The cavern where the Unsheathing Ceremony was to be held was known as the Grotto of the Hidden Immortal.
Legend had it that the cave bore two names. One was "Man’s Search," implying that once a person entered, their tracks would be impossible to find. The other was "Immortal’s Hiding," suggesting that gods and spirits vanished here, and divine traces remained concealed. In any case, both names conveyed a sense of inscrutable depth and mystery.
As Qin Jiuye walked, she looked up. The narrow stone tunnels had, at some point, opened into a vast, high chamber. The light from the torches could not even reach the ceiling; it only illuminated the golden fish bells suspended in mid-air. The cliffs stretched upward into the darkness as if they might extend forever, creating a strange sensation of being simultaneously enclosed and yet unable to find a boundary.
This eeriness was different from the Treasure Mirage Pavilion, which seemed to swallow the luster of jewels.
The Treasure Mirage Pavilion was filled with the mundane bustle of people, but this cavern possessed a more primitive, primordial aura. Beneath the solemn attire of the guests attending tonight’s banquet, this atmosphere felt like a hidden current, waiting for a sudden eruption.
The enclosed cave shut out the sun, moon, and stars, making the passage of time blur into uncertainty. Darkness and emptiness swirled and collided against the damp stone walls, brewing silent desires and ambitions. Everyone present was immersed in it, and everyone would eventually be assimilated by it.
The most violent struggles had ended yesterday on Glass Heart Lake. Qin Jiuye had originally thought this Unsheathing Ceremony would be nothing more than a social gathering for sects to test one another—no different from Old Madam Su’s birthday banquet. But standing here now, she realized the reality was entirely different from her imagination.
Despite the hundreds of people gathered, she spotted Yuan Qi at a glance, standing solitary in his corner. Opposite the Fangwaiguan camp were the members of the Qiushan Sect. Wang Xiao stood beside Sect Leader Shen Kaiyuan with his arms crossed, his lavish robes making him even more conspicuous than the leader himself. Beyond them, the various masters and old rogues who had fought bitterly on Glass Heart Lake the other night were all present. They each occupied their own corner, showing no intention of conversing. Even the disciples of the various sects were cautious in word and deed; the atmosphere of this martial arts gathering was more oppressive than a formal court session held by Magistrate Fan.
Qin Jiuye squinted and scanned the room a few more times, but she did not see the youth who had guided her earlier. Furthermore, she still hadn't seen Xu Qiuchi or his Steward Liu. Logically, this ceremony was the highlight of the night; there was no reason for that dandy not to come and watch the excitement, unless... his purpose for coming to the island lay elsewhere.
What other secrets were hidden on Qionghu Island? Was it truly a coincidence that Di Mo had set the final ceremony of the Sword Appreciation Assembly here?
Her thoughts were restless. Not daring to stare at others for too long, Qin Jiuye hurriedly withdrew her gaze, only to hear a flurry of hurried footsteps approaching.
Her heart tightened. She turned and came face-to-face with Qi Gu’s nervous expression.
The memory of a certain someone’s treacherous behavior by the pontoon bridge was still fresh. Qin Jiuye’s face immediately darkened. However, before she could speak, the other woman struck first.
"Where did you run off to? I’ve been looking everywhere for you."
Qin Jiuye was so angry she almost laughed. But this wasn't her first time dealing with these thick-skinned merchants of the martial world. She didn't want to waste her breath pursuing the previous matter. Glancing at the other woman’s hat, which was visibly several inches taller than it should be, she asked instead, "What are you hiding in your hat?"
Qi Gu froze, clearly not expecting this "move." The bellyful of excuses she had prepared became useless, and her little scheme hadn't escaped the other's eyes.
Feeling somewhat defeated, she fidgeted for a moment before grabbing Qin Jiuye’s sleeve and whispering, "We came here together, after all. If I tell you, you absolutely cannot turn around and sell me out."
