In short, Azula's public-opinion offensive had turned the White Lotus Society into a pack of rats everyone wanted to beat, and the entire organization had fallen apart.
As elders of the White Lotus Society, they had also been singled out. Zhengzheng, formerly one of the Resistance Army's leaders, had been ostracized by the Resistance Army, while Kupa had faced arrest by the Northern Water Tribe. Both had escaped, however, leaving Bumi as the only one captured.
Bumi had supposedly gone to prison willingly, offering no resistance. After the Fire Nation captured Omashu, this act had salvaged a little of the White Lotus Society's reputation, but it was only a cup of water against a blazing cartload of firewood.
Furthermore, the White Lotus Society had not been the only one severely damaged by this incident. Both the Earth Kingdom and the Northern Water Tribe had been drawn into a whirlpool of internal suspicion, giving Azula an opening to order a full-scale invasion.
"I'd heard before that Azula possessed extraordinary intelligence and unmatched cunning. She certainly lives up to her reputation. I'm afraid her abilities already far surpass those of her father, Ozai."
Piandao sighed.
"In any case, she's a sly, treacherous little girl who's hard to deal with."
Kupa shook his head, then looked at Kahn and said bluntly,
"And you, boy-you really landed us in a mess."
The newly arrived Aang and the others could not make heads or tails of Kupa's remark, but Kahn knew what he meant.
If he had not revealed so much about the White Lotus Society to Azula, they would never have ended up like this. He truly could not dispute that point; even he thought so himself. All he could do was give a bitter smile.
At that moment, he recalled what Azula had