The security office of the Jade Peak Sect was a quiet building filled with desks. An officer sat at each desk with a scrying crystal, either monitoring certain areas, or certain people. One such officer was assigned to monitoring subject 3195-F, one of the latest child-spies from the DDC. The subject was an eight-year-old girl who was cultivating the Yin Demon technique, and was believed to have a True Yin constitution. She had long blonde hair, and creamy skin, both of which would certainly lighten as she cultivated her technique. She often wore a shifty expression, like she thought she was being watched. She was being watched, of course, but suspecting it was not the same as knowing it.

The subject had been behaving within expected parameters. She had sent out five messages to the DDC since arriving at the sect. Two weaknesses she had reported to the cult were actionable, and had already been corrected. Her observation skills were commendable. Today, she was carrying around a small notebook, making a crude map of the streets around her dormitory.

The officer, a girl in her early two hundreds, with short dark hair, olive skin, and a permanently bored expression, had a by-the-book style. When subject 3195-F encountered two older boys in an alleyway, the oficer was disturbed by what they were doing. She made a note to have the boys assigned to their own monitors. Torturing small animals in adolescence was a red flag for later criminal violence.

She watched as subject 3195-F pulled out a dagger. She was surprised the boys hadn't noticed the small girl. They must have been lax in their training. She made another note to contact Antony Hall about improving training standards. He must be going soft, if such a young demonic cultivator could sneak up on the older boys.

When she saw both boys die from arterial wounds, she reconsidered. Perhaps subject 3195-F was trained in assassination, if she could target vital spots with that much speed, and accuracy. They would need to adjust her security parameters. She made another note. She crossed out the previous note about monitoring the boys. That would be moot now.

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The officer called over an Elder to report the deaths. He was a bookish looking older man, with a receding gray hair line, a close cropped hairstyle, and leathery skin. The Elder reviewed the relevant code in a jade slip. "Penal code 515.2: Acceptable cases of violence and killing; Subsection C dash one," he read, "In defense of oneself or of another. It does not specify that 'another' must be human. No enforcement necessary. Dispatch a clean-up crew."

"Yes, Elder. By the way, sir, did we ever find out what happened to those children in the forest?"

"No, officer. They are presumed to have been eaten by Grand Ancestor Valerie. No further investigation is warranted at this time."

"Elder," the officer asked, "is it really alright that we don't do anything about it? Their deaths were not justified by the penal code."

"Mmm..." the Elder nodded, "I understand your concerns, however, consider this: If we wanted to punish Grand Ancestor Valerie, who would do it? You? Me? The sect leader? Do you think anyone in this sect is strong enough to stop her? When an unstoppable force moves, then the direction they choose to take becomes the law."

The officer looked down thoughtfully, and the Elder continued, "What use are our penal codes, if nobody is strong enough to enforce them? From another perspective, what if the entire sect stopped following a law? Would that law still be enforceable? You are a good officer, but these are the questions you should consider, if you ever want to be promoted."

"Thank you for your advice, Elder. I will give it serious consideration, sir," the officer said as she gave him a bow. The Elder nodded, and disappeared, so the officer went back to monitoring subject 3195-F.

The subject had purchased a healing pill, and was feeding it to the spirit beast she had rescued. That was interesting. She made a note to update the subject's personality profile.

The next day, the officer made another note, when the subject formed a spirit pact with the beast. The spirit beast would be designated 3195-F-A, and would require an additional monitor. She passed this note to a nearby secretary. The monitoring would be assigned immediately, and a new profile would be created for the spirit beast. It would now be considered an agent of the child-spy.