Chapter Forty-Six: An Ambush in the Mountains
This time, the closed-door questioning did not last as long as expected; in fact, it was even shorter than Yu Wenwen had anticipated. In less than half an hour, several elders emerged from the hall one after another, each bearing a subtle and complex expression.
Xu Qingmei's brows were deeply furrowed, her face grave. Not seeing Shen Yu, Yu Wenwen approached Xu Qingmei and asked softly, “How did it go?”
Xu Qingmei sighed, hesitating for words.
Just then, Master Daochen of the Hall of Pure Law stepped out, his tone cold as he declared, “According to the sect’s rules, Shen Yu shall first be taken to the Cliff of Reflection in our Hall of Pure Law. His punishment will be announced after some time.”
It was not just Yu Wenwen; even Chen Jianzhi’s expression changed at these words. The Cliff of Reflection was where disciples who broke sect rules were held. To be sent there meant one had already admitted their guilt; some irredeemable offenders were locked away there for life.
Yu Wenwen frowned, protesting, “Shen Yu is the sect master's personal disciple. If the matter isn't fully investigated, acting so rashly might be—”
“Wenwen,” Xu Qingmei interrupted with another sigh. “Shen Yu has already confessed.”
“What?”
...
A short while earlier.
The gentleman from the Academy still wore a gentle smile as he sat quietly in his chair. But Hu Bufeng, seated below, looked utterly stupefied, as if his soul had left his body.
He had gone to great lengths, enlisting an influential figure from the Li Dynasty to bring in a respected Scholar of the Central State Academy—defender of the order between mortals and cultivators. His aim was not only to uncover the truth behind the infamous case that had shaken the Li Dynasty a decade ago, but also to earn merit, hoping to avoid punishment for the incident in Qingdi City where Li Chan lost her arm.
It had been at his instigation that someone had sought trouble with Shen Yu. Now that things had gone awry, Qingdi City would surely pressure the Li Dynasty, and his position as Commander of Nanhe City’s garrison was in jeopardy.
The moment Hu Bufeng saw Shen Yu standing in the hall, he recognized at once the exceptionally gifted young master of the Shen family from years past.
Yet, just as he was prepared to righteously denounce the other's crimes, the matter—unexpectedly—came to an abrupt end.
“Shen Yu, were you the one who killed the twenty-six mortals of the Shen family?”
“More or less.”
“Outrageous! Either you did or you didn't—how can you be so vague about such a thing?”
“Oh, then let's say I did.”
“You! ...Are you aware that the Academy and all the sects have agreed: cultivators must not kill mortals at will? Perhaps you had not begun cultivating then, but to commit such an inhuman act—do you feel no guilt?”
“None at all.”
Within the hall, Master Daochen was livid, shouting in fury, but the young master of the Shen family remained calm.
Hu Bufeng stared in disbelief at this scene.
He had imagined many possibilities: that Shen Yu would make excuses, twist the truth, or deny his crimes. He had never foreseen that Shen Yu would so calmly and openly admit his guilt.
What was even more baffling was Shen Yu’s nonchalance—it was not a facade but genuine indifference, as if the matter was beneath his notice.
“A madman, he's an utter madman!”
When the crowd dispersed, Hu Bufeng finally came to his senses, his face pale as he muttered curses under his breath. After a long moment, he looked up and asked, “Mister Lu, is that really the end of it?”
Lu Wenyu, who had remained silent all along, smiled and replied, “Of course. The Dao Sect has already imprisoned him on the Cliff of Reflection.”
---
Still, Hu Bufeng was dissatisfied. He frowned, saying, “But that boy has received no real punishment.”
“His status is not that of an ordinary disciple. And since no one from the Hall of Profound Saints is present, he cannot be dealt with arbitrarily,” the Academy scholar replied, his voice as clear and cool as a mountain stream. “The Dao Sect is one of the nine great holy lands in the world. We are merely observers in this affair. How they handle it is none of our concern, General Hu; you desire too much.”
Hu Bufeng’s face changed. Though he was a military man, he was no green youth just entering the world—he could hear the warning in the other’s tone. He quickly replied, “Thank you for your guidance, Mister Lu. I was overreaching.”
He stood and said, “Now that the matter is settled, would Mister Lu care to descend the mountain with me?”
Lu Wenyu also rose, his manner gentle. “It’s been a long time since I last visited the Dao Sect. I hear there will be a competition here soon—I think I'll stay and watch. Please, go ahead, General.”
Hu Bufeng nodded with a smile and strode out of the Hall of Enforcement. On the steps outside, he basked in the rising sun, his mood much lighter.
Not only had the murderer been apprehended, but Mister Lu's words had filled him with a sense of respect, like a warm spring breeze—a scholar of nearly sage-like reputation, yet willing to acknowledge a mere military man.
...
Another major event had shaken the Dao Sect.
The sect master's personal disciple, Shen Yu, was imprisoned on the Cliff of Reflection in the Hall of Pure Law for being the perpetrator of the Shen family massacre in Nanhe City a decade ago.
“To slay one's kin and butcher twenty-six family members—such cruelty and ruthlessness.”
News spread swiftly throughout the sect, and all four halls and seven peaks were abuzz with discussion.
Yet, a strange atmosphere prevailed.
In three of the four halls, debates broke out: some argued for leniency, others for severe punishment. But the Hall of Profound Saints, which should have spoken loudest, remained utterly silent.
