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That being said, this plan wasn't full proof. And it wasn't that easy to make it happen. There were two things that the elders wanted to know: whether Jung-Su had a part in the murder and who killed the youths. To the first question, Owl had Jung-Su answer negatively: "At the time, I saw their heads explode one after another without knowing what was happening. I had nothing to do with it and it scared me enough to…p-p-ee myself…"

The kid did stutter at the end of the sentence but it was quite normal. It was an embarrassing thing to pee oneself and admit it. Still, he did. Because he followed Owl's orders. Owl was at the very least grateful about this.

To the second question, Owl had Jung-Su answer in this way: "As their heads exploded, I was paralyzed by fear, I didn't know what was happening or who was behind this…"

Of course, the elders weren't dumbasses. They quickly found out the crucial part being that the kid was trying to dodge the questions through the use of time in his sentences. What they grasped was that he didn't know anything while it was happening. But then, what about afterwards? Was he actually actively trying to dodge the interrogation? Was he protecting the murderer?

The third elder asked: "Then, what about after it happened? Do you know now who killed them?"

Owl had Jung-Su answer in a vague way: "I think so? I mean, I saw the killer…I noticed it had wings…"

The third elder frowned. He asked further: "Anything else?"

Jung-Su fidgeted as he gazed at Owl who told him to say: "It wasn't human…I ran away as soon as I could as it did not seem to be after me…Then, I met Sun-Mi on the way back"

…

While they were questioning him, the two elders were conversing through the use of spiritual energy to convey their words directly to the other's mind. It was a technique one could learn after reaching the 10th stage. Conveying meaning through one's energy.

The fourth elder asked his comrade: "What do you think?"

The third elder answered: "He's dodging the questions. He knows we can distinguish lies…It's tricky"

The fourth elder found it weird: "He's only so old, how could he have the experience to do this?"

The third elder looked at the fourth elder. He had to admit that those words rang true. It wasn't unheard of for young geniuses to appear but they were rare. To be aware that they could distinguish lies and move around it… It required experience. This anxious kid did not seem to have that. Was he some kind of madman or genius at acting? It seemed hard to believe.

The third elder and the fourth elder had both noticed how the kid took some time before each answer and how he sometimes looked at his spiritual beast before answering. They didn't think much of it at first but there seemed to be more to it now.

The third elder said to the fourth: "Do you think it might be that owl speaking?"

The fourth elder frowned and shook his head sideways. It seemed unlikely. Spiritual beasts were stronger than mortal beasts but they remained just that, beasts. Sure, some evolved to become sentients but this one didn't seem to be one. For one thing, there wasn't a single sentient clan of the owl-type. Especially in these parts, sentients were hard to come by. It didn't seem possible. Yet, how could they explain things otherwise?

The fourth elder said: "Let's probe it further"

They were both in the 20-something stage of spiritual accumulation, much higher than both the kid and the owl. If they wanted to truly search them, find out about their stage, they wouldn't even notice it. They had checked from afar before, not really putting much thoughts behind it. This time, they gave it their all as they sensed the owl's soul sea.

And they got the shock of their lives.

Pinnacle of the 9th stage of spiritual accumulation. This was no longer a fourth stage. This was a beast that was able to hide its cultivation. It was a beast that had awareness! Either that or the kid was a true genius.

In any case, they had the answer now. Owl had planned to get them to think things were done by a sentient flying spiritual beast, and he failed. He was unaware of the failure. He didn't even notice them sensing his core.

The two elders glanced at each other. They had no need to speak further, they both knew what to do. They got up and left the room after reassuring the kid.

As they left, they met with the two other elders that had been waiting for them. The first elder was the one to speak: "The girl knows nothing"

The fourth elder went straight to the point: "It was done by the spiritual beast. We think it might be one with awareness"

Both the first and second elder frowned. This had a lot of implications for the sect. In terms of worth, a spiritual beast with awareness was good. if they could trade a dozen young disciples for one, they would want to. Of course, morally, they would never do so. But in their minds, they believed the trade was a great one. That was because a beast with awareness had the potential to become a sentient. And every sentient ever managed to create a powerful clan in the long history of this world. If they could get a sentient beast clan tied to their sect… A bright future!

This was too much for them to handle at their level, they had to bring in a Senior Elder. The first elder told the second to go fetch him and they decided to wait for his arrival before taking further actions. The second elder departed in a hurry.

In the serene summer sect, there weren't many elders. There were even less Senior Elders and Grand elders. A Senior Elder was one who reached the 30th stage at least, someone who got back their pinnacle physical form and could live longer than mortals. Someone who shed their mortal coils to be exact. As a new sect in a poor region, it only had a dozen of those. Even less than their neighbor sect. As for Grand Elders, they were those who had reached higher than the 40th stage. There were only three with one being the current sect leader. He was also the sect founder. This was, after all, a brand-new sect. As such, every Senior Elder had impressive authority here. One was enough to decide on most things.

…

Owl waited with Jung-Su inside the room. He had a bad felling about this. He did his best but it seems like this time, it was too much. He felt like he failed to convince them through Jung-Su. Of course, he couldn't be certain. However, the fact that they didn't let them go right away showed that they still held suspicions at least. For the first time, he felt scared.

…

It was only moments later that the second elder returned with the Senior Elder they were working under. He had a smile on his face but went straight to the point: "First, Explain"

The first elder began to retold the story along with his suspicions. As he finished, the Senior Elder had a genuine smile on his face. If it was really a beast with awareness… It was a windfall. He decided to check himself and opened the door to the room, frightening the kid inside. The youth hurriedly got up and bowed as he noticed the badge on the robe of the new man. It indicated he was a Senior Elder. In four years since he arrived at this sect, it was the first time he saw one. He got scared shitless as he stuttered his greeting.

The Senior Elder didn't seem to mind. Nothing could break his happiness at the moment. He said: "Young disciple…Jung-Su, was it?... No need to be so formal. You guys, take disciple Jung-Su and the other one for a tour of this hall, alright?"

The elders behind him bowed as a show of acknowledgement. They signaled for Jung-Su to come with them. Owl tried to follow. However, he was blocked by an invisible force. He couldn't even detect it. Jung-Su saw that his brother Owl wasn't being brought with him and asked in fright: "What are you doing to brother Owl?"

The Senior Elder turned around and smiled as he said: "We will only be having a little discussion, young one, don't worry"

Then, the door closed. Leaving Owl with the Senior Elder inside.