The cross-examining elder’s gaze bore into Li Wei as though he intended to flay every hidden thought from his mind.

  “Honored elders,” the man finally declared, his voice echoing through the hall, “you must steel your hearts for what is to follow. Today’s revelations will shock and dishearten you, for it involves secrets of a taboo nature. While most of our disciples are kind and morally upright individuals, some hide in the dark and do things that would displease men and gods, wearing masks of servitude to hide their nefarious hearts…”

  Li Wei’s heartbeat thudded against his ribs. He knew what was coming next.

  Once he was outed as the Buddha Mask Disciple, he would be finished. His life would be forfeit today. And at only the Fourth stage of Flesh-Tempering, he couldn’t do much. Even the weakest elder here could trample him to the ground. Within his dantian, he felt the Heavenly Lotus quiver briefly then grow calm. He curled his fingers inward, nails digging into his palms.

  “Li Wei,” the elder continued, voice dripping icy condemnation, “whom this sect once viewed as a harmless fallen youth… is not who he appears.”

  He reached into the wooden evidence box.

  Time seemed to grow slow as Li Wei braced himself for his secret identity to be cast out under the sun.

  But when the elder withdrew his hand, relief washed through Li Wei so suddenly he nearly staggered.

  The elder held up a scroll—yellowed, bound with a fraying cord.

  It was the ancient breathing technique, Cycle of the Mortal Zodiac Wheel.

  Li Wei felt his lungs uncoil.

  The elder raised a brow upon seeing Li Wei unexpectedly calm, suspicion flickering through his eyes. He snapped, “How did you come to possess this breathing scroll?”

  Li Wei bowed his head, forcing trembling into his voice. “I… I stole it, Elder. My circumstances are wretched. I was once a cultivator with promise—then three years ago, I was crippled on the arena stage by Zhao Feng. I became desperate. Foolishly, I thought a unique breathing method might restore what I lost. So I stole it from a friend without his knowledge.”

  He couldn’t just out Xian Lan now, could he? In a million years, he would never admit he had told Xian Lan to borrow the scroll for him. In Li Wei's opinion, those who dragged their friends with them in their downfall were worse than dogs, especially after that friend had risked so much for one's sake.

  Murmurs spread. Some elders sneered, others showed faint pity. A cripple grasping at illusions… it was something many could understand, if not condone.

  But the cross-examining elder’s lips thinned in displeasure at the mild reaction. His voice hardened.

  “A pitiful theft pales beside the true matter.” He stepped forward, robes stirring like restless shadows. “I have one simple question for you, Disciple Li Wei—pardon me, Servant Li Wei. What poison did you use to kill Guo Liang?”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The question exploded like thunder in the chamber.

  Li Wei lifted his head, stunned. “I did not kill Guo Liang,” he answered firmly. “I admit to theft. But murder… is not mine to bear.”

  The elder’s gaze narrowed, his tone mild as he approached Li Wei’s stand. “Then let us revisit your whereabouts. During the final bout yesterday, while Zhao Feng and Xian Lan fought, where were you?”

  Li Wei’s eyes flickered toward Su Qingyue before he replied.

  “As I stated earlier, I was searching for Moonlight Dew Nectar… upon Lady Su’s request.”

  The elder clasped his hands behind his back, pacing in slow strides. “And yet… that nectar does not exist within our stores, does it?”

  Li Wei nodded. “It does not. So I brought the closest substitute the kitchen had.”

  “And that was…?”

  “Frost Orchid Wine.”

  “Did Lady Su partake?”

  “Yes.”

  “And Guo Liang?”

  Li Wei shook his head. “Not to my knowledge.”

  The elder nods as he strolls across the court, appearing thoughtful. “It had been brought to my awareness that Young Lord Guo Liang spoke some harsh words at you. Is this true?”

  Li Wei kept his tone neutral, though he was growing annoyed. “The young master had a colorful language, but I have been a servant for three years now, sir, thus my skin has grown thick.”

  The elder nodded and said, “So when Young Lord Guo Liang said, ‘you should also know the difference between service and incompetence’, how did you feel?”

  Li Wei replied calmly once more. “I felt that the young lord was angry. But as I said earlier, I am but a lowly sect servant and my skin in thicker than most. I have weathered greater insults.”

  The third head snorted dismissively. “So when he said ‘trash befriends trash’, you did think to make an example of him?” he asked. “You didn’t think to make him forfeit his life as recompense for such vile words?”

  Li Wei’s annoyance bubbled forth, and he replied calmly, “Respected Elder… you keep putting words in my mouth. Your creativity is admirable, but do take care, for your speculations wander far beyond my station, and I, a lowly servant, lack the audacity to dream so… grandly.”

  For a heartbeat, silence filled the courtroom. Every breath seemed to catch midair.

  Li Wei’s tone had been courteous, but the veiled barb in his words hung sharp as a blade.

  This was the Third Head of the Punishment Hall, not some common onlooker. For Li Wei to respond so sardonically was audacious, enough to make several elders shift in their seats, their gazes sharpening in disapproval.

  The cross-examining elder smiled, thin and predatory. “Tell me, Li Wei—are you angry?”

  Li Wei exhaled softly. “No, Elder. I am not angry. I fear only injustice. A charge as grave as murder, pressed upon unproven shoulders, is a burden even thick skin cannot bear lightly. If my tone wavered earlier, it was panic, not disrespect. I offer my sincerest apology.”

  Li Wei’s measured reply shifted the mood in the courtroom once again. The critical air softened; several elders exchanged glances, their expressions easing as they considered his words. Some even sighed quietly in understanding.

  Li Wei was young, about the age of their own grandchildren. If such a grave charge had been placed upon their kin without solid proof, would they not also feel indignant?

  He had once been a promising disciple, now fallen to the rank of servant, yet even in humility, he had never caused trouble. He worked diligently, quietly, and without complaint. Perhaps there was more to this case than met the eye, a few of them thought, their looks toward him growing more contemplative than condemning.

  The Third Head clenched his jaw as he sensed this shift in the courtroom’s air, but maintained a friendly smile. He said calmly to Li Wei; “Little friend Wei, this seat did not intend to paint you with a vile brush, I am simply trying to get to the root of the matter in the name of justice and all things fair.”

  Although Li Wei’s wrists were tied, he managed to raise his hand and clasp his fist in a respectful gesture, bowing forward slightly toward the elder. “Then, I leave my life in your hands, your grace. This foolish child will answer your questions honestly and forthrightly.”

  This attitude again further softened the other seated elders’ attitude, while conversely causing a vein to protrude from the Third Head’s forehead. He clasped his hands tighter and resumed. “Then, for the sake of justice… I will continue.”