IWM, ch.97.9

“Murong Qingyan, do you think you can still talk your way out of it?” Murong Xiong lifted a jade pendant from the table and threw it at Murong Qingyan: “You yourself look carefully, what’s this?”

Seeing the jade pendant being thrown in front of her, Murong Qingyan squatted down and picked it up. She actually found out that this pendant was somewhat familiar. Quickly, she recalled what it was about.

When a person was born into Murong family, a jade pendant would be ordered for the baby, on which would be carved the name of the newborn, representing its status. When Murong Qingyan was born, of course, she also received such a pendant.

Murong Qingyan turned the pendant over and, indeed, what she saw on its back was a carved word “Qingyan”. Undeniably, it was a pendant representing her identity and status.

“This jade pendant was found in the treasury,” Murong Xiong looked at Murong Qingyan and sneered: “You can’t possibly say that this pendant grew legs and walked into the treasury on its own!”

“This is my jade pendant,” Murong Qingyan didn’t deny this point: “But it’s been a long time since it was lost.”

“Murong Qingyan! Even now you still try to wiggle out of it!” Murong Xiong absolutely didn’t believe this excuse: “This is a jade pendant that represents your status. If you’ve lost, why have you not reported it?! And now you actually say that the jade pendant was coincidentally lost. Do tell me, does such coincidence actually exist in this world?”

“No matter what you say or believe, I haven’t stolen the Rejuvenation pill,” Murong Qingyan looked on coldly, her facial features expressed the disdain she felt: “This type of Rejuvenation pill I would never fancy.”

Hearing Murong Qingyan’s shameless boasting, everyone present sucked in a breath of cold air.

“That’s some high horse¹ you’re sitting on, ah!” Murong Xiyi mocked her openly: “Not fancying a fifth-grade pill, ah! Who do you think you are?! Murong Qingyan, it’s useless to quibble. Even if you deluge heavenly flowers², it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve stolen the pill.”

Murong Qingyan looked at Murong Xiyi who was brimming with self-righteousness, as her eyes flashed with a deep thought. She didn’t know why but she felt that today that nominal second uncle of hers was targeting her particularly. In her memory, she recalled that they have barely exchanged a couple of greetings throughout her life. It’s just that such a non-existent relationship couldn’t possibly lead to any gratitude or grudge, right?

“Well, now, shut up for me!” In a fit of anger, Murong Xiong swept a teacup from the table: “Murong Qingyan, no matter what you say, it can’t change the fact that you’ve stolen the most precious treasure of the family. And since you’ve done it, you must be punished accordingly.”

“It seems that the family head is set on pushing this blame upon my body today!” Murong Qingyan laughed coldly: “But what if I don’t plead guilty?”

“The evidence is there, even if you don’t acknowledge your guilt, it doesn’t change a thing,” Murong Xiong’s words are ice-cold, with no feelings or sentiments in them, as though they weren’t directed at his own granddaughter but some stranger.

“I don’t know how family head intends to punish me?” Murong Qingyan shrugged, seemingly not worried.

“Since the Rejuvenation pill was stolen by you, you must hand over the xuan-ranked spirit treasure you’ve won at the Clan Assembly,” Murong Xiong’s eyes flickered with a glimmer of light: “Using it to compensate your misdeeds, I can spare your life. But of course, since you’ve committed such an atrocity, Murong family can no longer accommodate you, so you will be expelled from the family and your cultivation must be abolished completely.”

Once his voice fell, no one in the room spoke, yet alone pleaded on behalf of Murong Qingyan. Obviously, this kind of treatment they tacitly approved in their hearts. Murong Rui who sympathized with talented youths, opened his mouth as if to say something, yet, in the end, kept silent.

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好大的口气 – lit. ‘to have a big tone’, yet this literal meaning is metaphorical, something along the lines to ‘talk big’.  It’s actually a phrase I like a lot, but I seem to never be able to find a better translation than ‘talk big’ and ‘what a braggart you are’, which just doesn’t fit here, imo, so we have our horsie *sweats*天花乱坠 – an idiom; lit. deluge heavenly flowers with figurative meaning making a hype or extravagant embellishments.