~~~

Feng Zhi comes back about an hour after the attack. He says nothing as they tell him what transpired in his absence, yet the way his knuckles whiten tells the whole story.

“It seems we missed quite a bit,” Feng Zhi says once all five members of the Eternal Flame Clan have gathered in a room along with Patriarch Wong and his son. There are no servants, disciples, or even Elders with them.

The words about to be spoken here are not for their ears to hear.

“It shames me to say this, but we were lucky,” Patriarch Wong says, wiping some sweat from his brow. The room’s temperature is oddly high. “We do not keep all our treasures in the storehouse, but its loss would have been a debilitating blow regardless. Had the attack proceeded as planned…”

Patriarch Wong shudders, unwilling to finish the sentence.

“I was under the impression there were barriers around your compound,” Feng Zhi notes, his tone unnaturally even. It is a far cry from the Feng Zhi that had threatened Liu Jin and the others in the Summer Forest, but that is not necessarily a good thing.

The current Feng Zhi is almost certainly angrier now than he was back then. While he was out investigating, the Bright Phantasm Sect was attacked. Worst of all, this was the most blatant attack yet. Previous attacks had targeted the Bright Phantasm Sect’s holdings in the Night Forest. This time, it was the Bright Phantasm Sect’s compound itself that was attacked.

“Around the compound and around the city,” Wong Shou replies before his father can. “It is why we do not have to worry about the mists here. They also help us detect intruders. As for how the shades were able to bypass our security, I am afraid I do not know.”

Bei Hong snorts. “Well, isn’t it obvious? If they showed up without triggering any alarms, that means either the barriers are useless—”

“Those barriers have served us faithfully for over four hundred years!”

“Or they never crossed any barrier to begin with,” Bei Hong finishes, meeting Patriarch Wong’s glare with an even stare.

“Never crossed any barrier?” Huang Shing echoes, blinking in obvious confusion as his eyes move from one side to the other.

“It is certainly something worth considering.” Before tonight, Feng Zhi would have probably tried to smooth over Bei Hong’s words. However, the attack has chipped away some of his patience with the Bright Phantasm Sect. “If the barriers surrounding the Bright Phantasm Sect are truly not something easily overcome, then we must contemplate the possibility that they never were.”

Not for the first time tonight, Liu Jin and Lu Mei share a look. As expected, Feng Zhi thinks so as well.

“I am afraid I must ask Lord Feng Zhi to explain himself further.”

Despite his words, Patriarch Wong fully understands what Feng Zhi is getting at. The implication is far too obvious for him to miss it.

He just doesn’t want to acknowledge the possibility.

“When the shades attacked, I could not sense anything until the moment they appeared.” Instead of Feng Zhi, it is Liu Jin who decides to explain. “I am not bragging when I say my sensory skills are quite good. When we were in the Night Forest, I was able to detect the shades following us, even if I could not discern their exact number. This time, however, I could not sense anything until the moment the attack happened.”

Liu Jin makes sure to meet Patriarch Wong’s eyes for the next part.

“That is why I feel it is safe to say the shades did not exist before that moment. In other words, they were created right here, inside the compound.”

“But that’d mean… A traitor?” Patriarch Wong pales. “No. Surely, not. How could that be the case?”

“Father, I… also thought that may have been the case.” Wong Shou fidgets a little. “From the moment Lord Qing and Lord Bei were attacked in the Night Forest, I began suspecting something was off. It was only our people who’d have known the two were going to be in the forest that day, after all.”

“So that was the reason you increased the number of guards,” Feng Zhi notes.

Wong Shou nods. “Yes, that is why I did it. People have been praising my foresight, but I’d have preferred to be wrong.”

After all, only members of the Bright Phantasm Sect would have known for sure all five members of the Eternal Flame Clan would be away from the Bright Phantasm Sect’s compound today. Since Wong Shou’s preparations ended up paying off, it is just another sign that the culprit behind the attacks may be from the Bright Phantasm Sect.

