Chapter 104 - "What Is There To Trust?" (2/2)
Unfortunately she was unable to do anything other than wait. And so she waited.
***
The surroundings of the platform were crowded again. From the position of the sun in the sky, noon was just around the corner.
”They are about to auction us,” Shin Sumi looked at the faces of the disciples around. None of them looked like avid bidders, which made her realize what this was really about.
”There is no way a low-level disciple will be able to afford any prisoner. This isn't a real auction, this is a fight between the different factions, the different Masters.”
Shin Sumi, her eyes unfocused and half-closed, was still sitting in the same position as before, feigning to be under the same spell as the others.
The crowd was getting larger by the second, its rumble growing as the voices of thousands soon filled the place. The only moment of brief silence was when a group of a dozen young disciples arrived.
”The Night Twelve...”
”I heard they single-handedly destroyed the Sky Earth Sect and imprisoned all of the disciples...”
”This is Master Bronze's unparalleled faction.”
Not sparing a single glance at the onlookers, the Night Twelve walked straight through the crowd until they were standing at the foot of the platform.
”Rat, still sure that you don't want any of them for yourself?”
Rat laughed dryly, facing the prisoners, ”Look at them Mantis, they wouldn't even qualify as training dummies. What use would I have of them?”
”You're only fourteen. I give you three years and you'll have the answer to that yourself,” another member of the Night Twelve said, ”I can definitely see some cuties.”
Rat's face turned red, Shinsoo fueled by anger swirling around him.
”Rat, Bull, control yourselves. Don't do anything unsightly before the Patriarch.”
Following Raccoon's intervention, all of the Night Twelve straightened their posture and stopped arguing. Their eyes were fixed towards the air above the bubble of prisoners, out of Shin Sumi's line of sight.
Trying to sense what was going on, she only now discovered that the crowd's voice had died again.
”The Blue Fire Sect Patriarch...” she said silently, ”and he's not alone.”
”Kids, remove the spell,” Master Bronze's voice spoke from high in the air.
The Night Twelve all bowed as one then spoke in unison, ”Break.”
A sudden gust of wind swallowed the entire plaza, followed by the waking up of all five hundred prisoners from the trap they had been sleeping in.
”What the...”, ”Where are we?”, ”Is this really the...”, all of the prisoners looked around, slowly realizing what had happened. Free to stop pretending, Shin Sumi sighed impatiently and joined the group by standing up as well.
”The Sky Earth Sect is no longer in existence,” the Patriarch spoke, silencing the disciples and the prisoners in one go, ”they have defied us and they have paid the price. Such is the law in the cultivation world.”
The old man's voice was grainy and trembling as well as unbelievable domineering.
”Anger, rebellion, retribution. All of that is nothing compared to strength. Sects rise and fall but strength is the only thing in this world that has been there long before us and that will remain long after everything under the horizon has turned to ash.
What place does loyalty hold in a world like this? I have lived for longer than all of you combined. I have seen the rise and fall of empires, and now my empire is stronger than any other. You may have lost friends, homes and even family, but what I am offering to you today is a chance at becoming stronger than you could ever be after centuries in the Sky Earth Sect.”
The Patriarch of the Blue Fire Sect grew silent for a few breaths before his strangely convincing voice continued.
”Will you remain loyal to a pile of ashes, or take the chance that has been given to you and join my Blue Fire Sect?”
Be it the prisoners of the Sky Earth Sect or the disciples of the Blue Fire Sect, everyone remained silent for a long time.
”...D-Don't listen to him, fellow disciples of Sky Earth! I would rather die than be a slave to the Blue Fire Sect!”
The man who had spoken was one of the few eighth step Liquid Realm prisoners. Everybody turned to him but his own face was turned to the skies where the Blue Fire Sect Patriarch was laughing.
”Ah-ah-ah, a strong willed individual. There is always one, isn't there? Tell me, what is your name?”
”I am Ming Jian, direct disciple of Reverend Yellow River,” he replied, then turned towards his fellow prisoners, ”most of you already know me, and you should also know that I will never betray the sect that gave me my life and my power. Are you all so afraid of death that you would prefer to cast away your honor and become a slave?!”
The Patriarch sighed, amused and annoyed at the same time, ”This is the second time this puny kid said the word 'slave'. Let this Patriarch clarify something. If you want to die for something as meaningless as honor, nobody will stop you but what I am offering you is not the chance to become a slave. I want all of you to join the Blue Fire Sect as disciples.”
”Don't listen to him!” Ming Jian repeated, ”He is lying to us, they will never trust us to-”
”Shut up, Jian,” a booming voice rose from behind the crowd of Blue Fire Sect disciples. It was a man dressed in long bright yellow robes who was missing an arm. Shin Sumi recognized him immediately from the previous day.
”Trust you? What is there to trust? The Sky Earth Sect is no longer, the Patriarch is gone and us Reverends have been defeated. They don't have to trust us to accept us into the Blue Fire Sect because we don't have anything else to do or anywhere else to go.”
”Master Yellow River...”
Faced with his own master, Ming Jian paled to the point that all color drained from his face. Even his own mentor and teacher was against him. Lowering his head, Ming Jian sat on the ground, his head in his hands.
”Sigh,” the Blue Fire Sect Patriarch spoke again, ”Now, is anyone still opposing me?”
Silence.
If some of the prisoners still had reservations before, seeing a Reverend of their own sect turn like that was enough to dispel any rebellious thoughts.
Having watched the whole scene unfold, Shin Sumi's mind was all over the place. Unlike all the others, her home sect was still standing and she knew she was on a mission, but the Patriarch's speech was still perplexing.
”Like Reverend Yellow River said, it makes sense. But if they really don't intend to turn us into slaves, why did Master Bronze Fire talk about auctioning us yesterday? What is the Blue Fire Sect really up to?”
Her thoughts were cut off by the Blue Fire Sect Patriarch who knew he had won the heart of most prisoners already.
”Let us not waste any more time. I was told upon my return that Bronze Fire's Night Twelve were responsible for yesterday's victory and as such, they will speak first.”
Bowing at a right angle, the twelve young people dressed in black and gold expressed their respect and thanks.
Raccoon, as their leader, spoke for the group, ”The Night Twelve thank the Patriarch for this favor. While we wouldn't want to oppose the will of any Master, we are interested in two new disciples. We would like to request the Patriarch for a man and a woman below twenty years of age and with a cultivation base above the Liquid Realm's third step.”
Briefly scanning the prisoners, the Patriarch extended his right hand and nodded to himself.
Gently, two prisoners fitting Raccoon's request were lifted off the ground before landing slowly in front of the imposing Night Twelve.
Immediately, the chosen two dropped to their knees and bowed. A rare smile appeared on Raccoon's face, who then proceeded to thank the Patriarch again.
The Patriarch ignored the bow and turned to the people floating behind him, a genuine smile on his face, ”Which Master would like to follow?”