Jin Yu had learned long ago that the best lies were wrapped in truth.
He sat in a straight-backed chair in the Sect Master's hall, surrounded by people who could kill him with a thought, and told himself to breathe normally. To not fidget. To look tired and grief-stricken—which wasn't difficult, since he was both—but not suspicious. Never suspicious.
The hall was smaller than he'd expected. For some reason, Jin Yu had imagined the Sect Master holding court in some vast, intimidating space filled with jade pillars and ceremonial weapons. Instead, it was almost intimate: carved wooden walls, paper screens filtering the morning light, and a simple desk where Sect Master Liang sat studying a report with the focused intensity of a scholar rather than a cultivator.
Behind the desk, though, stood the real danger.
Five elders, arranged in a semicircle. Their cultivation bases pressed against Jin Yu's senses like lead weights—all of them Core Formation cultivators, so far beyond his pathetic Body Tempering Stage 2 that they might as well be gods comparing themselves to ants.
Elder Shen stood slightly apart from the others, her weathered face neutral. She'd been kind yesterday, but kindness in an interrogation room meant nothing. Jin Yu had learned that lesson watching street magistrates question beggars.
The other four elders, he didn't know well. Elder Feng, the formation master, looked bored. Elder Wu studied Jin Yu with the detached interest of someone examining an unusual insect. Elder Lin seemed uncomfortable, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
And then there was Elder Mao, who'd been Elder Jiang's closest ally.
His eyes promised violence.
"Jin Yu." Sect Master Liang finally looked up from his report. He was younger than Jin Yu expected—perhaps sixty, which was young for a cultivator of his level—with a face that suggested he'd once been handsome before cultivation and responsibility had worn it down to functional competence. "Thank you for coming."
As if Jin Yu had been given a choice.
"Sect Master." Jin Yu bowed from his seat, careful to make it neither too deep nor too shallow. Street instincts again: show respect, not subservience.
"I understand last night was difficult for you." The Sect Master's tone was gentle, almost fatherly. Jin Yu didn't trust it for a second. "Losing a master is—"
"He wasn't just my master." The words came out harder than Jin Yu intended. He saw Elder Mao's lip curl in disgust at the interruption, but the Sect Master just nodded.
"No. Master Chen took you in when you were, what, eight years old?"
"I was eight." Jin Yu's perfect memory supplied every detail of that day: the rain, the hunger, the moment Master Chen had appeared like a benevolent spirit in a story Jin Yu had stopped believing in. "He found me begging in Clearwater City. I was stealing bread from a baker's stall. Got caught."
"And he bought your freedom from the merchant guards." The Sect Master knew this story, obviously. He was just establishing rapport, making Jin Yu comfortable. Interrogation basics. "Then took you as his servant."
"Then taught me to read," Jin Yu corrected quietly. "Taught me alchemy. Taught me that knowledge was more valuable than gold." He met the Sect Master's eyes. "He was a good man."
"He was," Elder Shen agreed. "Which is why we need to understand what happened last night."
Here it came.
Jin Yu had practiced this part in his head during the sleepless hours before dawn. The trick was to tell the truth—most of it—while omitting only the parts about ancient artifacts and mysterious voices in his head.
Simple, really.
"We were in the forest," Jin Yu began. His voice was steady. The perfect memory let him replay the scene with crystalline accuracy, which helped the lies feel real. "Master Chen had taken me there for a lesson. He did that sometimes—said the best alchemy came from understanding plants in their natural environment."
All true. Master Chen had said exactly that, though not yesterday.
"What were you studying?" Elder Feng asked, his boredom sharpening into something more focused.
"Spirit moss cultivation patterns." Jin Yu didn't hesitate. "Master Chen was teaching me how to identify optimal growing conditions based on surrounding vegetation and qi density."
Also true, from a lesson three months ago. Jin Yu's perfect memory made lying beautifully easy—he just borrowed true details and rearranged them.
"Continue," Sect Master Liang prompted.
"We were examining a patch of Moonlight Moss when Elder Jiang appeared." Jin Yu let his voice drop slightly, remembering genuine fear. "He demanded something from Master Chen. An artifact, he said. Some kind of ancient relic."
