Cat Girl whose face was red with anger pointed and yelled at the commander of the cavalryman of Divine Hall.
The Priest of the Revelation Department seemed a bit annoyed. Aunt Quni Madi’s eyes suddenly lit up with anger. She stared at the girl and said in a cold voice, “What a humble person you are! Didn’t your master teach you anything? Is it your turn to speak?”
Zhuo Zhihua took two steps forward and pulled Cat Girl back. She saluted the several bigwigs sitting above, and after suppressing the anger in her heart, she said in a shaky voice, “Aunt, this matter has something to do with the reputation of the Black Ink Garden. Besides, Younger Brother Shi was buried in the meadow. Aren’t we allowed to say something?”
Quni Madi’s wrinkled face showed a trace of disgust. She then said in a gloomy voice, “As a disciple of the Master of Calligrapher, he deserved his death as he was even less capable than the Horse Gangs, and was even been defeated by them.”
The Yuelun Kingdom and the Great River Kingdom, just like water and fire, had been fighting each other for the past hundred years because of the Tianmu forest area. No one knew how many big and small wars had taken place between the two sides. Their relationship could be described as the blood feud between generations.
The Yuelun Kingdom with its vast territory was also the place where the Buddhism Sect prospered. Its strength was far more powerful than that of the Great River Kingdom. Especially in recent years, the relations between the West-Hill Divine Palace and the Yuelun Kingdom had become increasingly favorable. If the Tang Empire had not been friendly with the Great River Kingdom, perhaps monks of the Yuelun Kingdom would have long embarked on the territory of the Great River Kingdom.
Quni Madi, the sister of the Lord of the Yuelun Kingdom, was certainly very hostile to the people of the Great River Kingdom. In the past few months, she had been involved in the coercion of Yan forces in the camp, grabbing of the hot springs and in the difficult task of escorting the forage.That was why she was so blunt to these disciples of the Black Ink Garden, with harsh and tyrannical words.
Disciples of the Black Ink Garden had been constantly humiliated and framed by the Yuelun Kingdom, since they left the Mogan Mountain of the Great River Kingdom for the frontier fortress of the North Yan Kingdom. Now in the palace tribe of the Wilderness, the Yuelun Kingdom unashamedly mocked their dead during the meeting called by the Divine Hall. Even though the girls were gentle, they still could not suppress their anger, so they all stood up one after another.
The sound of sharp swords was heard and a dozen slender swords glittered as a sense of chill filled the air. The swords were all aimed at Aunt Quni Madi. At this moment, they had long forgotten how noble the old woman was.
In the huge tent, after seeing the disciples of the Black Ink Garden pull out their swords, monks from the White Tower Temple of the Yuelun Kingdom all got angry and stood up.They tried to rush to the front to protect Quni Madi.
Quni Madi raised her old arm, indicating that sadhus did not have to be so wrathful. She gave the girls who were holding the swords in their hands an indifferent look, with her mouth slightly pulling up, seeming extremely disdainful.
The people in the meeting called by the Divine Hall would not allow these girls to act recklessly. Yet Aunt would have rather than the girls be carried away by hatred. Once they dared to attack her with swords, then either the people in the Divine Hall or cultivators from different countries would deal with them severely. More importantly, in this case, even the Tang general who had kept silent would not be able to intervene on their behalf.
Zhuo Zhihua tightly held the fine sword in her hand, and looked back.
Just like her, lots of people all turned their gaze towards that place.
Mo Shanshan still sat quietly on the chair. It seemed that she did not hear Quni Madi humiliate her own sect and she did not have any opinion on the event that had happened on the meadow either. It seemed that she could feel nothing. She then looked down at her own white dress as if she wanted to turn the smudge of dirt into a lotus flower.
Due to her silence, the atmosphere in the tent became more and more tense. No one knew whether the girls would get angry and pull out their swords, and sequentially, consequences would follow.
The Priest of the Revelation Department of the Divine Hall sitting at the head of the table became even gloomier. For Quni Madi and disciples of the Black Ink Garden, the bigwig had enough reason to be displeased, for example, neither of them respected him.Yet, because of the relationship between the Judicial Department and the Yuelun Kingdom he did not utter a word.
