Benton had a nice vacation watching the kiddos playing with the spirit beasts. He loved that the older ones had really focused on making sure that Jin LiJuan got the most out of the trip and decided that the three of them needed to be rewarded for their kindness and consideration.
He also liked that Yang Ru seed to have co up with a new use for one of his techniques, one that should suit him well for the upcoming tournant. Yang Xiu, on the other hand, seed a bit more stagnate. Benton would have to discuss preparations with them.
With all three of them, though, or just the twins? Kang Lin was his disciple, and he’d always gone out of his way to include her just like she was a sect mber. But she wasn’t. She’d be fighting for the honor of the Poison Claw Sect, not for him.
He gave the situation a ntal shrug. As her master, it was incumbent upon him to help her, so that was what he would do. If help required a massive outlay of resources, that was one thing. There was no requirent that he bankrupt his sect for her. For example, he was not planning on creating a Lightning qi source, a treasure that would benefit only her as far as his sect mbers and disciples went.
Actually, he felt really bad about that and suspected that he might end up changing his mind down the road.
Anyway, the point was that he wanted to help her and he would, but he might not put quite as much oomph into what he gave her as into what he gave the others.
Did that make him a bad master? He hoped not.
Speaking of choices he’d prefer not to make, Jin LiJuan was the other problem child. She simply was not far enough along with her techniques to put up a good showing at the tournant. If she didn’t improve significantly before then, she might have to stay behind.
She’d be devastated, of course, and having to stay ho would probably negatively impact her confidence. He had to think, though, that getting trounced in the tournant would be an even bigger blow.
Regardless, with morning of the last day of the expedtion having arrived and the kids looking like they’d reached a good stopping point, he Teleported to them. “Ready to head back?”
Not a one of them appeared even the slightest bit surprised that he’d suddenly appeared right in their midst. He would have to co up with a flashier trick. Maybe he could make everything except his head invisible? Or trigger Lightning or sothing when he arrived?
He’d have to think about it.
The three older ones looked at each other before nodding, and Benton was amused to note that the twins’ glance communicating had sohow folded in Kang Lin. They all turned to Jin LiJuan.
She sighed. “This area is beyond my comfort zone, Master. I struggle with the rank threes and can’t handle the rank fours at all. Ganzou and I are ready.”
“It’s good to know your limits,” Benton said. “That’s a sign of maturity.”
All four of the Foundation Establishnt cultivators pulled their gliders from their respective storage rings, and soon, they were back at the sect, landing in front of the Administration Hall.
“Li’er, you’re free to go about whatever it is you want to do. The rest of you co see in my office in about…” Benton paused. They’d all just spent a week roughing it with only mountain streams to use for washing. He bet all of them would want a long shower and a good, hot al. “About two hours.”
With that, he teleported into his office. Sun Hua imdiately knocked on the door, entering quickly at his acknowledgent. As soon as Benton saw her face, he knew sothing was wrong.
“What happened?” he said.
“Three lights on the rock went out, Sect Leader.”
When Benton had created the sect tokens and linked one of them to each sect mber, he’d set up signal lights on a rock in the Administration Hall lobby. The light burned continuously and would only go out if a sect mber lost their token. Or their life.
Sun Hua looked upset but not horribly so. The upset part ant that she knew or at least suspected that the latter loss was the issue. That she wasn’t more upset probably ant she didn’t know the people who might be dead.
“In Vermillion Incomparable Rain Town?” he said.
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
He almost asked her for the nas associated with each light and when it had happened, but honestly, he’d rather get it straight from the source.
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“I’ll be back,” he said, Teleporting directly to the palace. “Fatty Ren! What happened?”
The man looked shocked to see him, like the visit wasn’t expected at all.
“The lights for three of your mbers went out.” Benton was quickly getting agitated. The person in charge of the branch sect surely must know if three of his mbers died. “What happened?”
Fatty Ren’s eyes widened. “This one had them executed, Sect Leader.”
On the list of tragedies that might have befallen the deceased sect mbers, an attack by a rival sect was at the top. Following closely was so sort of training accident. That the sect branch’s leader might have had them killed was not even a consideration.
“Executed! Why?”
“They were spies, Sect Leader.”
“And?”
“I hunted them down as we had discussed, Sect Leader, and then I did as you told to do.”
Benton was quite sure he’d never instructed for anyone to be killed. He’d simply told the man to … handle it as he saw fit. As a sect cultivator, he would obviously think that spies must be executed.
Ugh. It was Benton’s fault. He hadn’t thought it through when giving those instructions. Instead, he should have told the Town Lord to…
What exactly?
