This matter would be exposed sooner or later, but since they were offering a bite at the pie, Lady Mu was naturally going to bite down hard!
"Mr. Pang, why didn’t you let me continue asking?" As they turned past the cliff, and Pang Dezong had set up several alchemy artifacts and established a soundproof barrier, Duan Tianya finally spoke up.
"Mr. Duan, be patient. Let’s first understand exactly what happened," Pang Dezong replied with a calm and collected demeanor.
Soon, the two learned the truth of the matter from Wu Qiuyun and others.
"I couldn’t have imagined, couldn’t have imagined that Qu Fengting, a descendant of a prestigious family, would commit such an outrageous and detestable act. We must disclose this to the public immediately and then shatter Qu Fengting into pieces to console the spirits of these young swordsmen in heaven." Upon hearing their words, Duan Tianya trembled with rage and turned to walk outside.
"Wait, Mr. Duan, in my opinion, it’s best if we think this through thoroughly," Pang Dezong grabbed Duan Tianya.
"What? Are you suggesting that we should let him go?" Duan Tianya looked at Pang Dezong, furious.
"Let him go, of course not, but even if you make this public, how will Zhengying Academy explain the incident with the Qiongqi Relics and Xia Youchen?" Pang Dezong countered.
"What should we do then?" Duan Tianya shuddered, asking Pang Dezong.
He knew that such a huge oversight, and one that had persisted for nearly ten thousand years, could not be reasonably explained by Zhengying Academy. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel✶fire.net
"At this point, the best plan is to keep this matter concealed for now. All the injured parties should be given substantial financial compensation; those who participated in the battle at the temple should receive double. If they are willing, they may directly join Zhengying Academy. The only condition is that everything that occurred in the Exotic Beast Valley must never be revealed to anyone," Pang Dezong declared resolutely.
"What about those who died?" Although Duan Tianya was reluctant to conceal the truth against his conscience, he also knew that Pang Dezong’s suggestion was indeed the best. Yet, no matter how he thought about it, he felt it was an injustice to those wrongfully killed swordsmen, and he said so in a subdued voice.
"Those individuals must also be compensated, but of course not by us at Zhengying Academy, but rather by the Qu family. Moreover, any relatives within their family, if willing, can also join Zhengying Academy directly. I believe that with the substantial compensation from the Qu family supplemented by our Zhengying Academy’s promises, they would likely keep our secret," Pang Dezong said with a sneer.
Duan Tianya fell silent, knowing that these young swordsmen had participated in the trials mainly to join Zhengying Academy. With conditions , combined with the substantial compensation from the Qu family, most families would probably settle the issue quietly, as Pang Dezong had predicted.
However, concealing the truth in such a way did not suit his temperament.
"No, if we do this, wouldn’t it be tantamount to shielding that shameless Qu Fengting? How could we live up to the millennia-old reputation of the academy, and how could we be true to our conscience? Let me, Duan Tianya, bear the consequences of this affair alone; it is necessary to disclose the truth and ensure that Qu Fengting does not escape justice," Duan Tianya said firmly after a moment of hesitation.
"Hmph, you bear it, can you bear it?" Pang Dezong sneered and took out a token, saying to Duan Tianya, "When the Lord of the Academy went into seclusion, he temporarily entrusted me with this token. All affairs of the academy are to be managed by me—you just need to obey and act accordingly."