The air became tenser. Quni Madi’s old face looked more disdainful. If things went on this way, the girls from the Great River Kingdom would be humiliated. However, if these girls dared to defy the Divine Hall and attack her, they would scarcely escape the misery.
“The Headmaster of the Academy once said that the truth can only be made clear through talking and arguing. Whatever the truth is in the Horse Gang robbery, we should listen to the opinions of both parties. You girls should talk calmly. Is there any need to pull the swords out? Don’t you know Aunt Quni Madi is always straightforward and to the point?”
These remarks were tactful as they implicitly mocked Quni Madi’s way of acting and talking, but also faintly expressed the favoritism towards disciples of the Black Ink Garden. People in the tent could not help but murmur a bit. However, the one who uttered these words was General Shu Cheng of the Tang Empire. It was improper for the Priest of the Divine Hall and Quni Madi to question him.
Quni Madi uttered a cold groan and she said, looking back at General Shu, “I’d like to hear what they will say.”
Zhuo Zhihua was good-natured and good at solving problems. She took this opportunity to lightly reprimand the girls and asked them to step back. Then she took a few steps forward and bowed with hands folded in front of her. After that, she narrated carefully what had happened on the meadow that day.
…
…
When the same story was told by different people, its outcome was the same, but its process might have been different. As for what Chen Bachi said, the disciples of the Black Ink Garden were a bunch of useless, timid cowards. They caused the destruction of the caravan and brought about the heavy casualties of the army and civilians of the Yan Kingdom. While in Zhuo Zhihua’s version, the commanders of the cavalryman of the Divine Hall on the meadow were cold-blooded and selfish. They refused to lend a hand even when they saw their colleagues in danger. It was not until the disciples of the Black Ink Garden were going to get a bloody victory, that they finally appeared to grab the military glory.
Zhuo Zhihua did not mention Aunt Quni Madi, or the people of the White Tower Temple of the Revelation Institute, or Flower Addict, Lu Chenjia, who were all on the ground that day. However, everyone in the tent knew why the group of cavalrymen of Divine Hall entered the Wilderness, so they all slightly changed their facial expression after hearing what she said. At the moment, cultivators from the South Jin Kingdom, the other countries, and the Tang army subconsciously looked at Quni Madi in a somewhat complicated way.
All the people in the tent believed the story of the disciples of Black Ink Garden was true, because there was no reason for these girls to offend both the Divine Hall and the Yuelun Kingdom in order to shift the blame. They would not be severely punished, even if all the supplies had been destroyed. Furthermore, no one knew what problems they would face after offending these bigwigs.
Belief was the basis of the human heart, yet there was nothing as willful as a person’s heart. Often, power would end up being more important than proof. The stronger the background, the more power that lay behind the words they said.
The Great River Kingdom was weak and small. Although there was a Master of Calligrapher in the Black Ink Garden, but he was only a visiting professor. How could it stand up to the Divine Hall and the Yuelun Kingdom as an equal?
Quni Madi stared coldly at Zhuo Zhihua who had finished re-telling her version of the story and returned to her seat. After a brief silence, she suddenly laughed strangely and raucously. ” I was on the meadow that day as well. According to your statement, should I also be blamed for the failure of the cavalryman of Divine Hall to take part in the battle in time? Do you mean to say that I too am cold-blooded and selfish?”
Zhuo Zhihua looked up quietly at Quni Madi with her eyes full of determination. She then said, “I wasn’t aware that you were on the meadow. Whether you had anything to do with the fact that the cavalrymen of Divine Hall didn’t give timely rescue, I certainly don’t know. Whether you are to blame and selfish or not, you need to judge by yourself.”
There was a big uproar in the tent. No one expected that the female disciple of the Black Ink Garden had the courage to directly challenge Quni Madi. Some people even secretly admired her courage.
