Chapter 111: Senior Brother Xinghan
“Yu Jie, you would’ve wrecked the honored master’s affairs
if I hadn’t come. You couldn’t even handle a small matter such as this, and
almost caused the honored master’s hand picked disciple to lose her life. In my
eyes, your title as one of the ten great disciples was really just to fill the
numbers.”
This senior brother Xinghan didn’t seem as arrogant as Yu
Jie, but his faintly spoken words of censure were enough to cause Yu Jie’s
forehead to be covered in sweat.
“Senior brother Xinghan, I…” Yu Jie couldn’t express
himself.
“Forget it.” Senior brother Xinghan waved his sleeves, and
said to Long Juxue, “Junior sister Long, I am your foolish brother Chu Xinghan,
the second disciple beneath Master Shuiyue. The events of today have caused a
great fright to junior sister.”
Long Juxue was a weeping beauty like a pear blossom bathed
in the rain, a look that caused those who saw her to not help but love her as
she said sorrowfully, “If it wasn’t for senior brother Xinghan rushing here in
time, I… I probably wouldn’t have been able to see the honored master again.”
Chu Xinghan nodded his head slightly, flicking a sideways
glance at Yu Jie and saying nothing else.
Both of his feet stomped, as his entire being floated up in
midair. A blue whirl of air blossomed beneath his feet like a lotus flower,
slowly bringing him up into the air.
“You’re called Jiang Chen?” Chu Xinghan’s eyes were as deep
as the Milky Way as he seized up Jiang Chen. He was different from Yu Jie. Arrogance
was absent from his gaze as he looked at Jiang Chen — rather, traces of gravity
were present instead.
“Indeed.”
Although this Chu Xinghan didn’t throw his weight around
like Yu Jie, nor did he consider everyone beneath his notice, his simple gestures
caused Jiang Chen to be in great discomfort, as if a violent beast had fixed
its eyes on him.
“To think that a common practitioner could cause such a
ruckus. You’re really not simple.” Chu Xinghan nodded his head. “If I wanted to
kill you, your Goldwing Swordbirds wouldn’t be able to save you.”
Jiang Chen wanted to come back with a response, but said
nothing after thinking for a while.
Chu Xinghan’s strength was indeed much greater than Yu Jie.
They were likely not even on the same level.
If he had time to practice the “Eight Trigrams Assimilation
Formation” for three months, Jiang Chen might’ve had a thirty percent chance of
standing up to Chu Xinghan. But right now, at this moment, he had nothing to
rebutt against Chu Xinghan with.
However, Jiang Chen wasn’t a lamb being led to the
slaughter. Although Chu Xinghan was very strong, Jiang Chen wouldn’t go down
without a fight.
“How about this,” Chu Xinghan said after considering for a
while. “If I use divine abilities to suppress you, I’ll inevitably gain a
reputation of the strong bullying the weak. I’ll give you two options.”
Jiang Chen’s gaze was calm and aloof, and he didn’t open his
mouth. He waited, accumulating his strength.
“The first choice, is that you return to the Purple Sun Sect
with me. Your feud with junior sister Long will be decided upon by our high
arbiter. This decision will result in a ninety percent chance of death for you,
but you’ll also have a chance to live.”
“The second choice is that I kill you, right here and right
now, and take your head back to the sect to fulfill my duties to the honored
master.” Chu Xinghan’s aura pulsed slightly when he finished speaking.
Suddenly, a Milky Way seemed to arise around Chu Xinghan’s
body. The profound and strong power and mysteries gave others a feeling of
being too deep to be fathomable.
“With regards to the second choice, I trust that you don’t
suspect I don’t have the power to?” Chu Xinghan’s tone had been quite calm and
unhurried throughout all of this.
If it had been Yu Jie who’d proposed these two choices,
Jiang Chen would have surely thumbed his nose at him.
But Chu Xinghan had a certain presence about him when he
spoke these words. His strength of presence and power, forced Jiang Chen to
consider him seriously.
“The first choice of returning to the sect with him looks
like it’s a chance out of this, but is actually dragging out my feeble
existence. I’ve traversed the wheel of life and reincarnated, how could I let
others hold my fate in their hands and dictate my life or death? I might not be
able to choose how I was born, but as a practitioner, I can at least decide how
I’ll die.”
There wasn’t a single trace of hesitation in Jiang Chen’s
mind. He might as well die fighting right now if they wanted him to bend his
knee, surrender, and go docilely with them back to the Purple Sun Sect to
receive his judgement. He would then suffer through crying shame and crowning
humiliation, before finally being executed.
Dying in pitched battle was a glorious death.
Bending at the knee and begging for life might not result in
his survival in the end.
When his thoughts traveled here, Jiang Chen smiled dashingly
and a trace of a proud curve made its way to his lips. “Chu Xinghan, you’re
different from Yu Jie. At least I see the bearing of a sect disciple on you. I
respect you, but I choose none of these choices. Perhaps you can kill me, but
I’ll also make you pay a hefty price.”
His tone rang out clearly.
Jiang Chen’s attitude seemed to be within Chu Xinghan’s
expectations. The latter’s slightly miserable eyebrows abruptly lifted.
“Alright. If there wasn’t a grudge between us, I’d quite
admire you. However, the profits of the master are above all. Jiang Chen, I
won’t hold back once I start.”
As Chu Xinghan spoke, the Milky Way that wavered in and out
of existence behind his back became even more resplendent.
Of course, it wasn’t a real Milky Way, but an illusion
formed by his personal aura. The bright Milky Way had countless stars dotted
and sparkling in it like a silver sea. Each star was like a silver carp,
bounding through the crystalline ripples.
This silver white light had been the terrifying strength
that had slaughtered the Goldwing Swordbirds and several hundred Silverwing
Swordbirds in but a second just now.
“Magnificent Xinghan, sword aura shooting to the clouds,
go!”
Chu Xinghan flourished his sleeves and waved his right arm,
a sword having appeared in his hand. With the glint of the sword as a guide,
the Milky Way behind him abruptly roiled and churned, as the countless silvery
white dots of light coalesced into a frightening silvery white sword aura, like
innumerous shooting stars, as it moved towards Jiang Chen.
He had deployed an ultimate skill with his first move.
Yu Jie was watching from below and swallowed audibly twice.
This level of divine ability and method was a level that he absolutely couldn’t
aspire to.
When a true qi practitioner such as Long Juxue watched this
terrifying and glorious attack, her heart rippled with emotion, and the gaze
she looked at Chu Xinghan with became gentle and warm.
She couldn’t help but think, “I’d thought senior brother Yu
Jie was strong before, but who would’ve thought that he is an utter buffoon in
front of senior brother Xinghan. When I enter the sect, my worldview needs to
be enhanced a bit. This Yu Jie isn’t good enough to accomplish anything, but is
more than enough to spoil things.”
Unbeknownst to her, Long Juxue’s inner heart had already
settled on changing her backer. Yu Jie‘s performance was a huge joke when
compared to senior brother Xinghan’s.
Long Juxue was a proud young girl; she didn’t want to find a
good-for-nothing backer.
As for Jiang Chen in the midst of battle, he was suffering
unspeakably. Chu Xinghan’s strength was much more than he’d imagined.
The thousands of silvery white sword aura strands kept
leaping at him like shooting stars. Even the highly defensive “Eight Trigrams
Assimilation Formation” found it hard to withstand the attack.
Pfft pfft pfft.
Several Goldwing Swordbirds on the outside exploded and died
when they were grazed by the sword aura, with no exceptions at all.
The formation continuously tightened, protecting Jiang Chen
at its core. These Goldwing Swordbirds, wild and savage as they were, were
still loyal and steadfast, protecting Jiang Chen with their lives at this
moment.
Strange emotions surged in Jiang Chen’s heart. He really
hadn’t thought that these Goldwing Swordbirds would be fearless to this point
merely because of an order from Mang Qi.
Jiang Chen had never been a heartless person. He wasn’t the
sort to hide and grasp at life while the Goldwing Swordbirds fended off
disaster and fought for an additional moment for him.
He suddenly gave a long whistle as a resolute light shot out
from his eyes. The whistle pierced through the clouds, and the rest of the
million strong Swordbird army suddenly appeared in the skies above the Second
Crossing. They once again filled the entire sky.
“Chu Xinghan, since you’ve forced me, then I’ll self
destruct along with you. Although you’re strong, can you kill all of this
million strong army? Even if you kill me, I’ll still kill Long Juxue!”
Jiang Chen abruptly made up his mind and decided to self
destruct along with his enemies.
Even if he was killed by Chu Xinghan, he’d still take Long
Juxue down with him. If he died without killing Long Juxue, he’d still bring
troubles to other people as well.
If he killed Long Juxue and eliminated this source of
trouble, the Purple Sun Sect might not slaughter the rest of his family clan
due to a consideration of face.
Chu Xinghan’s mind was also agitated momentarily when he saw
this scene. As strong as one was, he was still a bit shocked when millions of
lives suddenly appeared in front of him.
“Yu Jie, protect junior sister Long. I’ll finish this
quickly.”
Chu Xinghan was an exemplary disciple of the sect alright.
He saw straight through Jiang Chen’s intentions. Jiang Chen knew that he
couldn’t fight against Chu Xinghan, and so had changed his target to Long Juxue
instead.
If it hadn’t been for Master Shuiyue’s orders, Chu Xinghan
actually didn’t want to kill Jiang Chen. However, this had to do with the
honored master’s affairs, and as unwilling as Chu Xinghan was, he couldn’t
hesitate at all.
“Jiang Chen, die!”
Chu Xinghan’s brandished his longsword, and his aura grew
even stronger. The resplendent Milky Way behind him wavered and shook with him,
changing into the light of countless stars — as if meteorites were descending
from the heavens.
The aura of this blow was actually three to four times
stronger than the blow prior.
A newly practiced “Eight Trigrams Assimilation Formation”
had no hope of blocking such aura. Jiang Chen sighed tragically in his heart
and knew that life or death would be decided in this moment.
Suddenly, Jiang Chen raised the bow in his hand.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Four to five arrows shot out in close succession. All of
them made unerringly for Long Juxue.
Jiang Chen held a mindset that he would die at this moment —
he only hoped that he could kill Long Juxue. The million strong Swordbird army
also dived down en masse.
Unafraid of death, unafraid of destruction.
Even Yu Jie felt the hair on his back rise in fright when he
saw this scene. The attacks were so concentrated that even the scalps of spirit
dao practitioners were numbed.
Not to mention that he, Yu Jie, had some grievous injuries.
Only Chu Xinghan was abnormally calm with a deep gaze in his
eyes, as if the million strong Swordbird army was still insufficient to cause a
great ripples of emotion within his heart.
Chu Xinghan was very calm indeed because he knew that Jiang
Chen and the formation set up by the Goldwing Swordbirds would be unable to
withstand this blow.
This was a blow that would make a clean sweep of things and
end the battle.
The sky was murky over a dark earth, and the sun and moon
without light. It was as if the sky and earth were groaning sadly from this
battle, and the sun and moon were melancholic because of this battle.
Suddenly --
A beam of light shot through the clouds and sky that were
covered up by the countless number of Swordbirds.
It was like a bolt of lightning had been emitted from the
black clouds as it streaked across the sky.
Before the light faded, it happened to land amidst the Eight
Trigrams Assimilation Formation.
A bizarre scene occurred at this moment.
The light was as if a large sword of heaven and earth —
cleaving a horizon out of thin air, and building a dam out of nothing —
becoming a barrier in front of Chu Xinghan’s attacks that were coming at Jiang
Chen like tidewater.
The attacks raining towards him like a meteor shower seemed
to ram into an invisible wall of air, and were swallowed whole.
The breezes were gentle, and the wind calmed in the next
moment.
The beam of light had disappeared, and Chu Xinghan’s
devastating blow was as if a large stone had sunk into the great sea, swallowed
without a trace.
This abrupt development shocked both Jiang Chen and Chu
Xinghan.
“Who’s there?” Chu Xinghan roared lowly as his deep gaze
roved alertly in his surroundings, attempting to search out the person who had
interfered flagrantly.
At the same time, Chu Xinghan was greatly astounded
internally. Chu Xinghan had almost used his trump card with that blow just now.
Whether someone on the level of even his honored master
Shuiyue could easily ward off a blow like that was an unknown factor.
A faint beam of light had emerged from somewhere and had completely
swallowed his blow. This power was absolutely overwhelming.
Chapter 112: Jiang Chen is Under My Protection
If had been a direct confrontation, spirit qi would've flown
out in every direction at the scene if Chu Xinghan’s blow had been directly cancelled
out. Any life within several hundred meters would've been affected, with likely
nothing remaining alive.
However, for this bout of strength to so effortlessly
swallow Chu Xinghan’s blow without raising a single ripple, it was truly too
frightening. It was like throwing a huge stone and having it disappear into
thin air.
Even if a huge stone was thrown into the water, it would
still create a few splashes and give rise to a few ripples.
However, this blow hadn't even kicked up a splash.
What did this mean? This meant that this abruptly
interfering person was at least ten times stronger than Chu Xinghan!
Chu Xinghan had started training since he was eight and had
met countless rivals and killed countless experts. On his path of training, he
had met many strong opponents.
However, Chu Xinghan had never experienced such an
overwhelming power even from his honored master Shuiyue. He even suspected that
this power didn’t come from one of the sects in the alliance of the sixteen
kingdoms.
Jiang Chen’s shock wasn’t any less than that of Chu
Xinghan’s.
He was prepared to go down fighting just now, but who
would’ve thought that this sudden development would cause the battle to yet
again go in a different direction?
“Disciple of the Purple Sun Sect is it? All of you can go
back now. Jiang Chen is under my protection.”
A stately voice traveled out through the air. It seemed to
be a bit aged and old, and brought with it an undefiable sense of oppression,
making listeners have no choice but to obey what it said.
“Senior… who might you be?” Chu Xinghan wasn’t an impetuous
sort, as he cupped his hands, made the greeting of a junior to a senior, and
asked respectfully.
“You don’t need to ask about my name.”
The stately voice seemed a bit unamused, “Go back and tell
both Immortal Zixu and Shuiyue of the Purple Sun Sect that the grudge between
Jiang Chen and Long Juxue will be settled by the two of them only. If anyone
from the Purple Sun Sect makes a move against Jiang Chen, I wouldn’t mind going
for a stroll into the Purple Sun Sect one day.”
Chu Xinghan was someone who knew when to advance and when to
retreat. He knew that this great power wasn’t someone that he could contend
against at all. He nodded, “Many thanks to our senior for not bothering with us
juniors. I will be sure to convey senior’s words verbatim when I return.”
Submitting docilely and honestly in the face of absolute
power was the only way. Chu Xinghan wasn’t foolish, he knew that the senior
expert was letting him go because the senior couldn’t be bothered in dirtying
his hands.
If he didn’t know when to stop and talked back offensively,
the senior may destroy him with one finger.
In addition, to be honest, Chu Xinghan didn’t feel any
regret in resolving the matter this way, nor did he feel humiliated. Submitting
before a stronger person was adapting his actions to the time.
Besides, his own intentions also didn’t really want to kill
Jiang Chen.
After all, the feud between Jiang Chen and Long Juxue had
nothing to do with him. If he hadn’t been here on the orders of his master, he
wouldn’t have even wanted to get involved.
Chu Xinghan’s thoughts were different to those of Yu Jie’s.
Yu Jie had wanted to curry favor with Long Juxue and lay the
groundwork for fawning over the genius Long Juxue.
Chu Xinghan was a genius and had the reservation and pride
of one. He felt that it was beneath his dignity to curry favor with Long Juxue.
Even if she did rise to greater heights with future accomplishments, Chu
Xinghan’s personality wasn’t one that would spur him to curry favor with
others.
“Junior sister Long, your foolish brother has tried his best
in the matters of today.” Chu Xinghan said to Long Juxue as he returned to the
ground.
Although Long Juxue felt that it was a pity, she also knew
that Chu Xinghan had truly tried his best, given this situation. Who would’ve
thought that an unparalleled expert would suddenly appear out of nowhere?
She was a smart person and knew that the only reason that
they could leave this place alive was because the mysterious expert valued his
status and didn’t wish to bully the weak.
Otherwise, he could kill the three of them as easily as
blowing away dust.
