Answers Within the Hall

When Ye Yun and the others arrived, the people in the hall were in the middle of a discussion, seemingly talking about something. Ye Yun knew they were discussing what had happened at Cao Miao Village. They were one of the three great orthodox sects, yet someone from the demonic path had committed such a heinous act right beneath their feet. It was practically a slap across their faces. How could they tolerate that? They would certainly get to the bottom of it.

Because of Ye Yun's intervention, Pu Zhi had not slaughtered everyone in Cao Miao Village. Instead, he had taken away everyone except Ye Yun, Zhang Xiaofan, and Lin Jingyu. That naturally included Uncle Wang, who had been frightened insane in the original story. Thus, Uncle Wang did not suddenly appear screaming and interrupt the young Daoist's report.

Upon hearing the young Daoist's report, everyone in the hall stopped discussing the matter and looked toward Ye Yun and the others. Ye Yun, meanwhile, widened his eyes and studied them. Needless to say, the man seated in the center, wearing a dark green Daoist robe, with an immortal bearing and warm, bright eyes, was naturally the Qingyun Sect's leader, True Master Dao Xuan. The plump one was undoubtedly Tian Buyi, chief of Great Bamboo Peak. The tall, solemn-looking man should be Cang Song, one of the chief culprits behind the Cao Miao Village tragedy. As for the rest, Ye Yun could not identify them.

Just as Ye Yun was studying these Qingyun leaders, someone suddenly grabbed his hand. Turning around, he found that it was Lin Jingyu. He did not resist and obediently followed him as he ran before the six men. They knelt before True Master Dao Xuan and kowtowed three times with three loud thuds.

True Master Dao Xuan examined the two of them closely, then sighed softly. "Poor children. Rise."

Yet Lin Jingyu did not get up. Looking up at this immortal-like figure, he said sorrowfully, "True Master, the three of us are young and ignorant, and this disaster came upon us so suddenly that we truly do not know what to do. Your powers are vast, and you know the past and future. Please, you must seek justice for us!"

Ye Yun also spoke up. "Are you the master Big Brother talked about? Can you take us as disciples? Then Little Yun'er will have a place to live and food to eat, and I'll be able to fly through the sky on a sword like Big Brother."

"That's right, Immortal Grandpa, you must seek justice for us!" As soon as Ye Yun finished speaking, Zhang Xiaofan spoke as well. In the end, he still said those words. Everyone in the hall could not help smiling. Zhang Xiaofan was merely speaking childish nonsense, but soon afterward, everyone's gazes fell upon Lin Jingyu and Ye Yun.

Though Lin Jingyu was so young, had suffered such a drastic upheaval, and now faced an eminent figure like True Master Dao Xuan, renowned throughout the land, his words remained orderly and clear. His calm far surpassed that of an ordinary child. Ye Yun was even younger. Though he had not performed as well as Lin Jingyu, he was "full of childlike innocence," and his mind was clear. His words were somewhat childish, yet still well-organized—far better than Zhang Xiaofan, who knew nothing and regarded Dao Xuan as an immortal.

The Cao Miao Village tragedy was something Qingyun Sect had neither seen nor heard of in a thousand years. Worse still, it had happened right at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, throwing the entire Qingyun Sect into turmoil. Upon receiving the report, True Master Dao Xuan had been both shocked and enraged, immediately summoning the leaders of the other six branches to discuss the matter. At this moment, aside from Master Shuiyue, leader of Little Bamboo Peak, who had not come, the leaders of the other five branches were all present.

Those capable of serving as leaders of Qingyun Sect's seven branches were naturally among the sect's foremost figures. And Qingyun Sect's foremost figures were, of course, among the greatest cultivators in the world. Everyone present had piercing eyes, and each silently thought, What fine jade.

True Master Dao Xuan smiled faintly. "I do not know the past or the future, but since you lived at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, Qingyun Sect naturally will not ignore your plight. Still, I have a few questions for you. I hope you will answer them truthfully."

Hearing Dao Xuan's words, Ye Yun knew his test had arrived. If he revealed the slightest flaw, he might lose his chance to join Qingyun Sect, and his life could even be in danger. As his thoughts raced, Lin Jingyu spoke first.

