Sen didn’t let it go on for very long. At least, he knew that was objectively true. He didn’t think a full five minutes had passed. Of course, Chan Dishi was a core cultivator. He could get a lot done in five minutes, and he had apparently been feeling motivated. He’d broken bones, shattered joints, and removed fingers and ears, but he hadn’t done anything that would kill immediately. Without the aid of something like Sen’s own healing elixirs, though, the sheer volume of injuries would certainly kill those men. Human bodies could recover from a lot of damage, but not when it happened all at once.

Sen had forced himself to watch the violence with an impassive expression. It had proven harder to do than he’d expected. After all the killing in his own life, it seemed like he ought to be mostly inured to it. And, he supposed he probably was numb to some kinds of violence. This had been different. It wasn’t a fight for survival or an open conflict between sects or even a challenge. This had been punitive and intended to send a particular message to a specific group of people. That was why he hadn’t said anything to slow or stop the other cultivator. He waited until every mortal face in the throne room was ashen before he finally intervened.

“Chan Dishi,” he said.

“Yes, Lord Lu,” said the core cultivator, unceremoniously dropping the man he’d been doing something awful to.

“I’m quite sure that these men deserve all that you have planned for them, but there is a trial happening. We should resolve this matter, so that we may return to that matter.”

“Quite right,” said Chan Dishi agreeably. “I’ll see to it.”

“Thank you,” said Sen.

The core cultivator finally drew his sword and ended the suffering of those men. The low hum of hushed conversations that had pervaded the room before was gone entirely. Sen focused his gaze on something in the distance. Then, he spoke.

“I don’t know when or how it became common practice to threaten the lives of people’s families to get what you want. Nor do I care. It ends,” said Sen, using qi to make his voice resonate throughout the room. “It ends now. If it continues, what you witnessed here today will be the best outcome you can hope for. If it ever comes to light that you followed through on such a threat… If it is discovered that a child died on your orders… Your suffering will be unspeakable, and it will not end after five minutes. Even I do not murder the children of my enemies.”

A flash of guilt went through him at that last comment. He was pretty sure he had done exactly that to a great many spirit beasts. Still, he doubted that most of the human beings in the room would appreciate his perspective on that. Despite the city’s victory in the battle, it had come at the cost of too many lives. So many lives, in fact, that he suspected that human bitterness toward the spirit beasts wouldn’t fade for generations, if it ever did. When it came to human violence toward other humans, though, he could point to the fact that he had spared the Xie children. Hell, he'd even spared a meaningful number of the Xie adults.

At the very least, he was mostly sure that he wasn’t telling a bald-faced lie about his own behavior. Setting aside those oh so cheerful thoughts, he focused on the two men standing in front of him. Kang was staring at the bloody piles of disfigured meat that had, mere minutes before, represented a sizable element of his supporters. He didn’t look well. His skin wasn’t just pale, but a shade of green that wasn’t found on healthy people. Huang Muyang’s expression was more complicated. He looked slightly ill. He also looked relieved and maybe a touch satisfied with the swift and terrible retribution had found the men who had so casually threatened his family.

“Huang Muyang,” said Sen, drawing the man’s attention. “If you have additional concerns about the well-being of your family, they may take shelter at Lu Manor if you wish it. I will have them escorted there by members of my own sect to ensure their arrival.”

“Lord Lu,” said Lai Dongmei, breaking her silence for the first time. “You shouldn’t trouble yourself with this matter. The Golden Phoenix Sect will extend its protection to Huang Muyang’s family.”

Her tone was light and sweet, but fire crackled to life around her fingers. What remained of Kang’s supporters took one look at those flames and, unless Sen missed his guess, seemed to make a collective vow to forget that Huang Muyang even had a family.

“Good. Huang Muyang, if you would, please explain how you came to provide General Mo with that curious story.”

The tall man seemed almost disoriented by everything that had happened, but he shook it off and answered in a calm, clear voice.

“I was ordered to tell General Mo those lies.”

“Ordered by who?”

“General Kang.”

“And you knew they were lies?”

“I did, Lord Lu.”

“How did you know?”

“I was made to wait while General Kang decided on the details. Also, I was involved in the preparations for the upcoming march. It would have been impossible to hide preparations for anything else from me.”

“I see. Did he tell you why he wanted you to lie to General Mo?” asked Sen.

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Huang Muyang hesitated before he shook his head and said, “No. He didn’t explain it to me. Not directly.”

Sen suspected that Huang Muyang probably knew a staggering number of damning things about Kang and his motivations. He even entertained the idea of asking some more questions, but he’d gotten what he wanted from the tall man.

“Thank you. You may step back.”

“Yes, Lord Lu.”

There was an awkward moment when Huang Muyang seemed to realize that he couldn’t, or at least shouldn’t, return to where Kang’s supporters were standing. The young man’s eyes moved to where General Mo’s group stood. The looks he got in return weren’t universally hostile, but there were more than enough showing open unfriendliness. Damn it, thought Sen. I didn’t consider this problem. He might not be able to stay in the army at all. As one moment stretched into two and an answer didn’t present itself to Sen’s mind, help came from an unexpected source. He noticed Fong Huifen lift a fan to cover her mouth briefly. Then, Quon stepped out of the crowd and walked up to the increasingly panicked-looking Huang Muyang. The older servant bowed politely.

