Chapter 53: A World Upended

"NO!" Wu Ling shouted, dropping the identity token and staring at his mother in horror. "No, they can't! Mother, how could you let them?"

"Relax Ling'er," Wu Ningli said, gesturing for her son to return to his seat. "Hall Master has no intention of turning you into a eunuch. She wants the power of that manual at her command and she's afraid that harming you would impair your ability to use it," she explained.

"Whether she's right or not, it provides a shield for you. Her only requirement is that when you visit the sect, you do so as you are now so that you don't draw attention to what you alone among male disciples have been allowed to keep."