Although Yu Jie was a bit unreconciled with this conclusion,
he didn’t dare say anything else. He knew even more so than Long Juxue how
frighteningly powerful a person who could easily dispel one of senior brother
Chu Xinghan’s full strength blow was.
“Let’s go!” Chu Xinghan said lowly as he didn’t dare tarry.
He took Long Juxue with him and pushed off with his feet. A cloud of blue frost
rippled out like a blue lotus as they flew into the sky and vanished into thin
air.
Jiang Chen watched Chu Xinghan and the others leave.
Although not resigned to this conclusion, he didn’t say anything.
All sorts of bizarre turns had suffused the events of today.
This battle hadn’t been one of Jiang Chen’s accomplishments either. He
naturally knew that he didn’t have the ability to make Chu Xinghan leave Long
Juxue behind.
In addition, Jiang Chen was someone with moral integrity. He
would be inviting insult if he wanted Long Juxue to stay at this moment. He
would kill Long Juxue, but not by swaggering about with borrowed influence.
Sighing lightly, he cupped his hands and called out. “May I
know senior’s honored name? Jiang Chen will never forget the aid rendered
today. Will the senior please leave your name behind? I hope to compensate you
should the opportunity presents itself in the future.”
However, Jiang Chen also knew that in the eyes of this kind
of expert, the kind of compensation that he could offer as an ordinary
practitioner probably had no allure whatsoever.
But Jiang Chen’s words came from his heart and he felt that
he had both the potential and foundation to do so.
“Compensation?” The voice in the air chuckled. “Alright
Jiang Chen, this old fellow will remember your words from today. I hope there
will be a day that you can offer me some compensation.”
After these words had been said, the voice began to roll far
away like thunder, vanishing in the distance.
“Honored senior, please hold your steps!” Jiang Chen wanted
to say some more words.
But silence greeted him. There were no more responses.
Jiang Chen hadn’t even seen his savior’s face in the midst
of all of this. He laughed wryly as he looked at the ravaged landscape with
bodies strewn everywhere, sighing lightly in his heart.
Below the Second Crossing, the million strong army was still
crouched on the ground. No one had dared moved a single finger until now. Even
when just the effects of the great battle had spread to them, it still caused
people to die in great swathes. Thus, no one had dared scream or moan in agony.
Jiang Chen felt worn out. He also felt extremely regretful
that the head of this evil, Long Juxue, hadn’t been killed. He looked at the
great army again. They were all just along for the ride.
Jiang Chen naturally didn’t have the heart to start a
slaughter again.
Although Long Juxue hadn’t died, the Soaring Dragon
household was basically annihilated. The task of cleaning up the rest of this
mess could be returned to the Eastern clan for their attentions.
Back at the Second Crossing, everyone surrounded Jiang Chen
and peppered him with questions.
Jiang Chen had suffered in torment throughout his battle,
but so had those standing on top of the mountain pass.
Jiang Chen spread out his hands. “The people of the Purple
Sun Sect will likely be afraid to create more trouble. The only pity is that
Long Juxue got away and will be a source of trouble in the future.”
He waved at Princess Gouyu. “Your Eastern clan should be
able to handle the task of cleaning up the aftermath by yourselves?”
Jiang Chen didn’t have the slightest interest in the
struggle for power between the royal family and the Long family. He hadn’t gone
against the Duke of Soaring Dragon because he supported the royal family, but
rather because the Long family had gone too far in bullying others and wanted
to end his Jiang family multiple times.
The battle of the Second Crossing had ended in the
destruction of the Long family and the Jiang family’s rise to fame.
However, the chaos of the Eastern Kingdom wouldn’t be over
as quickly. It was good thing that there was still Princess Gouyu and Eastern
Lin as Crown Prince, so that the bloodlines of the royal family hadn’t ended.
Princess Gouyu employed various methods afterwards to gather
the armies of the dukes loyal to the royal family and exterminated the remnants
of the Long family with swift and ruthless action.
Executing the heads, killing accomplices.
All the dukes that had been coerced by Long Zhaofeng wouldn’t
be prosecuted.
These were the rules set by Princess Gouyu.
She also clearly knew that if the fallout was too
widespread, the chaos within the kingdom wouldn’t end. Killing a few leaders,
exterminating the Soaring Dragon manor, and revitalizing the authority of the
royal family would do.
The current Eastern Kingdom couldn’t afford anymore losses.
But of course, this process couldn’t be concluded within a
few days.
The Jiang family remained neutral throughout all of this and
didn’t participate.
The royal family actually placed the Duke of Jinshan and the
Duke of Hubing, people who’d always been friendly with the Jiang family, into
important positions at this time, making them the two powers that the royal
family depended most heavily on in the rise of royal power again.
As for the Jiang family, whether Jiang Feng, the Duke of
Jiang Han or Jiang Chen, who had shown extraordinary talents in the battle of
the Second Crossing, they all kept an uncommonly low profile. They remained
within the River Wave City, not venturing out of the house and stayed home all
day.
At the battle of the Second Crossing, Jiang Chen had managed
to retreat relatively unscathed after a few developments, but he felt deeply
ashamed inside.
Although he hadn’t submitted or compromised in front of Chu
Xinghan, the feeling of not being in control of his own destiny and having his
life and death being decided by others made Jiang Chen feel quite angry.
Back in the Jiang Han territory, the first thing that Jiang
Chen did was to personally train the Goldwing Swordbirds and pass onto them the
mysteries of the “Eight Trigrams Assimilation Formation.”
He also knew full well that to suddenly improve his strength
by leaps and bounds within a short period of time was unrealistic.
But expectations could be held for the dao of formations. If
several hundred Goldwing Swordbirds could comprehend seventy to eighty percent
of the “Eight Trigrams Assimilation Formation”, then they would become a great
force to be reckoned with.
In addition, the variations of the “Eight Trigrams
Assimilation Formation” were numerous. It could also be broken into countless
smaller formations, reassembled into mid-sized formations, and reformed once
again into a large formation.
The changes between large, middle, and small were at one’s
will and desire. Once seventy to eighty percent of the essence of the formation
had been grasped, the power of the formation would be eye-opening.
At the very least, he wouldn’t be at a loss when he met
someone on the level of Chu Xinghan again.
Apart from Jiang Chen, all the others were making valiant
efforts after experiencing disgrace. Jiang Chen’s eight personal guards had
felt the shame of how a subject should die for his liege when his liege
experienced humiliation.
Every person put forth their greatest effort as they trained
without a thought for themselves.
Two months passed silently by. Jiang Chen’s level of
training saw even greater progress as he took another step forward and made it
to eleven meridians true qi.
As was common knowledge, entering the realm of an eleven
meridians true qi master was almost reaching the limits of the true qi realm.
Within the martial dao arena of the alliance of the sixteen
kingdoms, an eleven meridians true qi master would either successfully enter the
spirit realm as he advanced, or roam the realm of true qi for the rest of his
life.
As for ascending to the level of twelve meridians true qi,
no one had ever heard of someone breaking through to this level, at least not
in these common kingdoms.
Ever since the dawn of time, there had been no shortage of
geniuses within the world of martial dao. They'd all explored the way of twelve
meridians true qi, but all ended up missing the best timing to transform to the
spirit realm in the end, with no exceptions. They were moody until the end of
their days like a resplendent star slowly sinking to the earth.
Logically speaking, Jiang Chen should've been preparing for
the transformation to spirit qi.
However, Jiang Chen had no intention of assailing the spirit
realm. He had thoroughly assimilated into this world and pretty much
established his martial dao foundations.
The next step was to absorb the memories of his past life
and begin digging deeper in his exploration.
The so-called twelve meridians of the true qi realm was just
a minor way of training.
There were many major ways of training in Jiang Chen’s
memories, even divine ways of training.
His foundational skills were in great readiness at this
moment, and it was time to break out of the cocoon and become a butterfly!
Chapter 113: Master Shuiyue
‘The Purple Sun Sect’ — this name was a legendary existence
to the alliance of the sixteen kingdoms.
The hidden sects were exceedingly mysterious in the eyes of
the common kingdoms, and were holy places that others greatly yearned for. If a
common practitioner could attract the attention of a hidden sect, then he would
surely become an immortal, and those near him could ride his coattails to
success as well.
There was no shortage of hidden sects within the alliance of
the sixteen kingdoms. But there were four that were considered the strongest —
and the Purple Sun Sect was one of them.
On this day, sunlight had just struck the hallowed grounds
of the Purple Sun Sect.
A surface of water that was as smooth as a mirror presented
a boundless sight. It shimmered as ripples moved across it, giving others a
feeling of stately holiness.
This body of water was named the Shuiyue Lake. There were
interconnecting islands within the lake, scattered all over like stars in the
sky, or pieces on a chessboard. This was the place where the line of Shuiyue of
the Purple Sun Sect resided.
Gentle light wreathed the Shuiyue Lake as an auspicious air
circled the islands.
At this moment, within a jeweled hall somewhere deep within
the depths of an island, was the Master Shuiyue’s base of operations —
A plaque was hung over the great door, marking the entrance
into the hall. The words “Shuiyue” were carved into it with a Chinese
calligraphic style used for seals. It was majestic and grand, with an artistic
feeling about it.
Within the hall, Chu Xinghan stood with his hands hanging by
his side, while Yu Jie and Long Juxue both stood to the right of him. All of
them had lowered their heads and were looking downwards. No one dared to make a
sound.
A woman was sitting cross-legged on the lotus throne in
front of them. She looked to be roughly thirty years old; her features were
elegant, and an ethereal air could be found in her luxurious self bearing.
Except, when her eye of justice opened slightly, it was
suffused with a power that both shocked and awed onlookers.
“Xinghan, go over the particulars of this matter from
beginning to end once again, and leave nothing out. Yu Jie and Juxue, you two
listen as well. You must fill in the gaps if senior brother Xinghan misses any
parts.”
The lady on top of the lotus throne was obviously Master Shuiyue.
Chu Xinghan nodded, as he went over everything in his mind
once again. He then took in a deep breath, and carefully explained in detail
all that had happened at the Second Crossing.
Chu Xinghan particularly conveyed the words of the
mysterious expert — he conveyed those without leaving a single word out. He
portrayed those in their entirety and didn’t dare make the slightest mistake.
Once Chu Xinghan had finished, Master Shuiyue faintly raised
her eyebrow, and looked at Yu Jie and Long Juxue, obviously looking for their
affirmation.
“Honored master, senior brother Xinghan has been quite
thorough. That was indeed how the mysterious expert spoke. That Jiang Chen was
indeed wildly arrogant. He didn’t give the line of Master Shuiyue any respect
to begin with.” Yu Jie grit his teeth with anger directed towards Jiang Chen
when he recalled that battle.
“Nonsense such as this doesn’t need to be spoken.” Master
Shuiyue snorted lightly. She was also quite dissatisfied with Yu Jie’s
incompetency in getting things done.
If Yu Jie had been able to take care of this matter
decisively and cleanly, Chu Xinghan may not have needed to make a move, and
perhaps even the mysterious expert wouldn’t have been able to make it to the
scene in time.
Of course, this was just a hypothesis.
When she considered the situation as a whole, Master Shuiyue
was truly disappointed by Yu Jie’s incompetency.
At the heart of it all, Master Shuiyue was a very biased
person who shielded shortcomings and faults. She already knew of the feud
between Jiang Chen and Long Juxue. With her biased personality, she would
definitely strike out on Long Juxue’s behalf.
Although Chu Xinghan had conveyed the mysterious expert’s
tone with seeming seriousness, but Master Shuiyue had been proud and alone all
her life. Who had she ever feared?
How could she possibly turn a blind eye to the matters of
her disciple just because of a few threatening words?
“Xue’er, strange phenomenon of the heavens and earth were
triggered when you were born. What does this mean? It means that you are a
gifted genius of martial dao. At the end of it all, the martial dao
practitioners of our generation must cleanly sever the ties that hold us down.
Therefore, if you don’t gain vengeance for your family’s grievance, it will
surely leave behind a shadow in your heart and affect your future training.
Your master will keep this issue of your vengeance within my heart.”
Long Juxue was accustomed to playing coy and knew that
Master Shuiyue would coddle her. She sobbed slightly, lowly. “Xue’er has no
family or patron now. I can now only look to my honored master to act on my
behalf.”
Master Shuiyue had trained for more than half her life, and
her reputation of being biased was renowned throughout the sects.
“Who is this Jiang Chen that he can compel a great Swordbird
army to fight for him and be so fearless of death?”
Even someone as strong as Master Shuiyue could make neither heads
nor tails of this matter. One had to know that it wasn’t a matter of having
great strength to compel spirit beasts and fowl to battle.
There were those who were adept at mobilizing spirit animals
to battle within the sects, but each sect had their own unique methods.
Some leveraged written talismans, and others used secret
incantations or other mysterious arts of control. Of course, there were those
who used their divine abilities to dominate the spirit animals into becoming
their own fighting strength.
But no matter which sect it was, those were secrets that
wouldn’t be passed on.
Even within the vast Purple Sun Sect there were almost none
who possessed this power. The Purple Sun Sect was almost a completely blank
piece of paper in the arena of compelling spirit animals to battle.
Therefore, Master Shuiyue was rather curious with regards to
this Jiang Chen.
However, although she was curious, Master Shuiyue still
placed a heavier emphasis on the genius who was Long Juxue. An innate
constitution such as the azure phoenix constitution also numbered amongst the
scant few when making a general observation of the history of the Purple Sun
Sect.
What did it mean to be born with such a constitution?
This meant that one would be able to easily set foot into
the spirit dao with almost no barriers. The path of training after entering the
spirit dao would also be much smoother when compared with ordinary spirit dao
practitioners, and their speed of improvement would also be much faster.
“Xinghan, your master is giving you a mission. Go
investigate Jiang Chen’s origins, but remember, do not make a move against
Jiang Chen.”
Master Shuiyue gave her orders to Chu Xinghan, but she was a
biased person after all. She cared about both people. Although she favored Long
Juxue even more, she couldn’t possibly send Chu Xinghan to his death.
After all, of her disciples, Chu Xinghan was still one of
the top three geniuses. Since the mysterious elder had spoken, it would
absolutely be inappropriate if she sent her disciples to make a move against
Jiang Chen.
There would be fewer reservations as long as they only
investigated and didn’t make a move.
“Xue’er.” Master Shuiyue looked towards Long Juxue again.
“Although this Jiang Chen knows some unorthodox ways, at the end of the day,
his potential is still inferior to yours. Even if he’s had a few fortuitous
encounters, it’s still nothing compared to the constitution that you were born
with. You will surely leave him behind in eight to ten years.”
The meaning of Master Shuiyue’s words were veiled; what she
actually wanted to tell Long Juxue was that “your master will eventually help
you get your vengeance.”
However, as a master, she couldn’t send her other strong
disciples to kill Jiang Chen, as this might very well attract fatal disasters
for the other disciples.
Long Juxue was a smart person and she nodded, “Honored
master, the grudge between Jiang Chen and your disciple is utterly
irreconcilable. Your disciple will be receiving tutelage from the honored
master starting today and will learn the honored master’s divine abilities. It
will then be as easy as killing a dog when I meet Jiang Chen in the future.”
Master Shuiyue nodded in satisfaction. “You possess an
innate constitution alright. Your potential and comprehension is top class.
Xue’er, if you kill Jiang Chen through using the efforts of others, you will
unavoidably leave behind a slight stain on your training. This stain may affect
you when you are scaling to even higher levels in your path of martial dao in
the future. You possess an innate constitution, and your master is far beneath
you in terms of potential. There may even come a day in the future in which you
claim the highest rank of power within the entire Purple Sun Sect, not to
mention being the head of the line of Shuiyue.”
Long Juxue thinned out her lips slightly and her beautiful
head inclined a bit. “Xue’er will be certain to train diligently as to live up
to honored master’s great kindness, and obtain face for the line of Shuiyue.”
One had to say, Long Juxue was quite skilled at fathoming the
human heart. She could tell from Master Shuiyue’s words that this honored
master greatly valued the line of Shuiyue, and dearly wished to shine with
pride and glory throughout the entire Purple Sun Sect.
