Chapter 396: Old Grudges |
Both men shrank their necks and slipped into the house.
“Hall Master, out of the batch of new recruits we brought in, three can now independently repair Spirit Gathering Arrays,” Zhao Tiezhu reported.
Su Ming nodded.
“By the rules, give them a raise in monthly allowance.” Su Ming picked up his teacup and took a sip.
The atmosphere in the room was familiar and busy.
Su Ming made a round, pointing out a few details for improving the formations.
Half an hour later, the apprentices and craftsmen each dispersed.
Only Wang Defa and Su Ming remained in the meeting hall.
Wang Defa walked to the door, poked his head out to glance at the courtyard, then turned back and closed the door tightly.
The stream of water poured into the cup, producing a crisp sound.
“Hall Master.” Wang Defa lowered his voice and leaned in closer.
“I heard that the Administration Hall has been looking for candidates recently.”
Su Ming set down his teacup, his gaze landing on Wang Defa’s face.
“What’s going on?”
Wang Defa pulled up a round stool and sat down at the side of the table.
“Great Xing and Northern Barbarian have been at war for four years now.”
Su Ming’s fingers stopped on the table.
The Great Xing Nation—that was his homeland before his exile.
“Mortal wars are something the sect usually doesn’t get involved in,” Su Ming said in a steady tone.
“In principle, that’s true.” Wang Defa furrowed his brow. “But this time is different.”
He lowered his voice even further, as if afraid someone might overhear.
“Over in Northern Barbarian, they somehow got their hands on an iron cavalry unit.”
Wang Defa gestured with his hands.
“They say those cavalry are impervious to blades and fire, and water can’t harm them. Great Xing’s army crumbles at the first contact.”
“They’ve lost sixteen cities in a row. Great Xing’s capital can barely hold out anymore.”
Wang Defa glanced at Su Ming’s expression.
“The Administration Hall suspects there are cultivators meddling on Northern Barbarian’s side.”
Wang Defa probed cautiously. “The sect is planning to send someone down the mountain to mediate this karmic entanglement.”
Su Ming said nothing.
Inside his Consciousness Sea, Lin Yu’s voice rang out.
“Impervious to blades and fire, unharmed by water? That doesn’t sound like a mortal army.”
Lin Yu analyzed. “Either they’re low-level corpse puppets, or they’re using armor inscribed with Solidify Formation runes.”
“No matter which, there’s a cultivator’s hand behind this.”
Lin Yu paused briefly. “Disciple, Great Xing is your homeland. You can’t avoid this karma.”
Su Ming lowered his eyelids, watching the tea in his cup ripple gently.
That score really did need settling.
Su Ming lifted his head and looked at Wang Defa.
Wang Defa swallowed his saliva and boldly continued.
“Hall Master, you come from Great Xing, and you have some old grudges there.”
“If you take this assignment, you’ll not only settle the karma but also earn a great merit for the sect.”
Wang Defa slapped his thigh. “It’s killing two birds with one stone!”
Su Ming’s face remained expressionless as he quietly stared at him.
Wang Defa started to feel uneasy under that gaze and gave a dry chuckle.
“I’m just rambling, Hall Master. Don’t take it to heart.”
Su Ming withdrew his gaze and resumed tapping his fingers on the table.
“Old Wang,” Su Ming spoke.
“Yes! Hall Master, your command!” Wang Defa immediately straightened his back.
“Over at the Administration Hall, what’s the specific procedure?” Su Ming asked.
Wang Defa’s eyes lit up sharply, the fat on his round face quivering.
“Hall Master, you’re… thinking of taking it?”
Su Ming didn’t answer directly.
“Just getting informed,” Su Ming said with a calm tone.
Wang Defa caught on immediately and puffed out his chest.
“Hall Master, rest assured! Leave this to me!”
Wang Defa stood up. “I’ll head to the Administration Hall right now to inquire, and I’ll report back to you tonight!”
Su Ming nodded, stood up, and straightened his robes.
