Elder Han sat at his desk as his mortar and pestle ground herbs deftly and skillfully, keeping a rhythm to the movement, crushing and combining.

  Nearby Elder Shen was looking at a jade slip of the medical records, his routine being to inspect the medical provisions of the sect at regular intervals and ensure their proper upkeep.

  "The winter stores are adequate though we should acquire more Frost Ginseng before the season changes."

  "Mm." Elder Han added powder to a clay jar, sealed it and set it aside — "I'll submit a request to the resource hall.”

  They worked in comfortable silence for a moment then Elder Han frowned…

  "Strange."

  "What?" Elder Shen looked up.

  "That brat hasn't come for treatment not even today."

  "Which brat? Haha, you treat dozens of them."

  "Haaaah, the one with the damaged meridian." Elder Han's frown deepened — "he was progressing well but he missed his last three scheduled treatments.”

  "Perhaps he's busy or the medicines are working well enough that he doesn't need constant supervision.”

  "No." Elder Han shook his head firmly — "the treatment protocol requires visits every other day, and missing even one session could set back his recovery significantly — that boy was diligent and he never missed a session before.”

  Elder Shen set down the jade slip. "Didn't you ask about him?"

  "I sent a servant to the outer disciple quarters yesterday, and asked them to remind Fu Yang about his appointment." Elder Han's expression soured — "you know what the disciples said?”

  "What?"

  "He doesn't want to come anymore."

  Elder Shen raised an eyebrow. "He said that directly?”

  "No — but that's what makes it strange, they claimed he told them he was feeling better and didn't need treatment — yet he knows better than that and I had explicitly explained the importance of consistent treatment, he's not stupid enough to just stop showing up.”

  "Mm." Elder Shen picked up the jade slip again. But his mind was elsewhere now.

  He remembered Fu Yang — the young man who had helped expose Zhang Kun, who had nearly died facing Sect Master Shen's projection, also brought Yue Lian home that night when she had been sneaking around.

  He hadn't thought much about Fu Yang recently, the boy had been given premium treatment access and that should have been enough, let him recover, let him prove himself worthy of inner disciple status eventually.

  But now…

  Missing his treatment and with disciples claiming he didn't want to come, that didn't match what Elder Shen knew of Fu Yang's character, and so his brows tightened as something felt wrong.

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  And then it hit him.

  (That night after the confrontation with the Crimson Sword Sect Master's projection, didn't that massive translucent figure had locked its eyes on Fu Yang specifically?)

  "You, boy. I will remember your face. This debt will be paid.”

  The threat had been direct. Aimed at Fu Yang for exposing Zhang Kun.

  Elder Shen's eyes widened.

  (What if—)

  He stood up abruptly, so fast his chair scraped against stone.

  "Elder Shen?" Elder Han looked at him with confusion —Elder Shen didn't answer, his cultivation base flaring with Core Formation peak stage and spiritual energy surging through his meridians as he moved.

  One moment he was in the Medical Hall and the next he was outside, crossing the distance in bursts of speed that left afterimages, his personal servant — an older man who had served him for decades — immediately following, running to keep up despite being much slower.

  "Master! What's wrong?!"

  Elder Shen didn't respond, just kept moving toward the outer disciple quarters — and behind him, Elder Han stood in his now-empty Medical Hall completely confused, yet he recognized that expression on Elder Shen's face, that urgency…

  Elder Han sent his own servant running. "Go to the Sect Head immediately. Tell him Elder Shen has discovered something urgent."

  The servant bowed and sprinted toward the Sect Master's residence.

  Elder Han grabbed his medicine pouch and followed Elder Shen's path, his own cultivation base activating as he moved as fast as his Golden Core stage would allow.

  Elder Shen reached the outer disciple dormitory area within just 10 seconds.

  His sudden arrival drew immediate attention as disciples training nearby stopped and stared, an elder moving at full speed — several disciples near the dormitory buildings noticed him approaching, their eyes widening as they quickly gathered and bowed respectfully.

  "Elder Shen!"

  "Greetings, Elder!"

