One of my fairy-like friends

This is strange... Why did the elders cover their faces to avoid being recognized, while Ning Zetian did not hide who he was?

That's incredibly careless...

The whole affair gradually took shape. In Mingyan's view, the possibility that Ning Zetian killed Ning Feixuan's parents was gradually decreasing. Of course, it cannot be denied that this might be a means for Ning Zetian to confuse people, but it is very strange no matter how you look at it, because he has no need to use this method to distract people. He has revealed himself, so other methods are superfluous. As long as he is convicted, all other methods will be meaningless.

Based on the above harmonious judgment, Mingyan is more convinced that this matter was framed by someone, and in the end, there is only one beneficiary, which is Ning Yourong.

Of course, many years later, Ning Feixuan was sent to Yaochi, and Ning Zetian went to Yuheng Holy Land. Their careers far surpassed hers...

“...I know your intentions, you want to help me, but on this particular matter, I cannot accept your help.” After Ning Feixuan finished speaking, she looked at Ming Yan and gently shook her head, saying, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Ming Yan.”

“I know you have your own judgment,” Mingyan nodded.

Seeing Ming Yan's words, Ning Feixuan smiled faintly, "My master told me that Ning Zetian, who went to the Southern Continent, has returned to the Eastern Continent. It's time to make a move."

Mingyan frowned upon hearing this. Was he in such a hurry?

"Are you... already confident?" Mingyan asked.

"Well... I was just passing through, so I came to see you all. After that, I have to leave." Ning Feixuan sighed softly. "I can't delay any longer."

Upon hearing that Ning Feixuan's purpose in coming here was to seek revenge on Ning Zetian, Huang Junyi looked at Ming Yan with a subtle expression.

Mingyan was also getting anxious. "Won't it be dangerous for you to go alone like this?"

“It’s impossible to say there’s absolutely no danger, but my master has sent an elder to accompany me to ensure my safety and that no one else will interfere with my life-or-death battle with Ning Zetian.” Ning Feixuan shook her head. “I should get going now… Second Aunt, Mingyan, thank you for taking the time to visit my parents.”

Ning Feixuan took a step back and bowed to the two of them. "If I ultimately fail to return... please tell my parents that their daughter is unfilial, ultimately unable to avenge them..."

Mingyan understood that Ning Feixuan was determined to fight to the death and was determined to fight Ning Zetian to the death.

But now it seems that Ning Zetian is very likely not the murderer. So if things continue like this, it doesn't matter whether Ning Feixuan wins or loses, lives or dies.

"Don't you feel there's something wrong?" Mingyan couldn't help but ask, "Feixuan, think about it carefully..."

"Wait a minute?" Ning Feixuan was silent for a moment, then looked up at Ming Yan. "You...have been to the Southern Continent, right? The Moon Shadow Saint Lord visited the Yaochi Holy Land once before, and I casually asked about your whereabouts...You met Ning Zetian in the Southern Continent, didn't you?"

Upon hearing this, Ming Yan immediately sensed something was amiss. Before he could speak, Ning Feixuan asked, "What did he say to you that made you... waver?"

Ning Feixuan spoke calmly, looking at Ming Yan, who was momentarily speechless. He remained silent for a long time before finally nodding, "I did indeed encounter him..."

"...You believe him, but not me?" Ning Feixuan's tone was somewhat subtle. She sighed softly, "I thought you considered me a friend..."

“It’s not that I believe him, but I think there are indeed some subtle points to this matter.” Ming Yan frowned and said, “Fei Xuan, if Ning Zetian isn’t the murderer, then even if you kill him, your parents’ spirits in heaven won’t be at peace…”

"Mingyan...are you doubting what I said?" Ning Feixuan lowered her head. "My words are less credible than Ning Zetian's?"

Chapter Ninety-Seven: It's Just Because I Owe Her a Favor

“Of course I believe you, but…” Mingyan looked at Ning Feixuan, feeling helpless.

