Night fell upon the Medicinal Hall, and I lay down on the bed with the scent of medicinal herbs enclosed. The room was dimly lit with only a single spiritual lamp placed at the corner while outside the window I could hear the occasional sound of night patrol disciples passing.
(Peaceful.)
I turned my head slightly and Yang Kai was in the bed next to mine, his breathing was steady now, Elder Han had worked on him for hours, stabilizing his condition and sealing the wound where his leg used to be.
The boy would live yet he'd never be the same, all because he'd tried to fight an Alpha Iron Fang Wolf alongside Chen Wu. Chen Wu himself, meanwhile, had been taken to Elder Yun's personal quarters, his master wanting to oversee his recovery directly and make sure nothing went wrong.
I'd heard Elder Han discussing it that Chen Wu's injuries were serious but not life-threatening, and he'd wake up soon, maybe tomorrow.
And when he will…
I closed my eyes, allowing my mind to pass through thoughts. Everything fell into place.
Su Ling had handed me the weapon herself, and all I did was turn it against her — the baseless allegations, the imprisonment, everything played into a story so flawless that even the people defending her were at a loss, and Chen Wu — Tch.. ( Why he had to be unconscious right now.)
" Haaah, let's see where this will go."
The night passed as the morning light entered through the window.
I heard movement outside as disciples began their morning routines and the sect slowly woke up.
Just then a servant entered. "Fu Yang, the elders request your presence in the Judgment Hall, immediately."
"Mmm."
…
I got up slowly as the servant helped me stand and offered support as we walked. We left the Medicinal Hall and crossed the sect grounds before arriving at the Judgment Hall in the eastern section, a place I'd never been before, reserved for serious disciplinary matters, and as we entered through heavy wooden doors the hall stretched out large yet empty except for a few key elements.
In the center of the room stood a stone pedestal and on top of it rested a smooth dark stone about the size of a person's head while it emanated a faint spiritual pressure, ancient and powerful.
The elders were already present as Elder Tian, Elder Shen, Elder Han and Elder Yun stood alongside a few others I didn't recognize.
And lined up along one wall were all the disciples from the conspiracy, Wu Lian, the patrol disciples, the guards and everyone who had been involved in my imprisonment — and at the front of that line stood Su Ling.
She looked terrible, her clothes still dirty from the mission while her hair was disheveled and her face pale.
I was directed by the servant to sit in the corner but the corner did not block my view of the hall and Elder Tian went up to the stone pedestal. "This," he said" is the Soul Binding oath stone, one of our sect's most magnificent treasures, and it is not like we use it a lot due to the fact that the spiritual energy inside it decreases with each activation but this situation warrants it's use.
He then placed his hand on the stone and it pulsed once with soft light.
"The mechanism is simple, the person being questioned first makes an oath which all of them had already done and then places both hands on the stone while another person asks questions, and if the answer is truthful the stone remains still but if the person lies..." he paused, "the stone glows, bright and unmistakable."
The disciples in line looked distressed for there was no more room for deception and no more carefully worded half-truths. The elders nodded in agreement with this approach.
"We'll begin," Elder Tian said, "one by one each of you will be questioned and answer truthfully and your punishment may be reduced."
The first disciple stepped forward, one of the patrol disciples who had arrested me and placed his hands on the stone trembling, as Elder Tian asked questions, simple ones and direct.
"Were you instructed to do this by Su Ling?"
"Yes."
The stone remained still and like that one by one each disciple stepped forward and confessed, all answers verified by the stone.
Then came another disciple's turn and he stepped forward with more confidence than the others before placing his hands on the stone without hesitation.
Elder Tian looked at him. "Shen Yu, why did you participate in Fu Yang's false imprisonment?"
Shen Yu's answer came without pause.
"Because I believe Su Ling is right, Fu Yang is an evil person, Elder Tian this is all wrong and you're all being manipulated by that evil person." His voice was earnest and passionate before he paused for a moment. " And… I will say it plainly, my heart has always belonged to her."
His face reddened slightly with the last line and he turned his head and winked at Su Ling. The entire hall went silent.
No one knew what to say, mouths hanging open as they processed what they'd just heard — even I was surprised…
Elder Tian just looked at the stone — it hadn't glowed. Shen Yu genuinely believed everything what he'd said, genuinely thought I was evil and believed he was protecting the sect.
Elder Tian placed his hand on his forehead like he had a headache. (Such foolish disciples we have.)
He waved Shen Yu away and made a note in his manual, probably recording the punishment, and then came Wu Lian's turn. She stepped forward, her hands shaking as she placed them on the stone. Everyone got serious now for this was the key witness.
"Tell me everything from the start," Elder Tian said.
Wu Lian's voice was weak and broken as she confessed all of it, how Su Ling had approached her and what she was told to do. The stone remained still throughout, every word verified as truth.
Elder Yun's expression dropped completely — his trusted disciple was confirmed as the orchestrator.
And finally it was her turn. She walked forward slowly, like each step took enormous effort before placing both hands on the Truth Stone.
And elder Tian stood before her, his expression unforgiving.
"Did you ask everyone here to participate in falsely imprisoning Fu Yang?"
Su Ling was silent for a long moment before finally in a weak voice — "Yes."
The stone remained still.
"Mm." Elder Tian made a note. "Now, about the night when Chen Wu, Fu Yang and you were in a desperate situation and Fu Yang almost got killed, and was desperately calling for help..." he paused, "did you try to stop Chen Wu from saving him, did you attempt to let Fu Yang die?"
Heh…
Su Ling's eyes widened. "What?"
She wasn't prepared for this question and I could see it in her face, the shock and the confusion. where did that come from, who told them that?
"Answer me," Elder Tian said firmly, "I just want to confirm whether what Fu Yang reported is true or not."
She looked across the hall directly at me and I met her gaze, letting the corners of my mouth twitch slightly, just enough for her to see and daring her to answer.
"Answer me!" Elder Tian's voice rose.
"No... I didn't want to..."
The Truth Stone began to glow.
Immediately Elder Yun, who had been standing, dropped into his seat, his expression one of pure shock.
Elder ming, who was also present, grunted
Elder Han and Elder Shen nodded to each other, their suspicions confirmed for they had believed what I reported and now it was verified. Elder Tian opened his mouth, ready to continue questioning and dig deeper into Su Ling's betrayal.
But just then—
BANG!
All heads turned as the doors of the hall burst open.
And there appeared Chen Wu at the entrance, his sight penetrating all the objects in a single glance. The oath stone, the lined disciples, the elders.
Lastly, he looked at Su Ling who remained frozen in the center of the hall, her hands still pressed against the stone.
At that moment when Su Ling and Chen Wu's eyes connected. Su Ling's expression was that of a begging girl, the emotion of her whole body asking for Chen Wu to realize what was going on and help her. Chen Wu stepped forward into the hall, and despite the seriousness of his situation, his expression remained hollow and unchanged.
Now I could only watch, waiting to see which way the tide would turn….