Morning arrived without mercy.
The rain had washed the courtyard clean, leaving stone pale and slick beneath a sky the color of dull steel. Zhou Wei stood near the edge of the main hall, shoulders squared but posture deliberately unremarkable, eyes lowered just enough to seem obedient.
Inside, the sect was coming apart.
Voices echoed from behind the heavy doors. Not shouting. Controlled tension. The kind that meant people were choosing their words carefully because the wrong ones could ruin them.
A tribunal.
Zhou Wei had never seen one convened this quickly.
Mei Lin stood several paces away from him, hands folded in front of her, face calm. Too calm for someone who had nearly been dragged away in the night. Her breathing was steady. Her presence no longer wavered under scrutiny.
Zhou Wei felt it and was quietly relieved.
Guards flanked the entrance, spears grounded, eyes sharp. The Heavenly Purity elder stood near the doors, speaking in low tones with the sect leader. Their exchange was brief. Formal. Final.
Then the doors opened.
"Enter," the elder said.
Zhou Wei and Mei Lin stepped inside with the others who had been summoned.
The hall felt colder than it should have. Incense burned along the walls, thick and sweet, meant to calm and purify. It did neither. The air carried too many emotions layered together. Fear. Anger. Relief. Curiosity sharpened to a blade.
Elder Zhang knelt at the center of the hall.
Bound.
The sight struck harder than Zhou Wei had expected.
Zhang's robes were rumpled now, collar slightly askew, hair no longer perfectly aligned. He knelt straight-backed regardless, chin lifted, eyes hard. Control still clung to him, but it was cracked. Strain bled through the gaps.
The sect leader sat at the high table, flanked by senior elders. The Heavenly Purity elder stood to one side, arms folded, gaze unreadable.
"This tribunal is convened under Heavenly Purity authority," the elder announced. "All statements given will be weighed under oath."
Zhou Wei kept his gaze down.
"Elder Zhang," the sect leader said, voice tight, "you are accused of misconduct toward servants under your authority, obstruction of inspection, and use of force during detainment. How do you plead."
Zhang did not hesitate. "I deny all accusations."
A ripple moved through the hall.
Zhou Wei felt it clearly. Disbelief mixed with habit. Many of these people had believed Zhang for years. The idea of him lying sat uncomfortably in their chests.
"Very well," the Heavenly Purity elder said. "We will proceed with testimony."
The first witness was a junior guard.
He spoke stiffly, recounting the night in careful detail. The dismissal of guards. The unauthorized entry. The raised hand. His voice shook only once, when he admitted he had hesitated to intervene because of Zhang's rank.
The elder nodded. "That hesitation is noted."
The second witness was Mei Lin.
Zhou Wei felt her presence steady even before she spoke. She stepped forward, bowed correctly, then straightened.
"Speak," the elder said.
Mei Lin did.
She did not embellish. She did not plead. She described events simply, clearly. The summons. The private meetings. The words used. The pressure applied. The dismissal of guards. The attempted grab.
When she finished, silence followed.
Not disbelief.
Processing.
Zhang laughed.
It was soft. Disbelieving. Almost indulgent.
"This is absurd," he said. "A servant's word over an elder's. Fear breeds imagination. Weakness seeks excuses."
Zhou Wei felt anger stir, cold and sharp.
The Heavenly Purity elder turned his gaze to Zhang. "You may respond after all testimony is heard."
Zhang's smile tightened.
The third witness surprised the room.
An older servant stepped forward, hands shaking, eyes downcast. Zhou Wei recognized her immediately. The one who had spoken of the girl who vanished years ago.
Her voice trembled as she spoke, but she did not stop.
She spoke of reassignment orders. Of blood cleaned from stone. Of being paid to forget.
Gasps rippled through the hall.
Zhang's control cracked further.
"This is slander," he snapped. "You dare."
The elder's voice cut through sharply. "You will remain silent."
The fourth witness was an outer disciple Zhou Wei had only glimpsed once. He spoke of guidance offered. Of refusal. Of sudden reassignment and threats wrapped in benevolence.
Pattern.
That was the word that settled into the hall like a weight.
Zhang's gaze flicked toward Zhou Wei then, sharp and calculating. Recognition flared.
"So it's you," Zhang said. "You've been poisoning them. Whispering lies."
Zhou Wei did not look up.
The Heavenly Purity elder turned slightly. "You claim manipulation. Do you have proof."
Zhang inhaled, then exhaled slowly. His voice regained some of its polish.
"Yes," he said. "This servant."
He raised his bound hand as far as restraints allowed, pointing at Zhou Wei.
"He followed me. He interfered. He staged a scene. He has been acting beyond his station for weeks."
Eyes turned.
Zhou Wei felt them settle on him, heavy and curious.
"Speak," the elder said.
Zhou Wei stepped forward.
He did not rush.
"I am a servant," Zhou Wei said. "I have no authority. No influence. No reason to fabricate accusations that would destroy me if false."
He paused, letting that land.
"I followed Elder Zhang because guards were dismissed during an inspection. I feared misconduct. I was struck for it."
He lifted his robe slightly, revealing the fading bruise along his ribs. The room stirred.
"I have no interest in power," Zhou Wei continued. "I only wanted the abuse to stop."
Zhang laughed again, harsher this time. "Listen to him. Playing the righteous hero."
The Heavenly Purity elder studied Zhou Wei carefully.
"You risked much," he said. "Why."
Zhou Wei answered truthfully. "Because silence costs more."
The elder held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded.
"That will be all."
The hall buzzed as the elders murmured among themselves. Zhang's breathing grew harsher, the mask slipping further with each passing second.
"This is a farce," Zhang snarled. "You think this proves anything. You think witnesses mean truth."
The Heavenly Purity elder raised a hand.
"Enough," he said.
He turned to the sect leader. "Under Heavenly Purity authority, Elder Zhang is to be held pending transfer. All records under his seal will be seized and reviewed."
Zhang surged against his bindings.
"You can't," he hissed. "I am an elder of this sect."
"And you are accused," the elder replied calmly.
Guards stepped forward.
Zhang's eyes locked onto Mei Lin, then Zhou Wei. Hatred burned there now, unmasked and desperate.
"This isn't finished," he spat. "You think you've won."
Zhou Wei met his gaze for the first time.
"No," he said quietly. "I think you've lost control."
That broke something.
Zhang lunged.
The motion was sudden and violent, spiritual energy flaring as he tore at his restraints. The guards staggered, caught off balance. For a heartbeat, it looked like he might break free.
The Heavenly Purity elder reacted instantly.
Pressure slammed down like a hammer, crushing Zhang back to his knees. The hall shook. Incense bowls rattled.
"Resisting detention," the elder said coldly. "Noted."
Zhang gasped, blood spotting his lips.
Guards moved in again, binding him tighter.
The elder turned to the hall.
"This tribunal is adjourned," he said. "Proceed with transfer."
As Zhang was dragged toward the doors, his gaze found Zhou Wei once more.
This time, there was no calculation left.
Only intent.
Zhou Wei felt it sink into his bones.
Mei Lin stepped closer to him as the doors closed behind the procession. Her hand brushed his sleeve, light but grounding.
"Is it over," she asked quietly.
Zhou Wei shook his head.
"No," he said. "Now he's desperate."
And desperate men did not go quietly.
They waited for a moment when no one was looking.
And then they burned everything they could reach.