~~~

The court building is located between the upper and lower sides of Rumbling Thunder City. Liu Jin suspects this is not a coincidence but the result of conscious city planning. Even the look of the building, block-like and lacking adornments, seems to reflect the soberness of its purpose. One of the city waterways makes a loop around the building, making it look quiet and remote despite being in the middle of a bustling city. One could almost be forgiven for thinking it peaceful.

There is nothing peaceful about what is going on inside right now.

“Naturally, I take responsibility for the incident,” Liu Jin says to the small group assembled before him. Among them is City Lord Chu, who looks like he was hurried out of his mansion. He sits behind the judge’s stand. Two city officials stand on either side of him. One is writing everything that is said in the courtroom, and the other stands guard.

Usually, there would be far more people in the courtroom. As Liu Jin understands it, many consider watching the trials to be a source of entertainment. Some entrepreneurially-minded souls have even made a business out of selling memory talismans containing their recollections of the more unique cases. Liu Jin saw quite a few in the marketplace while walking around with Huang Shing and Fan Bingbing.

Due to the sensitive nature of this trial, there will be no audience.

“Y-You do?” asks City Lord Chu, furiously wiping sweat from his brow with a white handkerchief.

“Naturally,” Liu Jin replies with considerable calm. “I am a Core Disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan. As far as the actions of the disciples under my authority are concerned, I am fully responsible. In fact, I can safely say Disciple Huang acted with my full support.”

“I-I see,” City Lord Chu says, clearly not understanding anything.

“City Lord Chu, I regret to say this case is clear as day,” says Yuan Tao. Despite being in the Heaven Realm, Yuan Tao speaks with deference to a man who is barely in the Earth Realm. “We heard it right from my underling’s lips. It is he who bears the burden of this crime, and so, punishment must be levied upon him.”

Much like City Lord Chu, it is clear Yuan Tao rushed down here as soon as he heard the news, most likely abandoning whatever meeting was taking place with General Dan’s men. His motives are fairly simple to understand. Disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan beat up General Nie Dan’s soldiers. By having that be the story that spreads around the city, he seeks to undermine their alliance.

“How curious,” Liu Jin says, pressing a finger to his chin. “I do not recall saying I have committed any crimes.”

Silence fills the courtroom as all eyes turn to Liu Jin.

“You just took full responsibility for what happened,” Yuan Tao reminds him. The look on his face is one of mild irritation.

It is not the first time he and Liu Jin have stood in such close proximity to each other. However, it is the first time they have been in the same room without an Emperor commanding their full attention.

Yuan Tao looks rather cat-like.

It is not due to the leanness of his body, his golden eyes, or even the way his black hair is tied in a long, thin braid that reaches all the way to his waist, almost resembling a tail. There is a certain grace about Yuan Tao. Something predatory hiding beneath a mask of civility.

“I took responsibility for the actions of those under my command,” Liu Jin corrects Yuan Tao. “I do not recall ever saying those actions were a crime.”

“N-Not a crime?!” City Lord Chu says before Yuan Tao can ask any follow-up questions. “Then what would you call them?”

“A lesson in etiquette, naturally,” Liu Jin answers. “What happened was simply a demonstration of proper manners.”

“P-p-proper manners!” yells the scandalized City Lord, who seems to have it upon himself to echo Liu Jin’s every word.

“There were six unconscious men, and four were reported to have fractures,” Yuan Tao points out icily. He holds up the report made by the city guards who arrived after Huang Shing had finished educating the soldiers.

“I am aware,” Liu Jin replies. “I was the one who made the diagnosis.”

Yuan Tao and City Lord Chu stare at him as if waiting for him to say more. He doesn’t.

“So?” Yuan Tao asks with rising impatience.

“So?” Liu Jin echoes with polite confusion.

“So will you still insist on calling it a lesson in etiquette despite the damage done?!”

“Manners are no small matter, senior brother,” Liu Jin tells him with no small amount of seriousness. “There are dire consequences to excessive rudeness, and that is something General Nie Dan’s soldiers have learned today. How can I call it anything other than a well-taught lesson?”

“Foolishness!” Yuan Tao yells, throwing the report to the floor. “You speak nothing but foolishness! Do you truly expect this to stand?”

“Foolishness? I think not,” Liu Jin says, unfazed by Yuan Tao’s anger, which is far more than can be said for City Lord Chu, who looks like he wishes he could be cowering in the corner. “Truthfully, I do not see why there needs to be a trial at all. What else can be said about this incident? Should we say General Nie Dan’s men were acting like brutes and terrorizing the people they were sworn to protect? That would be a little too unkind towards the good general, wouldn’t it? It would take a foolish person to persist on that explanation.”

“Is that any way to address your superior, junior?” Yuan Tao asks him.

“No. That is why it is good that Senior Brother Yuan is not my superior,” Liu Jin replies. “This disciple belongs to the Apothecary and is under Elder Xue’s command in the same way Senior Brother Yuan answers to Elder Fa. My direct superior would be Senior Brother Mud or, in certain cases, Young Master Feng Zhi. I am afraid Senior Brother Yuan does not have a place in that chain of command.”

“It seems Elder Fa was right about the rudeness of those in the Apothecary,” Yuan Tao says, glaring at him. “You spend so much time boiling herbs that you have forgotten how to interact with others.”

“Is that what is said about us? I find that constant silence makes us good listeners. Senior Brother Yuan should try it so that his ears may improve.”

“Are you saying I need to listen to you?!” Yuan Tao shouts. “Where is the evidence that those men started the fight? I should have all the injured soldiers called here so they can testify!”

If he were to call the soldiers, they’d obviously testify they did nothing wrong. Naturally, Yuan Tao expects Liu Jin to oppose this.

However, Liu Jin smiles and nods.

“That is an excellent idea, senior brother,” he says. “If we are going to take the time to do that, we should go a step further and gather all the people who were in the restaurant.”

“How would we even know if they were in the restaurant?” Yuan Tao counters. “It’d be easy for people who were never there to come forward and give false testimony.”

“At the very least, it should be simple to ascertain who owns the establishment and who works there,” Liu Jin points out. “By cooperating with the owner, we’d also be able to verify the identity of the customers who were present this afternoon.”

“That’s not good enough!” Yuan Tao says. “It’d be one thing if we had interrogated them right after the event happened. However, enough time has passed for them to be influenced by other people. How can we rely on their words?”

Liu Jin raises an eyebrow and tilts his head to the side. “Are you suggesting someone would try to influence their testimony so they may speak poorly of the soldiers? What purpose would that serve?”

“There is someone here right now who is speaking poorly of General Dan’s men,” Yuan Tao says, glaring at him.

“I am merely pointing out their lack of manners,” Liu Jin replies. “Does Senior Brother really think this issue is big enough that it would force someone to seek out these people and…What? Threaten them? Bribe them?” He glances at City Lord Chu. “Are the people of Rumbling Thunder City so dissatisfied with their circumstances that they can be so easily turned against their defenders?”

“Of course not!” City Lord Chu shouts. “There is no way the people of Rumbling Thunder City would lie about the soldiers.”

“Then there is no harm in making them come here to testify,” Liu Jin says, smiling.

“I-That is…”

“Even if the people are righteous, they are still only regular citizens,” Yuan Tao cuts in. “There is much that can be done to alter their minds. Methods that they would have no defense against.”

“...Are you suggesting someone would tamper with their memories?” Liu Jin asks, and for the first time, some disbelief colors his voice at how far Yuan Tao is reaching.

Certainly, there are methods to alter someone’s memory. Liu Jin knows about it because Old Jiang told him they exist. However, it is a rare art, and Liu Jin has never met anyone who could use it. For Yuan Tao to suggest it is a possibility borders on the absurd.

“It is possible,” Yuan Tao insists. “It’d be one thing if we had taken their testimonies right after the incident, but far too much time has passed now.”

“I see. So if we had their memories right now, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Naturally,” Yuan Tao replies. One second later, he sees the smile on Liu Jin’s face and realizes he has fallen into a trap. However, it is already too late.

“Good, then there should be no problem,” Liu Jin says as he reaches into his spatial pouch.

“These… these are…” The City Lord takes a step back in shock as Liu Jin places multiple talismans in front of him.

“Memory talismans,” Liu Jin says. “They were an impulse buy, I must admit. Imagine my surprise when they became useful right away.”

“You mean to say…” Yuan Tao cannot bring himself to finish the sentence. Still, Liu Jin nods.

“After the incident, I made sure to gather the memories of those present,” Liu Jin says. He holds up two. “These are from Brother Huang and Sister Fan. These others…”

Liu Jin gestures at the nearly dozen talismans.

“... are from the citizens. A single look at any of them should prove beyond a shadow of a doubt what happened in the restaurant,” Liu Jin says, addressing the City Lord. “Of course, perhaps it would be more prudent to pretend this never happened?”

