The Collapse and Reconstruction of Faith

"I received your letter. Its contents left my heart aching and restless. That the clansmen at home committed such heinous, disgraceful acts is a stain upon us all. If I were able to come in person, I would surely kill these scoundrels myself and set the Qiu Family's conduct aright."

"Yet this matter does not concern merely the private friendship between you and me; it has far-reaching implications. Though I hold some standing within the sect, I cannot act as a one-man court."

"After receiving the letter, I personally visited every elder of the Northern Origin Sect. The sect assembly deliberated until deep into the night before reaching this conclusion."

"Qiu Yu secretly embezzled the sect's profits to strengthen himself, an act that was itself a betrayal of the sect. The sect should dispatch people to purge him. As for brazenly seizing Spirit Grain in defiance of all under Heaven, that is an evil deed that harms the entire cultivation world."

"Disloyal to the sect, unjust to the cultivation world—such disloyal and unrighteous men may be slain by all."

"Brother, you may decide this matter as you see fit. If you are willing to lend a hand, I ask that you swiftly cleanse the house for me, lest the Qiu Family continue to suffer disgrace and become the laughingstock of all beneath Heaven."

"I bow thrice in thanks. I have also prepared a generous gift and sent someone to deliver it day and night. Respectfully offered by your younger brother."

To Qiu Yu, this letter was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue.

He had imagined that, because of the benefits he had seized here at Northern Origin Station, his former peers in the sect might bear a grudge against him and kick him while he was down when disaster struck.