"But? If you trust me, how could you be swayed by Ning Zetian's words?" Ning Feixuan sighed softly. "I know. From the moment you quietly avoided me and came here, I had this suspicion. If you really wanted to stand on my side, why didn't you come to me?"

Mingyan had no idea that his whereabouts had been revealed to Ning Feixuan by his master...

It turns out that she had doubts about her motives before she came, which is why she took the initiative to talk about that past she didn't want to look back on in front of me. Was her purpose to convince me?

Huang Junyi stood to the side with her arms crossed, so she didn't feel comfortable interrupting.

“Give me some time, Fei Xuan… If it really isn’t Ning Zetian, then killing Ning Zetian will only result in another innocent person dying in this matter. If it really is him… then at least… you won’t feel any guilt about killing him then.” Ming Yan said, forcing himself to speak.

"I feel no psychological pressure now. I watched him torture my parents to death, and I wouldn't mind tearing him to pieces." Ning Feixuan said calmly. "I grew up here, and I know Ning Zetian far better than you do. He has enjoyed doing cruel things since he was a child. Even before he entered the immortal sect, he liked to torture and kill poultry. After he gained cultivation, he became even more fond of killing. He has more than just my parents on his hands. He has killed outsiders before, but the Ning family suppressed it. Many people in the Ning family know about this. Are you pleading for someone who has been a beast since childhood?"

Ming Yan was unaware of this. He frowned. He didn't have much information about Ning Zetian. Huang Junyi had previously said that after Ning Zetian arrived at the Jade Balance Holy Land, he was practically a saint, doing good deeds and accumulating virtue, and had an excellent reputation.

This made Mingyan hesitate a little. If Ning Zetian was really that kind of person, was his judgment accurate?

"I don't blame you, after all, you know very little about Ning Zetian," Ning Feixuan sighed softly. "But I originally thought you wouldn't listen to Ning Zetian's slander... after all..."

Ming Yan frowned, regaining his composure. Ning Zetian's character shouldn't influence his judgment; rather, it increased the likelihood of him being framed. If Ning Zetian was habitually murderous, or even had killed people, then pinning this on him would be impossible for him to clear his name...

Moreover, the only thing Mingyan felt was the situation on that day was that Ning Zetian's bloodthirstiness, but that doesn't mean his actions on that day were reasonable.

“Even if Ning Zetian is bloodthirsty, Fei Xuan, think carefully about what I just said. There are clearly many problems. This cannot be explained by Ning Zetian’s bloodthirstiness alone. At that time, the elders that Ning Zetian brought did not reveal their true faces, but Ning Zetian openly showed his face. Doesn’t this look like a deliberate frame-up? There are techniques of disguise in this world, aren’t there?”

“At that time, my cultivation level was about the same as Ning Zetian’s. Even if he wanted to hide it, it wouldn’t have made much difference. Besides, in Ning Zetian’s eyes, I was already a dying man. Would you go to the trouble of covering your face in front of a dying man?” Seeing that Ming Yan still didn’t believe her, Ning Feixuan’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and her tone was already full of emotion.

Ming Yan opened his mouth, then gritted his teeth and said, "I know you're convinced Ning Zetian is the murderer, but Fei Xuan, I beg you, give me a little more time... We've waited all these years..."

“Give you some more time? Mingyan, this is my revenge, and I have already made my own judgment.” Ning Feixuan took a deep breath, her eyes turning cold. “I’ve said it before, I don’t need your help or any investigation. Everyone in the Ning family, except Ning Zetian himself, knew that Ning Zetian did it, including his parents. Don’t say anything more, and don’t interfere in this matter.”

"Do you want me to watch you do something wrong?" Mingyan said helplessly. "Finding the real culprit is what we should be doing."

"The real culprit has already been identified!" Ning Feixuan glared at Ming Yan, pointing a finger at her eyes. "I saw and heard it with my own eyes! Even that elder you mentioned who covered his face has already come forward to confess! How else do you expect me to find the so-called real culprit?!"

