In no more than a moment, Steward Jia came in trembling. Seeing Yun Qing seated in the place of honor, expressionless, and feeling that all-but-solid oppressive force, he could not help the sweat that broke out on his brow.
"Steward Jia," Yun Qing's voice was not loud, yet every word was like ice. "In reporting to the Young Lord today, you said it was 'Yun Shuo and Yun Hao coming into conflict, causing the Soul-Suppressing Stele to break'?" His Double Pupils locked onto Steward Jia, seeing through everything.
Steward Jia's body shook and his head bowed lower. "Y-yes... yes, Eldest Young Master."
"Oh?" Yun Qing's tone lifted faintly at the end, carrying a cold doubt. "As this lord understands it, Yun Hao insulted the baseborn line and provoked first, struck first. How is it that in your telling, it comes out as though Shuo'er were the more at fault?"
Steward Jia's face went white, cold sweat soaking his robe. The aura around Yun Qing set the heart trembling — was this still the gentle, humble Eldest Young Master who stood beside the Young Lord by day? This was plainly one in a high place who held life and death, cold and merciless!
"The Eldest Young Master sees clearly! I... this subordinate..." Steward Jia dropped to his knees with a thud, incoherent.
Yun Qing leaned slightly forward, his gaze falling on the man as good as solid, his voice low and full of menace: "Who told you to 'word' it so before the Young Lord? Think it through before you answer. The Young Lord has placed this matter wholly in this lord's hands. If there is half a word of falsehood..." He did not go on, but that cold killing intent left Steward Jia in no doubt that the next moment he would be slain beneath Yun Qing's palm.
Steward Jia dared shirk and hide no longer. Weeping snot and tears, he confessed: "It was... it was the Chief Steward at Young Master Yun Hao's side! He told me to report only the conflict and leave out the cause — so the Young Lord might, because of it, come to resent Young Master Yun Shuo, and even... even you, Eldest Young Master! He threatened that if I did not obey, the Fifth Elder would banish me to mine ore at a wasteland outpost. I acted under coercion — this subordinate was muddled! This subordinate knows his fault! I beg the Eldest Young Master's mercy!"
When Yun Qing had heard him out, a cold light flashed and vanished in the depths of his eyes. Heh — likely not only coerced, but promised some benefit too? Drawn by the Fifth Elder line's name for "drawing toward the auspicious and away from the ill," looking to pick a side and invest early?
He'd known the matter was not so simple — sure enough, it was aimed at him. With the shrine incident, were Yun Qing to draw Yun Huang's anger, that would be only natural; and were he not to, the one behind it could vanish flawlessly and go on plotting his venomous schemes... They reckoned Yun Qing was surely the "ill." Then who was the "auspicious"?
"Get out." Yun Qing's voice was cold. "If a single word of today leaks, do not blame this lord for showing no courtesy." A flick of his fingertip drove a binding curse-script into Steward Jia's soul.
Steward Jia, as though granted a reprieve, withdrew with unending thanks.
Yun Qing stepped out of the side hall and asked the elder waiting to one side, "Where is Yun Hao now?"
"Reporting to the Eldest Young Master — a moment ago the Fifth Elder came in person and took Yun Hao off to Qiwu Hall, saying he means to... bear thorns and beg the Young Lord's pardon."
***
Within the main hall of Qiwu Hall.
Yun Huang sat high in the seat of honor, a jade slip flowing with faint light at his fingertips. Below the dais, a youth in a dark-purple robe, his features softly, femininely handsome, was bowing as he reported on the recent state of a spirit-stone vein at the Eastern Domain's border.
This man was the trueborn grandson of the Twelfth Elder, Yun Chi, who bore the "Spirit-Devouring Body." His words were clear, his manner respectful, faintly carrying a few shades of Yun Qing's usual bearing.
Just then, word came from outside the hall: the Fifth Elder, bringing his trueborn grandson Yun Hao, begged an audience.
Yun Huang's brow lifted faintly, his pale-golden eyes glancing at Yun Chi below. Yun Chi at once took the hint and stopped his report, bowing: "Since the Young Lord has important business, this younger one will withdraw first."
"No need." Yun Huang's voice was bland. "Since it is the shrine matter, you may listen too."
Yun Chi lowered his head and assented, "Yes," withdrawing to one side, a strange color flashing and vanishing in the depths of his eyes.
Soon, the ruddy-faced, slightly plump Fifth Elder led the ashen-faced Yun Hao into the hall, his face full of dread and remorse.
