At dawn the next morning, before daylight had pierced the clouds, when only a faint wash of pale blue stained the horizon, a trusted disciple hurried into the side hall where Ling Zhao handled his daily affairs.
"Second Senior Brother," the disciple said with a bow, keeping his voice extremely low, "our people stationed in the shadows have reported that Tan Yin has recently acquired two capable tails. They should be men from Senior Brother Chen Zhao's side. Their exact intentions remain unclear, but their movements have been exceedingly furtive."
Ling Zhao was reviewing an open sect ledger with a brush in hand. At those words, the cinnabar-laden tip did not pause on the page in the slightest, flowing as smoothly as before.
Without even lifting his eyelids, he picked up the thread naturally, with the calm certainty of one who saw through everything. "Of course they want to kill Tan Yin."
"Tan Yin's meridians are utterly ruined now, his cultivation completely crippled. He is no different from an ordinary mortal. Killing him would be easier than crushing an ant." The corner of his mouth curved into an icy, utterly warmthless arc as his brush carved a sharp red stroke across the ledger.
"I imagine the meeting Chen Zhao and the others so 'kindly' arranged a few days ago was intended to provoke Eldest Senior Brother, let the poison of the Merfolk Gathering inside him drive him into a frenzy, and have him personally end the source of the Mother Poison. If their scheme had succeeded, Eldest Senior Brother could have broken free of the Seed Poison's shackles and regained his freedom."
"What a pity." Ling Zhao finally set down his brush with a soft click, his tone touched with mockery. "The plan failed."
"Still, Tan Yin got his wish