~~~

A message from Elder Xue awaits Liu Jin outside the isolation chamber. The disciple who delivers it has tired eyes and moves stiffly as if he had been standing in attention for a long time. Liu Jin hopes the fault does not lie with him. Keeping track of time inside his soul had relied heavily on guesswork. It would be unfortunate if he had unknowingly made this disciple wait for days.

Liu Jin decides not to ask.

Instead, Liu Jin thanks the disciple for his services and heads for the baths. The message may have said he is to report to Elder Xue’s study right away, but it would be unseemly to meet Elder Xue as he is right now. Putting aside the impurities Liu Jin has purged from his body while cultivating, some Poison Qi had leaked out during the process. Neither had done his clothes any favors.

Thirty minutes later, Liu Jin stands before Elder Xue, cleaned up and dressed in a new set of robes.

“Curious,” Elder Xue says as she creates a small butterfly made out of flames. It flies from the tip of her finger and passes through the walls. A message of some sort, Liu Jin guesses. “You are here earlier than I expected.”

“Did I somehow leave the isolation chamber before my allotted time?”

If so, is there a proper way to ask to go back inside? Liu Jin has yet to figure out how to take out Old Jiang’s manual from his soul. The only way he can read it is while deep in meditation.

“Hardly. You went three days over your limit.”

So the disciple waiting for him had been standing for a while because of him. Liu Jin makes a mental note to do something nice for him in the future.

“And Elder Xue expected me to take even longer?”

“You are in the Spirit Realm,” Elder Xue says as if that explains it all. “Young ones often lose themselves when they first dive into their soul.”

Despite Liu Jin never telling Elder Xue he planned on diving into his soul, she speaks as though he couldn’t possibly have done anything else. It does not surprise him, but…

“Is diving into one’s soul so common once one enters the Spirit Realm?”

It nettles him.

"On the contrary, most are not capable of it until they have reached the mid-levels of the Spirit Realm." Elder Xue waves her hand dismissively as if brushing some dust away. "You, however, have been attempting to master your soul since the day we met. Now that your cultivation level has reached this point, it was simply a matter of having the right opportunity. Still, I must congratulate you on the results of your cultivation."

Spirit Realm, Level Five.

That is the level Liu Jin has reached after his isolation training.

"Of course," Elder Xue adds, "had you not halted your entry to the Spirit Realm for so long, it is unlikely your progress would have been quite this dramatic. Your current level is simply what was owed."

Liu Jin tilts his head to the side. Elder Xue, it seems, is determined to keep throwing him off balance.

"Elder Xue was aware I was halting my process?"

The stare Elder Xue shoots at him is decidedly unimpressed.

“Child,” she stresses the word. “Your companions may not have noticed. Your lover may not have noticed. Even Young Master Feng Zhi may not have noticed. I, however, am an Emperor. From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were blocking your meridians to halt your progress.”

Liu Jin’s cheeks color.

So all this time…

“You are lucky most of the Elders were too busy watching Young Master Feng Hao’s performance back then. Had Elder Fa or Elder Dang had taken notice of you instead, you could have ended in quite a different situation.”

If you succeed despite all your flaws, you are clearly doing something right. Liu Jin reminds himself of the words of his Master and does his best to take comfort in them to lessen the embarrassment he feels.

It is not enough.

Mercifully, a knock on the door saves Liu Jin from saying anything else.

“Enter.”

A motion from Elder Xue’s hand unlocks the door. To Liu Jin’s surprise, the person who enters Elder Xue’s study is none other than Senior Brother Luo, the disciple who made a deal with Liu Jin to gain access to Soaring Feather’s feathers once the bird reaches adulthood. Though Senior Brother Luo kneels and lowers his head as soon as he enters the room, he does not do so quickly enough for Liu Jin to miss the bruises on his face.

“Elder Xue,” he says. “This disciple is here to answer your summons.”

“Rise,” Elder Xue commands.