Lin Jingyu nodded. "Yes. This disciple will answer all he knows. Please ask, True Master."

True Master Dao Xuan nodded. "How did you escape this calamity?"

Lin Jingyu froze for a moment. "In reply to True Master, I remember going to sleep in my bed at home last night. But when I woke this morning, I found myself lying in a cave with Xiaofan and Little Yun'er. I do not know what happened. Little Yun'er's laughter woke me up. Later, we realized something was wrong and ran back to the village together. Then we saw that... that... that sight, and I fainted from fright."

True Master Dao Xuan frowned and looked at Ye Yun. "You woke him. Then what about you?"

"Me?" Ye Yun pointed at himself, doing his utmost to steady his emotions. He lowered his head and pretended to think, though he was actually hiding the nervousness in his heart.

After lowering his head to calm himself, Ye Yun slowly said, "After Little Yun'er delivered food to an Old Grandpa, I was going home. Halfway there, I remembered that our cave was close to the river, so I could catch fish early in the morning to eat. So I went to sleep in that cave. When I woke up, I saw Brother Xiaofan and Brother Jingyu. I thought they had come to help me catch fish, so I was very happy. Then Brother Jingyu said something was wrong, and they dragged me back to the village. But I never expected... I never expected all the houses to have been burned down."

After saying that, Ye Yun did not relax. Instead, his entire body tensed from nervousness. Everything depended on this moment. If he succeeded, he could finally hope to return home, and good food and drink would be his for the taking. If he failed and aroused suspicion, being driven down the mountain would be the least of his worries.

True Master Dao Xuan and the other branch leaders exchanged looks, confusion in their eyes. If an expert had rescued them, why save only these three children? If not, then none of this made any sense. They had never considered that Ye Yun might be lying. After all, he was so young, and his delicately carved, jade-like appearance made him far too convincing.

True Master Dao Xuan pondered for a moment. "So you know nothing at all about what happened last night?"

The three answered in unison, "Yes."

After answering that "yes," Ye Yun finally let out a breath. He knew Dao Xuan had not doubted his story. In other words, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would become a disciple of Qingyun Mountain from now on. He just did not know whose disciple he would be. Just don't let it be Cang Song.

True Master Dao Xuan sighed and called out, "Song Daren."

"This disciple is here." A Qingyun disciple stepped forward in response. He was tall and burly, dressed in the manner of a layman. He had been standing behind Tian Buyi just now, and only then did Ye Yun realize that he was Song Daren, Zhang Xiaofan's future senior brother.

True Master Dao Xuan said, "You were the first to discover what happened at Cao Miao Village. Tell us once more what occurred that day."

Song Daren's voice was loud and clear. "Yes. Early this morning, this disciple and several fellow disciples were returning after handling a matter, flying through the air on our swords. As we passed over Cao Miao Village, this disciple happened to look down and discovered that the village had been burned into ruins. We hurried down to investigate and found only these three children behind the village. Seeing that they were unconscious, I had several junior brothers bring them back first. Unfortunately, aside from some traces of fighting, we found no other clues."

True Master Dao Xuan quickly asked, "Oh? Traces of fighting?"

Song Daren replied loudly, "Yes. Judging from the battle marks and the lingering aura, one side of the fight was undoubtedly from the demonic path. Faint traces of ghostly energy also remained near Grass Temple."

Hearing this, Dao Xuan sighed softly. "Alas, it seems the other people of Cao Miao Village are likely doomed."

Though they had long sensed it in their hearts, when Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan heard Dao Xuan's words, their vision still went dark, and they nearly fainted again. Ye Yun's heart pounded violently as well.

True Master Dao Xuan sighed softly and flicked his left hand. A small red pearl flew from his sleeve and floated before Zhang Xiaofan, Lin Jingyu, and Ye Yun. It rolled across their foreheads and chests several times, and a cool current immediately seeped into their bodies. Somehow, the tightly wound nerves in their hearts loosened as well. Exhaustion overwhelmed them, and they could not help lying down in the great hall and falling asleep.