Laughter and lively voices filled the monastery. After the tea had been replenished twice more, Tao Siyong was utterly convinced by True Lord Cheng and regretted not having met him sooner. Now that the atmosphere was pleasant and they had become acquainted, he asked the last question he needed settled on this journey.
"True Lord, I heard that the Profound Yin Sect Master made an outrageous declaration on the Sichuan-Shaanxi border, saying that if you uprooted the Demon Path's foundations here, their Northern Faction would march south and destroy the spirit mountains of Sichuan and Shu. They hope to make you hesitate to strike the rat for fear of breaking the vase. What is your view of this?"
Cheng Xinzhan smiled at the question.
"Those words are merely the Northern Faction's scheme to divert the flood of trouble eastward. They will certainly march south against Sichuan and Shu, and that has nothing whatsoever to do with my efforts to eliminate demons here. They said this precisely to deepen the conflict between our Daoist Sect and Western Xuan, making Xuanmen hate our Daoist Sect. But we need not concern ourselves with that. Naturally, the elimination of demons cannot stop. If Xuanmen cannot hold its ground, that is their incompetence; if Xuanmen believes the Northern Faction's nonsense, that is their stupidity. If the west truly cannot stop the Northern Faction's southward advance, then I shall head west and set the mountains and rivers in order again." Tao Siyong's eyes lit up at this, and he repeatedly agreed.
"Your insight is clear indeed, True Lord! Precisely so. Those demon fiends are cunning, delighting in sowing discord and playing tricks. There is no need to heed them at all. Their courts should be plowed and their lairs swept clean, the evil miasma purged, and