Night fell, and the Xiao Clan's council hall in Wutan City blazed with light, yet the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed water might drip from it. At the head of the hall sat Xiao Zhan, the Xiao Clan's Clan Head, and several elders who normally commanded considerable respect. Their faces were dark and still as water, their eyes burning with anger they could barely contain.
Below them stood Xiao Yan, Xiao Ning, and seven or eight Xiao Clan disciples who had taken part in the day's farce, all hanging their heads. Their noses were bruised, their faces swollen, and their clothes disheveled. Red marks from the chili powder still lingered on their faces, leaving them looking utterly wretched. Xiao Ning was especially miserable: half his face had swollen high, and a clear shoe print stood out beneath the lamplight, making his otherwise fairly handsome features look rather ridiculous.
Across from them, Xiao Yi knelt on the cold floor, bound so tightly with hemp rope that he resembled a wrapped rice dumpling. His face bore a few scrapes, and a trace of blood remained at the corner of his mouth. Yet when his eyes swept over Xiao Ning's multicolored face, the corners of his lips rose uncontrollably into a faint, mocking curve.
"Bastards! A whole pack of bastards!" At last, the Third Elder slammed his hand onto the table with a thunderous bang, making even the teacups jump.
"Just look at yourselves! Brawling in a mob in Wutan City's marketplace, right in front of all those people! You worthless fools have thrown away every last scrap of the Xiao Clan's dignity!"
The other elders were livid as well, clearly furious over what had happened that day. Whether from the main line or a branch, every Xiao Clan disciple represented the clan's honor outside its gates. A brawl on this scale, involving both Xiao Yan, whose talent had only just returned, and Xiao Yi, the adopted son with a rather unusual background, would likely deal a serious blow to the Xiao Clan's reputation in Wutan City if word spread.
Clutching his burning cheek, Xiao Ning's eyes flashed with venom. He endured the pain, stepped forward, and bowed to the elders seated above him, his voice carrying both grievance and resentment.
"Clan Head, honored elders! Everything that happened today began with Xiao Yi! He is utterly unruly and shows no respect for his elders. First, he provoked Brother Yan without cause, then he used despicable tricks to injure several of our Xiao Clan disciples! In my opinion, this black sheep should be expelled from the Xiao Clan as a warning to others! Otherwise, who knows what greater disaster he might cause in the future!"
At these words, the disciples beside him who had shared his beating nodded in agreement, talking over one another as they condemned Xiao Yi's "atrocities."
One of the older elders frowned and interrupted Xiao Ning in a grave voice. "Xiao Ning, you propose expelling Xiao Yi from the Xiao Clan? What do you take our clan for? The Clan Head personally accepted him as his adopted son. Do you think this is some childish game, where he can be expelled just because you say so? If we go back on our word so lightly, where is the Xiao Clan's credibility? Where are its rules?"
Another elder nodded. "Precisely! Xiao Yi may have been in the wrong, but so many of you surrounded a single newcomer, only to end up beaten into this miserable state, and you still have the gall to stand here demanding his blood? Aren't you afraid people will laugh their teeth out when they hear about it? If you want revenge, then get out there and cultivate properly! Defeat him fair and square with your own strength someday-that is the backbone a Xiao Clan disciple ought to have! Not standing here scheming to use your clan elders' hands to bully someone else!"
Though the elders were angry, they still had their own sense of fairness. What mattered more to them were the clan's rules and the mettle of its disciples.
Xiao Zhan, the Xiao Clan's Clan Head, who had remained silent throughout, finally spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority. His calm gaze swept over Xiao Yi below, then settled on his disappointing sons, before finally returning to Xiao Yi's face, which still held a trace of defiance despite his bedraggled state.
"Xiao Yi." Xiao Zhan's voice was perfectly level, betraying neither pleasure nor anger. "You set up a fortune-telling stall in the marketplace under the Xiao Clan's name, and today you took part in a mob brawl. Do you acknowledge your wrongdoing?"
