"Academy Head, what should we do next?"
Feng Shaotang frowned deeply as he asked, his voice full of concern.
Wei Zhilin remained composed. Stroking his three wisps of long beard, he considered briefly before speaking at an unhurried pace. "The court... will certainly not let this matter rest... but what must come will come. Everyone, hold your posts and do not lose your footing. Zou Zheng, tell those handling purchases to stock more rice and grain. Qiu Chi, activate all the protective magic arrays and oversee them yourself. Hall Master Feng, organize nighttime patrols to keep martial experts from slipping into the Knowledge and Practice Institute. Everything within the institute will proceed as usual. Above all, classes must not be interrupted..."
After arranging everything in orderly fashion, Wei Zhilin waited until the others had dispersed. Only then did worry and exhaustion show between his brows.
He slowly rolled up his sleeves and opened his palms. Red and blue light surfaced on his face, and several ink-dark beads of blood seeped from his fingers, dripping into the copper basin beside him.
The clear water in the basin turned pitch-black in an instant...
The Knowledge and Practice Institute closed its gates.
The news spread across the land like the wind, traveling with astonishing speed...
For a time, both court and country were shaken, and rumors sprang up everywhere.
The renowned Knowledge and Practice Institute, an institution the people of the Great Chen Empire regarded as lofty beyond their reach, seemed to have been far too quiet and restrained of late.
Many suddenly recalled that the institute had last closed its gates when Emperor Taizu lay critically ill. It was said that everyone within had prayed for his recovery.
The institute's closure also left the eunuch sent from the palace to deliver