Indeed, Master Shuiyue smiled with gratification when she
heard those words. “That would be most excellent! I traveled hundreds of
kilometers to be the first to arrive in the Eastern Kingdom to form the ties of
master and disciple with you. This act is the one act that I am most proud of
in my life. Xue’er, you will train with me from today onwards.”
Yu Jie, who was listening below, couldn’t help but feel a
bit envious and jealous. One had to know that although he was one of the ten
great disciples of the line of Shuiyue, there had been exceedingly few chances
for him to receive the honored master’s personal guidance. It had basically
been up to him to train once the master had brought him in.
On the few occasions that he had received a few pointers
from the master, Yue Jie had been so excited that he’d been unable to sleep for
a few days.
The extraordinary prodigy Long Juxue was indeed different
from the rest. The honored master wanted to keep Long Juxue by the master’s
side for personal tutelage. This was treatment that even senior brother Chu Xinghan
hadn’t enjoyed.
Chu Xinghan was expressionless as he didn’t feel anything
was inappropriate here.
A thousand things were waiting to be done within the Eastern
Kingdom.
Unknowingly, a month had passed since the battle of the
Second Crossing. The internal chaos had basically been settled thanks to
Princess Gouyu’s connections and charisma, as well as assistance from the other
dukes.
Eastern Lu had fallen in the Long family rebellion, and his
only son Eastern Lin had been saved by Jiang Chen. Eastern Lin naturally
ascended to the throne, becoming the Eastern Kingdom’s new king.
More clarity was also slowly imparted on the situation
within the capital. Those vassals of the Duke of Soaring Dragon who deserved to
be executed were executed, those who should be pruned were pruned, and those
who should be marginalized were marginalized.
The Pill King Garden, for instance, a spirit medicine power
that was a dependant of the duke, vanished utterly from the annals of the
Eastern Kingdom. All of the members of the Pill King Garden were promptly
executed and displayed publicly, with no exceptions granted.
As for the Hall of Healing, due to the fact that it had been
at odds with the Duke of Soaring Dragon before, its position rose even higher
with the incoming tide. They had been the foremost heavyweight of the kingdom
in the market of spirit medicine to begin with. After this battle, their
position once again rose even higher and further cemented their place as
foremost heavyweight.
Morale was strong within the entire Hall of Healing and a
sense of optimism permeated its halls.
However, the lord hallmaster Song Tianxing of the Hall of
Healing couldn’t find it within himself to be happy.
This was because the senior executives of the Hall had
almost unanimously turned against their own side in the mess created by the
Duke of Soaring Dragon and pointed their ire at the third hallmaster, Qiao
Baishi. The direct consequences of such an act was Qiao Baishi’s resignation
letter.
There would be none of the three heaven-defying pills
without Qiao Baishi. Without those three otherworldly pills, the orders that
the Hall of Healing had accepted before would all be jokes in comparison.
Although they could cancel orders and return deposits, once
a spirit medicine heavyweight like the Hall of Healing started returning
deposits, this meant that they would face an unprecedented assault on their
reputation and public perception.
Therefore, Song Tianxing couldn’t be happy at all.
It looked like the royal family depended greatly on the Hall
of Healing right now, but that was because the royal family had just weathered
tremendous chaos and endured great losses. They needed the Hall’s strength.
Speaking for themselves, if the Hall wanted to expand, they
would still have to rely on spirit medicine and a variety of products.
Without Qiao Baishi’s three spirit medicines, it would be
almost impossible for the Hall of Healing to obtain greater expansion.
Song Tianxing regretted his actions deeply and what had
transpired that night. Apart from a few of Qiao Baishi’s diehard supporters,
almost all the senior executives had condemned Qiao Baishi, and wanted to hand
him over for the Duke of Soaring Dragon’s ministrations.
Song Tianxing had also shown hesitation in that moment and
hadn’t firmly supported Qiao Baishi.
The act of placing one step wrong had resulted in all his
steps being wrong.
Chapter 114: Self Satisfied Senior Executives of the Hall of
Healing
Many of the senior executives of the Hall of Healing were
excited by the royal family’s high regard and were jubilant about sweeping away
an opponent such as the Pill King Garden.
During a meeting between the senior executives, the fourth
Hallmaster, Wang Li, spoke animatedly, “Lord Hallmaster, since the royal family
has weathered a crisis, now is when they need us the most. Perhaps the position
of our Hall will greatly increase once again. We should make use of this
opportunity to expand our operations, and to open branches in every territory
of the kingdom. Wherever there’s a duke present, there should also be a branch
of our Hall. In this regard, the Hall will both permeate and be deeply
entangled throughout the entire country. Our income and status will all greatly
increase.”
Fourth Hallmaster Wang Li was a year or two younger than
Qiao Baishi, and could be viewed as one of the future pillars of the Hall. His
position had been similar to Qiao Baishi originally, and he’d even been in the
running as a future Lord Hallmaster.
However, Qiao Baishi’s astounding performances had
continuously stifled Wang Li’s ambitions, and gave him no room to give free
rein to his abilities.
Now that Qiao Baishi was out of the picture, the position of
Lord Hallmaster of the Hall of Healing was basically Wang Li’s.
Therefore, Wang Li had become a bit jumped up lately —
strutting around with the demeanor of the future leader a bit.
Many of the senior executives throughout the Hall completely
bought Wang Li’s act. They fawned over him, and curried favor with him both
publicly and privately — giving off the air that they were gathering at his
side.
Several of the elders added in their assenting remarks upon
hearing Wang Li’s words.
“Hallmaster Wang is correct, our Hall should take advantage
of this opportunity to expand and widen our influence to all the territories.
There is indeed a great need to construct branches in all the duchies.”
“Hallmaster Wang looks far ahead, and aims high with both
vision and ambition.” The Blue surnamed female elder had always been on bad
terms with Qiao Baishi. She’d also been one of the most outspoken ones against
Qiao Baishi last time.
“Unlike some people who have no respect for the other senior
executives when they have a bit of accomplishment, it’s actually a fortuitous
happening for the Hall that someone like that has left.”
Elder Blue was filled with resentment. Although Qiao Baishi
had already left, her mouth was still without virtue, as she alternated between
taunting and jeering at Qiao Baishi.
Although Qiao Baishi was no longer present, he still had two
loyal supporters within the Hall. Elder Blue was even including his friends in
her hatred.
These words were naturally abusing one person, while
pointing at someone else.
Even the Second Hallmaster, Yue Qun, stroked his beard and
chuckled, “Lord Hallmaster, our Hall has fallen upon quite a spot of luck this
time. We should make use of this opportunity to expand.”
Song Tianxing’s face had darkened continuously as he’d
allowed the chatter to go on around him in.
He was in an incredibly bad mood, and was very disheartened.
He didn’t find the superficiality of human relationships
odd. He hadn’t even found it strange that Qiao Baishi had been scoffed at and
mocked by these people.
What was odd, was that these people didn’t have the
slightest bit of sensitivity towards the matter of politics, and kept saying
that they wanted to expand.
Had the Hall of Healing really never had the chance to
expand their operations during the past hundreds of years? Why hadn’t they
expanded?
It was because it was a taboo area!
How long had it been since the matter between the Duke of
Soaring Dragon? Had these people all already forgotten?
How would the royal family allow any power to expand without
limits, or let any influence penetrate every territory within the kingdom in
the future?
These were the daydreams of an idiot, and it could be said
that they were looking for death.
It wouldn’t be allowed, even if the Hall of Healing didn’t
have the power to command troops within its hands. If an entity had too much
influence, it would be sure to conflict with royal authority as time went on.
The Duke of Soaring Dragon was a prime example. It would be
strange indeed if the Eastern clan allowed any power to expand without limits
after the case of Long Zhaofeng.
The sad thing was that none of these people could see such
simple logic. Their minds were filled with enthusiasm and only wished to
expand.
Seeing that Song Tianxing wasn’t saying anything, the second
hallmaster Yue Qun laughed, “Boss, everyone is very gung ho. Why don’t you say
a few words as well?”
Song Tianxing had a belly full of frustrations as he swept
his gaze around coldly with a thunderous looking face. “I can understand that
all of you are in high spirits. I’ll only speak of two matters today.”
“First, I’d like to ask you all that, as the first duke
beneath the heavens, why was the Duke of Soaring Dragon destroyed in the end?”
“Second, who can fill in the gaps after Qiao Baishi has
left? Who amongst you has the ability to clean up the aftermath? I’ll say this
right here and now, that if anyone has the ability to fill in for Qiao Baishi,
and can take care of the aftermath left in his wake, I’ll make that person the
next great Lord Hallmaster.”
Song Tianxing spread out his hands after he spoke, “Why
don’t you discuss it amongst yourselves.”
Upon seeing that Song Tianxing’s reaction wasn’t very
pleased, the fervent atmosphere cooled down slightly.
Yue Qun squeezed out a smile and said, “It was a fluke that
the Duke of Soaring Dragon was destroyed. Who would’ve thought that the million
strong army would be subdued by the power of Jiang Chen alone?”
“Indeed. Perhaps the Duke of Soaring Dragon just didn’t have
the makings of an emperor in this lifetime.”
“This situation truly is a bit bizarre. I thought that it
would be the foregone conclusion for the Long family to conquer the kingdom.
Who would’ve thought that the final outcome would be thus?”
“Haha, but this is a great thing for our Hall.”
The senior executives were all quite at ease when they
discussed the matters of the Long family. The blustering and aggressive manner
that had been present when they were pointing fingers at Qiao Baishi, and when
they were clamoring to hand him over to Long Zhaofeng, was completely absent.
However, Song Tianxing’s brow grew even more furrowed when
he heard this response.
He raised his eyebrows, and looked at the fourth Hallmaster
Wang Li. “Number four, you take the floor. What understanding have you reached
regarding the Duke of Soaring Dragon’s demise?”
Wang Li knew this was a test from the Lord Hallmaster, and
didn’t dare easily dismiss the matter. He thought for a moment and then opened
his mouth to say, “Both luck and reason played a role in the destruction of the
Long family. On the other hand, this also demonstrates that with the Eastern
family’s royal heritage of a few hundred years, their destiny is still stronger
than the Long family’s. And, as the truth has illustrated, the Lord Hallmaster
was correct in resolutely defending his stance. You possessed foresight in
doing so.”
Wang Li conveniently kissed up to Song Tianxing as well.
When everyone had wanted to hand over Qiao Baishi to Long Zhaofeng, and strike
a compromise with the Long family, or even submit to them, in the end it had
been Song Tianxing who’d prevailed over all dissenting views. He’d stoppered
the mouths of those who wanted to bow down to the Long family after Elder Shun
had spoken.
The truth had revealed that the action of not submitting to
the Long family had been beyond wise and brilliant.
Otherwise, it would be an unknown whether or not the current
Hall of Healing would be receiving the royal family’s favor.
After Wang Li had offered up this fulsome flattery, he
naturally felt that he had responded quite aptly. However, Song Tianxing shook
his head inwardly. This Wang Li didn’t measure up to Qiao Baishi alright — he
paled far in comparison instead.
He had raised the first question to take these people down a
peg or two, using the matter of the Long family to warn them not to always
think of expanding.
Business could be expanded, but territory and influence
could absolutely not be expanded.
It was a pity that no one grasped his intentions.
Suddenly, an elder sitting in a corner to the right raised
his hand, “Lord Hallmaster, if I may say a word?”
The elder who had raised his hand was surnamed Ying, and was
one of the few solid supporters that Qiao Baishi had left. He had been
ostracized by the senior executives during this time, and was slowly being
marginalized.
The others wore a faint smile upon seeing that he wished to
speak. They had on looks of watching a good show, as if a funny joke was in
front of them.
“Elder Ying, the lord hallmaster hasn’t asked you. What are
you trying to do by being so falsely proactive?” Elder Blue’s words were laced
with sarcasm.
“Elder Blue, if I recall correctly, you’re also an elder,
and your ranking isn’t that much higher than mine. I hardly think that you have
the right to point fingers and decide when I can or can’t speak. I don’t know
what you’re puffed up with importance about?” Elder Ying flicked a glance at
Elder Blue as his voice was full of contempt.
“You… you… I’m not lowering my status by arguing with you.”
Elder Blue sat down huffily.
“Elder Ying, what valued opinions do you have? Please
speak.”
Song Tianxing thought fondly of old friendships, and knew
that Elder Ying was one of Qiao Baishi’s confidantes. His love for Qiao Baishi
extended to his confidantes, and thus he also held a good view of Elder Ying.
“Lord Hallmaster, I’m more of a crude person, and so beg
your pardon if I offend with my words.” It looked like Elder Ying had much on
his mind that he wanted to say.
“Speak freely whatever is on your mind. We’re all colleagues
here, what offense could possibly be given? This is all for the future of the
Hall.” Song Tianxing set the tone.
“Alright, then I’ll speak frankly. I feel that a key issue
still hasn’t been addressed in the midst of all this discussion to respond to
the Lord Hallmaster’s question regarding the Duke of Soaring Dragon: Why did
the Duke of Soaring Dragon collapse? Simple — his influence and power
threatened his master!”
“The Long family has operated painstakingly these years, in
order to have a finger in many pies. They had a foothold in many duchies. In
this way, the Long family had a multitude of accomplices, and their influence
was wide ranging. The final result was that their influence exceeded the royal
family’s, and ignited this catastrophe.”
Elder Ying didn’t pause as he continued, “All of you said
earlier that you wanted to make use of this opportunity to build branches of
the Hall in all sorts of ducal territories. What I want to say, is that this
kind of blind optimism is not only the wrong choice for the future of the Hall
of Healing, but is courting death at the heart of it. This is pushing the Hall
into the abyss of destruction.”
Song Tianxing’s eyes abruptly lit up when Elder Ying
finished. The former had been very disappointed prior because no one had
comprehended this point.
It would seem that Elder Ying was a wise person. The saying
that things, and people, of the same kind came together, did indeed hold true.
Elder Ying was close to Qiao Baishi. It would seem that he had true skill and
genuine knowledge.
“If the Hall was to extend our fingers to every territory,
then I believe that the day the royal family were to move against the Hall
wouldn’t be too far off. The Long family is a lesson of a failed predecessor.
Our Hall has a long and illustrious history, and many wise men have numbered
amongst the generations of forefathers. Wouldn’t they have wanted to expand as
well? To build a branch in every duchy? Why haven’t they done so? Because
they’re smart people. They knew that business was just business. They avoided
stirring up unnecessary trouble, and didn’t attempt to increase their influence
to the point that it eclipsed the royal family’s. This isn’t expansion — this
is seeking death!”
Elder Ying laughed coldly as he exhaled a long breath when
he finished speaking. It was as if he had vented all the ill humor he had
accumulated during this time in one go.
He sat down firmly, “This is what I wanted to say, pardon me
if I’ve given offense.”
It could be seen that Elder Ying had thought things through,
and wasn’t afraid of giving offense now. He was being marginalized anyway, why
continue to take the blows lying down? He would say whatever he wanted, why
would he have qualms of offending others?
One had to say, although he hadn’t left any considerations
of face in his words, they opened the ears of the deaf, and the eyes of the
blind. Even if the senior executives present were isolating him, consciously or
unconsciously, they all had to admit that these words had pointed out a core
issue that they hadn’t thought of.
Truly, the Duke of Soaring Dragon was an example of a failed
predecessor.
However, the Fourth Hallmaster Wang Li had an angrily
darkened face. The expansion idea had been his, and Elder Ying’s words were
undoubtedly a slap to his face.
“Elder Ying, your words are a bit of an exaggeration. You’re
raising an alarm just to scare people.” Wang Li was a bit unhappy.
Chapter 115: The Danger Behind Self Satisfaction
Elder Ying had already taken a seat and had closed his eyes.
He didn’t intend to speak any further. When he heard Wang Li’s interrogative
words, his anger boiled again.
Elder Ying rolled his eyes, “What ‘raising an alarm to scare
people’? I don’t think I’ve exaggerated anywhere.”
Wang Li spoke loudly, “It’s true that the Long family held
the right to move troops, and that their influence threatened their masters.
But our Hall is only conducting business. We seek only profit, not power. How
can we be lumped in with the Long family business?”
“Hahaha…” Elder Ying laughed loudly. “Those of the Eastern
clan need to be the ones to believe your words. It’s not difficult for you to
persuade me and the ardently fervorous of the Hall — however, It would be quite
hard for you to persuade the royal family.”