"The elder confessed?" Huang Junyi asked in surprise. "I didn't hear about this when I came to pick you up."

"I only found out when I returned to the Ning family..." Ning Feixuan's tone lowered. After all, Huang Junyi was the benefactor who had taken her away from this place of trouble, and she had always been very grateful to the Huang family.

Mingyan frowned. "What happened to him afterward?"

"He was also expelled from the Ning family... Heh..." Ning Feixuan sneered, "It's hateful that I couldn't kill him with my own hands... But I must kill Ning Zetian. How can I atone for the sins he committed if I don't kill him?"

Ning Zetian was expelled from the family only after the Huang family took Ning Feixuan away. Does that prove that this person was the last straw that broke Ning Zetian's back?

Mingyan suddenly realized that if he could find that elder, perhaps everything would come to light!

"Mingyan...please stop interfering in these matters, okay?" Ning Feixuan took a deep breath. "I have my own judgment, and I don't need your help. If you really want to help me, then please wish me success. I'm begging you."

Ning Feixuan was determined to leave, and Mingyan could tell. After she finished speaking, she turned to leave, but Mingyan quickly blocked her way. "Feixuan, don't rush! I want to find that elder, and then all the problems will be solved!"

"He's already dead. You're going to ask a dead man for evidence?" Ning Feixuan sneered. "This elder still had some humanity. He later hanged himself out of guilt. The matter is already so clear. What are you still doubting?"

"He hanged himself?" Mingyan frowned. Why did he always cut off the evidence every time he found some?

With that elder dead, there was no way to verify the story, which explains why Ning Feixuan was so convinced that Ning Zetian had killed her parents.

Because she had almost no reason to doubt it...

Having witnessed Ning Zetian commit murder firsthand, and later having an elder confess to it, coupled with her understanding of Ning Zetian and the family's unanimous opinion, leading to Ning Zetian's expulsion from the Ning family and the elder's suicide out of guilt, if she were Ning Feixuan, she would have no doubts about this series of events.

But he isn't...

Sometimes, that's just how it is; those involved are often blinded, while bystanders see things clearly. In Mingyan's view, these events all have a clear direction; the elder's death seems more like he was silenced... than a suicide...

"So, what else do you want to say?" Ning Feixuan's patience had reached its limit. "Mingyan! These are none of your business!"

“But this is really strange... and the possibility that Ning Zetian is the murderer is really not high!” Ming Yan said helplessly.

"..." Ning Feixuan took a deep breath, looked at Ming Yan, slowly shook her head, and said with disappointment and loss, "I thought we could be friends..."

“We… are just friends.” Ming Yan said, his eyes darting away slightly.

"Is that so? Is this how you treat friends?" Ning Feixuan sneered. "Arguing with me for the sake of my parents' murderers?"

"I just don't want you to make a mistake..." Mingyan said anxiously, "If he's not the murderer, fighting him to the death is not only meaningless, but it will also let the real murderer go free!"

"Enough!!!" Ning Feixuan suddenly waved her hand, her face full of anger. "I've said it before, I don't need any help from you! I don't need you as a friend either! So don't interfere in anything I do!"

Mingyan pursed his lips, unable to describe the feeling in his heart.

Huang Junyi, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but sigh when she saw the two arguing.

Ning Feixuan tried to slip past Ming Yan by stepping on the Star Gap, but Ming Yan, also calling her Star Gap, stopped her and pleaded, "Feixuan... calm down..."

"Don't call me Fei Xuan! We're not that close!" Seeing that she was being stopped, Ning Fei Xuan's eyes turned cold. "I originally thought we could be friends, but now it seems I was just overthinking it..."

"Don't think I don't know you still have feelings for me. I'll make things clear right here and now!"