She hadn't mentioned "coming here together" back at the bridge, but she remembered it now. Anyone who dared to talk business lightly with the proprietor of the Surely Bureau simply hadn't tasted her sting yet.
Qin Jiuye gave her a look, then nodded lazily.
Qi Gu’s mouth twitched. She carefully peeled back a slit in her small yellow-fur cap and quickly fished something out, stuffing it into Qin Jiuye’s hand.
"Take it. Don't say I don't treat you as a friend. I have a very picky palate. These are Wukui waxberries from Nanling. They must have been shipped on ice; look, they’re still cold."
Qin Jiuye popped the deep red fruit into her mouth. Her nose twitched slightly as she ruthlessly exposed the other woman. "Besides stealing fruit, you also stole their wine."
Qi Gu’s face instantly turned the same color as the waxberry. Her hands instinctively covered the water skin at her waist.
To suppress the smell of alcohol, she had swallowed three herbal pills, yet the woman before her had a nose like a dog’s and had seen through her on the spot.
With a burning face, she struggled to defend herself. "That wasn't ordinary wine; that was Dalu Brew. You don't often see that outside of Jiugao. And this batch, selected by the First Villa Under Heaven, must be the finest of the fine. How could I miss it while visiting? To miss it once would be a lifelong regret..."
Qin Jiuye didn't care for her excuses. She was considering whether to find an opportunity to scout the surroundings when a faint whistling sound suddenly echoed from the center of the cavern.
She looked up and saw a young girl in colorful clothes descending gracefully from mid-air.
The girl looked no more than fifteen or sixteen. Her footwork was light, her posture elegant. She was extremely slender, yet she exuded a sense of power. A colorful silk ribbon fluttered around her arms and neck. When her thin arms swung out, they seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pounds, dancing with the soft ribbon as if it were a pair of flexible swords. Wherever it passed, a faint whistling sound followed. She wove through the golden fish bells hanging in the air without touching a single one, yet she accurately struck the misshapen golden bells held within the "double fish" embrace. The struck bells split open in mid-air, bursting into a cloud of extremely fine gold dust.
The flickering torchlight in the cave reflected off the floating gold dust, making it look like a golden mist. The girl gave a low shout and leaped into the air, her ribbon moving like a sharp blade. The golden mist was instantly sliced apart. Before it could merge back together, it was divided into even smaller fragments until it could be divided no more. By the time the girl’s feet touched the ground, the two ribbons in her hands had turned gold, while the dust in the air had vanished. Not a single grain of gold dust fell to the cavern floor.
Qin Jiuye stared blankly at the scene. Suddenly, she began to understand why those in the martial world would spend their entire lives polishing a single sword technique or study mental cultivation methods without food or sleep until they succumbed to madness.
It was a reverence for primitive power, a struggle against the limitations of one’s own flesh.
As a physician, she had seen too many broken bodies, crippled forms, and the half-dead states of the dying. Today was the first time she had felt so closely how far a human body could be trained, and the power that could erupt from such limits.
The last time she had witnessed this kind of beauty—derived from the human body itself, almost primordial—was in that youth.
That day, he had stood before the broken threshold of the Listening Wind Hall, silently changing his clothes. The setting sun burned fiercely behind him, outlining his figure in lines of gold...
"Well? Stunned, aren't you?"
Qi Gu’s voice suddenly rang out beside her. Qin Jiuye snapped back to reality. Looking at the girl again, she felt as though something was missing.
Perhaps she didn't understand Di Mo’s aesthetic taste. She felt that such elaborate staging and attention to detail actually made the girl look like an entertainer performing a dance, lacking a certain spirited wildness. It felt like a display of over-refined, superficial ingenuity.
Qin Jiuye clicked her tongue and murmured after a long pause, "Was that gold dust made from ground-up gold?"
Qi Gu froze, then couldn't hide her disdain. "That was the long-lost Heavenly Raiment Body Technique. It takes thirty years for an ordinary person to master. And here you are, only seeing the gold."
