Just then, another voice came from behind and called out, “Your Highness!”
Not again, Xie Lian thought. But this time when he turned his head, it was someone who really was addressing him.
Ling Wen, with dark-circled eyes and arms full of scrolls, approached him. “Everyone has gone to the Palace of Divine Might for the meeting. Be mindful once you reach the hall.”
Of course Xie Lian was aware of the situation. “What do you think General Pei Junior’s sentence will be?”
“Exile, probably,” Ling Wen replied.
That’s actually not too bad. Not too severe, Xie Lian thought.
Exile was considered a temporary banishment for officials who had committed crimes, meaning the length of punishment was negotiable, and there might still be the opportunity to resume their duty. If they were found to be on their best behavior, they might one day get fished back up; maybe in thirty to fifty years, maybe in a hundred or two hundred years. But to Xie Lian, this “not too bad” was of course based on his own standards. To General Pei, it would be a completely different story.
Xie Lian remembered another thing. “Oh yeah. Ling Wen, how goes the search for the boy with the Human Face Disease from Mount Yujun, the one I told you about last time? Do you have any news?”
“I’m very sorry, Your Highness. I don’t have anything at the moment. We’ll work harder on it,” Ling Wen replied.
Even for a heavenly official, finding a single person in such a vast world was not an easy task. Although the heavens might make faster work of it than mortals, it was still more like ten years for the Mortal Realm versus one year for the heavens.
Xie Lian thus said, “Thank you for your hard work.”
By this point, they reached the end of the avenue, and a majestic palace came into view before them.
The palace had stood through the ages, yet it showed only enduring excellence and none of its antiquity. Interwoven glazed tiles adorned the golden roof, layer upon layer, blinding in their scintillation. Xie Lian looked up and glanced at where “Palace of Divine Might” was written beneath the golden roof. The characters, written with power and with vigor, were exactly the same as they were centuries ago, unchanged. He lowered his head and stepped into the hall. Within, numerous heavenly officials had already gathered, either in groups of two or three, or by their lonesome, standing in silence.
The only ones permitted to enter this hall were heavenly officials who had officially ascended—all imperial sons of heavens or indomitable overlords, each bursting with spiritual might. They eyed each other in silent pride and judgment, their splendor overwhelming. Gathered here, at this time and place, everyone held their breaths and did not dare utter a sound.
Upon the throne at the very end of the hall, there sat a martial god clad in white armor.
This martial god had a handsome face, and with his eyes closed and his lips unspeaking, he appeared extremely poised and solemn. Behind him stood the expanse of the magnificent Palace of Divine Might, and beneath his feet there were pure-white snowy peaks.
As if sensing that Xie Lian had entered the hall, he opened his eyes.
Those eyes were obsidian-black, but bright and clear, as if formed by the melted snow of a lake that had been frozen for millions of years. As he blinked them open, the martial god smiled softly.
“Xianle, you have come.”
Xie Lian inclined his head in a respectful bow and said nothing.
When Jun Wu spoke, he was not loud, but his deep voice echoed through the entire Palace of Divine Might. All the eyes of the gathered officials focused on Xie Lian, and he understood immediately.
It appeared that this meeting wasn’t for discussing General Pei Junior and the Banyue Pass scandal.
The spotlight, it seemed, was on him.
Ling Wen approached the throne, dressed all in black and not sparing a word or smile. She drew a line through an item in the book she was holding.
“My Lord, there are a few heavenly officials still on patrol in the Mortal Realm, unable to return.”
Jun Wu nodded. “They have given their notice ahead of time.”
Ling Wen acknowledged the response, and Jun Wu turned to Xie Lian once more.
“Xianle, I am sure you are aware as to why you have been summoned here today.”
Xie Lian still had his head bowed. “I can guess. However, I had actually assumed that a decision had been made on the matter with General Pei Junior.”
Just then, a lyrical male voice called out from behind.
“How that matter will be decided is still hard to say.”
When Xie Lian turned his head to look, a martial god stepped into the great hall. His hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he walked toward the front. When he passed by Xie Lian, he stopped in his step, and the corners of his lips lifted.