.
Shuǐ YiShan swung her arm out and a stunningly beautiful silver spear appeared in her hand.
Crystal flowers sprung and blossomed from its base and tip, curling up the spear as it appeared in her hand.
"How about letting this elder sister teach you a lesson?"
A few of the disciples instinctively stepped backwards, andbegan muttering amongst themselves.
"She brought it out?"
"Is she going to kill him?!"
But LanFen didn't even flinch, and she would have slapped her forehead, if her hands were free.
'Bringing out such a weapon at the slightest provocation...' Shuǐ YiShan's inexperience was too glaring!
"The Sky Water Crystal spear?! You possess such a beautiful and powerful treasure at such a young age?!" LanFen feigned amazement, then scoffed. "Hmph. I just hope you match its prestige, and such a precious weapon is not wasted on you."
Shuǐ YiShan felt a vein tick in annoyance.
It had taken her years to master the Water Crystal Spear, and she was still learning. Over the years, even her own master, at some points, had angrily wondered aloud whether the Water Crystal spear was wasted on her...
Everyone knew her master had wanted to train Shuǐ ChénLín and give him the spear, but Shuǐ ChénLín had chosen the sword, like his father, and had refused to touch the spear.
Shuǐ YiShan eyed the veiled prisoner, who had just thrown one of her greatest insecurities at her!!!
"You don't know the Sky is high, or the earth is wide!" Shuǐ YiShan flung out the spear, and it was covered in light blue wavy aura. "I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"
But before she could even move, LanFen released a bit more of her aura, but directed at Shuǐ YiShan.
Shuǐ YiShan gasped softly, and the aura surrounding the spear vanished. After a few stunned moments, she turned to Shuǐ ChénLín, asking,
"Who is this, that you've brought into the Shuǐ Manor?!"
One of the disciples eagerly stepped up to answer.
"Heh! This is someone that might be Xuè Shèngrén!" he said proudly.
"Yes!" another one had jumped out. "Our Fènghuáng-Jun caught him! This would earn him a lot of praise in the Clan!"
Shuǐ ChénLín turned a reprimanding look at them, and they wilted at once. He and Lu FengHo had warned them not to say anything about Xuè Shèngrén, but in their excitement, they had revealed it.
However, Shuǐ ChénLín was most bothered by Shuǐ YiShan's reaction.
He knew Shuǐ YiShan was quite powerful, so her sudden shift from rage to fear was odd.
Had Xuè Shèngrén revealed his power in some way? He had sealed away his spirit power, so how?
Meanwhile, Shuǐ YiShan had always acknowledged that Shuǐ ChénLín was indeed brilliant, and by rights, his level of power had surpassed a few of the Tier Five members in their clan, though he was supposedly still in the Purple realm.
However, there was no way Shuǐ Chén could have captured the owner of that aura, without some injury. That meant, Xuè Shèngrén might have allowed himself get captured, so he could enter the Shuǐ Manor with ulterior motives!
And worse, Shuǐ ChénLín had brought Lu FengHo along on such a dangerous mission!
"I need to talk to Clan Leader Shuǐ!" Shuǐ YiShan made to walk away, but Shuǐ JunHo's voice stopped her.
"Second Uncle is not around. He returns tomorrow morning, just in time for the hearing." He informed with an air of importance. It was Common knowledge that Clan Leader Shuǐ doted on him.
Shuǐ YiShan scowled at her younger cousin, then back to Shuǐ ChénLín.
"Didn't you consider that bringing the destroyer of two ruling clans, right into the Shuǐ Manor, was not a good idea?! How could the Clan successor make such a careless mistake?!"
LanFen was actually impressed that Shuǐ YiShan had seen through her, but Shuǐ Chén didn't even look at her. "Grand Uncle is around. He came out of secluded cultivation just for this and he's ready to prevent any calamity."
'Grand Uncle?' LanFen's ears had perked up. 'Surely, that is Elder Shuǐ!'
Shuǐ ChénLín continued. "Besides, Elder Sister Yi. I was ordered by father to bring him here..." His irises shifted to hers suddenly in mild challenge. "Are you saying the Clan Leader is careless?"
Shuǐ YiShan instantly became nervous. "Er-! That is-! Don't deliberately say what I didn't say!"
But Shuǐ Chén just performed another perfunctory bow. "Then, this younger brother will resume his duties."
He turned around and left.
Lu FengHo and the disciples followed him, bringing LanFen along.
