The sun had set.
Not just dipped behind the mountains—but fully vanished, leaving the skies in hues of indigo and violet. Lanterns were being lit along the winding paths of the Sect of the Returning Soul. Soft glows of spiritual fire flickered behind windows, casting long shadows across the courtyard tiles.
Joseph sat alone in his room, eyes fixed on the reflection of moonlight in the basin near the wall.
The sealed letter from Elder Cha lay on his desk, untouched since the morning. He didn't need to read it again.
He already knew.
This wasn't part of the story.
Wei Shen, in the original novel, never received an early summons from the Elder Council. His name was only spoken in court after he cleared the Mist Path Trial in glory, alongside Lin Yue and Ping An. He was celebrated. Feared. Respected.
Joseph—this version of Wei Shen—was entering the hall of judgment too early.
He stood and walked to the window.
Below, the path leading to the Hall of Jade Assembly was quiet. No disciples. No whispers. Just the cool breath of night and the gentle sway of lanterns.
"Just follow the rhythm," he muttered to himself. "Stay quiet. Say little. Think before every word."
He'd made his mind up yesterday: no more deviations.
But the world was still deviating around him.
He took one last breath, tightened the sash at his waist, and stepped outside.
****
The Hall of Jade Assembly was nestled atop a crescent cliff overlooking the Southern Pines. Its curved roof glowed faintly in the night, lit by a ring of floating lanterns that circled the building in slow, meditative orbits.
Two core disciples in white stood by the open doors, silent and unmoving.
Joseph approached and bowed.
"Wei Shen," one of them said. "The Elder Council awaits."
He nodded.
His heart beat slower now—not from fear, but focus. He stepped inside.
The scent of old incense greeted him. The hall's ceiling arched high above, carved with images of reincarnated souls being bathed in fire and cloud. At the far end, seven stone seats rose above a polished jade floor, each occupied by a robed figure.
Their faces were hidden in partial shadow—each one unique in robe, bearing, and aura. But Joseph recognized one immediately.
Elder Mu sat at the fourth seat, still and thoughtful.
Another figure sat at the central chair—tall, thin, fingers steepled before him. His robe bore the triple ring of the Vice Sect Master.
Elder Cha.
Joseph bowed low, keeping his eyes down. "Outer disciple Wei Shen presents himself, as summoned."
Elder Cha's voice, when it came, was slow, controlled, but not unkind.
"You have done well to arrive promptly. What is spoken here tonight will not pass beyond these walls."
Joseph remained bowed.
"You may speak only when asked," Elder Mu added gently. "For now, listen."
Joseph nodded once and fell silent.
The chamber darkened slightly as the final lantern was dimmed.
And the elders began to speak.
****
Elder Cha's voice rose first. "Let it be recorded: The matter before us tonight concerns the corruption of a sacred sect artifact and a potential lethal targeting of a disciple, Wei Shen."
"To convene for a single outer disciple," murmured a gruff voice from the sixth seat—Elder Kong, bearer of the Stone Arm Technique. "It's excessive."
"Is it?" said Elder Mu, folding his hands. "He was nearly killed by three mist demons on sacred ground. The jade amulet found on his person was yin-fied. Deliberately."
Elder Shen, the only female elder on the council, leaned forward slightly. "Mist demons have not entered sect boundaries in two generations. That alone justifies the meeting."
"Agreed," said Elder Ba, the sharp-eyed elder of the Internal Qi Arts. "But the true weight lies in the inscription on the jade. It matches Wei Shen's spiritual wavelength with precision. That is no accident."
"Then why summon the boy here at all?" Elder Kong pressed. "Interrogate the relic. Let the Artifact Hall dissect the thing."
Elder Mu interjected calmly, "Because the amulet reacted to him, not to the rest of the team. When I picked it up, it was cold. When Liang Jun approached, it pulsed. But when Wei Shen held it—it awakened."
Elder Shen raised a brow. "Then he is either the target… or the catalyst."
A long silence followed.
Elder Cha, seated in the center, finally spoke again. "The soul technique that binds disciples to this sect allows memory to fade… but not vanish. Perhaps there is more in this one's spirit than we expected."
"He may not be ordinary," Elder Mu said.
"He is not dangerous either," Elder Ba added. "If he were, he would not have brought the amulet forward, nor fought to protect the others."
Elder Kong scoffed. "Dangerous men often wear honest faces."
Elder Shen frowned. "You sound like you speak from experience, Kong."
"Don't I always?"
The tension rose, only to be diffused by a quiet chuckle from Elder Mu.
"The point," he said, "is not to pass judgment. Not yet. But to observe. To understand why an artifact sealed beneath the Treasury now lies broken in our forest, echoing a disciple's energy pattern like a death bell."
Elder Cha turned his gaze down toward Joseph, who still knelt in silence on the jade floor.
"We do not accuse you, Wei Shen," he said. "But from this night forward, your path is under watch. You may rise now."
Joseph stood slowly.
Elder Cha continued, "You are to return to your training. Speak of this to no one. You will report to Elder Mu once a week for spiritual assessment."
"Yes, Elder," Joseph said quietly.
Elder Shen spoke again. "And should anything else… unnatural occur around you—no matter how small—you are to inform the Council at once."
"I understand."
The elders fell silent again, their robes settling like falling dust.
Joseph bowed low one final time.
"You are dismissed," Elder Cha said.
Joseph stepped backward—never turning his back—until he reached the doors and exited into the quiet of the outer path.
****
Above the Hall of Jade Assembly, the floating lanterns resumed their slow orbit.
And within the chamber, the Council remained seated.
Elder Kong grunted. "We're watching a candle flicker and calling it lightning."
"Then let us wait for the storm," Elder Mu replied.