By the third day of inspection, the sect started to show signs of strain.
It was subtle. Only those familiar with observing from below noticed it. Schedules changed without explanation. Training sessions ran longer. Meals were shorter. Disciples ceased to laugh openly and instead whispered to one another, huddling close, their eyes darting toward the inner halls.
Zhou Wei carried bundles of firewood through it all, his posture relaxed and breath steady. He maintained a tight awareness, allowing emotions to brush past without holding on. Anxiety filled the air. So did suspicion. It wasn't directed at anyone yet.
That was the danger.
Near midday, a bell rang that wasn't for any scheduled hour.
Zhou Wei froze for a moment, then resumed walking as if he hadn't noticed. Others slowed around him, exchanging puzzled glances.
It was a public address.
Servants didn't have to attend, but Zhou Wei knew better than to skip it. He moved with the crowd toward the main courtyard, staying close to the outer edge where the shadows pooled beneath the eaves.
Elder Zhang stood at the center.
He appeared composed and immaculate. His robes were freshly pressed, and his hair was neatly styled. His expression was mild enough to be comforting. Disciples knelt in neat rows before him. Even the Heavenly Purity elder lingered nearby, arms folded and observing.
Zhou Wei sensed Zhang's presence before he heard the elder speak.
Zhang's emotions pressed outward, heavy yet controlled. Beneath that surface, something unpleasant twisted and scraped, held back only by necessity.
Zhang raised his hand.
"Recent events," he began, his voice calm and steady, "have revealed troubling signs within our region."
The courtyard fell silent.
"Spiritual disturbances, irregular behavior, lapses in discipline." His gaze swept slowly over the assembled disciples, lingering just long enough on a few to make them shift uncomfortably. "Such things do not come from nowhere."
Zhou Wei listened, his jaw set.
"This sect was built on purity," Zhang continued. "On restraint. On the understanding that unchecked desire leads only to decay."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd.
Zhou Wei sensed Mei Lin's presence tighten somewhere beyond the courtyard. It wasn't fear. It was tense. Awareness.
"Do not misunderstand me," Zhang said gently. "Desire itself is not the enemy. It is a test, one that reveals weakness when indulged."
His eyes glanced toward the outer ring.
Toward the servants.
Zhou Wei kept his gaze lowered, hands loosely at his sides.
"Those who lack discipline," Zhang went on, "often look for shortcuts. They whisper. They lead others astray with their doubts. They hide behind hardship and claim it excuses indulgence."
The words were sharp and polished. Each one was chosen carefully to cut deep without naming anyone.
Zhou Wei felt the hypocrisy burn.
He detected Zhang's satisfaction now, thin and sharp. This wasn't about warning the sect. It was about reasserting control and reminding everyone who held the power.
"Remember," Zhang said, his voice softening, "purity is not given at birth. It must be maintained with vigilance. Anyone can fall."
His gaze briefly settled on the line of servants kneeling at the edge.
Anyone.
The bell rang again, signaling dismissal.
Disciples bowed and dispersed in tight groups, voices low. The Heavenly Purity elder inclined his head once, his expression unreadable, and turned away.
Zhou Wei did not move immediately.
The courtyard felt charged, thick with unspoken judgment. Servants rose slowly, avoiding one another's eyes. Zhou Wei sensed fragments of emotion as they passed him: shame, fear, resentment.
It was working.
He slipped away toward the storage yards, his heart steady despite the anger simmering low in his chest. He had anticipated this. Zhang always cloaked his hunger in doctrine.
Mei Lin was waiting when Zhou Wei reached the south wall.
She stood just inside the storeroom, her posture rigid, arms tightly crossed over her chest. When she saw him, her shoulders eased slightly.
"He said servants," she said immediately.
"Yes," Zhou Wei replied.
"And discipline," she added. "And decay."
"Yes."
She paced once, short and sharp, then halted. "I felt it. When he spoke. It felt like he was trying to pin something on me without touching me."
"That's exactly what he was doing," Zhou Wei said.
Her mouth tightened. "Everyone looked at us."
"They always do," Zhou Wei replied. "They just don't usually admit it."
She rubbed her forearm slowly, centering herself. "I wanted to stand up."
"I know."
"I didn't," she said, looking at him. "That matters."
"It does," Zhou Wei agreed.
He watched her carefully as she composed herself, noting how she navigated the sting of humiliation instead of letting it overwhelm her. Fear flared, then faded. Resolve remained.
"You're changing," he said.
She snorted quietly. "That's obvious."
"No," Zhou Wei said. "You're not shrinking when he looks at you anymore."
She was silent for a moment.
"That scares him," she said finally.
"Yes."
Mei Lin let that thought linger. Then she asked, "What happens now?"
Zhou Wei did not rush to answer.
"Now he escalates," he said. "Public shaming is the first step. If that doesn't work, he will seek something quieter."
Her eyes hardened. "He won't stop."
"No," Zhou Wei said. "He never does."
She nodded once. "Then we don't either."
Footsteps passed outside the storeroom, then faded. The sect moved on, pretending that the sermon had been guidance rather than a threat.
Zhou Wei felt the Heavenly Purity elder's presence shift somewhere deeper within the grounds. Still patient. Still watching.
Two predators circling the same wound.
"This is dangerous," Mei Lin said.
"Yes."
"And you're still calm."
Zhou Wei met her gaze. "Because now I know where the lie is."
She studied him. "The lie of purity."
He nodded. "It's always been about control."
Mei Lin took a slow breath. "Then if he comes for me again."
"He will," Zhou Wei said.
She straightened. "Then I won't bow."
Zhou Wei did not smile.
He did not need to.
Outside, clouds gathered again, dulling the light and pressing the sky low over the Clear Stream Sect. The echoes of the sermon lingered, settling into cracks that had already begun to widen.
Zhou Wei stepped back into the tightening web of the sect, carrying firewood like any other servant.
But the lie had been spoken too loudly.
And now it would have to be defended.