Qin Jiuye glanced at her and teased, "If it’s long-lost, how can we see it now? Maybe it’s just for show, specifically to fool half-wits like you..."
Before she could finish, Qiu Ling’s voice rose from behind her.
"What Lady Qi Gu says is true. However, the Heavenly Raiment Body Technique requires the Stone-Brushing Heart Method to reach its full potential. Since the decline of the Wanying Sect, no one has been able to capture its true essence. In today’s martial world, if anyone has refined soft weapons to a similar level, it would only be Zhu Fuxue, the Master of the Falling Sands Sect."
Zhu Fuxue? If she hadn't dealt with that person, she might not have thought much of it. But the moment she realized that demon’s weapon techniques had evolved from a lost art, she couldn't help but overthink.
For instance, was the true reason the Wanying Sect vanished from the martial world simply due to a lack of heirs and lost techniques, or was it because they were slaughtered in a single night for the "crime" of possessing such treasures?
Qin Jiuye was no longer in the mood for jokes. On the other side, Qi Gu felt emboldened by Qiu Ling’s apparent agreement.
"The Lord of Severed Jade is indeed knowledgeable. I’ve heard that this Heavenly Raiment Body Technique was condensed from the ancient Queyi Dance for the Gods. It can rise with the wind, overcome hardness with softness, transform mountain breezes, and cleave through rain and mist. Seeing it today, it is indeed extraordinary. Just one look is worth the trip..."
Would such a rare and precious martial secret truly be presented to everyone in this manner?
Doubt rose in Qin Jiuye’s heart. A moment later, when she turned her gaze toward the surrounding sects, this doubt became even clearer and stronger.
Among the young disciples, almost none showed any sign of appreciation or admiration. Instead, most had the faces of mere spectators. They didn't look like juniors admiring a classic martial art; they looked like the passengers on the pleasure boats watching dancers the night before.
Qin Jiuye’s gaze moved slowly, finally stopping behind the Sect Leader of the Tiankui Sect. Several familiar faces stood there—the young disciples who had challenged her by the bridge. One of them was whispering to a fellow disciple. Qin Jiuye couldn't hear what they were saying, but she read something from the slight, cold sneer on the youth's lips.
Qin Jiuye abruptly withdrew her gaze, feeling a chill after catching that accidental glimpse.
For some reason, she suddenly thought of the youth who had danced with a sword behind the gauze curtain on Glass Heart Lake last night.
She had wondered then: what exactly had triggered the killing intent of the man who went on a rampage? What had the killer whispered to the youth the moment before blood sprayed?
At this moment, a terrifying answer was gradually taking shape in her mind, one she couldn't shake off.
The sword-dancing youth came from the Villa; perhaps he too had inherited some lost sword technique. But he was ultimately just a chess piece in someone else’s hand. How could a chess piece understand the sword better than the masters at the table?
*Who do you think you are?*
She seemed to hear the killer’s contemptuous voice.
The irony was that the people who often spoke of "martial arts knowing no high or low" were likely the same group. They practiced high-sounding benevolence and morality to the extreme, yet in their bones, they couldn't escape the stubborn thought that "people are divided into ranks." They felt that only those born of prestigious, righteous sects were qualified to dance with a sword like that.
As for others, what they practiced was merely a filthy method of killing.
To the people standing in this massive cavern, whether the ceremony was truly beautiful didn't matter. What mattered was being gathered here to watch it.
In ancient times, during sacrifices, the offering would be roasted and shared. When each person swallowed a piece of flesh, they were considered to have shared in the blessings of the gods.
And at this moment, choosing to board the island and being qualified to gather in this cavern to watch this meticulously prepared program meant they had piously submitted their pledge of loyalty. They were accepted by the First Villa Under Heaven, which aimed to unify the martial world, and had become passengers on the same ship.
As for where this great ship would sail, or what sea of blood it would cross, they could all turn a blind eye, never thinking or questioning.
