XUE ZHENGYONG stood with the Sisheng Peak disciples and elders inside Loyalty Hall, eyeing their unwelcome visitors.
It seemed the great sects had reached a consensus: Even Jiang Xi, arguably more reasonable than the rest, stood among their ranks. The prospect of challenging another sect brought him no joy, but given his position as leader of the sects, he had little choice. This matter was too grave, and too much evidence had emerged against Sisheng Peak over the past few days.
On the other side of the hall, the Sisheng Peak disciples were none too happy themselves. They'd been run ragged over the last week putting out fires, only to now face accusations that they'd been concealing malicious intentions all along. It didn't help that the upper cultivation realm had come charging in with fiery accusations, prepared to doubt their every word. As the conversation continued, the atmosphere grew thick with tension.
"Let me repeat myself," said Xue Zhengyong. "Sisheng Peak did not knowingly give Mo Ran any forbidden technique scrolls, nor encourage his pursuit of the forbidden techniques, nor secretly practice the Zhenlong Chess Formation. And we sure as hell weren't trying to use those techniques to take over the cultivation realm. Yuheng and Mo Ran aren't even here right now. Please be reasonable."
Out of all the sects of the upper cultivation realm, Bitan Manor and Jiangdong Hall had the deepest grudges against Sisheng Peak. The hundred or so members of Jiangdong Hall that remained after the fiasco on Mount Jiao had publicly renounced Huang Xiaoyue, but deep down, their allegiances had never left their sect leader. They exchanged darting glances, and one person sneered, "Easy for you to say, Xue-zhangmen. You claim Sisheng Peak's innocence, yet the pile of evidence against you grows by the day. Appearances can be deceiving. Who knows what you guys are really up to?"
"That's right."
"All the Zhenlong chess pieces that have been caught wreaking havoc in the cultivation realm have turned out to be people from Sisheng Peak. Coincidence? I think not."
"You know what I find strange?" a Bitan Manor member chimed in. "Sisheng Peak has gone on countless exorcism missions in the lower cultivation realm over the past two decades, fighting to secure the most arduous and tedious jobs and rarely demanding payment. Once or twice, sure—I'd buy that they're doing it out of altruism. But for twenty years? Isn't that kind of absurd?"
"My brother and I built this sect from the ground up to help the common people in the lower cultivation realm!" Xue Zhengyong snapped. "My conscience is clear; I've always lived by my principles."
"Your principles?" The Bitan Manor member sneered. "Xue Zhengyong and his principles produced a disciple who practices the forbidden techniques and a zongshi who murdered innocent men and women to free him. Xue-zhangmen, both these evildoers came from Sisheng Peak, yet you have the gall to speak of your principles?"
"That's right," someone agreed, scoffing. "What a pretty speech by Xue Zhengyong. 'Help the common people'? There's no one on earth who would do good deeds without any expectation of reward for twenty whole years. He's got to have some ulterior motive!"
"And then there's the matter of that huge wave of unidentifiable pawns that appeared out of nowhere. They couldn't have been made overnight. Who knows, perhaps when Sisheng Peak was going around performing exorcisms and such over these past few years, they were secretly amassing an army of pawns…"
Xue Meng, listening in, had had enough with this last slanderous statement. He shot to his feet and unsheathed his blade, sending his cup clattering to the floor. "Are you done running your bloody mouths?"
His words were met with silence. He raked his eyes over the assembly, gaze murderous. "Spreading rumors amongst yourselves is one thing, but to bring this dog shit here to Sisheng Peak? You've got some fucking nerve!"
Jiangdong Hall was a sect on its last legs, and the recent loss of so many of its senior members had left its newly elected leader at something of a loss. This new leader was a maiden no older than seventeen, with nothing going for her besides her good looks; she'd relied on the affections of her shixiong to raise her to her current position. The young lady was not only ignorant of etiquette, but also shallow and immature, and presumed everyone she met was as susceptible to her coquetry as her own unfortunate sectmates.
"Ziming-gege, don't be mad," she said, smiling coyly. When Xue Meng didn't reply, she continued, "It spoils your good looks when you scowl like that."
This elicited a scattering of snickers. Despite the tense atmosphere, several cultivators were unable to contain their reactions. Sect members from Huohuang Pavilion and Taxue Palace stared at this so-called sect leader as they might an imbecile.
