Chapter 458 — Formation Dao Tactics

How about this! " He grew excited. "Let us amuse ourselves in the Western Lands for a time, and then you come with me to Jingping. I will take you around and show you what makes the kingdom of Jingping so remarkable.

Perhaps you will come to love Jingping! " He Yiyi's face showed a stir of longing, but she shook her head. "I fear it cannot be. The He family still needs me.

I cannot abandon them. " Yun City entered the Sword River Valley and came to a halt.

At that hour every town and settlement in the Sword River Valley blazed with lamplight, dazzling beyond compare, lighting up even the mountains and the Sword River. "Let us go to the main hall. " A great stone floated up beneath He Yiyi's feet, bearing her and Xiong Qi'er drifting toward the main hall in the city.

"The heads of my He family will soon come to meet us. I need to make preparations. " Before long, a great many of the He family's high-ranking figures arrived in Yun City — men and women both, though men were few and women made up the greater part — and one after another they entered the hall to pay their respects to He Yiyi. He Yiyi invited the many high-ranking members of the house to be seated, with Shen Mu attending her, and said, "My lords, this is the sect master of the Youmo Sect, holy land of the kingdom of Jingping in the Central Lands — Sect Master Shen.

" A commotion ran through the hall. An old woman, trembling, offered her praise: "The Formation Master is truly extraordinary, to have taken this demon sect master captive! Now we may claim our reward from Zhentian Palace!

" "Claim a reward? " He Yiyi burst out laughing and shook her head.

"Zhentian Palace's Palace Master Yu is nothing but a petty bitch who schemed and usurped her way to power.

Is she fit to take Sect Master Shen captive? Forgive my bluntness — without Bagou's backing, could she have taken that seat?

Her belly is good for nothing; all these years she has borne only sons, not a single daughter.

What virtue, what ability has she? " The people in the hall looked at one another in dismay. He Yiyi turned to Shen Mu.

Shen Mu smiled faintly, took Xiong Qi'er by the hand, and declared in a clear voice, "Elder sisters of the He family, this is the true little princess of Zhentian Palace! " He Yiyi said with a smile, "The little princess of Zhentian Palace stands here before you, and Palace Master Xiong is not far off. If our He family can lend Palace Master Xiong our aid, rid the world of the Yu family's petty bitch, and restore her to the Palace Master's seat — would that not be a hundred times better than claiming a reward for Sect Master Shen?

My lords, you are all elders of the clan. What say you?

" For a moment the hall fell silent. The men of the He family dared not speak, but the women were bold indeed, and soon someone cried out in protest: "Formation Master, think thrice!

The Yu family is at its zenith now — how can our He family stand against them?

And beyond that, Bagou backs her! " "Well said. " He Yiyi smiled. "And so we join hands with the Youmo Sect. With the Youmo Sect's aid, what have we to fear from the Yu?

And if you think that is not enough, then we join hands with the Mu and the Luo as well — I daresay they too have a sense of propriety and honor, and have long chafed under the Yu!

" Another woman, middle-aged, rose abruptly and said in anger, "The Yu family now holds Zhentian Palace — what power is theirs! Formation Master, you may be the head of the house, but to my eyes you have truly lost your mind!

" "Formation Master, think thrice before you act. " Another old woman rose, leaning on her cane. "You must not stake the lives and fortunes of our He family on a gamble. " Another woman, with righteous indignation, declared, "Our He family's ten-thousand-year foundation must not be destroyed in a single day!

If the Formation Master insists on going her own way, then let her yield the seat of head of the house! " "Aye, yield the seat of head of the house! " . .

.

He Yiyi swept her gaze around the room, her face mild and kindly. "Are there any other elders with objections? Speak freely, speak boldly. This is, after all, a family matter, and you are all my aunts, my great-aunts, my grandmothers, my great-grandmothers.

I am, after all, your junior. Everything may be discussed. " A few more clan elders rose and denounced her in stern terms.

He Yiyi waited a moment.

When no one else rose to object, she smiled. "It seems my aunts, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers have forgotten how I became the Formation Master, and how I became the head of this house.

" The faces of those who had risen changed drastically. They were about to rush out of the hall when suddenly Yun City clanged and rang, and from beneath the ground surged cage after cage, seizing every one of those who had just spoken in opposition, locking them in the cages, and the cages sank back into the earth.

He Yiyi clapped her hands and smiled.

"Once I have rid us of the Yu family, I will let you out again to stretch your legs.

Any other elders with objections? " One after another the people in the hall rose, bowed low, and said with one voice, "We follow none but the Formation Master! " He Yiyi looked to Shen Mu and smiled. "Sect Master Shen, what do you make of my methods?

" Shen Mu smiled.

"Sister Yiyi is a remarkable woman. " He Yiyi's gaze drifted, a touch of shyness in it, and she said in a low voice, "Tonight, my window will not be shut. If you climb in, we can talk formations the whole night through, and go a little deeper into our exchange.

. . "