Chapter 78: Leaving The Spirit Pagoda
Hey there, Yozuka here!
I messed up a bit in the last chapter, so this chapter will be more of a flashback. But! It will also make a few things, mostly Song Weihan's motives, clear!
We'll catch up to where we left yesterday in the next chapter. Really sorry about this!
Enjoy the chapter!
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A few days earlier, in one of the confinement rooms at the top floor of Heaven Dou City's Spirit Pagoda.
Song Weihan silently sat on the bed in the room with his arms resting on his legs. His eyes were closed and looked completely calm. A few moments later, the door of the confinement room opened and an employee wearing the Spirit Pagoda's standard white uniform entered before lightly bowing to Song Weihan. "Department Head Song, the Elders have revoked your confinement order. Please follow me outside."
Song Weihan looked at the man and silently followed him outside with an indifferent expression. He had been confined in this top security room inside the Spirit Pagoda for 24 hours after he wanted to mobilize his staff to attack Shrek Academy yesterday. So far, no news had been heard about the Soul Train accident other then more and more deaths being confirmed. Sheng Feilong's body hadn't been found yet.
After leaving with the staff member, Song Weihan calmly returned to his office on the 84th floor of the Spirit Pagoda, the Artificial Soul Bone Research Centre. A few documents lay neatly in on the desk, after apparently having been placed there by one of Song Weihan's assistances; it was another batch of reports regarding the train accident, mostly concerning anything that happened while Song Weihan was in confinement. A while later, an assistant of Song Weihan came in, giving him another report.
Soon after, Song Weihan asked for the assistant that brought him the reports to come back. "Prepare resignment papers for everyone connected to the Spirit Bone research team. Also include the ones for Guard Captain Sheng Lingtian. Don't tell them about it, yet, only prepare the papers. Also inform everyone that there'll be a meeting in an hour. Attendance is mandatory for everyone."
With his assistant's help, the meeting was soon brought forward to everyone and Song Weihan informed everyone of his venture. Most of them agreed with only 3 of them wanting to remain at the Spirit Pagoda. Taking all of the resignment paper into his possession, Song Weihan made his way to the Spirit Pagoda's ground level.
Sheng Lingtian was doing his patrols with a dull and lifeless expression. He, of course, knew what had happened yesterday, but unlike Song Weihan, who flared up in anger, he broke down instead. Only a day had passed, but Sheng Lingtian looked as if he had aged more than 10 years; his skin was dry and pale and his hair had started to turn grey. Nearly every member of the Spirit Pagoda had heard about Song Weihan's disciple being involved in the train accident yesterday and Sheng Lingtian's team naturally knew that this disciple was their captain's very own son. They could understand Sheng Lingtian's sentiment, but none of them knew what to say to him and only silently accompanied him in their daily routine.
They were currently near the Spirit Pagoda's entrance, when they saw that Song Weihan was approaching them. The team members quickly saluted him and the latter dismissed them with a nod, asking them to leave him and Sheng Lingtian alone for a moment. Song Weihan looked at Sheng Lingtian with a empathic expression, but still cut straight to the point. Sheng Lingtian didn't really seem interested, but ultimately agreed to join Song Weihan while clenching his fists. "I have no reason to work for them any longer... They refuse to bring justice to my son. I don't care where you intend to go, but I will not remain here."
Following this, he also took the resignment form from Song Weihan and filled it out. Song Weihan pat Sheng Lingtian on the shoulder before leaving again.
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Not even an hour later, at the top most floor of the Spirit Pagoda, a total of 11 figures, 10 sat around a table and the eleventh standing in front of the others, were staying in a conference room with tall windows on three sides, showing the clouds beneath them. The mood and countenances of the seated figured were grim as they looked at the stack of documents before the standing person.
One of the seated figures had a angered expression on his face as he was clutching the arm rests of his chair into dust, while an old man seated near the middle of the people on the table held one of the documents in his hand with a complicated expression. "Elder Song, is there really no other choice? You have my deepest condolences for the loss of your disciple, but do you have to leave the Spirit Pagoda because of this?"
The man standing at the head of the table, Song Weihan, lightly smiled at the old man before shaking his head. "Elder Sun, I really appreciate your sentiment, but my decision is final. I have also already talked about this with everyone else who's resignment papers are with me."
