Chapter 85: ELDER SHEN’S END(6)

Fu Hanzheng’s expression remained utterly cold as he looked down at Elder Shen, who knelt trembling before the assembled crowd, restraints still binding his arms behind his back.

"Gu cultivation is among the gravest crimes this sect recognizes." His voice carried without effort across the courtyard, silencing every murmur that had begun to spread. "It preys on the helpless, spreads suffering without warning, and takes lives without mercy. As sect master, the final judgment in this matter rests with me alone."

Elder Shen’s face had already lost what little color remained in it, though he still attempted one final plea.

"Sect Master, please, I beg for leniency—"

"You showed no leniency to the disciples whose lives you destroyed." Fu Hanzheng’s tone allowed no room for argument. "You will be sentenced to death. First, by beheading. Second, your remains will be cast into the Yellow Springs, so that whatever chance you might have held for reincarnation is reduced to nothing."

A collective breath seemed to catch across the courtyard.

Elder Shen’s composure finally broke entirely, a strangled sound of protest tearing from his throat as he struggled uselessly against the guards holding him in place. His pleas dissolved into incoherent begging, though none of it reached Fu Hanzheng, whose expression remained as unmoved as stone.

He drew his sword without hesitation.

The blade caught what little light filtered through the gathering clouds overhead, andthe courtyard fell utterly silent, every disciple present holding their breath as Fu Hanzheng closed the remaining distance between himself and the condemned man.

The strike came swift and final.

Elder Shen’s protests ended before he could complete another word.

Fu Hanzheng sheathed his sword without ceremony, his expression betraying no satisfaction, no lingering anger, nothing beyond the simple, grim finality of a task completed. He turned toward two elders standing near the platform’s edge, both of whom had gone visibly pale at what they had just witnessed.

"Elder Mo. Elder Bai." His voice remained level despite what had just occurred. "Carry his remains, together with his head, and cast them into the Yellow Springs personally. I want no uncertainty regarding whether this sentence was carried out in full."

Both elders bowed immediately, neither daring to question the order, and moved to see it done.

Fu Hanzheng turned back toward the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the assembled disciples with an intensity that made even those standing near the back shift uncomfortably.

"Let what you witnessed here serve as sufficient warning. Gu cultivation is an offense punishable only by death. If any among you have knowledge of others practicing this forbidden art, whether disciple, elder, or worker within these grounds, you are to come forward immediately, either to confess your own involvement or to report what you know of another’s."

He let the silence stretch a moment before continuing.

"Beginning today, this sect will enforce far stricter regulations regarding this matter. Every courtyard, every residence, belonging to disciple, elder, or worker alike, will undergo a thorough search without exception. Should any trace, any element, any equipment tied to Gu cultivation be discovered, the punishment will be immediate beheading. There will be no trial. There will be no opportunity to explain. The moment you are found, you will die."

The finality in his voice left no one doubting that he meant every word.

"You are dismissed."

The crowd began dispersing at once, disciples murmuring amongst themselves in hushed, unsettled voices as they filed away from the courtyard, the earlier tension replaced now by something closer to genuine fear.

Several cast uneasy glances toward their own neighbors as they went, as though a friend or fellow disciple might suddenly be revealed as harboring the same forbidden practice that had just cost a man his head.

Li Yan remained rooted where he stood, his thoughts churning far too quickly to properly process everything he had just witnessed. Fu Hanzheng, head of the Apothecary Department, the eccentric master who fussed over his training schedule and occasionally patted his head with affection, had just executed a man in front of the entire sect without the slightest hesitation, and without a flicker of doubt crossing his face throughout the entire ordeal.

His master was the sect master.

The realization settled over him slowly, each piece falling into place with a clarity that left him faintly breathless.

No one claimed leadership over an entire sect at such a young age, not without possessing strength and authority far beyond what Li Yan had ever properly considered. He had known Fu Hanzheng was powerful. He had never imagined just how powerful, nor how easily that power translated into swift, unflinching judgment.

Hu Biyan touched his shoulder lightly, drawing him back toward the present. "Come. We should return."

Li Yan nodded, though his gaze lingered a moment longer on the empty platform before he allowed himself to be led away, the image of the blade catching the light still fixed somewhere behind his eyes.

Hu Bai found him not long after, approaching with visible restraint, keeping a careful distance that had not existed between them before the nightmares began. He stopped several paces away, close enough to speak without difficulty, far enough to respect whatever unspoken boundary Li Yan still needed.

His voice carried none of its usual teasing warmth. "I wanted to see if you were well."

"I am well enough." Li Yan studied him, noting the careful distance, the way Hu Bai’s hands stayed loosely at his sides rather than reaching toward him the way they once had without thought.

"I intend to see to your residence personally." Hu Bai’s tone turned more deliberate. "Every trace of whatever remains from the Nightmare Gu will be cleared, every corner searched, until nothing of it lingers where you sleep. You should not have to worry about any of it. I will handle everything myself, so that you need only rest and recover properly."

Li Yan considered the offer, something in his chest loosening slightly at the plain sincerity behind it.

Hu Bai’s jaw tightened slightly, some old frustration flickering behind his eyes before he smoothed it away, aware that pushing too hard right now would only widen the distance still sitting between them.

"Regardless," he said, "the residence will be cleared by tonight, and every trace of what happened there will be gone long before you have any reason to return to it."

"You do not need to trouble yourself so much over it." Li Yan held his gaze steadily, his voice quiet but certain. "It did not last long. I will be fine again in a few days.