Chapter 442 - 228: I Will Bear All the Blame

Chapter 442: Chapter 228: I Will Bear All the Blame

Times were tough for the Iron Sword Sect and the Wang Clan as well.

Under relentless pressure from Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple, their territories shrank, their vassals scattered, and their influence rapidly waned.

If not for the overt and covert support of the government, they likely would have collapsed long ago.

The Three Sects were now in the same boat. They could muster a total of only seven Mystic Realm masters, none of whom had reached the realm’s late stages. Faced with the combined forces of the Buddhist and Daoist factions, the power gap was immense.

Although their backers behind the scenes had expressed support, they were restricted by a tacit understanding among the higher-ups and couldn’t directly intervene.

They still had to bear the brunt of the pressure themselves.

But the government’s attitude was disheartening.

Lord Xie seemed determined to watch from the sidelines, happy to see the Jianghu factions weaken one another. He would only step in when the Three Sects were on the brink of collapse, maintaining a delicate balance where he neither let them die nor let them prosper.

Wangqingshan slammed a fist on the table, splashing tea, his voice filled with indignation:

"That Xie Jingze is too rigid! If the government had just decisively joined forces with us to annihilate Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple, our odds would have been so much better! How did we end up in this mess?!"

"If Governor Chen were here, he’d never let those bald bastards run so rampant!"

At that moment, Wangqingshan couldn’t help but reminisce about the days when Chen Sheng was around.

Back then, although the Jingwu Bureau, the Prefecture Government Office, and the Military Preparation Army each had their own agendas, under Chen Sheng’s skillful orchestration, they had joined forces to annihilate Luoyun Manor with lightning speed.

Now that Chen Sheng was gone, the Three Government Offices were divided and worked against each other, allowing Golden Spring Temple to exploit the opening.

A sense of regret spread through the three of them.

Back when Chen Sheng had proposed joining forces against Golden Spring Temple, if they hadn’t been so hesitant and had decisively agreed, perhaps the situation would be completely different now.

A single moment of indecision had led to them being pushed back step by step.

Of course, they weren’t without their grievances against Chen Sheng, either.

If he hadn’t stirred up trouble and provoked a backlash from Golden Spring Temple, they might have been able to maintain a superficial peace.

But right now, they didn’t dare show even a hint of this resentment.

The very survival of the Three Sects now ironically depended, to a large extent, on the young man who had left Ning’an.

Lu Qingsong’s expression was grim, his fingers drumming unconsciously on the armrest.

"Chen’s return date is uncertain, but we cannot just sit here and wait to die. In my opinion, we should join forces to pressure Nie Xuanfeng. If the government still refuses to intervene and clarify its stance..."

"...then we might as well just bow our heads and sue for peace with Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple!"

"Bow our heads?"

Bai Qing gave a bitter smile.

"Sect Leader Lu, even if we were willing to bow our heads, I’m afraid those two factions wouldn’t accept it easily. And even if they did, the price they’d demand would be more than any of us could bear."

The Danxia Sect was already severely weakened. To cut off its own flesh to feed the tiger would bring it that much closer to annihilation.

Wangqingshan also frowned deeply.

"That’s too risky. If we show any weakness, I’m afraid we’ll never be able to recover."

"Of course, we wouldn’t actually be bowing our heads."

A sharp glint flashed in Lu Qingsong’s eyes.

"This is a gambit to force the government’s hand! Those bald bastards from Golden Spring Temple are insatiably greedy. If we truly bow to them, we’ll become their puppets. This move is meant for the government to see! The government has been holding back simply because it wants to use the Buddhist and Daoist factions to weaken us Jianghu factions, in line with its policy of ’using the Jianghu to control the Jianghu.’"

"But if we make a show of bowing our heads and compromising directly with our opponents, do you think the government could still sit still?"

"Aren’t they afraid the entire Ning’an Martial World will end up pledging allegiance to Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple?"

Hearing this, Wangqingshan pondered for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Lu, what you say isn’t without reason. This slow bleeding will be the death of us. Rather than let that happen, we should take a gamble and force the government to show its hand!"

Bai Qing looked at her two allies and finally sighed in resignation.

"I... also agree with Sect Leader Lu’s plan. It’s just... a pity that Governor Chen isn’t here. With his temperament and methods, he would never have allowed the situation to deteriorate this far, nor would he let those fiends from the Blood River Sect... run so rampant!"

"Chen went to the State City to arrange a marriage alliance with the Nie Family. A matter of this importance can’t be settled in just a month or so."

Lu Qingsong sighed heavily, his heart filled with anxiety.