As Senior Brother Luo does so, the full extent of his injuries is revealed. The right side of his face may be full of bruises, but the left side has a large burn scar which has disfigured the left side of his mouth, leaving him sporting a parody of a half-grin.

“Tell me once more how you acquired those wounds.”

If the question offends him, Senior Brother Luo does not let it show. A brief flash of confusion when he notices Liu Jin’s presence is all that appears on his face.

“Of course, honored Elder. It happened almost a week ago.”

Liu Jin’s mind quickly makes the calculations. The regenerative abilities of cultivators grow with every level. For someone in the Spirit Realm to look like Senior Brother Luo does after a week...

He is lucky to be alive.

“After many nights spent translating, I felt the need to take a walk around the compound. This is something I often do ‘lest I forget how the light of the sun looks like. As I was preparing to do this, some of my comrades offered themselves for a series of quick challenges.”

“Quick challenges?” Liu Jin asks.

Rather than reply right away, Senior Brother Luo’s eyes move over to Elder Xue as if expecting her to reprimand Liu Jin for speaking out of turn. When the reprimand does not come, he answers.

“It is a security measure we have adopted during the time Brother Qing was in isolation training. The rules say we are only forced to accept three guaranteed challenges. However, there is no mention made of how serious the fights must be. Quick challenges are, as the name implies, quick. Barely light work.”

“Which would satisfy the letter of the law enough to prevent Senior Brother Luo from being challenged.” Liu Jin hums. “Clever.”

“I am pleased Brother Qing thinks so. However, our preparation was for naught. It did not stop a group of cloaked fighters from challenging me. When I refused, as was my right, they attacked me all at once.” His hand twitches, almost rising to touch his burned face. “I fully believe I would have been killed had I not been able to get away.”

Killed.

An outright assassination attempt not hidden behind the rules and not made outside the compound. It was only a matter of time. Even so, Liu Jin would have liked it if it had happened at least a few months down the line.

However, if it were only that, Elder Xue would not have made him listen to this.

What else is there?

"That will be all, Disciple Luo," Elder Xue says before Liu Jin can question him. "You can return to your duties."

Despite the wording, Elder Xue is most definitely not making a suggestion. Senior Brother Luo bows and backs away towards the door.

"By your leave, Honored Elder."

As Senior Brother Luo closes the door behind him, Elder Xue turns her dark eyes towards Liu Jin.

"Well?" Elder Xue's dark eyes peer into him. "What do you suppose the problem is?"

“Senior Brother Luo says he was attacked outside the three guaranteed challenges. In that case, his bracelet should have registered the infraction. Even if Internal Disputes chooses to delay the investigation, as an Elder, Elder Xue should be capable of seeing the infraction on Senior Brother Luo’s bracelet.”

“I see you bothered to read the rules. Good. You’d be surprised at how many talented disciples neglect to do something so simple.” The corners of Elder Xue’s mouth turn up. “You are correct. As long as the disciples are within the compound, the bracelets can monitor infractions such as those.”

As long as the disciples are within the compound.

That is the key phrase. It is why Pan Qiu’s attempt to steal the herbs from Huang Shing and Liu Jin worked. The actual theft happened outside the compound. Liu Jin does not know this for certain, but he suspects the entrance to the Ash Road marks the limit of the bracelet’s functions.

However, this attack happened within the limits of the compound. The bracelets should have registered it.

“Minor infractions may not always register,” Elder Xue adds. “However, an attempted murder is far from being something minor.”

“But they didn’t,” Liu Jin says. “Had they registered it, Elder Xue would have already rooted out the culprits. There would be no need to explain the situation to this disciple. Thus the culprits are free and unidentified.”

Elder Xue favors him with an approving nod.

“Correct. Though I checked Disciple Luo’s bracelet, I found no record of any offense being committed against him. Internal Disputes, meanwhile, claim to have no time to investigate the incident as they are currently handling too many cases.” Elder Xue looks to the side, a dark look on her face. “A blatant lie, obviously.”

