In the audience seats of the duelling arena, Jin Huang, Wang Kun, Bo Jian and Lin Fan were staring at the stage with blank faces. Nothing like this had happened in the sect since Lanxiang Meili had made her entrance a few months back, and even she didn’t just up and challenge everyone to a duel.

They saw Tianlan bow his head and leave after apologising, and that was when they finally snapped out of their dazes.

“Wait. Did he just say something about a wanted poster?” asked Jin Huang. “Didn’t you mention something like that, Jian?”

“…”

“He did,” said Wang Kun. “This pretty much confirms that this situation is your fault, Jian.”

“Oh?” asked Lin Fan. “How do you figure?”

“It’s clear that he challenged Sister Yu to display his ability in front of an audience. That was so that his warning would have some substance to it. He used that to tell people not to go after his bounty.”

“Oh. I see. But there’s no way he would dare to cripple someone else’s cultivation is there? The disciplinary committee would eat him alive.”

“He doesn’t have to do it,” said Jin Huang. “Just saying that he will is enough of a deterrent. Most people will back off for fear of him actually going through with it. After all, there’s always the chance that he’s a crazy person who’ll disregard the rules.”

“That being said,” added Wang Kun, “the elders of the disciplinary committee might not take kindly to this. If he ever does break the rules, he’ll probably get a harsher punishment than usual.”

“I would have to agree then,” said Lin Fan. “You really messed up this time, Brother Jian.”

“It seems all of us have the same thoughts,” said Jin Huang. “Sister Yu seems to have noticed it too. Look.”

Jin Huang pointed to the stage where Sei Yu was the only one present. She was looking straight into their section of the audience seats, her eyes focused on Bo Jian.

“…”

Of course she had been able to make the connection herself. After putting all the pieces together, it was clear to see that Tianlan didn’t do this out of some personal grudge. It was likely triggered by Bo Jian’s antagonistic behaviour.

That said, now that she knew the cause of this whole ordeal, she was able to look back to the battle she had just participated in with a clear mind. There were several oddities which warranted her attention.

First of all, her opponent had copied her moves perfectly. Too perfectly. It was almost as if she were battling herself.

What reason did he have for doing that?

Was he trying to assert his dominance?

If so, it didn’t go the way he planned. Unlike the crushing defeat she had suffered at the hands of Lanxiang Meili, this battle felt far more balanced, as if it could have gone either way. And if she was being honest with herself, Sei Yu would have to admit that she got a lot out of it.

If she properly digested what she learned today, her swordsmanship would go up a notch. That was almost certain.

Other than that, she remembered landing several solid blows throughout the match, but even when she found herself in a disadvantaged position, she didn’t suffer in kind.

Thinking back on it, it was only during the hand-to-hand sections that her opponent had fully taken advantage of her vulnerabilities, and even then, she wasn’t punished as harshly as she could have been. If it were one of her attacks which landed instead, it would have done a lot more damage…

Clearly, he was holding back.

But why?

Was her ability too low to bother using his full strength?

No. She couldn’t accept that. There wasn’t that big of a difference between their abilities.

The more likely answer was that he didn’t want to hurt her…

Because she was a woman…

***

Elder Qian was seated at his desk in his office going through a few documents, taking the occasional sip of his freshly brewed tea.

He had been quite busy lately monitoring the situation with Tianlan and was sure that he would give in soon.

The thought caused a smile to creep up on his face.

He leaned back into his chair and brought his teacup to his lips, took a look at the remainder, and decided to finish it off.

But he almost spat it out when a loud voice accosted his ears.

Coughing, he slammed his teacup back down and stood up from his seat.

“So, this is what he meant by he’ll extinguish the fire, eh? I must admit, it’s an interesting approach.”

It was interesting, yes, but also incredibly foolish. How did the boy think this would be the best move to make? He had made himself the tallest tree in the forest and would be facing the full brunt of the harsh winds.

He tapped the table with his finger and began to contemplate his next move when he heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” he said.

A young man with a clipboard walked in and bowed.

“I’ve finished the rounds, sir.”

“Did you happen to see what that was about?”

“You mean the announcement?”

“Yes.”

“I actually happened to be there. The number one disciple from the new group challenged Senior Sister Sei Yu to a duel and ended up winning. That was when he made that announcement.”

