Under the stares of the 6 seniors he walked forward until he reached just where the closest two elders stood and placed his knee and right fist on the floor with his head bowed.
"Outer Disciple Shu He has come as a response to your summons, Sect Master!" He said, all as a formality, he had learned that he should do this in response to a summons from the sect master herself and certain elders.
"Thank you for coming, you may stand". Rong Jia's calm voice filled the room, easing the stifling atmosphere that was building.
Shu He gladly left his bowing position as he stood up, still trying to maintain a perfectly straight posture.
"It's only been a few months; I hadn't expected to see you here so soon disciple Shu" Su Wen remarked while stroking his moustache that bounced back when he let go.
"…I wasn't expecting to see you here either, Elder Su" Shu He replied with a wry smile, he didn't understand exactly why this selection of elders were here, two he didn't know and the rest he barely interacted with.
He looked over at the zone faced Wu Zhong who chuckled slightly.
"It seems you put that technique you acquired to good use, that last arrow was the best though." He praised Shu He, but his lacking expression made it seem like he was being sarcastic.
"Hm? Wu Zhong you've met Shu He before?" Rong Jia asked with some odd suspicion.
"…" But said person just retained a stone face without speaking.
"You old codger, you've been sneaking away from your work and hiding away in the techniques pavilion again haven't you?" The older man with short grey hair accused him.
"Zhi Wu! You dare accuse me of such a thing!" Wu Zhong's stiff face was filled with as much fake surprise as possible as he yelled back.
"The formation records show him in there multiple times in the past month" The other white haired elder with the long beard and monocle spoke, light flashing in the jade glass covering his eye.
"Da Ru, you betrayed me!" A genuine look of betrayal crossed the elder's face.
"We may be old friends, but I tell no lies before the Sect Master" The bearded man chuckled.
"Vice-Sect Master, you shouldn't be leaving your post to the juniors" Su Wen shook his head in disapproval.
"They do fine without me! Can't an old man get some time alone…" He grumbled; his stone face shattered.
Shu He merely watched this conversation in silent disbelief.
Where was the intense interrogation he expected gone to?
"Seniors, I don't think this is a suitable discussion to have in front of a disciple" The last unspoken person, Mu Kai spoke out with clear sweat dripping from his brow, his face twitching slightly.
The three old men looked at each-other before looking at the sect master and flinching slightly.
"Ahem, of course we will continue this much later. MUCH later" Wu Zong cleared his throat as he shoved the topic aside, a hint of sweat dripping down his face.
Rong Jia sighed slightly as she relaxed her twitching brow before regaining her composure.
"Now then, the reason we called you here should be obvious, no?" She asked Shu He.
"…Because of Jin Bao?" He said, with a slight questioning tone.
The topic was so broad he wasn't actually sure which one they were going to ask about, or all of them.
"He will be part of it, but the topic today is you yourself."
Shu He's brows rose slightly, but it wasn't outside of his expectations.
However the next events were.
"Su Wen, will you please." Rong Jiu gestured Su Wen forward.
He walked out from his position and stood in front of Shu He.
"Disciple Shu He do not panic, what we are doing is a mere necessity". He spoke calmly, but a glint grew in his eyes.
"…Pardon?"
Su Wen made a hand seal and all of a sudden the room lit up with red lights littering the floor and walls.
'What?!' Shu He's pupils dilated, before he could even react the light reached his feet as he looked down, lit beneath his was a large formation circle!
"Wait-" He wanted to stop whatever was happening, he didn't understand why they were using something like this on him! But there was no chance.
*CLANK* *RATTLE*
Chains shot out of the glowing lines, wrapping around Shu He's limbs and pulling him to the ground in a kneeling posture.
'I can't move!' It wasn't just the chains restricting his movement, it was like he had lost control of his body itself.
'Why?!' He wanted to yell, but he couldn't even speak.
"Shu He, calm yourself, we will do no harm as long as you don't intend to harm the sect" Rong Jia's voice echoed in the room and into his mind.