Elder Ying’s words made a great deal of sense. After the
events of the Long family, the royal family would surely be as if a bird
startled by the merest twang of a bow string. They absolutely wouldn’t allow a
second Long family to appear.
“Our Hall has always had a good reputation, how could the
royal family be unaware of that?” Wang Li said coldly.
“Our reputation has indeed been good. And that’s because our
Hall has never expanded to all the duchies, and hasn’t extended our grasp too
far. This was in turn due to the fact that our Hall knew our place, and when to
retreat and advance. We didn’t expand blindly. If we expand blindly in the
future, only the heavens will know what will become of our reputation. Besides,
isn’t it the pure whim of the person in charge that decides whether or not
we’re truly just doing business? If the person with control over the Hall of
Healing had the slightest bit of ambition, and made a few moves in the dark...
it might even be easier for them to form a power like the Long family than it
was for the originals.”
“Bullshit. You’re making evil arbitrary assumptions. This is
throwing dirt onto your own face, Elder Ying! Are you an elder of the Hall
anymore?” Wang Li was infuriated.
Elder Blue also screamed shrilly, “Some people love to gain
notoriety by making shocking statements — like master, like slave. You’re all
cut from the same cloth.”
Elder Blue’s crosshairs had once again been locked onto Qiao
Baishi.
Elder Ying was enraged as he slammed his hand down onto the
table. “You with the Blue surname, I’ve tolerated you for more than a day or
two now. Old woman, you’ve finally laid things out clearly. What master, what
slave?! You go around being bitterly sarcastic everyday, as if afraid that no
one would know that your tongue is shaped like a viper’s.”
“Ying Wuyou, don’t you put up a tough front with me! You’re
Qiao Baishi’s slave alright. You’ve said so much only because you’re jealous of
the Fourth Hallmaster — jealous that he’s the man of the hour — jealous that he
replaced your master’s position!” Elder Blue simply decided to lay it all out.
Ying Wuyou nodded his head savagely. “Alright, good. Very
good. Since we’ve reached this point, let’s see what your downfall is. If our
future is dependent on sheer mediocrity like you, then the foundation of the
Hall, built up over hundreds of years, will surely be destroyed within twenty
years! Me, jealous? What is there to be jealous of from someone who can’t even
see the greater picture? You’re right, I’m Qiao Baishi’s friend, and his
diehard supporter. This isn’t because of personal relationships, but because I
think highly of his character and admire his skills. Unlike you, who defends
those who belong to your faction alone, and attack others who don’t. You’re a
tuft of grass that’s easily swayed by the wind. If the Lord Hallmaster had
listened to you last time, and bowed down to the Long family, then you wouldn’t
even have the chance to be standing here today or to be flapping your lips.”
Ying Wuyou turned to Song Tianxing and said resolutely,
“Since these words have already been spoken, I shall speak clearly Lord
Hallmaster. I also have an answer to your second question. Throughout this vast
Hall, no one can fill in the missing gap made by Qiao Baishi. No one will be
able to clean up the aftermath, unless Qiao Baishi returns! It’s ludicrous that
these people sit here and speak with confidence and composure, but are unaware
that the Hall is facing a monumental crisis.”
“Crisis? Ying Wuyou, stop being an alarmist and crying wolf!
Will our Hall really fall to pieces without Qiao Baishi?” The Second Hallmaster
Yue Qun was also displeased as he hectored.
Elder Blue jeered, “So the saying that one fan is enough to
negate the criticism of ten is true. Ying Wuyou, you’re truly one of Qiao
Baishi’s brainless fanboys. You really place a high importance on Qiao Baishi.
Is it such that the Lord Hallmaster isn’t as important as Qiao Baishi in your
heart?”
One had to say that this woman had the gift of gab, and was
quite skilled at driving a wedge between people.
However, as the Lord Hallmaster, how would Song Tianxing buy
this act? He spoke with a darkened face, “Cut out the nonsense. Let’s discuss
the second question since Elder Ying has mentioned it.”
Ying Wuyou smiled faintly, “Lord Hallmaster, I don’t have
much to discuss. I’ve already said that no one can replace Qiao Baishi. I feel
that a weight has been taken off my shoulders now that I’ve said my piece. To
be frank, I had planned on resigning after today. The future of the Hall has
nothing to do with me anyways, but the Hall has cultivated me since I was
young, and I have great affection for the Hall. I said those words not because
of a personal grudge, but because I am truly thinking on behalf of the future
of the Hall. Lord Hallmaster, you will be the one to decide how the Hall will
proceed. However, I want to say that Wang Li isn’t a qualified successor, and
that a woman as narrow minded as Elder Blue, who depends on selling her
coquettish charms and nepotism, is even more unsuitable to remain in the
position of an elder. The more of these people there are, the narrower the
future of the Hall’s path will become.”
Resignation? Another senior executive was leaving?
Apart from Wang Li’s faction, there were still quite a few
neutral factions within the Hall. They were greatly surprised when they heard
that Ying Wuyou was also resigning, and also vaguely felt that this was
inappropriate.
Why was it that people were leaving one after another during
a time that the Hall was growing more prosperous everyday?
Could it be that there really was something wrong with the
Hall?
“Resignation? Haha, why don’t you say it’s that you’re no
longer able to carry on within your position?” Elder Blue laughed coldly.
“Without your master Qiao Baishi supporting you, you don’t have any further
place within the Hall, right? By raising a false alarm, you want to sow some
confusion in the Hall before you depart, don’t you?”
Ying Wuyou laughed coldly and his gaze was completely
fearless, as he swept it in an open and honest way across everyone assembled.
“Everyone, I, Ying Wuyou, have a clear conscience. It’s a bit boring flapping
my lips at this woman. I’ll only say one final thing, and that that’s with Qiao
Baishi’s departure, the three medicinal pills will also halt production. All
the orders that we’ve received will be cancelled, and our Hall’s reputation
will also be heavily impacted. Under these circumstances, these people only
think of how to expand our influence, without contemplating how to clean up
such a mess. Are they the brainless ones, or am I just a worrywart?”
Ying Wuyou was about to leave, and had no reservations about
anything. He’d put all his cards out on the table, and caused absolute silence
to prevail.
Song Tianxing’s most worrying concern had finally been
raised by Ying Wuyou.
“What? You mean the Heavenly Karma Pill, Vast Ocean Pill,
and One Buddha Powder? Does the Lord Hallmaster not know their recipes?”
“Qiao Baishi played this hand? This really is too…”
“No way? All those orders belong to the various influential
powers of the kingdom. None of them are good targets to offend.”
“Lord Hallmaster, is this true? This… isn’t this too
ridiculous?”
Song Tianxing sighed lightly, “This is why I raised the
second question. Qiao Baishi did indeed have exclusive knowledge of the three
pill recipes. I didn’t have a hand in this either.”
Everyone in the Hall was stunned. They had always viewed
Qiao Baishi as someone the Lord Hallmaster had groomed and mentored.
Since Qiao Baishi was in charge of refining these three pill
recipes, then as someone behind the scenes, the Lord Hallmaster should have
naturally known them as well.
This was a familiar, accustomed train of thought.
However, Ying Wuyou’s words had cruely punctured their
matter-of-factness and pierced their daydreams.
Even the Lord Hallmaster hadn’t grasped the three spirit
medicines.
This was without a doubt, a thunderclap from a blue sky.
Those aforementioned expansions in territory and scale, had
been built on the foundation of these three pill medicines. Without these three
pill medicines, what difference was there between the Hall now and what it’d
been like previously? On what basis, and with what income, did they have for
expansion?
They were dumbfounded. Even Wang Li was a bit dumbfounded.
Yue Qun was also flabbergasted as he murmured to himself,
“Lord Hallmaster, wasn’t this contract signed with the young duke of Jiang Han?
As long as we continue our partnership with the young duke Jiang…”
Song Tianxing laughed wryly, “Continue our partnership with
young duke Jiang? That’s easy to answer. Haven’t you seen that the Jiang
family’s actions right now are quite strange? These actions are an obvious
precursor to fading out of the Eastern Kingdom.”
“Indeed. I heard that the Eastern clan wanted to erect four new
great dukes, and nominated the Jiang family as the first duke, but were
respectfully declined by the Jiang family.”
“This Jiang family could destroy the Duke of Soaring Dragon
— why would they pay any attention to the title of the first duke? Can it be
that the Jiang family is harboring intentions of rebellion?”
Song Tianxing was in an emotional turmoil as he spread out
his hands, “Stop chasing the wind and clutching at shadows. The Jiang family’s
movements are to avoid following in the Long family’s footsteps, and to avoid
alarming the sovereign with their influence. Besides, the Jiang family valued
our Hall because of Qiao Baishi.”
Elder Blue felt a bit put out when she thought of Jiang
Chen. He’d given her no face at all the first time he’d come to the Hall of the
Healing.
Later on, Elder Blue had pinched her nose and suffered
through things for the sake of cooperation.
When she heard Song Tianxing’s words, she hurriedly said,
“We signed a contract. If the Jiang family rips up the contract, then we can
sue them for damages!”
Ying Wuyou snorted with cold laughter and felt that this
Elder Blue was seriously idiotic. The Hall of Healing had begged Jiang Chen to
sign the contract. Would there truly be anything within the contract that would
give the Hall an opening to sue with?
When begging someone to sign a contract, would they dig a
trap for themselves? Of course they’d be able to leave whenever they wanted to.
Sue? Damages? This woman was more than typically stupid.
Yue Qun’s old face was also struck dumb as he squeezed out a
smile. “It looks like the crux of the matter lies with the young duke of Jiang
Han. We’ll have to curry some favor with the Jiang family.”
Song Tianxing laughed dejectedly. Curry favor with the Jiang
family? They’d have to give you the opportunity first. If the Jiang family had
truly cared about this partnership, wouldn’t they’ve sent a representative over
sometime during the one month that had passed?
The Jiang family hadn’t even sent a servant. This indicated
that the Jiang family was no longer interested in this partnership at all.
“Lord Hallmaster, why don’t we send someone to the Jiang Han
territory?” Wang Li asked probingly.
“Send someone? Are you willing to go?” Song Tianxing asked.
Wang Li puffed his chest out. “Human effort can achieve
anything. Although this mission is a bit difficult, I am willing to try for the
future of the Hall.”
Determination was good, and Song Tianxing didn’t have the
heart to deny him. He was just about to agree, when Ying Wuyou smiled faintly
off on the side. “If the Fourth Hallmaster meets Qiao Baishi on this trip, how
will you react?”
“Qiao Baishi?” Everyone was greatly startled. Qiao Baishi’s
movements had been uncertain after he’d left. Could it be that he’d flocked to
the Jiang Han banner?
Even Song Tianxing was a bit surprised.
“Wuyou, you mean that Qiao Baishi is in Jiang Han
territory?” Song Tianxing asked gravely.
“Indeed. He once told me, before he resigned, that if he
were to leave the Hall, he would only seek out Jiang Chen, and wouldn’t go
anywhere else.” Ying Wuyou sighed lightly.
“This…” Everyone was astounded and speechless.
If Qiao Baishi was in the Jiang Han territory, then this
meant that he had strong relations with Jiang Chen. If the Hall sent anyone at
this moment, then they would be inviting humiliation on themselves!
Chapter 116: The Mysterious Grandfather and Granddaughter
Duo
Even Second Hallmaster Yue Qun was shocked senseless with
this information.
“Qiao Baishi has such a solid relationship with Jiang Chen?”
Song Tianxing also hadn’t expected this twist. He had
trained Qiao Baishi from the start and knew of Qiao Baishi’s feelings for the
Hall.
That day when all of the senior executives were convening,
almost everyone had wanted to hand over Qiao Baishi to the Long family. This
had truly and deeply wounded Qiao Baishi’s feelings and made him feel despair.
Except, Song Tianxing hadn’t reckoned that Qiao Baishi
would’ve thrown himself to the mercy of Jiang Chen, the son of a duke.
Elder Blue however, added fuel to the flames and mocked,
“This was well within expectations. Qiao Baishi has long since been harboring
thoughts of helping outsiders. I’m not surprised at all that he flocked to
Jiang Chen’s banner. I just wonder how many secrets of the Hall did he take
with him?”
Song Tianxing was thoroughly enraged when he heard these
words. “Elder Blue, I command you to shut up! Do you have the bearing of an
elder at all? Must you be so diametrically opposed to someone who’s already
left? If you have the spare time to jeer at someone who’s already left, why
don’t you spend it on contemplating how to prolong our cooperation with the
Jiang family?”
“I...” Elder Blue had been admonished but didn’t dare to
retort a single word. The dignity of the Lord Hallmaster was present. Although
he was normally peaceful and amiable, his presence was quite frightening when
his temper was roused.
“I have no wish to listen to anymore useless blather. I
still have those same words. Whoever can further our cooperation with the Jiang
family will be the next Lord Hallmaster. All other words are empty hot air and
I have no desire to listen to them.”
Song Tianxing swept his gaze in a circle. “Which one of you
is willing to make a trip to the Jiang Han territory?”
The person who’d originally put himself forward, Wang Li,
involuntarily shrank back when Song Tianxing’s gaze swept over him. He wanted
to go, but knew that it would be a futile effort since Qiao Baishi was there.
There would be no way that the partnership could be continued and he may even
end up with a faceful of dust from Qiao Baishi’s ridicule.
Elder Blue also ducked her reddened face and didn’t dare to
even respond when swept by Song Tianxing’s gaze. She had even less of a right
to speak.
It was an unknown factor if she’d even be able to make it
back alive if she went to the Jiang Han territory.
“Number two, how about you make a trip?” Song Tianxing
looked at Yue Qun.
Yue Qun’s old face flushed as he scratched the back of his
head. “Boss, I’m an old man unskilled at social maneuvering. Not to mention
that I’m old and have no common language with youngsters. It would look odd no
matter what if I went to find Jiang Chen. Would he even be willing to receive
an old man like me?”
All the other senior executives hung their heads and cast
their eyes downwards when Song Tianxing’s gaze traveled by. No one stepped
forward to volunteer.
Song Tianxing sighed lightly and shook his head. Now that
things had gotten to this point, would he really have to make a personal trip?
When he saw Ying Wuyou, Song Tianxing’s eyes suddenly
brightened. “Wuyou, why don’t you make the trip to the Jiang Han territory on
behalf of the Hall?”
“Lord Hallmaster, I’ve already decided to resign. Please
look elsewhere to resolve this matter. Besides, I also think that with the
Hall’s current situation, the result would be the same even if the Lord
Hallmaster himself made a personal trip. It’s a foregone conclusion that you
will return empty-handed.”
Wuyou felt like he’d vented a breath of ill will when he saw
the crowd of senior executives standing around with their heads down. He felt
damn good inside. Weren’t you guys great at adding insult to injury? Weren’t
you just ostracizing Qiao Baishi?
Without Qiao Baishi, you can’t do anything at all.
Now what? Don’t wear a long face everyone!
It wasn’t that Ying Wuyou was delighting in the mishaps of
others, but that he felt vindicated and pleased. Previously, these people had
shown no mercy when attacking Qiao Baishi.
And look at things now. They weren’t able to handle anything
without begging for Qiao Baishi.
Yue Qun was still a bit unwilling to accept things. “Wuyou,
do you think that the young duke Jiang Chen would really forgo a partnership
with the Hall just because of Qiao Baishi? Qiao Baishi is alright, but does he
really have so much charisma as to affect the the young duke Jiang’s
decisions?”
Ying Wuyou chuckled. “I don’t know whether or not Qiao
Baishi has that much charisma, but I know one thing. Every time something has
happened to the Jiang family, Qiao Baishi was the first person they called
upon. When the Duke of Jiang Han, Jiang Feng, was ambushed, Qiao Baishi was the
one who was called to cure him. When the Jiang family was retreating, they
concealed their tracks through Qiao Baishi’s efforts. You tell me whether or
not the Jiang family values Qiao Baishi?”
Yue Qun laughed wryly, “Well this is absurd. Do we really
have to invite Qiao Baishi back?”
Yue Qun felt even his own face burn when he said this. When
he had admonished Qiao Baishi, he hadn’t left any face for the other party.
Inviting Qiao Baishi to return -- only someone with as thick
a face as him was able to say something like this.
