Fates Parallel Chapter 75 - Punishment

Yoshika took a deep breath and then sighed in resignation. She doubted there was any way she could argue her way out of this, but she wasn’t about to just give up entirely. She fixed Yan Hao with a cold stare and frowned.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but we—Jia and I practice a form of joint cultivation. When she was taken out of the fight she tried to transfer most of her power to me, in hopes that it would improve our chances of survival.”

Yan Hao’s eyebrows rose.

“Dual cultivation!? So you admit it, then? You practice demonic techniques?”

Yoshika paused, then glanced at Yan Yue, who had her face in her hand. She recalled a conversation where Yue had mentioned that dual cultivation was considered demonic by the people of Qin.

“Ah...oops.”

Well, it’s not like she had a better explanation anyway. She wasn’t even confident in her ability to lie to Yue, much less her master. The only option she had was a carefully crafted version of the truth, but she was so thoroughly cornered that even that had failed her.

Yan Hao shook his head, and his permanent smile seemed to become a bit rueful.

“Well, then I’m afraid there’s nothing for it. The law is clear—Miss Lee Jia and Miss An Eui will be brought before the Great Sects to answer for their crimes. Since this territory is not under the protection of any of the Great Sects, I will—”

As Yan Hao spoke, Yoshika felt a presence disappear from within her domain. She only noticed it now because of its sudden absence, but she knew it was the same one that had been plaguing her for weeks. Yan Hao seemed to notice it as well, and for the first time his permanent smile twisted into an angry scowl as he turned his attention to something behind Yoshika.

She turned to follow his gaze. Was she finally going to discover who had been spying on her? She had so many theories. Yan Hao was obviously out, but it could still have been Do Hye, or perhaps even Jianmo still lurking around—he had seemed to take a special interest in Eui, after all. She looked up at the tall figure standing behind her and saw—

“Elder Qin!?”

Qin Zhao glanced down at Yoshika, but did not respond to her as he stepped forward.

“You will what, Yan Hao?”

Yan Hao schooled his expression, and suddenly it was like that momentary scowl had never even happened.

“Why, I merely thought to uphold the laws of our nation, Illustrious Elder. Is it not the duty given to us by our Emperor—your venerable ancestor—to end demonism wherever it’s found? Any citizen would do the same, but for representatives of the Great Sects and the Imperial Family such as ourselves, we must be even more vigilant, no?”

Elder Qin raised his chin and stared down imperiously at Yan Hao, stroking his long, thin beard.

“‘One must not allow the predation of the demonic upon the innocent, for theirs is a power of oppression, and if left unchecked will one day crush the potential of humanity to follow the true path and realize the heavenly dao.’ Yes, I know the edicts, Yan Hao. Yet, upon whom is the authority to interpret and uphold these edicts granted?”

Yan Hao inclined his head.

“The Great Sects, of course. As the sole representative of—”

“And who is it that grants the Great Sects that authority?”

The corner of Yan Hao’s smile twitched, but he stood tall and tried to match Elder Qin’s proud posture.

“The God Emperor himself grants us that authority, and none other than he may deny it.”

“Within the lands governed by the Great Sects, you would be correct. However, we are not on that land—nor, in fact, are we within the territory of the empire. The only authority you have in this place is granted to you through the imperial family—who you may recall are the sole authority on matters of foreign policy. As such, it should be quite clear who you answer to, Yan Hao.”

Yan Hao’s smile was stiff, and he spoke through gritted teeth.

“Naturally, Esteemed Elder, that would be you. Of course, I planned on bringing this matter to you as soon as—”

“Did you not already declare that you would be bringing my disciples before the Great Sects? You have overstepped your authority, Yan Hao. Furthermore, your disciples’ actions are inexcusable, and I would hold you accountable for them. Have you anything to say for yourself?”

Yoshika’s head jerked and she stared up incredulously at Qin Zhao. ‘His disciples’? Hadn’t they been disowned? Yan Hao’s smile dropped entirely, and his tone became cold as ice.

“You are playing a dangerous game, Qin Zhao. Do not think your family will protect you should you be found to have overstepped your own authority.”

