When he reached the main hall, several people were already waiting there, lined up on either side. On the high stone platform at the far end, the White Lotus Sect Leader sat with a face ashen with rage.
In the center of the hall, that stone basin still stood where it had been. Mist coiled within it, and through the layers of vapor, the glimmering water could be seen deep inside. Several koi swam through it.
Several White Lotus petals floated around the koi, drifting with the ripples.
"National Preceptor, you have come."
The moment the White Lotus Sect Leader saw Dong Grand Preceptor enter the hall, he spoke impatiently. The others all followed with greetings.
Once Dong Grand Preceptor had taken his seat, everyone's eyes turned toward him.
Then the White Lotus Sect Leader asked again, "Has any news come from the front? Has that vile traitor of the false dynasty, Qiu Yan, been held up by Tingzhou Camp?"
The moment he said this, several people in the hall subtly changed expression. As soon as Dong Grand Preceptor heard it, he understood that this sect leader still knew nothing of the news from the front—the information had been sealed away.
Dong Grand Preceptor's gaze then swept across the people around him. Noticing the unusual expressions of two or three among them, he knew they were the ones concealing it, but he did not rebuke them.
A few days earlier, the Northern Expedition Army at Riverside Camp had suffered a crushing defeat, and Hongzhou Camp had fallen in its wake. The instant the news arrived, someone had informed the White Lotus Sect Leader, hoping he could make a decision in the midst of danger—or, failing that, at least steady himself and calm the people's hearts. But after witnessing this, everyone