Chapter 457: Wait and See

Yin Song clutched his chest: "You two are truly… truly ignorant of heaven's height and earth's depth—digging pits deeper and deeper, afraid there won't be enough mud to bury us?"

Xue Shao: "No destruction, no renewal."

Yin Song: "You'd better think this through clearly. Never mind—you've already done it. Whether you thought it through or not, it's done. Don't even speak of being top scholar; you might lose your Huiyuan title too."

Xue Shao smiled, not worried for himself: "My lord, have you heard any news of Pan Yun in prison?"

"What happened to her?"

Xue Shao: "I heard from the jailers she was subjected to torture inside. I fear for her physical harm…"

Yin Song waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry—her cultivation level is high enough; they can't kill her."

Xue Shao frowned: "Blood and bone are the same. People feel pain. How can you disregard torture just because her cultivation is high?"

Yin Song opened his mouth, saw his worried expression, glanced around, then leaned closer and whispered: "Relax—none of those whips ever touched her."

Xue Shao looked up at him.

Yin Song gave him a slight nod.

Xue Shao relaxed, stood, and bowed: "Then I'll take my leave."

"Wait," Yin Song blinked, stopping him: "You came to my home just for this?"

"Not exactly," Xue Shao sat back down, leaning closer too: "My lord, did you see the strange phenomenon above the Imperial Prison?"

Yin Song's face grew grave: "I saw it."

Xue Shao relaxed: "Since you saw it too, I assume you have a way to protect Pan Yun."

Yin Song sighed heavily: "I've exhausted all options. I can't do anything."

Xue Shao frowned: "How can you have no way? Don't Dao cultivators all have concealment techniques? Can't you hide those merit-gold lights? Or if a demon appears, can't you subdue it?"

Yin Song lifted his eyelids to look at him: "After all this, we're worried about entirely different things."

Xue Shao humbly asked: "What, then, is my lord worried about?"

"I'm not worried about demons—what's there to fear about demons?" Yin Song said. "Do you think the Imperial Prison is an ordinary jail? That demons can just wander in and out?"

He snorted coldly: "Every craftsman in this world is half an array master—especially builders. Ordinary demons and ghosts can't even enter the Imperial Prison."

Xue Shao: "What about the extraordinary ones?"

"Extraordinary ones still dare not approach—just the prison's malevolent aura forces them back."

Xue Shao: "Surely some demons aren't afraid of the prison?"

"There are," Yin Song said, "but the Imperial Prison borders the Imperial Palace—who dares get close? There's a Zhang family patron there. No matter how powerful the demon, once it enters Jingcheng, it must cower and hide."

Sister Hong Yan and Xiao Hong still dare not approach the palace; only the ignorant and fearless Pan Xiaohei shuttles messages back and forth, while they scatter to gather information.

Xue Shao: "... So you're planning to use the Zhang patron in the palace to fight the great demons drawn by the merit-gold light? Can he even agree?"

Yin Song's face turned serious: "Nonsense—we never thought that."

He said: "But guarding the palace is the Zhang patron's duty. Coincidentally, the Imperial Prison holds important prisoners, so it's connected to the palace. The Imperial Prison is directly controlled by the Emperor, housing high officials and imperial relatives—convenient for the Emperor to summon them anytime. Doesn't it have to be next to the palace?"

Pan Yun was thrown in by the Emperor himself—it has nothing to do with me. The Zhang patron can't blame me.

Xue Shao stared at him, then looked away: "I understand. Then what are you worried about?"

"I'm worried about people!" Yin Song sighed. "Demons come—we can fight them. But the court's political situation? That's beyond our control."

Yin Song rose and paced: "Whether demons or Dao cultivators, most of us live in seclusion. This world is ruled by humans—and the Emperor rules humans."

"Fighting demons? It's about cultivation. Fighting fellow cultivators? Still about cultivation. But fighting court politics? It's about human hearts…" Yin Song shook his head. "Cultivation is the most useless thing here."

Xue Shao's brow furrowed slightly as he sincerely asked: "Is there something in the Imperial Prison that would provoke court officials' resentment or suspicion? Though Wang Zhen currently holds great power, some civil and military officials still despise him—they should ally with us, unless whatever appears in the prison makes them despise us as much as they despise Wang Zhen."

Yin Song said: "A few days ago, traces of a demon cat appeared near the Imperial Prison. Someone reported it as proof of injustice within the prison."

Xue Shao's mind flashed with Pan Xiaohei's image: "That demon cat is Xiaohei?"

"Correct. But at the time, how could I say it was Pan Yun's cat? I swore solemnly there were no demons."

Xue Shao's mind raced: "Even if it's a demon, it's not necessarily bad. If we hide Pan Xiaohei well and blame Wang Zhen, then my lord, you'd just…"

!. Read

Yin Song looked at him silently: "Do you think I don't know? I might be demoted—or even exiled. But none of that matters."

"What matters is: do you think human desire stops at this level?" Yin Song said. "When Wang Zhen falls, the next target of civil and military officials will be our Imperial Astronomical Bureau, the Celestial Master's Office, and all Daoists across the land. This is a matter of the Dao's very foundation."

"If the Dao's foundation stirs because of me and Pan Yun, then we both bear guilt beyond death."

Jin Guang muttered: "Why does everyone keep talking about exile? One's to be exiled, another's to be exiled…"

Everyone turned to look at Jin Guang and said together: "Exile is already the mildest punishment."

Of course, that's only true for people like us who can live anywhere. For most, exile is like beheading—a punishment meant to kill the soul.

The young Xue Shao, still naive, comforted Yin Song: "My lord, perhaps you're overthinking."

"Though this world is ruled by mortals, all things are equal. Whether demons, animals, plants, or Dao cultivators—we're all under the court's jurisdiction. You're not harming the state like Wang Zhen. Why would they turn against you?"

Yin Song looked at Xue Shao and burst into laughter: "Truly a youth—though a genius, still naive, still untouched by corruption."

He said: "I've served in court for seven or eight years. These people in court…"

He shook his head: "Except for a few, all are hypocrites. They believe: if you're not with me, you're against me."

Even allies turn on each other over personal gain—how much more so for us Daoists, who differ in life goals and principles?"

Yin Song said: "Do you know how the Hundred Schools of Pre-Qin times hated each other? At their fiercest, they fought until brains spilled out?"

Xue Shao fell silent.

Yin Song said: "We're in the same situation now."

He curled his lips into a faint smile: "Don't believe me? Just wait and see."

Good night

(End of Chapter)