Chapter 3958 — Wei Zhao Under Investigation
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
As for casualties, the final tally was also extremely small: only one dead and thirteen injured.
The dead, of course, was Meng Jueming. Aside from Wei Zhao and the two guards of Mining Zone Ten, ten others in the mining zone were injured, mostly from brawling with one another during the escape.
Even so, this mine collapse drew enormous attention. After all, the one who died was Meng Jueming, whose appointment as Third Pavilion Master of the Welcome New Pavilion had already been drafted—he had without question entered the upper ranks of the Welcome New Pavilion. He could well be called the highest-ranking casualty in the entire history of the Spirit Jade Hall's mine collapses.
At Meng Jueming's level, there was no need at all for him to mine in person; even his trips down the shaft were few and far between. Never stationed at the front line, he naturally would never appear on a list of casualties. Only this once was Meng Jueming the sole exception.
Meng Jueming's death instantly caused a sensation on every side. Of the Welcome New Pavilion, needless to say, from the Pavilion Master Hu Yunfeng on high down to the ordinary novices of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, all were stunned and thrown into disorder.
To the Welcome New Pavilion, Meng Jueming's death was almost on par with a reshuffling of power. Both he and Lu Bianren had stood in the position of Third Pavilion Master, yet Meng Jueming's death and Lu Bianren's departure were two entirely different matters.
Lu Bianren, as the former Third Pavilion Master, had been driven out with little real change to the Welcome New Pavilion, for Meng Jueming had long since locked down the succession. That choice morsel was already in his mouth, and no one could snatch it away. Thus Lu Bianren's departure stirred up little confusion.
Meng Jueming was different. He had only just been about to take up his post, and had not even received his letter of appointment as Third Pavilion Master. His death came with undeniable suddenness, all but carving out a blank in the Welcome New Pavilion's hierarchy of power that no one could have foreseen.
Without question, this was a choice morsel—yet it had been flung before everyone when none was mentally prepared, and with a pack of dogs fighting over the food, chaos was inevitable.
Beyond that, the position Meng Jueming's death left vacant was not only that of Third Pavilion Master of the Welcome New Pavilion. He had also occupied the seat of Senior Disciple and Steward of the Azure Cloud Pavilion's novices, which now likewise stood empty.
For a time, the Azure Cloud Pavilion novices were in a state of panic. Those with strength and cunning naturally wished to seize the chance to rise a step higher. Even if they could not yet aspire to the Third Pavilion Master's seat, the post of Senior Disciple and Steward of the Azure Cloud Pavilion novices—unremarkable though it seemed, yet utterly crucial—was enough to make mouths water.
But most of the Azure Cloud Pavilion novices were not yet weighing this question at all. They lacked the strength to compete, and the one thing they wanted now was simply to protect themselves.
When Meng Jueming was alive, they had attached themselves to his banner without issue. Even though Wei Zhao's repeated shows of force had left Meng Jueming's faction at a passive disadvantage, that was no great problem. After all, an arm can never twist a thigh, and once Meng Jueming ascended to the Third Pavilion Master's seat, everything could be smoothed over.
Now, however, with Meng Jueming—their backing and their mountain—crumbling thunderously along with the mine collapse, where to go next was a question of their prospects, even of life and death.
If they did not make a wise choice soon, there was no guaranteeing that Wei Zhao and his lot would not move against them afterward. By then, even if they played the shrinking turtle, mere ostracism alone would be enough to make them suffer.