The others didn’t even have the courage to suggest this,
particularly Elder Blue. When she heard these words, her thickly done up face
changed to a pale white.
“Invite Qiao Baishi back? Will our Hall really die without
him?” Elder Blue couldn’t help but say.
“If you can, then why don’t you go?” Yue Qun lost his
temper.
Song Tianxing sighed. “Wuyou, you were just now speaking in
anger when you wanted to resign. How about this, you make a trip to the Jiang
family. If you can convince the Jiang family, then you’ll directly be promoted
to Third Hallmaster.”
All the others couldn’t do it if they went. Ying Wuyou was
good friends with Qiao Baishi. They had a chance only if he went.
A light like that of a viper’s shot out from Wang Li’s eyes
when he heard this.
“Lord Hallmaster, this isn’t fair! A lowly ranked elder
rising to the position of Third Hallmaster all of a sudden. This… this isn’t
fair. I can’t accept it!”
Wang Li felt extremely upset as he raised a hue and cry.
Song Tianxing said coldly, “If you can succeed, I’ll
directly name you the next Lord Hallmaster. Can you do it?”
Wang Li grit his teeth and his two eyes became bloodshot. He
wanted to agree, but knew very well that he didn’t have the ability to.
Ying Wuyou spread out his hands. “Lord Hallmaster, y’all
dont need to keep bickering over me. I will go to the Jiang Han territory, but
to visit an old friend. The matters of the Hall have nothing to do with me. All
of you… can do as you see fit.”
Ying Wuyou placed his elder medallion lightly on the table
after he’d finished speaking, and turned to float away. Ying Wuyou had seen
through everything and knew that there was no place for him within the endless
internal strife within the Hall.
As long as people like Yue Qun, Wang Li, and Elder blue were
present, even if he could complete this mission, his future prospects would
also be dim.
Therefore, as opposed to suffering humiliation and disgrace
from them, he might as well leave freely and dashingly!
Song Tianxing’s mouth moved slightly, but he said nothing.
He suddenly felt completely listless and a supreme lack of interest. He waved
his hands and only said, “Dismissed.”
...
Elder Shun and the mysterious girl Huang’er were
respectively sitting and standing within a secret chamber of the Hall. They had
clearly heard all the happenings during the senior executives convention.
“This great building is about to collapse. Song Tianxing’s
personality and methods are all fine, but it’s a pity that he lacks that
pivotal bit of presence in a crucial moment.” Elder Shun sighed lightly.
The young girl called Huang’er was wearing a pale green
outfit as she stood by the window, idly toying with a few flowers and grass.
Her clear eyes appeared to be quite serious and her whole being seemed like it
was part of a painting.
“Elder Shun, haven’t you not cared about the matters of the
Hall before?”
Elder Shun chuckled, “Well, after all, as we’ve stayed here
for quite a period of time, I’ve still paid some attention. It looks like we’re
going to leave now.”
“Leave?” Huang’er started.
“Mm, leave.” Elder Shun nodded decisively. “Huang’er, what
do you say to us heading for the Jiang Han territory, or going somewhere else?”
“Head for Jiang Han territory?” Huang’ers slender arms
paused slightly as a trace of levity flashed across her goddess-like features.
“Elder Shun, are you truly paying that much attention to that Jiang Chen?”
“Haha, Huang’er you’re correct. I like that Jiang Chen very
much. If this wasn’t the case, why else would I have lent him a helping hand
that day in the Second Crossing?”
Huang’er smiled faintly as she played with the flowers and
grass, not saying anything.
“Huang’er, I have to say, a great power was concealed within
Jiang Chen’s body during that battle of the Second Crossing. It was a great
enough power that moved even an old man like me. The Swordbird army followed
his commands to cover the skies and blot out the sun, triggering countless
changes in the heavens. All those scenes were truly awe inspiring.”
“Furthermore, those three spirit dao disciples that the
Purple Sun Sect sent out one after another -- one died and one was injured. If
it wasn’t for the last one being too strong, I likely wouldn’t even have needed
to make a move. Jiang Chen refused to submit even under those circumstances.
That refusal to admit defeat is quite up my alley.”
Elder Shun smiled as he spoke. He knew that there was no way
that Huang’er would be interested in something like this. Except, they had
spent so much time cooped up in a small place like the Eastern Kingdom that
there were truly too few things that was worthy of being discussed.
At least there was that little bit of uniqueness about Jiang
Chen that he could chatter on about.
The most important things was that Elder Shun stubbornly
felt that the divination signs that old man Qian Ji had seen were that
Huang’er’s sickness would have the chance of finding a cure within the Eastern
Kingdom. Elder Shun even more stubbornly felt that some hints of this chance
seemed be related to Jiang Chen.
Even if it was the slightest of hopes, it was enough to
tempt Elder Shun.
After all, with his identity as the ordinary son of a duke,
Jiang Chen’s recent string of heaven-defying performances had far outstripped
the limits of his identity.
In the years that he’d spent in the Eastern Kingdom, Elder
Shun had paid attention to everything, and the only thing that even vaguely
surprised him was Jiang Chen’s performance.
Who else was there, apart from him?
Long Juxue? An azure phoenix constitution?
In Elder Shun’s eyes, a so-called innate constitution was
just that. The level of a sect like the Purple Sun Sect couldn’t even provoke
any acknowledgement from Elder Shun.
If it hadn’t been for Elder Shun valuing his identity, he
could have turned Chu Xinghan and the others into dust with a flick of his
fingers that day in front of the Second Crossing.
He hadn’t done so because he valued his own being and didn’t
wish to engage in a dispute with his juniors. He also didn’t want to give too
many hints to Jiang Chen and allow Jiang Chen to feel like he had a patron
behind him.
He wanted to further observe Jiang Chen and see just how
much potential he possessed, and how he would develop with his every step.
If he really was a promising person, Elder Shun didn’t mind
continuing to keep an eye on him. If it was just a brief appearance like the
morning dew, Elder Shun could extract himself from the situation at any time
and ignore Jiang Chen, allowing him to live and die as he would.
These were Elder Shun’s most truthful thoughts.
He wouldn’t give up as long as there was a single trace of
hope. But, if he discovered that this hope was false, then Elder Shun obviously
wouldn’t spend too much time on it.
After all, the affairs and people of the Eastern Kingdom
were on a level too low for excess attention from Elder Shun.
If it wasn’t for Huang’er’s illness, Elder Shun probably
would have never even set foot onto such a common kingdom in the next ten
thousand years.
Chapter 117: Jiang Chen Comprehending Dao
Jiang Han territory, River Wave City.
Ever since the Jiang father and son pair had returned, the
atmosphere of the entire Jiang Family had become quite fervent. All of the
Jiang family sons and disciples were united in a display of celebration that
had been never seen before. Never had they been more enthusiastic.
The battle of the Second Crossing had already been revised
into countless versions and become a legendary story within the Jiang Han
territory.
The same theme permeated through the multitude of versions,
and that was that the young duke had displayed an invincible martial prowess
and stemmed the tide by himself, engaging the million strong Long family army
in a fierce battle in front of the Second Crossing!
He had killed Long Zhaofeng, annihilated the Long family
accomplices, and terrorized the million strong army. He had turned back the
tides of darkness by himself and had lent a supporting hand to the Eastern clan
in their time of crisis.
Even the Duke of Jiang Han, Jiang Feng, had to admit that,
at this moment, the reputation of his son far outstripped his in the Jiang Han
territory by now.
Jiang Feng naturally wouldn’t be jealous of something like
this. Every father had great ambitions for his son, and the only person that
every man could accept as being stronger than himself was his own son.
Being surpassed by his son was the pride and joy of every
man.
Of the ten major tribes of the Jiang Han territory, the
Redbud Tribe had been annihilated and was now under the sway of Jiang Tong’s
son, Jiang Yu.
The other nine tribes had completely submitted and would
send someone over to the River Wave City every two or three days to express
their stance, with every one of them being docilely obedient.
This was no wonder. If even the renowned Duke of Soaring
Dragon had been annihilated with a flip of hand, would they, small tribes, dare
to rise in mutiny?
The small thoughts and plots they had previously hatched
were all quietly buried in the face of the truth.
The Jiang father and son pair were the earth and sky of the
Jiang Han territory now!
Even if the duo wanted to raise troops, rebel, replace the
Eastern clan, and rule over the entire kingdom, these people would still go
with the flow and assent.
In their eyes, the royal family was currently in decline and
had a million things to attend to. Even if Eastern Lin had ascended the throne,
the royal family still wouldn’t be able to rise again without more than ten
years of recuperation and strength building.
The Jiang family, on the other hand, was like the sun at
high noon and inspired great awe throughout the country. If they were to
replace the Eastern clan now, it was more than highly likely that no duke or
family would dare to resist or speak out otherwise.
However, it seemed that the Jiang father and son pair had no
thoughts in this regard at all. They soundly rejected all of the various
rewards and appointments from the Eastern royals, not to mention the idea of
raising an army to march against the Eastern clan.
Jiang Chen had thrown the medallion of the dukedom back to
Eastern Lu that day and had expressed words that the Jiang family was cutting
off all relations with the royal family and would no longer listen to any of
the Eastern clan’s commands.
Even if Eastern Lin’s ascension had been due to the efforts
of the Jiang family, they still had no intention of accepting bequeathments of
rewards.
The title of first duke beneath the heavens had also been
rejected by the Jiang father and son pair.
It was a good thing that the Eastern clan also recognized
that they had no power to change the Jiang family’s attitude. They would have
been overjoyed if the Jiang family was willing to accept their rewards. They
also wouldn’t dare force them to accept either if the Jiang family was
unwilling to.
Jiang Feng was taking care of some matters in the manor one
day when the Duke of Jinshan and the Duke of Hubing suddenly came to visit.
The Duke of Jinshan and the Duke of Hubing were Jiang Feng’s
best friends when he was the Duke of Jiang Han, and they had very deep and
strong relationships. In the conflict against the Long family, these two
families had loyally stayed at the Jiang family’s side, even at all costs.
Although that had also been a function of the greater
picture at that time, the relationships between the three families still ran
deep.
“Heh heh, my two wise younger brothers have come to visit
me. I, Jiang Feng, no longer hold any government post. Will my two wise younger
brothers mind?” Jiang Feng joked.
“Brother Jiang, one is allowed to be carefree when not
holding a government post. I rather admire your carefree days.” The Duke of
Jinshan sighed.
The Duke of Hubing also laughed. “To be honest, the Duke of
Jinshan and I only have our accomplishments today due to borrowing brother
Jiang’s influence. We are ashamed, ashamed.”
“Haha, we’re all brothers here, don’t be an outsider. Come
on inside.” Jiang Feng laughed uproariously and was still quite satisfied with
these two best friends. He was quite happy for them.
The kingdom had undergone great turmoil and these two
families had grasped this chance to recruit quite a few talents. Their strength
had abruptly surged forward and each had made use of the Jiang family’s
influence to become one of the new four great dukes.
“Brother Jiang, I’ve heard that the royal family has the
inclination to bestow upon the Jiang family the title of first duke beneath the
heavens. However, I don’t understand as to why brother Jiang has turned this
down? We have all toiled away for the greater portion of our lives and have
finally reached this point. This should be the time when we’re working together
in tandem to make our fortunes.” The Duke of Jinshan asked.
The Duke of Hubing also nodded. “If anyone else sat in the
position of first duke, I and the Duke of Jinshan would be the first to find
this unacceptable. Who else is qualified to be the first duke apart from the
Jiang family?”
Jiang Feng smiled faintly. “Two wise younger brothers, did
Eastern Lin send you?”
The Duke of Jinshan and Hubing both smiled and nodded.
“Brother Jiang, what plans does the Jiang family have now?
We hope you reveal a few hints for us. You also know that there’s a general
feeling of insecurity within the kingdom since you haven’t spoken. No one is
sure of anything.”
Jiang Feng smiled faintly, “My Jiang family will no longer
involve ourselves in the power struggles of the Eastern Kingdom from henceforth
on. You can go back and tell Eastern Lin that he can be at ease in being king.
He doesn’t need to worry that the Jiang family will mimic the Long family. To
speak with great impudence, if we had the intentions to, we needn’t have waited
until now.”
The Duke of Jinshan nodded, “Brother Jiang indeed makes a
great deal of sense. His Majesty isn’t worried about this.”
“Alright, your foolish brother has said all that needs to be
said. From this moment on, us brothers will only talk about old times and not
of the matters of court.”
“Haha, brother Jiang, no rush. We’ve been entrusted with yet
another matter.”
“What is it?”
“This is what has happened. The Lord Hallmaster Song
Tianxing of the Hall of Healing set out to host a banquet and treated us
brothers a few days ago. He wants to bring some people to visit brother Jiang,
but is afraid of disturbing you. Therefore, he’s asked us two to come ask if
brother Jiang has the free time and desire to see them?”
The Duke of Jinshan actually hadn’t wanted to do this favor,
but unfortunately the Hall of Healing still had a great reputation and status.
He hadn’t wanted to offend them either.
Not to mention Song Tianxing had actually humbled himself
quite a lot this time, feting them with food and wine, and also giving them
presents and pills. This made them unable to deny this favor and brush his face
aside.
“Song Tianxing?” Jiang Feng started slightly. “They probably
wish to see Chen’er?”
The Duke of Jinshan hastened to nod his head. “Yes yes, they
wish to visit wise nephew Jiang Chen and actually urged our two brats to come
speak on their behalf. However, those two kids were quite devious and only
concerned themselves with rejecting the request, causing us two old fellows to
come here and ask brother Jiang with a thick skin.”
Jiang Feng didn’t say anything and set down the cup in his
hand. “I’m not at liberty to decide Chen’er’s matters for him. He’s also been
in closed door cultivation for half a month and probably won’t emerge any time
soon. The Hall of Healing entourage has probably already reached River Wave
City?”
“Yes, they’ve all arrived and have taken up lodgings within
the inns. They seem to be quite sincere. If wise nephew Jiang Chen is in closed
door cultivation, it should be fine to have them wait for a while.”
“Since this is the case, then let’s have them wait. To be
honest, I’m not too sure when Chen’er will emerge either.” Jiang Feng spoke the
truth.
The Duke of Jinshan and the Duke of Hubing both smiled and
nodded. They had a sense of being unable to fully grasp the Jiang father and
son pair. Although they had gone through life and death together, now that
things had developed to this stage, they discovered that many things were no
longer as easy-going as before.
Although Jiang Feng was just a civilian now, and they were
powerful, noble dukes, in front of Jiang Feng, it rather seemed that they were
the ordinary people, and that he was the powerful, noble duke instead.
Having participated in the battle of the Second Crossing and
witnessing Jiang Chen’s miracles, even if dukes such as them, who had seen
great happenings, wanted to chip away at Jiang Chen’s eye popping performance,
it would be impossible to do so.
Therefore, their current cautious reservation was a given.
...
The current Jiang Chen had already been behind closed doors
for half a month. He had continuously explored and adjusted his method of
training after breaking through to eleven meridians true qi previously.
“It’s said that there are twelve meridians true qi. Why do
all practitioners halt at eleven meridians true qi? Why is it that no one tries
for spirit dao only after achieving twelve meridians?”
Jiang Chen had slowly felt a trace of a profound theory
after half a month of exploration and comprehension.
This wasn’t a matter of potential, but a problem with the
laws of training within this world.
The so-called twelve meridians true qi was actually stopped
at eleven meridians true qi. The missing meridian was like the last number that
had gone flying away.
The missing “one” was all-inclusive and covered all the
phenomena of the universe.
This “one” was the difference between a minor way and a
major way.
In actuality, this “one” hadn’t gone missing for no reason.
It was just that this “one” had transformed into infinite possibilities.
This meant that boundless possibilities and phenomena
existed between the true qi realm and the spirit dao realm.
Some people laboriously pursued perfection with regards to
this “one”, but could never find fulfillment.
Some people would suddenly comprehend this “one”, and break
out of their cocoon, becoming a butterfly and ascending into the spirit dao.
This “one” was the bridge between the true qi realm and the
spirit dao.
You were unable to see or touch this bridge.
If you could make it across, you would set foot into the
infinite great dao and enjoy a lifespan of hundreds of thousands of years.
