Chapter 82

  The Eternal Veil (IV)

  As soon as I noticed Xi Zhao and the young woman running away, I realized that something was wrong--and thus the worries began.

  I'm like that on occasion, you know? Not generally anxiety-prone, but there were occasional bouts in my life when I'd get inside my head just a twinge too deep and find the rowing storm inside I had no business facing.

  This time... well, it wasn't that bad. Them running meant that there was something quite off with the town, but I wasn't truly worried about anyone--in part because Long Tao and Hua were here, but mostly because I had no doubt in my mind that Elder Qin was monitoring everything silently and would have interfered if he saw something too off.

  Hua, too, would never allow any harm to come to Dai Xiu, and now that he could unleash part of his strength (whatever that entailed), he'd be the first to rush to the town and decimate it if need be.

  So, I wasn't so much worried for their safety as I was for the outcome of this fabricated little mission.

  It was about five or so minutes later that the two appeared in front of me, both short of breath. Xi Zhao had a rather panicked and worried expression in his eyes, while Cao Qiu was... well, there was pure, raw shock, but it didn't seem to be aimed at the town or whatever happened to them, but rather at the boy next to her.

  "Master!" Xi Zhao quickly greeted.

  "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

  "No, no," he said. "We are both fine."

  "Tell me what happened."

  And so he did--he told me about the strange man coming out, inviting them in, Xi Zhao recognizing his voice, him attacking the two of them, and then freakin' molting like a freakin' snake. Yeah, no wonder they bolted--I'd have bolted too if some strange dude started laughing as he molted.

  Jesus.

  Before I could even offer a word of comfort, I spotted two silhouettes emerge from the tall grass--Long Tao and Dai Xiu were back, too, as though the two groups had coordinated it beforehand.

  He didn't seem surprised to see the other two, glanced momentarily toward Elder Qin, and then spoke toward me.

  "We're back, Master."

  "You're both safe, that's good," I said. "Did you manage to see anything?"

  "It was strange," he said. "The streets were full of people, but they all seemed half-comatose. Some were dead, some were on the cusp."

  "Any sign of what caused it?"

  "I sensed some strange energy moving toward the big, central pavilion," he said. "Whatever it is, it's located in there."

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "Oh."

  "I think we should be fine just going through the front doors."

  "... what?" It wasn't me who suddenly asked the question but rather Cao Qiu. "Are you insane?!"

  "Hm? What's wrong with you?" Long Tao glanced at her, frowning slightly.

  "Either you're insane or lying about ever having gone in! Whatever is going on inside the town is far beyond our abilities, and you want us to just walk in?! That's it! Master, I beseech you to take over the mission!" She suddenly hurried over to Elder Qin and bent down on one knee. I watched the expressions of my dear disciples change--and even Light, the disinterested and ordinarily apathetic expression flickering for a moment with... holy crap, that was murderous intent.

  "Qiu'er?"

  "I believe that Elder Lu is unfit to lead us into battle and that his disciples are too inexperienced to fight what resides within the town."

  It was dead silent, and even I found it a bit awkward on her behalf. I wasn't really mad; rather, I even felt for the girl. I could already pick up a thing or two of what happened--Xi Zhao saved her life, seemed entirely unafraid, and managed to keep up with her as they raced over here despite being a full major realm weaker than her, and then Long Tao strolls in claiming that whatever resided in the town was so pathetically weak that a bunch of Qi Condensation Realm kids could just storm through the front doors.

  Whether it was the fear, whether it was the bellyache of jealousy, or whether it was both or none or a hundred different things, people sought comfort in the time of confusion. For her, that comfort was Elder Qin.

  Alas... well, she screwed up.

  Of the many things that the Spirit Sword Sect was lax on, there were a few that were intolerable--no disciple was allowed to openly clash with an Elder. None. Not even the Core Disciples.

  That was the reason why, despite his rancid reputation, Lu Qi never truly suffered in the sect. The position was like an immortal armor that only other Elders were allowed to touch, but as he avoided them all like a plague, it never manifested.

  And yet, there she was, a rather ordinary disciple by all accounts, calling me, an Elder, out. I didn't particularly fault her, but Elder Qin... hoh, boy.

  Yes, my disciples were pissed off--hell, even Long Tao seemed strangely peeved, not to mention Dai Xiu, who legitimately looked like she wrote the young woman's name in a kill list or something--but Elder Qin was more than just... angry. While he did skirt the line of 'Just' rather well, I figured by now that it was just human nature.

  No one trait of a person could be summed up in just one word--people's behaviors were never that simple, after all. Just because someone was considered 'Just' didn't mean they were mechanical in their approach to choices and decisions. They were... people. They understood nuance, context, and the heart of humanity.

  However, 'Just' was still deeply engraved in Elder Qin's bones, and as someone keenly aware and respectful of the Sect's rules, I think she would have been in less trouble if she just said, 'I don't want to go in; I'm scared'.

  "Cao Qiu," she realized it then, I noted, her body flinching at the coarse voice bereft of affection. "You dare insinuate, in front of me, that a recognized Elder of our Sect is inept? You, a mere disciple, dare boldly proclaim that an Elder is unsuited for anything?" Elder Qin's voice wasn't... angry, per se.

  But it was terrifying.

  It was sort of like it was with my dad back when I was young--that man had never raised his voice. If you just listened for that specific cadence, you'd think he never got angry. But... he did get angry. Like, angry. He never screamed or shouted, but whenever his voice would turn a certain way, whenever he'd start squeezing syllables between his teeth... I knew it was time to run to mom and hide.

  "You have a choice now," he added. "Either destroy your dantian on the spot and leave my sight this instant, or march into that town by yourself and either come out victorious or die in there with honor."

  "M-Master--"

  "You are no disciple of mine. Never call me your 'Master' again, you misguided child," wow. Okay. I did think he'd punish her but this is far too much. "I--"

  "Elder Qin," I interjected, drawing attention to myself.

  "What is it, Elder Lu?"

  "She made a mistake."

  "And I'm punishing her."

  "She made a mistake toward me."

  "And I am her Master."

  "You just said that you weren't."

  "..." Look, I can't do much to change how things operate in this world. I really can't. But I know that Elder Qin respects me, for whatever reason. And I'll be damned if I'll stand by and watch as he sends a young woman to her death just because she questioned my competence out of fear.