Chapter 959: Turn In a Blank Sheet and Die

Some things could only be kept in his heart. Niu Youdao did not dare say them outright. He looked at Ding Wei with startled uncertainty, waiting to hear what came next.

The others also looked toward Niu Youdao with suspicion, Chao Jing and the rest especially so.

Shen Yidu, Elder of Xiaoyue Pavilion, was even more convinced. Their Pavilion Master had judged correctly. This man refused to admit anything even under threat of death, but in truth he probably did know something.

Ding Wei smiled faintly without explaining why Niu Youdao deserved so much credit. He pressed a hand downward. "Now we've all seen one another and I know your faces. Everyone, please sit."

After everyone had seated themselves, he continued, "Many of you here probably don't know me. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ding Wei, and I am the current Presiding Administrator of Misty Pavilion. While I hold this post, I will be responsible for your tempering. When my term ends, whoever takes over after me will assume responsibility."

He paused to observe everyone's reactions, then continued, "Perhaps some of you are wondering: this may continue into the next term? Just how long will this tempering last? To tell you the truth, I don't know either. It may end very quickly, or it may last a long time. In short, everything depends on the results of your tempering."

"I'm sure all of you have been wondering what exactly this tempering will involve. I don't know much myself. Treat everything as unsettled and take matters one step at a time. Never mind what may come later. For now, the tempering begins here." He curled one hand into a fist and rapped his knuckles several times against the desk. "Distribute the materials to the Elders."

Another burst of footsteps came from outside. A group of Misty Pavilion personnel entered, walked directly among the participants, and distributed brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and other writing materials to the twenty-eight Elders.

They were obviously being made to write something. Everyone exchanged looks. Chao Jing and the others glanced at Niu Youdao even more frequently, hoping for some signal that might tell them what this was about.

But Niu Youdao himself was staring at the writing materials on his desk, wondering what the hell they wanted him to do. He did not know either. What signal could he possibly give anyone else?

Once the materials had been handed out, the Misty Pavilion personnel who had just entered quickly withdrew again.

The writing supplies truly had been given only to the Elders. The disciples seated behind them gradually felt the tension in their hearts ease.

While the Elders were still looking left and right at one another, Ding Wei spoke again. "The sects represented by all of you govern either the various states or the Four Seas. Your respective powers are established throughout the lands and assist Misty Pavilion in maintaining control over all beneath Heaven. This system has existed for a long time. Anything that lasts long enough will develop problems. Do you think Misty Pavilion itself has done everything perfectly? While supervising all beneath Heaven, Misty Pavilion also encounters matters it cannot understand, and those unresolved problems have accumulated more and more. The nine Sacred Venerables are extremely dissatisfied!"

"Never mind distant matters. Let's speak of something recent. Is Taishu Shancheng, Elder of Qiyun Sect, present?"

Taishu Shancheng, the Qiyun Sect Elder representing the State of Jin, was seated in the front row. His heart lurched when he heard his name.

Ding Wei had just said that the nine Sacred Venerables were dissatisfied, only to immediately single out Qiyun Sect. Cold sweat nearly broke out across Taishu Shancheng's body. He rose anxiously and cupped his hands. "Taishu Shancheng greets Administrator Ding."

Everyone else was alarmed and uncertain as well, having no idea what this concerned.

"So you're Taishu Shancheng. I'll remember you. Sit. There's no need to be nervous." Ding Wei pressed a hand downward, indicating that he should sit, then asked, "Before the State of Zhao fell, did Qiyun Sect send three Supreme Elders with a group of men to the Zhao imperial palace to loot its wealth?"

"This..." Taishu Shancheng was so nervous he could barely speak. He stammered and started to rise again to answer.

Ding Wei raised a hand to stop him. "Among cultivators, fighting, killing, and struggling against one another are unavoidable. We cannot expect perfect harmony. But everything has to follow rules. Otherwise, all beneath Heaven would descend into chaos, which benefits no one. Everyone understands such a simple principle, so I need not belabor it. Therefore, when people act within the rules, Misty Pavilion does not assign blame. I am not reproaching you either. There is no need for ceremony. Answer while seated."

Taishu Shancheng relaxed slightly, though he remained nervous. "Administrator, that did happen."

Ding Wei said, "According to what I know, every Qiyun Sect cultivator who went to loot the Zhao imperial palace was wiped out. Even the three Supreme Elders failed to escape alive. Is that correct?"

Taishu Shancheng's face turned bitter. "That is indeed correct."

Qiyun Sect had always concealed the loss of three Supreme Elders, afraid that news of it would have damaging consequences. They had never expected Misty Pavilion to know already.

Everyone present was shocked. They had heard vague reports that Qiyun Sect had tried to take advantage of Zhao's collapse and loot the imperial palace, only to return defeated. They had not known the expedition had been completely annihilated, much less that even three of Qiyun Sect's top veteran experts had failed to escape. How was that possible?

Qiyun Sect had not become formidable without reason. Its three Supreme Elders were anything but ordinary experts. A fight capable of subduing all three should have caused an enormous commotion. By all logic, it was impossible for no rumor whatsoever to have spread.

Even Niu Youdao was surprised. His gaze flickered rapidly as he considered what could have happened. His thoughts turned to Shang Youlan, the former Empress Dowager of Zhao, who had settled in Jinzhou.

He had previously received word from Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion that people from Misty Pavilion had gone to speak with Shang Youlan. As soon as they left, Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion had immediately questioned her about what had happened, but Shang Youlan refused to reveal anything. Since the matter involved Misty Pavilion, Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion had not dared insist on digging to the bottom of it and had let the matter drop.

