Spirit Pagoda's Choice
As Yun Jingheng spoke, the curtain was half-open, and the wind outside was blowing in through the gap.
Chen Zeng shuddered. He understood; this sentence was more weighty than any of the previous conditions.
The young man before them was reminding the Federation that the Sea God Pavilion was no longer in Yun Ming's hands.
But Yun Jingheng is different from Yun Ming.
Yun Ming will consider the bigger picture, be patient, and wait.
He, Yun Jingheng, wouldn't.
He had just returned from the edge of the Abyss, crawled out of the ruins, and fought his way out of the snowstorms of the Far North.
He dared to suppress even the Abyssal Sage King, so why would he care about the dignity of the Federal Parliament?
"I... I will definitely convey the Pavilion Master's words," Chen Zeng said in a low voice.
He wanted to add a few more words to smooth things over, but when he met Yun Jingheng's eyes, he didn't say anything.
Those eyes were so still; you couldn't tell if it was coldness or distance.
Yun Jingheng nodded, looked at him again, lifted the curtain, and went out.
Ye Xinglan was still standing under the eaves, a thin layer of snow on her hair.
Yun Jingheng walked past her as if a meaningless meeting had just ended.
Ye Xinglan didn't say anything, but simply followed beside him towards the main camp.
The snow was still falling, and the firelight in the old barracks flickered in the wind. Chen Zeng and the two Titled Douluo were still standing in the same spot.
After a long pause, the older Douluo finally managed to squeeze out, "This person from the Sea God Pavilion... is no good."
"Good people wouldn't have lived to this day." Chen Zeng slowly sat back down on the ammunition box, picked up the glass of water that had gone cold, but didn't drink it, just held it in his palm.
He looked down at the glass; the water inside had frozen into a thin layer of ice.
They came from Ming Capital, carrying the goodwill and conditions of the council, thinking that this trip to the Far North would at most be cold, far, and that the young man would be difficult to talk to.
But now he understands that the real difficulty lies in the fact that Yun Jingheng never took the Federation seriously from beginning to end.
He didn't even bother to flip through the cards the Federation had up its sleeve.
"Director, are we really going back like this?" The young Douluo stood at the door, his voice tinged with reluctance.
He came from the War God Temple and was considered a prominent figure in Ming Capital.
Now, sitting in this dilapidated old barracks, I waited for a young man for seven days, only to be overwhelmed by a few words from someone else.
It wasn't that he wasn't afraid; rather, after being afraid, he felt an indescribable sense of humiliation.
"If you don't go back, what else can you do?"
Chen Zeng looked up at him, "Can you sense his cultivation level? Can you beat him?"
The young Douluo fell silent, and the older Douluo also remained quiet.
All three of them knew that in that instant, the pressure emanating from Yun Jingheng was so overwhelming that even they, at the title level, couldn't muster any thought of resistance.
"I'll write the report first."
Chen Zeng slowly stood up, put the cup on the ground, and said, "Report today's words back to Ming Capital without changing a single word, and let the council decide for themselves. We are only responsible for relaying the news back." After he finished speaking, he also walked towards the door.
"Their conditions and perfunctory attitude." Ye Xinglan nuzzled his neck.
"Conditions? What kind of conditions can talk and farts be?" Yun Jingheng rolled his eyes.
After Gu Yuena took the position of Tower Master, the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters in Ming Capital did not become better; instead, it became quieter.
It was as still as a pool of water; the surface appeared calm and undisturbed, but beneath, darkness was already brewing.
Few of the branch tower leaders truly respected her.
They didn't say anything openly, but Gu Yuena could sense it.
Every time she passed by, the backs of those people would first bend down, then straighten up.
They were afraid of her, afraid she wasn't Leng Yaozhu, afraid she would really use a knife.
But there are some things in this world that can't be solved by relying on others alone.
She issued an order to cease all cooperation from the Spirit Pagoda with the Federation's "pursuit of the Shrek remnants."
The order was not given with great fanfare, but was simply relayed through briefings within the tower.
The next day, the three branch tower masters arrived at headquarters simultaneously.
They didn't dare to barge in, and waited outside Gu Yuena's study. Gu Yuena made them stand there for half a day before finally letting them in.
When they came in, all three of them were covered in sweat.
"Tower Master, shouldn't we reconsider this order?" The eldest branch tower master spoke first.
His surname is Zhou, and he is in charge of the North Three-Part Pagoda. He is considered a senior member of the Spirit Pagoda.
He spoke slowly, emphasizing each word in his throat. "The Federation and Star Luo Empire are at war. If we stop cooperating now, the Spirit Pagoda might become their target."
Gu Yuena sat behind a long table, several half-finished files in front of her, the lamp illuminating her profile so white.
She didn't look up, but asked, "What did we stop?"
The tower master Zhou was taken aback. "It's stopped... the tracking and intelligence sharing of former Shrek members."
"That's what the Federation wants us to do."
Gu Yuena said, the pen tip leaving a single word on the paper, then slowly raised her eyes, "When did the Spirit Pagoda become a subordinate of the Federation?"
The tower master Zhou felt a tightness in his throat from that glance.
Another branch tower master hurriedly said, "Tower Master, this isn't a matter of subordinates. It's because the Spirit Pagoda had an agreement with the Federation..."
"The agreement was made with Qiangu Dongfeng," Gu Yuena interrupted him.
She put down her pen, her voice soft yet exceptionally clear. "Where is Qiangu Dongfeng now? Has he settled the mess he left behind for the Spirit Pagoda? If you want to continue using his agreements, you might as well go outside and pray before his memorial tablet. See if he can still grant you any approvals."
The three of them paled.
Before Zhou Fen Tower Master could say anything more, Gu Yuena had already stood up.
She was taller than the three of them had imagined; when she stood up, the space in the study seemed to shrink.
She slowly walked around the corner of the table and stood in front of Master Zhou Fenta, who unconsciously took a half step back.
Gu Yuena didn't touch him, she just looked at him and said, "I know what you're afraid of, you're afraid the Federation will cut off the path to the Spirit Pagoda."
"But you must understand that the Spirit Pagoda's path was never obtained by begging from the Federation; it was built by Soul Master and Soul Spirit. The Federation can elevate you, and it can also trample you. Only by tying yourselves to them will the Spirit Pagoda die."
The tower master's lips moved, but he didn't say anything.
Gu Yuena turned to the three of them, her voice even calmer. "I only suspended one order today, and you can't even sit still. If I want to purge people in the future, are you going to kneel down to the Federation again?"
When she said "Qing people," her tone was extremely soft, as if she were talking about a trivial matter that had already been scheduled.
But it was this lightness that made all three of them understand.
She wasn't asking them; she was telling them that the tower had changed its name from Qian Gu to Gu Yue.
After the three left, Gu Yuena sat back down in her chair.
She only sent one person to bring a cup of hot water, which was lukewarm.
Gu Yuena picked up the glass, took a sip, and then picked up the next file.
That was intelligence transmitted from the Far North.
It reads that the Federation mission waited for a young man for seven days in the Far North.
The young man said that the conditions offered by the Federation were "like farts."
After Gu Yuena finished reading, the corner of her mouth twitched very slightly.
She felt that Yun Jingheng must have been smiling when he said that.
She carefully put the file away and wrote a final line: The Spirit Pagoda will not interfere in the war in the Far North, will not cooperate with the Federation in pursuing Shrek, and will not recognize any arrest warrants targeting former Shrek members.
Then she stamped it with her own seal and had it sent out.