9-Fear

"A very interesting piece you chose," Yu Yande grinned mysteriously. She waited until the whole song was played but her attention was on the cultivators in the pavilion. The Li Sect were whispering to each other about the drifting tune while the Xue Sect coldly glared at the musician. Yu Yande did not want to study her colleagues. Once Wu Yong pressed the final notes out she reclaimed the instrument.

"Although the story told the tale of a fallen hero, this song fits the requirements needed to make this flute work. This," The priestess lifted the glowing instrument just like how Xue Xian Tou held up the Sacred Stone. She twirled the thin pipe between her fingers, "Is the Flute of Honor and Holiness. Yes, it may look like a plain flute but this flute will only play beautifully if two conditions are met. One, you must play a song based off of an epic teaching the right way. Two, you must not possess evil essence or the flute would screech."

"That is nonsense! I have read many books and seen many flutes to know this whole performance is a fabrication. There is no flute that can detect evil essence even if it has a holy name." Bu Xin shouted boldly from the center of the Xue Sect. He pushed through the crowd to stand angrily in front of Yu Yande. He pointed at her face, hands shaking in fear. "Why is a witch sitting in the Righteous Council?"

"Presumptuous! Bu Xin, disciple of Xue Sect, return to your place or leave. I will not have such slanderous words under this holy pavilion." Ming Zhe Di slowly got off his seat, slamming the butt of his scepter against the floor to call for order. The Light Bearing Scepter shot a ray of light at Bu Xin and he was forced to go back to his place in the crowd. "This flute does identify those with evil intent. We all know Demons are naturally born with evil essence* and we have a Demon here today to build or thwart our suspicions."

Pan Duan, the judge of the Righteous Council nods hesitantly when his leader gave him a glance. His white robes swished as he got up from his seat and moved his scepter around. He pointed the silver rod at Mian Biaoqing, the only Demon student. "I know you can play normal flutes. Try your best with this one."

"But I do not know any songs that fit the categories, it would not do if I play regular songs." She paused her speech when the older man hissed at her. The Demon reluctantly crossed the room to take the instrument from Yu Yande. The trembling girl blew out a breath and shrugged, "I guess I will play the same song."

The first half of the music was celestial and the room was so sure the flute Yu Yande gave Wu Yong was a joke. Then, the moment the song came to the part the hero was betrayed by his people the flute screeched. Closed eyes flung open and hands were placed over ears. Two Righteous Council members shouted over the vile tune, ordering the girl to stop.

Mian Biaoqing was more than ready to let go of the instrument and dash back to her safe spot in the Xue crowd. She flicked her hair off her face while boys around her teased her for making such ugly tunes. "It is not my fault! I say that the flute really does reveal evil essence, I felt like I wanted to kill someone while I played. The song of the first Demon King might have added to it but I doubt it."

"I still do not believe Yu Yande. You do not question her sudden intervention, Ming Zhe Di?" A man rises from his golden chair. He is a strange council member as his shoulders carry large mounds of ants and he is unbothered by the bugs crawling all over him. Wu Yong assumed this man is Pan Ding, the most determined member of the council. The old man used his smallest finger to point at Yu Yande.

The crowd gasped* in awe and Pan Ding grinned amidst the spotlight. Yu Yande looked tranquil while comments of doubt and fear were being thrown her way. The young cultivators called her a witch, a puppeteer and other terms that obviously did not fit her. The priestess waited for the noise to die down with a forced smile. Before she could speak, the man with ants opened his mouth.

"I always told you that she is a suspicious woman! Will you believe her just because she is a woman trusted by many? Is it her fair face and sweet words?" He raised his arms angrily as if ready to call for rain and lightning. The ants on his shoulders flew across the room to land on Yu Yande and Wu Yong. Pan Ding laughed until he coughed, stopping when he realized how silent the room was. "What?"

The ant man shut his mouth and sat back in his chair, showing his displeasure clearly. In the middle of the suffocating silence, a loud shriek pierces the air. All heads turn to the suspect of the trial and Yu Yande. Wu Yong stomped his feet on the carpeted ground, "Call them back! Call them, seven went into my nose! Ack! Please, why do you do this at a trial?"

Ming Zhe Di ordered Pan Ding to withdraw his army from the priestess and subject. He looked unimpressed but he did not scold the council member. Instead, he smiled and the corner of his eyes wrinkled. "This is a trial but we must still be respectful. As the arguments for and against the death of Wu Yong have been brought out, the Righteous Council will vote for the final verdict. We will take into account the various testimonies, the tests and the words of the suspect. Pan Duan will cast the first vote."

"Pan Duan, Judge of Zhengyi Pavilion humbly states his opinions." The judge bowed toward his leader and rises from his seat. The whole room is waiting for his word but Wu Yong is not as fearful as the other cultivators. "I trust Yu Yande and I know the flute is real. The opposition bases their arguments off of speculation and personal biases against the suspect. He has been proven to be innocent. Unlike my brother, I will trust the priestess and my guts. He is innocent!"

A groan zips through the crowd which made Wu Yong and Yu Yande frown. The young man crossed his arms and avoided eye contact with members of the Li and Xue sects. The single vote for his release brought out strong emotions from the Xue family. Wu Yong blinked rapidly before whispering, "This must be a game to them. They smiled throughout the trial but when the first loss came around, they are unsatisfied? My life means nothing to them!"

Wu Yong knows his future lay in the hands of the council members sitting on the stage in front of him. For him the stakes were high but for the cultivators gathered in the pavilion, it was another show to watch and discuss. He knew a large number of Righteous Council members do not look at evidence but they love fabricated tales and the words of the right cultivators. It was a pleasant surprise for one member to vote for his release.

