NOVEL WEB Chapter 91: Furious Elder PING!
The sun had already climbed high enough to bake the flagstones of the inner court by the time the gongs sounded. Disciples wandered out in twos and threes, shading their eyes, murmuring as a summons went out from the northern pavilion. Word spread like sparks in dry grass:
"Elder Zhu is calling for a disciplinary hearing."
"Something about a servant…"
"It's Mo Han, the one with the spirit crane."
By the time the crowd settled near the granite dais, the air was tight with anticipation. Fatty Lambu stood at the edge of the ring, bruises faded to ugly yellow-green under his skin, clutching a bottle of pills Jia Kai had tossed him at dawn. He bit his lip, worry gnawing deeper than pain.
Mo Han stepped into the courtyard from the administration hall corridor, sleeves plain, gaze steady. He looked neither rushed nor cowed, as if the wall of eyes meant nothing. At his side, Jia Kai matched his pace, face calm but watchful. A few steps behind, the spirit crane kept to the shade of the colonnade, head tucked, letting out a soft, fretful trill.
On the dais, Elder Zhu rose, his beard bristling like a storm cloud. Yao Fan lounged nearby with two cronies, a strip of bandage peeking from his collarbone, eyes cold and eager.
"Mo Han," Elder Zhu's voice cracked like a staff on stone. "Step forward."
Mo Han halted in the clear space below the dais. "Elder."
"You are accused of insolence toward the Sect Master's son, of bringing a spirit beast into sect grounds without permit, and of speaking words that shake discipline. Kneel."
Before Fatty could gasp, Mo Han raised a hand—not in defiance, but in a simple, level request. "Elder Zhu, I've just returned from the administration hall. I've already submitted my identity token and paid the penalty—one hundred spirit stones. I have applied to depart the Burning Sun Pavilion of my own will."
The courtyard rustled like grass in wind. A few disciples glanced at one another, startled.
Elder Zhu's eyes narrowed. "You what?"
Mo Han's tone did not waver. "I have no wish to cause trouble for the sect. I have returned the token, accepted the fee for early withdrawal from duty, and intend to leave within the day after collecting my belongings. These are the rules etched on the hall plaque."
Jia Kai slid her gaze toward Yao Fan; the young master's smirk faltered.
Elder Zhu's palm clenched on the rail. "You think paying a fee frees you from order? Until you set foot outside our mountain gate, you are still within our discipline. When I say kneel, you kneel."
Mo Han met the elder's gaze. There was no heat in his eyes, only a depth like a well in winter. "Elder, with respect, I will not kneel to a lie. I did not provoke Young Master Yao; I did not threaten him without cause. He came to our courtyard, raised his hand first, and spoke of dogs and dirt. I told him simply: if he sought to break me, I would not die alone. If those words offend, I accept the consequences. But I will not kneel for dignity that is not yours to claim."
A hiss moved through the crowd. Some faces reddened with shame on his behalf; others shone with a thrill they would never admit.
Yao Fan straightened, voice slicing. "You deny you threatened the son of the sect? You deny parading a spirit pet like a noble?"
"The crane belongs to my brother," Mo Han answered, tipping his chin toward Lambu. "He formed a blood bond outside the walls. The sect rule concerning pets won't need any approval. If we have erred, we accept a fine and registration. But to call it a parade is your story, not the rule's."
Elder Zhu slammed the rail. "Enough! You twist words to dance around judgment. This old man will not debate with a servant trying to slip the leash. You remain inside our walls. Within our walls, our law stands."
He stepped off the dais, robes flaring, spiritual pressure rolling like a sudden hot wind. The nearest disciples took involuntary steps back; the spirit crane hunkered low, feathers ruffling.
"Kneel," Elder Zhu said, raising his hand. "Or I will make your legs remember."
Jia Kai's fingers twitched toward her spear. Fatty Lambu took a breath that sounded like a sob.
Mo Han didn't move. "Strike me in front of the rules you cite," he said quietly. "Strangle a man who has paid his due and is leaving without stain. It will say more about the Burning Sun Peak than I ever could."
"You—!" Elder Zhu's arm came up, spiritual light gathering at his palm like a smoldering coal.
"Halt!"
A dry voice cut the air.
"If you strike, Zhu, strike the plaque first. It has stood a long time. Let us see if your palm can correct its letters."
The heat in the courtyard seemed to flicker and die. A stooped figure stepped out from the shade of the eastern colonnade, hair wild as thorns, eyes red-rimmed from sleeplessness and books. He leaned on a gnarled staff that might have been a branch or the spine of some ancient beast.
A hundred whispers: "Elder Ping…"
The elder of the library did not climb the dais. He went straight to the administration hall's broad stone steps and tapped the bronze plaque mounted there with his staff. The tap echoed cleanly, as if the metal remembered everything engraved upon it.
Elder Zhu's jaw hardened. "Ping, this is a matter of discipline. Your shelves are full enough without taking in insolence. Stand aside."
Elder Ping didn't look at him. He traced two fingers along a line of the plaque, reading the characters as if to himself—yet each word carried to every corner of the courtyard.
"'Any disciple or servant who voluntarily relinquishes token and pays penalty for early release shall be considered free of internal duty within a day and a night of submission, answerable only for crimes of blood or theft.'" His fingertip tapped the last character. "I do not see 'kneel when shouted at.'"
A few young disciples choked on laughs and disguised them as coughs. Yao Fan flushed.
-Tq