Rebirth of the Weakest

13: The Old Fox Makes His Move

The brighter a star shines, the more shadows apparently gather just to snuff it out.

The morning after his breakthrough to Beast Geek Level Thirteen, Ken woke up in an unusually good mood. Sunlight poured through the wooden windows, carrying the scent of flowers from the courtyard, and for once he felt like life had genuinely started moving in the right direction.

He sat up and clenched his fist, feeling the faint pulse of Beast Qi move through his meridians, denser now, steadier. Even his senses felt sharper, birds chirping outside, the distant clatter of disciples training somewhere across the grounds.

*Getting stronger,* he thought, allowing himself a small smile. *Not strong enough yet to face down the second elder head on, or keep Mirinda fully safe, but closer than I was yesterday. That counts for something.*

Inside his soul space, Mirinda's eyes opened. "You seem pleased with yourself."

Ken let his consciousness drift over. "Broke through again," he said. "Of course I am pleased."

"You will grow arrogant if you keep smiling like that," she warned, though there was no real bite behind it.

"One breakthrough is not exactly enough to ruin my personality," he said, laughing.

A small smile tugged at her mouth. "Good answer."

A knock came from outside. "Young Master, breakfast is ready."

Ken pulled himself back to reality and stepped out to the smell of fresh buns and grilled meat. Lady Le Li sat waiting at the small table, color returned properly to her face for the first time in longer than he liked thinking about.

"Mother," he said warmly.

She looked up, smiling. "Come eat, Ken'er."

They ate together in easy quiet, and Ken found himself soaking in the peace of it, a warm meal, a healthy mother, a home that finally felt like his own. *This is exactly the kind of life I always wanted,* he thought. *Somewhere worth defending.*

Unfortunately, peace in this particular clan never lasted long.

Heavy footsteps broke the calm as a guard rushed into the courtyard. "Young Master!"

Ken's smile faded instantly. "What happened?"

"The acting patriarch requests your presence immediately," the guard said, clearly nervous about something.

---

The main hall greeted him with a heaviness he could feel before he even crossed the threshold. Several elders stood assembled, and Le Jin's usually composed expression had gone grim.

Every head turned toward Ken the moment he entered.

"Patriarch," he said, cupping his fists.

Le Jin sighed. "Sit, Ken'er."

Ken did not sit. Whatever this was, it clearly was not the kind of news that improved with a chair. "What happened?"

Le Jin's expression darkened further. "The second elder has made his move."

Ken's eyes narrowed. *Of course he has. He has been suspiciously quiet for far too long.*

"What did he do this time," Ken asked.

Le Jin nodded toward one of the elders, who stepped forward stiffly. "This morning, several of the clan's medicinal warehouses were inspected."

"And?"

"Rare herbs are missing."

A heavy silence settled over the hall.

Ken frowned. "I fail to see what that has to do with me."

Another elder rose. "Witnesses claim they saw you entering the warehouse last night."

Ken froze, genuinely stunned. "Excuse me?"

The hall stayed completely silent. He laughed once, sharp and disbelieving. "That is ridiculous."

Nobody else laughed along with him.

His smile slid off his face entirely. *Someone is framing me. This is not a coincidence.*

Le Jin nodded grimly. "I know you did not do this, Ken'er. But the second elder is clearly using it as an opportunity."

The heavy doors swung open.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Wei Zhan strolled in, wearing an expression of sympathy so fake it practically had a price tag hanging off it.

"Such a shame," the old man said.

Ken's eyes went cold instantly.

"Young people so often lose themselves after a taste of fame," Wei Zhan continued, drawing closer, "do you not think, Le Ken?"

Ken said nothing, jaw tight.

"The missing herbs happen to be quite valuable," Wei Zhan said, eyes fixed on him. "Perhaps our young genius decided the rules no longer applied to someone of his talent."

"You framed me," Ken said flatly.

Wei Zhan's smile widened. "Do you have proof of that claim?"

Silence.

Of course he did not. That was precisely why the old fox had dared to move at all.

Wei Zhan turned toward the assembled elders. "I only seek justice for this clan," he announced, and several of them nodded along, more than a few clearly relieved to finally have an excuse to knock Ken's rapid rise back down a peg.