“Young man, please follow me. There is an opportunity that I wish to discuss with you.”

Nobody was looking at Huang Muyang and Quon. Everyone was looking at Fong Huifen. If she’d noticed the attention or cared about it, there was no evidence of that fact on her face. Unlike most of the people in the room, she’d regained her equilibrium quickly. Now, she looked every bit the controlled matriarch of a great house. Stone had more expression than she did. Huang Muyang just seemed grateful to have somewhere to go. Sen personally thought that General Mo had let Fong Huifen steal a march on him.

Huang Muyang was clearly loyal, and he would probably have given absolute and undying loyalty to whoever extended their hand first. I suppose she stole a march on me as well, thought Sen. However, it would have been much more complicated for him to do what she had done. Huang Muyang followed Quon back to where Fong Huifen was standing. The three of them spoke in hushed tones for a moment before returning their attention to the throne. Sen didn’t look around. He’d planned this moment with Misty Peak.

“If you would,” he said.

In less time than it took to blink, the fox-woman appeared where Huang Muyang had been standing. Sen could see the moment when the nobles all connected his earlier comment about sending someone who couldn’t be caught with this person who had appeared from nowhere. He took a little quiet pleasure in the growing despair on some of those faces. Misty Peak was dressed in concealing garments and a veil that obscured her appearance. From what he’d seen, it was swiftly becoming the uniform for her group of fox spies. That inability to readily identify her only seemed to make her capacity to come and go as she wished more intimidating. That’s probably the point, he realized a little belatedly. She inclined her head to Sen.

“You called.”

“If you would, please explain the task I gave you and what you learned.”

“Of course. You tasked me with delving into General Kang’s bizarre story. I spent several days in his private meetings. They were,” she paused, mostly for effect in Sen’s opinion, “instructive. He was furious that General Mo hadn’t taken the bait. Then, he was panicked about what you might do. Talked about ways to make it seem more authentic. He also spent a lot of time railing about how he’d finally bring General Mo down. He seemed to think it was also a good way to undermine you and secure future favors from noble families that don’t like you.”

“He actually said those things?” asked Sen.

“He did,” said Misty Peak before making a notebook appear in her hand. “I took extensive notes. I can quote him directly if you’d like me to. There are several colorful comments about that ‘jumped up cultivator child.’”

Sen looked at Kang directly. The man had gone a deeper shade of green and appeared to be on the verge of emptying his stomach onto the floor.

“I don’t think that will be necessary, but I do appreciate your diligence,” said Sen. “You may return to your work.”

“Thank you, Lord Lu,” said the fox-woman.

She directed a wholly inappropriate and vaguely lascivious smirk at him that he was confident only he and Lai Dongmei could see through the fox-woman’s obscuring veil. Then, she vanished as abruptly as she appeared. Sen hazarded a glance at Lai Dongmei. There was a tightness around her eyes and mouth that hadn’t been there before. Yeah, she definitely saw it, thought Sen with a mental sigh. I just know I’m going to hear about that later. He looked out over the crowd of nobles and the military higher-ups.

“I could continue marching people through here to discuss what they saw and heard, but I think what we’ve heard already is more than sufficient,” announced Sen. “General Kang, I find you guilty of conspiring to discredit a hero of the land. You are stripped of your rank as general. You are stripped of your title as a hero of the land.”

There wasn’t so much as a whisper of dissent from the crowd.

“I’m told that the punishment for such a crime is supposed to be a public execution. However, I suspect that the people of this city have seen more than enough death in recent months. Therefore, I will not have you beheaded in the nearest public square.”

Kang let out a shuddering breath of relief. Sen thought that was a bit too early and too optimistic.

“As a cultivator,” said Sen in a wholly artificial tone of thoughtfulness, “I believe that people should have some say in their fate. Therefore, I will give you a choice. You may die here and now. My people will seize your assets, and your family will be provided enough to live as any other peasant family.”

Kang's complexion went from green to nearly purple in rage. He opened his mouth, but Sen cut him off.

“If you speak now, I will assume that you accept that first choice.”

Sen waited as Kang fought to rein in his anger. When the general seemed to have his mouth under control, Sen continued.

“Your second choice is to reveal to me the identities of the nobles you planned to receive favors from by discrediting Mo and undermining me. If you do this, your family will be allowed to retain your assets. You will be exiled. You will not be permitted to see your family before you leave. They will not be permitted to see you. You will not be welcome in any land controlled by me.”

Sen knew that exile was just a death sentence by another name in these times. Before the spirit beasts declared war, the man might have been able to carve out some kind of life somewhere else. Now, it would take a true miracle for the man to even reach lands not under Sen’s control. It would likely prove impossible to stay ahead of Sen’s planned conquest. He lifted his hand to stop Kang from speaking again. Sen noted the way several nobles in the room kept looking at the doors.

“If you choose the second option, I strongly advise you to speak only the truth. If I discover that you are simply providing the names of your enemies or attempting to create problems between me and otherwise loyal noble houses, this option disappears. I will order you hunted down. Your assets will be seized. Your family will learn to live a very different kind of life. I won’t kill them, but I also won’t let them enjoy the benefits of your dishonesty and lack of honor. So, what will it be?”