After the commotion of Hei’s cultivation died down, silence reclaimed its rightful place.

The majority of those present had much to think about.

Meili wanted to warn the two brothers of the gravity of their situation and was also thinking about how all of this would impact Jihan and the Lanxiang Clan. And there was of course Meilin who had been recovered. There would surely be a celebration once they got back home, as well as a stern talking to.

That was Meilin's primary concern. With things being as they were, she had managed to avoid reproach so far, but she knew it was only a matter of time. She was also curious about what had happened for Jihan to be pursued by the merchant guild.

Though they both had things they wanted to say, both girls remained silent. This matter concerned the clan as a whole, so the most senior member present, Elder Genmo, would naturally take the lead in any coming discussions.

Said Elder Genmo had his own considerations to make.

For one, there was the matter of Jihan and his relation to the Lanxiang Clan. Things would not change now that Geng Yong had been defeated. The fact remained that there was now a feud between Jihan and the Merchant Guild that would not easily be resolved. And there was still doubt as to whether or not he was a demonic cultivator.

That being the case, the best choice for the clan was to cut Jihan off.

Elder Genmo was sure that Jihan had come to the same conclusion.

That left the question of what the next move should be. Should Genmo attempt to apprehend Jihan, thus earning favour with the Merchant Guild? Should he attempt to have Geng Yong freed? Or should he stand back for fear of offending this new third party?

Speaking of that pair of young men, they drew Elder Genmo’s curiosity.

Where had they come from? What was their purpose here? What connection did they have with Jihan that they would rescue him? Why did the Shimmering Sword Sect not interfere? What were the two planning to do with Geng Yong?

All of these had to be approached cautiously, otherwise unnecessary trouble could make its way to the clan.

***

While Genmo was thinking of all these, Jihan was also making his own considerations. He had offended the Merchant Guild, and his life was about to get far more troublesome.

Fortunately, he was a student of the Academy, and as long as he was on Academy grounds, he wouldn’t have to concern himself with that matter.

What he was most interested in, was the two boys.

He had already met Shao Tianlan twice before and had a good impression of him. This other boy was someone he was meeting for the first time, but the way he conducted himself was agreeable enough, though admittedly a little theatrical.

But those were superfluous details.

The important thing was that he was seeing white auras surrounding them and the black sword. He had already been told what it meant, and as such, he knew that he and the two were in similar situations.

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They were all Envoys of the Heavens.

‘How much do they know?’ he wondered.

The sword he carried—his armament, Silva—had already informed him that the spirits of most artefacts like her were likely to be in dormant states. She herself was heavily injured and was unable to identify the specific auras that each artefact gave off, so without them being able to communicate for themselves, she had no way of knowing who was who.

And to this day, she had yet to find another who had the wherewithal to speak.

***

While everyone was in deep thought, Hei walked up to Geng Yong who was lying prone on the ground and slapped his face a couple of times to wake him up.

Roused from his state of unconsciousness, the first thing Geng Yong did was to assess his own situation.

“!”

His eyes widened in shock.

“My cultivation! D-Demon! You stole my cultivation!”

“Demon? You're one to talk.”

“My cultivation! Give it back to me, you-”

His words were stopped by another slap to the face.

“I don’t have time to listen to your ranting and raving.”

“You will suf-”

Another slap resounded.

“Look. I’m a pacifist, you know? Stop making me hit you.”

“I’ll kill-”

Yet another slap.

“Sheesh. Some people just don’t learn. Look right here. Take a look at this. Do you know what this is?”

Hei dangled a jade slip in front of Geng Yong.

“I know you bear strong feelings of hatred for me right now, Geng Yong, and I want to help you out. I really do. Here. Take a look.”

Hei condensed his qi into a droplet that fell from his finger and onto the jade slip.

“It’s all yours.” He said as he tossed the jade to the ground in front of Geng Yong.

“Call for backup or whatever. Your buddies will surely come to your aid.”

Geng Yong frowned.

“Ah. But do call someone more senior than yourself, would you? There’s no point in piling up more crippled bodies, is there?”

Geng Yong tightly clenched his teeth, and, though he realised he was playing into the boy’s hand, he wanted nothing more than to see that condescending smile stricken from his face.

With his hands cuffed behind his back, he could not pick the jade up, so he knelt down and touched it with his forehead, feeling the sting of indignation as he was forced to bow before the boy.

“You will regret this,” he cursed through gritted teeth.

He activated the jade slip and was about the input his message when he found it snatched from under him.

“I appreciate your cooperation,” said Hei as he examined the jade slip. “So, who’s this going out to?”

Geng Yong raised his head and saw the boy holding the glowing jade in hand. His intentions were now clear. He did not want to lure the Merchant Guild into a trap, the thought was preposterous in the first place. What he wanted was to open up a line of communication with the upper echelons.

For what reason remained a mystery.

Regardless, Geng Yong did not deign to respond.

“Well, it’s no matter.”

Hei stomped his foot, sending a current of chains running through the ground which surrounded Geng Yong before swallowing him whole.

“Now.”

He turned his attention to the jade slip in his hand.

“I don’t know who it is that I’m speaking to, but it doesn’t really matter. If you’re too much of a grunt to handle something of this magnitude, then just pass it on to the relevant higherups.

“Now, with that out of the way, let me just go ahead and say it. I know what your organization is doing, and honestly, you’re starting to get on my nerves.

“With that in mind, consider this a warning. Cease your more nefarious operations at once. I’m speaking of your dogged pursuit of Yin Physiques and whatever other shady business you’re involved in. I won’t tolerate it much longer.

“Make no mistake. I issue this warning not in the hopes of avoiding conflict, but for the sake of the decent people you have working for you; those who have no idea of the evils you are committing. I would rather not be forced to take away their livelihoods.

“As for your modicum of power, you would do best not to rely on it.”

He paused for a moment, noticing a small detail he had overlooked.

“I realise that the childish quality of my voice may cause this to appear as some sort of joke, but to disregard my words for such a reason will cause untold suffering, so do be sure to take me seriously.”

He paused again, thinking of how he should wrap things up.

“Now that my warning has been issued, I will allow you a grace period to clean yourselves up. It won’t be long—my patience has its limits—but it will be enough for you to process your initial apprehensions.

“That said, if you fail to heed my words, then be prepared for the coming of my Shao Clan.

“I implore you. Take this opportunity to avoid calamity.

“For if we should appear before you, there won’t be a shred of mercy to be found in us.

“Yours truly, Shao Hei.”