Pon of the Xin Clan (2)

Pon obviously wanted Shui to join his cause, so Shui was reluctant to believe his words, but if Mater truly did have something to do with the massacre of his clan's youth, then he would have to conduct his own investigation, so it wouldn't be a problem to use his report as a reference.

"Fine. I'll hear you out."

"Good. I'll start with a summary of the incident. Shortly before we received news of the destruction of the Heaven and Glaize clans and the betrayal of the Clite clan, my former junior Rune invited the youths of the three clans on a mission. He had reached out to late junior brother Nathan as well as junior sister Kate, but both of them had entered seclusion at the time. The mission was to subjugate some beast spirits making trouble outside Malirin Forest. Based on the mission details, Rune's strength alone should have ensured that they could escape with their lives, yet not a single one returned. Of course, accidents like that, while rare, weren't unprecedented, but once news of the three clans arrived, everyone came to the conclusion that they were ambushed by the Clite clan. However, there was one question that no one sought the answer to: where did the mission Rune showed them come from?

I decided to investigate this matter and discovered that that mission never should have existed, and yet it was within our records. Rune certainly didn't have the authority to make such an adjustment, but in what appears to be a rather interesting coincidence, I found that he was invited to junior brother Tark's residence a few days before he 'accepted' the mission."

Once he heard the story, Shui understood what Pon was insinuating. He was well aware that Tark wasn't beneath utilising hostages, but that still left two pressing questions.

"I see what you're getting at, but that's still not proof that Mater gave the order. Furthermore, it would be one thing if Kate had joined them, but why would Mater kill all those disciples just because of their relation to Kate?"

"To answer your second question, I believe it was less about blood connection and more about the potential they represented. By themselves they weren't a threat, but if they came together, they could form something that would make Kate a much more troublesome opponent. They could be the start of her faction."

"True, a faction would provide a major boost to her influence within the manor. That answers my second question, but what about the first?"

"My response to that is much simpler. Only an elder with considerable influence can add a mission without following procedure, and do you believe such an elder would listen to a request that didn't have Mater's approval?"

Pon's point seemed valid. Even if Tark had a high position within the faction at that time, if the details of this plan were exposed, the elder responsible might even be forced to renounce their cultivation as punishment, so it wouldn't make sense unless Mater gave his tacit approval. 

"Very well. I still need to investigate on my own, but let's say I believe you for now. What do you plan to do? Regain your position as the eldest brother?"

"I did consider it, but I've decided that there is a better candidate. Junior Sister Kate."

He couldn't say that he didn't expect it at some point, but it was still slightly surprising to hear Pon endorse Kate.

"In terms of potential, I don't think there's anyone who can match her, but since she's not from one of the three clans, won't there be too much backlash?"

"I expect strong opposition, but I believe it's time we stop letting unwritten rules bind us."

"It seems you have a progressive perspective, but I can't believe you're willing to hand over that power to her without any benefits for yourself."

"I can't blame you for thinking like that, but please forgive me for refusing to speak further. For now, let's just say it would be in the best interests of myself and the Xin clan that Mater doesn't become the manor lord, even if the seat goes to someone outside the three clans."

"Hmm. Fine. I'll talk to her, but I can't promise that she'll want to fight for the position, nor can I promise that she'll be willing to join you."

"Thank you. On account of our new relationship, I'll share with you a piece of advice. Be wary of Core Elder Limick."

"Core Elder Limick? If I remember correctly, he's Nathan's-"

"Yes, he was the master of my deceased junior brother. The one that you vanquished."

Shui paused at Pon's statement, but he didn't make any drastic change in his expression. However, after a moment to think, he realised that his calm facade only added to the credibility of Pon's claim. Nonetheless, Shui didn't give up.

"Vanquished Nathan? Me? I believe that's too serious a joke."

Pon leisurely took a sip of tea before responding.

"While there have been rumours that he was murdered, no one had confirmed that to be the case. Yet when I described him as being my 'late junior brother' earlier, you didn't show any doubt or confusion. It seems you have reason to believe that he's certainly dead."

"...And this is just advice, you say."

"That's right. Now that you're a core disciple, I imagine it won't take long for him to reach out to you. Regardless of whether someone put it in his ears or not."

"Do you think he'll try to kill me?"

"Not unless he has evidence. Similar to Kate, you're one of our top talents, so even he can't dispose of you that easily. However, he might be a little rough in his approach."

"I see. I'll keep that in mind."

"Good. Now that's enough serious talk. Let's enjoy the tea."

The tea hadn't changed temperature, but as he tried to take another sip, Shui could hardly enjoy it. His sharp mind was one of his proudest traits, but he was beaten by Pon's sly tongue. Frankly, he was lucky that Pon was an ally, at least at this point. 

'My soul cultivation is certainly strong, but it seems I'm still lacking in cunning.'

With his power, there were few times when he needed to rely on his tongue instead of his fist, but it was still unpleasant to be tricked like this. Nonetheless, he could see this as a learning experience and be more careful next time. The more pressing matter was how to handle Elder Limick. He could probably defeat him, but a fight would mess with his plans. However, if the elder was too heavy-handed in his attempts to confirm the truth, then he didn't plan on enduring either. The best option would be to avoid him, but given that he was in the core section, it didn't seem like that would be easy.