"I apologize for being late. Did you... encounter any trouble just now?"
Perhaps seeing her silent for so long, Qiu Ling’s voice sounded again, carrying a hint of restrained concern. Qin Jiuye quickly shook her head, then asked in a low voice, "San-lang, you were gone for so long. Did you gain anything?"
Qiu Ling paused, not answering immediately.
In truth, he hadn't left the Grotto of Vast Righteousness that late. It was because he had been watching her from a distance for a long time that he was delayed until now.
When he first discovered she hadn't waited for him outside the narrow pass, he knew she must have run into trouble. His heart, already unsettled by Di Mo, had been stirred again.
But now, she didn't ask why he took so long, nor did she recount the difficulties she had faced. She only asked if he had gained anything. This made the hesitation and self-doubt he had felt in that stone room instantly seem trivial.
Though his "fellow traveler" lived in dire straits every day, she possessed a steadfastness that could withstand any test. If one day he lost his way because he was trapped in a torrent, she would surely grab him by the collar and pull him out of the whirlpool.
Qiu Ling smiled and finally spoke softly. "Just some old matters, not worth mentioning. I saw the mark you left and knew you were safe, so I came over immediately."
Qin Jiuye was stunned.
She had thought he hadn't taken her words to heart.
Back when they were crossing the lake together, she had casually mentioned that when she used to gather herbs in the mountains at night, she was used to tying grass rings and hanging them in conspicuous places. When Jinbao saw them, he would know she was safe.
After leaving the Grotto of Vast Righteousness earlier, she had listened to the "servant" boy’s advice and didn't dare stay in place for too long. She had used that as a marker near the fork in the road, but she hadn't expected him to actually notice it.
This had once been a silent understanding between her and Jinbao; now, it had become an understanding between her and him. It gave her a strange, wonderful feeling.
Thinking of this, Qin Jiuye smiled and nodded, saying no more.
Qi Gu, who had been inexplicably left out, felt a bit sour. She couldn't seem to stand it anymore and cleared her throat, about to offer a reminder. But in the next moment, a somewhat rigid voice echoed through the cavern.
"Everyone, thank you for waiting."
The low whispers around them vanished instantly. In the vast cavern, only that one person’s voice could be heard.
Qin Jiuye looked up in shock, taking some effort to find the masked figure.
She had expected Di Mo to make a grand, high-profile entrance, but he had done the opposite, quietly blending into the crowd.
Exactly when he had entered the cavern and when he had appeared among the sects was something neither she nor the surrounding martial artists could say for certain. One by one, they fell silent as cicadas in winter, worried they might have discussed something inappropriate, and that the elusive Villa Master had already made a mental note of it.
A fine display of establishing authority upon arrival.
Warm spring water flowed from the cracks in the rocks, gathering beneath a stone wall to form a waterfall curtain about a man’s width. Di Mo’s figure stopped before that curtain. It was only at this moment that Qin Jiuye realized there was actually a small, hidden stone chamber behind the water. A shadow was faintly visible inside, appearing and disappearing with the shifting flow of water and light.
"I am deeply grateful to you all for coming from afar. Please, let us first appreciate the blade together."
Di Mo spoke briefly. His voice became indistinct due to the echoes and the sound of the water. Even listening closely, one couldn't discern much of its tone; it sounded as if many people were speaking at once—another layer of the inscrutable.
Whether it was the timing of his appearance, the mask he never removed, or his current position, everything created a sense of distance that commanded respect from afar but forbade any close investigation.
Could such an unpredictable, deep-thinking person be the mastermind behind the secret formulas and the brewing conspiracy?
Qin Jiuye narrowed her eyes, unable to reach a conclusion.
As she pondered, two women dressed as fisherwomen walked slowly to the water curtain. Each held a purple bamboo pole as thick as a bowl. Simultaneously, they moved with lightning speed, splitting the poles in two. They then stood on either side of the curtain, propping up the poles and thrusting them into the water.
