"Take your seats!"
"Hurry up, the immortal is already waiting!"
"Don't shove!"
The open-aired stadium within Glacier Palace was the most crowded it had been in many decades and still more people were flowing in from the doorways. This meeting was for all disciples as well as their spouses and children currently residing in the sect. This added a few thousand to headcount that approached ten thousand souls.
Chen Wentian sat in the center of the stage that overlooked the circular stadium, with icy towers of the sect and white mountain peaks all around. Su Xue and Su Yue sat beside him, looking a little nervous but also excited. He could tell that they enjoyed being the center of attention, especially when they were constantly in the shadows of their older sisters.
A select group of women sat in the first row directly in front of them. They included all managing elders that survived the death of Murong Aiyin as well as the talented disciples that were originally under Long Yifei. With the death of Ru Hanyue, there were now nine left out of the original ten. They sat silent and stoic, though their expressions could not hide their ravishing beauty.
Chen Wentian shot them a few sideways glances here and there until the last stragglers entered and took their seats. He then rose into the air and cast his spiritual energy outward to cover the entire stadium in warmth.
"Glacier Palace! I am Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian, your administrator. I have called this emergency sect meeting to inform you all of some recent developments and how they will affect each and every one of you. Some of you may have heard already but the news from the province is indeed correct. Disciple Ru Hanyue passed away two days ago."
He paused as gasps of shock and sorrow erupted from the crowd like a shockwave. It was understandable so he let them grieve for a moment. Ru Hanyue was a famous person within the sect, one that many juniors looked up to. With the current state of the sect, she was of the ten most influential members. Her loss was a huge deal.
"Her death…" He continued, "Was an unfortunate tragedy but one that will not be repeated. No other member of Glacier Palace will suffer the same fate as her, this I promise you all with confidence. I cannot get into the specific details of her death but I have already taken care of the culprit. However, to make sure things properly return a peaceful state, I am instating a new series of rules that will last for a month at least."
"The first rule is that Glacier Palace members below the Spirit Initiate Realm are not allowed go anywhere except the sect, the teleportation array, and Thousand Flower City in Dragon Flower Province. Other areas are restricted temporarily for your safety."
"The second rule is that those at the Spirit Initiate Realm going outside of the three places I mentioned before all must travel in groups. The bigger the group, the better. Groups of two are allowed but discouraged. Additionally, before a group sets out from the sect, they must take a special message talisman with them. If anything happens, if you meet any danger, activate the message talisman immediately and you'll summon one of my elders to your side."
Chen Wentian waggled his finger and the shadow beneath his feet spread to the side. A dark figure stood up out of nothingness, their facial features obscured except for a pair of glowing black eyes.
"Greetings, sect master!" The shadow spoke, his normal voice distorted so he wouldn't sound exactly the same as Chen Wentian.
Chen Wentian patted Chen Mo's shoulder, "Everyone, do not be alarmed. This is Elder Mo of Ten Thousand Flower Valley, my right hand and also a Spirit Lord. He will be the one to respond if any message talisman is activated in this province. I wanted you all to meet him and get used to his appearance. While I am away, he will be responsible for you all. But do not worry, he will behave the same as me and will not interfere with day-to-day matters of the sect."
"Yes, sect master!" Chen Mo said and disappeared.
"Now…" Chen Wentian said, ignoring the sea of stunned and frightened expressions, "That is all I have for you all. Just two simple instructions. Follow them and a month will pass in the blink of an eye. Dismissed!"
Without another word, he took Su Xue and Su Yue and flew into the sky. In the past, perhaps he would have been enamored by a whole sect filled with women. Now, all of them together didn't interest him nearly as much as the twins in his arms.
He paused in midair, high above the province, letting his spiritual aura protect them from the sharp winds all around them.
"My task for you two will be much more challenging. Are you ready?" He asked them.
Su Xue and Su Yue nodded eagerly.
"Good. Glacier Province will be your responsibility. Your sisters will be in charge of Divine Blazing Province. Here, you two will be responsible for traveling around and investigating any strange occurrences that could be caused by demons. I will check up on you for training at regular intervals. While I am away, you are to practice your ice and flame arts as well as your sword."
"Understood!" They replied brightly.
"Also, since you both like food and wine, you are to sample as much local fare as possible and bring back any good recommendations for me and the others…"
"Master!" Su Yue tugged at his sleeve, interrupting him, "If we do that, we'll get fat!"
Chen Wentian laughed, "Silly girl, just eat less? Anyways, the point is to act natural and blend in. If you two go around blatantly asking about demons, if there are any, they would all go into hiding. Just act like you are enjoying yourselves."
"So… we're the bait?" Su Xue concluded.
"Uh…" He scratched his head.
He laughed awkwardly but Su Xue didn't look impressed. Indeed, he had a bad habit of making his disciples serve as bait.
"I'm not doing it on purpose…" He tried to explain, "It's a simple but reliable trick and I'm not very imaginative. If it works, it works! What else can I do?"
Su Xue finally smiled, satisfied with his squirming answer, "I understand. We shall do as you instruct, master."
"That's right!" Su Yue chimed in, "We'll catch plenty of demons!"
Chen Wentian snorted, "I hope not!"
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