Elder Shen extended his hand through the iron bars and the door of the cell opened with a clank. “Come.”

  I pushed myself up and and stepped out of the cell, my legs wavered ready to collapse, but Elder Shen's hand caught my shoulder and steadied me by supporting my weight.

  "Can you walk?"

  "Yes." My voice came out hoarse. "Just need a moment."

  I stood there letting my body adjust and find its balance again while my mind worked. This was good, better than good, two elders personally retrieving me from the prison, which meant they had finally noticed my absence.

  Elder Han started examining me with a healer's eye. "How many days—without water in a damp cell like this." His voice was tight with controlled anger. "His recovery has been set back significantly, and the meridian healing, the dantian reconstruction, all of it compromised.”

  Not true, my cultivation was completely healed and had been for days, though he doesn't need to know that.

  "We'll fix it," Elder Shen said.

  We started walking with Elder Shen keeping his hand on my shoulder, and then we emerged from the detention building into afternoon sunlight.

  The gathered disciples outside immediately parted, staring and whispering, though I kept my eyes forward—their attention never mattered to me.

  We were crossing the courtyard toward the Medical Hall when another elder appeared, Elder Tian, whom I recognized from sect gatherings.

  His pace was quick and his expression severe. – “Elder Shen, Elder Han.” He bowed slightly, raised his eyes at me, and continued, “I am here on the behalf of our Sect’s Head. Please, do not take it the wrong way, it is just that our Head is currently in closed-door cultivation and any intrusion would not be suitable. However, now that he knows what’s the matter, he wants me to take appropriate actions.”

  "Humph, about time someone showed up," Elder Han said coldly.

  "I only learned of this twenty minutes ago when Elder Han's servant delivered the message, and I immediately investigated the initial reports.”

  "And?"

  "No proper procedure was followed, no formal charges filed not even the investigation was conducted — furthermore a female disciple made an accusation to patrol disciples who immediately arrested Fu Yang and imprisoned him while elders were left uninformed and records went entirely unkept.”

  This was getting better than I'd hoped.

  "This is unacceptable," Elder Han said, "this boy is my patient and any changes to his status should have been reported to me immediately."

  "I am aware." Elder Tian looked at me again, assessing. "How long has it been since you were in the prison?”

  "Umm, eight days… may be."

  His expression darkened. "This is…. Possibly intentional harm."

  "What are you going to do about it?" Elder Shen hitted on the main point.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Everything which is necessary—I will conduct a full investigation, then everyone involved will be identified and questioned, and finally appropriate punishments will be determined, even expulsion… with.” He paused, “crippling them from Cultivation.”

  "When?"

  "The investigation begins immediately, I've already ordered all disciples to gather at the main training grounds and not a single person will be permitted to leave, for we will get to the bottom of this today since we already know we had a traitor like Zhang Kun yet we didn't take serious actions that time.”

  Beautifull…

  "Good," Elder Han said, "Fu Yang, follow me." And I trailed behind him as we entered into the Medical Hall.

  Time passed… Maybe an hour.

  "It's time, everyone is gathered in the training grounds, we'll conduct the investigation publicly and Fu Yang, you need to be present." And with that Elder Tian returned.

  I stood, the medicine Elder Han had given me having helped considerably. We left the Medical Hall together and as we approached the main training grounds I could see the massive gathering, hundreds of disciples assembled in organized rows, both inner and outer disciples, all watching and waiting, and at the front separated from the others stood a small group.

  It was perhaps around twenty disciples that seemed anxious and frightened. Some of them were trying to wear an expression of confidence but couldn’t. There was also the girl, who had accused me, standing in the middle with a pale face, eyes red like she'd just stopped crying.

  I recognized some of the others, patrol disciples who had arrested me, guards from the detention center and those inner disciples.

  The elders were present too on a raised platform, and Elder Tian led us up, having me stand to the side, visible to everyone but not at the center.

  I could feel hundreds of eyes on me, and right then Elder Tian stepped forward, his cultivation pressure flaring slightly, just enough to command attention.

