The person who wronged you knows your innocence better than you do.

It was midafternoon in the back garden pavilion of the Sword God Palace.

The Azure Emperor was holding a tea cup, just about to set the spirit tea down on the stone table, when Ying'er walked past her side all of a sudden. The Azure Emperor's elbow bumped into Ying'er's shoulder.

The tea cup in Ying'er's hand tipped over instantly, and the scalding hot spirit tea splashed all over her.

"Ah!"

Ying'er let out a frightened shriek and staggered two steps backward.

Her goose-yellow dress was soaked through by the tea, clinging to her body damply.

Her eyes turned red in an instant, tears welling up in them as she looked at the Azure Emperor pitifully.

"Sister Azure Emperor... why did you splash me on purpose..."

The Azure Emperor froze.

She stared blankly at Ying'er, then looked down at her own hand, her face full of utter disbelief. "I, I didn't..."

She had clearly just been holding her tea cup and had not moved at all. Ying'er had walked right into her on her own!

But Ying'er looked as if she had suffered a terrible wrong, and big teardrops began to patter down her cheeks.

She covered her scalded red arm, trembling all over, her voice choked with sobs. "Sister, I know you're upset inside... but you shouldn't have done this... I was being kind to bring you tea, and you treated me like this..."

"I didn't do it!"

The Azure Emperor was so anxious that beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, her voice cracking. "You walked into me on your own! I didn't move at all!"

Just then, Ye Xuan's figure appeared outside the pavilion.

He strode into the pavilion, and when he saw Ying'er soaked all over, crying so hard that her face was streaked with tears, his expression darkened instantly.

"What happened?" His voice was ice-cold, his gaze landing on the Azure Emperor, carrying undisguised fury.

"Husband..." Ying'er threw herself into Ye Xuan's arms, sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath. "Don't blame Sister Azure Emperor... it's all my fault... I shouldn't have stood so close... she didn't do it on purpose..."

The Azure Emperor was so angry that her whole body shook, and she was just about to speak up to defend herself.

But Ying'er suddenly poked her head out from Ye Xuan's embrace, her eyes glistening with tears as she said, "Husband, it really was my own carelessness. It has nothing to do with Sister Azure Emperor, don't scold her."

Ye Xuan's gaze grew even colder. He stared at the Azure Emperor, his voice as sharp as ice. "Azure Emperor, you've got some nerve. In my domain, you dare bully my woman?"

"I didn't!"

The Azure Emperor's voice came out sharp and strained, her eyes full of grievance and rage.

She pointed at Ying'er, gritting her teeth so hard they ached. "She splashed herself! She's framing me!"

"Enough!" Ye Xuan roared, cutting off her defense. He wrapped an arm around Ying'er's waist, looking at the Azure Emperor coldly. "Apologize to Ying'er."

The Azure Emperor's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

She clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles whitened, her whole body trembling violently.

She wanted to push back, to storm off in a huff. But she didn't dare. She was afraid Ye Xuan would cast her out.

She bit down on her lip, her voice coming out hoarse and ragged. "I'm sorry..."

Ye Xuan gave her a cold glance, and said no more.

He turned and left with Ying'er in his arms, leaving the Azure Emperor standing alone in the pavilion, her own robes damp, looking utterly wretched.

After they had walked far away, the Azure Emperor's eyes turned red, her lips trembling wildly, and she was almost on the verge of breaking down.

She hadn't done anything wrong.

But Ye Xuan hadn't believed her.

She finally understood the feeling Ye Xuan had back when he was wrongfully accused.

That desperate feeling of having no way to defend yourself, of being unable to speak out for the injustice done to you—this was what it tasted like.

Meanwhile, after Ye Xuan and Ying'er returned to the inner palace hall, Ying'er instantly stopped crying and burst out laughing, doubling over with amusement.

"Pfft! My lord husband, did you see the look on her face? It turned bright green!" Ying'er chirped excitedly, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes.

Ye Xuan arched an eyebrow, reached out to pinch her cheek, his tone thick with indulgence. "You little imp, you've grown far too bold. You even dared to prank the Azure Emperor."

"I didn't prank her at all," Ying'er blinked back at him with an innocent look. "She's just the one who was silly enough to stand there and not dodge."

Ye Xuan shook his head with a soft laugh, not pressing the matter further.

That very same night.

The exact same act played out all over again.

This time, it took place on the training grounds of the Sword God Palace. Ying'er carried a plate of pastries over to Bai Qiangu, her smile sweet as honey. "Sister Qiangu, these are osmanthus cakes the kitchen just finished making. Please have a taste, sister."

Bai Qiangu gave her a cold, fleeting glance and made no move to take the plate.

Ying'er set the pastries down right in front of her on her own, then turned to leave.