“He challenged Sei Yu? Didn’t she just break through to the minute realm?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Really…”

With this news, Elder Qian could see why Tianlan would be so bold.

“Invite her here. Tell her I would like to speak with her.”

***

“You wanted to see me, Elder Qian?”

Sei Yu had responded to Elder Qian’s summons and her friends decided to tag along. They were already aware of what this was about.

“Take a seat,” replied Elder Qian. “I’m afraid I don’t have the means to accommodate a group, so the rest of you will have to stand.”

Sei Yu did as he instructed and took the seat opposite him.

“What did you want to discuss?”

“I heard you lost a duel to a new disciple. Is that true?”

“It is.”

“You don’t seem to be too upset about it. I would imagine most others would be feeling shame and anger at the situation.”

“There’s no shame in losing to a worthy opponent. Besides, I gained a lot from it as well. I just wish the duel had taken place under different circumstances.”

“Yes, yes,” said Elder Qian as he waved his hand dismissively. “So, tell me. Is this boy some heaven-defying talent, or is there something else going on here? How did you lose to a new disciple?”

“It was a fair duel and he was the better swordsman.”

Elder Qian frowned upon hearing this.

“Did he use a strange technique that you’re unfamiliar with?”

“No. We both used the Lotus Series. And neither of us relied on the abilities granted by the minute realm.”

“Lotus Series? He was able to match you in your specialty?”

“Yes.”

“And you aren’t ashamed of the result? Do you know that there’s no organisation who could teach the Lotus Series better than we can? It’s a technique that was invented by one of our own seniors. How could you lose to an outsider?”

Sei Yu couldn’t respond. What Elder Qian said was correct. The Lotus Series was a technique developed by a senior after witnessing lotuses blooming amidst a moonlit lake. And, as such, there was nowhere better than the sect to practice it.

But even then, she had lost to a new disciple…

As if she wasn’t already feeling inadequate, Elder Qian continued.

“Then again, you were also embarrassed by Lanxiang Meili, so it’s not exactly a surprise. Maybe it’s you who is weak as opposed to these outsiders being something special.”

Those words struck Sei Yu, and her friends could see it clearly.

“Alright. I’ve heard enough,” said Elder Qian. “You can see yourselves out.”

Not liking the atmosphere, Wang Kun stepped forward, ignoring Lin Fan’s signal for him to stay quiet.

“You’re being unreasonable, Elder Qian.”

Both Sei Yu and Elder Qian turned to him.

“Oh? Do you have some excuse for her, Wang Kun?”

“No, I don’t, but the way I see it, Lanxiang Meili would wipe the floor with you as well, wouldn’t she? Doesn’t that mean you’re also weak? Shouldn’t you also be ashamed of yourself?”

“You!”

Elder Qian got up from his seat with a pulse of qi that sent the room into disarray, but it didn’t affect Wang Kun at all. The same went for Jin Huang.

Sei Yu, Bo Jian, and Lin Fan, on the other hand, felt heavy pressure bearing down on them.

Lin Fan could only place her palm on her face as she looked at Wang Kun who didn’t seem to have noticed the sharpness of his own words. In fact, he ignored all of the social cues and decided to continue.

“Sister Yu’s opponent this time had some strange aspects to himself as well,” he said.

Elder Qian’s aura dissipated, and he sat back down before urging Wang Kun to continue.

“It’s just speculation at this point, but I’m fairly confident he came into the fight not knowing the Lotus Series at all. It looks like he learned it through copying Sister Yu.”

“What?!”

Elder Qian’s eyes opened wide for a moment before he convinced himself that it was nonsense.

“What would cause you to jump to such a wild conclusion?”

Sei Yu also wanted to hear this.

“You practice the same series as me,” said Jin Huang. “But if we were to fight, do you think you would be able to copy my stances to the smallest detail?

“I’m talking breathing, foot placement, grip, finger positioning, angle, duration, pressure. The list goes on.”

“Of course not.”

“Well, aside from the differences brought about by their differing physiques, Sister Yu’s opponent copied her moves to a tee.”

“What kind of-”

Elder Qian stopped himself and tapped his table repeatedly as he took in the information.

