A figure rode the firelight down onto the Disciplinary Palace on White Tiger Mountain.
With its high walls and black tiles, the Disciplinary Palace had a measure less splendor and nobility than the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Palace, and a measure more solemn authority.
The Disciplinary Palace comprised two bureaus and two academies.
The two bureaus were Three Pure Ones Mountain's administrative bodies. The Discipline Investigation Bureau oversaw discipline within the sect, while the Investigation Bureau gathered intelligence outside it.
The two academies were places of cultivation. The Weaponry Academy cultivated the arts of refining treasures and forging artifacts, while the Puppet Academy cultivated the arts of mechanisms and puppets.
Cheng Xinzhan was not particularly familiar with the Discipline Investigation Bureau. To be fair, probably no one in the entire sect was particularly familiar with it; everyone kept well away whenever they saw its members. The base colors of Three Pure Ones Mountain's Daoist robes differed from peak to peak, but all bore a mountain-mist design on the chest and an Eight Trigrams diagram on the back. Only the Discipline Investigation Bureau wore a wild design on the chest, making its members unmistakable.
He had become familiar with the other three establishments. His connection to the Investigation Bureau began when he sought them out himself after returning from the White Jade Capital half a year earlier.
He had told them about Yellow Mountain establishing ties with Emei, and also about someone suspected to be Dragon-Tiger Mountain's Little Celestial Master lingering in the pleasure quarters. Those two establishments led the Eastern and Western Dao schools, and were also the Investigation Bureau's chief objects of attention.
His connection to the Puppet Academy was through Zhu Jianmo, who cultivated there. The two met often. Although Cheng Xinzhan thought nothing of the Zhuming bloodline,