While the Kunlun Lower Level bustled with the cacophony of common people flocking to enter, Elder Qiao's secluded cliff remained a tranquil oasis of calm that warm morning, far removed from the gathering.

The melodic notes of her zither danced through the courtyard, harmonizing with the occasional honks of geese gliding gracefully over the glassy surface of the koi pond. The gentle breeze carried the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms and hints of sandalwood incense, its tendrils of smoke curling lazily skyward.

Inside the serene courtyard, Elder Qiao's disciples were gathered. Her slender fingers, danced nimbly across the tautly strung zither strings, coaxing forth a hauntingly beautiful melody.

Her long raven tresses, shimmered like liquid silk in the golden rays filtering through the ornate wooden lattice. The warm light caressed her porcelain features, illuminating the smooth planes of her ageless face and plump crimson lips, slightly parted as if savoring the notes.

Those full lips, so often pursed around the long ivory stem of her intricately carved pipe, twitched almost imperceptibly as her eyes, framed by thick sooty lashes, fluttered open slowly.

SHIRLL!

The rich melody faded on a lingering, melancholic note, leaving behind a palpable silence.

Before her, Su Xinyi's dexterous fingers danced across the strings of her pipa, her brow furrowed in concentration as she plucked the instrument with practiced ease. Beside her, the focused Wei Xun accompanied on a bamboo flute, her cheeks puffed slightly as she embellished the zither's haunting refrain with delicate flourishes. Nearby, Lian Rougang and Li Rong waited attentively, backs ramrod straight, their hands folded neatly in their laps as they awaited her next guidance.

"Good morning, my disciples," Elder Qiao's melodious voice broke the stillness, her lips curving into a warm smile like a crescent moon. Her warm eyes, settled fondly on Yu Lei, the only male disciple present, who half-knelt before her.

"Good morning, Master," the disciples responded in respectful unison, cupping their hands and bowing their heads as she scanned them thoughtfully, her gaze lingering on each face.

"I still cannot fathom how the Outer Disciples failed to discern the changes in their friends' very essences, or the blatant abnormalities betraying the impostors amongst them," Elder Qiao remarked, setting aside the zither with a shake of her head. The instrument made a soft thud as it settled on its silk cushion.

Her slender hand reached out to accept a ceramic cup of fragrant green tea from the tray proffered by Li Rong, who had silently materialized at her side, moving with the grace of a cat.

Su Xinyi, the keen-eyed young woman whose intellect was unparalleled amongst the disciples, replied, "They claimed to have assumed the impostors were merely new recruits. As for the shifts in their friends' demeanors, they thought nothing of it at the time." Her fingers absently traced the intricate carvings on her pipa as she spoke.

As she spoke, Su Xinyi's lips turned downward into a slight frown, her eyelids drooping as she lowered her gaze, clearly still troubled by the recent incident involving Yuan Xu and Kang Xiang's betrayal. Her delicate fingers fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve.

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Even Wei Xun, seated across from her, wore a somber expression, her brow furrowed as she stared unseeingly at the zither. Her fingers absently traced the outline of her flute, the instrument lying forgotten in her lap.

"But at least we got their valuable things, thanks to last night's operation," Elder Qiao remarked, setting down her ceramic cup with a soft clink that seemed to echo in the tense silence. Her eyes, so often sparkling with warmth and mirth, now took on a harder edge as her piercing gaze fell upon Yu Lei, who still half-knelt deferentially before her.

"You performed admirably, Little Lei. I commend your efforts," she said, waving one graceful hand in a gesture for him to rise.

Yu Lei immediately straightened, cupping his hands in acknowledgment of her praise.

"The credit is yours alone, Master. I merely followed your orders to investigate Yuan Xu and Kang Xiang's suspicious backgrounds," he replied, his deep voice reverberating with humility.

At this, both Su Xinyi and Wei Xun's heads snapped up. Stunned disbelief written across their features as they looked between Yu Lei and their Master in confusion. Su Xinyi's hands trembled faintly, her lips parting as if to speak before clamping shut again as she struggled to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"M-Master...did you suspect them from the very start?" she finally managed to stammer, her large eyes wide and beseeching, glistening with unshed tears of confusion and hurt.

