Zhong Yilan's master was away from Mount Hua for the month, so Wen Shiyin and a few other disciples accompanied me to the Gatekeeper's hall and explained the matter in detail. Zhong Yilan was disqualified from the tournament and, after making a trip to apologize to Xie Lun, confined to her room for penitence until her master's return. The final judgment would be made then.
I wished I could paint Zhong Yilan's face when she was escorted to Xie Lun's hall. It was probably the first time in her life that she ever had to beg someone for forgiveness, and I gloated slightly at the thought of Qi Lian bombarding her with his spirited beratement. A sense of pride rose in me—it felt good to finally be able to stand up for myself and for those who I cared about.
Though I didn't have much time to overjoy in satisfaction. When everything was settled, the Gatekeeper waved a hand at us and said, "Bai Ye's disciple stays. The rest of you are dismissed."
It was time to face my own judgment now, I sighed inwardly. The rest of the group bowed their leaves, and Wen Shiyin darted a sympathetic glance at me on her way out.
"Yun Qing-er, is it?" the Gatekeeper squinted at me when we were the only people left in the hall. "Do you understand the consequences of your actions today?"
I took a deep breath and kneeled. Strictly speaking, it was Bai Ye's responsibility to question me and determine the suitable punishment, though I couldn't openly defy the Gatekeeper's interference. "I do, Gatekeeper," I lowered my head and said. "It was a disruption of order and a show of disobedience. I will repent my behavior, and it won't happen again."
"It is more than that," the Gatekeeper said. "Exposing sabotages of the tournament in such a hasty way would lead to repercussions. You are making a statement to the entire Mount Hua that there are loopholes in the organization of the event, and that will not sit well with participants."
I kept my head lowered and my eyes fixed on the ground before me, though I couldn't comprehend his words. Was he blaming me for finding out that the event was rigged?
"You also involved two of the main halls in your little show of poison," he continued. "Xie Lun's master and Zhong Yilan's master haven't been the warmest towards each other, and this incident will deepen the grudges between them. You should've considered the whole picture more carefully, instead of only thinking about yourself and acting so impulsively."
A feeling of bad omen caught me. These were details that I couldn't possibly know of and therefore wouldn't be able to take into consideration at all. Why was the Gatekeeper criticizing me for things that were beyond my control?
"Given the severity of these consequences, Yun Qing-er—" the Gatekeeper stood up from his seat and walked towards me, "—I hope you will understand the punishment that you will receive."
"Gatekeeper," I looked up, "I will hold no grudges against any discipline that my master sees fit."
The Gatekeeper shook his head as he came closer. "Your master is too lenient on you, which led to your defiance and recklessness." He stopped by my side and placed his hand on the top of my head. The gesture seemed amicable, yet something felt wrong, and fear started to creep up my spine. "Bai Ye will appreciate my help in guiding you onto the right path of life—"
"Your interference, Chu Yang, is not appreciated." A clear, cold voice resounded from behind me. A voice that I knew better than my own. "And I don't consider it 'help'."
The Gatekeeper frowned and looked towards the entrance. He didn't remove his hand from my head, so I couldn't turn to look as well, but I could imagine Bai Ye's graceful figure framed in the grand doorway, his fierce, dark gaze chilling the air as he entered the hall.
"My disciple is my own responsibility," he said when he stopped two paces away from the Gatekeeper and me. His words washed away all my fear. "Leave this to me, Chu Yang, and I will pretend that I don't know what you're planning to do. Otherwise, things might not look so pretty."
"Bai Ye," the Gatekeeper growled. "The reputation of Mount Hua is at risk because of her. What happened today was—"
"Not her fault," Bai Ye bit back. There was danger in his tone. "The reputation of Mount Hua is at risk because of your niece's doings, and you should be thankful that Yun Qing-er exposed them. Now, will you let this pass peacefully—" my eyes widened when I felt him laying a hand on my shoulder, "—or do you want to have a chat for the entire Mount Hua to hear?"
There was a moment of silence. Then the Gatekeeper laughed. "You always take trivial things like this so seriously, Bai Ye." He removed his hand from my head. "I trust that you will teach her well and prevent similar distractions from happening again in the future."
I looked up, confused by their conversation. Bai Ye's gaze was still fixed on the Gatekeeper, dark and formidable. "No need to concern yourself with it," he said and beckoned me to follow him out of the hall.
~ ~
We did not speak on our way back. The look on Bai Ye's face was unusually grave, and I wasn't sure if he was angry at me for the scene I made or bothered by the confrontation with the Gatekeeper. I waited nervously until we returned to our hall and finally decided to break the silence.
"I'm sorry, Master," I said, "I've caused you trouble."
He halted in his tracks as if shocked by my words. "It's not …" He sighed and shook his head. "Did you know what the Gatekeeper was going to do to you, Qing-er?"
I stared at him, and my eyes told him the answer. He placed his hand on the top of my head the same way the Gatekeeper did before. "All major paths of one's spiritual power flow cross here. What do you think would happen if a wave of power far stronger than your own is forced down those meridians?"
I froze. A foreign power stronger than what the owner can bear would damage those pathways, and …
"It will shatter your spiritual root and close the gate of cultivation to you forever," Bai Ye said. His eyes darkened some more.. "The Gatekeeper wanted to end your life at Mount Hua for good."
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