"One vote for the release if the suspect!" Ming Zhe Di shouted over the grumbling cultivators. The leader of the council did not look against or for the angry majority. His wrinkled face became void of emotions as he spoke, "Quiet! If you keep growling I will have you leave. The fist vote was cast and you all create this ruckus? Look at how immature you all seem. Even the suspect knows to be quiet at this critical moment."

The final comment evoked strong emotions from the crowd but the cultivators knew that if they want to hear the verdict the members of council must be able to speak. The dissatisfied grumbles died down and the votes continued. Each council member rose, stated their thoughts and weighed the options. By the time the last member went, the votes were against Wu Yong and this is where his fear settled in.

The young man knew that the majority wanted him out in the courtyard immediately and this knowledge made his hands sweat profusely. The air in the pavilion is heavy as all the ears in the room focus on Ming Zhe Di, the final and most important vote. As the leader of the council he could help Wu Yong escape the fingers of the netherworld or he could kick him right into the netherworld. Wu Yong could hear the beads of sweat dripping from his hands.

"The rest of the council members have cast their votes and the result is execution." The Li and Xue sects erupted into cheering but Ming Zhe Di would have none of it. The Light Bearing Scepter flashed bright light into the crowd, shutting each mouth instantly. The old man jumped off the stage to stand in front of Wu Yong. Their eyes locked for a mere second. Ming Zhe Di faced the Xue Sect first.

"You called for the trial and it has come to my attention that you have strong biases against this young man so I had to think about your motive and his thoughts. Xue Xian Tou, you insisted your son used demonic methods. I cannot imagine why you would assume such a thing!" Ming Zhe Di turned to the Li Sect and shook his head. He looked quite disappointed. "And you loud lot! Stop cheering for the death of a man even after he was proven innocent! I have lost faith in both of you and last thing, the Righteous Council!"

He points at each person sitting on the stage, his voice getting louder with each word. "I cannot believe you all sided with the ones throwing dirt into the pavilion. Do you really think someone believed to be a useless lunatic could start using magic just because he wished for it? You hear the words demonic cultivation and that was enough to make this man guilty, worthy of death?"

"Ming Zhe Di, you are such a hypocrite!" Pan Ding flung himself off his chair and flew to land beside the leader. The ant lover grabbed a handful of his pets, "If you see me kill these ants you would not say anything. The previous trial was for a Demon and you immediately sent him to the courtyard. Now, you want to defend this man?"

"We are all hypocrites!" The old man shouted back at the man holding ants. Ming Zhe Di had already made his decision and with Pan Ding confronting him like this, it made him want to go through with his plans without hesitation. "As the leader of the council, my opinion decides whether this man lives or dies. I do not wish to participate in your witch hunt. Call me whatever you want, I am too old to care. This trial has ended and Wu Yong is innocent!"

The leader of the council slams his scepter onto the ground to signal the current trial is over and the next suspect will arrive shortly. Ming Zhe Di blocked out the hideous comments being directed at him, Yu Yande, Wu Yong and all others who supported his release. The old man made his way to Wu Yong with a grim smile. "It must have been hard for you to live all these years. I see the potential in you so I will advise you to start studying at a big sect. A sect that is not in Jirong."

Wu Yong bowed low and nod energetically. His throat constricted as he spoke, "I have lived as an invalid. I am afraid that if I try to become someone, the Xue family would use all their strength to prevent me from studying. Besides that fact, my plan is to keep a low profile for the rest of my life. This trial ruined it."

"Well, if you cultivate or not just mind the path you take. Remember, the righteous way would be difficult to follow but it is the right way. If I hear you ever turn to the dark arts and you are brought to Zhengyi Pavilion, I will treat you as a Demon." The old man sounds like a stern grand-master as he warned Wu Yong. "I will go settle the upset children. You can go."

The old man pulled Yu Yande to his side and together, they start to tame the wild crowd trying to attack Wu Yong. Yu Yande used her crystal orb to lob balls of magical crystals while Ming Zhe Di used his words and the scepter. Once they realized speaking to the upset cultivators did not work, they retreated. By now the Li and Xue sects are using their swords and powers to attack the people whose opinions differed from theirs.

Wu Yong crept around the swarm of bodies, hoping to get out of the pavilion alive. Then, it felt as if a hundred tigers had pounced onto his back. He screeched until his throat ran dry but his surroundings only got worse. Hands were taking turns pulling and pinching him, mouths were blasting words into his ears and he could not see the light. The amount of people attacking him was so overwhelming he could barely breath and when he felt like he was a breath away from suffocating, he released his powers.

"Oh, it looks like I miscalculated you." Wu Yong heard the voice of the immortal he met days ago. He could not see her but he knew she was nearby. She crackled over the shouting cultivators. "Do not worry, Demon King. I will clean your mess when you release your powers so do it now. You need to use dark magic to make sure the strongest cultivators here are hurt. I will keep them away from you while you escape."

***

Demons are naturally born with evil essence: The first Demon King was a wronged hero which we saw in the previous chapter. At the time of his death, many people realized what they did to the righteous man. They followed the vile immortal who transferred his evil essence onto the people. The normal humans start harboring hatred and committed awful acts. Thus, Demons were born and each generation of Demons is apparently more evil than the last. Is this true? Maybe. -Twisted Mind of Author

The crowd gasped when Pan Ding pointed at the priestess with his smallest finger: Pointing with the index finger is already a great insult but the pinky finger is the worst. Pointing with the smallest finger is basically saying the person it is pointed toward is nothing. -Twisted Mind of Author (I used to point with the pinky when teachers told me not to point with the index finger. The pinky did not have any meaning for them but I was happy with the meaning I gave it myself. After I point the pinky at someone, they literally become nothing to me.)