“Only one this time,” Bai Ling said.
That was a relief, though the potential identity of the victim was troubling.
“Someone important, then?” Hong Xin asked.
“Very,” Bai Ling replied. She leaned in closer and looked her in the eyes. “Do you swear that you know nothing about what’s going on and who’s doing this? Do you swear that Wang Jun isn’t behind this?”
“Like I told you,” Hong Xin said steadily, “I can’t speak directly for him. We aren’t joined at the hip. I swear on my mother’s name that I know nothing about who is doing this or their reasoning. I also asked Wang Jun, and he swore to me that he isn’t behind this, and he knows nothing about it either. I happen to trust him, but that’s all I know.”
The question from before still hung in the air. The longer it took for Bai Ling to answer it, the more her dread intensified.
“It was the headmistress of the Icy Heart Pavilion, Headmistress Lan,” Bai Ling said finally. “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Before, we only had a trickle of members that wanted to join us. Now, the only remaining vice headmistress, Vice Head Ling Fei, has agreed to your request for a merger. The Icy Heart Pavilion would abandon their current headquarters and move here. We would need to promise to protect them.”
Hong Xin frowned. She’d wanted nothing more than their merger, that final check and balance on their dangerous powers. But now, after several months, the opposing faction barely had two thirds of their members left. Their most powerful members had been assassinated, including their headmistress. All that was left were trainees and the less competent.
“One has to wonder how the assassin selected his targets,” Bai Ling said, as though reading Hong Xin’s mind. “He started with a few normal members, but then he proceeded to assassinate two vice heads, then the headmistress. The only remaining vice head was the one most amenable to a merger. They didn’t target randomly—rather, they only targeted individuals with dubious records and stubborn opposition to our proposal.”
“It seems orchestrated to unite us,” Hong Xin said flatly. “Don’t worry, I fully understand how suspicious this seems. I take it there are… other requirements?”
“Yes,” Bai Ling admitted. “Two requirements. Ling Fei has made it quite clear that she’d rather die than join without them.”
“And without her, their faction will have no leadership,” Hong Xin said. “They’ll be broken, their spirits in tatters. They’ll see themselves as dregs, remnants not worthy of attention or representation.”
“Many would likely disperse,” Bai Ling agreed. “Rather than join us, they would go their separate ways, hoping they wouldn’t be targeted. She is the only one who can get them to join us in one group. And having them under our wing is the only way we can enforce a code of conduct on these women.”
Hong Xing closed her eyes. “What conditions?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“One is acceptable, the other is not,” Mistress Huang cut in. “It’s preposterous that she demands it.”
“We had a discussion earlier,” Bai Ling said. “Ji Bingxue agrees that this is necessary. As do I. You disagree, so we can only ask the headmistress for a decision.”
“Rightly so,” Mistress Huang said. “Though I have half a mind to kill this Ling Fei myself.”
“Peace, Mistress Huang,” Hong Xin said. “Tell me, Bai Ling. Just get it over with. I can’t bear it any longer.
“The first condition is to destroy the Oath Stone,” Bai Ling said.
“Done,” Hong Xin replied. She summoned the blue orb, which seemed to beat with an icy energy that resonated with their cultivation. Each one of them dual cultivated kindling and dousing, and though they weren’t affected by the stone’s powers, they still had the same root. She then summoned a second device—a single golden needle.
“I had this commissioned by the Church of Justice. Oath-binding devices are tricky, and destroying them even more so. If not done properly, there could be backlash to every person who has ever sworn upon it.”
She swept her hand, and the needle flew up. She poured the entirety of her cultivation into it. Raging fire and calming ice poured out from her core, through her qi pathways, and into the needle, which glowed brighter and brighter. She also infused her soul force into it. The peak resplendent force added a sparkle to the needle. Bright white glyphs lit up on it and resonated with karma-purifying light.
Infusion complete, Hong Xin was overwhelmed with exhaustion. Bai Ling moved to help her, but she held up her hand. “This is my responsibility. I will see it through, regardless of the second condition. We’ve already made plans to ensure the behavior of the more problematic individuals.”
Bai Ling nodded. Hong Xin held the stone firmly in one hand, then stabbed down with the golden needle. It pierced the center of the orb, shattering it completely. In that instant, thousands of tiny threads appeared around it. These blue threads of icy karma were remnants of oaths once sworn. They flickered, then one by one, they unraveled. They disintegrated, starting from the point nearest the Oath Stone. Hong Xin herself felt warmth surge through her as her own oaths, which no longer bound her, dissolved into nothingness.
“All the sisters who were previously bound should have felt its effects by now,” Hong Xin said. “You may give her the shattered core as proof.” She looked to Bai Ling. “There is no need to mention the second condition. She wishes for me to step down.”
Bai Ling nodded slowly. “She feels you are too prejudiced against dousing arts. We all have blood on our hands, but you are ultimately responsible for the deaths of many of the members that were once close to them. Further, they aren’t sure who is behind the assassinations. You are their prime suspect.”
“All valid points,” Hong Xin said. “If I were to choose between the
