According to the tradition of the land, all the clans of Tang would gather together as a tribe on the first day of every mourning sun to perform the begotten ceremony. In supplications, they beseeched their local goddess, Changxi, to shine her light on them and on the land. It was a tradition that continued after Changxi fell in the immortal war. New non-natives of the tribe were to follow this tradition in their homes, but the old settlers must gather together with the rest of the tribe.

The clans of Tang used the time to grab ruling powers over one another. The most powerful clan was at the top while the weakest would be languishing at the bottom of the clans' ranking. However, most of the power grabbing occured in honour combats. Some clans would slide down the ranking order while others would take their positions at the top. It was also the time when tribe's pressing matters were presided over by the elders, in the spiritual presence of Changxi. The local goddess was represented by the chief priest. The begotten ceremony was also dreaded by many families who feared the challenges of the rite.

On this day, the village courtyard was still buzzing with excitement after the ceremony of the begotten. Nonetheless, there were some traces of grievances. News of Chen entering the sacred woods had spread, and they were here to witness the judgement to be dealt out to the village scoundrel if found guilty.

Under the green-gold sun, over three hundred villagers still gathered in the courtyard of the Twelve Moon Spirit when Chen was led into the courtyard by two guards. He stood to the right of the crowd where the guards continued to flank him. Directly opposite him, to the left, was Bai, who was also standing between two guards. Behind him were the other members of his hunter's group.

Looking at Bai and the chief elder, Chen knew both the father and son were about to destroy the reputation of his father and also trample on the honour of his clan. Everything was now on the line, but there was nothing he could do about it. He sighed as his shoulders sagged. Every villager knew about the agenda of the public hearings. They were to bring great shame to the families and clans of the guilty ones. Since they were in accordance with the laws of the land, they were quite common.

Chen turned his head to look at his father. Hua, arms folded, standing behind him like a fortress. He smiled at his sight, like he was an ancient guardian. His guardian. He couldn't be happier to see his father strong and healthy again. All in the space of few minutes after eating the Moonblood plant. He had made it back from the Sarian woods at the nick of time. With the slightest of all wry smiles on his face, Chen glanced at the chief elder. If he knew he went into the sacred woods again at dawn to take the Moonblood plant, he would simply have him strung by the neck.

The chief elder, Bojing, stood atop the small wooden podium, his red eyebrows matching his red hair and beard. He lifted his hands to restore order to the place before raising his voice to address the villagers.

"Today, we have a big, but sad issue in our hands. The young dweller, Chen, of the Li clan, is being accused of entering the sacred woods at dusk. As we all know, this is an atrocious offence. After our goddess fell in the immortal wars, her essence had retreated into the Forest Of Heavens. Only the sanctified priest and his acolytes can enter the sacred forest. The village temple is for others to use. If the accused is found guilty..." the chief elder paused and stared solemnly at the on-looking villagers. Their eyes were wide with anticipation of his next words. He made sure the weight of his words sank in before continuing, "...he'll be thrown into the pit of sorrow and his clan will bear the consequences. That's the law of the land."

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After a feat of more gasps and whispers from the villagers, Bojing turned to his fourth son and gave him a slight nod, "I now call forth the accuser to make his claim, openly."

Bai smirked at Chen as he made his way forward. He knew there was no way out for the scoundrel. He would never escape his fate. If he agreed to his words, he would be put in the dark dungeon. Not a great place for a young scoundrel to be, especially one with no alignment. Yet if he disagreed, blood would be shed, and he was certain it wouldn't be his.

Then Bai raised his voice, "I, Bai of the Wei clan, accuse Chen of the Li clan of entering the Heavenly Forest at dusk."

There were gasps and loud murmurs before the chief elder restored order. He looked at his fourth son happily and asked, "Even at dusk?"

"Yes, honoured chief elder," Bai replied.

"Can you tell the whole tribe how this happened?"

"Yes, honoured chief elder. Yesterday, we were at the hunter's field when we received a message to recover some stolen items from the known scoundrel. So, we waited. But immediately he saw us, he ran into the sacred forest with the bag of the stolen items. We tried to warn him about the woods but he wouldn't listen. He didn't stop. We saw him enter the forest with our own eyes. That's when we turned back and came to report."

The chief elder turned to Chen with a well-revised disdain. Although his face was brimming with anger, he was smiling on the inside. Another chance to deal a blow to the Li clan?

With a tinge of sadness to his tone, the chief elder spoke, "Chen of the Li clan, you've been accused of this offence. Your honour has been queried. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Chen froze when the crowd turned its attention to him. Honour? He already knew he had none. So, they could make a mockery of him all they wanted. Chen stared at the ground in thought. What could he possibly say for himself? If he was to say it was true, his father and clan would lose the little honour they were affording them before they threw him in the dungeon. And if he denied the accusations, he would have to face the accuser in honour combat. He had not undergone his soul awakening for him to have any class and skills. Without awakening, his combat ability was nothing.

Chen was deep in thought when he caught sight of the chief priest who had been watching the proceedings in total silence. He could have sworn he saw something in those eyes.

With a determined face, Chen shook his head and turned to the chief elder, "Honoured chief elder, I was flung forward by their slingshot. So, I'm not accepting his words."

"Are you denying the accusation?" The chief elder asked Chen in surprise.

"Yes, I'm denying it."

"A denial has been made before the entire tribe. The honour of the accuser and of his clan has been questioned," the chief elder said aloud.

There were more whispers and murmurs from the villagers. Despite knowing what would happen next, they continue watching anxiously.

Bojing turned to his son and asked, "How do you respond?"

Bai stared angrily at Chen before giving him a faint smirk. Then, he shouted for all villagers to hear, "I, Bai of the Wei clan, challenge Chen of the Li clan to a duel of honor before the entire tribe."

All eyes turned to the troubled Chen as the villagers awaited his response. This could only end in disaster for the scoundrel if he accepted the challenge. It would be a fight till death, and they all knew who was going to die. After looking at his father for several, long, seconds, Chen sighed and stepped foward.