They needed a central figure who could make the final call and unite all their forces, and that person could only be Chen Sheng.

As for everyone else, only Nie Xuanfeng had any real backbone.

Unfortunately, he had yet to make his position clear.

.....

「The back hall of the Jingwu Bureau Office.」

Li Qianzhou, General of the Ning’an Prefecture’s Military Preparation Army, wore a grave expression as he looked at Nie Xuanfeng, who sat opposite him with a furrowed brow.

"Old Nie, what exactly does the Commander in the State City mean by this? Are we just supposed to stand by and watch?"

Nie Xuanfeng rubbed his throbbing temples and pushed a document across the table.

"See for yourself. The order from above is just three words: Await further orders."

"Await? Still awaiting?!"

Li Qianzhou shot to his feet and began pacing the hall, his voice fraught with anxiety.

"The arrogance of Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple is practically burning down the Prefecture Government Office, and the Blood River Sect is even more brazen! If we keep waiting, Ning’an is bound to descend into chaos!"

"If it comes to it, I’ll send another urgent memorial in the name of the Military Preparation Army!"

"Governor Nie, General Li."

A subordinate from the Prefecture Government Office hurried in, bowed, and reported:

"Lord Xie requests your presence. He asks that you both proceed to the Prefecture Government Office at once to discuss an urgent matter."

"What’s so urgent?" Li Qianzhou stopped pacing and asked with a frown.

"It seems... Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple intend to send an envoy to discuss easing tensions. As for the specifics, I am not aware," the subordinate replied in a low voice.

"Easing tensions?"

Nie Xuanfeng and Li Qianzhou exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and vigilance in the other’s eyes.

’Has the pressure from the State City finally worked?’

’Or... is this some other scheme?’

Not daring to delay, the two immediately stood up and hurried toward the Prefecture Government Office.

...

High in the heavens, the winds blew fierce and cold.

An azure Divine Bird with iridescent wings stretched them out, soaring swiftly through layers of clouds toward Ning’an Prefecture.

Chen Sheng stood at the edge of the bird’s back with his hands behind him, his robes fluttering in the wind.

His gaze was calm as he watched the familiar silhouette of the Prefecture City on the horizon grow clearer and larger. An invisible, sharp aura quietly began to emanate from him.

.....

「Inside the Prefecture Government Office.」

The atmosphere was heavy.

Xie Jingze had already relayed the message from Golden Spring Temple to the two of them.

As long as the government abandoned the three factions, including the Iron Sword Sect and the Danxia Sect, then Qingfeng Temple and Golden Spring Temple would fully support the government in the future, even joining forces to suppress the fiends of the Blood River Sect and return the situation to the joint governance of the past.

"I do not agree to this."

Li Qianzhou snorted coldly.

"Do those bald bastards and ox-nosed priests really think they can lord over the government? If we let the Three Sects, including the Iron Sword Sect, be destroyed, who will call the shots in Ning’an in the future? The government, or Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple?"

"In my opinion, we should make up our minds once and for all and annihilate Golden Spring Temple to put an end to all this trouble! I’d like to see if Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple can withstand the five thousand soldiers of my Military Preparation Army!"

"My Lord, I also feel this is inappropriate," Nie Xuanfeng said flatly.

"I also find it inappropriate," Xie Jingze said in a grave voice. "However, the State Government Office has yet to issue any orders. Are we supposed to wait forever? The current situation is dire. The Jianghu is in turmoil, and the people are restless."

"The fiends of the Blood River Sect are running rampant. The most urgent task now is to suppress them. Otherwise, if real turmoil breaks out, who will bear the blame?"

He was Lord Ning’an, the chief official of the prefecture.

His primary duty was to maintain stability.

All the pressure was on him. If things truly escalated, Nie Xuanfeng had the Nie Family to back him up; the worst that could happen to him was a transfer out of Ning’an.

Li Qianzhou commanded troops, and the responsibility wasn’t primarily his.

Ultimately, the final responsibility would fall on him.

That was why Xie Jingze acted with such caution, not daring to let the situation get too out of hand. Back when the Taiping Dao rebellion swept through half of Yunzhou, quite a few officials were taken down.

Among them were more than a few Lords of various prefectures.

He didn’t want to take that gamble, nor did he dare to.

At these words, both Nie Xuanfeng and Li Qianzhou frowned.

’Who will bear the responsibility?’

Neither of them wanted to agree to this.

"The responsibility... I will bear it!"

Suddenly, just as the atmosphere in the great hall fell into a heavy silence, a calm voice sounded from outside.

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