~~~

The trial is over. Dismissed. No punishments will be levied on anyone. Not officially, at least. Liu Jin suspects the soldiers who tried to harass those citizens will not be happy when they wake up.

“You are far more reckless than I was expecting you to be,” Yuan Tao tells him. City Lord Chu and the city officials have left the courtroom. It is only the two of them inside now.

“Is that so?” Liu Jin asks. “Personally, I think I handled things as prudently as possible. Certainly more so than someone who abandoned an important meeting just to try to take advantage of this opportunity, making it grow far beyond what it should have.”

Yuan Tao flushes. His Qi rises ever so slightly and begins filling the room. However, that is not enough to threaten Liu Jin. Even if Yuan Tao’s cultivation is higher than his, he will not kill him. Not here. Not with so many witnesses nearby. It would achieve nothing and cost him much.

Liu Jin can be as honest as he wants to.

“That attitude is exactly what I am talking about,” Yuan Tao says. He raises a finger to point at him. “Your achievements have caused you to have an inflated opinion of yourself. You even dare address me as though we were equals.”

“I am little more than a worm,” Liu Jin says so bluntly Yuan Tao is taken aback. “And I do not know enough about you to say whether we are equals or not. That remains to be seen, though I believe I have gotten a glimpse of your character today. Yours and General Dan’s.”

“He is not even here,” Yuan Tao says.

Liu Jin nods. “Exactly. Had he come to cover up his men’s misdeeds, I’d have been disappointed in him. Instead, you were the one who brought City Lord Chu to take advantage of the situation, and even he did not seem completely certain of his actions. That means you do not have as much influence here as I feared.”

Yuan Tao crosses his arms. “That is a rather large assumption to make.”

“Is it?” Liu Jin asks. “Regardless, since we have not been properly introduced, this one’s name is Qing Jin. I will be making your life hard from now on.”

Yuan Tao snorts.

“Reckless. Just as I said. Keep your neck clean for me, junior. You will not find this Yuan Tao an easy foe.”

~~~