Chapter 123 Trial and Verbal Battle
Qiu Sheng stared at the spear on the shelf, remaining motionless until he heard scattered footsteps outside the courtyard. The footsteps stopped outside the courtyard, and someone knocked on the door. Without turning his head, Qiu Sheng asked, "Speak, who is it this time?"
"Asking the common people, Lu Yuan."
Hearing the reply from outside the door, Qiu Sheng's heart sank a little. The number of people seeking guidance from the common people was decreasing one after another. The person reported recently was Lu Sheng; the whistleblower claimed that Wen Cang Sheng's disciples could allow the souls of other demonic beasts to reside within them, and that different souls often inhabited their bodies. Who could tell which soul was in their body today?
If one day Hundred-Eyed Mirror were to take on their likeness, how would they distinguish whether the person beneath that skin was Hundred-Eyed Mirror, a disciple of Wen Cang Sheng, or one of their contracted demonic beasts? It seems that Wen Cang Sheng is the most easily replaced by Hundred-Eyed Mirror, hence their declaration to expel the disciples of Wen Cang Sheng from Kunlun.
Normally, Lu Sheng didn't care much about Kunlun's affairs, and his relationship with the other disciples of Wen Cang Sheng was just so-so. But as soon as this statement came out, Lu Sheng suddenly stood up and single-handedly kept people outside the Forest of All Beings.
Qiu Sheng still remembers how she braved the rain to find Lu Sheng at night, just so she could take Lu Yuan and leave Kunlun. That was the first time she had abused her power, telling her that the Discipline Hall was going to arrest Lu Sheng: "You should leave now, leave Kunlun. This is the best way, at least you can save yourself."
But Lu Sheng didn't leave: "Now it's the entire Wen Cang Sheng who are suffering. If it weren't me who stood up today, but another Wen Cang Sheng disciple, would you still tell him this news and urge him to leave quickly?"
Qiu Sheng said, "Of course not. It's only because it's you that I'm doing this." She and Lu Sheng grew up together and were as close as brothers. She would only help Lu Sheng when he was in trouble. If it were anyone else, she would show no mercy.
"If I leave, are you going to find someone to die in my place?" Lu Sheng asked.
Qiu Sheng didn't speak, but his eyes tacitly agreed with her words.
“I will not leave,” Lu Sheng smiled. “Other people’s lives are just as important as mine. I will not let anyone die for me. What I want is justice and equality. If I leave, I will become someone who abuses power and destroys equality. If I leave, I will betray my principles and I will no longer be qualified to be a person who cares for the common people.”
"But you might die!" For the first time, Qiu Sheng hated Kunlun's rules.
“I’m never afraid of death. Death is the destination of everyone. I’m only afraid of destroying my path, and then my life will have no meaning.”
In the admonition hall, Liang tried his best to turn the tide, debating with the scholars to clear Lu Sheng's name. In the end, Lu Sheng was spared death but was punished with a lifetime of reflection on his mistakes at the Cliff of Repentance.
"I really want to blow up this Kunlun Mountain," Liang Duo said.
"I want to resign from my position in the Disciplinary Hall," Qiu Sheng said after a long silence.
Liang Duo frowned as she looked at her. She knew that Qiu Sheng had overcome many obstacles to get to where she was today. She probably never imagined that one day she would lead the people of the Discipline Hall to arrest her own friend.
“I can no longer distinguish what the Dao is,” Qiu Sheng said. “Can’t we put aside all our prejudices and grudges and focus on cultivation? What I’m doing now is nothing more than being an accomplice to evil. I might as well resign from this position and go into seclusion, just like Elder Fang.”
Since the news of the Five Evils broke, Fang Bushou has been in seclusion, refusing to see anyone. Though he claims to be in seclusion, he's actually keeping his eyes closed, unable to bear witnessing it all. Although Fang Bushou is the teacher of Wenxin Diaolong, he has taught almost all the Kunlun disciples through his classes. In fact, all the younger generation of Kunlun disciples now have to call him "Teacher."
Now, seeing his disciples fighting amongst themselves, Fang Bu Shou couldn't get over it in his heart, so he changed from a "worldly" to a "detached" faction, no longer interfering in anything in Kunlun.
“No, don’t resign,” Liang Duo said, looking at Qiu Sheng. “Not only will we not resign from this position, but we will also keep climbing up to a position where we have a voice. Only by grasping power can we change everything.”
"Senior Sister Qiu, are you ready?" A disciple's voice came from outside the door. Qiu Sheng snapped out of her daze, picked up the spear from the shelf, and said, "I know, let's go."
People flocked into the Forest of All Beings, and the light of the lanterns was reflected in the lake. The light spread out in the water, illuminating the paper boats that had sunk to the bottom.
Looking at Lu Yuan standing in the forest and Ming Zhao, who was being shielded by her, Qiu Sheng vaguely saw Lu Sheng and Liang Duo through their figures.
History repeats itself again and again. In the past, Liang Duo stood in the Hall of Admonition to argue with everyone for Lu Sheng; now, Ming Zhao stands in the Hall of Admonition to argue for Lu Yuan. If every Wen Cang Sheng disciple had a Wen Xin Diao Long standing before them, perhaps their fate wouldn't have been so tragic.
Qiu Sheng stood aside, watching Ming Zhao refute all the questions raised and then seize every loophole to launch a counterattack. Ming Zhao's style was completely different from Liang Duo's; one was calm, the other sharp, but without exception, they both used language as their weapon. Although the Wenxin Diaolong disciples appeared physically weak—Qiu Sheng alone could easily defeat a group of them—once in the Discipline Hall, Qiu Sheng's spear was useless, while their silver tongues were their best weapon.
