Be Gentle, Immortal Master

The crowd exploded. The smile on Wang Lue's face cracked, turning into a vicious stare that threatened to tear me to pieces if I uttered another word. "My tolerance has limits," he bit out. "If you keep making baseless accusations like this, woman, I will have to pay a visit to Mount Hua myself and speak with your Gatekeeper!"

Gatekeeper? Surprisingly enough, that word didn't frighten me anymore. Keeping the bixies behind me, I stepped forward, but just as I was ready to confront the pair of liars again, Bai Ye cut in between us and blocked my path.

"Baseless or not," he said coldly, "why don't you let us see the truth with our own eyes, Wang Lue? It's simple—suspend your bonding spell with your mount. If it truly acknowledges you as its owner, it will return to your side willingly."

Wang Lue's stare grew darker. "You've overstepped, Bai Ye. As much as I respect you as one of the most renowned swordmasters from Mount Hua, I don't owe you an explanation about MY mount. This is none of your business, and I suggest that you keep your nose out of it."

Bai Ye chuckled. "None of my business? Are you suggesting that I should acquiesce to you calling my daoist companion a liar in front of all these people—" he gestured at the crowd, "—and consider it none of my business?"

I realized belatedly why Bai Ye had stayed quiet earlier. He must have seen through Wang Lue's lies as well, possibly even before I did, but he was waiting for this opportunity. Like Wang Lue said, someone else's mount was none of our business, and we couldn't pressure them to prove anything to us without a solid reason. But now that the argument had come down to accusing each other of lying … then we had every right to defend our "innocence".

I almost couldn't wait to see the master and disciple in front of us oblige to Bai Ye's request. The crowd seemed equally eager, as I heard someone ask in a low voice, "Do you think they'll do it?"

"I don't think so … I have a feeling that those two with the mounts are lying! Look at that disciple's face, he seems afraid …"

"Oh, I would be afraid too if I had stolen a ferocious beast like this. The moment it breaks free from the bond, it'll tear me up alive!"

Wang Lue's face darkened some more at the murmurs. "Bai Ye!" He gritted his teeth. "Our sects have always been friendly towards each other. What is your purpose today? Why are you trying to stir such a commotion at our fair?"

Bai Ye gave him a sideways glance. "I'm not so bored that I want to waste my time stirring any commotion here, my friend," he said casually. "It's not like I could've planned to run into our long-lost pets here … or expected that they have somehow become your mounts. But now that things have turned out the way they did, my daoist companion and I can't simply leave without a satisfying answer." He gestured again at the crowd. "As to everyone else—"

"We want to know the truth too," someone said. "We are all here for the fair because the Hall of Dragons and Phoenixes holds great fame in their field. How can we buy a pet here with peace of mind if we have doubts about the sect's reputation?"

Voices of agreement rose from all around. "Right! And how do we know if they aren't stolen as well?"

"But of course, if this was all a misunderstanding, we also want to hear it clarified!"

The master and disciple ashened at the words. I bit back my laughter—Bai Ye sure knew how to make good use of the power of our audience. No wonder he said the fair was the best opportunity to teach the thieves a lesson … But who would've thought that the culprits were hiding at the hosting sect itself? How astonishing a scandal would it be once the news spreads?

Bai Ye cocked his head at the two cultivators in front of us. "Well?" he asked. "Trust me that it is not my goal to tarnish the name of your sect. If I happen to be wrong, I will apologize and beg for your forgiveness. But if it was the two of you lying to us, I expect the same from you … after you appease the bixies' anger."

The last few words sent the disciple shuddering. He glanced towards Wang Lue. "M-Master," he mumbled, "I … My mount hasn't been behaving that well these days … I think …"

That shaky voice said everything about the truth. The crowd suddenly quieted, watching Wang Lue with a look full of contempt. At this point, he should know that there was no way to get around his lies anymore. "Bai Ye!" He gritted his teeth one last time. "You better pray that you'll never run into us again!" And with those words, he started shoving his way out through the crowd.

"Wait!" A hand gripped his arm. It was one of the people who had spoken earlier about wanting to hear the truth. "You can't just leave without giving us an answer! I bought a mount from you last year, and you'd better prove to me that it wasn't stolen!"

"He wants to run away from his punishment!" someone else shouted. "Stealing a guardian beast is no small crime. We can't just let him walk out of this! We need to see the head of their sect!"

"Yes! We need to see the head of their sect!"

In a chorus of chastisements, the crowd started moving with Wang Lue and his disciple at the center, towards the main building overlooking the square.

The two bixies growled low behind me. I turned back to comfort them, and I found myself staring into Bai Ye's smiling eyes. "Looks like we have enough helpers to take care of the rest from here on," he chuckled.. "Your little friends … are now free."