Chapter 1242: One of the many Clans

Cultivators Faction. One of the many Clans.

There was a mansion on top of one of the mountains, offering a beautiful view of the territory belonging to the Clan.

Inside the mansion, in the very center of the spacious hall, sat a young man. His eyes were closed and his upper body was naked. Qi steam was coming from the young man, as if he was in a state of meditation. He had long black hair, graceful facial features, and an almost perfect physique.

A serene silence filled with peace reigned around him.

Suddenly, the young man opened his eyes.

Despite his youth, his gaze did not match his age.

The wisdom of many years and the experience gained over the years could be read in his eyes.

The Qi steam floating around him returned back to his body.

The black robe lying next to him rose from the ground as if by magic and landed on his shoulders. At this time, the young man raised his hands, which held a jade talisman.

Infusing his Qi energy, he activated the talisman, and a message appeared in front of his eyes.

When he saw the sender’s name, his eyes narrowed.

The Wellness Center.

He was reading the message, but his face remained calm, as if the content didn’t really matter to him. Only the fingers clutching the talisman slowly turned white.

Anger rose in his chest like a flame, but underneath it was another feeling—cold and much more unpleasant.

Fear.

Closing his eyes, he sighed, and when he opened them again, a servant was already standing in front of him.

"Call Veilana," he said with unruffled calm.

The servant disappeared with a bow. Soon, the door of the mansion opened, and a beautiful woman with long black hair, dressed in a snow-white robe, which seemed designed to emphasize her graceful figure, entered the hall.

There was a gentle smile on her face, but despite this, the young man noticed a hint of fear in her eyes.

"My Lord," she said with a bow, and waited.

He didn’t say a word, just stared at her with his inscrutable gaze.

The longer he was silent, the more worried the woman in front of him became.

Finally, after a while, he said:

"Tell me, who helped you get the certificate and with what funds?"

The woman shuddered, and her heart began to beat at breakneck speed.

Her fears were confirmed—they were exposed.

Lowering her shoulders, she told him everything without raising her head.

He listened to her without interrupting, and when she finished, he closed his eyes.

"Did you think you were acting in the best interests of the clan?" he asked calmly. - "No. You did this for your daughter’s sake, and you gave the clan a benefit that no one promised."

Veilana paled.

"I wanted to help her," she whispered. "If everything had worked out, our clan would have been able to establish a connection with their family. Wouldn’t that benefit us?"

"A possible benefit does not give you the right to risk the safety of the clan," he replied. "Especially without my knowledge."

"But I didn’t think that she..."

"That’s why you shouldn’t have made that decision."

She didn’t know what to say.

"You used the clan’s resources without permission. You hid our daughter’s departure from me and dragged the servants and stewards into it. And most importantly, you allowed her to believe that the consequences of any act can be hushed up thanks to your connections."

The head’s voice remained steady.

"While she was only chasing a man, it was a disgrace to our family. But when she violated the rules of the Wellness Center, your adventure became a threat to the entire clan."

"Take her to the Punishment Hall. Seal her cultivation and imprison her in an underground prison until the investigation is completed. Arrest everyone who helped her get the certificate or hid her daughter’s departure from me."

"My lord..." the woman raised her head in fright and wanted to say something, but she was not allowed to finish.

Two men appeared behind her and placed a seal sealing cultivation and silence.

The exhausted woman couldn’t resist, and she knew it was useless, so she gave up.

With pleading in her eyes, she raised her head and looked at her husband, but he remained unperturbed even as she was being carried away.

Instead, he gave the following order:

"Call the First Elder."

Soon, a white-haired old man wearing the robes of a clan elder appeared in the hall.

The clan head handed him a spatial talisman and said:

"Go to the Wellness Center on behalf of the clan and give my personal explanation and compensation to the Owner of the Center."

The old man silently took the talisman and hid it in his sleeve.

"Do not interfere with the work of the Center. When my daughter’s services are over, bring her back under guard."

He paused briefly.

"After returning, she will go to the far branch. Inform the elders that I will consider marriage proposals."

The elder, who was not yet aware of the details, realized the gravity of the situation. Being sent to a distant branch meant expulsion from the center of power, and a hasty marriage forever deprived the girl of any hope of inheriting the position of the main branch.

"She went there for the sake of the man she chose herself, using the clan’s resources without permission. From now on, she will not be able to decide for herself which alliance will be beneficial to the clan," the clan head added.

Without arguing with him, having received the assignment, the old man disappeared.

"Tell everyone not to try to find out what information my daughter was going to give. Destroy all related records. If anyone continues to investigate without my permission, they will join Veilana in the underground prison."

"It will be done, clan head," a voice said from a dark corner.

The doors closed.

Only when he was alone did the head allow cold fear to show in his eyes for a moment.

The head knew that Systems always keep their word.

As long as a person followed the rules of the Center, it could cure him of almost any disease and did not give up on what was promised. But the same inflexibility extended to violators. The cultivator could turn away, forget the grudge, or agree to a deal.

System didn’t forget anything. If it rules were violated, it inevitably came for retribution — or for payment.

That’s why he had to pay first, while he could still determine the price himself.