I Am Loaded with Passive Skills

Yue Gongnu was completely unable to comprehend what Stairway to Heaven intended, and said coldly:

"Filthy."

Dao Dai'er chuckled: "Exquisite, naturally exquisite!"

He glanced back at Yuegong Hui in the corner of the cell. His smile faded, transforming into an expression devoid of sadness or joy, and asked indifferently:

"What does the Hall Order Lord think of Dai'er's mastery of the zither?"

At that moment, the boomerang fired down the corridor of the cell finally pierced ruthlessly into his brow.

Yuegong Hui's body trembled violently, as he instantly understood Stairway to Heaven's intentions.

He flailed madly, trying to raise his weakened body, caring nothing for his dignity. With his backside jutting out, he dropped to his knees, banging his head repeatedly on the ground until it bled, and wailed miserably:

"Spare me!"

"Spare me!"

"Hallmaster Dao, please, spare me, I'm begging you, let me go—I was wrong..."

Yue Gongnu froze.

He couldn't comprehend why Yuegong Hui was reacting so intensely.

He, too, had been seized by Stairway to Heaven, tortured, and had heard the tune "Injury Nan Ting." But only now did it trigger such a visceral response?

Yue Gongnu clutched the Angry Immortal Buddha Sword, maintaining his watchful stance.

There was no trace of emotion in Dao Dai'er's gaze; he showed no signs of pity or concern for Yuegong Hui's frantic demeanor. Instead, he repeated indifferently:

"What does the Hall Order Lord think of my mastery of the zither?"

How could Yuegong Hui dare to reply?

How could Yuegong Hui possibly respond?

He pressed his head to the ground as though trying to burrow into the earth, cursing himself deeply for being ruled by lust and committing actions he would regret for a lifetime.

He swallowed blood and tears, continually bowing his head without daring to lift it, murmuring softly:

"Exquisite..."

"No, that's not right."

"Hallmaster Dao's zither mastery is unparalleled in the world!"

"Wrong again."

"Hallmaster Dao is peerless, a supreme artist of the zither's Path..."

"Still wrong."

Dao Dai'er sat coldly behind the ice table, his gaze transforming the frozen cell into the shadowed depths of the Yin Cao. To him, the individual kneeling below was but a sinner awaiting judgment.

Yue Gongnu understood something.

This question was not a question; this answer was not an answer.

Stairway to Heaven wasn't asking for an inconsequential assessment—he was recreating.

Recreating what happened when the sound in the corridor of the ice cell first echoed, when he was still Dai'er, and the unseen events between himself and Yuegong Hui unfolded?

"What does the Hall Order Lord think of my mastery of the zither?" Dao Dai'er asked again.

Yue Gongnu knew Stairway to Heaven had an unusual quirk.

From a young age, he esteemed himself highly and disliked repeating the same statement multiple times.

For him to say something three times revealed the weight of the matter in his heart.

Yuegong Hui lay prostrate on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, struggling to steady his voice as he stammered:

"How could I dare to judge—you possess transcendent skill... ahhh..."

The phrasing, the tone... Yue Gongnu closed her eyes deeply, understanding everything clearly.

Stairway to Heaven is Yuegong Hui, Yuegong Hui is Dai'er.

The ice cell is not merely an ice cell—it is the gap of the corridor, the unseen darkness and filth!

What would follow needed no explanation; Yue Gongnu could already imagine the broad strokes.

What she couldn't believe was that, right in front of her, even through the ice wall, clearly knowing Dai'er belonged to Yue Gongli, Hui—the elder Yuegong Hui—still dared to behave so?

Wasn't he supposed to be here for Ali, for Ah Si's proper affairs?

Because of this, Yue Gongnu had even doubted before whether the accusations, which seemed like mere defamation, might actually be Stairway to Heaven's one-sided assertions!

"Buzz..."

Within the ice cell, the Buddha Sword sang.

The sword was furious!

Yue Gongnu's mind flashed back to the moment she had questioned Stairway to Heaven on how he intended to handle Yuegong Hui.

His response had been: "It's up to you."

Only now did Yue Gongnu truly understand—he had known her answer all along.

But...

Could Yuegong Hui be killed?

Even now, as he fell into the Cold Prison, branded as a sinner.

Yue Gongnu still knew she was a member of the Cold Palace Yue Clan, the daughter of the Cold Palace Emperor, the elder sister of Yue Gongli, successor of the Holy Emperor.

Her every move, no matter how insignificant, would be scrutinized by others and could impact Ali and her father, exposing them to unwarranted attacks.

"If anyone in the Cold Palace Emperor Realm commits wrong, Cold Palace Emperor Realm rules will judge them—no judicial department has the right to intervene!"

This was the belief instilled in Yue Gongnu from childhood, a principle she had adhered to for life.

It was exactly because of the Cold Palace Emperor Realm people's unity and steadfast faith that she had survived thirty years after committing a grave mistake.

"Cold..."

Yue Gongnu gripped the Buddha Sword tightly, trembling with chill.

She now realized that Stairway to Heaven's exaggerated theatrics weren't aimed at Yuegong Hui, but were all meant for her!

She suppressed her emotions.

If she raised her sword to slay Yuegong Hui now,

she wouldn't just end a life—she would cut down her own principles, nullify the thirty years she'd spent in the Cold Prison.

Moreover, it would fulfill Stairway to Heaven's favorite spectacle: confirming his "Unpredictable" name by testing others' limits!

"Zheng..."

But at that moment, the Luan Xue strings vibrated.

It was the sound of Stairway to Heaven standing upright and raising both hands—a meaningless, chaotic noise that only served to unsettle hearts.

Ignoring Yuegong Hui's extensive pleas for mercy, Stairway to Heaven remained unaffected, gazing upon the filth in the corner like a deity, and continued to ask:

"Hall Order Lord, can you also perform 'Injury Nan Ting'?"

Bang bang bang!

Yuegong Hui banged his head desperately on the ground.

So violently, it seemed he wanted to crack open his skull.

"Spare me..."

"Just spare me!!!"

Stairway to Heaven repeated the question once again: "Hall Order Lord, can you perform 'Injury Nan Ting'?"

"I can't! I can't play the zither!" Yuegong Hui screamed like a mad demon, lifting his head as his eyeballs nearly bulged out.