Quni Madi glared at Zhuo Zhihua and shouted, “Complete Nonsense! In order to shift the blame, you dare to confuse right from wrong by framing the Divine Hall as well as me! I have tender affection for the younger generation, and intend to make it easy on you. I thought a little punishment would be enough, but I never considered that you’re actually so unscrupulous. Don’t blame me for teaching you a lesson on behalf of your master!”
Cat Girl stared at her, and said without any sign of weakness, “You’re old, but you still tell lies. You really have no shame!”
Quni Madi was extremely angry. She then laughed and sat back in her chair, keeping silent to wait for the final result.
The Priest of the Revelation Department was speechless. He stroked the white hair on the top of his head and sighed deeply in his heart. He was a bit displeased with the old woman, yet there was nothing he could do to her.
In the previous disputes between the two parties, disciples of the Black Ink Garden had a sense of propriety. They just aimed at the cavalries of the Judicial Department without involving Quni Madi and people from the White Tower Temple of the Revelation Institute. Yet this old woman actually got herself involved – She used her prestige to force the Divine Temple to clarify its position – if the Priest’s later decision showed any favor towards the Black Ink Garden, it would mean that he believed what the girls said and that the highly respected Aunt Quni Madi was afraid of death and even had the intention of killing others.
The West-Hill Divine Palace had been very friendly to the Buddhism Sect. They had mutually exchanged goods for thousands of years. Although they revered the Taoist, they always supported each other. In the secular world, the Divine Hall needed the loyalty and the Minister’s offerings more from the royalties of the Yuelun Kingdom. Not to mention that both sides could only describe what happened but had no actual evidence. Even if disciples of the Black Ink Garden could provide some evidence, and the Priest was willing to punish the cavalries of the Judicial Department for the sake of justice, he had no choice but to believe what the commander said so as to preserve Quni Madi’s reputation.
“Has the resentment between the Yuelun Kingdom and the Great River Kingdom been this deep?”
After a short period of silence, the Priest watched the people in the tent and then quietly said, “The peace talks between the Central Plains and the palace have been settled. Although the forage was destroyed, it isn’t a big deal. I’ll punish the disciples of the Black Ink Garden to copy the light scriptures three times. However, in the previous dispute, disciples of the Black Ink Garden’s accusation against the cavalrymen of Divine Hall was false, and they were even disrespectful to the elders. You should make a sincere apology to Aunt.”
Once he finished giving his judgment, he looked back at the Tang army.
After a moment of silence, General Shu Cheng concluded that such a light punishment was indeed a rare mercy from the Divine Hall. He nodded and gently comforted the girls from the Great River Kingdom, “Disciples of the Black Ink Garden, you are probably not afraid of writing.”
Aunt Quni Madi still looked gloomy. Obviously she was very dissatisfied with the views of the Priest of the Revelation Department. Yet she was also clear about the dark dispute among the three departments of the Divine Hall. Besides, she knew that the matter involved the cavalries of the Judicial Department and that the Revelation Department would not be too partial. Thus she kept silent and indifferently raised her head to wait for the apology.
Hearing the Priest’s final opinions on the matter, no one knew the thoughts of the monks of the White Tower Temple. Yet like disciples of Sword Garret of South Jin Kongdom, they all knew that the Tang army had a good relationship with the Great River Kingdom, and it might lead to more disputes, if the disciples of Black Ink Garden were bullied too much. Now that they knew that the Tang army was satisfied with the results, they were finally relieved.
No one cared about the feelings of the girls from the Great River Kingdom. They stood alone in the corner of the tent in anger and confusion, with their hands still holding the fine swords.
They had thought earlier that it was impossible for the Divine Hall to have a justified hearing, because the Apologetic Divine Forces were the cavalries of the Divine Hall. However, they never imagined that the final result of the Divine Hall would turn out like this.
Everyone thought that the punishment given by the Priest of the Revelation Department was mild. Yet the girls from the south had a firm and persistent personality, and their only concern was the hidden injustice rather than the gentleness.
So they were in a rage.
However, facing the bright and majestic Divine Hall, plus the entire cultivation world and the fact that everyone in the tent was relieved, what could they do? Were they really to apologize to the old lady?