The room's atmosphere shifted. Elder Mao's eyes narrowed. Elder Wu leaned forward slightly.
"Did Master Chen have this artifact?" the Sect Master asked carefully.
"I don't know." That was technically true—Jin Yu hadn't known then. "Master Chen told him no. Said he didn't know what Elder Jiang was talking about."
"And Elder Jiang believed him?" Elder Shen's tone was skeptical.
"No." Jin Yu shook his head. "He said Master Chen was lying. That he'd been seen studying ancient texts, asking questions about Refiner Civilization artifacts." Jin Yu paused, as if the memory pained him. It did, actually, just not for the reasons they'd think. "He said if Master Chen wouldn't give it up willingly, he'd take it from his corpse."
"And then he attacked?" Sect Master Liang's expression was troubled.
"Master Chen told me to run." Jin Yu's hands clenched in his lap—genuine emotion, useful for selling the story. "I tried. Elder Jiang cast some kind of binding formation. I couldn't move. Master Chen... he shattered it. Told me to hide in the trees. I heard them fighting."
That much was all true, if slightly simplified.
"You didn't see the fight?" Elder Wu sounded disappointed.
"I saw pieces of it. Through the trees." Jin Yu's analytical mind had catalogued every detail of that battle, but he couldn't reveal too much—a Body Tempering cultivator shouldn't have been able to track Core Formation combat that clearly. "Elder Jiang used fire techniques. Lots of them. The whole forest was burning. Master Chen responded with earth pillars, tried to control the battlefield. I think... I think he was trying to protect me while fighting."
Elder Shen's expression softened slightly. That was good. He needed at least one person in this room sympathetic.
"How did Elder Jiang die?" Elder Mao's voice cut through like a blade. "Be specific."
Jin Yu turned to face him fully. The elder's hatred was palpable, rolling off him in waves that Jin Yu's synesthesia translated into the taste of copper and the smell of smoke.
"Master Chen crushed his skull with an earth pillar," Jin Yu said flatly. "I heard the crack from where I was hiding. Saw Elder Jiang fall. Then everything went quiet."
"Convenient," Elder Mao spat. "Elder Jiang dies, and the only witness is a mere outer disciple who—"
"Who was Master Chen's student," Elder Shen interrupted sharply. "Show some respect for the grieving, Mao."
"Respect?" Elder Mao's cultivation base flared, filling the room with oppressive qi. Jin Yu's breath caught. It felt like being buried in sand—heavy, suffocating. "Jiang was my sworn brother! Now he's dead because of some supposed artifact that—"
"Elder Mao." Sect Master Liang's voice didn't rise, but it cut through the tension like a knife through silk. "Control yourself."
The pressure vanished. Jin Yu dragged in a grateful breath, noting that his hands were shaking now. Good. Let them see him as weak, frightened. It would keep them from looking too closely at his story.
"Continue, Jin Yu," the Sect Master said, his tone gentler now. "What happened after Elder Jiang fell?"
"I came out of hiding." Jin Yu's voice was quieter now. "Master Chen was on the ground. Wounded. I tried to help, but..." He swallowed hard. "He told me to take his storage ring. Said there were things I'd need. Then he died."
"Did he mention the artifact again?" Elder Feng asked.
"No." That was technically true. Master Chen had mentioned the Crucible, but not as 'the artifact Elder Jiang wanted.' Different thing entirely, from a certain point of view. "He just told me to be strong. To survive."
Silence fell over the room. Jin Yu sat perfectly still, letting them study him. Let them see a grieving student, exhausted and traumatized. Not a calculating liar sitting on secrets that could reshape the cultivation world.
After a long moment, Sect Master Liang sighed. "I believe him."
Elder Mao made a sound of protest, but the Sect Master raised a hand. "Jiang attacked first—that much is clear from the formation residue at the scene. Whether there was actually an artifact or whether Jiang was chasing shadows, we may never know." His eyes settled on Jin Yu with uncomfortable focus. "But I see no reason to doubt Jin Yu's account."
"The storage ring," Elder Wu said suddenly. "May we examine it?"
