Refining the Mountains and Rivers

"Cough!" A Hidden Fog Sect Elder revealed a fake smile. "May I ask which item Mister Ning Qin has settled on?"

Qin Yu said, "I cannot comment at this time."

The Elder's smile froze.

The Hidden Fog Sect Master took a deep breath. "Alright, let's not have Mister Ning Qin see all of us as a joke. If the dark star ice serpent isn't healed, does anyone here think that my sect can win?"

His cold eyes swept across the hall, "Then, I will take responsibility for agreeing to Mister Ning Qin's request. Is there anyone here who has an objection?"

Silence.

The Hidden Fog Sect Master's heart untensed. Luckily, the stupidity of these people hadn't reached an unsalvageable level yet.

"Mister, the dark star ice serpent's situation is worrying. I ask you to help treat it as soon as possible!"

Qin Yu nodded, "Of course…but, your sect needs to find someone to assist me, someone who is familiar with the dark star ice serpent's condition. This will help me to understand its condition as soon as possible and avoid unnecessary examination time."

The Hidden Fog Sect Master's face froze.

Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows. "What, is there a problem?"

"Haha, Mister Ning Qin's request is reasonable so my sect will certainly do its best. " Another Elder laughed as he spoke. "Si Jia has a clear understanding of the dark star ice serpent's condition. She can serve as mister's assistant."

The Hidden Fog Sect Master frowned.

"No, Elder Si, you are lying! The one most familiar with the dark star ice serpent's condition is my teacher!" A loud voice suddenly rang out. Xiang Ziyue rushed into the hall and fell to his knees. "Mister Ning Qin, please rescue my teacher!"

Elder Si's face darkened. "How dissolute! Where are the guards? Hurry and take him away!"

"Hold on." Qin Yu suddenly said. Following that, the guards that rushed into the hall were caught in a dilemma.

Elder Si's eyes were gloomy as he said, "Mister Ning Qin, this is an internal affair of my sect. Do you plan on interfering?"

Qin Yu lightly responded, "I have no interest in your sect's affairs, but I recognize this young man. His name is Xiang Ziyue and his teacher is Mister Rong Wei, right?"

He glanced at the Hidden Fog Sect Master and said, "According to what I know, the dark star ice serpent was being personally managed by Mister Rong Wei from the start. I just want to remind you that the more familiar the person is with the dark star ice serpent, the more time can be saved. And, the chances of success may also be higher."

A female cultivator in the hall suddenly walked forward. "That's right, Rong Wei is indeed the person most suited to assist Mister Ning Qin."

She bowed, "My name is Si Jia. If possible, I hope I can follow beside Mister Ning Qin and help with the dark star ice serpent's treatment process."

She had a cold and hard-to-approach temperament.

Elder Si's eyes widened. His complexion was ugly, as if he had eaten a fly.

The Hidden Fog Sect Master said, "Since this is the case, we shall allow Rong Wei to redeem himself with service and assist Mister Ning Qin in the treatment process."

He looked over. Qin Yu hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Miss Si Jia may also join us."

A smile appeared on Si Jia's cold face. She bowed and drew back.

Xiang Ziyue bowed his head to the floor repeatedly. "Thank you Mister Ning Qin, thank you!"

Tears flowed from his eyes. His teacher could be saved!

…

Walking out from the dungeon, the first thing Rong Wei saw was Xiang Ziyue standing in front of his numerous disciples. He had already learned the reason for this and he had an excited expression.

"Disciple welcomes back teacher!"

Although they hadn't been separated for more than one or two days, to them this had been like a life and death parting.

"Good, good!" Rong Wei's trembling hand landed on Xiang Ziyue's shoulder. He looked at his other disciples, "It was I who implicated you all."

"Teacher, please don't say that. This isn't your fault to begin with!"

"To follow teacher in cultivating is our good fortune!"

"Teacher is a righteous and virtuous man favored by the heavens. I knew you would be able to turn misfortune into a blessing!"

Rong Wei lifted his disciples up. At this time, he saw the Hidden Fog Sect Master standing to the side. After a brief silence he bowed and said, "I greet the Sect Master."

The Hidden Fog Sect Master had a guilty expression. "Rong Wei, it is the sect that has wronged you this time. But you can rest assured that the sect will give you sufficient compensation."

Rong Wei shook his head. "No need." After a brief pause he said, "If the treatment of the dark star ice serpent proceeds smoothly this time and I have earned sufficient merits, I will then leave."

