781 Where and What Next for the Nine Heavens Dictum? (1/2)
Shui Wuyin was quiet for a moment as well before he continued with clear diction.
”There mustn't be any carelessness now. I trust all the Nine Heavens Dictum brothers, I trust that they see death as their end, I trust that they're loyal. Unfortunately, the reality is that… there are those who can't take it. That is why we lost nineteen brothers.”
Shui Wuyin softly sighed. ”Actually, there were only seven of them who had initially exposed themselves by accident. These seven people were the most external circle of the Nine Heavens Dictum. What they know is limited. If they could have kept it in, there wouldn't have been any loss afterward.”
”Nonetheless, they couldn't keep the secret, and their supervisors were identified. They, in turn, couldn't take the torture as well, so their supervisors were discovered. Eventually, it became the current nineteen casualties.”
”I've made the command clear once the first batch of uppers was traced. Then, everyone was instructed to go into hiding. That's how we lost only nineteen people.”
Shui Wuyin said coldly, ”If I were a step late, I'm afraid that even I would have been the Four Seasons Tower's captive.”
”That would mean thousands or even tens of thousands of lives lost. I don't want to carry such a responsibility!”
Yun Yang was solemn when he replied, ”You don't have to explain it to me. I totally understand the reason for your decision. It's just a little hard to accept it in such a short time. If it were me, I'd have made the same decision with you.”
He sighed softly. ”It's a pity… Those nineteen brothers.”
Shui Wuyin was quiet for a long time after hearing what he said. Finally, he slowly spoke up, ”Yes. After all… the torturing methods of this martial world are far more cruel than the imperial ones. In this world, there are many who accept death as their final destination, but there are those who remain faithful to loyalty… far too few.”
He said without warmth, ”The brothers… As long as they didn't seek death at the first moment, it's expected that they can't endure it in the end. It's well within reason. I can hardly blame them. The staunchness of the Nine Heaven Dictum brothers is the highest of standards that I've seen this lifetime.”
Yun Yang kept mum for a bit and said, ”I understand. Accepting death and staying true to faith has never meant the same thing.”
When one was dead, everything ended with their death. As a martial world person, the majority of them could still accept death despite being scared of it. What most could not take was endless torment that hauled one between life and death without a choice!
To speak of it, a man was but a body made of flesh and blood.
”The families of the nineteen sacrificed brothers… Take care of them well. The Nine Heavens Dictum is responsible to nurture their children into talents without any negligence,” Yun Yang paused before saying.
”Whether they could withstand it or they couldn't take it… they're all Nine Heavens Dictum brothers, unchanged despite life or death,” Yun Yang said in anguish, ”Unable to persevere through the Four Seasons Tower's torture… isn't a shame. If it had been you or me, we may not carry on to the end either.”
To which Shui Wuyin answered, ”I understand. I'll make the necessary arrangements.”
Then, he asked, ”What should we do now? How do we continue from here? The overt and covert have switched places. We are at a terrible disadvantage!”
Yun Yang answered, ”The Nine Heavens Dictum need not make any more moves. To battle with the Four Seasons Tower… the standard is too high. Even collecting intelligence no longer has its meaning… What I mean is, continue hiding, until… this matter comes to rest before we discuss this further.”