Now, however, Niu Youdao could more or less guess why Misty Pavilion had gone looking for Shang Youlan.

Ding Wei said, "I won't go into every detail. You should all understand the point. Qiyun Sect's three Supreme Elders were no ordinary people. If someone attacked them, by all logic the disturbance should have been considerable. Yet despite so many people being inside the Zhao imperial palace, apparently no one noticed anything unusual. The three Supreme Elders never returned to Qiyun Sect either. Where exactly did they go? What happened to them? Not one person seems to know. It is as though the three vanished into thin air that very night. Don't you find that strange?"

"The former Zhao emperor Hai Wuji, who fled before the state fell, is very likely someone who knows what happened. Misty Pavilion is currently searching for him. All beneath Heaven may be vast, but I refuse to believe they can hide forever. Enough. I won't say more about this affair. I raised it only to tell all of you that Misty Pavilion has not fulfilled its responsibilities properly. The Sacred Venerables are very dissatisfied."

"But then again, have the various sects done everything perfectly? Have you truly fulfilled your responsibility to assist Misty Pavilion in maintaining order beneath Heaven? Every Elder seated in front of me occupies a senior position within his or her own sect. You should understand the details of your sect's affairs, both internal and external, and you should know your sect's shortcomings and deficiencies."

"If Misty Pavilion has done poorly, then Misty Pavilion must reflect upon itself. The various sects should do the same. This is one of the purposes of this tempering."

"The brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones have been placed before you. Every Elder will write down, in detail, the flaws and problems within your own sect, as well as anything your sect has done that harmed order beneath Heaven. Nothing may be concealed. Let me give you the ugly warning first: if I discover that you covered something up, if I discover there was something you knew but deliberately refused to write down, then once it is verified, do not blame Misty Pavilion for showing you no mercy. This is not an empty threat. Do not underestimate Misty Pavilion's ability to verify the truth. The consequences are absolutely more than you can bear!"

"On the other hand, you may also put your minds at ease. What you write will not be leaked outside. We will keep it confidential."

"I'll give you two hours. At the end of those two hours, I want to see what you've written. One more reminder: the results of this tempering concern your future. There is no need to write anything flattering about your sect. You are only permitted to write what I just asked for. Anyone who turns in a blank sheet dies!"

Having finished, Ding Wei said nothing more. He leaned back lightly in his chair and looked coldly at the dumbstruck Elders.

A Misty Pavilion member placed an hourglass on Ding Wei's desk to keep time.

The Elders looked left and right at one another. Their hearts were filled with desolation.

Almost every one of them was furiously cursing Ding Wei inside. What rare opportunity bestowed upon them by the nine Sacred Venerables? What nonsense about how they ought to feel fortunate? This was something to celebrate? They were being shoved into a pit and buried alive!

Every one of them wailed inwardly. They had known nothing good would come from entering Sacred Realm. Sure enough!

The logic was simple. If they truly wrote these things down, how would that differ from betraying their own sects? Even if they survived and returned home, they could forget about having any good days for the rest of their lives. Ding Wei says he'll keep it confidential, so that makes it safe?

If each sect had sent only its Elder, perhaps things would be manageable. Whatever they did here might never become known back home. But every sect had brought other disciples too!

If they were going to make people write, why not make all the accompanying disciples write as well? What was the meaning of singling out only the Elders? No one had any idea what Misty Pavilion was trying to accomplish. This was too damned vicious.

Most of them would rather fight and kill than write something like this. Even another bloody struggle like the one in the Tiandu Secret Realm, with people fighting until one side died, would be preferable.

But Ding Wei had gone this far, so refusing to write was no longer an option. And just as he had said, who dared underestimate Misty Pavilion's ability to verify what they wrote? Who knew how much of the truth Misty Pavilion already possessed? Trying to play tricks with Misty Pavilion to its face was no game. One had to weigh the consequences.

"No whispering to each other. Don't look at anyone else's paper. Write your own!" one of Ding Wei's subordinates shouted.

The Elders who had been glancing around to see how others intended to handle this immediately behaved themselves. One by one, they sat blankly before the white paper, smelling the ink and staring at the empty sheets in utter misery.

The disciples seated behind them sighed inwardly as well. Although they were not Elders, they could completely understand the Elders' predicament.

"Turn in a blank sheet and die? Fuck you..." Niu Youdao cursed silently. He had originally intended to hand in a blank sheet, only for Ding Wei's final words to block that road.

After thinking for a while and watching the hourglass, he picked up the little spoon, dripped water into the inkstone, took the inkstick, and began grinding with a soft swish, swish.

The hall was utterly silent. The sound of grinding ink was therefore exceptionally clear. In an instant, pair after pair of eyes turned toward Niu Youdao.

The two Zijin Cave disciples, Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie, craned their necks to look, secretly alarmed. Elder Niu isn't really going to write about the sect's faults, is he?

Kunlin Shu, seated farther back, looked over as well and frowned.

Still grinding ink while considering how to begin, Niu Youdao suddenly sensed something strange about the atmosphere. He glanced around. To his right sat Tian Que, Elder of Wei's Lingxu Mansion. To his left sat Zhuang Ruzheng, Elder of Han's Wushang Palace. In front of him, Tie Feixing, Elder of Qi's Xuanbing Sect, had also turned around. Everyone nearby was staring at him.

He did not want outsiders seeing what he intended to write. Without warning, he snapped, "What the hell are you looking at? You think staring will let you copy mine? Fuck it. How about I finish first, then let all of you take your time reading it?"

[End of Chapter 959]