At this point, the person who had crushed his chair's armrests into dust could no longer remain silent. Unlike the last time Song Weihan had come to them when he wanted to give his personal disciple the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's Artificial Soul Bone, the raging Elder Pai had calmed down considerably. Staring at Song Weihan he opened his mouth and spoke in a grave tone. "The Spirit Pagoda has taken care of you and allowed you to do your research without any restraints for more than 15 years and now that you're somewhat displeased, you want to pack up and leave just like that? Song Weihan, even a dog knows to appreciate the hand that feeds it more than you do!"
Looking at Elder Pai, Song Weihan's tone turned cold. "Having me work my way up with no regards to the sacrifices made and time spent is the Spirit Pagoda's way of taking care of me? I have never asked the Pagoda for any favours while continuously working for it, but when my only personal disciple died, not only did you not help me bring the ones responsible for this to justice, but actively stop me from doing so. Should I return the same words of 'not knowing to appreciate the hand that feeds you' to you, Elder Pai? Of course, I don't intent to leave without showing the Spirit Pagoda any consideration. Given the long time, available space and location of my laboratory on the 84th floor, the rent I owe the Spirit Pagoda should be more or less 3 million Federational coins, correct?"
Before Elder Pai could flare up again, Elder Sun quickly tried to pacify the both of them before asking another question himself while sighing. "Elder Song, what will happen to the Artificial Soul Bone Research Centre once you leave? Knowing you, I assume you don't intend to leave it behind for the Spirit Pagoda?"
All of the Elders ears suddenly perked at the question and they looked at Song Weihan with expressions varying from high expectations to calm indifference and cold glints. Song Weihan looked at Elder Sun as calm as before while speaking with a nonchalant expression. "I will take the research team with me when I leave, though three of them have decided to stay behind. As for the research results, I will take everything with me that's based on my initial research, no matter if those results were contributed by me or one of my subordinates; As long as they don't personally belong to the three members that stay behind, I will wipe everything clean. Still, I will leave all of the machinery up to the Spirit Pagoda's jurisdiction. Consider it my form of compensation. With the required machinery intact, you'll be able to train a functional research team within 5 years."
The room turned silent once again and some time passed quietly before the Elder seated next to Elder Sun, a scrawny old man with a calm expression, spoke up. "Very well. We accept your conditions, Song Weihan. I will sent staff to take over your laboratory tomorrow and you and your team will no longer be acquainted with the Spirit Pagoda, effective from two days from now." He paused for a moment, but none of the other Elders refuted his decision. The Elder then looked at one of the resignment papers at Elder Sun's side. "What about this person, though? 'Guard Captain Sheng Lingtian'? How is he related to your team?"
With the Elder speaking to him, even Song Weihan was respectful. The old man wasn't just any Elder but the president of Heaven Dou City's Spirit Pagoda and moreover, he was a rank 98 Hyper Douluo! Even though Song Weihan didn't have too much of a sentiment for the Spirit Pagoda, the President as well as Elder Sun had always treated him well; Both of them were fair and absolutely just. They were the real pillars of the Spirit Pagoda!
Song Weihan nodded at the first statement before frowning lightly at the latter half. "Guard Captain Sheng Lingtian is the father of my personal disciple, Sheng Feilong. I think that should give you enough reasons to understand. I will leave the papers in your care, Elder Thosun, and will instruct my team to cooperate with the staff that will come in tomorrow. If there is nothing else, I will leave for now."
Understanding the point about Sheng Lingtian, Elder Thosun tactfully nodded before respectfully allowing Song Weihan to leave. When there were only ten of them left, he sighed before speaking up in a slightly regretful voice. "Maybe we should have just let him vent his anger at Shrek Academy... For now, all of you are dismissed. Elder Luo, sorry to trouble you, but please stay for a little longer and help me with the resignment processes."
Everyone else, including Elder Sun, left the conference room after respectfully nodding to Elder Thosun, while Elder Luo began organizing the resignment papers again. After some time passed, when only the two of them remained in the room, Elder Thosun's regretful and calm expression vanished. Standing up with a loud sneer he looked at Elder Luo with a cold glint. "Song Weihan really doesn't know his place. Still, this situation gives us a good opportunity to deal with 'that' matter. Song Weihan doesn't know that we're aware of his disciple's little secret, after all." He paused for a moment before showing a toothy smile. "Elder Luo, I assume you know what to do? I want this done the night after Song Weihan leaves the Spirit Pagoda. Also, send you best men, there shall be no soul left to report of this matter; be thorough."
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