Ashes Of Heaven Book 1 : Solar Calamity

"Sect master, I have something to report."

Xuan Zi handed Han Xuhan a cup of tea and beckoned him to continue.

"I've figured out who the spy in our sect is, you know, from the Abyss Guild."

Xuan Zi's smooth movements faltered. His own teacup was halfway to his mouth, but he put it back down on the table and stared back at Xuhan, eyes narrowed.

"Who is it?"

"There are two that I suspect, but the distribution of my suspicion between them is about eighty-twenty. You'd recognize both of them. Chen Su and Liu Yue."

Xuan Zi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Strangely enough, Han Xuhan distinctly felt that the sect master was not angry...or even happy that the spy had been discovered. He felt compelled to explain further, hoping to convince the man.

"At first, the person I suspected was Liu Yue himself. This suspicion came when I discovered that he has been lying repeatedly to everyone about being able to copy any technique he sees by the merit of his special physique. There is little to no reward for him, to my knowledge, in revealing such a huge secret. He should have even understood that this ability of his would be tested and abused for personal gain by his fellow disciples. And all the competing sects would learn about his existence inevitably, leading to his own peril. The fact that he has also changed the story about his special physique whenever confronted with a new situation also points to a bigger secret he should be hiding. So I thought about the most pivotal point of this revelation, which was to steal Abyss Guild's treasure tracing technique!

"Ever since I became suspicious about the existence of a spy from Abyss Guild in our sect, I have been guessing which disciple it could be. Liu Yue, playing the pivotal role of the disciple who stole Abyss Guild's technique for the sect, would naturally be excluded from this suspicion...Which was why I became even more suspicious of him upon analyzing the Treasure tracing technique!

"Because of my interference, Liu Yue was unable to play the hero's role in everyone's eyes. However, the technique itself is hardly of any assistance to our sect! This so-called hero's role was a lie, and all those treasure sets we surrendered to the Abyss Guild were a huge loss, and the entire scheme that led up to it was a farce that has backfired on us!

"So who profited from it, in the end? Liu Yue would have ended up as a hero who had tried his best, stealing a foreign sect's technique, only to learn that most disciples of our sect cannot cultivate it. Abyss Guild would end up leaving with more than a dozen sets of treasures, a compensation for being the 'victim' of a scheme set up by our defense team. Their loss of exclusivity of the treasure tracing technique would not harm them in the slightest.

"Who could have planned this except a person completely loyal to the Abyss Guild?"

Xuan Zi nodded slowly after he ended his explanation.

"Indeed, it makes sense. But all of what you've said is hypothetical. You have no proof of his betrayal."

Han Xuhan answered in an equally placid tone. "I did not look for evidence, for I know it would be hard to find. But when evidence is not available, it might mean that the wrongdoer has been successful in gaining his end. So we can simply judge all parties involved by their gains. Liu Yue's supposed gain would be to form a strong bond with every disciple of our sect, be it by his contribution or by his teaching of the technique. He would be a step closer to the sect's core, favored by all Elders, perhaps even by you...at the cost of virtually nothing. Who would suspect him?"

"Except for a very paranoid teammate of his, of course," Xuan Zi said playfully.

"For weak people like me, paranoia is a bad day's friend."

Xuan Zi ignored Xuhan's rising displeasure and fired off another question.

"You said you suspect Chen Su as well. If your suspicion toward Liu Yue is eighty points, the other twenty points-"

"Oh, no. The twenty points of suspicion are for Liu Yue. I only talked about him first because that will make it easier to explain why I suspect Chen Su far more than him. I even believe that Liu Yue is a plant, a diversion meant to take the blame for being a spy if someone as paranoid as me truly caught wind of the spy's scheme."

For the second time in their meeting, Xuan Zi's demeanor shifted to serious mode. Meeting Xuhan's equally deadpan gaze, he said only one word.

"Speak."

"The first person to reveal that Liu Yue has an ability that can help us rob Abyss Guild blind was Chen Su. From her claims, it is clear that only Liu Yue had told her about his ability to copy cultivation techniques. And from my own investigation, I've learned that he had lied to her the first time, saying that it was merely a result of having a perfect memory. Later, the situation forced Liu Yue to reveal more to her, describing his ability as the result of a special physique...or at least that's what Chen Su claims that he has told her. Again, my investigation suggests that this is a lie too. He has no special physique."

"What you're trying to convey is that at least one of them is lying, but the inconsistencies in these lies are not difficult to find out. Anyone who is already suspicious of Liu Yue might be able to see a pattern there," Xuan Zi said, simplifying the explanation.

"Exactly, and the source of these inconsistent information has never been Liu Yue himself! It's always Chen Su, who I have to say, is a very intelligent young lady. There is no way that she doesn't see what I see in these developments. But she's willingly publicizing these inconsistent news, pretending that she can't find a flaw, and even going so far as to defend Liu Yue's lies haphazardously, not even consulting him beforehand. It is so blatant that it feels intentional for someone as smart as her."

"If she's too smart to be making a mistake so simple, maybe it is meant to be a signal for someone to pick up. Maybe Liu Yue has her in his grasp, blackmailing her in some way to help him infiltrate our sect more thoroughly. Wasn't the whole scheme to scam Abyss Guild her idea? She was also the one to recommend that Liu Yue should get the pivotal role in that scheme, which you ended up stealing," Xuan Zi said thoughtfully. The reply stunned Han Xuhan.

"That is not impossible, either. Shit, I overlooked that possibility. She might be the one being manipulated by Liu Yue, but her bad job at it could indeed suggest multiple prospects. I thought she might be doing it because she's the real spy and wants to use Liu Yue as a scapegoat if shit goes south. I didn't consider..."

Seeing him so lost in his own world, Xuan Zi cleared his throat loudly.

"Ahem, disciple Xuhan..."

"Huh-Wha- Oh, yes, sect master?" He shook off the shock and confusion the thoughts had brought him and focused on the conversation again.

"About the matter of the spy...I suggest you forget it. You understand how to survive in a world as a weakling. Not all secrets come with profit. Some bring trouble, most of them do, really. For the sake of your peace of mind, I will tell you one thing, though. Liu Yue is indeed the spy. Your inference was correct."

"You knew?!" Han Xuhan was so stunned that the teacup dropped from his hand. Even his enhanced reflexes could not make him avoid the splash in time.

Xuan Zi waved a hand, using telekinesis to clean up the mess.

"Yes, I did. I knew right when I saw him for the first time, at the outer court disciple recruitment ceremony. So what if Abyss Guild sends one of their own to spy on me, on us? He is a talent, and he has his merits, which I will utilize when I deem it needed. Let Abyss Guild rest easy feeling that they have won the battle. It is a kinder, wiser choice for the Crimson Snow Sect to allow so."