~~~

The line between violence and bureaucracy is paper-thin.

After Elder Bi had quelled the fighting with his mere presence, it had been off to the Punishment House for everyone. The same disciples who had been at each other’s throats mere moments ago were made to stand in line, fill out forms, and submit to interrogation before being thrown to the cells. Only those who were seriously wounded were spared that fate, and even then, only temporarily. They’d have their turn in the Punishment House once the Medical Pavilion was done with them. They’d give their testimonies like the disciples before them, and like the disciples before them, those testimonies would be full of mild embellishments, gross exaggerations, and blatant lies.

Old-fashioned that he is, Liu Jin told the truth, not that it mattered. Elder Xue would get him out in time, if only because she could not have so many of her disciples imprisoned. The same went for the other Elders. While the disciples had been waiting in line, the Qi of several Elders, Elder Xue included, had flared up rather fiercely. Once they finished arguing—for they could be doing nothing else—almost everyone should be released.

Until then, Liu Jin is stuck waiting.

The first time he had been in the Punishment House, Liu Jin was placed in the first basement level, which had the lowest level of security. The room had been dark and had little ambient Qi. A poor spot for cultivation, but far from unpleasant.

He is on the third level this time.

There is no light. There is no sound or scent or taste or touch. Liu Jin knows he is sitting down, but only because he is perfectly aware of his body through his soul. Beyond that, he can scarcely feel his own flesh. To be deprived of his senses so perfectly should create excellent conditions to cultivate, but this cell is utterly devoid of any ambient Qi.

Even meditation is beyond Liu Jin now. Whenever Liu Jin tries to dive into his soul, his consciousness is suddenly thrown back to the waking world. An unpleasant, oppressive presence hangs over him at all times. A monster breathing down his neck. It does not let Liu Jin sleep. It does not let him relax. It does not let him ignore it. Peace is a fleeting concept. Calm is nowhere to be found.

Liu Jin once spent three years fighting a deadly poison that threatened to kill him at every turn. He can sit in this cell for as long as needed.

The same, however, cannot be said for most other disciples. Joining the Eternal Flame Clan has forced Liu Jin to acknowledge that his formation as a cultivator is particularly remarkable. Even when compared to many of the most talented cultivators in the Empire, few people near his age are close to his level. That bodes poorly for them right now.

The jump between the first and third levels of the Punishment House is far too steep for most of those who fought in the Sparring Hall to handle. It would be good if the majority had been sent to first-level cells, but the odds of that are minuscule. This is not like when Liu Jin and the others were caught fighting in the Summer Forest. The offense this time was far too big, and the conditions of the Eternal Flame Clan are far more volatile than back then.

Pan Qiu and many other disciples are probably suffering alone.

Certainly, many of those disciples had been eager to win glory regardless of how many bodies they had to step over, so Liu Jin does not feel too bad about them. However, Pan Qiu was only in the Sparring Hall because Liu Jin had convinced him to be there. Otherwise, Pan Qiu would have allowed himself to waste away in the Apothecary. A jail of a different sort, yet one far more comfortable than the one he is in right now.

Though Liu Jin cannot say he cares for Pan Qiu as a person, he does feel some sort of responsibility for his present condition.

He should have come up with a better plan.

The more rational side of his brain tells Liu Jin it is useless to torment himself with what could have been. It is an exercise in futility he has indulged in many times before, and it has never once left him satisfied. Rather, Liu Jin should focus on what he has learned from the experience.

The Internal Force is almost definitely behind the attack on Senior Brother Luo. Furthermore, their ability to shut down the bracelets can be used on multiple of them simultaneously over a decently large area and seemingly without any warning. Liu Jin hadn’t felt any disturbance when Bu Jing had shut them down.

Bu Jing…

Liu Jin frowns. At least, he likes to think he does. It is hard to tell when one cannot feel one's face.

Bu Jing has proven himself to be far more volatile than Liu Jin ever expected. When they fought, Liu Jin had been able to feel Bu Jing's soul each time they made contact. It wasn't like the time he was attacked by Wong Shou's Yin Qi back in Night Phantasm City. This was… purer. His Master's book had warned him something like that might happen if he fought someone who was still in the process of mastering his soul. Strong enough to use it in his attacks, but not strong enough to occlude himself properly.

Of course, Bu Jing's emotional state had likely contributed to that.

Wrath. Admiration. Hurt.

Bu Jing… truly respected Elder Cheung from the bottom of his heart.

Does that respect only exist because Bu Jing does not know of Elder Cheung's true character? It is hard to believe. Bu Jing was one of the disciples who fed Pan Qiu poison when he was being punished in the Medical Pavilion. Someone as skilled as Bu Jing should have been able to discern the true purpose behind Pan Qiu’s punishment.

Unless his admiration for Elder Cheung was so large he had blinded himself to the possibility.

Liu Jin grimaces. He shouldn’t be thinking about things like this right now. Whatever Bu Jing’s circumstances may be, he is not someone Liu Jin can take lightly. That he had to use Art of the Roaming Thief while fighting him says it all.