The split bamboo poles became two natural aqueducts, dividing the falling water in two and directing it into stone troughs carved earlier. Massive braziers were lit, and the hidden stone chamber behind the curtain was finally fully revealed.
Under the light of fire and water, a natural stone platform was visible within the chamber, shaped like a niche carved for a divine statue. There was a groove on the platform, and within it stood a long blade with ancient lines and faint green patterns. The edge of the blade turned sharply downward, as if it had been abruptly cut off. From a distance, the entire blade resembled a woodcutter’s cleaver.
"The Verdant Overgrowth Blade is here. You may all come forward to inspect it."
As Di Mo’s voice fell, there was another stir among the sects.
After a moment, seven or eight sect leaders stepped forward slowly. After bowing, they began to admire the blade from up close.
"It is indeed Li Qingdao’s personal blade, without a doubt."
"I never expected to see the Verdant Overgrowth Blade again after all these years."
The crowd nodded in agreement, praising the legendary weapon.
Perhaps because their expressions were too exaggerated, or perhaps because she truly didn't understand so-called divine weapons, Qin Jiuye stared at the blade being appraised by countless hands and felt, for some reason, that something was off.
Before she could figure it out, Qi Gu whispered mysteriously in her ear, "Have you ever heard of the term 'Azure Peerlessness'?"
Qin Jiuye shook her head, waiting for another story. Qi Gu continued, "Back then, Tang Xiao, who was known as the Iron Brush, used the term 'Azure Peerlessness' to describe the period when Li Qingdao roamed the martial world. He said her blade techniques were profound and minute, her edges sharp and unconventional; her strikes could swallow the sun and moon, and a thousand words could not describe their brilliance. Looking at the martial world today, no one can surpass her. The day the Azure Blade returned to its sheath was the moment the peerless song ended."
"And who is Tang Xiao?"
The moment the words left Qin Jiuye’s mouth, she knew without looking that Qi Gu would be making a scene again.
"You don't know who Tang Xiao is? He traveled the world with his books and bags, judging heroes with a single iron brush. He was just a bit too arrogant and showy, offending too many people in his youth. If he hadn't put down his brush years ago and gone into hiding, I would surely travel ten thousand miles to find him, just to chat about the laughter and grudges of the martial world. And, and—do you know the *Legacy of the Official's Move*? That was the masterpiece Tang Xiao wrote with his close friend, the work he was most proud of. Unfortunately, only half the volume remains in the world today; the other half is nowhere to be found..."
Qin Jiuye had only asked casually, but as she listened, she suddenly paused.
Wait, Tang Xiao? Surnamed Tang? It couldn't be such a coincidence...
But she had seen Qi Gu’s style of knowing a bit of everything but nothing in depth. She felt she should take the words with a grain of salt. She immediately doubted, "If this person was truly as brilliant as you say, why are there so few collections of his writings in the martial world today?"
Qi Gu squinted at her, still looking down on her. "That’s where you’re ignorant. Those people in the martial world are all incredibly petty. They didn't dare do anything when he was famous, but once he vanished, they secretly collected his books and burned them, fearing he would tarnish their lifelong reputations. Especially after the First Villa Under Heaven took control of everything, it became hard to hear the true voice of the martial world as before..."
Qi Gu was clearly a great admirer of Tang Xiao, rambling on to vent her frustration on his behalf.
Qin Jiuye let the words go in one ear and out the other. She wanted to interrupt and ask another question: if Tang Xiao admired the Azure Blade so much and loved to get to the bottom of things, why hadn't he revealed or speculated on Li Qingdao’s whereabouts? She didn't believe someone could truly vanish into thin air in this world. But the words stopped at her lips.
Her gaze fell once more on the blade standing silently in the stone niche, and another question arose in her heart.
Twenty years ago, the Azure Blade vanished. Twenty years later, the Verdant Overgrowth Blade appeared at the Sword Appreciation Assembly. Since the assembly was led by the First Villa Under Heaven, why did no one suspect that the Azure Blade’s disappearance was related to them?