The Hidden Fog Sect Master's face stiffened. After several breaths of time, he answered in a quiet voice, "Very well. I promise you this!"

Rong Wei cupped his hands together. "Thank you, Sect Master."

Thank you for letting me go. Thank you for letting me leave this place where I once wished to work for the rest of my life and also where I once wished to spend the rest of my life, yet in the end I had no choice but to leave.

….

In the dark and constrained hall, the flaming torches on the stone walls didn't seem to emit any heat. There was a round table in the center with six figures composed of flames sitting around it.

"The first attempt has failed. Next, I invite the leader of the attempt, Senator Jasmine, to announce the process and findings for everyone so that we may learn necessary information from it." Sage's coarse voice reverberated through the hall.

When he took a seat, Jasmine stood up and bowed towards everyone present. "Senators, in compliance with the rules of the Dark Parliament, I adopted a plan that directly acted against the target. I attempted to use the love between men and women to quietly control her. So, I dispatched…"

Following that was a summary of the mission. Because a trace of divine sense followed it, everyone clearly knew what had happened.

"As everyone heard just now, the chess piece I sent out failed. Yun Die's heart wasn't moved in the slightest, so other similar plans may be cancelled. Moreover, I have another point to remind everyone of. It is best if you give Sky Declaring Pavilion's Mister Ning Qin sufficient respect. If possible, I hope that the Dark Parliament doesn't become enemies with him."

Jasmine sat down.

Oriole's young voice sounded out, "Jasmine, that last reminder of yours…did you discover something?"

Jasmine shook her head. "No."

"So it's just a guess of yours?"

"I am only warning everyone. Whether you believe me or not, that depends on yourself."

Oriole sneered but didn't say anything else. "A long time has passed already. If we delay any further, I fear that more accidents will occur. I propose that we directly exert pressure upon Ning Qin and force him to hand over Yun Die!"

"I approve." Limitless drearily said.

Moon Shadow leaned back against his chair. Although he appeared to be close by, he seemed incomparably distant. He softly said, "The Parliament's existence has aroused interest recently. So, I believe it would be best if we complete this mission in secret and leave behind as few clues as possible."

Sage nodded. "I agree with Senator Moon Shadow's viewpoint." He swept his eyes around the table, "According to our most recent information, Ning Qin has brought Yun Die to the Hidden Fog Sect. It is likely that he went there to treat the dark star ice serpent that just failed its advancement. Perhaps this might be our chance."

Oriole impatiently said, "Let's vote. Senators that are in favor of taking direct action, raise your hands with me!"

Limitless, Lone Mountain.

Three votes!

Sage lightly said, "I was the one who initiated this parliamentary action, so according to the rules, I am acting as temporary speaker and I have two votes. Thus, your proposition is suspended and we will begin implementing the second set of plans. The goal is still Yun Die. As we carry out the second plan, I hope that all Senators present can suppress yourselves and not act out for the time being."

His eyes fell on Oriole and Limitless. As for Lone Mountain, he had no prior bad record.

"Two Senators, this parliamentary action involves significant actions. I hope you can abide by your pledge, otherwise I will use the rights of the speaker to punish you."

"Humph! You had best achieve your goal!" Oriole roared. Her figure immediately dispersed.

Limitless said, "This time, I won't do anything."

He was the second to leave.

Sage nodded. "The meeting has come to a conclusion. Senator Jasmine, if you aren't in a hurry, please stay for a moment."

Soon, only the two of them were left.

"Senator Jasmine, I thank you for staying behind." Sage nodded and went straight to the point, "I know that you possess some formidable perception ability. Just what feeling has Ning Qin given you…I've always felt that if you didn't think it was too important, you wouldn't have mentioned it in the meeting. Because sometimes, watching people suffer a little isn't a bad choice."

Jasmine was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Sage, you truly do have the ability to move the hearts of others. You are a terrifying person. That's right, the reason I warned them is because I had an intuition that if the Senators were allowed to freely provoke Ning Qin, it would create tremendous trouble, and this trouble might even spread to me."

Sage's flaming eyes revealed a dignified expression, "If something can give you such an oppressive feeling, then this must be taken seriously. I will do my best to prevent the Parliament from standing opposed to him. But if things cannot be avoided, the Parliament will focus its efforts to ensure that these hidden dangers are erased as swiftly as possible."

Jasmine bowed, "That is the right decision. Then, I will say my goodbyes first." As her voice fell, she dispersed into flames that flew back to the torches.