"Get up, hurry! Steward Du has summoned everyone to the hall."
Jiang Che opened his eyes.
While resting earlier, he had chatted with Uncle Chuan for a bit, then fallen asleep without realizing it.
After that short nap, though, the wound on his chest had improved a little. It no longer hurt as much.
Since Steward Du had summoned them, there was nothing to discuss. Jiang Che followed Uncle Chuan out of the room, and before long they arrived at the camp's main hall.
The stronghold's hall had been hollowed out of a cave. It was spacious but poorly lit, with several lamps crackling away and casting wavering shadows all over the room.
At the head of the hall stood five people Jiang Che did not recognize.
The one in the lead wore robes white as snow, with a longsword hanging at the waist. The other four, two men and two women, all wore blue robes and stood with their hair bound beneath crowns.
Du Yongchang, Steward Fang, and Steward Ye stood to one side, bowed in attendance. The other Willow Source disciples were already kneeling across the floor, not one daring to raise their head.
Jiang Weichuan tugged Jiang Che. Neither dared speak as they quietly sank to one knee at the very back of the group.
No explanation was needed. From the bearing of Du Yongchang and the other two, it was all but certain that those five had come from the sect.
No one paid any attention to the two newcomers. One of the five at the head of the hall continued speaking:
"...Losing it right under your noses was already a grave offense. Yet after several days, not only had you still failed to find it, but when you finally got a lead, the three of you couldn't even capture a single Demon Sect remnant. Du Yongchang, tell me yourself-what good are you?"
Du Yongchang did not dare answer.
"We arrived long ago, and the first thing we investigated was you-whether you had ties to the Demon Sect. Fortunately, you hadn't actually committed a crime that grave. Sixth Senior Brother was merciful. We could have taken over long ago, but out of what little regard we had for you, we gave you a chance... and you proved utterly useless!"
"You didn't collude with the enemy, at least. You were simply too stupid. The thing was lost in your hands for no other reason than your incompetence!"
"Enough."
The white-robed figure in the center spoke, and the one delivering the tirade immediately fell silent.
The white-robed figure addressed as "Sixth Senior Brother" said, "I, Yu Cheng, will take over matters here. You three will return to the sect to receive your punishment. The sect will send someone else to take over as steward of Willow Source."
Du Yongchang's face went pale for an instant.
But what could he say? He could only bow deeply. "Thank you, Sixth Senior Brother."
The white-robed figure then turned to the one who had been berating him. "Junior Brother Luo, you will oversee Willow Source until the new steward arrives."
The man surnamed Luo answered, "Yes."
Jiang Che silently filed away another detail.
He had heard that within the Azure Mystic Sect, only True Disciples possessed Dao names and a numbered ranking.
The Yu Generation was precisely the generation of Dao names used by the younger disciples currently most active in the sect.
This was a True Disciple!
As he was thinking, Jiang Che felt as though needles were prickling his back. He looked up, only to find "Sixth Senior Brother" Yu Cheng staring straight at him.
"You are Jiang Che?"
His hair stood on end, but he could only steel himself and answer, "Yes."
Yu Cheng's tone was fairly gentle. "Don't be nervous. Heaven Pillar's formation was well concealed. Whatever method you used to find it, you showed some quick wits and rendered a service."
At those words, the other four inner-sect disciples, Du Yongchang and the two outer-sect managers, and everyone else kneeling across the floor all turned to look at Jiang Che.
Yu Cheng continued, "You only received the Embryonic Breath method yesterday, yet entered the Dao overnight. Your talent is good as well, comparable to mine back then."
A faint stir ran through the hall as those words fell.
Entering the Dao overnight was already an extraordinary feat, proof of a genius's talent. To have a True Disciple of such exalted status call him "comparable to me" made it all the more remarkable.
"You flatter me, my lord. This disciple merely got lucky."
Yu Cheng shook that off with a faint smile.
"Luck alone let you enter the Dao overnight? There's no need to be so modest. Cultivate diligently from now on, grow stronger as soon as you can, and serve our Azure Mystic Sect."
With those words, Yu Cheng left the hall and the stronghold with three of the others, taking the Heaven Pillar Remnants along.
Senior Brother Luo, who had been left behind, clapped his hands. "Everyone, get up. Stop kneeling."
Only then did everyone rise from the floor.
He walked over to Du Yongchang, his expression somewhat gentler than before.
"Senior Brother Du, don't hold it against me. Luckily, you did manage to uncover a few clues in the end. Otherwise, everyone in your Willow Source outer sect, from top to bottom, would have been finished! You'll be punished when you return, but it shouldn't be too severe."
Du Yongchang bowed. "I'm not a man who fails to appreciate kindness. Keeping my status is already a tremendous blessing. How could I dare hold a grudge?"
"Good, as long as you understand. Before you leave, there are still some things you must handle. Have someone organize the Willow Source outer sect's roster, accounts, and warehouse inventory, and give them to me before tomorrow. Also, about this lad..."
He meant Jiang Che.
"...Is he still a Probationary Disciple?"
"Yes. I only taught him the method yesterday. I intended to enroll him in the outer sect once matters here were settled."
"No need to wait. Enroll him now. Make him an Outer Disciple for the time being, then teach him the Azure Torrent Sword Art. Someone Sixth Senior Brother has praised can't be left without even a proper sword technique."
"...Yes."
This exchange left many people muttering inwardly.
An Azure Mystic outer-sect disciple's standard allotment consisted of a primary cultivation method and a combat technique. The former was the Upper Azure Smoke Cloud Embryonic Breath Method, while the latter offered a fairly broad selection.
But the Azure Torrent Sword Art was not among them. Most of those present had never heard of this sword art, but for an inner-sect disciple to mention it specifically, it surely had something special about it.
Leaving aside the envy this stirred, more importantly, those paying close attention had picked up on another implication.
What did he mean by making him an Outer Disciple "for the time being"?
Then... what came afterward?
Sure enough, Luo Wenling's next words to Jiang Che were even more explicit. "Once things here are settled, you'll come with me when I return and become a Registered Disciple at the sect. Beyond that, it will depend on your own fortune."
Jiang Weichuan nudged Jiang Che with his elbow.
"What are you standing there for? Thank him!"
Jiang Che came to his senses, stepped forward, and bowed. "Thank you, Senior Brother Luo."
Luo Wenling waved a hand. "I'm not the one you should thank. Even within the sect, Sixth Senior Brother rarely praises anyone. Since he spoke up, he must think you have potential. I'm merely steering the boat with the current."
He then turned to Du Yongchang. "Steward Du, see to the roster and the teaching as soon as possible."
Du Yongchang agreed, then led Jiang Che and the others outside.
After walking a few dozen paces, Du Yongchang turned back and looked at Jiang Che with a smile that never reached his eyes.
"You really are a lucky little fellow."
The cold mountain wind blew against Jiang Che, and the cold sweat on his back left him shivering.
What? Is he taking his anger out on me?
But what could Jiang Che do? He really was rather afraid of Steward Du.
The sight of a living person being refined into a Blood Elixir right before his eyes had been the first devastating shock Jiang Che had experienced since coming to this world. It had taught him that this was no kindhearted place, and it was difficult to forget.
Jiang Che bowed. "It's all thanks to your guidance, my lord."
Du Yongchang stared at him for a long while, then suddenly seemed to lose interest.
He drew a thin booklet from his sleeve and held it out. "Take it. If you amount to something someday, don't forget who taught you your first cultivation method and your first sword move."
Before you continue