Su Mo and Master Daofan seemed to have vanished, as though they cared nothing for what was happening.
...
Meanwhile, on the Cliff of Reflection in the Hall of Pure Law, Shen Yu was unaware of the turmoil among the four halls and seven peaks.
After speaking with Master Daochen, he had been escorted to the mountain prison, reserved for those who violated sect rules.
The cliff stood over a deep abyss, with only a narrow path leading to the summit. Along the way were caves of various sizes, serving as cells.
Sunlight never reached this place; it was damp, cold, and the spiritual energy was exceedingly thin.
Shen Yu sat idly at the entrance of a cave overlooking the precipice, silently watching the clouds drifting in the sky.
The Cliff of Reflection was protected by a formidable, intricate formation—an invisible force confined every area, and without a special talisman, one could scarcely move.
He had just tested the limits and found he could only move within the cave and a short distance from its entrance.
“You’ve got some nerve. After doing what you did, you still didn't run—you even came back. Are you out of your mind?”
A voice of mockery came from behind him—it was a disciple of the Hall of Pure Law, assigned to guard him.
Interrupted from his thoughts, Shen Yu realized a day had passed already; the moon and sparse stars hung in the night sky.
“I did nothing wrong. Why should I run?” Shen Yu looked at the man, finding him oddly familiar.
The disciple rolled his eyes. “You really are something—just as you were when you first joined the sect, never changed a bit. No wonder you became the sect master's personal disciple. I could never match your resolve.”
Shen Yu gazed at him and said, “We've met before.”
“Ha, surprising you even remember.” The disciple chuckled self-deprecatingly, leaning against the cliff wall. “My name’s Ding Yi. When you first came to the Dao Sect and took the entrance test, I was the one who registered you. Just three years later, you’ve become my senior brother.”
---
Shen Yu thought for a moment. “I never would have guessed.”
Ding Yi grinned widely.
He had been one of the first to notice Shen Yu's rise in the Dao Sect. Back at the mountain gate, Shen Yu had made a deep impression on him. He never imagined the boy would rise so swiftly, becoming the sect master's personal disciple—a source of both admiration and awe, tinged with a peculiar sense of kinship and reverence.
Ding Yi had long disliked those haughty senior brothers in the Hall of Pure Law, always putting on airs and bossing everyone around just because they’d joined a few years earlier. During the last Four Halls Tournament, he had watched with glee as Shen Yu thrashed Fang Hen, Chen Jianzhi, and Lan Yingxing. He’d feigned anger, but inside he was delighted.
Now, Ding Yi glanced furtively around. Seeing no one nearby, he whispered, “I think you’re more of a man than any of them. At least you have the courage to take responsibility for your actions.”
Shen Yu shook his head. “I only went to the Hall of Enforcement to reason with them. I didn’t even get the chance before I was thrown in here.”
Ding Yi looked puzzled. “Why?”
“Because,” Shen Yu replied, “it seems they didn’t want to reason with me.”
Ding Yi, simple by nature, had no patience for such convoluted matters. He sighed. “So what now?”
Shen Yu shifted his seat. “I’ll just wait until they come back, and then reason with them.”
“That’s... I don’t think so!” Ding Yi scoffed. “No one ever comes to reason with the prisoners here. In all my time in this godforsaken place, I’ve never seen the Hall of Pure Law’s people come here for a fair talk.”
Shen Yu regarded him. “You’re quite an interesting person.”
Ding Yi shrugged. “Interesting? You mean uncouth. Can’t help it—I grew up in a little mountain village in the southwest, barely set foot in a school. If that white-bearded old bastard from the Hall of Pure Law hadn’t tricked me here, I’d have never come.”
As he spoke, Ding Yi grew increasingly agitated, cursing, “That old fool dumped me here and vanished. Now I spend every day as someone’s errand boy, freezing at the mountain gate, and now I’m stuck in this wretched place guarding prisoners, doing all the dirty work. It’s damned unfair.”
“Not necessarily,” Shen Yu said, shaking his head. “You may be of modest talent, but your mind is clear and unclouded. The former makes cultivation faster, but the latter is the foundation of the Great Dao. I suspect that old bastard you speak of saw this in you.”
Ding Yi’s eyes widened in shock. He was speechless for a long while.
“Damn it all...” Ding Yi slapped his thigh and leapt up, staring at Shen Yu suspiciously. “You sound just like that old bastard! Are you two in cahoots to mess with me?”
Shen Yu glanced around and said lightly, “What do you think?”
“Uh... Doesn't seem like it. You look pretty miserable right now.”
Ding Yi snickered. Suddenly recalling the earlier conversation, he grumbled, “The rest of the Hall of Pure Law—besides me—not one of them cares for reason. A bunch of little bastards, they’ll never come hear you out.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Shen Yu said, gazing up at the sky with indifference. “I rarely reason with others anyway, and my patience is not great.”
At these words, Ding Yi clicked his tongue in amazement. Shen Yu always spoke with such flavor—more compelling than those arrogant fellows in the Hall of Pure Law.
“So you—”
Bang!
The deep night was still. Ding Yi’s words were abruptly cut off as his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.
Shen Yu looked up.
Behind Ding Yi’s fallen form stood a black staff.
A young girl gripped it with both hands, her face wary as she surveyed her surroundings.