Chapter 20 — Drawing Lots
劍問蒼天 · Page 4 of 5
Cangyan Daoren surveyed their reaction with satisfaction and continued: "To this day, under the leadership of Headmaster Dao Yan, our Canglan Sect flourishes and prospers, far surpassing former ages, and among the young generation there are countless outstanding talents. Therefore the Headmaster, after consulting with the peak lords, has specially increased the number of contestants in this grand tournament to sixty-four, lest any pearl be lost to the sea."
At this, Zhang Qingyue could not help glancing at Tian Buhui, who sat below Dao Yan Zhenren, face impassive but eyes full of impatience. After all, this matter of increasing the number of contestants—it was said to have been discussed with the peak lords, but in truth it was Dao Yan Zhenren and Cangsong Zhenren who had decided.
Cangyan Daoren went on: "This tournament has twice the number of contestants as before, so the drawing of lots has changed somewhat as well. Look here—" He pointed to the open space on the right side of the hall. They looked: a large red-wood chest stood there, squarely built, with only a small opening on top just large enough to admit an arm.
"In that red-wood chest are sixty-three wax balls, each wrapped around a slip of paper bearing a number from one to sixty-three,"—a sudden clamor rose among the disciples; Cangyan ignored it—"and when the drawing is done, the matches shall be decided by those numbers: number one against sixty-four, two against sixty-three, three against sixty-two, and so on. In the second round, the winner of one and sixty-four shall face the winner of two and sixty-three, and so on, down to the final contest. Is that clear to all?"
The Canglan disciples below fell silent a moment, then someone called out loudly, "Uncle Cangsong, if there are sixty-four of us, why are there only sixty-three wax balls?"
Cangyan Daoren seemed prepared for this. He cleared his throat and said, "The rule for this tournament was that each of the seven Canglan peaks should send nine contestants, with the eldest branch sending one more. But—ahem—because one peak has sent only eight disciples in all, we are short by one, and so there are only sixty-three."
For a moment every eye turned to the face of Tian Buhui, lord of Dazhu Peak. A flash of anger crossed Tian Buhui's face, but he sat upright in his seat without stirring in the least. Below, the Canglan disciples broke into a hubbub of talk.
When the noise had somewhat subsided, Cangsong Zhenren said gravely, "But this is no great difficulty. Among those sixty-three wax balls, whichever disciple draws number one is most fortunate indeed, for there is no number sixty-four to oppose him, and so he receives a bye."
At these words there was another stir among the Canglan disciples. But the Canglan Sect was, after all, a great and renowned house with strict discipline; comical as the method seemed, no one raised objection.
Dao Yan Zhenren rose and looked about. At the stature of a headmaster, silence fell at once. Dao Yan nodded and said, "Since that is so, let everyone go draw."
In the hall, every eye turned to the red-wood chest. First the eldest branch sent out nine disciples, who came in order to the chest and each drew a wax ball; then came the disciples of Long Peak.
Lin Jinghong signaled to Zhang Qingyue and went out as well. Zhang Qingyue watched his back for a moment, then turned his gaze to the seven peak lords and the elders seated above. Of these, from Dao Yan Zhenren down—Cangyan Daoren, Tianyun Daoren, and the peak lords Shang Zhenglang, Zeng Shuchang and the rest—he had seen them all five years before. Only a Daoist nun seated in the last chair on the right he had never met; but by the look of it, she must be the renowned Abbess Shuijing of Xiaozhu Peak.