"A student may never repay their master," Su Xiang said, having spent much of the night thinking about how she would answer this question. She knew in her bones the answer the sect wanted from her. They wanted her to commit to using her gifts, if not in the Light of Inquisition than in the Hall of Radiance. It was an answer she refused to give them.
"Knowledge is priceless. The Shining Blade Hall has given me not just knowledge but life and cultivation as well. These are debts that cannot be 'repaid' by any method," she explained, choosing her words with care. "As a disciple, I will assist the sect in giving to others what it has given to me. When my cultivation advances, I will mentor those who follow after me. When the sect is attacked, I will raise my sword to defend it. These are some of the many ways that a disciple repays a portion of what they owe to the sect."
"Disciple Bo, she may have the remainder of the tea and the congee," her mother said, accepting the answer even though it wasn't the one the sect wanted her to give. There was still, after all, another chance. "Disciple Su, you may sit while you eat. When you are finished with the congee, you will explain to me how you will make the best use of your specific gifts to repay your debts to the sect," Qing Zhen commanded, clamping down firmly on the words she wanted to add to that.
A disciple wasn't a slave. They shouldn't be forced into any service that was against their convictions. Qing Zhen desperately wanted to reassure her daughter that her answers were her own, intended to help her discover her own truth, but the moment she said that, Disciple Bo would run with her words to Elder Chengfa and things would only become worse.
Su Xiang wasted no time, all but snatching the bowl of Congee from Disciple Bo before taking several stiff steps to lean against the wall while she drank the cool porridge. She doubted that she possessed the strength to bend her knees and take a seat on the floor without falling over and even if she did, she was certain that she lacked the strength to stand again.
Leaning against the wall gave her just enough support to relax while she gulped down the only real food she'd been given since her first day in the Tower of Illumination. Once she finished the thin congee, she gulped down more of the weak tea before returning to the center of the room to face her mother.
"Have you considered your answer?"
"I have Redeemer Qing," Su Xiang said firmly. The Congee might not have been warm enough to help her ward off the chill that had penetrated to her very bones but it had given her a surge of welcome energy. Standing in the center of the room, she stood up as straight as she could, head held high and sapphire eyes unwavering as she gave her final answer.
"The Shining Blade Hall is a beacon in the darkness of a world where strength is frequently the only law. We uphold Virtue wherever we stand. To me, nothing is more precious than the bonds formed by love, whether between husbands and wives, close kin or with one's own parents," she continued, somewhat more sharply than she intended. "I wield my sword to protect those bonds, wherever I stand."
"I'm disappointed Disciple Su," her mother said in a voice colder than the chunks of ice on the floor. "You've stated an ideal, not a method. Inquisitors seek out criminals and those who would cause chaos, eliminating threats to the common good. Justicars hold out justice and wield their swords to ensure fairness in the judgment of those who have done wrong."
"Even the Redeemers who help to rehabilitate those who have only strayed slightly from the path of a good and decent life could make use of your gifts to see the truth of a person's heart and know if they have been Redeemed," her mother continued sharply. "Instead of committing to any of these concrete paths, you instead spout grand ideals about a sword that protects the bonds of love."
"There are orders dedicated to the Virtues of Truth, Justice, Salvation and Purity," Su Xiang said defiantly. "It takes no thought to serve within such an order. Dedication to a Virtue is a matter for Warriors and I'm not yet a Soldier. I have time to find my path forward before making this decision," she insisted.
"This is Truth. To force a Brawler to make a decision that must be made by late-stage Soldiers in order to become Warriors isn't Justice. My answer is appropriate for where I stand. In time, I will improve my answer, but it is my right to take that time," Su Xiang said firmly, her sapphire eyes blazing with defiance directed not at her mother but at the other disciple in the room.
"Willful disobedience!" Qing Zhen shouted. "The punishment for willful disobedience is ten lashes of the cane. Disciple Bo," she said, turning a cold gaze on the young disciple still holding a tray with a boiled egg and what remained of the weak tea. "It is not appropriate for a male disciple to watch a female disciple while she is caned. While I administer her punishment, you will fetch another block of ice, this time, you will also bring an iron rod. Go."
"Redeemer Qing," the young disciple protested. "I've been ordered to remain by your side while you work with Disciple Su. I can't…"
"Disobeying the orders of a Senior in the pursuit of her duties, the punishment is twenty lashes," Qing Zhen said in a tone as firm as steel and sharp as the edge of her sword. "You have two breaths to follow my orders or I will administer your punishment publicly."
"Disciple hears and obeys," the young man said, hurriedly bowing and rushing from the room.
It was several breaths after the door closed before Su Xiang's mother stepped close enough to her daughter to reach out and place hands on her shoulders. "Xiang'er, mother is proud of you," she said softly. "Your Uncle Jixin and Brother Ling have a plan, your father and I will ensure that you walk out of here at the end of your five days. For now, please endure. I love you," she finished in a whisper.
"I know," Su Xiang answered, her sapphire eyes watering with tears as she saw the truth in her mother's words. "I love you too, Mother," she said before turning around and preparing to receive the strikes of her mother's cane. The punishment could be called capricious and excessive, but for the few moments alone with her mother that it afforded her, she welcomed every blow, no matter how much it hurt.
Love was her Virtue and the bond she held with her parents wasn't so fragile as to be shattered by the machinations of ambitious or frightened elders. For now, she could only endure, but the day would come when she could do more…