“I’m heading back first.”
Leaving the Repair Hall, Su Ming flew back toward Gazing Star Cliff.
“Master, what do you think?” Su Ming asked inwardly.
Lin Yu’s voice quickly rang out.
“This assignment is a hot potato.” Lin Yu’s tone was unusually serious.
“Once cultivators get involved in mortal warfare, it inevitably involves dividing interests. The hand behind Northern Barbarian might be at a fairly high cultivation level.”
“But you must settle Great Xing’s karma.” Lin Yu changed the subject.
“Cultivation requires unimpeded thoughts. If you don’t resolve your old grudges, they will surely become an inner demon when you form your Core later.”
Su Ming nodded. That was exactly what he was thinking.
“Besides, if that iron cavalry uses formation-armor, it’s also a perfect research sample for you on the spot,” Lin Yu added.
Su Ming entered his cave dwelling and sat cross-legged on the stone bed.
He took out a piece of blank paper and used spiritual energy to sketch out the territorial map of Great Xing and Northern Barbarian.
Red lines represented Northern Barbarian’s offensive, already pressing into Great Xing’s heartland.
“Too far away; the sect’s communication network doesn’t reach there.” Su Ming looked at the map.
“Going there, everything will depend on myself alone.”
Three days later.
Su Ming changed into the purple True Disciple robe that symbolized his status.
He walked out of the cave dwelling and flew toward the Administration Hall.
The Administration Hall was built halfway up the main peak of the Cloud Hidden Sect, always bustling with people.
Su Ming landed in the square in front of the hall.
The seven-star cloud-pattern embroidery on his purple robe shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
When the disciples in the square saw this attire, they all stopped in their tracks and cleared a wide path.
Su Ming kept his gaze straight ahead and strode through the entrance of the Administration Hall.
The gray-robed steward in charge of reception was flipping through archives with his head down.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of purple and jerked his head up.
Recognizing Su Ming’s face, the steward immediately came out from behind the desk.
He clasped his hands in salute and bent at the waist.
“True Disciple Su! Why have you come in person!”
The steward’s face was plastered with a respectful smile. “Has the Peak Master given some instruction?”
Su Ming raised a hand to gesture him to rise.
“I’ve come to ask about the mortal warfare situation.”
Su Ming got straight to the point.
“I heard Great Xing and Northern Barbarian are at war, and the sect plans to send someone to mediate?”
The steward froze for a moment, his smile fading a bit.
“That is indeed the case.”
He gestured with his hand, inviting Su Ming into a side inner room.
The inner room was elegantly arranged. The steward closed the door and poured a cup of spirit tea.
“Great Xing and Northern Barbarian have been fighting for four years.” The steward stood to the side, not sitting down.
“For the first three years, both sides had wins and losses, but half a year ago, Northern Barbarian suddenly gained a bizarre iron cavalry unit.”
The steward lowered his voice.
“That cavalry needs no provisions and knows no fatigue. Great Xing’s swords and spears leave not even a white mark on them when they strike.”
Su Ming picked up the teacup but didn’t drink.
“Hasn’t the sect sent anyone to look yet?”
“The sect has indeed been scouting for mediators, but this assignment… no one is willing to take it.”
Su Ming set down the teacup.
“Why?”
“It’s a thankless task.” The steward smiled bitterly.
“The mortal realm has sparse spiritual energy. If cultivators go there, their cultivation recovery is extremely slow.”
“And there aren’t many sect contribution points to earn from it. Disciples from every peak are dodging it as fast as they can.”
The Administration Hall had been racking its brains over this for half a month.
The steward looked at Su Ming, his heart pounding.
What was this newly prominent figure from Formation Peak asking about all this?
Su Ming sat in the chair, his gaze fixed on the tea leaves floating and sinking in the cup.
A brief silence settled over the inner room.
A moment later, Su Ming lifted his eyelids and met the steward’s eyes.
“I’ll take this mission.”