Chapter 53 — The Talisman Painter Who Guards the Village

Strange Objects In The Chest

The day before the council meeting, there was a loud knock on the door in the middle of the afternoon, when Diệp Sương was reviewing the final presentation with Thanh Việt in a private room.

"Chu Diệp Sương, open the door," a stern voice rang out from outside.

She opened the door and saw two upper-class inner sect disciples wearing surveillance uniforms - clothes only used on official testing occasions - standing with an older instructor she was not very familiar with.

"According to the orders of the council of elders," the instructor said, his voice flat and emotionless, "we need to conduct a routine check of the rooms of the disciples who have just returned from a remote mission, in accordance with the usual sect security regulations."

*

Diệp Sương paused for a moment, her heart beating fast. "A routine check?" she asked again, trying to keep her voice calm. "I've never heard of this rule before."

"The rules have been in place for a long time, only rarely applied," the instructor replied, without further explanation, motioning for the two supervising disciples to enter the room. "Please cooperate, this won't take long."

Thanh Việt stood up and was about to protest, but Diệp Sương gently held his hand, signaling silence. She knew that protesting right now would only make things more complicated, while she was confident that she was not hiding anything nefarious.

The two supervisory disciples began systematically searching the room—opening each drawer, checking under the bed, turning over each layer of blankets and pillows—while Diệp Sương stood still and watched, trying to keep a calm expression even though her palms were sweaty.

*

"What is this?" One of the two supervisory disciples spoke up, his voice full of doubt, holding up the notebook Diệp Sương used to take notes about the small creature at Tiêu Sa Pass.

"It's just a personal diary," Diệp Sương replied, trying to keep her voice calm even though her heart was pounding. "Records about taking care of an injured creature I found near the Hạn Thủy ravine."

The instructor walked over, flipped through a few pages, his face gradually becoming serious. "Caring for a creature of unknown origin, not reported to command, kept hidden for weeks," he muttered, his voice filled with scrutiny. "This is no small matter, my lady."

"I have no intention of hiding anything bad," Diệp Sương quickly explained, feeling like everything was slipping out of control. "I simply don't want it to be unjustly killed when it's unclear whether it's really dangerous or not."

The teacher flipped through a few more pages, stopping at a passage Diệp Sương had once written about the strange feeling of closeness when the animal rubbed its head against her hand, about how she wondered if the creature belonged to the Vụ Ẩn clan mentioned in folk legends. He read that paragraph aloud, deliberately emphasizing each word, making it sound more suspicious than the innocent curiosity she had felt when writing it.

"'Wondering if it belongs to the Hidden Cloud Clan,'" he repeated, his cold eyes staring straight at her. "A sect disciple actively learns about, cares for, and even shows sympathy for a creature suspected of belonging to a species that has caused many disasters to humans. Miss, this is not a small detail that can be overlooked."

"That's just a private thought, not an actual action!" Diệp Sương objected, her voice shaking with anger. "I never did anything harmful, I just saved an injured creature, as anyone with compassion would do!"

*

But before he could explain further, the remaining surveillance disciple, who was searching the bottom of the chest, suddenly stopped, holding up a small object wrapped in black cloth, different from anything Diệp Sương had ever kept.

"What is this?" he asked, opening the fabric, revealing a small piece of ivory engraved with a strange shape, unlike any ordinary decoration, the surface shining a strange pale blue in the afternoon sunlight filtering through the window.

Diệp Sương was stunned; she had never seen this thing in her life. "I don't know what that is," she said, her voice starting to shake with panic. "I've never seen it before, I swear."

"This object," said the instructor, taking the piece of ivory and turning it in the light, his face pale, "takes the shape of a token often used in the contract rituals of some monster tribes that live in seclusion in the deep forests. I cannot believe that a disciple of the sect owns this thing."

*

"I didn't know it was there!" Diệp Sương shouted, no longer able to keep calm, turned to look at Thanh Việt, her eyes asking for help. "Someone put it in my trunk, I've never seen this before in my life!"