'But…' He stopped for a moment and then he gave up trying to resist.
He couldn't do anything, and if what she was saying was true, he would be fine.
But he will still have complaints about this treatment afterwards!
He gazed in his still body as Su Wen, the elder saw that calm has quickly returned to his eyes and nodded.
"Good, now I will give you the chance to speak soon, I will ask you some questions however you may answer only 'Yes' and 'No' unless I state otherwise., your treatment from now on will depend on your answers."
'So it's an interrogation in the literal sense' Shu He felt his throat being to dry a little, while he hadn't expected a joyful discussion, being restrained like this rubbed him the wrong way.
"First, you were born in Green-gate village to your father Shu Li and your mother Shu An, correct?"
The first question already made him panic, he assumed they would have a way of telling he was lying so this question was problematic, because his answer was both Yes and No! He was born once in another world after all!
However he had no way out, he could only be truthful to this life and hope that doesn't screw him over.
"Yes"
"…"
Nothing happened, giving him a bit of internal relief.
"Approximately seven years ago now there was a murder in said village, that man when by the name of 'Hoaxi', do you remember this?"
"Yes"
'It was what led to my first discovery of cultivators after all'.
"Did you also know that 'Haoxi' was connected to the black sects?"
A slightly shock passed Shu He's mind, he didn't know this at all, but maybe that explained why he was killed in the first place.
"No" He answered, with a slightly shaky voice.
Su Wen saw some of his shock through his twitching expression.
"He was mortal but made money by smuggling goods and joining bandit groups, many of those jobs were from some of the black sects" He explained.
"Is it true that you started cultivating without any outside help?"
"Yes"
It was a simple answer for him unless that scripture counted as help.
Su Wen nodded at his answer.
"A while before our sect's group arrived, another sect sent an envoy to retrieve a disciple, did you make contact with them?"
"Yes".
'Dong Jie, the first cultivator I ever met'.
"Did you, in any way shape or form, promise or make a contract to join the Trembling Earth Sect, or accept a token from them?".
"No".
"Do you know Cao Meili?"
'?! Why is her name coming up all of a sudden?'
He hadn't thought about her in years, her nor Huo Da who went with her.
He suddenly remembered that he promised the old man Cao Yang to visit him when he had the chance, maybe he'll be able to when he can leave the sect on missions.
"Yes"
"You do, hmm? Not surprising since you were in the same village…" Su Wen murmured to himself.
"Before the beast tide descended on Green-Gate, did you have any knowledge of it before our envoys informed you".
"No"
'I see where this is going now'.
He relaxed; he knew he wasn't in any danger.
"During the meeting you requested one of our three disciples to stay behind and protect the village, did you have any malicious intentions in doing so".
"No."
"Did you know there would be an attack on the lone disciple during the villages assault?"
"No"
They were making absolutely sure that he wasn't connected to any of the black sect's plans or events.
As sickening as Shu He felt it was of being accused of these things, he understood why they were asking, he was quite a suspicious person from their side after all, a child in the boons of nowhere learned cultivation, survived an event that killed hundreds and lived through the assault of a high-level cultivator, not just that…
"Did you ever meet Tai Hui before that day?"
"No"
"Did you know beforehand about your father's connection to Tai Hui?"
"No"
"Do you know what this is?" He held up his hand and in it was a small vial, one Shu He recognised all too well.
It was the very vial his father had taken the World Devouring Elixir from! Or at least, one of the same shape.
"Yes"
"Do you know where your Father received the Elixir from?"
"No"
It was one of the mysteries he thought about till this day.
"Is it true that both your father and mother, Shu Li and Shu An died that day?"
"Yes"
'…' Even his thoughts were silent at this point.
"Do you remember how Tai Min was defeated?"
"Yes"
He remembered putting everything in to one final arrow to hurt Tai Min, and then he heard the sound a sword ringing as it pierced Tai Min through, but he fainted soon after.
"Then, did you kill Tai Min?"