Elder Qin didn’t even dignify Yan Hao’s threat with a response, instead he simply went on as if Yan Hao had said nothing.

“Very well. By the authority granted to me by the God Emperor and the special extraterritorial council, I hereby revoke all authority previously granted to Yan Hao as a representative of the Qin Empire. You may continue to teach at this academy, but you must bring any and all administrative matters to myself or another council member.”

“You cannot do this, Qin! When your uncle hears of this—”

“Qin Yongliang is not here. If you take issue with the way I represent my clan, you are free to take it up with them. However, I am not finished.”

Yan Hao clenched his fists angrily, but remained silent as Qin Zhao went on.

“The disciples Zheng Long, Han Yu, and Yan Yue will be punished for their oppressive behavior. As Yan Hao has not seen fit to administer judgement, I will do so myself. All three students will have their cores shattered, and their qi dissipated—since they have strayed so far from the path, they may learn to walk it anew. Furthermore, they will be restricted to house arrest for a period of one year, allowed to leave only for the purposes of attending classes or under strict supervision by an instructor—other than Yan Hao.”

Everyone present gasped in shock at Elder Qin’s words, though Yoshika noticed that Yan Yue seemed remarkably at peace with the prospect—maybe even a little pleased. Yan Hao shook his head vigorously and pointed angrily at Qin Zhao.

“This is too far! Those are some of the Awakening Dragon’s finest! Grandmaster Yan De will not stand for this insult! After you failed to protect his scion, you would then destroy the cultivation of three of our sect’s best!? Is this not an act of war against our sect by the imperial family!?”

Qin Zhao narrowed his eyes and spoke in the same cold, disaffected tone.

“Yan De may interpret my actions in whatever way he wishes. The death of my previous disciple is a matter of grave concern for reasons beyond simply the fact he was Yan’s heir. You knew this, yet still chose this path, Yan Hao. Blame only yourself.”

“And what of the demons? Will you simply let them go free because we are not in Qin? I hadn’t realized our nation had fallen so far into depravity.”

Elder Qin glared down at Yoshika, and she wilted a bit under his gaze. He exhaled through his nose in what could have been a sigh, or perhaps a scoff.

“You are overly harsh in your broad definition of demonism, Yan Hao. It was only in the last century that dual cultivation was classified as demonic, and only because of the predatory way in which it was used. You are holding children of another nation to standards which even many of Qin’s most esteemed grandmasters would fail.”

“That’s—”

Elder Qin cut off Yan Hao’s protest with a sharp wave of his hand.

“Lee Jia and An Eui are my personal disciples, naturally their mistakes are a result of my own failure as a teacher, and I will take full responsibility for them. Unfortunately, due to the physiology of half-spirits, as well as their unique form of cultivation, scattering their qi would kill them. I will endeavor to personally guide their path away from demonism, so that perhaps in time they might yet realize the truth of the heavenly dao.”

Yan Hao put a hand to his temple and shook his head.

“Madness. On your head be it, then, Qin Zhao. What of my sect’s artifact? Will you withhold that as well?”

This time, Qin Zhao did snort derisively.

“Your sect’s artifact was gambled away fairly by a representative who had been foolishly given an item more valuable than he could comprehend. Your sect’s attempts to erase those mistakes have thus far only compounded them. I advise you to give up on the matter.”

Yan Hao sighed.

“Then I suppose the matter is settled for now. I believe you’re making a terrible mistake, Elder Qin, but it’s your mistake to make. May I presume that the punishment of my disciple can wait until his wounds have been fully treated? I doubt he would survive the process as it stands.”

Elder Qin nodded.

“Naturally, I have no intention of passing a death sentence to a child. You may take Zheng Long to be treated.”

Yan Hao stooped down to pick up Zheng Long and began to turn away, stopping to cast a stern look at Yan Yue.

“I hope you understand what you’ve done, you ungrateful brat. Your little rebellion has caused more damage than you could ever know. You had best pray that your father is more merciful than I would be.”

With that, Yan Hao leapt from the cliff with a grace that belied his size and flew off toward the academy with Zheng Long in his arms. Yoshika felt her strength leaving her as she sank to the ground. Was that it? It was really over? She could hardly believe it was true, and she had so many questions about what had just happened.