“Wong Yuan,” Patriarch Wong grows, his meekness and nervousness suddenly gone. His fist slams into the table and cracks it. “That worm! I truly thought he intended to make amends! What a fool I was!”

“Father, no!” Wong Shou looks at him with wide eyes. “It couldn’t have been Uncle! He was attacked as well.”

“We can verify that,” Lu Mei says, “We happened to be near Elder Wong’s study when the explosion happened. He was attacked by several shades as he rushed to help, not that they were any threat to him.”

She doesn’t say that the only reason they were with Elder Wong is that they suspected him as well, but that is for the best. The last thing they need right now is for Patriarch Wong to act rashly and publicly accuse Elder Wong. Such a thing would only cause needless panic.

That said, judging by the look on Feng Zhi’s face, he’ll definitely be asking them about this later.

“See!” Wong Shou says. “Uncle was with others when the shades were created! He even helped us deal with them!”

“You are too soft, son! That could have easily been a ploy of his! My cousin is not so witless that he’d give himself away easily.”

“I find it curious you are so quick to conclude it was this Wong Yuan who betrayed you,” Feng Zhi says, one hand on his chin and the other tapping away at the table in a deliberately slow rhythm. “Is there a reason for it?”

“I… That is…”

“Uncle did not consider me fit to inherit control of the Sect,” Wong Shou says when his father proves too nervous to reply right away. “Due to my weakness, Father and Uncle argued several times. In time, the feud between them escalated to the point it threatened to tear the Sect apart. It was only once I was able to prove myself to Uncle that things de-escalated.”

“Interesting,” Feng Zhi’s gaze flicks over to Patriarch Wong. The temperature rises once more. “You did not mention this yesterday.”

“I... I did not consider it important.”

“Your Sect is currently under attack. Not only did I ask you about your enemies and allies, I asked you to recount all noteworthy events that had transpired before the attacks began. Yet, you did not consider one of your Elders speaking out against you important? An Elder that you now have no problems considering culpable? Is that what I am hearing?”

Cold. Despite the temperature in the room, the look on Feng Zhi’s eyes doesn’t have a shred of warmth in it. Previously, Feng Zhi had treated Patriarch Wong with some level of respect, yet that is all gone now.

Feng Zhi is unquestionably looking down on him.

“I… I apologize.” Patriarch Wong cannot even meet Feng Zhi’s eyes. “It is bad enough that we are having trouble with the Night Forest. Revealing such an embarrassing incident on top of that seemed too much. I did not wish for Lord Feng Zhi’s impression of our Sect to be a negative one.”

Liu Jin cannot help but think it is a bit too late for that.

“Even now, it is hard to believe things escalated so quickly back then. To me, it seemed nothing more than a bout of stubbornness on Wong Yuan’s part. After all, he considered my son unfit to lead the Sect. Can you believe that?”

He tries to laugh, but it comes out weak. Feng Zhi is not glaring at him, yet the intensity in his eyes makes it hard to even smile.

“Uncle… Uncle was not altogether wrong. I was not the most suitable heir.”

“Nonsense—”

“No, father!” Wong Shou interrupts. His eyes are unwavering as he faces his father. “It is true, and we both know it. I was weak. That is why I do not think Uncle, I mean, Elder Wong Yuan is behind this. Even though my father and others did not agree with him, he always acted with the Bright Phantasm Sect’s best interests in mind. However, there is no doubt these attacks are meant to destroy our Bright Phantasm Sect. I do not believe Uncle could ever do such a thing.”

Lu Mei hums. “The Bright Phantasms Sect’s best interests. I wonder. There are so many ways in which those words could be interpreted. I understand Young Master Wong Shou feels strongly about this. That is why it pains me to say this, but we are assuming the attack tonight was meant to succeed.”

All gazes in the room turn towards her, some curious, some confused. It is Feng Zhi who speaks, however.

“Elaborate.”