The young lady, under the misapprehension that she would be universally adored by all men, raised her chin to bare her snow-white neck and declared, "If you feel you've faced some injustice, why not talk about it peaceably? As long as you're reasonable, under my leadership, the ten great sects of the upper cultivation realm will treat you fairly."
At this, even the sect leaders who'd remained stoic could no longer hold back. Taobao Estate's Ma Yun, being a merchant with a mind for math, let out a startled "Pardon? How many great sects of the upper cultivation realm? Ten, you say?"
Taxue Palace's palace leader, Ming Yuelou, replied expressionlessly, "She miscounted. Ignore her."
"Ah, got it." The easy-going Ma Yun subsided with a smile.
The expressions on Wubei Temple's Master Xuanjing, as well as the elders of Huohuang and Shangqing Pavilions, were not nearly so equanimous. Yet however dark the expressions on the other sect leaders' faces, they couldn't hold a candle to Jiang Xi's. Though he didn't say a word, the girl's declaration of under my leadership had clearly gotten under his skin. He fidgeted with his sect leader's ring and eyed her dourly.
The girl was still going, completely oblivious. "Let's all take a moment to talk things over calmly. We can take turns saying our piece and then circle back—wouldn't that be nice?"
Sparks practically flew from Xue Meng's reply: "Circle your ass back home if you want to talk! Sichuan is no place for silly girls like you!"
Startled tears welled up in the young lady's eyes, and she turned back to her da-shixiong and da-shishu with a sniffle. "He—he's being so mean—he scolded me." The rest came out between sobs. "I was just talking; why's he being so fierce…"
Jiang Xi, Ming Yuelou, and Master Xuanjing watched the spectacle in silence. One member of the audience murmured under their breath, "Jiangdong Hall is really done for."
"Who's this little chit? She can't compare to Huang Xiaoyue."
Mei Hanxue was also in attendance; on hearing this, he rubbed his nose and said with a smile, "Not true. The young lady certainly beats Huang Xiaoyue in looks."
The foolish girl's crying sent her Jiangdong Hall shixiong into a tizzy. One young man, more naïve than the rest, fished out a handkerchief for her to wipe her face, then turned icily to Xue Meng. "Behavior truly befitting the disciple of Chu-zongshi and the cousin of Mo Ran."
The topic of Chu Wanning and Mo Ran was a sore point for Xue Meng, one not to be brought up. Xue Meng narrowed his eyes dangerously. But the fellow continued, laying a deep, sarcastic emphasis on each word. "Disciple to a criminal and cousin to a murderer, yet you have the gall to strut around like you're so magnificent?"
The words had hardly left his mouth when Longcheng flashed, its point coming to rest at the young man's throat. Silence fell over the hall.
The fellow had never expected Xue Meng to threaten him so directly with that cold, glinting blade. The equally frigid look in Xue Meng's eyes sent his reason fleeing, and his face paled as his mouth opened and closed around words he no longer dared to say.
"That's right. I'm magnificent. You're saying I'm not?" Xue Meng's hand trembled with the force of his rage, and the tip of his blade, pressed to the man's neck, broke skin. "What about you? Who the hell are you to come to Sisheng Peak and talk shit to me like this?"
The sight of Xue Meng's naked anger conversely calmed Xue Zhengyong. He said heavily, "Sit down, Meng-er."
Xue Meng turned and shot back, "Am I supposed to let them keep slandering us like this?!"
Xue Zhengyong looked back at him helplessly.
Xue Meng's gaze swung to scrutinize each gossipmonger individually. His chest heaved, and when he opened his mouth to speak, his voice shook with anger despite his efforts to keep it steady. "Unbelievable. Sisheng Peak has never acted unjustly; we've always sent our disciples rushing at any sign of trouble. Why do you think we went through all that trouble? For fame? For money? For forbidden techniques?"
The chilly glare from Longcheng shimmered in the air. "Honored cultivators and sect leaders," he gritted out with red-rimmed eyes, tearing into the gathered audience's self-important posturing: "Let me ask you: Twenty years ago, when Wuchang Town was nearly overrun by ghosts, where were you? Fifteen years ago, when there was a Heavenly Rift over Sichuan that left nine out of ten houses grieving, where were you? Three years ago, when the barrier over Butterfly Town once again tore open and swarms of demons forced the common people from their homes to wander the land, starving—once again, where were you?"
