Disciple Cai stood among the other disciples with his head lowered, his expression solemn as if he was repenting for a great crime.
Rei looked at Disciple Cai. The robes were brand new but the dirt under his fingernails spoke a different story. He was not looking at Shin but instead at the Orchid with relief.
Her instincts as a thief alarmed her that something was unusual about the man.
"Hall Master Mo, may I ask Disciple Cai a question?" Rei stepped forward and bowed to Hall Master Mo.
The Hall Master waited for a moment, looking toward the other elders for dissent, but none came.
After all, if Shin was truly guilty, there was little reason to prevent the testimony of a witness from being questioned.
"Go ahead," Elder Mo nodded and said.
"Disciple Cai, you said you saw Shin enter the eastern garden yesterday, correct?" Rei turned toward Cai and asked.
"Yes." Cai nodded.
"Then when did you see him?"
"After I started my post in the evening." Disciple Cai replied.
"What time?" Rei asked.
"Near... sunset." Cai hesitated.
"Near sunset?" Rei’s eyes narrowed.
"Yes." Cai nodded in turn awkwardly.
"But Shin was training with the Master yesterday afternoon." Rei retorted.
The hall became quiet and Disciple Cai’s expression stiffened.
"He was being trained until sunset." Rei continued.
"That’s right..." Shin nodded his head vigorously.
"I must have mistaken the time. It was around nighttime during the rain." Cai immediately answered.
"You may have." Rei stared at him.
"Yes." Cai sighed in relief due to the pressure being alleviated. Rei didn’t respond and watched Disciple Cai.
"How long ago was the Storm Orchid discovered missing?" Rei asked the Garden Hall disciple.
"Early this morning." The disciple replied.
"And when was the garden last inspected?"
"Yesterday afternoon." Rei’s eyes flickered.
"Then why was Disciple Cai watching the garden until nighttime?" She questioned.
"I was performing my duties." Disciple Cai’s face remained calm.
"If disciple Cai was performing his duties until late last night why was the Storm Orchid only found missing until this morning?" Rei smiled faintly.
Cai remained silent at this questioning. A bit of sweat could be seen marring his forehead.
For a moment Disciple Cai looked toward Elder Cho. Rei and Karn saw it before Cai quickly looked back at Rei.
"I-I... made a mistake." Disciple Cai retorted.
"Could he have been cultivating while performing his duties?" a clueless disciple spoke watching the situation unfold.
"Yes! I was cultivating..." Disciple Cai spoke, grabbing onto the clueless disciples’ accusation.
Rei’s mind had begun racing. Disciple Cai was definitely hiding something.
"I thought disciples were not allowed to cultivate while completing their Sect duties though." One of the disciples of the elders spoke.
"I made a grave mistake." Disciple Cai bowed, expressing his regret. He knew he would be punished for admitting this but it was the only thing he could think up at the moment. Once cultivation was started the individual would enter a trance that can last until the next morning. This is why cultivating during sect duties was against the rules.
Elder Cho stepped up at this point seeing the situation turning on his disciple.
"Admittedly, my disciple made a mistake yesterday but it doesn’t mean that disciple Shin is not guilty of stealing the Thousand Year Storm Orchid." Elder Cho spoke.
Disciple Cai nodded along finally breathing a sigh of relief once again due to his master’s protection.
Rei turned towards Elder Cho before speaking.
"Then let’s settle this. Let’s go to the herb garden right now." Rei spoke.
"You? A disciple wants to investigate the matter? Let the judicial hall complete the investigation. We do not need an inexperienced tier three to investigate such an important matter. Guards arrest the thief!" Elder Cho spoke arrogantly.
The guards moved in accordance to Elder Cho’s command but were stopped short by a wave of intent enhanced with Qi.
Elder Mo stood there with immense pressure oozing off of him.
"Elder Karn, what do you think?" The Hall master asked Karn, wondering about his thoughts on how things should proceed with this matter. Elder Mo was a neutral third party due to his position of Martial Hall Master so he thought it fair to give Karn an opportunity to save his disciple.
"Koko... My disciple certainly has a talent to find the snakes in the tall grass. Give her an hour and if she can’t find anything then I will relent." Karn spoke to Elder Mo knowing full well he would never give up Shin to be read down by the book.
Elder Mo nodded. Karn’s request was barely within the boundaries of what the Martial Hall could allow. More importantly, allowing Rei one hour to investigate would prevent the Hall from appearing to condemn an innocent disciple without proper consideration.
"The Martial Hall will give Elder Karn’s disciple, Rei, one hour to vindicate Shin. If she cannot produce evidence that changes the circumstances, the matter shall be handed to the Judicial Hall for investigation."
The group followed Hall Master Mo inside the Eastern Herb Garden. Rei spread herself out looking for any signs that could vindicate her brother.
The rain had washed away much of the footsteps that were present from the day before so it made it even harder for her to track Disciple Cai.
Eventually, she found a set of footprints beneath a sheltered section of the garden. They weren’t Shin’s, There was no mud on his shoe soles and the pattern did not match Shin’s.
As she followed the footsteps she noticed a certain blue thread in the bushes on the outskirts of the garden.
’Disciple Cai’s robes are blue but so are many others... this isn’t good enough evidence.’ Rei thought to herself.
"Disciple Cai... where are your old robes?" Rei spoke suddenly as she looked at the blue thread.
Disciple Cai’s face blackened as Rei spoke.
"My old robes have no relevance with this matter!" Cai shouted in frustration.
"I see." Rei stared at him for a moment and then she smiled.
Cai’s expression relaxed slightly before the frown returned.
"Then you shouldn’t mind showing them to us."
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