"Get him to the healer. Master Nie, please look into your skills, as a cultivator..."
The voice was too close to his ear, making him groan. The other person stopped. There were two arms around his shoulders, and his feet were limp. He recalled the last thing and realised what was going on. He tried to firm his legs, to took a moment but he was able to stand. Then he opened his eyes to see Sect Leader Lan and his fellow Jiang disciple both had their arms around him and carrying him like that. He was just glad he wasn't bridal style in anyone's arms. It would be an embarrassment of a lifetime. He unhooked his hands and looked at everyone visibly unscathed. His neck stung and his throat burned as he stepped away from the two people. They were still on site, littered with many dead bodies. He turned to bow in thanks when he heard the low rumble.
"Mast Jiang. You are awake." his voice sounded angry. He looked angry. Jiang Cheng couldn't say anything.
"I expected it from others but not from you Master Jiang. One must be level headed and calm, not foolish and eager at a night hunt. What you did was incredibly stupid and could have gotten you killed."
Jiang Cheng felt his heart sink, it was the same words his father had told him many years ago. It seemed like he was barely refraining from the word childish. Or was it his own insecurity ringing back his father's words? He wanted to bite back that if he weren't the one to step in then the victim would be you and then we all would have been in trouble. But he stayed quiet and looked on the floor of the forest. Another body lay to his left. He fixed his eyes on it.
An automatic response rose up but the burning in his throat increase as he opened his mouth. He chanced a glance and saw Sect Leader Lan seemingly stern but calm. Better not to say anything about my throat. He looked away only to realise that everyone was looking at the two of them uneasily. Now he scowled. Did he really have to scold him like a child in front of everyone? What about Master Jin's stupidity? Or Master Nie's cowering?
Now he was really angry. He tried to keep his head straight and not meet Sect Leader Lan's eyes as they began to trek back up the mountain road back to Cloud Recess. All he wanted to do right now was to stay clear of the people around him and be alone.
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Sect Leader Lan felt himself calm down with the trek. He did not prompt a usual report of their learning on the way up. For one, they were all exhausted from the sudden ambush, for two they needed to save their spiritual energy and three, he himself needed to calm down as he was riled up because it had never been the case with his night hunts when a disciple would be injured unconscious.
By the time they were back inside, it was nearing time for breakfast and his head was organised. He felt bad for scolding Master Jiang and keeping an awkward silence around his disciples. He looked at Master Jiang as they came to a stop and knew the other was avoiding his eyes. He would have to call him separately and tell him calmly to not put himself in dangerous positions.
He asked everyone to meet him in the evening after dinner for a report, asked Master Nie to bring his friend to a healer and told Master Jiang to rest well. Everyone bowed and dispersed, master Jiang didn't meet his eye.
"Sect Leader Lan." he looked at the new music cultivator who had backed him up in the hunt.
"Can I have an urgent word with you?" Sect Leader Lan led the man to the Elder Hall and waited for him to continue as he seated.
"I want to begin by saying I am not partial to any disciple, I rather do not have a high opinion of Master Jiang but it seems tonight he might not have been at fault. Among the last three, Master Jin seemed to fumble with multiple arrows and lose focus which caused him to be caught and himself back exposed to two attacks. Since you were otherwise occupied, Master Jiang stepped in and chose to use his arrow to get Master Jin free and shielded you with his body. I do realise he should not have but the situation was tight. If he had chosen to save Master Jin and not you, you would have been unconscious and we would have been in trouble seeing the overwhelming amount of corpses. If it was the other way around, Master Jin would have been seriously injured."
With every word the Master spoke, Sect Leader Lan's face grew grave. He had not only scolded a disciple, but he had also done it wrongfully based on the heat of the moment and his own biased judgement. He had simply seen Master Jin having his back with multiple people with arrows in their hand and Master Jiang right behind his feet on the ground, collapsed. With every passing word, Sect Leader Lan felt like he had made a big mistake. The only thing running through his mind was to present a sincere apology.
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Sect Leader Lan had not felt nervous in a long time. It was so long ago that he does not even remember the last time he felt so. The one time he did remember was before being announced as Sect Leader in his younger days. This was something totally different and he didn't know how to deal with this situation. As soon as his uncle walks in, he puts his thoughts on hold and talks with his uncle about the happenings of the early day at the night hunt.
He was hoping his uncle would retreat at the end of the day but he waited alongside for the report. Sect Leader Lan finds himself conflicted but has no time to ponder as the disciples fill in one by one. Sect Leader Lan smiles at them but his eyes finally rest at Master Jiang who after a respectful bow looks at his uncle instead of him. Uncle simply smiles and strokes his beard in response.
"Please take a seat and begin to report your observations one by one and then proceed with the learning."
The first person to speak is Master Jin and Sect Leader Lan really tries to pay utmost attention to his words but he feels uncomfortable with being pointedly avoided by Master Jiang. His thoughts are preoccupied as he nods along and plays the attentive listener. At one point, he sees Master Jiang frown at Master Jin. This time, he really listens to Master Jin.
"I have learned that I can push myself to be better in the gravest situations." Sect Leader Lan realised the reason for the frown but he was at loss again since he had not heard the first part of the sentence.
"Master Jin. A night hunt, especially a dangerous one as this, no place for you to be testing things out. Other people's lives depend on the group dynamic and one person's shift can shift that teamwork."
Master Jin only nodded solemnly and he felt satisfied. But the scowl on Master Jiang only deepened and he flashed an annoyed look at Sect Leader Lan. Now he was more concerned. Sect Leader Lan felt like he was missing something about Master Jin, looking at Master Jiang's frown. Since he knew nothing, he said no more and moved on to other disciples.
Their accounts were very clear and reflected on what the new master music cultivator had spoken of. Now that it was Master Jiang's turn, Sect Leader Lan listened attentively, his expression of a calm smile never betraying his lack or excess of attention from one disciple to another.
Much to his disappointment, Master Jiang chose to summarize instead of elaborate, "The corpses seemed to have come alive and come alive in numbers, they seemed to have a single purpose which indicates single control or master. Something like puppets to a puppeteer. The attack was organised and targeted at the sect leader. Even the attacks on nearby villages seemed to be an attraction just big enough to have Sect Leader come out himself."
For the first time, Sect Leader Lan saw Master Jiang's eyes had no irritation and face had no scowl. He portrayed great qualities of a future sect leader and even looked particularly handsome in his deep thinking mode. It was simply the presentation of facts like others had failed to do. Not once did Master Jiang seem like Sect Leader Lan had scolded him unreasonably. He didn't seem like youth at all. Sect Leader Lan was impressed. It seemed like Master Lan was too.
"That is a good conclusion. Master Jiang, you have great analytical abilities, I look forward to them in the future." Sect Leader Lan nodded in agreement and prompted.
"And what have you learned from Master Jiang?" Sect Leader Lan felt like he had asked something vicious to the man as he turned back from his uncle to him and gave him a smile. A small curve of the lip on the side with no softness at all.
"I learned not to meddle in others' business without their permission. Maybe I am saving someone when they don't want to be saved." The bite was very visible and he saw his uncle turn to him sharply, sensing something had happened but could say nothing.
"Ah! Master Jiang. Could you please stay behind, I have something to talk to you. All of you can go back." Sect Leader smiled a little more trying to ease the tension.
Sect Leader Jiang bowed, a little too much making Sect Leader Lan uncomfortable, "I am sorry. I have to go see my brother. If it is not urgent, can we do it some other time?"
"Ofcourse."
Like a stone had been placed on his chest, Sect Leader Lan let him go.