There was a watery sheen to his gaze, but his voice was unyielding, adamant in its intensity. "Over the years, the lower cultivation realm has sent plea after plea for help, has begged you all to lift one finger in aid, to no avail. How much did Rufeng Sect charge for their exorcism services? The refugees of the lower cultivation realm can hardly afford food to put on their tables, let alone the services of such honorable cultivators as yourselves."
These words seemed to hit home. Several of the listeners bowed their heads in consideration. Yet others were all too willing to lay the blame at Rufeng Sect's feet and wasted no time jabbering, "That's right! Rufeng Sect was heartless, but that's got nothing to do with us. My sect only charges a few hundred silver for exorcism services. Young Master Xue is painting us all with too broad a brush with these accusations."
"Right. A few hundred silver," Xue Meng sneered. "Daozhang, have you ever visited a Sichuan village before?"
The naysayer could not muster a reply.
"Go take a look at the southern regions of Sichuan. See for yourself what Fengdu Ghost City is like, what's left at the base of Mount Emei. Then talk to me about a few hundred silver."
"Young Master Xue. This humble one knows you hold pain and suffering in your heart." Master Xuanjing sighed with regret, yet his next few words undermined his brief show of sympathy. "But the fact remains that Sisheng Peak has produced a disciple who pursued the forbidden techniques—not to mention an elder who, in order to protect him, broke him out of Tianyin Pavilion's sentencing grounds and killed eleven of their cultivators in the process. Sisheng Peak must answer for these two wrongdoers' misdeeds."
Xue Meng was furious, his scowl so dark it was like a thundercloud on his brow. "Did the master not see with his own eyes how many Tianyin Pavilion members there were on that platform? They were attacking with deadly force! Was Shizun supposed to sit there and wait to be killed?!"
A bystander immediately pounced on the implication hidden in his impulsive outburst. "Oh? So Young Master Xue thinks Chu Wanning and Mo Ran were right to resist Tianyin Pavilion?"
"Making excuses for a murderer—the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"
"It's inexcusable. Sisheng Peak is beyond saving; it has to go."
This last line was too much for Xue Zhengyong; fury pulsed through him, making his injury flare with pain. He clenched his fist and endured the agony before fixing his gaze on the speaker, expression dark. "Surely you jest."
"It's no jest."
Xue Zhengyong's eyes narrowed, and he slowly turned to face the source of the voice. "Jiang Xi."
Jiang Xi had not participated in the smear campaign, but neither had he spoken up in support of Sisheng Peak. He stood in the hall, inscrutable in his pale green robes embroidered with silver pollia flowers. In truth, he had no desire to wade into this muddy discourse, but if he didn't speak now, the situation would only escalate. He raised his eyes to meet Xue Zhengyong's. "According to the cultivation world's rules, if a disciple studies the forbidden techniques, it doesn't matter if they learned it in secret. The failure lies with the sect for their negligence in failing to teach the disciple better."
Xue Zhengyong's face went deathly pale.
"To prevent further trouble," Jiang Xi continued, "once it's been discovered, it's expected the sect will take immediate measures to denounce the disciple and detain them. Surely Xue-zhangmen is not unaware of this."
He was aware. But although it was true that the rule existed, it hadn't been enforced in centuries, if ever. How many disciples did the average sect have? There was no way to keep an eye on every single one at all times. Whether Rufeng or Guyueye, Wubei Temple or Shangqing Pavilion, no sect could confidently say they'd never produced one or two disciples who'd attempted the forbidden techniques. Master Huaizui was well-known for his mastery of the Rebirth technique—yet would anybody go up to Wubei Temple and demand their abbot step down? The rule was frankly meant more as a deterrent than a law in the true sense of the word. Yet now this almost forgotten decree was being wielded to bludgeon Sisheng Peak while they were down. These cultivators feared Sisheng Peak was plotting some dark conspiracy, and had reached for this obscure rule to force the sect into dissolution.
Xue Zhengyong was silent, but his expression was dark as he glared at Jiang Xi like a lone wolf surrounded on all sides. After a moment, he asked Jiang Xi, "Don't you find this absurd?"