Elder Qiao's gaze took in Su Xinyi's expression - the disbelief warring with hurt and doubt in her eyes.

A soft, rueful chuckle escaped her lips as she shook her head slowly. Her piercing stare then shifted to Wei Xun, who wore the same stunned and accusatory look, his mouth hanging slightly ajar, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

On the other hand, the two newest disciples, Li Rong and Lian Rougang, seemed untouched by the revelation, their expressions stoic as they had not been as emotionally invested in the now-revealed traitors.

"Well...technically, I was already aware of their deception from the very beginning. It's just..." Elder Qiao's words trailed off, but that simple admission was more than enough to make Su Xinyi and Wei Xun's expressions crumble in shock, their eyes widening further in dismay. The color drained from their faces, leaving them pale as freshly fallen snow.

"I can't believe it...so from the start..." Su Xinyi whispered hoarsely, his voice cracking slightly on the last word.

"Brother Kang and Brother Yuan were traitors all along?" Wei Xun's voice intertwined with his, the two speaking their stunned realizations aloud simultaneously.

But then, their wide eyes brimmed with a mix of anger and hurt as the reality sank in. Brows furrowed, eyes narrowed to slits as they glared at the floor, fists clenched tightly enough for their knuckles to blanch.

The soft rustle of fabric filled the air as they shifted uncomfortably, their bodies tense with barely contained emotion. Eventually, their accusatory stares turned toward Yu Lei.

At first, Su Xinyi and Wei Xun had thought Yuan Xu and Kang Xiang's betrayal was a recent development, which made their Master's harsh punishment of their fellow brothers seem unfairly cruel.

But if their deception had been ongoing from the very start, that meant those two had been lying and misleading them all for who knew how long.

"Their treachery was a test for you, my dear disciples," Elder Qiao continued, her melodious tone now taking on an icy chill that sent involuntary shudders down Su Xinyi and Wei Xun's spines.

Their pupils darted nervously to their Master's eyes had hardened into piercing glare as she leveled her icy stare at them.

For a viscerally disquieting moment, the very air around them seemed to grow unbearably heavy, pressing down like a suffocating weight that made it difficult to draw breath. Su Xinyi and Wei Xun's cheeks reddened as they began to sweat, chests heaving as they gasped for air in the oppressive atmosphere.

"Yet not only did you fail to discern the truth, you even dared to quietly condemn my actions as atrocities against your ostensible 'Brothers'," Elder Qiao's words sliced through the tension like a razor-sharp blade. Her voice, normally so warm and soothing, had taken on a rebuking sharpness that made them flinch, as if physically struck. "So tell me now, do you still believe my handling of the traitors was unjust?"

By now, Su Xinyi and Wei Xun were already kneeling with their foreheads pressed contritely to the hard wooden floor, bodies trembling. Their robes pooled around them, damp with sweat. The polished wood felt cool against their feverish skin.

"We dare not question your wisdom, Master!" they cried out in desperate unison, their voices cracking with fear and remorse. "Please, do not abandon us!"

They knew all too well their Master personality. No matter how gifted or powerful, any disciple who showed disloyalty to Kunlun itself was worthless in her eyes.

The fates of Yuan Xu and Kang Xiang, stripped of their martial powers and reduced to mere mortals, served as a grim reminder.

"But Master, if you were already aware of their betrayal from the start, how did Junior Brother Ji also come to know?" Amidst the fraught atmosphere, the quiet voice of Li Rong piped up, her delicate brows furrowing inquisitively as she blinked at Elder Qiao.

In an instant, the Elder Qiao's solemn expression melted away, the oppressive tension dissipating like a morning mist as she let out a light, melodious chuckle.

The frightening chill in the air vanished as quickly as it had manifested, her demeanor once again softening. Su Xinyi and Wei Xun, still prostrate on the floor, dared to take deep, shuddering breaths as the pressure lifted.

"Ah, that is why our Little Brother Ji is such an intriguing disciple," she replied with an indulgent smile, her eyes once again warm and twinkling with amusement.