Right at that moment, Ying'er's foot suddenly twisted. She let out a sharp yelp and crashed heavily to the ground. The tray in her hands went flying, scattering all the pastries across the stone slabs.

Her knee slammed into the hard flagstone, and bright red blood seeped through the fabric of her clothes almost instantly.

"Wuwu..."

Ying'er curled up on the ground, her eyes turning red, hot tears dripping down one after another.

She lifted her teary gaze to look at Bai Qiangu, her voice choked with sobs. "Sister Qiangu... why did you trip me..."

Bai Qiangu's face instantly turned livid.

"You're spouting nonsense!" she ground out through gritted teeth. "When did I ever trip you? I didn't even move an inch!"

Ying'er cried even harder, her whole body trembling. "I'm sorry... it's all my fault... don't be mad at me, sister..."

She struggled to pull herself to her feet, but the injury on her knee made her tumble back down to the ground.

That utterly pitiable, vulnerable sight made Ye Xuan, who was walking over from a distance, change his countenance sharply.

"What happened?" Ye Xuan strode quickly to Ying'er's side. When he saw the blood on her knee, fury ignited in his eyes at once.

Ying'er threw herself into his arms, sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath, yet she still made a point to speak up for Bai Qiangu. "My lord husband... it was my own carelessness... it has nothing to do with Sister Qiangu... wuwu..."

Ye Xuan snapped his head up, staring coldly at Bai Qiangu.

Bai Qiangu felt a shiver run down her spine the moment his gaze swept over her.

"I didn't do it!" she rushed to defend herself. "She fell on her own! I never touched her at all!"

Ye Xuan did not believe a single word she said. He lifted Ying'er up into his arms, looking down at Bai Qiangu with icy sharpness, his voice booming like thunder. "Bai Qiangu, you've really grown arrogant. How dare you bully Ying'er right in front of me?"

"I really didn't!"

Bai Qiangu was so anxious that her own eyes turned red. As the most powerful leader of the demonic path, when had she ever been wronged like this? But she found she could not argue her way out of it no matter what she said, because Ye Xuan would only ever side with Ying'er.

"Kneel."

Ye Xuan's voice was so cold it felt like biting frost.

Bai Qiangu's eyes went wide, staring at Ye Xuan in utter disbelief. "You want me to kneel?!"

"What? You refuse?" Ye Xuan's gaze turned even icier. "If you are not willing, you can leave right this second."

Bai Qiangu's lips trembled violently. She wanted to fight back, to storm off in a huff.

But she did not dare. She had worked so hard just to stay by Ye Xuan's side, and she did not want to leave.

She bit down hard on her lip, and slowly sank to her knees.

The chill of the stone slabs seeped through her knees, cutting straight to the very bottom of her heart.

Her tears finally spilled over, rolling down her stunningly beautiful face and dripping onto the ground.

This was the greatest humiliation she had ever endured in her entire life.

And there was nothing at all she could do to stop it.

Ye Xuan gave her a cold glance, then turned and walked away with Ying'er in his arms.

Bai Qiangu knelt on the cold stone slabs of the Martial Training Ground, but the sharp pain from her knees was nothing compared to the humiliation burning in her heart.

She, the dignified Master of the Wuji Demon Sect, who ruled over a million demon cultivators and once made the entire cultivation world tremble at the mere mention of her name, had actually been forced to her knees by a lowly maid, shivering like a disobedient servant girl who had committed a grave offense.

The back of Ye Xuan carrying Ying'er gradually faded into the distance.

Ying'er, resting on Ye Xuan's shoulder, suddenly curled the corners of her tear-streaked face into a triumphant grin.

"Creak!"

Bai Qiangu ground her back teeth until they nearly shattered, and blood trickled down the corner of her mouth, dripping onto the stone slabs and blooming into bright red blood blossoms.

She pushed herself up from the ground, a dull ache lingering in her knees.

The passing disciples of the Sword God Palace all cast sidelong glances at her, their eyes holding surprise, mockery, or pity, which made Bai Qiangu's expression grow even darker. As the unchallenged leader of the demonic path, when had she ever suffered such an insult?

"What are you all staring at!" Bai Qiangu snapped sharply, surging demonic qi coiling around her body that sent the disciples fleeing in a panic.

She stood alone in the Martial Training Ground, her fists clenched so tight that her nails dug deep into her palms, and blood dripped through the gaps between her fingers.

She lifted her head, staring at the direction where Ye Xuan and Ying'er had vanished, raging flames of fury burning in her eyes.

"Ying'er... you lowly wretch..."

Her voice was low and hoarse, like a curse that had crawled up from the depths of the Nine Nether Hell.

"I, Bai Qiangu, swear to the heavens: if I do not kill you, I am no longer fit to be called a human!"