Though it was looking as though things were going to end peacefully, the situation rapidly changed when an overbearing aura weighed down upon everyone and a man"s voice resonated through the air, "Palace Master, Wen Xiulan, why did you fail to inform me of the arrival of a guest...? Surely, you aren"t trying to undermine my authority as the Sect Leader, are you...?" Following the voice, a girly man with a slightly more angular face, black hair tied up in a ponytail, and pristine white robes descended from atop the ma.s.sive reinforced walls. He walked down as if he were descending steps, casually placing the soles of his feet on invisible footholds formed from the Qi in the atmosphere.Sensing the sudden pressure, followed by the voice of her Sect Master, Wen Xiulan countered his aura with her own, turning an icy expression towards him and saying in a cold monotone, "Sect Master, Tian Gengxin...I was not informed that I needed to report to you when guests came seeking me personally. This is a personal matter and I would have you take a step back and consider the implication behind your actions. It is unbecoming of the Sect Master of the Heavenly Moon Sect to interfere with matters unrelated to the Sect itself..."
Tian Gengxin"s eyes squinted, a cold light flashing across his black pupils as he raised his chin slightly and said, "Hmph...I have been listening from the start. The fact that you were willing to let such a "capable" disciple leave the Sect, even after she "demanded" your cultivation technique...tell me, Wen Xiulan, are you actually a spy from another Sect, trying to weaken the Heavenly Moon Sect from the inside...?"
With Tian Gengxin"s words sounding out, clearly audible to all of the Disciples present, various murmurs began to spread through the surroundings. Though n.o.body truly believed the Sect Master"s words to be the truth of the matter, the implication alone was very heavy. They all knew there was an ongoing conflict between the Sect Master and the Palace Head, ever since the latter refused his courtship, and it was starting to look like this young woman was caught in the crossfire.
Turning his eyes away from Wen Xiulan, Tian Gengxin was still just as surprised as he was the first time he saw the girl named Fenrir from a distance. As was often the case in this world, the main reason he had sought out Wen Xiulan was for the benefits she would provide in his own cultivation. He didn"t use a technique that would have injured her, so they actually would have both benefitted from the union and, as a result of them having the two highest positions in the Sect, the internal unity of the Sect would have been guaranteed for at least a few hundred years. The fact she had refused them, even though there were so many "benefits" for them both, had been the greatest insult he had ever suffered...
Now, seeing this young woman before him, who had an even more powerful const.i.tution than Wen Xiulan, Tian Gengxin wouldn"t be deterred a second time. He could use the fact that nearly twenty Disciples had witnessed the girl request for one of their Sect"s most powerful techniques, even if it was unique to Wen Xiulan herself, as a reason to met out punishment upon her. She would either have to become his personal disciple, which would allow him to slowly break her down over time, or she would be imprisoned in the Sect"s dungeon until they could find out her origins. If she turned out to be a wandering cultivator without any background...well, he would win out in the end, regardless...
Confident that the Heavens had shown him favor this day, Tian Gengxin allowed a s.a.d.i.s.tic grin to spread across his face as he said, "Though your fealty towards your deceased Master is commendable, you should blame him for failing to teach you the ways of the world. I will give you two options, girl...you can either swear to become my personal Disciple, which will allow you to one day rise to the second most powerful position in the Sect...or you can choose to be imprisoned within the Sect"s Dungeon for fifty years. Given your Cultivation, I believe that is a fair punishment for the offense you had made towards "my" Sect...!"
(Fenrir"s Commentary: "Fenrir will kill you...you badmouthed my Master...kill...kill...kill...")