Qin Zhao gave Yoshika a sidelong glance before taking a step forward.

“Yan Yue, release your technique and present yourself.”

Yue sighed, and closed her eyes for a moment. Han Yu began to stir awake as she approached Elder Qin with her head held high. Xin and Guan appeared from behind the stone wall, Xin looked confused and dizzy while Guan Yi simply stared impassively at Yan Yue as she presented herself before Elder Qin.

“I’m ready to receive my punishment, Elder.”

Yoshika hated the way she seemed to present herself as calm, collected, and dignified, despite the sad, desperate look she’d had only minutes earlier. She was also willing to admit that her opinion of Yan Yue was so low at this point that she might find a way to take exception to the way she ate rice. Elder Qin reached out and placed a hand on her head.

“I give you one opportunity to destroy your own cultivation base. I warn you that it will be much less pleasant if you force me to do it myself.”

Yue smiled sadly.

“I’ll do it myself, Elder. I don’t know how to release my mana or ki, but I’ve barely begun training those disciplines. May I leave them, or should I attempt to dissipate those as well?”

Elder Qin frowned contemplatively for a moment before nodding.

“As you are still a novice in those disciplines, it is acceptable that you leave them untouched.”

“Very well, Elder. I will now begin.”

Yue closed her eyes, and through her domain, Yoshika could sense the odd disturbance in Yue’s essence. Yan Yue’s brows furrowed in concentration and she let out a small grunt of pain before an enormous amount of qi was forcefully expelled from her meridians.

Yoshika was a bit shocked at just how much it was. She had known, of course, that the higher one’s level of cultivation, the more dense and efficient their essence became, but seeing the entire cultivation of someone at or near the peak of the third stage released into the air was awe-inspiring, and a little disturbing.

She felt a hungry pull from both the spirit in her domain and the demonic core next to Eui’s heart, but even as much as she hated Yan Yue, she felt that it would be far too disrespectful to what was happening to absorb Yue’s lost essence. It was over in moments, and Yan Yue stood, as close to mortal as she could possibly be without having her dantian destroyed entirely. Eighteen years of effort gone in an instant.

Yoshika sensed a tiny movement of divine essence from Elder Qin’s domain, and then he nodded once.

“It is done. I have placed a seal on your cultivation that will fade in one day, after which you may begin your journey on the path anew. May this lesson serve to guide you in the future.”

“Thank you, Elder.”

Yan Yue then stepped aside, staring down at her hands with a somber expression. She leaned against the stone wall for a moment before slumping down to a seated position and burying her face in her knees. Yoshika couldn’t bring herself to feel bad for Yue—she had earned her punishment and much worse. Elder Qin regarded her for a moment before glancing back at Yoshika and speaking up once more.

“There is one other thing, Miss Yan. I understand you’ve been staying in a cottage outside of the campus. That will no longer be acceptable while you are under house arrest—I expect you to report back to your assigned housing by the end of the day.”

Yoshika’s head jerked up at that.

“Wait, but—”

Elder Qin silenced her with a stern glare.

“As her roommates, you will also serve as her wardens. Don’t think you’ve escaped all responsibility for what has occurred here. We will speak later.”

Yoshika blanched under Qin’s reprimand. The way he spoke it was almost as if he knew that he was talking to both Eui and Jia at the same time.

Elder Qin turned his attention to Han Yu, who had woken up and was watching the proceedings with a deep frown.

“Han Yu, present yourself.”

“You can’t do this! When my father finds out about this—the sect grandmaster will—”

Evidently Han Yu had been apprised of what occurred while he was unconscious—most likely he had seen it while under Yan Yue’s illusion, if Yoshika’s own experience was anything to go by. Elder Qin simply shook his head and strode toward Han Yu.

“It’s already done, child. Whatever repercussions may come of it are my concern, not yours. I will give you the same opportunity I gave Miss Yan. Shatter your core and disperse your qi now, or I will do it for you.”

Han Yu clenched his teeth and snarled at Elder Qin.