So they were at a loss.
All the disciples of the Black Ink Garden, including Zhuo Zhihua, turned back and looked at Mo Shanshan who was sitting quietly in the chair.
…
…
Mo Shanshan slowly stood up, without any trace of emotion on her clear and indifferent face, while her red and thin lips were compressed into a straight line. She seemed particularly staunch, which was a sharp contrast from her soft black hair.
Her dress flowed down like running water. She stood there looking up at those bigwigs and shaking her head, she said quietly,”Priest, I can’t accept this result.”
Many people in the tent kept their eyes on her, wondering what she would say. According to the rumors about the character of the Calligraphy Addict, people were not that worried. However, they did not expect that the Calligraphy Addict in the rumors was very different from the real Calligraphy Addict in front of them. Her response was so simple and ruthless.
There was no emotional debate nor angry accusation. From the beginning of the meeting, she had been silent. Not until the Divine Hall finally gave a conclusion, did she open her mouth and say that she would not accept the result.
If she did not accept it, then it would be considered that all the previous things did not happen at all.
The Priest’s expression changed a bit. He slightly leaned forward to watch Mo Shanshan who was sitting nearby. His snow-white hair slowly released a flash of coercion. He had been waiting for the Calligraphy Addict to reveal her attitude. However, she did not give her view until all the parties came to the final conclusion. He regarded it as a provocation against the dignity of the Divine Hall.
“Hill Master, I’m always respectful to you, and I really want to know what your attitude is.”
Mo Shanshan stared quietly at the Priest and bowed to him, saying, “My attitude is I won’t accept the result. Such an unfair result, neither my master nor I will accept it.”
“There’s no need to mention the Master of Calligrapher, even if he’s present today, the results would still be the same.”
Quni Madi stared at her white cheeks with indifferent eyes, and asked in a gloomy tone, “Since Hill Master does not accept the result, does that mean that you think that the Divine Hall and I are unjust in this matter?”
Old, shrewd and shameless, what an Aunt she was. She was a noble precedented cultivator herself, but twice today she made no room for conversation. Her gloomy words were like a cold sword penetrating directly into their hearts.
Everyone in the tent knew the Calligraphy Addict’s elegant and simple personality. Although her previous performance had surprised everyone, they all thought that she would remain silent as Aunt Quni Madi mentioned the Divine Hall in front of her.
However, the Calligraphy Addict surprised everyone once again today.
Mo Shanshan looked blankly at the old lady, saying quietly, “You treat us unfairly indeed.”
The sound of deep breathing was heard in the tent.
The Priest looked quietly at her and said, “Hill Master, you can’t blame the Divine Hall for being unjust without any evidence. I don’t want to send a letter to Mogan Mountain. Please be cautious.”
Mo Shanshan’s eyebrows gently trembled, looking languishingly at the distance and she said, “What I don’t understand is why the words of fellows of the Black Ink Garden and I can’t be used as evidence, yet the same does not apply for them?”
Silence prevailed in the tent. The Calligraphy Addict’s remarks pointed directly at other people’s hearts and indicated the most fundamental issue of this matter today. However, whether remarks could become evidence or not had nothing to do with the degree of credibility, but it was about the people who made the remarks. The effectiveness of the remarks of the rich and the poor in the courtroom was different. Things always happened that way. What could she do?
Quni Madi suddenly laughed in a hoarse and old voice. When her laughter gradually faded, she looked at Mo Shanshan who was not far away, saying with contempt and sarcasm, “Who in the world, will believe that I, Quni Madi, will tell lies?”
It was not who would believe it, but who dared to believe it.
After a moment of silence, the Priest looked at the disciples from various countries in the tent and then asked, “Does anyone know where the Horse Gangs come from? Were there any sectarian disciples passing the meadow that day?”
No one replied, because there were actually no other cultivators passing through the meadow on that day. As for those Horse Gangs, some members might have escaped, but how could they be found now out in the vast Wilderness?
Mo Shanshan lowered her head in the quiet tent, staring at the tip of her shoes peeping out from her skirt. She remained silent for a long time, thinking of the words that someone once said to her in the carriage, the words about the story between a tiger and a rabbit, and between two tigers.