"I believe you," Thanh Việt said immediately, stepping closer and standing between her and the two surveillance disciples. "This is clearly a setup. She just returned from a mission less than a week ago; there's no chance of her getting something like that."

"We're just doing our assigned tasks," the instructor replied, his voice still maintaining the cold, bureaucratic tone. "Determining the origin and meaning of this discovery will be decided by the council of elders. Miss Chu Diệp Sương, please follow us."

*

"Where are you going?" Diệp Sương asked, her voice trembling but still trying to maintain her dignity.

"To the sect's temporary detention area," the instructor replied, without hesitation. "Until the council of elders makes an official decision on this matter."

Thanh Việt was about to object, but two supervisory disciples quickly approached. One placed a hand on Diệp Sương's shoulder and signaled her to follow. She looked at Thanh Việt, her eyes frightened yet reassuring, even though she did not know how to reassure him.

"I will find Elder Tạ Vân Khê immediately," Thanh Việt said, his voice trembling with suppressed anger. "This is a blatant slander, I will not let it stand."

"Be careful," Diệp Sương whispered as she was led past him. "Don't do anything hastily, find the Elder first."

*

The news that Diệp Sương was taken away spread quickly throughout the disciple housing area in the afternoon, causing the entire sect to stir up discussion. As she was escorted through the main yard, she saw many eyes focused on her—some surprised, some whispering—and in a far corner, she caught a glimpse of Wei Bá Tuân standing still, his face carrying a complex and unpredictable expression, not exactly gloating as she had feared, but more like genuine shock.

Chung Nhã Trúc ran over as soon as she heard the news, trying to squeeze through the crowd of supervisors to get close to her, but was stopped by a supervisory disciple. "Sương! What misunderstanding is this?" she shouted, her voice filled with indignation.

"I'm okay," Diệp Sương replied, trying to keep her voice calm even though tears threatened to flow. "Senior sister, help me find Elder Tạ Vân Khê, please." Chung Nhã Trúc nodded immediately and ran away without hesitation, her shirt fluttering among the bustling crowd. Thanh Việt, left behind, called her name one last time before she disappeared from sight. His voice carried helplessness mixed with a determination Diệp Sương knew would not easily fade.

Âu Bội Nhi, running in later, could only see the figure of Diệp Sương being led away behind the corner of the hallway, standing in the middle of the yard, covering her face with her hands, unable to believe what had just happened in just a split second.

*

The temporary detention area was a small row of rooms hidden behind the sect's administrative offices, with few passersby, thick stone walls, and only a small window large enough to let in light. Diệp Sương sat alone in the empty room, her hands still shaking from the shock, her mind reeling as she tried to determine who had placed that strange piece of ivory in her chest, and when.

She remembered every moment since her return - her luggage had never left her sight for too long, except for the times she went to see Tạ Vân Khê, or during daytime practice sessions when the room was empty. Anyone with sufficient authority to enter and exit the disciple's living quarters without suspicion could have done this.

The sunset light gradually faded through the small window, dyeing the room in a cold gray, and Diệp Sương sat there, hugging her pillow, for the first time since the night of the demon tide when she was thirteen, feeling a deep fear not because of demons or physical danger, but because of something much more vague - the helplessness before an invisible conspiracy was tightening around her, and she didn't know how to fight back.

She closed her eyes, trying to imagine Mrs. Chín Lài's face and Mr. Tám Mực's face, wondering what they would say to her if they knew about this. Perhaps Mrs. Chín Lài would simply hold her hand tightly, and Mr. Tám Mực would repeat the familiar saying about the preciousness of ink in the heart of the person who mixes it, not the place of purchase - a reminder that, no matter what others might intentionally blacken it with, a person's true quality lies not in what is placed in their hands, but in what they actually do with them.

That thought, although small, was enough to keep him from completely collapsing on the first night of detention, waiting for an unknown tomorrow that would bring justice or another layer of injustice.