“Disobeying the orders of the clan head is a serious offense, and I believe it deserves a serious punishment. We should give them thirty lashes and confine them to their rooms for an entire month,” said Wu Wei. He was glaring at Wu Jian and Wu Meiying as if their very presence was an insult to his ancestors. His words also made the blood drain from Wu Jian’s face.

Lashing was a punishment typically reserved for someone who had disgraced the family. The offender was stripped bare, tied to a post, and given lashes with a whip in front of the entire clan. Wu Jian had only seen someone get lashed once in his entire life. The person in question had killed someone during a sparring match out of jealousy and rage. They were lashed, then had their family name stripped from them, and were sent into exile.

What was his name again? Wu Quan? Qing? I can’t remember.

It happened when he was just three years-old, so the memory was fuzzy.

“I believe Elder Wei’s punishment is far too harsh,” said Wu Jinsu. He tapped his finger against his armrest as he spoke. “While disobeying the clan head is indeed a serious matter, what they have done is no better or worse than what many of us have done in the past. Do you not remember when I disobeyed the previous clan head? He told me not to sneak into Wu Mulan’s room, but I did anyway. A far more serious offense than what these two have done. I was not given thirty lashes and confined for committing such an offense. Why should they?”

Wu Wei seemed surprised that Wu Jinsu would stick up for Wu Jian and Wu Meiying, for his eyes widened, but then they narrowed in anger as he slammed his hand into the armrest.

“When you disobeyed your father, it was merely because of your feelings for a woman,” he said with a snarl. “Wu Jian and Wu Meiying endangered everyone by climbing that mountain as they did. Are you seriously telling me such a dangerous action doesn’t deserve a severe punishment?”

“They had no idea what is up there. You cannot tell me that their ignorance should be punished when we ourselves are the reason for it,” Wu Jinsu said in a mild voice.

“I agree with Wu Wei,” said the second oldest among the elders. Wu Nin looked between the people present to make sure they were all paying attention to him. “Yes, it is true they are ignorant, but that still does not excuse the fact that Wu Jian and Wu Meiying disobeyed the clan head and exposed us all to danger.”

It sounded like there was something dangerous on the mountain that he, Wu Meiying, and the rest of the Wu Clan were unaware of—but the elders and clan head probably knew about it. Wu Jian wondered what sort of danger was located on that mountain. However, right now, he could not afford to even think about going back to discover it, whatever it was. He needed to survive his punishment before thinking about anything else.

Not that I think I want to know. Whatever has the elders spooked could probably kill me in a heartbeat.

He kept his head bowed and continued to listen as the elders discussed his and Wu Meiying’s punishment.

“Is that really the reason you are so adamant about punishing him?” asked Wu Jinsu.

“What do you mean by that?” asked Wu Wei, narrowing his eyes.

Wu Jinsu spread his arms and smiled placatingly. “I mean nothing by it. I was just noticing that other clan members have committed similar offensives and not been punished this badly. Didn’t you once sneak out of our compound against orders when you were younger? What was your punishment again? It was certainly not thirty lashes. I simply cannot help but wonder if you want to punish them for reasons beyond what they did.”

“Are you accusing me of being unjust?!” demanded Wu Wei.

“You are the one who said it, not me,” Wu Jinsu said.

Wu Jian was surprised by how Wu Jinsu was sticking up for them; it was enough to make him wonder if he had misjudged the man.

While he was the clan heir, Wu Jian didn’t have many dealings with the elders, so he didn’t know what kind of people they were, but he always had this image of them being stuffy old codgers who were too caught up in their own power to see what was beyond their noses. Of course, his opinions were based on Wu Meiying’s opinions. She did not like the elders. He had the feeling she did not like elders period, regardless of what clan they hailed from.

Wu Wei’s face burned red with anger. He looked like he might pop a blood vessel.

When deciding on the punishment for someone who had committed a crime against the clan, first, all three elders needed to agree on a suitable punishment and then the clan head needed to also agree. If even a single elder or the clan head disagreed, then a different punishment was decided on.

Wu Jian thought he sensed something wrong with the way Wu Wei and Wu Nin were acting—Wu Wei especially. He would admit that what he did was wrong. Heck, he even regretted ever agreeing to travel up that mountain thanks to what happened, but it wasn’t like he had done anything to betray the clan. It almost seemed like there was another reason Wu Wei wanted to punish him so badly.

“Not only do you want to punish them with a month of confinement, but you also want to give them thirty lashes,” Wu Jinsu continued. “A punishment like that is something normally reserved for the adults of the clan. Punishing a child with lashes—and thirty at that—could adversely affect their development. You can’t possibly tell me you approve of potentially leaving a sequela on the heir of our clan simply because he committed an offense—his first one, I might add.”

Wu Jian had read about sequelae. They were defined as adverse conditions that made it difficult for a person to cultivate thanks to previous injuries and diseases. A person with a sequela would find it a lot harder to break through to the next realm in their cultivation, according to the manual.

Now that he had been cornered like this, Wu Wei could only click his tongue and look at his father, who had not spoken a single word at this point. The man sat in silence. His stern expression made Wu Jian look away.

“What do you think, Wu Yōushì? I know he is your son, but surely you won’t play favorites by going easy on him and his… friend.”

The way Wu Wei said “friend” as if it was a curse caused Wu Jian to frown, but he held his tongue and remained where he was. As he watched the proceedings with his head still bowed, he caught his mother staring at Wu Wei with pursed lips. She was watching the man like a hawk.

I wonder what his mother is thinking about…

His father breathed in, held it, then breathed out. Finally, he spoke. “Considering their age, lashes would be inappropriate, and do not forget that a precedent has already been set. Five years ago, your grandson committed a similar crime and got off with one month of confinement. Since that was your grandson’s punishment, I believe a similar one will be fitting for this occasion as well.”

Wu Wei did not look satisfied by this decision, but he sucked in a breath, reclined back in his chair, and let all the air out of his lungs with a sigh.

“If that is the decision of the clan head, then I can do naught but abide by it. However, I do so under protest,” he said.

“Noted,” his father said. He then glanced at Wu Nin. “Do you have any objections to this decision?”

“No, Lord Yōushì. I believe your decision is just,” Wu Nin said, shaking his head.

“Then it is decided.” His father drew himself up and stared down at Wu Jian and Wu Meiying. “Jian. Meiying. You are both confined to your rooms for thirty days. The servants shall bring you food and fill your tubs once a day so you can bathe, but you will not talk to them or anyone else until your confinement period is over.”

The decision had been made, and while it sounded horrible to Wu Jian, he felt that he was getting off lightly after listening to what Wu Wei wanted their punishment to originally be. He looked over at Wu Meiying, expecting her to feel relieved like him. Instead, her face was pale and drawn.