The Verdict

Grand Elder Qiu's voice pulled Zhang Wei back to the present. He raised his hand, silencing the room. "Elder Zhang makes a valid point. We need information on the Black Moon Sect, and the Scarlet Shadow might be our best chance. We will proceed with caution. Elder Zhang, you will take responsibility for her interrogation. But remember, if she poses any threat, the Azure Cloud Sect will not hesitate to eliminate her."

Zhang Wei nodded, hiding the sense of relief that washed over him. "Thank you, Grand Elder. I will ensure she is guarded and handled with the utmost care."

Grand Elder Qiu studied Zhang Wei for a long moment, before nodding. "Remember, Elder Zhang. You have one chance. Do not waste it."

"Yes, Grand Elder." Zhang Wei's voice was firm, the weight of the burden of the task he carried evident in his tone.

The Sect Leader and the other elders began to file out of the room, leaving Zhang Wei alone with Mei Lin and the few disciples who had captured her.

As the door closed behind them, the weight of their shared past and the uncertain future pressed down on him. 

Zhang Wei's mind raced as he called out to Zhi Chen, one of the more reliable disciples. "Zhi Chen, fetch Elder Li from the medical hall. Tell her it's urgent."

Zhi Chen bowed quickly, understanding the gravity of the situation, and rushed out of the room.

***

Zhang Wei carefully lifted Mei Lin, her slight weight a stark reminder of the burden he had chosen to bear. He cut the rope binding her wrists and removed chains that bound her legs before carrying her to a secure room, laying her gently on a cot. As he watched her, he couldn't help but notice how serene she looked in unconsciousness, a stark contrast to the fierce defiance she had shown earlier.

Once Mei Lin was settled, Zhang Wei proceeded to probe her cultivation. He inserted a tiny wisp of spiritual energy, flinching at the state he found. Her condition was far worse than he had expected. He forced himself to remain calm, telling himself that she needed a professional examination first.

He used spiritual energy to stop her bleeding from a sword wound on her abdomen, which seemed to be the doing of one of his sect's disciples from the familiar energy around the wound. He did his best to keep her alive until his Shimei came in.

Moments later, Zhi Chen returned with Elder Li, who fumed at Zhang Wei as soon as she entered the room.

Elder Li's eyes narrowed as she looked at Zhang Wei. "How dare you call me here for this woman?" Her voice quivered with anger.

Zhang Wei did not remove his hand from Mei Lin, keeping steady pressure on the wound. Instead of replying to Elder Li, he addressed the disciple. "Zhi Chen, please leave us alone."

Zhi Chen bowed and quickly retreated, even taking the disciples outside the room with him, relieved to get away from the tension.

"Zhang Wei Shixiong, do you not know who she is?" Elder Li, Li Hua, continued. "Do you not remember how your Da Shixiong died?" Her voice cracked a little at the end, stabbing Zhang Wei's heart.

"You know it's not—" Zhang Wei felt guilty even trying to calm her down. But the situation was urgent. He needed the medical prowess of his Shimei to even hope to save Mei Lin.

"The lover of the person you want me to heal is the one who killed my husband," she screamed at Zhang Wei, making him flinch. "And you want me to save this vermin from the Black Moon Sect."

"Shimei, please…"

"I refuse." Li Hua laughed at him, her madness evident. "Let her die like she deserves to. See, even the universe is helping me. I hope that scum Jiang Hei feels the same pain I do; a lover for a lover, an eye for an eye."

Zhang Wei prayed she would calm down soon and at least listen to him. Mei Lin's life felt as if it would slip away from underneath his fingers. It took all he had to keep his spiritual energy steady and gentle, willing himself not to get distracted.

"Jiang Hei is dead, Shimei," he finally said.

"The evil tyrant is dead and now his lover will soon be dead too. What a fitting ending," she laughed. "Oh, you don't know how happy this makes me."

"Shimei!" Zhang Wei screamed. The disbelief in his tone that his usually sweet Shimei would utter such words seemed to snap her out of her frenzy.

"Wei Shixiong," Li Hua looked him dead in the eyes. "As a Taoist, I know we are supposed to revere all life. And as a doctor, I'm supposed to treat all life equally without discrimination." She looked at him with eyes full of pain. "But I can't do this, Shixiong. I can't treat Scarlet Shadow as I would any human. If you ask me, the world is better off with her dead."

"Please, Shimei," Zhang Wei pleaded. "Examine her. We need her alive for the future of our sect."

"I cannot." Li Hua refused, a bit confused by Zhang Wei's tone. She couldn't identify the exact emotion, but whatever it was, she had never heard it from him before.

"Shimei, please… I beg you." Zhang Wei removed his hands from Scarlet Shadow and bowed to Li Hua. Both the action and the desperation in his voice shocked her. "Please, do it for me. Please, if you consider me to be your Shixiong."

Li Hua stood shocked. There was something about the tone of his voice that told her if she refused, he wouldn't treat her the same ever again. It was the sheer intensity of emotion that surprised her, an emotion that she couldn't name but felt out of place all the same.

Perhaps Li Hua would have found it easier to refuse if Zhang Wei had ordered her to treat the enemy. But he hadn't, and with the way he had asked her, she finally relented. "Okay." She saw relief in Zhang Wei's eyes as they met hers. "Only because it's you, Shixiong. Consider this a personal favor from your Shimei."

Li Hua didn't waste any more time. The Scarlet Shadow, from where she stood, appeared as if she would drop dead any second. She began to assess Mei Lin's condition. Li Hua's hands trembled slightly as she worked, the weight of her past adding an edge to her usual calm demeanor.