“Of course, Young Master. In the first place, I find it curious tonight was the first time the Bright Phantasm Sect’s compound was attacked. I wonder, why could that be?” Lu Mei taps the side of her cheek, her eyes wide with fake innocence. “The culprit clearly possesses the ability to create shades within the compound, yet they have been content to strike at the Night Forest. Certainly, it could be that it is only now that they feel comfortable in their ability to do this, but there is another option.”

“They are trying to make us look bad,” Bei Hong says, eyes narrowing as he realizes what she is getting at. “As soon as we arrive, the attacks get worse. Soon, people will start thinking the Eternal Flame Clan ain’t worth the trouble.”

“Never!” Patriarch Wong says immediately, holding up his hands in panic. “Our people would never dare think something so disrespectful.”

“I am glad to hear Patriarch Wong has such a high opinion of the members of his Sect,” Feng Zhi says. “However, this may be something the culprit has considered. As such, we must consider it as well. In that case, it may be that destroying the storehouse was never the objective. Rather, what the attacks seek to destroy are the Bright Phantasm Sect’s relationship with the Eternal Flame Clan, and by extension, much of your support.”

“In other words, Elder Wong can still be a suspect. By portraying us as incompetent, Patriarch Wong would look foolish for relying on us. This could weaken his support and allow Elder Wong to gain power.” Liu Jin rests his head on his palm and shrugs as he says what many in the room are thinking. “Of course, this is all just a theory. It would be foolish to discard other suspects. It could have just as easily been anyone else in this Sect.”

“Even a servant,” Bei Hong notes. “Assuming this is being done with an artifact, they’d just need a servant to sneak it in.”

“I could have a search conducted,” Patriarch Wong immediately offers, eager to be of use. Feng Zhi shakes his head.

"There is no need for that. A mandatory search will just create undue tension and alert the traitor. We do not need your people distrusting each other. I'll have my personal servant check things discreetly instead."

"Wait!" Wong Shou says, holding out his hands. "Do not just assume we have a traitor!"

"Just minutes ago, you were sure there was a traitor, Lord Wong," Feng Zhi says. "The only reason you changed your mind is because your uncle has become a likely suspect."

Wong Shou flinches but does not shy away from Feng Zhi's golden gaze. "That may be true, but we are still not considering all the alternatives! There is… there is something else! I had almost forgotten about it until I heard Lady Lu just now, but one of the shades that attacked, the one that exploded… It was different from the others. It talked!"

"That could have easily been the controller talking through it," Feng Zhi notes.

"Yes, I agree that could be the case. However, even if it was just to shout threats, it is a fact that it talked. If you doubt me, I can bring any of the disciples that were with me during the attack. They’ll corroborate my words. We are assuming the culprit comes from our Sect, but it could also be that it is only now that they gained the ability to bypass our security. Lady Lu only brought up the possibility to dismiss it, but I now push it forward. The culprit could be growing stronger as we speak."

Wong Shou's words draw frowns from all. The shades that have attacked so far only have numbers going for them. Even so, they are not easy opponents for the average disciple of the Bright Phantasm Sect. If the one who makes them is growing in skill, does that mean they'll soon have to deal with smarter shades? Perhaps stronger ones as well?

If whoever is behind this starts creating shades in the Spirit Realm in the same numbers, things could easily become troublesome.

"I see, so you are saying we cannot discard any possibility just yet," Feng Zhi says. He stops tapping. "Very well, I do not disagree. In that case, shall we put it to the test?"

Wong Shou blinks. "A test?"

"Whether the culprit comes from the Bright Phantasm Sect or not. It is safe to say that is the biggest point of contention between us. My subordinates seem to think that is the case. Patriarch Wong suspects his cousin. Meanwhile, you, Wong Shou, suspect but do not want it to be true. Does anyone object to my summary?"

No one does.

"Good. Instead of arguing among ourselves, let us start eliminating possibilities. Today marks the first time the Bright Phantasm Sect's compound has been attacked. Regardless of who did it or how they did it, it is safe to say the culprit is growing bolder. Let us take advantage of that and lay a trap."

He says it so easily, so matter-of-factly, the idea of disagreeing with him sounds outrageous.

"Here is what we will do."

~~~