Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 459 What Can Happen?

Chaos brewed just under the surface of a tense calm outside the main hall.

A large number of people had gathered to witness the fate of Bai Zihan, who had been seized by Han Shenwu.

Members of the Elder Han faction buzzed with excitement, eagerly anticipating Bai Zihan's downfall.

Clearly, plenty of them harbored grudges against Bai Zihan for numerous reasons.

Meanwhile, others pondered how even a figure like Bai Zihan from the Bai Clan would now have to yield to them going forward.

Qinglan positioned herself at the crowd's periphery.

Her face stayed icy, yet her hands gripped fiercely inside her sleeves.

She faced house arrest, a directive from Han Sha, who dreaded her sway and potential uprising.

In reality, she had stayed impartial and offered no real aid to any side. Nor did she wish to ignite a civil war at this point.

Yet Han Sha clearly doubted her loyalty and went so far as to plan her expulsion.

She complied with his order without a fight, hoping he might regain his reason.

But that never occurred.

She questioned if remaining here made any sense.

Maybe departure would serve her better.

Suddenly, word arrived that Bai Zihan had been whisked away by Han Shenwu.

"Han Sha, you've crossed the line!"

Her concern deepened particularly after learning Bai Zihan was crippled.

Without that injury, worry would be unnecessary—Bai Zihan could have swiftly eliminated foes like Han Sha.

Defying the Sect Leader's direct command for seclusion, Elder Qinglan emerged from her quarters.

She recognized Han Sha's scheme to exploit Bai Zihan for his personal gains.

She had refrained from meddling when he exposed Tian Yuheng—since, despite any plots, it followed legitimate channels.

However, going after a disciple from the Heaven Sword Sect—

This she could not tolerate. All the more so since it involved Bai Zihan, her nominal disciple.

It required little effort for her to arrive at the Main Hall, where a modest group had assembled.

***

"Xueqing! Ziyan!"

She spotted two of her disciples right away.

Both lingered outside the main hall, evidently anxious over Bai Zihan.

"Master!"

They exclaimed with a mix of relief and astonishment.

"Is Bai Zihan in there?" she inquired with urgency.

They affirmed with nods, verifying the rumors she'd caught.

She paused before the hall, sealed tight and shielded by a protective formation.

Such precautions were reserved for when intruders breached the sect.

But here it was, in play at this moment.

This proved Bai Zihan was intentionally confined within. Qinglan advanced a step.

Another stride—

"Master!"

Bai Xueqing clutched her sleeve, eyes widened in alarm.

"If you try to break through right now—"

"I understand," Qinglan replied softly.

Yet she pressed on.

Her eyes locked steadily on the shut doors.

Right as she lifted her hand—

The doors groaned apart.

A silhouette appeared.

Bai Zihan.

Qinglan's breath hitched.

"...Bai Zihan?"

He appeared unscathed.

A bit of blood stained his shoes and robe—from Han Sha and his elders, not himself.

All the same, nothing grave seemed to have befallen him.

Nevertheless, Qinglan stayed cautious. She yearned to shield him and escort him back to the Bai Clan at once.

Before she could move further—

More footsteps echoed.

Another person followed him out.

Han Sha.

But—

Qinglan's pupils contracted sharply.

The former commanding Sect Leader of the Heaven Sword Sect now trailed half a pace behind Bai Zihan, his posture slightly bent, shoulders pulled in.

A strained smile clung to his features, as though he dreaded displeasing Bai Zihan.

No trace of pride.

No sign of command.

Qinglan gaped.

The nearby disciples gawked in shock.

A heavy silence descended like a storm.

"Sect Leader Han?"

Qinglan questioned deliberately.

He was unmistakably Han Sha in looks—but utterly devoid of his commanding aura, almost unrecognizable. Elder Han spotted the gathering and swiftly adjusted his demeanor.

The slouched shoulders squared up.

The artificial smile dissolved as if it never was.

Han Sha moved ahead, his robes whipping crisply while his presence surged—not crushing, but sufficient to reassert his supposed status.

Of course, despite his efforts to salvage face, he stayed positioned behind Bai Zihan.

Spotting Qinglan then ignited his fury.

His voice grew icy and commanding.

"Elder Qinglan," he declared firmly.

"What brings you here?"

The statement landed like a judge's hammer.

It carried the weight of a sect leader chastising a rule-breaking elder—nearly like rebuking one under confinement.

