed Xue, the stocky young man took a step back subconsciously.
Han Xuhan flashed him his favorite smile, the smile of a shark that has smelled blood.
"Gonna surrender? Or do you want us to make you confess first? I've always been curious about how interrogation torture affects a cultivator."
Right now, not even the other disciples who had passionately attacked Han Xuhan alongside disciple Xue had the guts to defend their compatriot. Anyone who tried to argue on his behalf would be opening themselves up to the label of 'spy' too.
Seeing the situation turning against him, Brother Xue made one last-ditch counter.
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"Why does it sound like you're the one who has the plan to assist Abyss Guild and profit from it? After all, you let them win all the treasures our sect possessed by casting that crucial vote! And now you're using our angry reaction to your wrongdoing by dumping the dirty water on us. Are we wrong to feel that you shouldn't have cast a vote for their side? It's not like you're a Saint who has never lied in his life! What wrong would there be in lying for your sect? Only the spy who would gain to profit from the incident would cast their vote in Abyss Guild's favor."
Han Xuhan began to clap in admiration.
Wonderful counter, truly wonderful. Unfortunately for Brother Xue, he had made one fatal error in his judgment.
"You are correct, absolutely correct," Han Xuhan declared loudly before anyone else could join Brother Xue's passionate tirade.
"However, would the spy helping the Abyss Guild promise that he can teach the technique of tracing the treasures to all of you? Would that not be a direct betrayal of their interest? Would the Abyss Guild choose to sacrifice their unique technique just for a dozen sets of treasures?"
"...."
This time, not even Brother Xue could speak a word to contradict him. Pretty much every disciple who had heard Han Xuhan speak was staring at him, wide-eyed.
"You mean to say, you've learned the technique they showed you? And you're confident enough to teach everyone else? If that works, then our plan would be an absolute success!" sister Su cried out in disbelief. Han Xuhan nodded at her with an honest smile and saw her begin to tear up.
She had taken a huge risk by concocting the cheating scheme. As that hadn't paid off due to the last-minute mishap, she had been feeling an enormous sense of pressure and guilt. But now, she could see hope once more!
Meanwhile, Brother Xue immediately sheathed his sword, surprising Han Xuhan.
"If you can really do that, then it doesn't matter which side you cast your vote on. I'll not hold it against you. I'm sure no one else will, either. Now prove it, and I'll apologize publicly if your claim is true."
Not just him, even the others who had attacked him just now nodded, expressing the same sentiment.
Han Xuhan felt his heart lurch.
What the hell?! Why was this guy not sticking to his character template? Why did he suddenly become so reasonable?
This didn't make sense. Isn't this sudden change of behavior a bit too mature for a random side character in a typical xianxia world? Isn't he supposed to act obstinate till the end?
"At the heart of the matter, the only reason we were angry was because you made our sect lose. If you can turn that situation around, naturally, we have no complaints. We will apologize, all of us," said another fellow.
Han Xuhan realized it suddenly. He had forgotten that this world could hardly be called typical. The recent developments indeed proved that. Even the righteous protagonist wasn't exactly a good person, probably still under the evil influence of a spirit grandpa.
Flashing them a thin smile, Han Xuhan chose to compromise. He had no concrete proof that this guy was working for the Abyss Guild. There would be nothing to work with even if he took the matter to the elders. For now, only the label of suspicion was the best he could do. The rest would depend on their future run-ins with the Abyss Guild.
"It'll take me a couple of days to fully comprehend the essence of the technique. I have only memorized its contents. Until then, I suggest all of you do your best to explore the neighboring sects. There is no need to rush the treasure collection process. The deadline for this round is still a week away. As long as we know our way around the Archipelago, we can successfully qualify even if we begin robbing the treasures in the last couple of days. All of you know the side missions the sect master has imposed upon us. For these two days, focus more on those. Learn about the pathways among the floating islands. Practice invading the islands, but take no risks. Once I've thoroughly comprehended the technique, I'll call an assembly."
He made his plans known to everyone and awaited any further accusatory questions. But none came, as it seemed that his revelation that he could teach them the technique had made everyone wary of instigating him for now. Or maybe everyone right now was just scared of being accused as the spy, heh.
"Alright, everybody. You've heard Brother Xuhan. Let's go tackle the side missions first! My team will stay here to defend, while the rest of you need to spread out and survey the situation on other sects. Go, go, go!"
Under Sister Su's urging, the assembly broke down into teams of ten members, everyone running back to their huts to prepare for the missions.
Sister Su turned to look at him after making sure everyone was out of sight.
"Brother Xuhan, are you sure you can-"
"Yes. I am," Han Xuhan interrupted her confidently.
"Alright," she said with a nod, and took her teammates back to their mountain peak.
Mu Ran, Yuen Zhou, and Xiao Wu were still standing beside him. Turning back, Han Xuhan said, "Thank you for defending me."
"It's part of my job as the boss, underling. What is there to be thankful about?"
"You're welcome. I hope you'll do the same if I am in your shoes one day," Yuen Zhou replied.
"Who wouldn't defend their friend?" Xiao Wu rolled his eyes and slapped him in the back. But now, Han Xuhan was strong enough to not be thrown a couple steps forward from the big guy's casual slaps.
It felt good to wield power. Too good.