"Good, you can step back now.." Yang Qing said as he straightened himself up.
Chen Zian acknowledged with a polite cupping of his fists as he stepped back to the crowd to where his anxious clan members were.
Some of them seemed to want to say something to him but held off when their nervous glances fell on Yang Qing and the Red Flaming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion proprietor.
"Now, let's begin with the proceedings..." Yang Qing said, plunging the courtroom into an even more desperate atmosphere.
"Like I said earlier, each of you who stands accused will have a chance to defend yourself, and should you wish to, your clan patriarch can speak on your behalf. Of course, whether he does it is entirely up to him. Patriarch Chen Zian, you're not obligated to do that, if you do not wish to, there will be no penalties for refusal, and should you wish to speak up at their behest, what you choose to say is also entirely up to you.