“Alright. I’ve heard enough. Thank you for your time.”

The five bowed before leaving, and after the door had closed, Elder Qian’s expression turned ugly.

He thought about the upcoming initiation and after predicting the outcome, he leaned back into his chair and let out a sigh.

He took out a communication jade and sent a message to his assistant.

“Take down the mission.”

***

The disciplinary committee had been around ever since the founding of the sect and its building symbolised law and order. That was how Chen Long had seen it back when he joined the sect and he carried its symbol on his back with pride when he was accepted as a member all those years ago.

Over the years, he participated in many operations and witnessed first-hand how the mere sight of his armband alone could bring order to an otherwise chaotic situation.

Advancing through the ranks, he eventually became an elder and through the interactions he had with other members of the sect, he saw for himself how the disciplinary committee was truly respected by disciple and elder alike.

That was until a few months ago when a certain Lanxiang Meili came waltzing through their gates and brazenly accused one of their members of acting unlawfully.

That in itself wasn’t anything egregious, after all, it was inevitable that within any organization, there would be those who would abuse their power and authority. So the accusation alone wouldn’t have earnt Elder Long’s ire.

However, she didn’t stop there.

She disregarded all procedures and doled out her own sense of justice, crippling the lad’s cultivation right then and there!

Elder Long had never seen such flippant disregard for the rules, and after his years of experience, he was sure that the young lady would receive appropriate punishment.

But it never came!

He inquired about it and, apparently, the sect leader himself had instructed them to ignore it. The girl supposedly had an impressive background.

But so what?

Elder Long argued with the sect leader back and forth, asserting that they couldn’t allow her to walk away without even so much as a slap on the wrist, but his protests ultimately amounted to nothing.

As such, a precedent had been established. There were occasions where the disciplinary committee wouldn’t act!

Fortunately, things didn’t turn out as Elder Long feared. The sect didn’t become completely lawless, and even Lanxiang Meili herself didn’t flaunt her status much, generally abiding by the rules. The Disciplinary Committee’s position wasn’t affected in the slightest.

He had thought things were over. He even felt a bit silly for thinking the sect would go to ruin. After all, very few disciples would have the diplomatic immunity that Lanxiang Meili had.

But no.

This very day, mere months after the previous infraction, a disciple had dared to declare that he would act with impunity, completely disregarding the committee!

This could not be allowed to stand!

That was why he immediately called for a gathering of the elders which he was currently attending. They were seated at a round table and had been discussing the matter, but things had veered off course, heading in a direction Elder Long hadn’t anticipated.

Most of them smiled, finding the situation amusing.

Of course, Elder Long didn’t see it that way.

He shot up to his feet and slammed his fist on the table.

“If this isn’t a blatant disregard for the rules, then I don’t know what is! How can you all sit around laughing while the authority of the Disciplinary Committee is being undermined?”

“Calm down, Long,” said one of the others. “This is just the youths being bold. It’s a good thing. Brings some life into the sect.”

“That’s right,” added another. “Besides, we aren’t such a tyrannical faction. Threats of violence don’t fall under our purview.”

“So are we just going to let this boy run rampant?” asked Elder Long. “That’s hardly appropriate!”

“Of course we won’t. As soon as he acts upon his words, he’ll suffer the full extent of our ability to punish. After all, crippling a fellow disciple’s cultivation base is second only to murder.”

Elder Long pressed both hands onto the table, leaning in as he spoke.

“Then are we to just sit and wait for a victim? By then, someone will have already lost their cultivation base! Don’t forget that prevention is also one of our duties.”

“Well, if it truly comes to pass, that can also act as a lesson. The world isn’t such a nice place that you can go around disregarding the warnings of others. That’s a lesson all of the disciples should learn, and it’s arguably one that’s worth the sacrifice.”

Elder Long took a deep breath to calm himself down.

“I can hardly believe you all have the nerve to call yourselves members of the Disciplinary Committee. If I was the head, I would never let something like this slide.”

“If you’re that bothered by it, then just keep watch. Step in if things get out of hand. The rest of us have more important things to do.”

“Humph!”

Elder Long whipped his sleeve stormed out of the meeting room.

This was far from over!

***

“Still no sign of her?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Keep looking. We have to find her.”