Sects executed spies for a reason. Joining a sect represented an obligation on the part of the sect and on the part of the mber. Initiates gained access to resources and secrets. Anyone who broke faith in such a manner arguably deserved death.
Still, it would have been nice to have known about the situation beforehand. At the very least, Benton would have made sure that the accused had a fair trial. What was done was done, though.
That was the problem with delegating, though. At so point, one had to place actual trust in the abilities of one’s subordinates, even if they didn’t handle a situation in the sa way that you might have.
He sighed. “Understood. Maybe ssage first next ti? I thought so tragedy had befallen them. In fact, let’s make it a standing order to report any serious incidents. I’m only a ssage dragon away, okay?”
Fatty Ren cupped his hands. “Of course, Sect Leader. Apologies for not doing so.”
“It’s fine. Growing pains are to be expected. You don’t know what I want, and I don’t fully understand how you govern yet. Ti and experience will fix everything.”
The Town Lord cupped his hands again. “Gratitude, Friend Su.”
“Do you need anything while I’m here?”
“No, Friend Su.”
“Alright. I’ll stop in before heading to the auction. See you in a couple of days.” With that, Benton teleported back to the main branch.
His first action was to summon Sun Hua to his office. After telling her what happened with the three traitors, he asked for a status report.
“There were no major problems or disruptions while you were away, Sect Leader. There was a minor problem with one of the arrays in the Martial Pavilion that resulted in an injury. The sect mber involved was quickly healed, though, and the Formations Pavilion head repaired the malfunction.”
“He diagnosed and fixed the problem? Really? What was wrong?”
“Apologies, Sect Leader. This lowly Assistant is not well versed enough in arrays to understand the description provided. Sothing about a buffer?” The girl looked positively upset that she wasn’t able to answer his question.
“That’s fine. I’ll check with Xiang Da. He really got it running, though?” Benton hadn’t realized that any of that pavilion’s mbers were far enough along to figure sothing new out on their own.
“Yes, Sect Leader. Guard Captain Huang Yimun and one of his guards did thorough testing of the room at Elder Xiang Da’s insistence. They were unable to replicate the initial failure.”
Cool. Go Xiang Da.
“Okay,” Benton said. “Anything else of interest?”
“No, Sect Leader.”
“Good deal, then. The twins and Kang Lin will stop by after a while. Please show them in when they get here, and please stay for the eting.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
After she left, he took a mont just to enjoy being back in the place that was rapidly becoming ho for him, settling into a lotus position and just relaxing. As he was wont to do, however, he eventually reached out with his spiritual sense to examine the sect grounds, the village, and the surroundings.
His first observation was that there was nothing out of place, as in no spirit beast or enemy cultivators nearby. Everyone seed to be going about their business naturally.
Sothing didn’t feel right, though. Sothing was … missing. Yes. Not sothing, though. Soone.
It took only a few seconds for his enhanced mind to compare the qi signature of every person in his mory to all those he sensed. Zou Tian was missing.
Strange.
Benton had gotten a notification just yesterday that the boy was entering his trial. Surely, he wasn’t still inside. In fact, it wasn’t possible for him to still be inside, as Benton had gotten a notification of another mber entering earlier in the morning.
Could it be? Surely not.
The Trials Pagoda had been provided by the System, though. So maybe…
Benton Teleported to the Alchemy Pavilion, appearing just outside Wan Ai’s personal lab. As far as his spiritual sense could determine—and he took his ti with the scan—she was alone inside.
He knocked on the door. When she opened it, sure enough, he saw Zou Tian.
“Either you have suddenly lost all your cultivation, or your trial was very successful,” Benton said.
“You can’t sense , Master?”
“I can’t sense you.”
Zou Tian grinned wide.
“That is so amazing, kid. Congratulations!”
“He’ll be safe going on the mission, then, Sect Leader?” Wan Ai said.
Benton tried to rember any ti when the girl had voluntarily spoken in his presence and couldn’t co up with a single occasion. The poor thing must be quite worried about her boyfriend.
“I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that, if I can’t sense him, no one on this entire continent can,” Benton said. “Between that and his contingency ring, he should be fine. Especially since I’ve ordered him not to take any risks. He’s basically just going to spend a week or two going to taverns and restaurants and listening to rumors. It shouldn’t be dangerous at all.”
It better not be, anyway. Benton made a ntal note to admonish the boy again right before the mission.
That plan was for the future, though. For now, he just wanted to take a few monts and bask in the glory of how aweso his disciples were.
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