Book 9: Chapter 6: Youthful Indiscretions
Sen stared at the two cultivators who had been sent to him. Young, thought Sen. I’m not that much older than either of them. He noticed that both of them looked petrified. They stood as straight as they possibly could and both were sweating. He supposed that this was exactly the kind of attention that neither of them wanted. In all likelihood, they were probably hoping to impress him one day with their prowess. Instead, they’d gotten into trouble and found themselves facing the final authority in the academy. He could send them away with a word. He didn’t need to explain himself or give any reason. He could just demand they leave and never return. For that matter, he could kill them without bothering to offer an explanation. A fact that was probably foremost in their thoughts. The worst part was that he didn’t think he needed to ask any questions. He was pretty sure he already knew the problem.
One of the cultivators was a heavily built young man who could have been Tong Qianfan’s nephew. The other was a studious-looking girl who appeared positively underfed. It was alarming enough that Sen decided it was a matter he needed to look into separately. Still, he was pretty sure that he knew where each student put their loyalty. Sen sighed. The young man flinched, and the girl’s eyes went wide. You’d think I just announced their executions, Sen grumbled internally. Picking at random, he pointed at the boy.
“Explain the problem,” he ordered.
The young man opened his mouth, got an expression that suggested he’d forgotten how words worked, and suddenly lurched into a bow so deep that he had to be looking at the floor. The whole thing amused Sen a little, but he kept it off his face. The kid was obviously terrified. If Sen laughed at him, the kid’s heart might stop. The young man straightened from his bow and very obviously chose his words with care.
“Patriarch, I’m sure this matter is unworthy of your attention.”
“I agree,” said Sen, “but it has my attention. So, out with it.”
The young man licked his lips, took a deep breath, and said, “Disciple He spoke ill of Master Tong. I objected to it.”
Sen decided not to correct him on the use of the term disciple. It was a sect now, even if Sen didn’t call it one. Well, that was a political answer if I’ve ever heard one, thought Sen. He turned to the skinny young woman.
“Explain the problem.”