~What If~

Chapter 10

I gesture to Brother Wei and Lan Wangji to follow me, as we make our way to one of the desks sitting down to watch the trial.

When we had entered the main hall, my brother was already seated at his desk in the front. The desks which were plated with food for lunch had already been cleared out. And all the disciplines were back to work. Guess it had taken us a while with the two messengers.

The disciplines had pushed Xue Yang along and made him kneel at the center of the hall facing my brother.

“You do know that you have killed innocent people and will have a penalty of death, right?” My brother says, crossing his arms over his chest as he glares down at Xue Yang.

“So?” Xue Yang looks up at my brother, smirking.

I see my brother’s face twitch with anger. “You have killed innocent people without batting an eye and still dare to sit there and smile!?” He roars out, his hand slamming his desk with such force that the whole thing shakes.

“Your brother is very scary when angry, Brother Nie.” Brother Wei whispers in my ear, I turn to look at him. “No wonder you are always so scared of him.”

I smile at what he says, he wasn’t wrong. “At least you know now,” I whisper back jokingly before turning my attention back to the trial, Xue Yang was still smiling. Even if I didn’t like him, since he helped Jin Guangyao kill my brother in my past life. I had to admit he was not scared of anything and my brother was something to be scared of.

But I didn’t know if that was bravery or craziness but the look in his eyes told me it was the second option.

My brother takes in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

“I will give you one chance to try to plead yourself as being not guilty of any of these crimes. After that, your verdict will be declared.” He says, still taking deep breaths.

We all fall silent waiting for Xue Yang to plead his case, but it never comes.
He instead laughs, and he laughs so hard there are tears in his eyes.

“Just kill me.” He says, a smirk still grazing his lips. “I plead guilty to all the crimes.” He looks around the main hall more interested in the designs of our main hall than his own trial. “The old farts desrved it.”

I hear my brother's saber, Baxia rattle in its place. I look to see my brother clenching his jaw before he lets Baxia rise out of its stand.

“Fine.”  He says coldly.

Baxia flies through the air and stops at Xue Yang’s neck about to slice right through when I feel Brother Wei get up from my side.

“Stop!” He yells.

My brother snaps out of his anger, looking at Brother Wei in confusion.

“I ask Sect Leader Nie to not kill Xue Yang.” Brother Wei says, bowing to my brother.

My brother raises his eyebrows at the request.

“And why should I not?” My brother asks, his eyes glaring at Xue Yang. “He admits to his crimes and doesn’t have any regrets for what he has done. Why should I not kill him?”

Brother Wei walks towards my brother, glancing at Xue Yang before saying “Even if his crimes cannot be excused, wouldn’t killing him make us just as bad as him?” 

My brother looks at him in surprise. But Brother Wei continues, “taking away a life should not be in our hands. It should happen by itself,” He turns around looking at Xue Yang.

“Even if that person should be given a penalty as worse as death. Life is not something you should control.” He finishes his face had no emotion in it, his gray eyes cold. And for a moment, I remembered the Yiling Patriarch from my past life.