  Elder Shen ignored their greetings, his eyes sweeping across the buildings looking for the right one — there, the dormitory where Fu Yang should be staying — and so he walked toward it with quick purposeful strides as the disciples parted before him, reaching the door and pushing it open

  Empty….

  Elder Shen turned to the gathered disciples outside. "Where is the disciple who lives here?"

  The nervous disciples exchanged uncertain glances but none of them spoke.

  "I asked a question." Elder Shen's voice remained calm, yet something in his tone made the air feel heavier.

  One disciple - a young man around twenty - stepped forward reluctantly. "Elder, I... we don't know exactly—"

  "You don't know where your fellow disciple is?"

  "He... he hasn't been here for several days."

  "Where did he go?”

  The disciple's eyes darted to the others looking for support, but no one met his gaze.

  "I... I'm not sure if I should..."

  Elder Shen's cultivation pressure released — not violently, just present, a Core Formation cultivator's full spiritual energy pressing down on the area.

  The young disciple immediately dropped to his knees, his hands grabbing his head as his face contorted with fear and pain.

  "Where… Is… He?"

  "Prison!" The disciple gasped out. "He's in the detention cells! Please, Elder! I'll tell you everything!"

  The pressure eased slightly, just enough for the disciple to breathe properly.

  "Explain."

  "Days ago — a female disciple came forward, reporting that Fu Yang had... had harassed her, made unwanted advances — and so the patrol disciples arrested him that night, he's been in the cells since then.”

  Elder Shen's expression didn't change, though his mind was racing.

  Harassment charges against Fu Yang. The same Fu Yang who'd brought Yue Lian home safely when he could have ignored her.

  And—

  The same Fu Yang who Sect Master Shen of Crimson Sword Sect had personally threatened.

  (Was this a coincidence.)

  Elder Shen released his pressure completely. The disciple collapsed forward, gasping.

  "Which female disciple made the accusation?"

  "I... I don't know her name, Elder. Just heard it was someone from the inner disciples."

  Elder Shen turned and started walking. Toward the detention center, his servant hurried to keep up.

  Behind him, disciples were gathering as word spread quickly — an elder is investigating something and has been moving with urgency, something big was happening — and at last Elder Han caught up to Elder Shen halfway to the detention center.

  "What's going on?" Elder Han demanded, "why did you run off like that?"

  "Fu Yang is in prison."

  "For what?!"

  "Harassment charges."

  Elder Han's face twisted with anger — "what?! And no one informed the Medical Hall?! That boy is in the middle of crucial treatment, missing it—"

  "I know."

  "This is unacceptable! We're elders of this sect! Major decisions about disciples should be reported to us immediately!"

  Elder Shen didn't respond, just kept walking, his face set and hard — and they reached the detention center, a small building on the sect's eastern edge, rarely used, most disciples were well-behaved and serious crimes were handled by elder councils, not with simple imprisonment.

  Three disciples stood guard outside and upon seeing the two elders approaching immediately stood straighter.

  "Elder Shen! Elder Han! We—”

  One of them turned and tried to run inside, probably to warn someone — but Elder Han's cultivation pressure crashed down like a hammer, the disciple collapsing mid-step, hitting the ground hard and not moving — the other two guards froze with terror written across their faces.

  "Open the door," Elder Shen said quietly,

  they practically fell over themselves complying, hands shaking as they unlocked the entrance.

  Elder Shen and Elder Han walked past them without another word. The interior was dim, lit by a few spiritual lamps, rows of cells lining both walls, most empty, yet one wasn't.

  Inside sitting on the bed was Fu Yang. He looked terribly thinner than he'd been six days ago, his face gaunt and clothes dirty with hair disheveled and dark circles under his eyes. Furthermore they hadn't been feeding him properly, maybe not at all.

  But his eyes were alert and sharp, fixed not on the iron bars of his cell now but rather on them, on Elder Shen and Elder Han as they approached.

  Elder Shen stopped in front of the cell — and for a long moment, no one spoke — Fu Yang's gaze moved between the two elders, assessing, reading their expressions.

  Finally, Elder Han broke the silence —

  "What the hell is this?"

  Fu Yang's lips twitched, almost a smile yet not quite.