If you couldn’t make it across, at the end of the day, you
would still be a mortal, having failed in escaping the abyss of the mundane.
“Laughable. Pitiful. The practitioners of this world all
think that twelve meridians true qi is a realm. This is an error of knowledge
and a true obstacle in martial learning. This is a problem that not even
potential can resolve.”
If it hadn’t been for the memories of his past life and if
Jiang Chen hadn’t been one of the leading authorities in research, he likely
wouldn’t have comprehended this point either.
In actuality, once you comprehended the final “one”, that
meant that you’d already entered “twelve meridians true qi” and had completed
yourself to perfection. You had already set foot on the bridge.
This “one”, narrowly speaking, was indeed “twelve meridians
true qi”. But speaking from the perspective of martial dao, this was a bridge
of martial dao - the separation between the heaven and earth that was the
mortal and spirit realm.
The bridge was different to different people.
The bridge has ceaseless possibilities for different people.
Jiang Chen had a feeling of sudden enlightenment when he
grasped this point. At the end of the day, the “one” was used to mould his
inner self. It was a kind of settling of the mundane martial dao, a type of
ascension for the common martial dao, and a farewell ceremony for pursuing a
higher level of life.
To speak even more frankly, it was establishing the final
foundation for entering spirit dao.
Finally, whether you were eleven meridians true qi or twelve
meridians true qi, the process of transmuting true qi to spirit qi was to
transmute all your true qi into one dantian, one spirit ocean.
This spirit ocean was the true goal of a true qi realm
expert.
Therefore, those experts stubbornly searching for “twelve
meridians true qi” would either fail in the end, or realize that they’ve lost
their way and would turn back to assail the spirit dao.
This was because twelve meridians true qi was a false
theory. It was a type of true meaning of martial dao, a type of inspiration
from martial dao.Chapter 117: Jiang Chen Comprehending Dao
Jiang Han territory, River Wave City.
Ever since the Jiang father and son pair had returned, the
atmosphere of the entire Jiang Family had become quite fervent. All of the
Jiang family sons and disciples were united in a display of celebration that
had been never seen before. Never had they been more enthusiastic.
The battle of the Second Crossing had already been revised
into countless versions and become a legendary story within the Jiang Han
territory.
The same theme permeated through the multitude of versions,
and that was that the young duke had displayed an invincible martial prowess
and stemmed the tide by himself, engaging the million strong Long family army
in a fierce battle in front of the Second Crossing!
He had killed Long Zhaofeng, annihilated the Long family
accomplices, and terrorized the million strong army. He had turned back the
tides of darkness by himself and had lent a supporting hand to the Eastern clan
in their time of crisis.
Even the Duke of Jiang Han, Jiang Feng, had to admit that,
at this moment, the reputation of his son far outstripped his in the Jiang Han
territory by now.
Jiang Feng naturally wouldn’t be jealous of something like
this. Every father had great ambitions for his son, and the only person that
every man could accept as being stronger than himself was his own son.
Being surpassed by his son was the pride and joy of every
man.
Of the ten major tribes of the Jiang Han territory, the
Redbud Tribe had been annihilated and was now under the sway of Jiang Tong’s
son, Jiang Yu.
The other nine tribes had completely submitted and would
send someone over to the River Wave City every two or three days to express
their stance, with every one of them being docilely obedient.
This was no wonder. If even the renowned Duke of Soaring
Dragon had been annihilated with a flip of hand, would they, small tribes, dare
to rise in mutiny?
The small thoughts and plots they had previously hatched
were all quietly buried in the face of the truth.
The Jiang father and son pair were the earth and sky of the
Jiang Han territory now!
Even if the duo wanted to raise troops, rebel, replace the
Eastern clan, and rule over the entire kingdom, these people would still go
with the flow and assent.
In their eyes, the royal family was currently in decline and
had a million things to attend to. Even if Eastern Lin had ascended the throne,
the royal family still wouldn’t be able to rise again without more than ten
years of recuperation and strength building.
The Jiang family, on the other hand, was like the sun at
high noon and inspired great awe throughout the country. If they were to
replace the Eastern clan now, it was more than highly likely that no duke or
family would dare to resist or speak out otherwise.
However, it seemed that the Jiang father and son pair had no
thoughts in this regard at all. They soundly rejected all of the various
rewards and appointments from the Eastern royals, not to mention the idea of
raising an army to march against the Eastern clan.
Jiang Chen had thrown the medallion of the dukedom back to
Eastern Lu that day and had expressed words that the Jiang family was cutting
off all relations with the royal family and would no longer listen to any of
the Eastern clan’s commands.
Even if Eastern Lin’s ascension had been due to the efforts
of the Jiang family, they still had no intention of accepting bequeathments of
rewards.
The title of first duke beneath the heavens had also been
rejected by the Jiang father and son pair.
It was a good thing that the Eastern clan also recognized
that they had no power to change the Jiang family’s attitude. They would have
been overjoyed if the Jiang family was willing to accept their rewards. They
also wouldn’t dare force them to accept either if the Jiang family was
unwilling to.
Jiang Feng was taking care of some matters in the manor one
day when the Duke of Jinshan and the Duke of Hubing suddenly came to visit.
The Duke of Jinshan and the Duke of Hubing were Jiang Feng’s
best friends when he was the Duke of Jiang Han, and they had very deep and
strong relationships. In the conflict against the Long family, these two
families had loyally stayed at the Jiang family’s side, even at all costs.
Although that had also been a function of the greater
picture at that time, the relationships between the three families still ran
deep.
“Heh heh, my two wise younger brothers have come to visit
me. I, Jiang Feng, no longer hold any government post. Will my two wise younger
brothers mind?” Jiang Feng joked.
“Brother Jiang, one is allowed to be carefree when not
holding a government post. I rather admire your carefree days.” The Duke of
Jinshan sighed.
The Duke of Hubing also laughed. “To be honest, the Duke of
Jinshan and I only have our accomplishments today due to borrowing brother Jiang’s
influence. We are ashamed, ashamed.”
“Haha, we’re all brothers here, don’t be an outsider. Come
on inside.” Jiang Feng laughed uproariously and was still quite satisfied with
these two best friends. He was quite happy for them.
The kingdom had undergone great turmoil and these two
families had grasped this chance to recruit quite a few talents. Their strength
had abruptly surged forward and each had made use of the Jiang family’s
influence to become one of the new four great dukes.
“Brother Jiang, I’ve heard that the royal family has the
inclination to bestow upon the Jiang family the title of first duke beneath the
heavens. However, I don’t understand as to why brother Jiang has turned this
down? We have all toiled away for the greater portion of our lives and have
finally reached this point. This should be the time when we’re working together
in tandem to make our fortunes.” The Duke of Jinshan asked.
The Duke of Hubing also nodded. “If anyone else sat in the
position of first duke, I and the Duke of Jinshan would be the first to find
this unacceptable. Who else is qualified to be the first duke apart from the
Jiang family?”
Jiang Feng smiled faintly. “Two wise younger brothers, did
Eastern Lin send you?”
The Duke of Jinshan and Hubing both smiled and nodded.
“Brother Jiang, what plans does the Jiang family have now?
We hope you reveal a few hints for us. You also know that there’s a general
feeling of insecurity within the kingdom since you haven’t spoken. No one is
sure of anything.”
Jiang Feng smiled faintly, “My Jiang family will no longer
involve ourselves in the power struggles of the Eastern Kingdom from henceforth
on. You can go back and tell Eastern Lin that he can be at ease in being king.
He doesn’t need to worry that the Jiang family will mimic the Long family. To
speak with great impudence, if we had the intentions to, we needn’t have waited
until now.”
The Duke of Jinshan nodded, “Brother Jiang indeed makes a
great deal of sense. His Majesty isn’t worried about this.”
“Alright, your foolish brother has said all that needs to be
said. From this moment on, us brothers will only talk about old times and not of
the matters of court.”
“Haha, brother Jiang, no rush. We’ve been entrusted with yet
another matter.”
“What is it?”
“This is what has happened. The Lord Hallmaster Song
Tianxing of the Hall of Healing set out to host a banquet and treated us
brothers a few days ago. He wants to bring some people to visit brother Jiang,
but is afraid of disturbing you. Therefore, he’s asked us two to come ask if
brother Jiang has the free time and desire to see them?”
The Duke of Jinshan actually hadn’t wanted to do this favor,
but unfortunately the Hall of Healing still had a great reputation and status.
He hadn’t wanted to offend them either.
Not to mention Song Tianxing had actually humbled himself
quite a lot this time, feting them with food and wine, and also giving them
presents and pills. This made them unable to deny this favor and brush his face
aside.
“Song Tianxing?” Jiang Feng started slightly. “They probably
wish to see Chen’er?”
The Duke of Jinshan hastened to nod his head. “Yes yes, they
wish to visit wise nephew Jiang Chen and actually urged our two brats to come
speak on their behalf. However, those two kids were quite devious and only
concerned themselves with rejecting the request, causing us two old fellows to
come here and ask brother Jiang with a thick skin.”
Jiang Feng didn’t say anything and set down the cup in his
hand. “I’m not at liberty to decide Chen’er’s matters for him. He’s also been
in closed door cultivation for half a month and probably won’t emerge any time
soon. The Hall of Healing entourage has probably already reached River Wave
City?”
“Yes, they’ve all arrived and have taken up lodgings within
the inns. They seem to be quite sincere. If wise nephew Jiang Chen is in closed
door cultivation, it should be fine to have them wait for a while.”
“Since this is the case, then let’s have them wait. To be
honest, I’m not too sure when Chen’er will emerge either.” Jiang Feng spoke the
truth.
The Duke of Jinshan and the Duke of Hubing both smiled and
nodded. They had a sense of being unable to fully grasp the Jiang father and
son pair. Although they had gone through life and death together, now that
things had developed to this stage, they discovered that many things were no
longer as easy-going as before.
Although Jiang Feng was just a civilian now, and they were
powerful, noble dukes, in front of Jiang Feng, it rather seemed that they were
the ordinary people, and that he was the powerful, noble duke instead.
Having participated in the battle of the Second Crossing and
witnessing Jiang Chen’s miracles, even if dukes such as them, who had seen
great happenings, wanted to chip away at Jiang Chen’s eye popping performance,
it would be impossible to do so.
Therefore, their current cautious reservation was a given.
...
The current Jiang Chen had already been behind closed doors
for half a month. He had continuously explored and adjusted his method of
training after breaking through to eleven meridians true qi previously.
“It’s said that there are twelve meridians true qi. Why do
all practitioners halt at eleven meridians true qi? Why is it that no one tries
for spirit dao only after achieving twelve meridians?”
Jiang Chen had slowly felt a trace of a profound theory
after half a month of exploration and comprehension.
This wasn’t a matter of potential, but a problem with the
laws of training within this world.
The so-called twelve meridians true qi was actually stopped
at eleven meridians true qi. The missing meridian was like the last number that
had gone flying away.
The missing “one” was all-inclusive and covered all the
phenomena of the universe.
This “one” was the difference between a minor way and a
major way.
In actuality, this “one” hadn’t gone missing for no reason.
It was just that this “one” had transformed into infinite possibilities.
This meant that boundless possibilities and phenomena
existed between the true qi realm and the spirit dao realm.
Some people laboriously pursued perfection with regards to
this “one”, but could never find fulfillment.
Some people would suddenly comprehend this “one”, and break
out of their cocoon, becoming a butterfly and ascending into the spirit dao.
This “one” was the bridge between the true qi realm and the
spirit dao.
You were unable to see or touch this bridge.
If you could make it across, you would set foot into the
infinite great dao and enjoy a lifespan of hundreds of thousands of years.
If you couldn’t make it across, at the end of the day, you
would still be a mortal, having failed in escaping the abyss of the mundane.
“Laughable. Pitiful. The practitioners of this world all
think that twelve meridians true qi is a realm. This is an error of knowledge
and a true obstacle in martial learning. This is a problem that not even
potential can resolve.”
If it hadn’t been for the memories of his past life and if
Jiang Chen hadn’t been one of the leading authorities in research, he likely
wouldn’t have comprehended this point either.
In actuality, once you comprehended the final “one”, that
meant that you’d already entered “twelve meridians true qi” and had completed
yourself to perfection. You had already set foot on the bridge.
This “one”, narrowly speaking, was indeed “twelve meridians
true qi”. But speaking from the perspective of martial dao, this was a bridge
of martial dao - the separation between the heaven and earth that was the
mortal and spirit realm.
The bridge was different to different people.
The bridge has ceaseless possibilities for different people.
Jiang Chen had a feeling of sudden enlightenment when he
grasped this point. At the end of the day, the “one” was used to mould his
inner self. It was a kind of settling of the mundane martial dao, a type of
ascension for the common martial dao, and a farewell ceremony for pursuing a
higher level of life.
To speak even more frankly, it was establishing the final
foundation for entering spirit dao.
Finally, whether you were eleven meridians true qi or twelve
meridians true qi, the process of transmuting true qi to spirit qi was to
transmute all your true qi into one dantian, one spirit ocean.
This spirit ocean was the true goal of a true qi realm
expert.
Therefore, those experts stubbornly searching for “twelve
meridians true qi” would either fail in the end, or realize that they’ve lost
their way and would turn back to assail the spirit dao.
This was because twelve meridians true qi was a false
theory. It was a type of true meaning of martial dao, a type of inspiration
from martial dao.
Chapter 118: Jiang Chen Emerges from Training
The air of depression that had been left behind from the
great battle had been swept cleanly away.
What did the successes and failures of a single moment
matter?
Experiencing life and death was a commonplace matter on the
path of the martial dao. If one were to brood on momentary setbacks, how would
one face the greater waves and winds in the future? How would one overcome the
obstacles that would crop up in their travels?
Enlightenment on the path of martial dao happened to be the
most ideal way to triumph over these random thoughts, as well as to sweep away
internal demons. This was why half the path of martial dao lay in training,
while the other half lay in meditation.
Meditation could help one understand theory, sweep away
internal demons, and bring about various sorts of instantaneous enlightenment.
This kind of instantaneous enlightenment was most likely a sort of
comprehension of a martial arts technique, but could possibly be comprehending
some form of knowledge.
After Jiang Chen had resolved his questions regarding
“twelve meridians true qi”, his obstacles in knowledge of the true qi realm
were all swept away.
This was to say, that he could singlemindedly assail the
path of spirit dao now.
However, Jiang Chen was in no rush. With his familiarity
with martial dao training, he knew that assailing spirit dao wasn’t the hard
part. The difficulty in this laid in how wide and how far the path of spirit
dao could be expanded.
If the martial dao and the human body were a patch of earth,
then spirit dao and spirit power were the seedlings that grew on the human
body.
The power of martial dao was ever changing and mutable.
Out of all three thousand great daos, and countless divine
abilities, all of them could be relegated to elements and qi between heaven and
earth.
Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth were the five basic,
fundamental elements that were the building blocks of all matter.
Wind, thunder, light, and darkness were the derived
elements.
In conclusion, there were nine major elements.
The number of elements that a spirit dao practitioner could
hew out in his spirit ocean would determine the width of his spirit dao’s path.
How far one could walk in the spirit dao realm would be the
length of their spirit dao path.
How wide, and how far, could the path of the spirit dao be?
Much of this current world thought that this would entirely
be decided by one’s potential after entering the spirit realm.
The truth was that this wasn’t this case.
The true determinant of how far and wide one’s path of
spirit dao was, was actually set before one entered the spirit realm, not
after.
This was also the “one” that troubled the practitioners of
this world.
This was also the boundless potential encompassed by the
bridge between eleven meridians true qi and the spirit realm.
There were both innate factors, and acquired factors, when
discussing martial dao potential.
It was a pity that the people of this world could only see
the innate factor, and paid no heed to acquired factors.
Long Juxue for instance, enjoyed the attention and love of
thousands, because of her innate constitution.
And yet, Princess Gouyu, with such a resolute heart for the
martial dao, was still unable to attract the attention of a sect no matter how
hard she tried.
“Ai, even the sects value potential so; they even make light
of temperaments when selecting these talents. It’s apparent that something is
greatly amiss with the martial dao knowledge of this world.”
Jiang Chen sighed lightly, but didn’t have an excess of
emotions.
