The air was crisp as Li Meirong dismounted from Cai Huise's broad, furry back. The cool morning breeze atop the island, floating so very high, cooled her skin and left her with goosebumps. Snowball attempted to warm Li Meirong, rubbing his paws along her arms, while they headed towards the sect's main hall.

"Wait a moment," the twin-tailed cat called her back. She masked her dolour with a faint smile as she turned.

"Is anything the matter?" she asked politely.

Cai Huise stared at her in silence for a short while, contemplating his next words. She was better off prepared, he assumed, rather than not, so he told her of the sect's rules.

"According to the regulations, when a disciple is summoned to trial, they cannot bring any form of weaponry with them. Since your spirit beast counts as one, then you must go alone, and without any means to defend yourself."

Li Meirong took a deep breath, and then exhaled. Perhaps it was for the best, she thought. Snowball was only a baby, and should anything happen to her, if he would stay outside, then he wouldn't get caught in the crossfire.

Besides, she managed to acquire few hidden powers to protect herself with, if the need arose.

Thus, in agreement with Cai Huise's words, she placed Snowball by his side. The cat backed away apprehensively; he disliked the idea, but was left without a choice in the matter.

"Stay here and wait for my return," ordered Li Meirong

"What a foolish idea. I refuse!" Snowball barked angrily, golden irises blazing in fury. "I will not be left here while my w- Master goes alone to be interrogated by a bunch of overgrown imbeciles!"

Bai Qingyue, projecting his lordly air, strolled over to Li Meirong's side, but was greeted with a fierce glare. Unprepared, and so caught off-guard by her sudden change in behaviour, his legs froze mid-step. She closed the distance between them, bent down to his level, and then pinched his button nose in reprimand.

"Listen to me. I have to go alone, and you, as my familiar, have to follow my orders, and I order you to stay put! Do not leave Cai Huise's side unless I call for you, understood?" Li Meirong's forehead wrinkled as she scolded him. Her usually-pouty lips stretched and pressed into a thin line.

At some point during the flight, her hair had broken loose from its tie, framing the sides of her face. The loose strands tossed from side to side ever so slightly, as if to match her temper.

Bai Qingyue stared at his wife in shock, having never witnessed this side of her before. She possessed a fierce kind of beauty when angry, and he appreciated that he could see this rarely seen side of her. It was somehow even more unique due to its rarity.

Still, he was not a pet, but a husband. Though it was not a good idea to anger one's wife frequently, this was an order he would not, could not, listen to and obey.

But he would pretend, for the moment at least.

"So painful," he whimpered when Li Meirong finally let go of his nose, placing his paws on his snout and blinking away a few crocodile tears.

"Alright, Master, Snowball will listen to you."

The fox spirit's tears softened Li Meirong's heart to the consistency of pudding, but she had to show how serious she was. The matter at hand was a severe one, and she had to make sure he listened properly, especially in this sect. she wasn't certain whether she would be able to leave unscathed… still, his tears tugged at her heart.

"Be a good boy, it will stop hurting soon, and I'll be back before you know it," she said, placing a gentle kiss on the fox cub's forehead.

Saying her farewells, Li Meirong headed towards the hall once more. Snowball sat 'obediently' outside, waiting until her back disappeared from his view.

"You're a shrewd little one, aren't you?" Cai Huise commented, having caught on to the whole theatrical play. His twin tails swished behind him idly.

Snowball glanced at the nosy cat, and his conduct changed instantaneously. Round pupils sharpened to their original bloodthirsty, petrifying look. And his tone, when he spoke, was far chillier than Li Meirong's had been.

"It would be wise of you to keep your mouth shut henceforth." said Bai Qingyue, not bothering to look at the nosy spirit beast.

Ill at ease, Cai Huise shuddered, and gulped down the saliva stuck in his throat. He regretted saying anything at all.

Bai Qingyue didn't dawdle to converse with the cat, or anyone else. After imparting his warning, he dashed towards the hall and climbed onto the roof, scampering across the glazed tiles and detaching several tubes. Soon he had made a hole big enough to look through, and to jump down to the rescue if he was needed.

He saw Li Meirong inside the middle of a brightly-lit hall, crafted from smooth marble. Her narrow, shivering back greeted his sight as she knelt in front of various early-stage Nascent Soul human cultivators. She was surrounded by a myriad of other human cultivators of a lower spiritual rank, who were garbed in the same, tacky robes.

Bai Qingyue raged internally, every fibre of his being close to bursting. These vile, pretentious, pompous weaklings were making his wife submit, how dare they?!

Li Meirong's hands were cuffed with spiritual binding ropes, limiting her powers and ruining her intention to fight if cornered.

Currently, she felt like a pig being led to slaughter.

Since she was a disciple of the Bestiary Coalition, her fate had been placed in the hands of the Coalition's elusive Grandmaster, he who was named Zhu Zhang.

The last time she saw him, he had almost choked her to death. Even though that was years ago, at the acceptance ceremony, his familiar features had been etched deep into her memories.

The additional governing Grandmasters were seated upon the elevated stage on antique, carved chairs, waiting for Zhu Zhang's arrival. He wasn't only the Bestiary Coalition's Grandmaster, but also one of the strongest cultivators on the continent. It was nearly impossible for other high-level cultivators in the sect to perceive his strength, which only showed just how powerful he was. As such, any disciple's judgement would be placed in his capable hands.

Only the succeeding disciples were admitted into the halls. Captain Liang of the Bestiary Coalition, who was representing the accused disciple's division, stood up front. Her formidable countenance caused cheers of respect and admiration to reverberate through the hall.

The Captain had gained quite a high status due to her vast number of accomplishments, and her words bore weight in the sect.

A group of servants scurried forth inside the main hall, and placed an uncovered bamboo basket on the ground. It was filled with a pile of putrid flesh, dismembered body parts, and skeletal remains which scattered from the basket across the shiny marble floor.

Choking from the foul smell, Li Meirong's eyes watered, and she forced herself to breathe slowly. The wedded siblings' remains that were dropped at her feet only caused her stress to increase. She knew it would be difficult to avoid condemnation, even though her actions had been an act of self-defense.

The succeeding disciple, Miss Liang, glared daggers at her. Li Meirong purposefully avoided her gaze; no-eyebrows-lady certainly made her intentions clear.

There was no apparent reason for her hatred, yet she still seemed to want to bury Li Meirong six feet under.

Gripping the hem of her sleeves tightly as she knelt, Li Meirong swore to herself that unlike last time, she wouldn't back down without a fight.

The doors of the inner hall blasted open, nearly breaking off the adjoining walls. The Bestiary Coalition's Grandmaster, Zhu Zhang, strode inside.

All cheers ceased at once. Thick, oppressive qi filled the assembly hall, causing a few weaker cultivators to faint, and high-level ones to abase themselves as they kneeled from the sheer pressure. Even the other Nascent-stage Grandmasters felt discomfort as Zhu Zhang moved to stand in front of Li Meirong.

When a dog is beaten, it will always fear the person who abused them. Trauma in humans was not much different than other animals.

Li Meirong's trembling intensified as she saw the familiar set of leather shoes stop in right front of her.