Jin Yu's heart rate spiked, but he kept his expression carefully neutral. "Of course." He pulled the simple bronze ring from his finger and set it on the desk.
Sect Master Liang channeled a thread of qi into the ring. Its contents materialized in the air above the desk: pill bottles, preserved herbs, a few basic alchemy texts, a modest collection of spirit stones. Master Chen's life work, laid bare for examination.
Nothing that would explain Elder Jiang's attack.
"This is all?" Elder Feng frowned at the floating collection.
"Everything that was in the ring," Jin Yu confirmed. True, in the most technical sense. Everything that was in the ring *now*.
The items settled back into their storage space. Sect Master Liang examined the ring itself, frowning. "There's a concealed compartment here. Sealed with Master Chen's personal qi signature." He looked at Jin Yu. "Do you know what's inside?"
Jin Yu shook his head. "Master Chen never mentioned a hidden compartment."
That was true. Master Chen had told him about it with his dying breath, not before.
"I could break it," the Sect Master continued, "but that would destroy whatever's inside. And..." He hesitated, glancing at Jin Yu. "It seems wrong to violate your master's final privacy."
"If it was meant to be sealed, perhaps we should respect his wishes," Elder Shen suggested. "Jin Yu is his heir. When the time is right, he can open it himself."
Jin Yu barely suppressed his relief. He had no idea what was in that compartment, but whatever Master Chen had hidden with his dying breath needed to stay hidden.
Elder Mao looked ready to argue, but Sect Master Liang cut him off. "Agreed. Master Chen's personal effects belong to his student. When you're ready, Jin Yu, you can examine the compartment yourself. If you find anything unusual or dangerous, report it to me."
"Of course, Sect Master," Jin Yu said, meaning every word. He'd report it if it seemed safe to do so. That was technically what the Sect Master had asked for.
"This is absurd!" Elder Mao's face had gone red. "My sworn brother lies dead, killed over some artifact, and we're just going to accept—"
"We're going to accept the evidence," Sect Master Liang said firmly. "Which suggests that Jiang became obsessed with legends and attacked a fellow elder over what was likely a delusion. I'm sorry, Mao. I know you two were close. But the fault here lies with Jiang, not with Jin Yu."
Jin Yu watched Elder Mao's expression cycle through rage, grief, and finally a kind of cold calculation that made his skin prickle.
"Very well," the elder said quietly. Too quietly. "If the Sect Master is satisfied, who am I to argue?"
That was not the response of a satisfied man. That was the response of someone planning revenge.
Jin Yu filed that away for later concern. He had more immediate problems.
"Jin Yu." The Sect Master's voice drew his attention back. "You've suffered a great loss. The sect will, of course, handle Master Chen's funeral arrangements. And we'll need to determine your status going forward."
"My status?" Jin Yu kept his voice neutral.
"You were Master Chen's personal student, not a formal sect disciple. With his death, your position here is... ambiguous." The Sect Master looked genuinely troubled by this. "We have options. You could be assigned to another master, though I doubt any of our alchemists could match Master Chen's skill. You could become a formal outer disciple and work your way through the ranks normally. Or..."
"Or I could leave," Jin Yu finished quietly.
"That was not what I was going to suggest." Sect Master Liang's expression was kind. "But if you wished to leave, we wouldn't stop you. Master Chen's inheritance is yours by right. The ring, the resources—everything."
Jin Yu's mind raced. Leaving meant freedom, no obligations, no one watching too closely. But it also meant losing access to the sect's resources, its library, its relative safety. And he was too weak right now. Too vulnerable.
"I'd like to stay," Jin Yu said carefully. "If the sect will have me. I can work. Take missions. Earn my keep as an outer disciple."
"You're too skilled for that," Elder Shen protested. "Master Chen taught you well. You should be at least an inner disciple candidate."
"Respectfully, Elder, I'm still only Body Tempering Stage 2." Jin Yu kept his tone humble. "I have knowledge, but I lack power. Let me prove myself the traditional way. I want to earn my advancement."
That was the right answer. Jin Yu saw approval flicker across Sect Master Liang's face. Humility was valued in the Broken Jade Sect, at least officially.