Xiao Yi stiffened his neck at this and was about to offer a few words in his defense. But when he met Xiao Zhan's profound gaze, he somehow swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue. He could feel that although his adoptive father usually treated him fairly leniently, this time he was genuinely angry.
In the end, Xiao Yi decided to yield for now. After all, a wise man did not court an immediate beating. "Uh... Father, I... I only wanted to ease the family's financial burden a little and earn my own keep..."
Xiao Zhan snorted coldly, clearly unmoved by that excuse. "Earn your own keep? You fly the Xiao Clan's banner to make money off Xiao Clan members? Why don't you go earn money from outsiders? Your money will be confiscated and turned over to the clan!" His tone abruptly grew harsher.
Hearing that his money would be confiscated, Xiao Yi panicked. That was his hard-earned money, paid for with storytelling and beatings! He hurriedly shouted, "Father, please judge fairly! That money wasn't earned with a guilty conscience! I earned it through genuine skill and knowledge... uh, through my eloquence! Every last coin holds my wisdom and sweat! You can't confiscate it! Absolutely not!" As he shouted, he tried to struggle, but the hemp ropes were tied too tightly. He could only writhe helplessly like a fish out of water.
Watching him look so utterly possessed by his love of money, a flicker of amusement crossed Xiao Zhan's eyes, but sternness quickly replaced it.
"Hmph, a tongue as glib as a reed pipe! As the Xiao Clan's adopted son, you represent its honor whenever you act outside. You used the clan's reputation for personal profit and left without permission while under confinement. That alone warranted punishment. Confiscating your ill-gotten gains is already lenient, given your youth, ignorance, and the fact that this is your first offense. The matter is settled! All the money you earned by 'swindling people' these past few days will be turned over to the clan! Furthermore, your confinement will be extended. Reflect properly on your mistakes! If you offend again, you will not get off lightly!"
The words "all turned over to the clan" struck Xiao Yi like a thunderbolt. His whole body wilted, as though he could see his lovely coins sprouting wings and flying away, leaving his heart desolate. He opened his mouth, hoping to plead his case again, but one look at Xiao Zhan's expression, which brooked no argument, and the approving gazes of the elders beside him told him there was no room left for negotiation. He let out a piercing wail.
"No-! My money! My blood-and-sweat money! This is robbery! Daylight robbery! Where is justice-!" His voice brimmed with despair and indignation, making even the bruised and swollen Xiao Clan disciples beside him twitch at the corners of their mouths.
Standing off to the side, Xiao Yan watched Xiao Yi's agony with a heart blooming with joy. He fought back the smile tugging at his lips, trying hard to maintain the grief-stricken, indignant expression of a "victim," but deep in his eyes there was nothing but delight in Xiao Yi's misfortune.
Hmph, that's what you get for being so arrogant all the time! That's what you get for daring to hit me! Now you know what's what, don't you? Serves you right! What sweet justice! He even felt that the humiliation of being pinned to the ground and thrashed by Xiao Yi that afternoon, along with the misery of choking on chili powder until tears and snot streamed down his face, had been greatly soothed at this moment. Sure enough, happiness has to be built on someone else's suffering! Especially that bastard Xiao Yi's suffering!
Seeing Xiao Yi still howling like a ghost and wailing like a wolf, Xiao Zhan frowned and ordered the servants nearby, "What are you standing around for? Take him away and carry out the punishment immediately! Also, take Xiao Yan, Xiao Ning, and the others away. Each of them is to receive his punishment and remain confined to reflect on his actions!"
The servants answered and hurried forward, dragging away Xiao Yi as he continued crying, "My money!" His heart-rending cries left the entire council hall ringing with echoes of his grief.
The clamor in the council hall gradually subsided as Xiao Yi's cries faded into the distance, leaving only the elders' slightly weary sighs. Xiao Zhan waved a hand to dismiss everyone, then strolled out of the hall with his expression unchanged. The night breeze was cool against his loose robes. He raised his head to gaze at the hazy moon on the horizon, and beneath shadows where no one could see, the corners of his mouth curved upward.
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