31 A Council of Elders
A.N a big shoutout to ForbiddenLord and his RI fanfic - Reverend Insanity: Eternal Flame
I read the first two chapters and despite being just at the beginning the writing is good and seems to have a lot of future and Fire Path is very cool so I have high expectations for the novel
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"Let's hurry! Your presence has been requested in the main hall of the clan!" A small group of gu masters walks escorted by an elder through the corridors of the grand main palace of the clan quickly, their faces showing nervous expressions.
The corridors they walk through are exquisitely decorated to express the material and historical wealth that the He An clan presents after being the strongest governor of Longhua Shan Mountain for 537 years.
These decorations are mainly made with blue sapphires that legends say originate from the eastern sea, with the walls full of patterns and paintings that demonstrate important historical moments for the clan.
Some depict the humble origins of the clan, which was founded by a mere rank 3 who lived in a merchant caravan before deciding to create the He An clan.
Even a painting from when the first rank 5 emerged in the clan in the year 139, which to this day is one of the most taught dates for young people in the academy and is considered by many the most important moment in the clan's history as a whole.
"We welcome the Elder of the Internal Affairs Hall!" The two guards guarding the door of the clan's main hall bow respectfully to the elder leading the group of gu masters, allowing them to enter only by checking the gu masters without even touching the elder.
The elder begins to open the large door, which was made using giant blocks of a celestial blue sapphire that legend says originates from one of the mysterious and powerful immortals that are the greatest legends of this world.
The door is also decorated with gold, which, despite not being a rare metal in this world, is a perfect match for the He An clan, which has gold as its secondary color. In fact, most things in the clan use this combination of navy or celestial blue and gold.
"...so shortly after I realized something was wrong, I saw two guards fall to the ground quickly." As the elder and the group behind him enter the clan's main hall, they see Chen Wei explaining what happened to the other elders and clan leader once again without the slightest hint of laziness.
"But thanks to my keen senses after returning from the war, I was able to quickly use the blood armor before the attack could hit me too." Chen Wei vividly recounts the story, making sure to slightly change his way of telling or small details each time to make the story seem more believable to the clan elders.
"Of course, because of the strength of the assassin's attack and the fact that I wasn't prepared, the attack still hit me, but it wasn't a deep wound." Despite not having this wound now, no one doubts this fact since the elder of the Healing Hall Elder personally checked and confirmed that he did indeed have a wound on his belly that was healed.
"And so after resisting the attack, I killed all three assassins after a difficult fight-" but before he could continue his explanation, the elder of the internal affairs hall enters the hall, bringing a small group of gu masters with him.
"I greet the clan leader and the other great elders of the clan." Despite being the leader of the internal affairs hall and being very important here because of the fact that he not only allowed spies to infiltrate the clan but also almost succeeded in assassinating the most influential elder's grandson, it is a big problem for him, so he is being as respectful as possible to not anger anyone.
All the clan elders who lead a hall nod as they sit in a semi-circle with the clan leader in the middle and the two most important elders beside him.
"It's about time! These are all the ones who investigated the backgrounds of the guards and found nothing!" Chen Wang speaks with an irritated voice and expression that he has been showing since he arrived here because his grandson is being interrogated like a criminal.
Chen Wang is sitting in the chair to the right of the clan leader, marking his status as the most important elder of the clan, and in front of him is a plaque engraved on a black metal like the night that reads "Chen Wang Strategy Hall Elder."
"Strategy Hall Elder, I understand your feelings, but please do not go overboard!" A man with long silver hair and a face full of wrinkles speaks to Chen Wang with a certain provocation in his words.
On the plaque in front of him is written "Shu Yang Unity Hall Elder." He is Chen Wang's biggest political rival within the clan and is seated just to the leader's left, marking his position as the second most important elder of the clan, second only to Chen Wang in influence and power.
"Unity Hall Elder, how could I not be dismayed when, due to your influence, my grandson is being treated as a suspect in his own assassination attempt?" This is the function of the Unity Hall, to administer the unity of the clan and resolve conflicts and problems before they escalate, in addition to having some influence over which matters go to the Justice Hall for judgment.
Although this appears to be a responsibility that should fall into the hands of the Internal Affairs Hall, this is not the case for several reasons, most of which boil down to basically when the Halls were created, it was like this, and no one has the will or courage to change that tradition.
"Well, well, could you two esteemed elders please stop the political disputes for now?" A middle-aged man with a friendly and jovial look speaks, trying to resolve this conflict. On his plaque, it is written "Zhang Ning Diplomacy Hall Elder."
He is the leader of the third largest faction within the clan, but despite this, he has never entered into major conflicts with the other major factions since his faction serves more as a place for elders and gu masters who do not want to deal with politics and its various complications can enter.
"Well, gentlemen, could you then explain to me how, despite your investigations, three spies with murderous intentions managed to enter the clan?" Zhang Ning speaks politely and humbly to the gu masters who were called here for questioning. In fact, this kind of attitude extends even to clan mortals, making him the most beloved elder by the common people of the clan.
"Yes, elder sir, we did everything according to our training and practical experience." The leader of the team bows before the elders as he begins to explain the meticulous investigation procedures they followed, trying to prove their innocence.
