“I want him” – just three simple words, yet their effect was like a thunderclap. Not only did Song Heng’s complexion change, but surprised or curious gazes also came from both sides.
Speaking of this Judgment Platform, it was nothing more than a facade that had to be maintained for appearances. Since those brought up were all great criminals deserving death, as inheritors of the Sacred Lands, they naturally wouldn’t harbor any compassion for such people. But since there was such a formality, choosing none at all would amount to deceiving others.
So the customary rule was to perfunctorily pick one out for show.
Xue Yu didn’t care to manage these matters, the people from Bei Huang came merely to make up numbers, and Chi Shui wished they could execute them all as an example to others. So this task naturally fell to Kunlun’s chief disciple, Lu Qin, without need for words.
But this time, there were two unexpected developments.
First, Chi Shui, who usually despised evil like an enemy, spoke up, then the coldest and most aloof Xue Yu followed by sparing someone.
Had the sun risen from the west?
Chao Nian also found it unbelievable. As soon as the Judgment Platform concluded and the hundreds of cloud mirrors around were withdrawn, he couldn’t help but turn his head and whisper: “Young lady, do we want him?”
Could it be she pointed to the wrong person?
Looking at the sixteen kneeling people below, this one was the most vicious. Far from showing any remorse, his entire body seemed to flow with rebellious defiance.
Xue Yu’s beautiful eyes lowered slightly as she hummed noncommittally, her mood impossible to discern.
Shan Shu was drawn to look over by this sound.
The Buddha’s Daughter who grew up in Buddha Continent sat peacefully, her every action and word carrying gentle grace. She handed the handbook back to Xihe’s disciple, pondered for a long moment, then conversed with Xue Yu: “Before coming, the Buddha’s Son and I paid attention to the destruction of Yunsan Sect. When capturing this boy, people from Bei Huang were also present.”
“This boy’s character isn’t bad. With proper guidance, he could be useful.”
Xue Yu’s wrist moved slightly, and the jade bracelet around it slipped out from her sleeve, hanging loosely on her wrist. She nodded to Shan Shu and said, “I’ve heard my father say that the Buddha’s Daughter, born in Buddha Continent and cultivating the world’s most profound and mysterious heart methods, is particularly sensitive to good and evil.”
“With the Buddha’s Daughter’s words, I’m also at ease.”
Both understood these were merely polite pleasantries.
Those who could make it to the Judgment Platform – how good could they be? Not to mention something like sect annihilation, which would make ordinary people’s hair stand on end just hearing about it.
Shan Shu smiled with curved eyes: “If we’re speaking this way, I think the young lady is the most kind-hearted among those seated.”
Because their statuses were equivalent, those present kept in regular contact. Indeed, in Shan Shu’s eyes, everyone had an aura of righteousness, but beneath this righteousness, each was different.
For example, she never would have thought that Chi Shui’s Yin Ling Saint, who had the best relationships and could cheerfully chat with anyone all day long, possessed a dao heart solid as rock, while Yedu’s princess, described by the world as ice-cold with only one expression year-round, possessed a tender heart that even the Buddha’s Son couldn’t match.
Shan Shu wasn’t an outgoing personality, and Xue Yu even less so. After chatting briefly, both fell silent.
Before long, Xue Yu and the others left their seats, descending from the Judgment Platform in groups of three and two. Sacred Land disciples came to invite them to tour various places.
As soon as they came down, Yin Ling turned hostile.
“Lu Chengze, has water gotten into your brain?” The flower-like smile on her face disappeared like magic. “Of the entire Judgment Platform, you’re the most promising one, right?”
Lu Qin looked at Lu Chengze, then at Xue Yu with her forbidding expression, also asking curiously: “Today you two are both acting a bit abnormal.”
“Is there some special significance to this Judgment Platform?”
“What significance could there be?” Yin Ling had a naturally round little face with some baby fat, and when scolding Lu Chengze, she carried an almost pampered tone. “Now it’s great – I have to get scolded along with you again.”
Lu Chengze was amused by her unreasonable words. He pointed to his nose and said, “Get scolded along with me again?”
“Every time, who drags whom down? You have no idea at all, do you, young miss?”
“You’re noisy to death.” Yin Ling lifted her skirt and dodged behind Lu Qin and Tai Hua’s Saint Son, very dissatisfied with Lu Chengze’s statement: “Look at yourself, look – which other Saint Son talks as much as you do?”
Lu Chengze took a deep breath.
He’d never seen a Saint like Yin Ling.
Among the three women in their seven-person team, one was Xue Yu, famously a cold beauty; one was a Buddha’s Daughter, kind as water but also quiet; only Yin Ling was lively and boisterous, exactly like a girl her age should be. Usually, everyone was more tolerant of her, treating her like a little sister.
Lu Qin quickly came out to smooth things over: “Actually, this is good too. Before coming, my master even said that if there were suitable candidates who truly repented, we might as well bring down a couple more. These years, when the Judgment Platform opens, you all don’t speak up, so each time I perfunctorily point to one to bring down, and some people have quite a few complaints about this.”
Yin Ling widened her eyes and asked in surprise: “How is it that someone thinks we choose too few and have opinions?”
Lu Qin smiled bitterly: “Exactly. Some people think that since there’s such a Judgment Platform to give people a chance to abandon evil for good, why always make it such a formality? If we don’t want to choose anyone, we should simply abolish this formality rather than let people harbor hope for rebirth only to have it shattered.”
After hearing this, Yin Ling immediately sneered: “This is something – when disaster doesn’t fall on their heads, there are always idle people who even speak up for those criminals.”
“The Judgment Platform’s rules were personally set by the Fusang Tree. We can’t influence them, much less abolish them.” After comforting Yin Ling, Lu Qin continued: “Just now I saw Chengze had taken one, so I didn’t speak up, otherwise, I would have taken another one down too.”
“In the past, I was always troubled about how to arrange them. Today, let you all worry and get annoyed too.”
Lu Qin’s words were just meant to defuse the situation, but unexpectedly, someone followed up on this. Shan Shu smiled apologetically at Lu Qin: “If that youth is of no great use to Kunlun, could you let me have him?”
“Who?” Lu Qin was stunned.
“The youth you just named, called…” Shan Shu recalled, opening her mouth somewhat hesitantly: “Shen Jingshi.”
“Why is this? What do you want him for?” Lu Qin asked curiously, feeling that each of these people was acting somewhat abnormally today.
The brocade-robed female attendant serving behind Shan Shu stepped forward at the right moment to explain: “To be honest with the young sect master, our young lady’s cultivation has reached a bottleneck and needs exactly this kind of youth with exceptional talent who bears the karma of killing as a catalyst. If she can successfully ferry away the hatred and evil in his heart, this cultivation session will be considered complete merit.”
“I see.” Lu Qin nodded. “Since the Buddha’s Daughter has spoken, how could I not agree? Let your people take him back to Bei Huang.”
Shan Shu gratefully expressed her thanks.
Among the seven people, four talking ones walked in front while three silent ones followed behind, each thinking their thoughts, the atmosphere cold as ice.
After passing a fork in the road ahead, the voices of Yin Ling, Lu Chengze, and others grew loud again. Xue Yu seemed to finally reach her limit of tolerance. She frowned and said, “I still have matters to attend to and can’t stay long. I’ll leave first.”
“Leaving already?” Yin Ling pointed to the competition platform shrouded by mountains, her tone much friendlier than when mocking Lu Chengze: “Won’t you go see Xihe disciples’ current strength?”