Was it that no one had ever suspected it, or that no one dared to question it, or that someone had questioned it and subsequently vanished? That was another question without an answer.
In the center of the "stage," several rounds of flattery and praise finally ended. The surroundings gradually fell silent again. Suddenly, a man in red shook his head and sneered. It was the Dragon King Sui Guo of the Divine Waterfall Cult.
"The blade is a good blade. But if the one holding it is of poor character, they cannot bear such sharpness. It needs a worthy master to be unsheathed."
These words didn't name anyone, but everyone knew that the winner of yesterday’s competition was a disciple of the Qiushan Sect, and the one to receive the Verdant Overgrowth Blade today was also from Qiushan.
This Dragon King was outspoken, stopping just short of pointing at the Qiushan Sect’s nose and saying they were unworthy of the blade. Yet, before the Qiushan Sect Leader could say anything, Wang Xiao beside him stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice.
"If your skills are inferior, just admit it. Your legs were weak on the field, but your mouth is tough off it. It only makes people think you can't win and can't afford to lose."
Though everyone knew there would be excitement at today’s ceremony, no one expected it to come so early.
Qin Jiuye’s upper body, which had been a bit sore, involuntarily straightened up. Beside her, Qi Gu also craned her neck. The two of them were like two geese at a village entrance watching over their territory, causing the Lord of Severed Jade behind them to smile again.
He seemed to be getting more used to this slight smile. Such smiles were usually brief, but against his usual cold and hard demeanor, they seemed somewhat gentle.
If Qin Jiuye had turned around now, she would have seen it. Unfortunately, her full attention was on the good show about to begin.
"I implore the Villa Master to seek justice for the thirty-nine innocent souls of my Fangwaiguan who died in vain!"
What was meant to come had finally arrived.
Qin Jiuye looked at the pale, grief-stricken Yuan Qi. Today he wore hemp clothes and a head cloth, with only straw sandals on his feet. Supported by a Taoist priest, he still looked unsteady, playing the part of misery and resentment to perfection.
Qin Jiuye blinked, unable to connect this tearful man crying for justice with the fierce young Temple Master from yesterday.
She used her peripheral vision to scan the surrounding martial artists. None of them showed any surprise; they all stood with heads bowed. She felt that within this cavern today, Di Mo wasn't the only one wearing a mask.
This didn't look like a "court session"; it looked like "setting the stage for a play."
She just didn't know how many people had already rehearsed their lines in private, and how many were part of the play without knowing it.
An uproar broke out, and low-voiced suspicions and discussions rose, reaching the ears of these guests with deep internal power.
Poor Sect Leader Shen of the Qiushan Sect had just lost his son at the beginning of the year and had suffered a serious illness. His face was already grey. Seeing the perpetrator suddenly transform into the accuser, he clutched his chest in rage. Wang Xiao, who was dressed in gold-embroidered robes today and prepared to lead his disciples to claim the blade, looked livid. He used all his strength not to draw his sword and run Yuan Qi through. After a long pause, he spoke slowly.
"What is the meaning of this, Temple Master?"
"May I ask First Seat Wang, is it a fact that my adoptive father, Yuan Shuqing, took thirty-nine disciples to your Qiushan Sect to seek peace, only to be intercepted and killed halfway? Is it a fact that you, as the number one expert of the Qiushan Sect, declared in advance that my Yuan family would never return? Is it a fact that you led over a dozen trusted disciples on a night ride to Qingping Road and returned the following dawn?!"
Yuan Qi must have taken some powerful tonic; his three consecutive questions were deafening and moving.
Of course, Wang Xiao was not moved. His face showed even more mockery, and he almost sneered.
"Temple Master Yuan is quite skilled at taking things out of context. Why don't you mention how my Sect Leader’s youngest son went to your Fangwaiguan to seek guidance and spar, only for your adoptive father to strike a lethal blow and kill him with one sword? Or do you think the lives of your Fangwaiguan people are particularly precious, while our Sect Leader’s loss of his beloved son is not worth mentioning?!"