“Ma’am.”

The subordinate, who had been hiding in the shadows disappeared to parts unknown, and the young lady who stayed behind sighed as she looked down at the papers on her desk.

It was none other Lanxiang Meili, the current number-one female disciple and the young lady Tianlan, Ming Hong and Tang Zen had met at the library.

The papers she was looking through had been delivered to her by the subordinate who had just left, and there was nothing but bad news.

The search wasn’t turning up any results.

This couldn’t be allowed to go on much longer, but there was little Meili could do to speed up the process.

“Where did you go, Meilin?”

She sighed and was just about to head over to her bathroom to calm her mind when she felt frigid air permeating the room.

She shot out of her chair and immediately expanded her spiritual perception to detect external threats.

“Who’s there?” she yelled as her eyes darted around the room.

“Calm down, Meili. It’s just me.”

In a corner of her room, a shadow warped into the form of a silver-haired young man who had dark circles under his eyes and was wearing a white robe adorned with blue snowflakes. He waved his hands dismissively as he stepped into the light.

His was a familiar face.

“Jihan? What are you doing here?”

“I rushed over as soon as I heard.”

Meili clenched her fists and lowered her gaze.

“Who told you?”

“I heard it from Uncle Souzan himself.”

“Father told you? But I said I would handle it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me yourself, Meili? Did you think I wouldn’t come to help? Or is it that you don’t trust me?”

“No. That’s not it. I trust you with my life. It’s just that exams are coming up and I didn’t want to get in the way of your studies.”

“Hey. What do you take me for? Is there any way I would have chosen my studies over my cousin’s safety?”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you…”

“Forget that. Have you found anything?”

Meili shook her head.

Jihan widened his eyes.

“Hasn’t it been months now? Meilin doesn’t have the ability nor the worldly experience to avoid a search party like this, does she?”

“No. And that’s what has me worried. From what we've gathered so far, she was last seen in a small city to the east, but all traces end there. It’s like she just disappeared.”

“Disappeared?”

Jihan frowned.

“Could it be the work of demonic cultivators?”

“I’ve been trying not to think about that possibility, but it’s seeming more and more likely.”

The air suddenly grew much colder and the floor near Jihan started to freeze over. Meili watched as his previously casual, almost lazy demeanour grew exceedingly grave.

“Things are this bad and you still didn’t tell me anything? Am I not reliable anymore?”

“That… That could cause an information leak.”

“This isn't the time to think like a clan leader, Meili. This is your little sister we’re talking about!”

“I know that! But if she didn’t sneak out in the first place, none of this would have happened!

“I’m so... Have you seen the look of worry in my mother’s eyes?

“Have you?”

Meili wiped her eyes with her forearm.

“She’s always been this way! Always being inconsiderate and doing whatever she wants! And for what?!

“Why can’t she just be more like Yanmei?”

There was a moment of silence before Jihan walked up to her and hugged her.

“I know that it’s been hard for you. You must be worried sick. But try to think about it from her perspective. She didn’t ask to be born a princess. All she ever wanted was the freedom to make her own decisions. I’m sure you can understand that.”

She gripped the back of his robes and buried her face into his chest.

“I understand. But I also know that freedom comes with a price. For all the restrictions we’re placed under, we’re granted safety and comfort. We want for nothing.”

“But not everybody wants that. Take me for example. I’m not competing for the clan head position. Do you know why?”

Meili let go of Jihan and grabbed his shoulders, pushing herself an arm’s length away from him before looking up to his face to answer.

“It’s because you’re weird. You know, Auntie Chifeng keeps pleading with me to speak some sense into you.”

“Uh…”

“The poor woman’s completely at a loss for why her son turned out this way.”

“I just…”

“You’re just like Meilin! Both of you are troublemakers!”

“…”

“Honestly. It must be all these stupid movies she’s been watching that are giving her these crazy ideas. Sure, she’s always been a little rebellious, but it’s not like her to run away from home like this.”

Meili sighed and collapsed into her seat.

“What am I going to do?”

She was just thinking out loud, but she felt a hand on her head.

When she turned to face Jihan, he had already disappeared, leaving only his voice.

“Don’t worry, Meili. I’ll bring her back. I promise.”