“I refuse! This is obvious tyranny and favoritism! I don’t know what the beasts are paying you to betray the empire like this, but I hope it’s worth—AAAGH!”

Elder Qin interrupted Han Yu’s ranting by placing a hand on his head and forcibly beginning the process. It was much less peaceful than when Yan Yue had done it, and by the end of it, Han Yu had been knocked unconscious once more. As Han Yu collapsed, Elder Qin scoffed and shook his head.

“Tsk, what a shoddy core. If anything, I’ve done him a favor by forcing him to start over.”

He turned to regard the gawking students, then clapped once to gain their attention—as if he didn’t already have it.

“The rest of you, stop standing around gawking. This expedition is over. Gather the injured and bring them back to campus. Leave Lee Jia—I need to speak to her and An Eui in private.”

The gawking students immediately began moving to follow his instructions. Hayakawa Kaede hesitated for a moment and then bowed respectfully to Elder Qin and turned to leave. As she passed, she put a hand on Eui’s shoulder.

“Tell Miss Lee that I’ve held up my end of the bargain when she wakes up. She’ll know what I meant.”

Yoshika nodded awkwardly, not really sure how or if she should explain that she was Jia.

“Uh, sure. I’ll let her know...”

Hayakawa patted her once more on the shoulder and then left to coordinate the group of students now trying to move a bunch of unconscious and injured people down the mountain.

Yoshika sighed as she recalled the agreement that Jia had made with Hayakawa. As one final favor, Jia had warned Hayakawa that someone might try to take revenge on her for Yan Zhihao’s death, and asked for her help warding off such an attack.

It had been her contingency plan, knowing that Yan Hao’s disciples were at least a little wary of Hayakawa, she had hoped that having her on her side would be enough to prevent an incident. Obviously it hadn’t been, but Hayakawa’s intervention had nevertheless saved her in the end.

She watched in silence as Yan Yue struggled to drag Han Yu away before Guan Yi approached and lifted Han Yu up with one hand, throwing him over a shoulder. Yue began to thank him, but he ignored her entirely. As he passed by, he glanced down at Yoshika.

“Miss An, please forward my apologies to Miss Lee for failing to render aid in the previous battle. I thought I had been helping by assisting Miss Yan in disabling Han Yu, but I was clearly misled.”

Yoshika blinked up at the big guy. He was frowning—not deeply or anything, but actually frowning. Well, it was a far more subtle look on him than anyone else, but it was unmistakable.

“Uh, don’t worry about it. We—I mean, I appreciate the thought. Are you ok?”

Guan Yi sighed before his expression returned to its usual placid state.

“I am perturbed by these events. I believe in the ways of my country, yet I am finding myself increasingly disillusioned by the supposed exemplars of our nobility. Pardon me, this is a discussion for another time.”

Yoshika watched, nonplussed as he lumbered off. Yan Yue followed after him, casting a nervous glance towards Yoshika before averting her eyes and moving on. Xin Wei stopped next to her and watched with a worried expression.

“Oh dear, he’s as upset as I’ve ever seen him. I hope the poor lout isn’t too heartbroken.”

Yoshika looked askance at Xin Wei.

“Heartbroken? Also why are you telling me this?”

Xin Wei shrugged.

“I think he was quite taken with Miss Yan, but he feels betrayed. As for why I’m speaking to you—well, Miss Lee is still unconscious, and you seem more approachable than usual.”

Acting on an impulse that she knew came from Eui, Yoshika slapped the back of Xin’s head.

“Gross. Go away, Xin, I’m not in the mood to play your games.”

Xin Wei frowned and rubbed the back of his head.

“Ow. You’re more like Miss Lee than I thought, but definitely still the violent one.”

“If you keep talking, I will show you just how right you are.”

Xin paled as Yoshika reached for one of Eui’s knives and quickly bowed his head before rushing off after Guan Yi and the others.

“Another time, then!”

Yoshika scoffed as she watched him go. Finally, she was alone with Elder Qin Zhao, who had been quietly observing as the students made their way down the mountain. After a few more minutes of silence, he finally turned back toward her.

“Now then, I believe it’s time we had a discussion.”