“Young master Fang, ah no, Imperial Duke Fang…” Fang Qingyao stuttered with a reddened face.
Elder Jinnan and the others were intrigued. They could tell that there were peculiarities between Fang Chen and Jade Fairy back then, and it seemed the same for this woman too.
“It should be my turn, right?” Daoist Crow asked the other cultivators.
“Let her choose,” Fang Chen said.
Daoist Crow was startled. He was displeased, but he dared not express it in view of Fang Chen’s background, so he sheepishly replied, “All right, we’ll let her choose.”
“Miss Fang, the elders gathered here are from major cultivator sects. Who do you wish to take as your master?” Fang Chen asked with a smile.
Fang Qingyao slowly calmed down. She looked at the cultivators with a conflicted expression, and a second later, she shook her head and said, “I don’t want to become a cultivator…”
You don’t want to become a cultivator?
Elder Jinnan and the others were taken aback. The Great Xia’s emperor and the officials of the imperial court took a long stare at Fang Qingyao.
Is this lady out of her mind? Such a rare opportunity was presented before her, but she wants to turn it down?
Among the crowd, Fang Qingyao’s maid and Li Maocai stared anxiously at Fang Qingyao. They looked as if they wanted to rush onto the stage and choose a sect on Fang Qingyao’s behalf.
“Why is that so?” Fang Chen asked.
“Who’ll look after the orphans in the Compassion Halls if I leave?” Fang Qingyao whispered.
Fang Qingyao’s maid fell silent.
She knew Fang Qingyao had always fancied Fang Chen, but she dared not to express it due to the huge gap in their standings. Fang Qingyao could have closed the gap between them if she became an immortal; Fang Chen wouldn’t have been far beyond her reach anymore…
Yet, she was giving up on this opportunity for the orphans in the Compassion Halls?
Fang Qingyao’s maid knew how difficult it was for her to make this decision.
Abbess Clearlotus whispered into Abbess Moonchaser’s ears, and the latter shot to her feet and looked at Fang Qingyao. “Young miss, are you willing to join our Moon Monastery?”
“Abbess Moonchaser, we have agreed to let her choose by herself,” Daoist Crow remarked in dissatisfaction.
Abbess Moonchaser ignored him and continued staring intently at Fang Qingyao.
“Miss Fang, the opportunity to become a cultivator is tough to come by. Your temperament is indeed suited for the Moon Monastery’s cultivation methods. As for the Compassion Halls, I’ll make sure that it’s properly managed even when you’re no longer around. You don’t have to worry about it,” Fang Chen advised with a smile.
Abbess Moonchaser glanced at Fang Chen and nodded. She would remember this favor.
Elder Jinnan and the others sighed. Daoist Crow’s face turned livid. However, they had no choice but to step down here since Fang Chen had already spoken up.
All that was left was whether Fang Qingyao was willing to join the Moon Monastery or not.
Fang Qingyao was still in a dilemma.
Seeing that, Fang Chen gestured to the Great Xia’s emperor and the officials of the imperial court and said, “Miss Fang, even if I’m unable to take care of the Compassion Halls, His Majesty and our Great Xia’s officials will look after it on your behalf. No one will dare to bully the orphans in the Compassion Hall under their watch.”
Those words made the Great Xia’s emperor frown, but he nodded. “Xia Imperial Duke is right. Young miss, you need not worry. My men will keep an eye on the capital’s Compassion Halls. You may come back to visit the orphans whenever you wish.”
“Indeed, indeed.” The officials voiced their agreement too.
“Big Sister Fang, you can open even more Compassion Halls once you become a cultivator!”
“I’ll be hitting the bell with Lil’ Fifth and the others soon! If we pass, we will become cultivators like you.”
“That’s right, Miss Fang. Don’t give up on such an opportunity over old folks like us. You’re a kind girl. Who knows? You might be able to treat our ailments after you become a cultivator!”
Such words could be heard from the crowd.
They were coming from the elderly and the young. They looked fine on the surface, but most of them carried some sort of ailment.
“Miss Fang, you shouldn’t let them down,” Fang Chen added.
Those words woke Fang Qingyao up. Her eyes hardened with determination, and she nodded. She slowly made her way toward Abbess Moonchaser.
Abbess Moonchaser nodded in satisfaction. She turned to Daoist Crow and the others and said, “Our Moon Monastery will be taking just this disciple. We won’t compete with you over the rest.”
That alleviated Daoist Crow and the others’ complexions.
In the crowd, Fang Qingyao’s maid suddenly frowned in confusion. “Wait, our young miss is going to become a nun?” This is… different from what I expected.
The spirit assessment continued.
While most people in the capital were gathered on the square in front of the imperial palace, Huang Sihai, Niu Jue, and a few other Valiant Defenders arrived at an ordinary courtyard.
A few dried corpses lay in front of them.
The Valiant Defenders had just moved them out of the room. There had been no attempt to hide these corpses at all; the fear these people felt before their untimely death was carved onto their faces.
“Milord, they are all here,” Niu Jue said. He beckoned with his hand, and a Valiant Defender escorted a terrified middle-aged man over.
“Is he the owner of this house?” Huang Sihai asked the middle-aged man.
“I-it really is Old Liu and the others! How did they land in such a tragic plight?” The middle-aged man mustered his courage to take a look, and his eyes immediately reddened.
“You’re their neighbor. Did you notice anything amiss?” Huang Sihai asked.
Niu Jue and the others turned grim.
The last time they found such dried corpses was in a Compassion Hall’s empty well. That incident led to the downfall of the Valiant Defenders’ Enforcement Envoy Liu, the Vice Minister of Rites Qin Dong, and many other officials.
It hadn’t been long since, and something similar happened again at this critical moment.
“I… I saw Old Liu’s grandson bringing an old man into the house,” the middle-aged man hurriedly replied.
“There’s a survivor.” Huang Sihai’s face turned grim. He turned to the middle-aged man and said, “You’ll be coming with us. Point the old man out to us if you see him, but don’t cause a fuss lest you alarm him.”
“Yes!” The middle-aged man nodded, not daring to turn down a Valiant Defender’s order.
The young master must have expected something to order us to patrol the capital at this time. There must be a Blood Spirit Cultist among us right now, Huang Sihai thought.
Many pairs of eyes combed through the crowd, but most people were too focused on the Spirit Gauging Bell to notice anything amiss. The middle-aged man soon noticed a familiar face and yelped, only for Huang Sihai to clasp his mouth right after.
“Just point him out,” Huang Sihai quietly ordered.
The middle-aged man quickly pointed the person out with his finger.
Huang Sihai saw an old man holding a child’s hand. The old man had hardly any hair, looking like an ailing elder who had a foot in the grave.
The old man seemed to have sensed something, prompting him to turn his head around and scan the surroundings, but he didn’t find anything. Nevertheless, a sliver of doubt flashed across his eyes.
While the crowd was busy undergoing their spirit assessment, a Valiant Defender discreetly walked over to Fang Chen’s side, leaned over, and whispered a few words to him.
Fang Chen nodded before raising his hand, a gesture for the other party to back down. Then, he continued watching the spirit assessment as if nothing had happened at all.
The sky slowly darkened.
The Valiant Defenders brought in torches, ensuring that the area remained well-lit after sunset. The spirit assessment continued. Elder Jinnan and the others showed no inclination to rest.
Cultivators didn’t need to rest, after all.