  The murmuring of the crowd stopped instantly. "Disciples of Clouded Peak Sect," his voice carrying across the entire grounds enhanced by spiritual energy, "we are gathered here to address a serious matter, days ago disciple Fu Yang was arrested and imprisoned on charges of harassment, and this arrest was conducted without proper procedure and without investigation, not even notifying us the elders."

  He paused, letting that sink in.

  "This is not how the Clouded Peak Sect operates, for we are not a sect of mob justice, rather we follow established protocols, conduct thorough investigations and ensure justice is served fairly.”

  The assembled disciples were completely silent.

  "Today we will correct this failure, and everyone involved in Fu Yang's arrest and imprisonment will be questioned, and I mean EVERYONE." His voice hardened. "Not a single person will be left uninterrogated, for if you participated in spreading rumors, if you encouraged the arrest, if you failed to report violations of protocol, you WILL answer for it.”

  Fear rippled through the crowd and I could see it in their faces.

  Elder Tian walked off from the platform and approached the separated group directly, his eyes locking onto the girl in the center who was

  Visibly shivering.

  "You," Elder Chen said. "You are Wu Lian. Inner disciple with Foundation Establishment, early stage. Is this correct?"

  "Y-yes, Elder." Her voice was barely audible.

  "You made an accusation against Fu Yang, claimed he harassed you, made unwanted advances, tried to force himself on you, is this correct?”

  "I..." She couldn't finish.

  "Is. This. Correct?"

  "Yes," she whispered.

  "Look at me when you answer." Wu Lian raised her head, tears already forming and her face completely drained of color.

  This was going to be easy.

  "Now I will ask you a simple question," Elder Tian said, "and I want a simple answer, did Fu Yang actually harass you even when you are at foundation establishment realm and he is stil at body refinement, not to mention his meridians are damaged.”

  Silence.

  Wu Lian's mouth opened and closed, no sound coming out, while every elder on the platform was watching, and I could see it, she had already…

  "Answer the question," Elder Tian said.

  "I... I can't..."

  "You can't? Or you won't?"

  "I don't..." She was shaking harder. "I was told..."

  "Told?" Elder tian stepped closer. "Told by whom?"

  Wu Lian's face crumpled and she was ready to collapse.

  "Answer me!"

  "I WAS TOLD TO SAY IT!" the words bursting out, desperate and panicked.

  Heh..

  The entire assembly went silent, hundreds of disciples processing what they'd just heard.

  "Did Fu Yang harass you?" Elder Tian's voice was steady and relentless. Wu Lian fell to her knees, hands covering her face and sobbing. "Did he harass you? ANSWER THE QUESTION.”

  "No!" she screamed it through her tears, "no, he never touched me, he never even spoke to me, I lied, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!”

  She collapsed forward weeping uncontrollably. I stood there on the platform, expression neutral, watching her break down completely, yet there was no satisfaction in me.

  Pathetic..

  Elder Tian turned to face the full assembly. "Wu Lian has admitted to making false accusations against a fellow disciple, and this resulted in unlawful imprisonment, disruption of medical treatment and damage to Fu Yang's reputation and recovery." His voice was cold. "This is one of the most serious violations of sect law.”

  He looked at the other separated disciples. "Now, everyone else who participated, you have two choices, confess your involvement truthfully and receive reduced punishment, or remain silent and face maximum consequences when we uncover the whole truth.”

  "Elder Tian." One of the patrol disciples stepped forward, face ashen. "I was the one who arrested Fu Yang, but I was just following procedure, Wu Lian made the accusation and I had to act on it.”

  "Did you verify the accusation?"

  "No, but—"

  "Did you file proper reports?"

  "I... no. I thought—"

  "Did you notify any elders?"

  "No."

  "Next."

  One by one they confessed, each admitting their role, some having helped spread rumors, others having encouraged Wu Lian, and the detention guards admitted they had been told not to feed me properly.

  Every confession adding to the pile, and all of it pointing back to one source.

  Elder Tian looked at Wu Lian, still weeping on the ground. "Who told you to make the false accusation?"

  "I... if I tell, she'll..."

  "She?" His eyes narrowed. "Who?"

  Wu Lian sobbed harder but didn't answer.

  "Tell me NOW."

  "Su... Su Ling..."