v4c67: The Trial

Che Han could only gape as the powerful expert descended from the Elder’s box, dragging the Patriarch, Elder Chongyun, and Elder Lulai with him.

 

Fat Han had no idea who this expert was, but he was the most monstrous existence he had ever laid eyes upon. The entire stadium was silent. Only the hushed sound of breathing and stillness was left. There was nothing other than the expert’s intent. The power that surrounded them all.The expert had commanded silence and it was so, all were held to his will.

 

His might did not rage and flare like the Patriarch’s. Instead, it was like the sun in the sky, looking down upon them from higher than they could possibly conceive of, yet still all encompassing.

 

Trial? The Sect is on trial for potential demonic infiltration?

 

Han could not comprehend it. And yet, the blazing seal on that parchment was impossible to fake.

 

“Bi De. Ri Zu. Yun Ren. Attend me, and give witness. The trial of the Shrouded Mountain Sect begins now,” the man declared, and Han startled.

 

The eyes of the Emperor were upon them, and two of his friends had been the Emperor’s spies. Bi De, who… was some sort of servant Spirit Beast, and Ri Zu. He didn’t know who Yun Ren was, but…

 

Han paused and turned to Biren. Biren stood up beside him.

Han felt Yushang stiffen beside him, and Shao Heng frowned slightly.

 

“… you too?” Han asked.

 

Biren… Biren looked slightly remorseful.

 

“Yeah. Sorry about the whole…” Bire—no, Yun Ren trailed off and sighed.

 

All three of his closest friends… they had been spies the entire time. Han felt a hammer-blow to his gut. Part of him wanted to rage, to label them both as traitors. He wanted to demand the truth. Was their friendship a mere convenience?

 

Han instead took a deep breath.

 

The Emperor rarely ordered such investigations, but if they had legitimately been infiltrated by demons then… wasn’t this a good thing? Would not the agents of the Emperor crush the foul beasts?

 

Han swallowed again.

 

“Are we really being…?” he asked.

 

“Being investigated for demonic activity? Yeah. That said… you want front row seats? And maybe we can swing a little bit of protection, with you guys being our known friends,” Yun Ren asked, offering his hand.

 

Han glanced towards Yushang and Heng. Yushang pondered for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

 

“I think we can trust them,” Yushang declared.

 

Shao Heng glanced back at the arena, where Ri Zu was walking out of the medical access point, trailed by Master Lishu and the rest of the Medical Pavilion disciples.

 

“I owe Ri Zu my life. If she needs me to stand beside her, then I shall stand beside her,” Shao Heng said, resolute.

 

Han licked his lips. Then he turned back to Yun Ren and nodded.

 

The three of them stood. Han felt all the eyes on them, including his own family, staring at him in askance. He locked eyes with the Patriarch of his family, old grandpa Hanbin. The man looked extremely worried.

 

Han swallowed and looked forward as they entered the arena. The Old Monster was simply standing there with his arms crossed, a small smile on his face. He seemed inordinately pleased about the entire affair.

 

As one they knelt. Master Lishu and the medics also bowed their heads.

 

There was a pop and Ri Zu turned into a rat.

 

Everybody’s heads swiveled towards her. Han stared at the tiny creature, on one knee with her head lowered. Yushang made a quiet ‘eep’ sound, her eyes going starry as she looked at the admittedly cute rat.

 

Then, as one, everybody turned to look at Yun Ren.

 

“What animal are you?” Yushang whispered eagerly.

 

Yun Ren huffed. “I’m just a normal guy!” he shot back, his voice low.

 

Yushang pouted.

 

The old man chuckled, and at once all attention was redirected back to him.

 

“Hmmm. I asked for you three, yet you brought more before me,” the old man said, eyeing all of them with amusement.

 

“Yes.” Bi De took the lead, his voice the exact same in his chicken form. It was slightly disconcerting to hear that deep, smooth voice coming out of the animal. “They knew nothing of our mission, yet their assistance has been invaluable.”

 

The old man nodded and stroked his beard.

 

“Very well! Now then, tell me what you have learned.”

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

 

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To hear things from Bi De’s point of view was enlightening as he described their infiltration into the Sect.

 

Han had honestly expected more collusion or something, but in the end all three of them had simply, as Bi De put it, walked through the front door.

 

The audacity of the plan shocked Han but it had worked. They had been accepted, and Bi De even got put into the Inner Sect on account of his might. And then… Bi De admitted that he had been at a bit of a loss on how exactly to investigate them.

 

It was a good question. How did one investigate demonic corruption in the middle of potentially hostile territory? Bi De had started by going to parties, and when those proved to not have all the information he needed he eventually came upon an answer.

 

Bi De selling all the herbs he grew seemed so obvious now in hindsight… but according to him, it would have been harmless to anyone without demonic taint. Han had himself eaten a lot of them and they had been nothing but beneficial to his cultivation.

 

They were mentioned as the unwitting help that had been key to his saturation of the entire Sect and all the attending mortals—Han was just in awe of how much Qi the rooster had expended to make things possible.

 

“And so you were just allowed to saturate the entire sect with the herbs?” the old man, Shen Yu, asked, sounding vaguely disappointed.

 

There was a cough from behind him, and the man turned to where Elder Chongyun was standing and sweating slightly.

 

Shen Yu raised an eyebrow. “You may speak.”

 

“Yes, Expert. The passage of these herbs was encouraged by myself after I noticed their properties, and had even had bundles sent north to aid our fellows in their battle against the isolated demonic enclaves,” the Elder said, bowing his head. “I personally ensured that all of our core disciples took some.”

 

Shen Yu actually paused for a moment, before nodding.

 

“Very well. You are not completely incompetent,” Shen Yu said before he waved with clear dismissal and the Elder shut up. The man rubbed his chin. “Tell me, Bi De, what are your thoughts on the Shrouded Mountain Sect?”

 

“This one disagrees with just about every part of their philosophy… but he can say that they have not been heavily infiltrated by demons,” the Rooster said, his voice calm and matter of fact.

 

All of a sudden, the Elders, who had been looking extremely worried, relaxed slightly.

 

The old monster nodded.