The next time they fight he cannot afford to hold back against Bu Jing.

The cell door opens.

For one blessed moment, all of Liu Jin’s senses return to him. The air has never tasted so sweet, the light never been so bright. Even something as simple as the breeze against his skin is exquisite. He is a wanderer who has stumbled upon an oasis after weeks in the desert.

A man steps into his cell. He has hair like obsidian and skin like jade. His face is set in a stern expression, and his robes mark him as an Elder. His Qi is in the Ninth Level of the Heaven Realm, yet it feels completely different from Elder Cheung’s. There is a weight to it, a density to his aura, that was nowhere to be found in the disgraced Elder Cheung. Comparing the two would be like comparing Heaven and Earth.

He is Elder Chang, Warden of the Punishment House.

During the feast, he sat at Lord Feng Shang’s side.

“So you’re the prodigy Xue is so proud of.”

“I am a disciple of the Apothecary who serves at the pleasure of Elder Xue. I do not presume to know what opinion she has of me, honored Elder,” Liu Jin replies, only needing a moment to get used to having his senses back.

The Elder snorts.

“You are definitely one of Xue’s.”

The door closes. Liu Jin’s senses are taken once more. Liu Jin is left alone in the dark with an Elder of the Eternal Flame Clan.

"I read your interrogation. Your theory on the nature of the incident was quite interesting."

There is no sound in the room, but Qi can still carry messages. The presence of Elder Chang cannot be diminished by a place like this. His Qi broadcasts his thoughts as though he were speaking.

"Does Elder Chang believe there is merit to this disciple's words?"

Like Elder Chang, Liu Jin sends his thoughts through his Qi. However, Elder Chang does not wait for Liu Jin's Qi to reach him. His Qi opens up like the jaws of a tiger and snaps shut Liu Jin's message. Liu Jin senses Elder Chang could end his life with the same ease. However, two things give him hope. The first is that Elder Xue had made sure the other Elders understood he was somewhat important to her by bringing him to the feast. Him dying while under the custody of the Punishment House would have some repercussions.

The second one is what Huang Shing had said during their fight.

Elder Chang does not care for the Internal Force.

“Do you know I support Lord Feng Shang, disciple?”

“I had assumed that, honored Elder.”

“Yet you accused the Internal Force of wrongdoing, knowing how little leeway that would grant you before me.”

“Honored Elder, this may be the Punishment House. You may support Lord Feng Shang, but this disciple struggles to believe all those who support Lord Feng Gui meekly accepted the blame for the incident.”

It is not as if the Punishment House is going to hurt them. If every disciple who supports Lord Feng Shang came out fine and every disciple who supports Lord Feng Gui didn’t, it’d be obvious what happened.

“True, but none of them added something quite so provocative in their testimony.”

“I am better informed than my peers. There is nothing special about it.”

Elder Chang does not reply right away. He judges him in silence, letting Liu Jin stew in the darkness of his cell.

“Do you know why I support Lord Feng Shang, disciple?”

“I do not, honored Elder.”

“Lord Feng Shang prizes stability. We of the Eternal Flame Clan have thrived for over a thousand years. The results of the Crimson Cloud Tournament are regrettable, but they are hardly something that will truly set us back in any meaningful way. Lord Feng Gui, however, is reckless. He holds no love for tradition and will gleefully break any rules so long as they suit him. He cares for his sons as long as they are useful to him. He cares for his women as long as they please him. He is a man of vision, and because of it, he will destroy that which is an obstacle to that vision. That is the man you follow.”

“I must confess I have never interacted with Lord Feng Gui.”

And yet, Elder Chang’s words do not ring false.

“However, it is not Lord Feng Gui’s men who have broken the most rules, honored Elder.”

“Internal Disputes are out of control,” Elder Chang says. “I truly cannot comprehend Elder Dang’s thought process. However, you do not know the worst of it.”

Liu Jin tilts his head and blinks. He had not expected Elder Chang to so easily agree with him.

“The worst of it?”

“Do you think Elder Dang a fool who only knows how to cause chaos? If so, it is you who has proven himself a fool. The Internal Force is merely noise, nothing but a smokescreen. While you have been distracted by that pack of thugs, his disciples have been working diligently.”

“Elder Chang, I am afraid this one does not understand.”

“Of course, you do not understand. If you did, there would be no need for my presence here. All this time, Internal Disputes has been working on the procedures required to have one of my prisoners freed.”

Liu Jin’s eyebrows go up.

The line between violence and bureaucracy truly is paper-thin.

“I am the Warden of the Punishment House,” Elder Chang states. The certainty in his voice as he speaks is felt as a physical force. “This is not a job I do because I enjoy it. It is a job I do because it needs doing. I am not a weakling like Cheung. I could have easily isolated myself to reach the Emperor Realm if I wished to, but that would require me to step away from my duties at a most crucial time. Such a thing is unacceptable. However, I am now being told there is nothing I can do but watch as a madman is released from his chains and unleashed upon the disciples. No, that will not stand.”

“You will deliver a message from me to Elder Xue.”

~~~