“Does that mean the bracelet… malfunctioned?” Liu Jin frowns as he considers the possibility. “Elder Dang claimed the bracelets would start malfunctioning due to the number of infractions. Is that what happened?”

“Elder Dang would certainly favor that interpretation, but I did not call you here to tell me what excuse he would make.”

It is not as though Liu Jin does not realize Elder Dang and the Internal Force are incredibly likely suspects. However, there is a factor that prevents him from fully dismissing Elder Dang’s words.

“He declared this before Patriarch Feng. Does that not mean there is some merit to his words?”

Elder Xue does not roll her eyes, but Liu Jin is sure that is only because she is far too dignified for something like that.

"Had it been the real Patriarch Feng in attendance, there would be cause to take it seriously. However, it was only his shadow there. Though I suppose impressing the disciples was his intent by speaking that way."

Liu Jin's confusion must have shown on his face because it does not take long for Elder Xue to elaborate.

"Who do you suppose sat on Patriarch Feng's seat during the feast?"

"Senior Brother Guo said that Patriarch Feng had cast his shadow over the meeting."

"An accurate explanation, though far from a complete one." Elder Xue purses her lips, seemingly taking some time to think of her next words. "I have a body, and I have a soul. Being an Emperor does not change this. The body is not something to be dismissed or discarded."

“Through the body, the soul is expressed and fulfilled,” Liu Jin says, remembering words from his master’s book.

Elder Xue gives him a long look, one that has Liu Jin fighting his hardest not to look away.

“Quite,” Elder Xue says after a while. “Patriarch Feng may have surpassed the level of an Emperor and taken a step into the territory of deities, but this does not mean he has transcended the physical realm. Such a way of thinking is fundamentally flawed. Rather, the line between the physical and the spiritual is not the same for Patriarch Feng as it is for everyone else. This is not an easy change to go through, which is why Patriarch Feng has been meditating ever since he conquered the Emperor Realm. In the meantime, he interacts with us through his shadow. However, his shadow is just that, a shadow.”

Almost immediately, Liu Jin’s mind flashes back to Nine-Headed Snake God.

Nine-Headed Snake God had called himself a shade, hadn’t he? Master had also called him that.

“Make no mistake,” Elder Xue adds. “Patriarch Feng’s shadow is by no means dim or unintelligent. The situation is not as straightforward as that. However, Patriarch Feng’s shadow is preoccupied with acting as a balancing force in the feud between his sons. Whether Elder Dang was lying or not would have been irrelevant compared to the opportunity it offered.”

“It wanted for the Internal Force to come into existence,” Liu Jin realizes. “Does that mean it favors his elder son?”

“Nothing like that. Otherwise, it would have already made its judgment known. Rather, it saw the opportunity to introduce another variable. Now, Elder Dang is making full use of it. There have already been disappearances over the past few days. At first, I thought they were simply disciples who had chosen to flee. Such things are not uncommon after all.”

However, with Senior Brother Luo’s testimony…

“He is silencing the bracelets and attacking us,” Liu Jin concludes.

“That is the most likely possibility. Of course, it may be a coincidence that these attacks started happening soon after the Internal Force came into existence.”

Elder Xue’s tone suggests she finds the possibility of this being just a coincidence dubious at best.

“Regardless, I want you to investigate this.”

“Am I to act as bait?”

Liu Jin is in a good position to do so. A Core Disciple would be too strong to be the bait. However, Liu Jin has the right mix of importance and strength to be an attractive target.

“Only if you wish to.” Elder Xue waves her hand. “Be bait or make someone else do so. Recruit as many people as you wish for this endeavor. I do not care for what methods you use so long as you root out the culprits and bring them out to the open. Expose them and shame them to your heart’s content.”

Make someone else be bait…

Huh.

“This disciple is happy to serve.”

~~~