The Fifth Elder bowed deeply. "The Young Lord's pardon! It was I who failed in my discipline, letting this wretch collide with the shrine and disturb the Young Lord's peace. I have brought him expressly to beg the Young Lord's pardon!" His voice trembled faintly as he lowered his posture to the utmost; the attendants behind him bore several jade cases shimmering with treasure-light, plainly meant as reparation.
Yun Hao dropped to his knees with a thud, trembling all over like a sieve. "Spare me, Young Lord! Spare me! It was — it was that Yun Shuo who provoked me first; I lost my temper for a moment and struck by accident..." Weeping snot and tears, he tried to shove the blame off himself.
The Fifth Elder had not expected that, after schooling him the whole way, at the crucial moment the boy would come out with talk like this — he was so angry he was about to beg pardon on his own.
"If the Young Lord will see clearly," Yun Chi at one side suddenly spoke up, his voice gentle, carrying a just-right "fairness" and a trace of helplessness, "my cousin Yun Hao is young and hot-blooded, and did indeed act improperly. His mother comes of our Twelfth Elder's line; as his elder cousin, having failed to counsel him in time, I too bear the fault of oversight and am willing to share the punishment. As for young Yun Shuo... I hear the Eldest Young Master cherishes him greatly. Perhaps those below him, leaning on the Eldest Young Master's power, carried themselves a touch too boldly? After all, the Eldest Young Master's talent is outstanding, and he enjoys the Young Lord's trust; his prestige grows by the day, and those beneath him can hardly help breeding a certain arrogance, acting... a touch short of prudent."
These words, seeming to shoulder blame and plead, were in truth every one of them heart-piercing, channeling the disaster toward Yun Qing — hinting that his power was swelling, that he indulged his subordinates, that an arrogant cast had already set in. And by binding himself to Yun Hao, he implied: if he were punished, should not Yun Qing likewise be implicated through Yun Shuo?
The Fifth Elder's brow furrowed faintly, as though he felt Yun Chi's words somewhat improper; but constrained by the courtesy owed, he did not refute them at once.
Yun Huang's fingertip lightly tapped the jade slip, neither pleasure nor anger to be told, none able to spy his thoughts.
Seeing that Yun Huang did not at once pronounce a sentence, and that Yun Chi seemed to speak on his behalf, Yun Hao actually conceived a flicker of hope. He shuffled forward on his knees, trying to draw near Yun Huang, and wailed, "Young Lord, ever since Yun Qing came back, he..."
Before his words were out, Yun Huang suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze falling on him — the corner of his lips even hooking into a very faint, almost gentle curve — and beckoned to him: "Come closer."
Yun Hao was overjoyed, feeling the situation had turned for the better: the Young Lord, sure enough, still valued the trueborn line! He hurriedly crawled a few paces nearer, his face all but touching the tip of Yun Huang's boot.
But just as he lifted his head, ready to bite savagely at Yun Qing, he met all at once Yun Huang's cold golden eyes.
That look held only the utmost indifference of gazing down at an ant.
"Noisy."
Two feather-light words fell, like a sentence of death.
The next instant, before Yun Hao could even scream, his whole body was smashed hard to the ground by an invisible giant force! The meridians throughout his body gave off crackling snaps; his cultivation collapsed in an instant like a popped balloon! He slumped down like a heap of mud, his eyes vacant, only mindless rasping sounds left in his mouth.
—His cultivation crippled, wholly!
Yun Huang had not so much as moved a finger; with a mere thought, he had dealt so brutal a punishment!
The ruddy glow on Fifth Elder Yun Jun's face had by now turned deathly white. He buried his head deep, unable to bear looking any longer.
Yun Huang still sat composed and high, as though nothing had happened, the corner of his lips even holding a faint, half-there curve.
For those of no consequence, why bother with any principle of "not lay a charge the very next instant after allowing one close"? To grant a moment's illusion when one is pleasing, and to crush at a whim when one is wearisome — that was the way of control.
Yun Huang picked up the faintly cooled spirit-tea beside him, took a sip, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Tsk. Not to his liking, the way Yun Qing brewed it.
With the Soul-Suppressing Stele cracked today and the forbidden ground disturbed, the fire in his heart had already been running high; only, having promised Yun Qing to grant him face, that fire could not well be vented on Yun Shuo and the rest. Fortunately there was this tactless thing, Yun Hao. Very good.
His fingertip tapped lightly on the armrest. Yun Huang's gaze turned to Yun Chi at one side, who was forcing himself to stay calm, a trace of toying coldness in his golden eyes:
"This Lord heard you say just now that you wished to share... the same punishment as him?"