“I can accept the punishment of the Divine Hall, but I can’t accept the commander’s previous account that disciples of the Black Ink Garden are faint-hearted and cowards, and that they even fear to confront the Horse Gangs.”
“I’ve always wondered how I can prove my courage and ability.”
Her fingertips gently swept to Zhuo Zhihua’s waist and took out a small sword. She gazed blankly at the commander of the cavalryman of Divine Hall who was called Chen Bachi, saying, “Although you’re also a cultivator in the Seethrough state, I won’t bother to challenge you since you’re not eligible. Thus, you don’t have to worry.”
Mo Shanshan slightly turned her sight, which fell on Quni Madi’s ugly old face that was like a dry field. She then said calmly, “I’m Mo Shanshan, a disciple of the Black Ink Garden. Please school me.”
Following which, she placed the little sword across her palm with the blade facing downwards. She exerted pressure on her wrist and was ready to cut it open.
“Hold on!”
The Priest and General Shu were really startled. They both stood up to stop her.
The Great River was deeply influenced by the Tang style. Even in a duel, it still used the rules of Chang’an City. To cut sleeves was to invite someone to join the duel, while to cut the palm was to fight to death!
The response of other people in the tent was slower than that of the two bigwigs. Yet after they became aware of the intention of her action, they were all shocked and stood up collectively to the sound of falling chairs.
Mo Shanshan issued a duel invitation to Aunt Quni Madi, a deathmatch!
As everyone knew, Mo Shanshan was one of the most three famous Addicts among the cultivators of the younger generation, a master at the Seethrough state. However, the name of the so-called “Three Addicts” was related to appearances of the three women, in addition to the cultivation states. Yet the person she was challenging today was a top hand of the Buddhism Sect, Aunt Quni Madi, who had been long-established.
Even though she was a Calligraphy Addict, no one was optimistic about her ability to overcome the predecessor who had possessed the forceful cultivation for decades.
Therefore, all people thought that the Calligraphy Addict was incredibly beautiful because of her will today. This kind of beauty was even more thrilling.
Quni Madi looked coldly at the younger generation. She then slowly stood up with her skinny hands that were like an old tree being supported by the armchair.
The Priest of the Revelation Department stared at Mo Shanshan, and furiously reprimanded her, “What’re you doing! Put away the knife now!”
Mo Shanshan acted like she hadn’t heard what he had said. Her right hand held the hilt more tightly.
…
…
A chaotic noise was heard outside the tent.
The drapery of the tent was lifted, and Ning Que came in leading the Big Black Horse. What he saw was the scene where Mo Shanshan was gripping a knife in her palm. He was so surprised and anxious that he angrily shouted, ignoring so many people in the tent, “What’re you doing! Put down the knife.”
Mo Shanshan looked at him in the distance, and slowly put down the knife in her hand. She then whispered, “Other than this method, I can’t think of any other way to wipe away the humiliation of my dead fellows. They’re dead and can no longer speak. However, no one seems to care about them.”
There was no expression on her face. She was so calm as if she was talking about other people’s petty affairs.
However, in the eyes of Ning Que, the young girl standing lonely over there was obviously fragile and sad.
Only he could see her fragile sadness.
…
…
People then looked following Mo Shanshan’s eyesight towards the drapery of the tent.
Their glances at Ning Que were full of curiosity and surprise. The Priest of the Revelation Department could not stop the Calligraphy Addict, but what he said was exactly the same thing as the big Priest. Hence, the Calligraphy Addict obediently put away her knife.
Next, people in the tent noticed the trust in the quiet eyes of the Calligraphy Addict, and the reliance hidden in the bright eyes of girls of the Great River Kingdom. At this moment, they finally found that these girls had been accustomed to pinning their hope on this young man. Thus, they could not help feeling more confused.
Seeing the Big Black Horse that Ning Que was leading and remembering those pictures on the horse race tracks in the meeting yesterday, they were shocked and speechless. They were all wondering who this young man was?