Le Jin's expression hardened. "Enough. There is no actual proof here."

"There are witnesses," Wei Zhan said smoothly.

"Witnesses can be bought."

"And perhaps," Wei Zhan said, voice silky, "your nephew simply enjoys stealing."

The temperature in the hall seemed to drop several degrees at once. Ken's Beast Qi surged dangerously close to breaking loose.

*Calm down,* Mirinda's voice cut through immediately, sharp and steady. *Losing control right now hands him exactly what he wants.*

Ken took a slow breath, forcing the surge back under control. She was right, as usual.

Wei Zhan noticed the flicker of anger anyway and smiled privately to himself. This was exactly the reaction he had been hoping to provoke. Ever since Ken humiliated the Wei family and locked him into that ridiculous bet, the old man had been circling, patient, waiting for the right opening.

Now he finally had one.

"Since the matter cannot be proven outright," Wei Zhan said, "I propose a suitable punishment instead."

Le Jin's frown deepened. "What punishment."

"A one month ban," Wei Zhan said, "from both the Pill Pavilion and the Forge Pavilion."

The hall went dead quiet.

Ken's eyes widened. *That is not punishment. That is straight up sabotage.* The Sect Examination sat a single year out. Losing an entire month of training now could set him back further than anyone in this room seemed willing to admit.

Le Jin rejected it instantly. "Absolutely not."

Wei Zhan's smile turned sly. "Then perhaps, Patriarch, you are simply showing favoritism."

The atmosphere thickened further, and Ken understood the trap the moment it closed. Whichever way Le Jin chose here, he would lose face publicly.

*This was never actually about the herbs,* Ken realized, fists tightening at his sides. *This is about hitting me. And through me, hitting my mother, since that has always been his favorite target.*

He hated this feeling, cornered, powerless, watching a decision get made around him instead of by him. It dragged him straight back to memories of his old life, standing frozen on a rainy street while other people decided whether to act.

*No,* he thought firmly. *Not that person anymore.*

He stepped forward before he had fully decided to. Every eye in the hall snapped toward him.

"I accept," he said, gaze locked on Wei Zhan.

Le Jin's eyes widened. "Ken'er—"

Ken shook his head once, never breaking eye contact with the old man. "I accept the punishment."

Wei Zhan's smile widened, satisfied. "A wise choice, Le Ken."

Then Ken smiled too, something considerably sharper behind it. "But if I prove my innocence within that time," he said, "you will publicly apologize to my mother."

Dead silence swallowed the hall.

Everyone present understood exactly how much Wei Zhan despised Lady Le Li. Demanding a public apology to her was the closest thing to an open slap this clan's etiquette allowed.

Wei Zhan's expression darkened instantly. "And if I refuse."

"Then everyone in this hall," Ken said calmly, "gets to learn exactly who actually stole those herbs."

For the first time, real uncertainty flickered across Wei Zhan's face. The boy standing in front of him no longer looked like easy prey.

He looked like something considerably more dangerous.

After a tense stretch of silence, Wei Zhan let out a short laugh. "Very well. Seven days, Le Ken."

He turned to leave, then paused at the doorway, glancing back one last time. "Do try not to disappoint me, young master."

The doors shut behind him, and the hall exhaled as one.

Le Jin rubbed his temple. "Do you actually have a plan?"

Ken stared toward the closed doors, something cold and focused settling behind his eyes.

"No," he admitted.

Then, after a beat, a slow grin crept in. "But give me seven days. I will make one."

Inside his soul space, Mirinda crossed her arms. "You do seem to have a talent for collecting enemies."

"They keep finding me," Ken said dryly. "I promise I am not actively recruiting them."

She chuckled softly at that, then her expression sobered. "Do you believe he orchestrated this himself?"

"I know he did," Ken said, eyes narrowing.

The real question was proving it in seven days, with no evidence and an old fox who had clearly planned this for weeks.

Standing alone in the emptied hall, one thought settled firmly into place.

The real war with the second elder had finally started.

And this time, neither of them planned on losing.