"I do. But the rules are clear—my hands are tied."
"Rules." Xue Zhengyong scoffed. His fingers kneaded at the sculpted beasts on the armrests of his sect leader's seat as he closed his eyes and sighed. "For twenty years, the upper cultivation realm has had the final say on how strictly or leniently the rules are enforced. Nothing's changed."
A conflicted look flitted across Jiang Xi's face. He pressed his lips together instead of answering. It was another sect leader who butted in to say, "Xue-zhangmen, please follow the rules and dissolve Sisheng Peak."
"Nobody is above the law, Xue-zhangmen. You know what you need to do."
"Everything has laws governing it. After all the trouble you've caused, are you really gonna try and claim you're innocent?"
In the buzz of the crowd, someone turned to Jiang Xi. "Jiang-
zhangmen, we've received complaints from every major city. Sisheng Peak must face the consequences of their actions. You're the leader of the cultivation realm—isn't it time you started acting like it?"
Jiang Xi remained silent as the crowd's attention turned to him. His brows drew together, and after a moment, he said evenly, "There have indeed been many accusations leveled against Sisheng Peak. Given the current unrest, we cannot afford to take them lightly. Xue-zhangmen, by law, Sisheng Peak must be disbanded. If, at some later time, you can furnish evidence that proves your innocence, perhaps we can—"
He was interrupted by an indignant shout. "Jiang Xi, watch yourself!"
"Young Master Xue," Jiang Xi said after a moment's pause. He was by nature apathetic and unused to being rushed. Already irked at having his hand forced by the sects, his mood was not improved by being snapped at by a brat who dared to address him without his title. The veins on his forehead throbbed as he narrowed his eyes at Xue Meng. "Haven't I told you not to interrupt when your elders are speaking? You're over twenty, yet you're sorely lacking compared to your fellow young master Nangong Si."
His harsh response merely stoked the flames of Xue Meng's fury. With one foot, he shoved aside the cultivator in front of him and charged toward Jiang Xi, gripping his lapels and shoving the sect leader against a pillar.
"Jiang Xi!" Xue Meng's gaze was sharp as a blade, his blood surging in his veins. His words came out dripping with hatred. "Comparing me to Nangong Si?! Why not compare yourself to Nangong Liu and see how you like that?"
Despite the assault on his person, Jiang Xi's expression only grew chillier. "You're young, so I'll give you some advice. Unhand me."
But of course Xue Meng wouldn't listen. He'd been pushed far past the point of endurance and continued through a clenched jaw, "If you ask me, you're even less fit than Nangong Liu to lead the cultivation world! You've twisted everything around, turned right into wrong. You…you…"
Everyone was shocked at this turn of events. Even Guyueye's own disciples were slow to react—they'd never expected anyone to lay hands on their sect leader like this.
Glaring straight into Jiang Xi's icy gaze, Xue Meng bit out, "Jiang Xi, you bastard."
These final words sent Loyalty Hall into an uproar.
"The impudence! Xue Meng! How dare you speak to your elders this way!"
"So much for the darling of the heavens! All that training wasted on a lowlife like you!"
Jiang Xi lifted his chin, a faint light flashing in his eyes as he stared Xue Meng down. He reached up to grip the hand Xue Meng had wrapped in his lapels. One twist of his wrist and—
Pop.
The sickening sound of a joint dislocating echoed through the hall. Xue Meng grunted in pain.
"Meng-er!"
With the cool composure of someone who had just tossed out the trash, Jiang Xi shoved Xue Meng away and fastidiously straightened his attire before turning to Xue Zhengyong. "Xue Zhengyong, what a fine job you've done raising your son."
Xue Meng's shoulder was dislocated, yet he still made to charge right back, only stopped by Guyueye's disciples drawing their swords.
At the end of his patience, Jiang Xi knit his brows and snapped, "Dissolve the sect."
"Dissolve the sect!"
"Sisheng Peak needs to be dissolved!"
The dense mass of people swarmed inward. Nothing was more effective than fear in uniting people beneath its banner. From the countless roaring mouths of the crowd came the same cry: Sisheng Peak, this breeding ground for evil, must be dismantled and dissolved without delay.