The Ashen Healer

Chapter 1

The air in the Judgment Hall was hot and thick. It smelled of old wood, burning incense, and the sweat of a thousand people.

The hall was usually big enough for everyone, but today, it felt small. It was overcrowded. Every disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect was there. They stood shoulder to shoulder. They filled the back of the room. They squeezed into the corners. They hung over the railings of the upper balconies.

Everyone wanted to see the show.

High above the crowd, on a raised platform made of black stone, sat the Elders. There were twelve of them. They wore robes of dark blue and silver. Their faces were like stone masks. They did not smile. They did not frown. They simply looked down, like gods looking at an insect.

In the center of the room, far below the Elders, was Evans.

Evans was on his knees. The floor was made of cold, grey stone, but under his knees, a red circle glowed. It was the Sigil of Judgment. It was a magic circle used for criminals.

Evans was not a criminal. He was a healer. Or, he used to be.

Heavy chains made of black iron were wrapped around his wrists. The chains were not just heavy; they were magic. They were "suppression chains." They stopped his internal energy, his Qi, from moving. Without his Qi, Evans felt weak. He felt like a normal human, not a cultivator. The chains felt like ice against his skin.

He looked up. His neck hurt. He tried to find a friendly face in the crowd.

He saw faces he knew. He saw disciples he had laughed with. He saw juniors he had helped practice martial arts. But nobody looked him in the eye. They looked at the floor. They looked at the ceiling. They whispered behind their hands.

"Is it true?" one disciple whispered.

"It must be true," another answered. "The Elders never make mistakes."

"But Evans saved my brother's leg last winter," the first one said.

"Shh! Do you want to be next?"

Evans swallowed. His throat was dry. He wanted to scream that he was innocent. But he knew he had to wait.

Elder Blackwood stood up. He was the oldest Elder. He had a long white beard and eyes that looked like a hawk’s eyes. He held a scroll in his hand.

He opened the scroll. The sound of the paper unrolling was loud in the silent hall.

"Evans," Elder Blackwood said. His voice was deep. It echoed off the walls. "You are brought here today to answer for your crimes."

"I have committed no crimes," Evans said. His voice was shaky. He coughed and tried again, louder. "I have committed no crimes, Elder."

"Silence!" Elder Blackwood shouted. The air in the room vibrated. Evans felt a heavy weight push down on his shoulders. It was the Elder’s power. It forced Evans’s head down.

"We will read the charges," the Elder said. "Charge one: Theft of sect resources. Charge two: Malpractice on junior disciples. Charge three: Corruption of the Healer’s Code."

Evans’s eyes widened. Theft? Corruption? This was madness.

"Bring the first witness," Elder Blackwood commanded.

The crowd parted. A young man walked forward. He walked with a limp. He looked nervous. He kept rubbing his hands together.

Evans recognized him immediately. It was Chen.

Three months ago, Chen had been bitten by a Fire-Venom Snake during a hunt. The venom was deadly. It burned the blood. No other healer wanted to help Chen because he was poor. He couldn't pay. Evans had used his own rare herbs. He had stayed up for three nights, feeding Chen medicine drop by drop. He had saved Chen’s life.

Evans smiled weakly at Chen. Tell them, Evans thought. Tell them I saved you.

Chen stood on the witness spot. He did not look at Evans. He looked at Elder Blackwood.

"State your name and your story," the Elder said.

"I am Chen," the boy said. His voice trembled. "Three months ago, I was poisoned."

"And did the accused, Evans, treat you?"

"Yes," Chen said.

"And what happened?"

Chen took a deep breath. He looked at the Elders, then quickly at Evans. In Chen's eyes, Evans saw fear. Pure fear.

"He... he treated me," Chen stammered. "But he used a forbidden technique. He used my body to test a new poison. He said... he said if I lived, I would owe him ten spirit stones every month for the rest of my life. He didn't cure me for free. He made me a slave to debt."

Evans gasped. "Chen! That’s a lie! I used the Spirit Cooling Grass to save you! I never asked for money!"

"The records show," Elder Blackwood interrupted, "that the Spirit Cooling Grass was missing from the inventory. You stole it. And you used it to experiment on a junior. Is this true, Witness Chen?"

"Yes," Chen whispered. "My blood still burns sometimes. It was an experiment."

"Liar!" Evans pulled at his chains. The iron clanked loudly. "I saved your life! You were dying! The burning is the remnant of the snake venom, not my medicine!"

"Next witness!" Elder Blackwood roared. He did not care about Evans’s outburst.

Chen hurried away. He disappeared into the crowd.

The next witness was a girl named Sarah. She was young, with long black hair. Evans had treated her for a fever that wouldn't break. It was a simple cold, but dangerous for a young cultivator.

She stood before the Elders. She was crying.

"He came to my room at night," Sarah sobbed. "He said he needed to check my temperature. He said he needed to check my energy flow. But... he touched me. He lingered too long. He said it was for healing, but his eyes... they were not the eyes of a healer."

The crowd gasped. A low murmur of anger went through the room.

"Disgusting," someone shouted.

"No!" Evans yelled. He felt tears in his own eyes now. "Sarah, you had the Night-Sweat Fever! I had to check your meridians every hour or your heart would have stopped! I saved you!"

"You took advantage of a sick girl!" Elder Blackwood slammed his hand on the armrest of his stone chair. BOOM. The sound was like thunder.

"It is technically true that you were in her room at night, is it not?" the Elder asked.

"Yes, but—"

"And it is true you touched her body to check her energy?"

"Yes, but that is how healing works!" Evans pleaded.

"Guilty of improper conduct," the Elder declared. "Your defense is dismissed."

"You are twisting everything!" Evans looked around the room. He looked at the faces of the disciples. "Don't you see? They are leaving out the context! They are lying by omission!"

Nobody listened. The twisting of the truth was perfect. Chen did have burning blood. Evans did take the herb without signing the paper because there was no time. Evans was in Sarah’s room at night.

The facts were true. The story was false.

Witness after witness came forward.