There's no need to use a knife to kill, and the same goes for retaliation.
"Wait, how can this guy be so eloquent? I've never seen anyone like him before! Where are the people from *Wenxin Diaolong*? Quickly find someone from *Wenxin Diaolong* to debate with her!"
Among the onlookers were no disciples of the *Wenxin Diaolong* school. Perhaps they had long observed the world and human nature and knew such a thing would happen. After Fang Bushou announced his seclusion, they followed suit, closing their doors to all visitors to ensure their safety. Others, after Liang Duoshi chose his side, remained silent in support, refusing all invitations from the jury in the Discipline Hall.
Even among those skilled in literature, no one could rival Mingzhao. Mingzhao was not good with words and rarely spoke to others; she focused solely on her academic pursuits. Now, standing before the world, she used all her knowledge to refute all the accusations leveled against Lu Yuan, feeling utterly exhilarated.
For the first time, she truly witnessed the usefulness of the knowledge she had learned.
Just then, a shadow fell outside the door, and someone arrived late, drawing everyone's attention.
Having survived the attack, Shen Qingyan reappeared in the Discipline Hall and walked to the main seat under the watchful eyes of everyone present.
Lu Yuan looked at him, hooked her finger, and suddenly felt a resistance. Ming Zhao's golden words had somehow wrapped around her hand and stopped her movement.
Mingzhao warned her with his eyes.
Lu Yuan merely snorted and didn't make another move.
Shen Qingyan coughed a few times, looking as if he had not yet fully recovered. Someone couldn't help but say, "Now that the sect leader is here, let him explain the past situation himself and see if Lu Yuan really tried to hurt him."
Just as Shen Qingyan was about to speak, another disciple in the admonition hall said, "Everyone knows that our new sect leader is kind-hearted and soft-hearted. If he hadn't tried to kill these people, he would have let them go and given them a chance to repent. It is said that a kind-hearted person cannot command an army. I think it is because the sect leader is too kind that the Five Evils in Kunlun have not been completely eliminated."
"Now that Lu Yuan says the recording bead he always carries is broken, and without the recording bead, how can we be sure that Lu Yuan really attacked the sect leader?"
The two of them were speaking in unison, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that they were taking advantage of the opportunity to try to bypass Mingzhao's rebuttals and find a different way to convict Lu Yuan.
"Let's search your soul." As one of them spoke, the atmosphere in the Discipline Hall changed.
Qiu Sheng laughed and was about to speak when Liang Duoshi raised his hand and released a golden message to stop her. The next moment, Qiu Sheng's name tag vibrated, and she looked down to see a message from Liang Duoshi.
"Don't be impulsive, stall for time. If Mingzhao can't win the argument, I'll step in later. Right now, apart from Elder Huang, none of the other elders in Kunlun are here, so there's no one who can make decisions. I've already sent Chu Xun to find Elder Huang; it's just a matter of whether she'll come... The other elders are adamant about their stance against the Five Evils. Qianhe went to Elder Qingxiao a while ago, trying to persuade him to come out of seclusion. Elder Qingxiao has been in seclusion for many years and doesn't understand the current situation in Kunlun. If we can convince him to stand on our side, perhaps we can change the situation..."
Liang Duo sent messages one after another, trying to calm Qiu Sheng down. The current situation was such that one wrong step could lead to another. If Qiu Sheng spoke up to obstruct the interrogation and showed a clear bias towards Lu Yuan, she would lose her current position because of her impulsive and unfair actions.
"Which rule allows you to use soul-searching techniques on Kunlun disciples?" Mingzhao stared at them and said, "Find it out."
“Lu Yuan has harmed Kunlun disciples in the past. She is extreme and violent. The traces of the Five Evils can be seen on her long ago. Now that she is one of the Five Evils, she is no longer a Kunlun disciple. Since she is no longer a Kunlun disciple, she can naturally be used with the Soul Searching Technique.”
"You are making wild guesses; there is absolutely no concrete evidence to prove that Lu Yuan is now one of the Five Evils."
"Just take a look with the Soul Searching Technique, and you'll know whether she's one of the Five Evils."
The teacup was slammed onto the table, startling everyone in the room, leaving only the clear buzzing sound of the lid rattling.
Shen Qingyan looked at the people arguing in the hall and said, "Have you all forgotten that I haven't said anything yet?"
Shen Qingyan's tone was serious for the first time, which surprised everyone. They suddenly remembered that the seemingly inconspicuous person sitting on the seat was now the sect leader.
“Soul searching? I will not allow it,” he said.
"but……"
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. If someone dies during the soul-searching process, you can incite the anger of the Wen Cang Sheng disciples, causing them to attack. Then you'll have a perfect excuse to wipe them all out, right?" As he spoke, the disciple's face gradually turned red and then purple. "Aren't you also maliciously speculating about me right now? Don't think that just because you're the sect leader..."
“This isn’t malicious speculation,” Shen Qingyan said. “This is returning the favor.”
Before they could speak, Shen Qingyan cut them off: "She didn't hurt me, so the charge is off. This trial is over."
"Is the sect leader going to rule by his own hand now?" someone asked. Shen Qingyan had always been a puppet, but now his sudden assertive attitude had only fueled their discontent.
"Aren't you the ones who want to run the show with one voice?"
Someone slammed their hand on the door, causing it to spring open with a loud bang.
Everyone turned to look, and saw that the person standing outside the door had the exact same face as the one in the main seat. Before everyone could react, the person asked, "You are Shen Qingyan, then who am I?"
Author's note: There's not much plot left, but I should be able to finish it before December. I'll try my best to finish writing the remaining content and release it all at once next Monday.
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