"I tend to doubt this story because if all the investigation procedures learned in training had been followed, the spies would not have succeeded in infiltrating!" Peng Du speaks with a bit of emphasis in his voice as he looks angrily at the gu masters in the middle of the hall, who, if he could kill with a look, would already be dead.
This anger comes from the fact that he is a major political rival of Chen Wang, so he wanted to use this opportunity to blame him for the spies who almost killed his own grandson, but since the gu masters mentioned their training, he had to interfere and discredit the gu masters instead of Chen Wang as he wanted.
This is because anyone who looks at the plaque in front of him could guess, as it reads "Peng Du Training Hall Elder," so if they had failed to find the spies due to inadequate training, it would be his responsibility and not that of the Internal Affairs Hall.
"Well, we cannot dismiss the possibility that the blame lies with inadequate training." An elder speaks quickly, as if he has seen a light at the end of the tunnel or a last lifeline and grabbed it without hesitation.
Peng Du looks angrily at the elder who just spoke,he is ignoring his gaze as if he didn't exist, but anyone here also understands why, as he is "Tai Zhi Internal Affairs Hall Elder," which basically means he is the biggest culprit of what happened here, so he is trying in every way to shift the blame to someone else.
"Enough of this unnecessary political interrogation you are putting us through!! ...I declare Chen Wei innocent for practicing self-defense against assassins and do not need any more questions."A old man declares with a neutral expression on his face as he delivers the verdict he considers just and correct according to the laws of the clan.
"And for you gu masters who were responsible for investigating the backgrounds of the guards... you will be demoted to recruits again and punished with three months of imprisonment and fifty lashes each when you leave prison!" He speaks with authority, as his words are law even for the current clan leader, let alone the elders and these mere rank 2 and 1 gu masters.
On his plaque, the inscriptions of "Wang Su Justice Hall Elder" make those who do not know him understand his authority, but within the He An clan, it is almost impossible to find someone who does not know him because of his elevated status.
He is the brother of the old clan leader and the uncle of the current clan leader, so because of the family relations that are extremely important in the clan system, not even the current clan leader can openly oppose his judgment easily.
Of course, if he were to make a decision that was completely outside the laws of the clan or what could be judged as logical and correct, the leader, as well as the elders, could go against him, but there is a problem that prevents this from happening.
Wang Su is what can be called a truly just man, which for the elders and leader of the clan is a blessing and a curse at the same time, as he would always act justly according to the law without caring about the political consequences of his actions.
This characteristic has made him an elder admired by the common gu masters since he never acted unjustly by favoring people due to favoritism or bribery, but he also caused problems for the elders for exactly the same reason that made him admired.
"Thank you, Justice Hall Elder, your judgment is fair and correct as always." Chen Wei bows respectfully to him according to the traditions and rules of the clan, as he does not want to upset the man who has just judged him innocent.
"Thank you for your magnanimity, Justice Hall Elder." The gu masters who were judged but received a penalty that is neither too lenient nor too punitive but exactly what they deserved kneel with their heads touching the ground in reverence.
The Justice Hall Elder continues with a neutral face as if nothing were happening ,before the clan leader waves his hand for all who are not elders to leave, which the gu masters and Chen Wei promptly do.
Many hours after they leave, Chen Wei, who stayed in front of the clan's main hall door, sees his grandfather come out with a tired expression as he approaches Chen Wei.
"Little Wei, later I will talk to you about the details of this meeting that you are authorized to know, but know that there will be a major investigation into the background of the guards and into your laboratory." Chen Wang speaks with dismay, as he probably fought hard to prevent this from happening since there is a much greater chance for their secrets to be possibly discovered afterward with this investigation.
As they converse, Chen Wei sees some elders who remained silent during almost the entire discussion leave calmly, without a trace of the fatigue that his grandfather has, as this subject hardly matters to them.
These elders are Mo Qiang, the Academy Hall Elder, who quickly approaches Chen Wei while praising him for his strength advancement and talking a bit about Wang Mei, who is in the academy this year.
Shortly after, a kind-looking elderly lady approaches him and checks if he is in good health after the assassination attempt, inviting Chen Wang to have tea later. This lady is Li Ming, the Healing Hall Elder, and a great friend of his grandfather.
Then two old men, one using a cane and probably nearly a hundred years old, pass by them and greet them quickly before continuing on their way. One is Huang Yong Spiritual Hall Elder,who is basically responsible for administering the clan's spirit spring and the production of primeval stones, but despite his influence due to his age, he does not get involved much in the clan's politics.
The other old man with him seems young compared to Huang Yong; this other old man is Si Mang Tradition Hall Elder, who basically has no real power and is responsible only for preserving the clan's historical artifacts and maintaining the clan's traditions and stories.
Finally, the last of the elders who remained quiet during the meeting, a middle-aged, overweight man with a melancholic appearance passes by them, quickly greeting Chen Wang before leaving. This man is Li Gang Commerce Hall Elder, responsible for both the clan's trade and finances, and he has been in this melancholic and deplorable state since the war started and it worsens every day.