"Very well." The Sect Master nodded. "You'll be registered as an outer disciple. We'll assign you quarters in the outer disciples' compound and arrange for a monthly stipend of spirit stones." He paused. "I'm sorry it can't be more. But the sect's resources are stretched thin, and favoritism breeds resentment."
"I understand." Jin Yu bowed. "Thank you, Sect Master."
"Elder Shen, please handle the arrangements." Sect Master Liang stood, signaling the meeting's end. "Jin Yu, if you need anything—guidance, resources, simply someone to talk to—my door is open."
Jin Yu bowed again, deeper this time, and turned to leave. As he walked toward the exit, he felt eyes on his back. Multiple sets of eyes.
He didn't need to turn around to know that Elder Mao was one of them.
---
The outer disciples' quarters were located on the eastern slope of the sect's mountain, far from the inner disciples' pavilions and even farther from the elders' residences. The buildings were simple—wooden dormitories that housed four disciples each, with communal washing facilities and training yards scattered between them.
Elder Shen led Jin Yu to a private room—not a dormitory, but an actual separate building barely larger than a storage shed.
"This used to be an equipment workshop," she explained, unlocking the door. "But it's been empty for years. I thought you might prefer privacy."
Jin Yu stepped inside. The space was cramped: a narrow bed, a small desk, a window that looked out over the herb gardens. It was perhaps a quarter the size of Master Chen's workshop.
It was perfect.
"Thank you, Elder Shen," Jin Yu said sincerely. Privacy meant he could work with the Crucible without interruption. Could feed the Phoenix without witnesses. Could grieve without an audience.
"I knew your master for forty years," Elder Shen said quietly. "He was a good man. A better alchemist than most people knew." She placed a hand on Jin Yu's shoulder. "If you're even half as skilled as he believed, you'll go far in this sect."
Jin Yu didn't trust himself to speak. He just nodded.
After Elder Shen left, Jin Yu sat on the narrow bed and finally let himself breathe. The interrogation was over. They'd believed him—mostly. The hidden compartment in Master Chen's ring remained sealed, waiting for him to open it in private.
He was safe.
For now.
He pulled out the storage ring and turned it over in his hands. The bronze was still warm from the Sect Master's qi examination. Somewhere inside, in a compartment sealed with Master Chen's dying breath, was something important enough to hide even in death.
Jin Yu would open it tonight. Learn what Master Chen had died protecting. But for now, he needed to rest.
Through the window, he could see other outer disciples moving through the compound—some heading to training yards, others to the dining hall, a few just standing in groups talking and laughing.
He was one of them now. An outer disciple. Anonymous. Vulnerable.
Exactly where he needed to be.
Jin Yu lay back on the narrow bed, Master Chen's ring clutched in his hand, and stared at the ceiling. His perfect memory replayed the interrogation, analyzing every word, every expression, filing away potential threats and allies.
Elder Mao wanted him dead. That was clear.
Elder Shen was sympathetic. Possibly an ally, if handled carefully.
Sect Master Liang was fair but political. He'd protect Jin Yu as long as it was convenient.
The other elders were unknowns. Watching. Waiting to see what he'd become.
Outside his window, the sun climbed higher. The sect's daily rhythms continued, unaware that a boy with a perfect memory and a mysterious inheritance had just joined their ranks.
They'd learn, eventually.
But by then, Jin Yu planned to be strong enough that it wouldn't matter.
*Master Chen,* he thought, turning the ring over in his hands, *I don't know what you hid in here. But I promise I'll use it well. I'll become strong enough to protect what matters. Strong enough that no one will dare threaten me.*
*I'll make your death mean something.*
The room was silent except for the distant sounds of sect life filtering through the window. Jin Yu closed his eyes, exhaustion finally catching up with him.
Tonight, he'd open the compartment. Tonight, he'd discover what Master Chen had died protecting.
But for now, he let himself rest.
Sleep came slowly, his mind too active with plans and fears and grief. But eventually, Jin Yu slept, one hand still clutching Master Chen's ring.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges. But tomorrow, he'd be ready.
He had to be.