"I, Ning Feixuan, don't need you to do anything for me. We have no relationship whatsoever. We're not friends, and you don't need to feel indebted to me. Furthermore, I will never like you. From now on, we are strangers. My affairs are none of your business, and your affairs are none of my business!" Ning Feixuan gritted her teeth and said, "If you stand in my way again, don't blame me for being impolite!!"

Mingyan remained silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. He hadn't expected Ning Feixuan to go this far. "Yes... I admit it, I still like you... It doesn't matter if you don't respond, I don't care. But, Fei... Ning Feixuan, precisely because of that, I can't bear to see you make a mistake..."

Ning Feixuan, unable to bear it any longer, slapped Ming Yan across the face. Ming Yan didn't dodge and took the slap head-on. After hitting him, a hint of sadness seemed to flash in Ning Feixuan's eyes, but she quickly concealed it. "My family affairs are none of your business. Stop playing the good Samaritan..."

After saying this, Ning Feixuan finally left.

Mingyan did not stop her, because he knew he couldn't stop her.

Huang Junyi didn't stop her. She walked up to Mingyan, gently stroking his flushed cheek with her delicate hand, and said with heartache, "Feixuan is really ruthless...she's holding nothing back..."

Mingyan lowered his head, remained silent for a long time, and then sighed, "I was just being presumptuous..."

"In my opinion, that's how it is too..." Huang Junyi tapped Ming Yan's brow. "You and Fei Xuan are both so stubborn... Do you really have to help her? Wouldn't it be better to trust her judgment?"

"Does your sister think so too?"

"Otherwise what? Now that you've been slapped, you've finally woken up? You understand?" Huang Junyi's tone was somewhat reproachful. "Were you hurt by what she said?"

"What do you mean by 'older sister'?"

"She said she would never like you," Huang Junyi said softly. "Don't you understand what she means?"

"I understand. Actually, I was mentally prepared for this." Mingyan couldn't quite describe his feelings. He had originally planned to tell Ning Feixuan his thoughts after resolving this matter for her, but now that Ning Feixuan had brought it up in a fit of rage, it had essentially eliminated any possibility. This was the worst-case scenario.

Under these circumstances, how could Ning Feixuan possibly accept it?

"Well then, it's time to head back. Let Ning Feixuan handle it herself," Huang Junyi said softly.

"No, sister, I must get to the bottom of this. Please do me a favor. I want to find that elder's body; perhaps we'll discover something." Mingyan shook his head, not intending to give up.

Huang Junyi was also quite surprised, "Now that things have come to this, do you still plan to continue the investigation? Fei Xuan won't remember your kindness. Do you still like her?"

“This…this isn’t about liking her. Perhaps I did these things before because I still harbored illusions, thinking there was still a sliver of possibility between us. But now, it’s only because I owe her a debt of gratitude that I must repay. Sister, as I’ve said before, I can’t watch her make a mistake. If she really does something wrong, then I must stop her. Alright, sister, let’s hurry up and get going, let’s not waste any more time,” Mingyan said, shaking his head.

Huang Junyi had mixed feelings, but she still nodded.

..........

Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Truth

The two must race against time to find as much evidence as possible to stop Ning Feixuan.

Since Ning Feixuan knew what they wanted to do, Mingyan no longer needed to hide it and directly told the Ning family that he wanted to investigate those events from back then. Perhaps because Huang Junyi was present, the Ning family was very cooperative and did not refuse.

The elder did indeed die, but because he was expelled from the Ning family, he was not buried in the Ning family cemetery.

Interestingly, to avoid suspicion, the people in charge of handling this elder's affairs were all from Ning Yourong's faction.

Therefore, the person who led Mingyan to that elder's tomb was Ning Yourong.

This not only deepened Mingyan's suspicions, but also made his heart sink. Could he really find any more evidence?

“Actually, the best way is to search the soul directly,” Huang Junyi transmitted to Ming Yan. “Once the soul is searched, all kinds of evidence will be available.”