The skies cleared and light broke through, flowering trees fragrant and lush-
Golden Court Mountain had thirty-six peaks, fourteen cliffs and ridges, nine deep caverns, and twenty-two pools and waterfalls. Its scenery could well be called rich and splendid, its mountains wondrously beautiful.
At that moment.
Within a palace temple on Stone Drum Peak, the ninth peak, twenty or thirty inner disciples of Changying Court had gathered, all of them descendants of great clans.
These brilliant talents, so admired by others, now sat rigidly upright.
Some wore a distinct trace of worry on their faces; some had flickering eyes and unsettled thoughts; others seemed faintly displeased, though they concealed it so well that it did not show.
But whatever their manner.
For now.
They all kept their eyes on their noses and their noses toward their hearts, motionless as clay idols and sacred figures in a temple.
The atmosphere was so heavy and oppressive that a falling pin could have been heard.
Even the beautiful, radiant maids moved with the utmost care as they poured wine, rising onto their toes and trying to muffle their footsteps.
They feared that the slightest louder sound would displease these pampered clan scions and draw their angry glares.
If that truly happened.
There had been precedents of servants being dragged outside the hall by yellow-turbaned strongmen and bludgeoned to death on the spot.
And as time trickled past.
At last.
After an unknown length of time.
A low sigh suddenly sounded, slowly breaking the oppressive stillness.
"It has been a full six hours since the message smoke was sent... Not only has there been no handwritten reply giving us a definite answer, there has not even been a servant sent to respond.
"It seems Xie Tang and Xie Huizhai will certainly not be coming