The broken door was still trembling against the wall when the elder stepped fully into the room.
He was tall, broad-shouldered despite his age, with iron-gray hair tied neatly behind his back and robes dark enough to make the chamber seem filthier by contrast. The disgust on his face deepened with every step he took inside, as if the floor itself had offended him personally.
Jun Jie recognized him at once.
Elder Han.
Inner court elder. One of the few people in the sect who had long since stopped pretending patience was still possible.
For a few breaths, neither of them spoke.
Elder Han took in the bed, the scattered tissues, the overturned stool, the stale air trapped inside the room for days, and whatever fragile thread had kept his temper from snapping finally gave way.
"You locked yourself in here for seven days."
His voice was low, each word pressed flat by anger he had already repeated too many times in his head.
"Seven."
Jun Jie said nothing.
Elder Han pointed at the floor with a sharp movement of his sleeve. "Do you even understand what kind of disgrace this is? The servants were too afraid to force the door. The disciples were whispering outside. The entire sect knew something shameful was happening before the third day, and by the fifth, even the outer court was making jokes."
Jun Jie kept his face calm, though inwardly he was already tired.
'This body really did build itself an empire of humiliation.'
[An impressive one.]
He almost reacted to the voice, caught himself, and kept his expression blank.
Elder Han continued, each sentence growing colder. "I am tired of you, Jun Jie. Tired of your arrogance. Tired of your waste. Tired of the way you drag the sect's name through mud every time you open your mouth, and now every time you close a door."
His jaw tightened. "Get dressed. You are coming with me."
"Where."
"To the council hall."
That answer carried enough weight to sober even the room.
"All eight elders are present," Elder Han said. "The Patriarch is waiting as well."
His father.
Jun Jie felt the memories stir again, not gently. A man of enormous presence. Iron Blood Body Sect Patriarch. Powerful, feared, respected. A father who had once tried to indulge his only son, and in return had watched that son become the greatest stain on the sect's name.
'That meeting is not going to be pleasant.'
[No.]
[On the bright side, public humiliation appears to be a recurring tradition for this body.]
Jun Jie went to the wardrobe without protest. That alone made Elder Han narrow his eyes, as if obedience from him were suspicious by nature.
He pulled out a dark robe, shook it open, and put it on with quick, efficient movements. The room was still a disaster, but that no longer mattered. The elder had already seen enough to remember it for the rest of his life.
When Jun Jie tied the belt at his waist and turned around, Elder Han watched him for a moment longer than expected.
"You seem quieter."
Jun Jie met his stare without lowering his head. "Would you prefer I embarrass myself a little more before the meeting?"
Elder Han's expression did not change. "Whatever performance you are planning, save it. It will not help you."
'Performance?'
'He really thinks I'm about to get dragged there and beg.'
[That would be consistent with previous behavior.]
Jun Jie walked past him. "Lead the way."
That answer seemed to irritate Elder Han even more.
They stepped into the corridor together.
The difference struck him at once. The room had felt sealed off from the world, stale and filthy in a way only a week of locked doors and bad habits could achieve. Outside, the sect breathed again. Disciples crossed the courtyards in training uniforms darkened by sweat. Wooden buckets knocked softly against stone. From somewhere farther away came the steady ring of metal and the dull impact of bodies colliding in practice.
And the moment people saw him, the air changed.
Two maids approaching with folded cloth froze so abruptly one nearly dropped what she was carrying. Another girl farther down the hall stiffened as though icy water had gone down her spine. One servant lowered her head so fast it was almost a flinch. Another stepped aside and pressed herself against the wall to let him pass, her face tight in a way that had nothing to do with respect.
Jun Jie felt it immediately.
The discomfort. The fear. The disgust they were trying and failing to hide.
His brows drew together.
'What exactly did this man do for that to happen?'
[Many things.]
Jun Jie's steps did not stop yet. His attention remained on the corridor ahead.
[Here are some examples.]
[Entering the women's bath naked.]
[Spying while they were changing.]
[Trying to bribe a maid into delivering a love letter and sending it to the wrong disciple.]
[Following female disciples after curfew.]
[Boasting publicly about things that should have stayed private.]
Jun Jie slowed by half a step.
His face went still.
A breath later, he turned his attention inward.
'...Wait.'
He kept walking beside Elder Han, but his expression changed.
'How have you been answering everything I've been saying?'
[Because you were thinking it.]
Jun Jie stared straight ahead.
'You can read my thoughts now?'
[Yes.]
[I updated the synchronization after binding.]
A new blue panel flashed across his vision.
[Current currency [-20.000]]
Jun Jie stopped dead.
Elder Han turned sharply, his face hardening at once. "No."
His voice cracked through the corridor like a whip.
"This time you are not escaping."
Jun Jie looked from the elder to the glowing number hanging in front of him.
Negative twenty thousand.
For a moment, even the shame of the corridor lost to the sheer violence of that figure.
'How am I already in debt?'
[Binding cost.]
[Cross-world synchronization.]
[Administrative unit activation.]
[You are welcome.]
Jun Jie said nothing.
He was still staring when Elder Han took one step closer, clearly taking his silence for resistance.
"You will walk to that hall even if I have to drag you myself."
Jun Jie exhaled once through his nose, tore his attention away from the panel, and resumed walking.
'This body is ruined, his reputation is filth, and now I'm broke across dimensions.'
[Your new life has begun with admirable momentum.]