Wang Xiao’s questioning was also powerful, but Yuan Qi seemed prepared. With no shame on his face, he immediately countered.
"Blades and swords have no eyes! When a match is decided, life and death are also seen! Sect Leader Shen’s son hid his identity to come to my temple for guidance; what was wrong with my adoptive father fighting with all his strength? Was he supposed to feign defeat just to put a gold leaf on your Qiushan Sect’s face?!"
Seeing the old grudge becoming entangled, Wang Xiao didn't linger. He immediately turned the spearhead back to Qingping Road.
"The victims on Qingping Road died to a superb blade technique. I, Wang, am the First Seat of my sect. I have practiced sword techniques since the age of four and have never deviated from my primary study to learn other arts. I never leave my sword when traveling the martial world; everyone here can testify to that. I ask the Villa Master to judge clearly!"
While Wang Xiao defended himself passionately, Di Mo remained silent.
He didn't need to speak, because in the next moment, Yuan Qi followed up immediately.
"Who doesn't know the Autumn Sound Sword Technique of the Qiushan Sect’s number one expert? Naturally, you wouldn't strike personally. But you could use someone else’s hand—killing with a borrowed blade!"
"The Temple Master’s words are absurd! This time you have no evidence, yet you want to publicly force this crime of sect extermination upon me with just your mouth. Is it that you’ve vomited so much blood you’ve gained insight into the art of blood-spitting slander, or are you a thief crying 'thief,' hoping to frame someone else to clear yourself!"
"Our confrontation here today is precisely to voice our views and ask the Villa Master to decide! I, Yuan, may only have a mouth, but isn't First Seat Wang the same? Why get angry? Could it be that my words hit your sore spot? Your evil deeds have been made public, and you're angry because you have no defense!"
The two sides engaged in a fierce exchange. Neither had a single piece of solid evidence, yet their malicious words could fill a book. They managed to argue with the intensity of a theological debate. One would think the people gathered on Qionghu Island weren't a group of weapon-wielding martial artists, but rather literary giants or great masters who only excelled at verbal attacks.
Seeing a perfectly good Sword Appreciation Assembly turn into a face-to-face confrontation with flying spit, Qin Jiuye felt conflicted. However, as she quietly observed the surroundings, she found that the white-haired sect masters seemed long accustomed to this hair-pulling, toe-stepping farce. They all sat in silent meditation. In contrast, the young disciples were all filled with righteous indignation and had gradually split into two factions—one speaking out for Yuan Qi, and the other crying foul for Wang Xiao.
The fierce arguing and debating, combined with the low murmurs of agreement, resonated into a buzzing sound throughout the massive cavern.
Finally, the masked figure spoke again.
"Judging cases and redressing grievances is not my forte. However, with so many worthies gathered here today, it is a heaven-sent opportunity." Di Mo’s voice paused, then he slowly turned in another direction. "I have heard that the Lord of Severed Jade hails from the Qingzhong Mountain Academy and is an investigative supervisor personally appointed by the General of Pingnan. He must be well-versed in such matters. I would like to hear the Lord of Severed Jade’s insight on this affair."
Di Mo didn't speak often, but when he did, he instantly carved out a new battlefield in this chaos.
In an instant, everyone’s gaze shifted from Wang Xiao and Yuan Qi to Qiu Ling, who stood in the corner. Qin Jiuye and Qi Gu, standing beside him, were like vegetable sprouts next to a lightning-struck tree. Though they weren't at the center of the lightning array, they felt the invisible power, and every hair on their heads seemed to stand on end.
They had started with the hearts of spectators, but in a turn of events, they had become the actors on stage.
Qin Jiuye and Qi Gu slowly retracted their necks.
When the play is performed on oneself, even the best drama loses its appeal in an instant.
***
