Elena and Michael sat on a bench in the courtyard of the alchemy hall. The sun was setting, and the warm glow of the sky cast a beautiful orange hue on the surrounding buildings.
Elena looked at Michael curiously and asked, "Michael, how did you manage to fix your herb mixture? It was ruined, but then Master Yi praised it as if it was perfect."
Michael smirked and replied, "That's one of my secrets, Elena. Can't give away all my tricks now, can I?"
Elena rolled her eyes and playfully nudged Michael, "Come on, Michael. We're friends, you can tell me."
Michael chuckled and looked at her, "I'll give you a hint. That which flows forward can also flow backwards" he said cryptically.
Blinking twice, Elena resisted the urge to punch Michael in his smiling mouth. "If you don't want to tell me then that's fine." She huffed. To be truthful, she wasn't angry. She was happy that Michael had taken that Randolph down a peg while protecting his status as a servant.
Michael shrugged nonchalantly at the huffing Elena. She already knew one of his secrets that only himself and Archie knew, he wasn't about to divulge the rest like some lovesick puppy.
"Anyway, now that the sideshow is over we have a lot to do." He said matter-of-factly.
"Yes, we need to quickly gather the materials before Randolph can retaliate." Elena nodded faintly.
"Retaliate?" Michael blurted out disbelievingly.
"For someone so smart, how can you be dumb at the same time?" Flummoxed, Elena spat through her teeth. She continued, "Let's say you were in Randolph's shoes and were humiliated by a servant, lost a rank and were admonished by the Alchemy Division's head. Would you look for revenge?"
Archie facepalmed dramatically.
"I just thought he might learn a lesson considering this is the second time he's lost to me in devastating fashion." Michael scratched his head, wondering how someone could be so dumb as to mess with him again.
'Ah, he's got a point' Archie said, nodding in agreeance.
"You have too much faith in others." Elena retorted.
Michael waved her off casually, "If he wants to come back for more, I'll make him pay once again." He said with an air of confidence.
After a few more back and forths they began to look like a quarrelling couple and Archie had to resist the urge to say something about the wonders of youth, lest he get another tongue lashing from his master.
***
Randolph stormed into his residence in the inner sect, his face twisted with fury. The door slammed shut behind him, causing the nearby objects to shake with the force of it. He marched forward, his footsteps heavy and angry, as he made his way to his private study.
Throwing himself into his chair, Randolph slammed his fist onto the table, causing a stack of books to topple over. He ignored them and leaned back in his seat, his breathing ragged.
"How dare he!" he seethed, his eyes blazing with anger. "How dare that insignificant brat humiliate me like that!"
He thought back to the events of the day, replaying the scene over and over again in his mind. The humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Master Yi, the smug looks on Michael's face, and worst of all, the fact that he had been played for a fool.
Randolph gritted his teeth, his hands balling into fists. No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't understand how that bastard had fixed the ruined herb mixture. 'Did he have another set prepared beforehand?' he thought.
'Nonsense, I was keeping an eye on him the entire time.' Shaking his head in frustration, his mind continued to race. He had been so sure of his own superiority, so confident in his abilities, that he still failed to understand how he was beaten.
And now, he was left to stew in his own anger and humiliation, unable to strike back at those who had wronged him. He felt powerless, a feeling that he despised more than anything else in the world.
His reduction in rank was especially heinous, were it not for him second-guessing Master Yi's evaluation of the herbs and therefore not giving him face, he would not have received such a harsh penalty. His face paled as he thought of the punishment that his father would delve out.
His fear turned to anger, remembering the wink Michael sent his way before leaving. He quickly felt his Qi burning to the surface. Thoughts of killing that wretch floated across his mind, however if he were to murder someone, even a servant within the sect, without the proper justification he would be deemed a traitor. Not to mention having the whole sect hunt him down, he could possibly implicate his father and grandfather, ruining all their previous plans.
But he was a patient man, well executed revenge was a dish best served cold. Even if he had to wait a few years until his father became the Sect Master of the Soaring Dragon Palace, it wouldn't be too late to get his revenge.
Better yet, if that servant were to become a cultivator and enter the outer sect he could use his connections to make his life a living hell. Randolph chuckled at the thought of Michael begging at his feet for the torture to stop.
As he was chuckling to himself, the door to his room was slammed open. A man garbed in a flashy silver robe with matching hair colour walked in, seething with anger.
"F-Father" Randolph uttered before quickly dropping to his knees and bowing. "Y-Your son has failed." He stuttered.
Cane strode into the room, his eyes blazing with anger. He looked down at his son, who was bowing before him, and felt a wave of disappointment wash over him.
"Failed?" he repeated. "Is that all you have to say for yourself?"
Randolph dared not lift his head as he replied. "I have brought shame upon our family name. T-That servant, Michael. He saw through my ploy and set me up to fall."
"You can only blame yourself for allowing him to beat you." Cane replied flatly before letting out a deep sigh. "You were always too confident in your own abilities, Randolph. Your arrogance blinded you to the possibility that someone else might be smarter than you."
He stepped closer to his son, his expression stern. "I cannot condone such behaviour. You will go into closed-door cultivation for the next half a year. You will reflect on your actions and come out with a humbler attitude."
Randolph's heart sank at the punishment. Six months of isolation would be a gruelling experience. However, it was more lenient than he expected. He had brought dishonour to his family, and he had to make amends.
"Yes, Father," he said, his voice low. "I will accept your punishment and do my best to improve myself."
Cane nodded, then turned to leave. "Calm your mind and cultivate, I'll keep an eye on the servant boy."
"Thank you, father." Randolph replied.
After the door had closed, it would not be opened for another 6 months.