Even if the martial dao knowledge of this world was greatly
behind – even if there were various shackles in this world – he would just
avoid being fettered by the rules of this world, and evade being assimilated by
the shortcomings of this world.
He, Jiang Chen, would walk a path that no one had walked
before. He would create a new, and heretofore unseen road, on the path of
martial dao.
This road might even upend the rules of martial dao within
this world several hundred, even thousands of years from now. It would be sure
to become the new rules — the new signpost!
After he emerged from training, the morning light fell upon
Jiang Chen. It added a few traces of sunshine to his being, and imbued him with
vigor and vitality.
“Chen’er, you’ve emerged from training?”
“Father, are you used to such carefree days?” Jiang Chen
chuckled.
“I’d love to be carefree, but unfortunately, mundane matters
keep me entangled. The Duke of Jinshan and Duke of Hubing came to visit two
days ago. They’re both old brothers of mine, and I’m going to accompany them
around the city.”
“Oh, they’re here? The situation within the kingdom has just
settled. As the new four great dukes, don’t they need to help shoulder the
royal family’s burdens?”
Jiang Feng smiled wryly, “Aren’t they here on behalf of the
royal family’s burdens?”
“They’re here to probe our Jiang family’s attitude?” Jiang
Chen smiled. This wasn’t outside his expectations. With the Jiang family’s
current reputation, it was normal for the royal family to be on pins and
needles.
“Mm.” Jiang Feng nodded. “Chen’er, I’ve also been
considering. Where should the future of our Jiang family lie?”
Jiang Chen had actually long since considered this question.
No matter what, they absolutely couldn’t tarry in the
Eastern Kingdom. For one, given the political situation, the Jiang family would
always weigh on the royal family’s hearts if they stayed.
The second reason that Jiang Chen had never voiced was the
land with the spirit vein in the Redbud territory.
The bizarre occurrence that had appeared in the land with
the spirit vein last time and all sorts of investigative reports gave Jiang
Chen a sole conclusion. This place was sure to be an ill-omened land.
Therefore, there was no future for the Jiang family if they
remained here.
Upon hearing his father’s questions, Jiang Chen thought
momentarily and said, “Father, a man walks towards the highest reaches. The
heavens are vast, why should our Jiang family worry that there is no place for
us now that we’ve reached this point?”
Jiang Feng laughed heartily, “These words have never been
more true. Remaining within the Eastern Kingdom truly doesn’t provide much of a
challenge anymore.”
Unless Eastern Lin vacated the throne, Jiang Feng really
felt that there wasn’t much of a challenge to staying within the Eastern
Kingdom.
“Right, Chen’er, there’s another matter. I’ve heard from the
Duke of Jinshan that Song Tianxing has led an entourage of senior executives
from the Hall of Healing to our River Wave City. They would like to call upon
you. I haven’t made a decision for you with regards to this matter. These
people are still in River Wave City, do you wish to see them?”
“The Hall of Healing?” A trace of a smirk was revealed at
the corners of Jiang Chen’s lips. “They’ve finally come? Their reaction is
truly slow, I thought they weren’t coming anymore. This matter isn’t important,
let’s hang them out to dry for a while longer. Qiao Baishi is my disciple, they
dared to bully my disciple, and almost handed him over to Long Zhaofeng.
Wouldn’t you say these people are despicable? Shouldn’t I take them down a peg
or two?”
“Eh? Qiao Baishi is your disciple?” Jiang Feng’s eyes widened.
Jiang Chen suddenly realized that he’d spoken too fast, he
chuckled, and scratched his head, “Father, don’t go spreading this information,
just keep it to yourself.”
“Hey, you brat, speak plainly to your old man!” Jiang Feng
couldn’t help but call out when he saw Jiang Chen turn around and run off after
saying those words.
Jiang Chen chuckled and vanished like the wind.
“This darned brat.” Jiang Feng was wreathed in smiles as he
heckled. He truly couldn’t find anything at fault with his son.
Jiang Feng felt his chest full of contentment and
accomplishment when he thought of his son.
...
“Honored master! Your disciple Qiao Baishi greets you.” Qiao
Baishi was overjoyed to see Jiang Chen.
“Baishi, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. I trust that
you’ve already heard that the senior executives of the Hall have arrived in
River Wave City?” Jiang Chen asked when he saw Qiao Baishi.
“Yes, your disciple received word a while ago. Your disciple
also had a matter to report to honored master a few days ago, but didn’t dare
disturb the master behind closed door cultivation.”
“Oh? Is it with regards to the Hall of Healing?” Jiang Chen
blinked.
“You could say that. I didn’t have that many good friends in
the Hall previously. There was an elder called Ying Wuyou who was my staunchest
supporter. He resigned a few days ago and came to me, seeking shelter. Your
disciple didn’t dare promise him anything before asking honored master’s
opinion. I’ve only let him live here, and will listen to honored master’s
arrangements for him.”
Qiao Baishi’s posture was quite low, his words and actions
were filled with respect for Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen waved his hands, “Since he is your trusted
confidante, it is fine for you to make the appropriate arrangements. You don’t
need to ask me for such small matters.”
Pausing, Jiang Chen’s eyes suddenly shifted, “You said he’s
an elder within the Hall of Healing?”
“Yes.” Qiao Baishi hurriedly explained. “But I know his
character, and he’s definitely not here on behalf of the Hall.”
“Haha, I’m not suspecting that he’s here to instigate you to
rebellion. I mean that since he’s an elder of the Hall, perhaps this person can
be mentored.”
Jiang Chen smiled and said, “Look at the Hall of Healing.
It’s filled with idiots like Elder Blue. I’m not at ease with cooperating with
such idiots either.”
“What do you mean?” Qiao Baishi’s eyes lit up as he suddenly
thought of something. “Does honored master mean that he wishes to support Ying
Wuyou and control the Hall of Healing?”
“Baishi, this is my bottom line. If the Hall wishes to
engage in a partnership, then we’ll start discussing on basis of this bottom
line. If this is unacceptable, then they can go back to where they came from.”
Qiao Baishi greatly rejoiced upon hearing these words and
bowed, “Honored master has expended much care and thought, your disciple is
everlastingly grateful.”
Jiang Chen’s actions was actually also giving face to Qiao
Baishi. To be honest, with Jiang Chen’s current thoughts, he had no desire to
linger in the Eastern Kingdom and had no need to cooperate with the Hall of
Healing.
He did so purely to give face to Qiao Baishi. In this way,
not only would Qiao Baishi’s confidante gain power, but it could also lessen
Qiao Baishi’s remorse for leaving the Hall of Healing.
Jiang Chen knew that the Hall of Healing had cultivated Qiao
Baishi. If he dusted himself off and just left like this, Qiao Baishi would
surely feel internal guilt and remorse.
However, if they steered the Hall onto the right path
through Qiao Baishi’s efforts, then his conscience wouldn’t be plagued by too
much guilt.
Qiao Baishi was a smart man and naturally understood Jiang
Chen’s care and thought. A warm current flowed in his heart as he looked at
Jiang Chen, full of even more admiration.
It was amazing that the honored master was so understanding
and amenable to reason, and to be so worldly at such a young age.
This would truly help Qiao Baishi resolve his previous
feelings for the Hall, and could also help the Hall avoid from taking a
downhill path at the same time.
“Baishi, remember, you’re my disciple. It’s right and proper
for me to think of you. You have full rein to take care of this matter.
Remember, hold onto the bottom line. You must finely control who can’t be left
and who must be marginalized. If you think something can’t be done, you can
also use the power of the royal family appropriately. Princess Gouyu will
surely give you this amount of face.”
Jiang Chen didn’t wish to get involved in the matters of the
Hall of Healing. With Qiao Baishi’s competencies, he firmly believed that Qiao
Baishi could take care of things.
Qiao Baishi was filled with happiness, “Your disciple… your
disciple understands. Your disciples will now summon Ying Wuyou to pay his
respects to the young duke.”
“That’s fine, but there’s no need for him to know the
relationship of master and disciple between us. You only need to let him know
that I will spare no effort in supporting you. That will be enough.”
Qiao Baishi brought Ying Wuyou soon after.
Ying Wuyou had also met Jiang Chen before, but the
circumstances of today weren’t of those prior. Jiang Chen had been an ordinary
young duke when they’d met previously, and he only had that one precious recipe
from ancient times.
At this moment, the young duke’s reputation was undoubtedly
like that of a thunderclap piercing the ear, a legendary existence. Ying Wuyou
was cautious and reserved as he respectfully moved forward, “Ying Wuyou pays
his respects to the young duke.”
Chapter 119: Terms of Negotiation
“Ying Wuyou. I’ve heard Baishi mention you before and know
that you are a man with principles and strength of character. This is
excellent. The Hall of Healing precisely lacks people like you.”
Jiang Chen nodded and spoke a few words of encouragement.
When he heard these words, Ying Wuyou felt the pressure on
him ease slightly. It looked like young duke’s impression of him wasn’t that
bad.
“There are no outsiders here so I’ll speak frankly. Baishi
has already left the Hall and will be following me in the future. It’s
impossible for him to return to the Hall. However, the future of the Hall still
needs someone at the helm. I’ve discussed this with Baishi and we feel that
your character and abilities are on par with the Fourth Hallmaster Wang Li.
Therefore, we’d like to use you as a term of negotiation in our discussions
with the Hall. You can discuss further with Baishi on what the details should
be.”
“Me?” Ying Wuyou started and blurted out, “I came to seek
shelter with brother Baishi and not to borrow your strength…”
“We know all of this.” Jiang Chen chuckled. “This is also
the very reason as to why we’ve decided on you. If you’d come to borrow our
influence, we wouldn’t have even considered you. If you can appropriately
control the Hall, you will be rendering a great service to mankind and this
will also be the best way to follow Qiao Baishi.”
Qiao Baishi also encouraged, “Wuyou, you and I are most
intimate of friends. I am quite at ease with your competence and character. I
also know that you’ve offended quite a lot of people with your departure this
time. The journey back will be difficult. But be at ease, we hold the
initiative! The senior executives of the Hall are due for a purging. Those who
should be made an example of will be dealt with, and those who should leave
will be forced out. If an agreement cannot be met, we’ll forgo cooperation with
the Hall. I can at the very least guarantee you food at every meal if you
follow me.”
“If they’re willing to cooperate, we will certainly borrow
strength from all sides to help you effortlessly control the Hall. You and I
were both cultivated by the Hall, and have certainly not expended less time and
effort on the Hall than them. Wuyou, are you willing to shoulder this burden
for me?”
Ying Wuyou didn’t express his stance. To be honest, he was
tempted.
Following Qiao Baishi was a decision of his heart, but he
truly did have a very deep connection to the Hall of Healing. If the lineup of
the senior executives of the Hall could be adjusted and the useless trash
washed out, then he could easily return to the Hall as the successor to the
Lord Hallmaster. He could then control of the matters of the Hall. This was
indeed a very strong temptation.
“Brother Baishi, I…”
“Don’t hem and haw. You have the ability, just tell me if
you have the charisma.” Qiao Baishi was a decisive person.
A surge of strong emotion agitated Ying Wuyou’s heart and he
nodded his head abruptly. “Alright, since the young duke and brother Baishi
both think so highly of me, I, Ying Wuyou, will give it a try even if I end up
on the executioner’s block. The Hall has given birth to me and nurtured me. I
can’t bear to watch it be destroyed in the hands of these lowlifes.”
Ying Wuyou was also filled with a bellyful of resentment
whenever he thought of Wang Li, Elder Blue, and the others.
....
In one of the large inns in River Wave City, the Hall of
Healing had been quite generous and reserved a large yard.
Almost all the senior executives had arrived in the Jiang
Han territory.
They had already stayed for a full five days within this
inn. Over the past five days, they had obtained intelligence from all sorts of
venues that said the young duke was truly in closed door cultivation.
However, they couldn’t obtain any intelligence with regards
to Qiao Baishi. It was as if Qiao Baishi was purposefully evading them.
On this morning, several senior executives were sitting
dejectedly within a house drinking tea. A cloud of gloom hung over them and
they were unable to find any energy within themselves.
Suddenly, a string of rushed footsteps sounded from the
outside as one of the middle management members from the Hall hurriedly walked
in.
“Lord Hallmaster, there’s news, there’s news! I’ve heard
that the young duke has emerged from closed door training.”
“What?” Song Tianxing was overjoyed as he surged to his
feet. “Then, did we send over our calling card?”
“Yes, your subordinate did so personally. However, the young
duke’s household only accepted the calling card and didn’t express anything
else. It seems that we’re to continue waiting.”
Song Tianxing went, “I see” and sat down, contemplating
something with a grave expression.
He had visited all the appropriate people during this period
of time and treated all those that he should treat. He’d even mobilized the
Duke of Jinshan and the Duke of Hubing.
Who else could carry a heavier weight than these two?
Princess Gouyu?
Song Tianxing knew that he didn’t have enough sway to
mobilize Princess Gouyu to speak on his behalf. Besides, Princess Gouyu was
renowned for being not moved by entreaties.
There was basically no hope of getting her to speak on their
behalf.
“Continue waiting. Report immediately to me if there’s any
news.” Song Tianxing waved his hand.
Elder Blue couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Please, who
does he think he is, putting on airs like this? Not to mention the fact that he
isn’t a young duke now. Even if he was a young duke, he shouldn’t put on airs
like this.”
Song Tianxing’s ferocious eyes glared, “Shut up! I’ve
allowed you to come this time in order to give you a chance to adjust your
attitude and apologize to both the young duke and Qiao Baishi. If you continue
to speak irresponsibly, do you believe that I will force you out of the Hall
right now?”
“I... “ A flash of a humiliated expression appeared on Elder
Blue’s heavily made up face, but she still didn’t dare talk back to Song
Tianxing.
It was actually Yue Qun who chuckled and eased the
situation, “Lord Hallmaster, be calm, hold your horses. At this moment, we need
to be united internally as well .”
“Elder Blue, you adjust your mentality as well. Remember,
even if you’re very unwilling to, you still must docilely listen to the Lord
Hallmaster. Apologize and offer presents where you must. Submit when you must.
You’re an elder. So what if you have to humble yourself for the future of the
Hall?”
Elder Blue was still a bit emotional and finally said a few
words after taking a while to recollect herself, “I understand.”
It could be seen that she still did as she pleased in front
of Yue Qun. To be honest, she had obtained her position of elder through Second
Hallmaster Yue Qun’s efforts.
She had once made her way to Yue Qun’s yard everyday for
three months straight. She served him day and night, employing all sorts of
techniques in bed and subservient coquetry before finally obtaining her
position after Yue Qun had had his fill of fun.
Therefore, it was rather normal if Elder Blue was a bit more
unbridled in front of Yue Qun.
Just as an awkward moment prevailed, more footsteps came in
from outside the door. An unfamiliar voice said, “The friends from the Hall of
Healing are here right? I’m here on behalf of Mister Qiao Baishi to convey that
we will be holding a banquet in the Rainflower Pavilion at the Jiang family’s
secondary residence. The banquet will be in honor of various old friends. We
hope you will give face and attend.”
“Qiao Baishi?” Song Tianxing took rapid action as he darted
to the door and opened it.
However, there was only an invitation left on the doorstep
as the messenger had already left.
Even so, it was as if Song Tianxing had discovered a
precious treasure. He completely set aside the dignity of a Lord Hallmaster and
picked up the invitation himself.
“It’s Qiao Baishi’s handwriting. Heh heh. It seems like Qiao
Baishi still remembers old friendships. No one can be absent tomorrow, all of
you must attend.”
Xong Tianxing passed the invitation onto Second Hallmaster
Yue Qun. When Yue Qu had taken a look, he then passed it onto Fourth Hallmaster
Wang Li as they all looked it over.
...
Song Tianxing and the others woke up early the next morning,
cleaned themselves up properly, and prepared to set out. Before they left, Song
Tianxing reminded them again and again, “All of you, remember, humble
yourselves later. If anything goes wrong because of your attitudes this time,
you’ll be the sinners of the Hall.”
Elder Blue had an aggrieved look on her face as she flung an
angry glance at Yue Qun. The old fellow coughed dryly twice, rolled his eyes,
and looked outside the door as if there was some fascinating landscape outside.
He completely ignored her.
If it came down to the wire, there was no way that Yue Qun
would provide back up for Elder Blue now. It didn’t matter what injustices one
suffered, this matter had to do with the future of the Hall.
