togophonebook Chapter 880 Borrowing the West Wind
Chapter 880 Borrowing the West Wind
Chapter 880 Borrowing the West Wind
Noriyama pointed a finger, and several names appeared on the file. He spoke somewhat subtly: "Although the Ten Demon Tests are not necessarily progressively layered, there is still a certain order. Although these people passed the Demon Test, they were somewhat unsatisfactory in the other Demon Tests."
Gong Mengbi nodded, noted down the name, and said, "The lax selection of scholars is a disaster for cultivation. In the future, the Heavenly Fox Academy will definitely enforce strict discipline and work diligently day and night."
Norimoto said, "This is just my own opinion, don't take it seriously." He turned to look in the direction of the Demon Palace, his tone somewhat dissatisfied: "In the end, it's because the Demon Palace is indulging in this."
Gong Mengbi, filled with righteous indignation, joined him in expressing his dissatisfaction: "It seems I am not the only one who has been suffering from this matter for a long time; Dianzhenlang is also worried about it. The Demon Exam is a job that offends people, but it is also of great importance. Their disregard for it will only bring trouble upon themselves sooner or later."
Norimasa said self-deprecatingly, "I am just a clerk who manages the archives. What right do I have to worry about these things? I was not involved in their operations, but if something goes wrong and it is investigated later, I am afraid I will be implicated."
"That's right. I'm sure you've seen Lord Xue's self-inflicted injury. If the law isn't followed, it will eventually become a target for criticism and get you dragged down with it."
Dian Zhenlang was taken aback, wondering how Gong Mengbi knew the inside story, and hurriedly asked, "What happened at Lingxu Palace?"
"Don't tell anyone. Lord Xue granted someone a Heavenly Register lightly because he was doing them a favor, and in the end he was implicated in a major case. He was accused of favoritism, abuse of power, and even the Registrar was implicated. That's why he committed suicide." Gong Mengbi said in a low voice, "I'm afraid the Ministry of Punishment and the Court of Law will be investigating the Ministry of Heavenly Officials soon. I just don't know if the Court of Examinations is among them."
"So that's how it is!" Norimasa paced back and forth. "What are we going to do..."
Gong Mengbi said, "The Ministry of Heaven has suffered this hardship, and the Registrar will certainly investigate the old cases thoroughly to prevent any further trouble. Dianzhenlang, things are indeed different now than before. For diligent officials like you and me, this is not necessarily a bad thing."
"Yes." Noriyama nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
Gong Mengbi changed the subject and asked, "Speaking of which, I don't know the inside story of how the Demon Trial ended up in the Heavenly Fox Academy. Does Dianzhenlang know the whole story?"
“I do know a little about this,” said Dian Zhenlang. “In the past, the Ten Demon Exams were set up by the Ten Palace Masters themselves. Later, the Su family fox spirits from the Juxia Division of your Tianhu Academy came and said that the demon exams were in line with the fox spirits’ way of doing things and could be done on their behalf, so that they could be mutually verified. This persuaded the Demon Palace Master, and that’s how they took over a portion of the demon exams.”
"The Demon Examination involves selecting talents for the Immortal Path. Can these few words really persuade the Abbot of the Demon Palace?"
Norimoto said sarcastically, "You're a smart man, why do I need to spell it out for you?"
"Does Kaoshiin have nothing to say?"
"He is the master of a palace. Unless there are any major mistakes, how can he be easily dealt with in the test of demons and monsters?"
Gong Mengbi's face showed disapproval, and he said, "If something really goes wrong, it will probably be like what Lord Xue is in today. What's the use of dealing with it then?"
Norimoto said, "So, just as you said, it might not be a bad thing to use the Xue Hou incident to restore order and discipline."
“But if that’s really the case, I’m afraid someone will have to be willing to step forward and explain the pros and cons…” Gong Mengbi glanced at Dian Zhenlang and said, “Otherwise, I’m afraid there will be considerable resistance.”
“You don’t need to look at me. I’m afraid of being implicated, and so are the others,” Norimoto said. “But you, this involves the demon test of your Tenko-in. Aren’t you afraid of being dragged into it?”
"The Heavenly Fox Academy belongs to all the fox spirits under heaven, not just one family or clan. Although debridement and wound cleaning may cause temporary pain, it will benefit the long term. What do I have to be afraid of?"
Noriyama looked at him with newfound respect: "Then let's wait and see."
Noriyama reached into the file and pulled out a few names to form a separate volume. He said, “These people have only passed the demon test, but the other demon tests have not come for a long time. I’m afraid there’s something fishy about that. You have the Azure Heaven Demon King’s Seal, so you can investigate the matter.”
Gong Mengbi took the list and said, "Thank you for your guidance."
After receiving the list and making copies of the dossier, Gong Mengbi bid farewell to Dianzhenlang, saying, "Once I have investigated the matter, I will report to the Demon King. If Dianzhenlang is willing to do anything at that time, I will be grateful for your help."
Noriyama thought to himself, "Either you wait for my good news, or I wait for your good news."
Dianzhenlang escorted Gong Mengbi to the door. It was already late autumn. Gong Mengbi turned around and said, "The west wind is bleak. Although it cannot nourish all things, it can kill insects and remove pests. If we cannot borrow the east wind, we might as well borrow the west wind."
As he spoke, he moved like lightning, disappearing into the Kaozhen Academy.
Upon returning to Tianhu Academy from Tianfu, Gong Mengbi, with his level of cultivation, would no longer experience the illusion of waking from a dream.
Gong Mengbi summoned the Five Ghosts and gave them the list, saying, "Go and find these people. There are records of them in the files. Once you find them, you don't need to do anything. Just let me know."
He then summoned the three old foxes and ordered them to put the rubbings of the scrolls back in their proper places. They couldn't do important tasks, but they could easily do things like following the clues.
After they finished their shifts and returned to their quarters, Su's servants came to ask them separately: "What did you do on duty today? Did Gong Mengbi show any unusual behavior?"
These three old foxes had been slaves for many years and could not escape the control of the Su family. Even with the help of Gong Mengbi, they dared not disobey the Su family. Moreover, when the Su family questioned them separately, they dared not lie.
The news quickly reached Su Xia Gong's ears, and he was startled. He immediately ordered his men to summon the three old foxes back.
Su Xia Gong sat high on the jade table and asked with his head down, "Today, Gong Mengbi ordered you to organize the demonic examination files? What kind of files are they?"
The three old foxes simply followed the clues to put the files back in their places; how could they possibly remember what was written in the files? One by one, they recalled with worried faces, spouting only fragments, which were not necessarily accurate.
But they didn't know the contents of the case file. Su Xiagong only heard a few words, and his face grew increasingly grim. His beard twitched slightly, and he was filled with shock and anger.
He pondered for a moment, then whispered a few words to the attendant beside him. The attendant went to the inner hall and soon returned with a stack of documents.
"You three, take a look. Have you ever seen these files before?"
The three old foxes had just met during the day, and although they couldn't remember the specific details, they recognized the object immediately upon seeing it.
"Yes, I've seen them. These are the files we put back in their place during the day."
Su Xiagong slammed his fist on the table, cracking the jade table in the process, and exclaimed, "Well done, Gong Mengbi! Well done, Gong Mingfu! They're determined to oppose us!"
"It seems we can't keep him around."
Su Xiagong paced a few steps and said, "Go back to your posts and don't alert the enemy."
He then said to his attendant, "Go and invite Chunxia Jun and Huxia Jun here."