'Huh? Of course I didn't'
"No"
"…" Su Wen paused as he looked back at the sect master before he continued questioning.
"You spent 3 years in Orefine, did you make contact with any other cultivation sect, organisation or such while you were there?"
"No"
"When you took the Steps of Ascension exam, you reached the end; Did you use unfair tactics to succeed?"
"No"
"In the 5 Elements test, there was an anomaly for a short moment, were you the cause?"
'Fuck, it wasn't my fault the gold flame acted on its own!' He thought to himself, but he knew it was basically his fault, so he had to answer.
"…Yes"
Su Wen frowned.
"Did you alter the results of the test in any way?"
"No"
"Was the action intended be damage the formation, or be malicious in any way?"
"No"
Su Wen paused and tapped his finger repeatedly.
"Speak freely, what was it then?"
Shu He sighed, finally he can say something else for a second.
"It was because of something I can't quite control yet; it wasn't intentional nor was there any meaning behind the event" He said, then he suddenly felt like he couldn't speak freely again.
"I see…" Su Wen looked up at the sect master again who then nodded to him.
"Did you know who Jin Bao was before you met him at the Entertainment District?"
'Here we go' The questions he was waiting for were here.
"No"
"Did you know about Jin Bao's actions between that first meeting and the tournament?"
"No"
'What did he do? Actually never mind I think I'll be fine not knowing'.
"Witnesses said you were agitated after seeing him fight in his first round, did you notice something about him that was off?"
"Yes"
"Was that the first time you noticed?"
"Yes"
"You didn't report it to any Elders, was it because you were unsure?"
"Yes"
'And now, the questions I wanted to avoid'.
"During the fight, we disabled the formations and yet you showed no signs of stopping, why was that?"
Shu He glanced at the sect master; he could say he thought she was telling him he couldn't but that would just be an excuse.
"I… was angry at my opponent, for using such a thing, for bringing up those bad memories; I thought it was something I had to do".
"Such a thing? Do you know what that was?"
"No".
"And yet, you seemed to understand what it was clearly?"
"…"
Shu He couldn't answer this one, he could see what it was, feel what It was, but he didn't understand it at all, just that he reviled its existence.
"Let's move on, in that fight you killed Jin Bao who was a disciple of this sect, did you do that full well knowing the rules?"
"Yes"
"Why?"
"… He was no longer just Jin Bao, that thing shouldn't exist, near the end Jin Bao was already gone",
Su Wen's eyebrow rose.
"Shouldn't exist you say… I see"
"Then, a couple questions to finish off".
'Here it is…' He could guess what it would be about.
"Do you, or have you at any point had any malicious intentions towards the Titanic Steel Sect?"
'…Huh?' Shu He was dazed for a moment, this was not the question he was expecting.
"No…?" He answered, confused.
"Have you ever worked with someone that had malicious intentions towards the Titanic Steel Sect or did something on behalf of someone with such intentions, or ever plan to do either?".
"No".
Those were simple questions for him.
"Good" Su Wen clapped, and the formation lights dimmed, Shu He felt his body become free again as he fell forward slightly before bracing himself and picking himself up.
He stood up, brushing his clothes, though this room didn't have an ounce of dust or dirt to get on them, his expression was tinged with confusion.
Su Wen stepped back into his previous position.
"You look confused" Rong Jia stood up and walked in front of him.
"I… was expecting some more questions I guess" He spoke honestly.
"Those secrets of yours, are yours alone as long as your are our disciple, the only thing that matters to us is that you aren't our enemy". She smiled a rare smile.
"Unless you have something you're hiding that could be a threat to us." Her smile continued but her kind words didn't.
"I have no such thing" Shu He knew she was merely joking, but he answered clearly and cleanly, he wanted no misunderstandings here.
"Then, as an apology for putting you through all this we shall be promoting you to an Inner Disciple".
She spoke casually like she hadn't said anything important.
"Oh, okay…. Wait, what?" Shu He accepted it before his brain managed to catch up because of the sect master's casual tone.
"Pardon?"