Yet at that instant, Bai Zihan shot him a dissatisfied look.

Han Sha's breath stalled.

A cold shiver raced along his back.

He hadn't pivoted yet, but he sensed it.

Bai Zihan regarded him.

Just a serene, even stare—one laden with an intensity Han Sha now grasped all too intimately.

The sort of expression conveying:

You've gone too far!

Han Sha's eyes widened in fear.

His mind raced wildly.

(Indeed—Elder Qinglan is his master.)

...Not quite.

That was common knowledge.

Bai Zihan had gained no real teachings from her.

He was simply listed under her peak—a mere procedure, nothing substantial.

Bai Zihan outclassed Elder Qinglan by far. She had zilch to impart to him anyway.

A being capable of annihilating hordes of Void Refinement cultivators in moments—what insight could she, in the identical realm, possibly offer?

Even so, it appeared he still accorded Elder Qinglan due respect.

Han Sha gulped.

His manner shifted in a flash.

"...Elder Qinglan," he repeated, much more subdued.

Qinglan observed intently.

Han Sha breathed out deliberately, then faced her completely and cupped his hands.

"Upon reflection," he went on, tone even yet strained, "the penalty placed on you was somewhat too harsh."

Whispers stirred among the onlookers.

How could this happen? Since when did the mighty Sect Leader ever express regret over an overreach?

He had banished multiple disciples and elders just for declining his faction.

And that was his milder side. Foes from Sect Leader Tian's group faced jail time, backed by invented charges.

Han Sha compelled himself to press on, smile strained.

"For an act you never committed," he stated cautiously, words picked with care, "that handling was unfit."

Then, raising his volume for all to catch: "Starting today, Elder Qinglan's restriction is revoked."

The declaration rang out over the square.

Astonishment flared rapidly.

Disciples' mouths hung open.

Elders traded bewildered looks. Qinglan remained rooted.

For an extended beat, she uttered not a word.

Her eyes shifted—not toward Han Sha—but to Bai Zihan.

She understood Han Sha's compliance—and the revocation of her penalty—stemmed wholly from Bai Zihan.

She had been deeply concerned at first, above all after the news of Bai Zihan's crippling. But viewing things now, that rumor was plainly untrue.

Evidently, in the unseen confines, Bai Zihan had wrought something upon Han Sha.

And given Bai Zihan's nature, it leaned toward brutality rather than mere talk.

"Bai Ziyan!"

Chu Ziyan hurried up, eyes sweeping over Bai Zihan from top to bottom.

He showed no signs of battle—yet the blood spots lingered.

Thus, events had surely unfolded inside the Main Hall.

"They didn't harm you, did they?"

Chu Ziyan queried anxiously.

Bai Xueqing trailed her by a short distance.

Bai Zihan eyed them briefly.

"What could possibly go wrong?"

He responded.

"I simply discussed the sect's prospects with the Sect Leader."

His gaze darted—quick and offhand—to Han Sha.

"And offered congratulations on his fresh role," Bai Zihan tacked on.

"Isn't that so?"

Han Sha tensed as Bai Zihan faced him.

No second prompt needed. He grasped the expected reply.

He bobbed his head eagerly.

"Absolutely!" Han Sha affirmed hastily, volume a tad too high.

"Young Master Bai Zihan ranks as a vital disciple of the Heaven Sword Sect.

Obviously, I deemed it essential to converse with him directly and solicit his views on enhancing the sect."

He mustered a gracious grin, hands folded in exemplary sect leader fashion. "In the end, I've only lately ascended to Sect Leader of Heaven Sword Sect. It would be improper if any unrest brewed among disciples and elders."

"Hence, I sought to confer with an outstanding disciple such as Bai Zihan to refine my leadership approach."

Concern!

Thoughtfulness!

Regard!

Each phrase rang flawlessly.

Quite a few innocent disciples even swallowed those obvious falsehoods.

Chu Ziyan blinked in confusion.

Bai Xueqing's mouth quirked faintly.

Elder Qinglan stayed silent—but her stare intensified, fixed on Han Sha's stiff stance, the subtle strain in his frame, and how his glance shunned Bai Zihan beyond an instant.

All of them perceived it.

As plain as sunlight.

Whatever transpired in that hall—

Bai Zihan had inflicted something dreadful on Han Sha.

To the extent he displayed zero desire to resist him whatsoever.