The Rainflower Pavilion was a secondary residence of the
Jiang family. The surroundings were elegant, secluded, and peaceful.
When the Hall of Healing entourage arrived, Qiao Baishi had
already been waiting there for a while.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the atmosphere was a
bit awkward as everyone took their seats.
Song Tianxing looked around his surroundings and couldn’t
help but ask, “Baishi, where is the young duke?”
“The young duke has to take care of more pressing matters
today. I’m the one holding this banquet today to treat my old friends. The
saying goes that business deals can fall apart, but relationships shouldn’t.
Although I’m no longer in the Hall, I did once swear an oath to the Hall.”
Ying Wuyou smiled off on the side, “Here, let me pour wine
for you, Lord Hallmaster.”
After three rounds of wine had been drunk, Qiao Baishi and
Ying Wuyou were quite enthusiastic as they kept urging the others to drink more
wine. What they never mentioned, however, was the affairs of the Hall.
Song Tianxing was anxious and it was finally Yue Qun who
spoke up, “Baishi, ah, we were all quite saddened when you left last time.
We’ve come to pay our respects to the young duke this time and also to
apologize to you, and to express our regrets.”
“Apologize?” Qiao Baishi chuckled. “It’s all in the past,
not to mention I’m quite fine here. You don’t need to feel apologetic.”
This answer was as if Yue Qun’s strike had landed on cotton
candy, making him at a loss of how to respond.
“Ahem… Baishi, ah, we’ve come to pay our respects to the
young duke this time because we wished to discuss the partnership between us…”
“Partnership?” Qiao Baishi set his cup down lightly. “If I
recall correctly, the young duke chose to cooperate with me originally. I’ve
already left, what partnership are you talking about?”
Yue Qun had once again hit a wall and could only
continuously drink wine in his loss for words. He threw a look at Song
Tianxing. That look meant, I can’t handle this, you’ll have to do this boss.
Song Tianxing sighed, “Baishi, the Hall was at fault for how
we treated you in the past. We’ve come with the utmost sincerity this time.
What does the young duke think about the partnership? If there’s any room for
discussion, then anything can be discussed. If there’s no room for discussion,
then also let us know so we can die a straightforward death.”
Song Tianxing’s words were much more sophisticated. He’d
seized on the point that Qiao Baishi still had feelings for the Hall, and the mention
of the so-called straightforward death was undoubtedly to tug on Qiao Baishi’s
heartstrings.
However, Qiao Baishi and Ying Wuyou had already been
mentally prepared before the negotiations and naturally wouldn’t give up their
bottom line with these words.
Qiao Baishi raised his cup, expressionless, “Lord
Hallmaster, I salute you. Since you’ve brought up this matter, I won’t put on
an act any longer. I can make the decisions on this matter without the young
duke having to make an appearance. However, I can speak on behalf of the young
duke but I can’t speak on behalf of your Hall of Healing.”
“What… what do you mean?” Song Tianxing was a bit taken
aback.
Qiao Baishi smiled faintly and remained calm and composed as
he filled up Song Tianxing’s cup again.
“My words are easy to understand. The young duke can
consider working with the Hall of Healing, but it depends on who from the Hall
of Healing he’s working with.”
The more clever of those present immediately seemed to
understand something when Qiao Baishi delivered his words.
Chapter 120: The Unexpected News from Strong Oppression
“Baishi, if you’ve changed your mind, the doors to the Hall
are absolutely open to you. Does this even need to be discussed? I can make a
decision now so that you’ll still be the Third Hallmaster if you come back!”
Song Tianxing was jubilant.
Qiao Baishi couldn’t help but laugh. He hadn’t thought that
his words would cause Song Tianxing to misunderstand him.
“Me, the Third Hallmaster?” Qiao Baishi shook his head with
a rueful smile.
Off to the side, Elder Blue couldn’t hold it in any longer,
“Is the position of Third Hallmaster not enough? Do you wish to replace the
Lord Hallmaster in one fell swoop?”
“You, shut up!” Song Tianxing and Ying Wuyou yelled almost
in unison.
Qiao Baishi had long since grown immune to this woman as he
chuckled. “I’ve already lost interest in the position of Hallmaster a long time
ago. If the Lord Hallmaster wishes to listen to my terms, then I’ll speak
frankly.”
“Go ahead.” Song Tianxing was in a great mood when he heard
that there were conditions that could be discussed. At the end of the day,
wouldn’t it just be an outrageously high price? Go ahead and name it! As long
as the Hall of Healing could withstand it, they would endure it no matter how
high it was.
“The terms actually aren’t much of any terms at all. They’re
all in consideration of the future of the Hall. First, Ying Wuyou will return
to the Hall as the Third Hallmaster and future successor. I will then hand over
the three spirit medicines to him with full authority. None of you will be
allowed to have a hand in them.”
This was the most basic condition.
Song Tianxing hurriedly nodded, “There is absolutely no
problem in this. When Wuyou wanted to leave, I also tried my hardest to keep
him.”
Qiao Baishi nodded, “The second condition is that the ranks
of the senior executives of the Hall of Healing must be cleansed. Those who
should leave must be expelled, and those who should be punished should be
punished. Take Elder Blue for instance, I’m quite curious as to what basis she
has to be on equal footing with the other elders? And as for Wang Li, he’s too
radical and is completely unsuited for the Hall of Healing. He must be expelled
as well. In addition…”
Qiao Baishi listed six or seven names of senior executives
in one go.
The faces of those called darkened whenever they heard their
names.
The area of this blow was indeed quite large. After this
adjustment, almost half of the senior executives of the Hall of Healing would
be eliminated.
Those who would be raised up to fill their positions instead
would naturally be Qiao Baishi’s old friends and Ying Wuyou’s people.
Song Tianxing didn’t have any changes in expression as he
listened. In actuality, great waves and billows were roiling in his heart. But
as Lord Hallmaster, he’d long since gotten used to keeping a straight face even
when Mt. Tai was collapsing in front of him.
Truth be told, he wasn’t shocked or enraged, but rather
secretly delighted.
It could be said that Qiao Baishi’s suggestion struck many
chords within Song Tianxing. He’d always been contemplating the issue of
cleaning house for the senior executives.
But who should be made an example of first? This question
was quite irritating.
Now that Qiao Baishi had raised the issue, he could be the
villain. He, Song Tianxing, merely needed to go with the flow. With the two
working in tandem, they could possibly wrap up this purge just like this.
Yue Qun’s old face collapsed, “Qiao Baishi, are you kidding
me? Are these your conditions? You’re interfering with the internal affairs of
the Hall of Healing.”
“Indeed, you’re someone who’s already left. What right do
you have to intervene with the private affairs of the Hall?” Fourth Hallmaster
Wang Li was thoroughly enraged and couldn’t control his temper.
Qiao Baishi smiled faintly, “I said earlier that we can
conduct negotiations. I can speak on behalf of the young duke, but can’t make
decisions for your Hall of Healing. If you don’t wish to discuss terms, you
don’t have to discuss then.”
Wang Li put down his cup with a heavy thud. “How do we
discuss this? This is a slap to the face! Take down me, Wang Li? Qiao Baishi,
you dare speak of such an outrageous thing?”
“Lord Hallmaster, you told me to swallow insult and
humiliation slightly, apologize, and offer gifts. All this I can do. But do you
see, they want to take me down. How can I bear this insult?” Elder Blue also
complained.
“Ludicrous! There’s no way we can continue these negotiations.”
Yue Qun’s face darkened as well.
Song Tianxing’s cold, sharp gaze alighted on these three and
he nodded his head slightly. “Good, very good. I’ve always suspected that there
was an underground organization within the Hall, and that someone was creating
a group for selfish purposes. I only suspected this before, but now it looks
like the three of you have long since colluded together.”
“You… boss, what do you mean by this?” Yue Qun was the most
senior out of all of them and couldn’t help but talk back.
“Don’t play the fool with me. Elder Blue slept with you for
three months before she became an elder. This isn’t false now, is it?”
“Wang Li is your prodigy in name, but he’s actually your
illegitimate child. Did you think that no one beneath the heavens would know
this secret?”
Song Tianxing then swept his gaze over the faces of those
who’d been called out. “Who amongst these isn’t someone that you’ve promoted?
All of you have, step by step, nibbled away at the Hall! Did you really think
that I had no idea?”
Song Tianxing used the situation as an excuse to finally
erupt.
He also knew that this was his only chance and opportunity
to make use of the situation. It was the best timing with which he could use to
exterminate Yue Qun’s group of people.
Qiao Baishi laughed loudly and clapped his hands, “So it
turns out that the Lord Hallmaster is able to penetrate deeply into all things.
Yue Qun, you’ve posed as a person of high morals and arranged places in the
senior executives for your illegitimate son and mistress to cause trouble.
Don’t you have the slightest awareness, even now, of what you’ve done to the
Hall all these years?”
Yue Qun’s old face seemed to age ten years all of a sudden!
Bam!
Wang Li viciously lifted his hands and flipped the banquet
table, sending everything clattering to the floor with a crash.
“What a bullshit negotiation. No more talk now, we return to
the capital!”
“Right, what kind of negotiation is this, this is a dinner
in which treachery was planned! Our own boss didn’t protect his own people but
struck out on behalf of outsiders. We should go back and have a good discussion
on who should be in charge of the Hall.”
“You feel like leaving?” Qiao Baishi laughed coldly.
Like the tidewaters, countless elite soldiers surged out
from the four corners of the Rainflower Pavilion.
With the four Sheng battalion brothers at the head and Jiang
Chen’s eight personal guards, large amounts of elite soldiers surrounded the
Rainflower Pavilion so that not even a drop of water would leak out.
The dagger was revealed when the map was unrolled. There was
no suspense about what happened next.
The seven or eight people on the list were almost all
detained without a fight. What came out of the blue was the fact that Second
Hallmaster Yue Qun, who’d always appeared old and worthless, was actually an
eleven meridians true qi master.
Except, even in that case, there was no place for him to
deploy his martial arts when surrounded by a large army. He broke through a few
times, but still couldn’t shake himself free of the formation set up by Jiang
Chen’s eight guards. He finally found it hard to escape his destiny of being
captured.
“Lord Hallmaster, desperate times call for desperate
measures. I hope you don’t mind that I’ve intervened in the internal affairs of
the Hall. My feelings for the Hall are much deeper than these people.” Qiao
Baishi said with some penitence.
“Baishi, speak no further. I’m the one who should be
apologizing. If it wasn’t for me continuously having an indecisive standpoint
as Lord Hallmaster, you wouldn’t have left the Hall in the first place. I know
you’re set on leaving. I will raise Ying Wuyou and let him gradually control
the Hall.”
“As long as the Hall can prosper and develop, then I, Qiao
Baishi, will have a clear conscience.”
“Song Tianxing, Qiao Baishi, you despicable, petty villains!
How dare you join hands and scheme against me!” A tied up Yue Qun roared from
his disorderly position.
“Yue Qun, you formed a clique for your own selfish
interests. How dare you rage and roar?” Ying Wuyou laughed coldly.
“Go to hell! Formed a clique for selfish interests? Song
Tianxing, I only rue that I didn’t make a move against you earlier! I regret
this bitterly! But, don’t you be too proud too early. Why do you think I’ve
spent more than ten years kissing up to you in your Hall of Healing? Let me
tell you something, I’m not a person from the Eastern Kingdom. For the past ten
years, I’ve been a spy in the Hall of Healing. I’ve long since used various
venues to convey the message of the Eastern Kingdom’s internal conflict back to
the Darkmoon Kingdom. It won’t be long before the iron hooves of the Darkmoon
Kingdom trample the mountains and rivers of the Eastern Kingdom! Hahahahaha!!”
“Darkmoon Kingdom?” Song Tianxing and Qiao Baishi looked at
each other as they both sucked in a breath.
The Darkmoon Kingdom was a kingdom contiguous to the
southern part of the Eastern Kingdom. It was stronger than the Eastern Kingdom
and had always eyed its neighbor covetously.
Unfortunately, Yue Qun’s words were probably not random
ravings grounded in nothing.
However, Qiao Baishi recovered his composure very quickly.
“Darkmoon Kingdom is it? That’s fine, we weren’t able to find a suitable excuse
to kill all of you earlier. Since you call yourself a spy from the Darkmoon
Kingdom, then we’ve actually gained sufficient grounds to kill all of you.”
“Kill me? Haha, do you think I’d be afraid? I am a citizen
of the Darkmoon Kingdom and a ghost of the Darkmoon Kingdom if I die. I won’t
even crease my brow if I die for my country.”
“You… old thing, are you crazy? Are you really a spy from
Darkmoon Kingdom?” Even Elder Blue was frantic.
She was a born and bred citizen of the Eastern Kingdom and
not some Darkmoon spy. She had originally slept with Yue Qun to climb up to her
current position of elder.
She’d been captured now, but still may not be put to death.
However, if she was associated with a spy, then she would be dead without a
doubt.
Wang Li was also stunned and started cursing loudly. “Old
man, you’ve really thrown me to the wolves. You said you would support me to
the highest position and help me expand the branches of the Hall to all the
territories within the kingdom. Was all of this a lie?”
“Ai, they weren’t really lies. You’re my son, how could I
deceive you? Those words were built on the premise of the Eastern Kingdom not
having internal strife. Without internal discord in the Eastern Kingdom, the
Darkmoon Kingdom wouldn’t have a window of opportunity. I’d only be able to
cultivate you and have you take control of the Hall. Who knew that even the
best laid plans would fall to pieces in the face of reality.”
“Since this is the case, then what did you come to the Jiang
Han territory for?” Wang Li cursed.
“Come to the Jiang Han territory?” Yue Qun grimaced in
laughter. “For the pill medicine recipes of course. Even I’m jealous of those
recipes. If I could bring that back to the Darkmoon Kingdom, then I’d be the
greatest meritorious statesman in the Darkmoon Kingdom!”
Wang Li was completely dumfounded. He’d discovered that in
this old fellow’s heart, his position as an illegitimate son was completely
inferior to the position of the Darkmoon Kingdom.
Elder Blue wailed like ghosts and howled like wolves, “Lord
Hallmaster, I was wrong. I will redeem myself with good service, please give me
a chance. I… I know how to warm a bed, I’m also extremely skilled with
techniques, and I’m well versed in pleasuring men with my mouth…”
This woman had gone completely crazy.
Qiao Baishi wouldn’t hear any of it and waved his hand,
“Take them all away, I’m going to visit the young duke.”
Although he didn’t know whether or not Yue Qun’s words were
true or false, but this piece of news was startling enough. If this was the
case, then a sword was hovering over the Eastern Kingdom’s neck.
There was a sharp sword that could behead the Eastern
Kingdom at any time!
...
“Yue Qun? Spy for the Darkmoon Kingdom?” Jiang Chen was also
a bit shocked by Qiao Baishi’s report. He’d sent Qiao Baishi to the
negotiations and didn’t even mind using a bit of brute force. He hadn’t thought
though, that such dumbfounding news would be unearthed.
The Darkmoon Kingdom had always been at odds with the
Eastern Kingdom. Over the past couple hundred of years, battles between the two
were a common occurrence.
“Young duke, this matter is likely not false. The Long
family caused internal strife and the royal family has been hollowed out as
well. It’d be truly bizarre if the Darkmoon Kingdom didn’t take advantage of
this opportunity to invade.”
Jiang Chen nodded, this matter forced him to treat it with
all due consideration.
The Jiang family didn’t have any further relations with the
Eastern Kingdom to begin with. However, once the Darkmoon Kingdom began their
invasion, the Jiang family would be the first to be impacted, given their
location in the southern frontier.
After all, the Darkmoon Kingdom was located to the southwest
of the kingdom. Once an opening was created, the Jiang family was almost surely
the first line of defense that would suffer an attack.
Just as he was hesitating, one of his men suddenly reported
in. “Young duke, there’s an envoy outside the manor who says he’s an envoy from
the Darkmoon Kingdom and seeks an audience.”
The Darkmoon Kingdom?
Jiang Chen and Qiao Baishi looked at each other. An envoy
from the Darkmoon Kingdom had arrived when they were just discussing about
them. This speed was simply a bit too fast, wasn’t it?
