"Slow down, bloke, you're taking a verdict even before hearing the entire case," Gale cut in. "I guess you're in haste to prove the innocence of your loved ones, but hear me out first."
"You have more to say?" The mayor narrowed his eyes, contemplating.
"Sure," Gale said. "Who said I killed those poor sods the Han family sent after me? Most people didn't deserve to die for their master's sins and since they couldn't complete their task, I decided to be lenient with them. So, no, I hadn't killed them."
"You hadn't?" The mayor asked, just to make sure. He looked at Han Shitian in the corner of his eyes. The mayor was here on only a couple of days' notice. He hardly had time to do his homework in the case, so slip up like that wasn't his fault, but from where he got all the information from. The Han family.
"Well, if you hadn't, where are they?" The mayor asked. "You can't just say something without providing valid evidence."
"Of course, I have evidence. Why else would you think I'd bring this up?" Gale smiled. "Actually, one of the former Han Family men is here with us. Just wait a minute, he'll be here."
Under the watchful gazes of the couple dozen people in the room, a figure emerged into the room. Tagging along with him were a couple of guards, just in case. The newcomer was a man who loved to be in his late twenties, silver ranker, though instead of the superior robe of a practitioner, he had a normal-looking farmer tunic on as if he had changed occupation recently.
"Gang Rui?" Assassin Hao said aloud at the newcomer, shooting a glare.
"Old Hao," Gang Rui nodded curtly, his voice neutral. He only shot the old assassin a look, unbothered by the gazes. He came to stand in Gale's dugout, formally acknowledging where he stands from now on, ignoring the looks the Han Family was giving him.
"I guess the old fool provided evidence of his identity," Gale said, shooting the mayor a look. "Ask him whatever you want."
The mayor was about to, however, Assassin Hao beat him to it.
"Traitor!" Old Hao screamed, spitting out at Gang Rui.
A hurtful expression appeared on Gang Rui's face, but he was prepared for it when he decided he would confront his old master.
"Am I, Old Hao?" Gang Rui asked.
"You have taken an oath, Gang Rui," Old Hao screamed. "You have taken an oath to live and die for the Han family. How could you betray the oath? How are you even standing right now?"
"Old Hao, it seems the old age has made you forgetful," Gang Rui said calmly. "You forget, oath works both ways. For what it's worth, Young Master Han has broken the dozen times, however, being at the long end of the oath, he didn't feel any change. Well, knowing the Young Master, I fear he had no recollection of when and how he had released me of my oath."
What Gang Rui was saying was easy to understand if one was clear about the whole Soul Oath business. The first point to know about Soul Oath was that it can work in both ways. In the case of Gang Rui, his oath to the Han family was along the line of him working wholeheartedly to his death, as long as the Han family serves the role of an honourable master.
That oath was screwed and highly demanding to begin with. Thankfully, Gang Rui was intelligent enough to put a restriction on it. A way out for him, just in case. Well, they probably allowed him to put the latter part of the oath, only because he had the potential to be a gold ranker. And you can't treat gold rankers like slaves or simple leashed practitioners.
Unfortunately, most of the other practitioners weren't as lucky. Most of them were basically slave to their oath to the Han Family, hence they still retained the role of labouring slaves under Gale.
Anyway, to Gang Rui, he had taken the oath when he was barely a teen. He had been with the Han family for over a couple of decades, and only three years under Han Xiao. And in that time, the black sheep young master managed to dishonour his role as the master over a dozen times.
Han Xiao had him clean shit that would let him question why he was doing it in the first place. Well, Gang Rui could've left the first time. Han Xiao released him from the oath unwittingly. However, a change of master changed many things. Gang Rui wasn't prepared for it.
"Unknowingly and under Young Master Han, I have fallen so low that I couldn't even recognise what I was doing wrong," Gang Rui explained. "When I was young, I had principles, however a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't remember most of them. Thank Master Gale—he was kind enough to remind me."
The Han family didn't cheap out on shooting glares at Gang Rui after he said that.
The former Han family man continued without retorting. "I have done questionable things, but for the respect, I still hold for the Han family, I won't spill out. Not to mention, my own hands were stained. Although I have done those wicked stuffs on commands, that didn't change the fact that I have my own free will to walk the way. But I haven't. I took the easy way, being happy with the resources I got from the Han family. But after I met Master Gale, he changed my life."
"Hmm, I'm simply too charismatic," Gale said smugly, shooting a look at Han Shitain, who was clearly fuming at his audacity and also at the incompetency of his son.
"Master Gale questioned my purpose in life, and when I couldn't answer, he said something that I would like to quote it here:
"He said, 'It's okay to have no purpose in life or most people have uncertainty about their calling all their lives. Even I have lived most of my life without one and still wasn't that certain about it now. However, a life without principles? That is where I draw the line. Without principles, men are nothing but rabid beasts. If you like to act like a rabid beast, I can't help but treat you like one as well.'
"After that, Master Gale gave me two choices. One was staying as the rabid beast, the other was to change. Change and become the man others would look up to. My children can be proud of."
"So you changed masters," Han Shitain spoke, his tone high with indignation.
Gang Rui's face went sour, but he decided to not retort to a gold ranker, not to mention his former master.
"Don't worry about him," Gale shrugged, "He just has a mental incapability to look above his personal gain."
Gang Rui actively refrained from joining the word jab of gold rankers. Even if some gold rankers' image didn't demand respect from lower rankers, their strength certainly did. Gang Rui had seen stuff in the capital to know that. Of course, he decided to change, but he hadn't decided to be so foolishly courageous as Master Gale.
Then again, Master Gale was a Gold ranker who was capable of defeating Han Shitian within a couple of moves.
"What can even the foreigner give you that Master Shitian can't?" Old Hao yelled.
"I think the answer is clear already," Gang Rui said, bowing slightly towards Han Shitian. "Respect. No offence to you, Senior Han Shitian. I have taken a similar oath to Master Gale, fully knowing he wouldn't be able to provide as many resources as the likes of the Han Family. However, I re-figured there are more important things than those glittering stones."
"Respect, huh?" Han Shitian sneered. "You think you'll be respected just by changing your master? No, Gang Rui, only the powerful ones are respected, and you clearly are not and will not be one of them."
"Perhaps," Gang Rui said to his old master. "Perhaps, but at least, Master Gale treat me like I'm a human—I matter—unlike young master Han, who thought of me as nothing better than a--" he clearly wanted to say dog, but considering how he got his ass handed to him by a cute-looking Vale, he decided to term it better "--leashed practitioner under his command who would objectively listen to his every command."
Han Shitian had a face that clearly wanted to retort and say: That's exactly what you are. The family hadn't helped you to grow just for you to betray like this.
But he was clearly aware he would lose the argument if he burst out with that. Not that there was any argument left there to be had, his fool son saw to it. Perhaps things would have been different if he hadn't left to earn back his glory, but there was no point in regretting it when the cat was already out of the bag.
He exchanged glances with his brother-in-law—the mayor—gesturing to tell him to take control of the situation again.
"I guess that settles the case for one practitioner," The Mayor said, empathising with the word "one". "What about the rest of them?"
"The rest of the practitioners were alive as well," Gale said, "though I must admit most of them aren't in that good of a shape or position. Since they attacked me on my turf, by martial law, I have a full claim over their life and death. If you wish you can meet them, but forget about taking them back now."
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