Indebted

As Xiaoling bowed and pleaded for her disciple, she clenched her hanfu. The ground her knees laid on slowly started to blur, and before she knew it, her eyes sobbed in frustration. The Arbiter sat before her, gently holding her arms. 

Unable to keep his concern buried, the Arbiter spoke it aloud, "Ling'er, please do not cry. We-" He sighed, lost for words, "We apologize. We should not have bad-mouthed your disciple. It is our fault." 

But Xiaoling was unable to understand her own emotions. Knowing how dangerous it could be for him, the thought of sending Weisheng off to a place like the Heaven Realm churned her insides to the point that she couldn't handle it. The Arbiter's gentle touch only made it worse. She couldn't trust the Arbiter.