Maneuvers of the Enemy

Shui started by reading Lute's memory shortly after he joined Storm Sky Manor as an inner section disciple. At that time, members of the three clans faced discrimination due to being from what were called 'bumpkin clans'. In order to survive inside the manor, the three clans created an alliance and would cooperate by going on missions together and sharing information. The Glaize and Clite clans were the leading powers inside their alliance, but Lute was talented enough to earn a fairly high position as well. Although he had little hope of becoming a core disciple, he was satisfied with living comfortably inside the inner section. However, the power balance of the alliance greatly shifted upon the arrival of Kate's batch.

As the first to become a core disciple immediately upon entry, Kate was qualified to become the head of their alliance, but she didn't get involved more than necessary, so the Heaven clan could only get a higher stake. There was a fragile balance of power, but that was only maintained until Nathan and Rune became core disciples. The Glaize clan was kicked out of most positions of power and replaced by members of the Heaven and Clite clans. Though it was a turbulent time, Lute enjoyed greater privileges, so he was glad for the change. However, after becoming a direct disciple, Nathan became more focused on his cultivation and stopped getting involved in the alliance like Kate. With both of their most talented clansmen stepping back, the Heaven clan lost in the power struggle, and the Clite clan took control.

Lute could tell that the Heaven clan would be in a bad position, so he quickly cut off contact with the alliance and went into seclusion with the intent of staying hidden until everything was settled. This happened to be one of the best decisions he had ever made, as while Lute was in seclusion, Rune gathered most of the inner-section disciples in the alliance for a mission. Lute didn't know the full details, but the conclusion was that no one from that mission returned. 

Considering the circumstances, Shui believed that Rune had betrayed the other children, but there was no evidence. Based on Lute's memory, Rune had gathered the other members of the three clans before the Clite clan's betrayal was revealed, so they likely had their guards down. He didn't know why neither Kate nor Nathan were part of that group, but that wouldn't stop him from taking Rune's head if he ever saw him.

After ensuring that he saw everything relevant to the disappearance of the youth from the three clans, Shui checked Lute's memory closer to the present day. After the incident with Rune and news of the Clite clan's betrayal, Lute ended his seclusion. He tried to curry favour with Kate and Nathan, but neither had any use for him. Fortunately, after the end of the Heaven clan, no one was stubborn enough to continue oppressing a leftover like Lute so he could live like an ordinary inner section disciple. Even so, the lack of attention from his junior clansmen hurt his pride, so Lute continued to nurse a grudge against the two.

Perhaps having seen through his grudge, Gilse approached Lute with a job. Lute had naturally heard of Shui given how popular he was, but he refused to believe that someone younger and with a lower cultivation could be as strong as everyone touted, so he never made contact with him before. However, as Gilse promised him a chance at becoming a core disciple, he was more than willing to take part in his scheme. The plan that Gilse shared with him involved making Shui tire himself by fighting rot hyenas and then joining hands with the other members of the team to defeat him while they were inside the dome. Unfortunately, this was the full extent of what he was told.

Shui checked the memory of another teammate just to make sure, but he was given the same information.

"So they were just pawns, no, bait, really."

While these teammates had bad intentions, since they didn't get the chance to act on them and were just being used, Shui decided to overlook their mistake. He left a note inside the cave stating that he would forgive them if they apologized. Shui then exited the cave and sealed it up once more, but left a hole so that they could breathe. 

As for Gilse, though he was also likely another pawn, Shui decided to pay him a visit before leaving to find Cin. While concealing himself with a cloak, Shui searched for Gilse's presence. Fortunately, the place where Shui sensed Gilse's presence was still in the vicinity of the rot hyenas' habitat, and the old man and elders weren't present. However, Gilse had already perished.

Based on the traces that were left, he had been crushed into bloody pulp. From this, Shui guessed the elders were actually planning on erasing the evidence of their involvement. Although Shui and his remaining teammates could still testify against them, only the mastermind behind this trap would be able to provide enough details for the manor to move against the two clans.

"Wait, could even this be a trap?"

If Gilse was only killed as a way for the clans to sever their ties to the mastermind, then Shui wouldn't be greatly affected, but it would be a problem if they were planning on blaming Gilse's death on him. His remaining teammates weren't very trustworthy, so it would be possible for them to bend the story in such a way, and compared to two prominent clans, Shui's testimony would lack credibility. 

"Those dirty snakes."

The way Gilse was killed seemed too difficult for someone with similar cultivation, and no corpse remained, but there was a way around that as well. When inner-section disciples left the manor on a mission, they were allowed to leave their imprint in the care of the manor, and if Gilse had done something similar, then it would be possible to prove his death without the body, so the cause of death could be left unanswered. As he pondered on this dilemma, Shui felt like flipping the table and forcing his way out of the scheme, but he left that as a last resort.

"Fortunately, they won't be able to make any major moves until we return, so I can make some preparations."

This was all just a theory, but if it were true, then Shui swore that the conspirators would rue this day. He wasn't in the best mood, but since he was already here, he decided to stick to his original plan of paying a visit to Cin, though he wouldn't stay for long.