Shuǐ YiShan bit the corner of her lower lip in anger. How dare he make her lose face before Lu FengHo, and the disciples, and even that insulting stranger?!
"A-Chén!" She called after them politely. "Miss Lin visited in your absence, and sends her regards!"
Shuǐ Chén halted suddenly.
Shuǐ YiShan placed a hand over her mouth. "Hohohoho, You can afford to look cool here, but everyone knows you're like a wet incense stick, whenever Miss Lin is around! Peh!" And with that, she threw her nose up and gracefully walked away.
There was a short silence, before Shuǐ Chén continued walking, and Shuǐ JunHo scoffed silently, a look of mild annoyance on his face.
"Ho?" LanFen grinned with interest, then whispered to Shuǐ JunHo. "Boy, Who is this Lady Lin that can defeat your Fènghuáng-Jun, just by the mention of her name? Is she a powerful cultivator? What level is she?"
Shuǐ JunHo didn't like being called 'boy' by someone who looked smaller than him, but he was so annoyed with the current situation, that he payed it no attention.
"Tch! 'Beautiful but empty shell!'" He furiously whispered back. "Miss Lin has been stuck in the early stages of the Blue realm for years, because she is lazy about cultivation! Yet she dares look down on Fènghuáng-Jun! She's his Fiancé!"
"Ahahaha!" LanFen laughed quietly. "Perhaps it's because you're young, but isn't it a normal thing for men to chase beautiful women with no cultivation? Let me tell you, most household matrons don't have a high level of cultivation, if they even have any."
But Shuǐ JunHo shook his head. "Not in the ruling families! To maintain the strength of the bloodline, most successors are required to marry a partner that will pass desirable qualifies, so the stronger the better!"
Shuǐ JunHo was annoyed that the person he looked up to had selected someone like Miss Lin for a cultivation partner.
The Late Lady Yun had been powerful, and had a rare ice essence, so Shuǐ ChénLín had inherited it. Miss Lin wasn't from any special bloodline, and yet she hadn't even tried to reach the point, where she could performing elemental spells.
Shuǐ JunHo felt she was especially not right for someone like Fènghuáng-Jun, who took cultivation seriously.
But LanFen just clucked her tongue at him. "You are a bit too young to understand the matters of the heart."
That caused a vein to tick at Shuǐ JunHo's temple. "Look at yourself, before you talk! If at all I'm younger than you, it is surely less than a year!"
.
They walked for quite a while, passing through beautiful round archways. They passed by ornate buildings with moon-shaped windows, the Shuǐ Family ancestral shrine, a pond with a beautiful octagonal pagoda, till they finally came to a stone pathway, lined with colourful lanterns, that led to the worst of the Shuǐ prisons.
Lu FengHo turned to dismiss the disciples, who had somehow arranged themselves in three straight lines, with Shuǐ JunHo in front.
"We'll handle things from here. Tomorrow is the hearing and the days following are unpredictable, so you're on your own for a while." Lu FengHo informed, as he paced in front of them.
"Return to the training grounds, attend all your classes at the appointed time, and practice your stances and meditation. Head disciple Shuǐ is in charge. He will report any misbehaviour."
He looked pointedly at Shuǐ JunHo, as if to remind him that he had to behave himself as well, before he would be able to report other people's conduct!
"Ehehehehe, Yes Master Lu!" Shuǐ JunHo cupped his hands and bowed his head. "Pay your respects!"
The rest followed suit. "We'll follow your orders, Fènghuáng-Jun! Master Lu!" They all chorused.
Lu FengHo, "Good. Leave now."
They all turned and went off, muttering amongst themselves as they went.
One, "Do you think they will give Xuè Shèngrén the death sentence?"
Another, "Tch! After everything he's done? Will they even let him have a complete corpse?"
Another, "How do you even know he's Xuè Shèngrén?
Shuǐ ChunJu, "I hope they spare him!"
Second female disciple, "Yes! I hope he's not Xuè Shèngrén! It's a waste if someone with those looks, suddenly dies!"
Another, "Ei?! Are you supporting a murderer because of his looks?!"
Shuǐ JunHo, "It's not just that. Allow me remind you that as a so-called 'murderer', he could have killed all of us that day... Besides, what do you know? You weren't on our boat. It's a bit hard to hate him."
Another, "Wah! Lord Meng almost died of frustration because of him! He will surely light an incense stick to pray he gets the death sentence!"
.