Chapter 1174: Dawn Breaks
Liu Xianyang began to teach Chen Ping'an his family's hereditary "Dreamwalking" sword technique, unconcerned about Xie Gou's presence.
Chen Ping'an had a great many questions, and Liu Xianyang answered everything he could, holding nothing back. Xie Gou did not disturb their transmission and reception of the Dao. She sat to the side, yawning, then lay down with her legs crossed, cracking melon seeds. She turned on her side, propping her cheek on her hand, still bored. Finally, she lay flat on the ground, waving her sleeves like she was paddling in water.
Their own mountain master mostly had his brows deeply furrowed, occasionally relaxing a little, or lowering his head in contemplation. As time passed, one could see at his face's acupoints, purple qi rising; mist and clouds swirled around his ears, manifesting miniature immortal palaces in extraordinary detail. From his nostrils, true qi surged forth like hanging snakes. Or he would shake his sleeves, pinch his fingers to deduce, and in an instant, rosy clouds illuminated the entire room. Ripples spread around his prayer mat like water patterns. Or he would bring two fingers together, pointing and gesturing—extremely condensed inch-long sword light circulating without cease... Xie Gou several times wanted to speak but held back, sighing inwardly. Only then did she realize how bitter the path of cultivation truly was.
Time passed without awareness. The mink-hatted girl checked the time; it was time for a midnight snack. She glanced at Liu Xianyang, who shook his head gently and waved his hand.
Xie Gou remembered to clasp her hands in thanks—after all, she had been eavesdropping on their Dao transmission. Liu Xianyang just nodded, not minding it.
Xie Gou tiptoed out of the room, stretched lazily, then used the Earth-Shortening Technique. With one step, she crossed to Jiling Peak. Just as she arrived, she happened to see a group of people strolling over, toothpicks between their teeth.
The mink-hatted girl put her hands on her hips, indignantly. "Zhong Diyi, Warmaster Zhong, how can you all be so shameless?" When they entered the courtyard and sat at the table, they all ate like starving ghosts, chopsticks flying. Only Zhu Lian was lying in a rattan chair, waving a palm-leaf fan. After eating and drinking their fill, Xie Gou picked her teeth with a toothpick and walked out of the courtyard with them. She burped and complained that Zhong Diyi's choice of dishes tonight was subpar. Zhong Qian humbly accepted the criticism, toothpick in mouth, clasping his hands and shaking them, saying he must know his shame and then strive for courage.
Xie Gou thought for a moment, then led him to a relatively secluded private residence to find Jiang She.
Zhong Qian was reluctant at first, saying he wanted to go back to sleep because he had to get up early tomorrow to eat breakfast on time.
Xie Gou just told him to follow, with so much nonsense, so womanish. "This Golden Body realm physique of yours is too sloppy."
Following the mink-hatted girl, Zhong Qian was completely confused. He didn't know what realm that martial artist surnamed Jiang, whom Vice Chief Xie mentioned, was in. He heard he was a relative visiting Pei Qian's home. He guessed he was at least the Wandering Realm, maybe not the Mountain Summit Realm? Zhong Qian, after all, was the number one martial artist under heaven in the Lotus Root Blessed Land, and he knew very well the weight of a Mountain Summit Realm grandmaster. It's just that he didn't seem so remarkable here in Fallen Mountain. Mountain Lord Chen, Pei Qian, the old cook, Big Wind Bro... Little Wen had indeed endured hardship. He heard that before going down the mountain, he had a chance to step into the Mountain Summit Realm.
Zhong Qian finally met Jiang She, who was cooling off in the courtyard. He was burly, with an imposing aura. Back home, if he encountered someone like this, he would give them a wide berth.
Jiang She just glanced sideways at Zhong Qian and guessed Xie Gou's intentions. He directly dropped a sentence: "This old man doesn't teach trash."
Zhong Qian genuinely didn't mind. He grinned, not angry at all. "Do I need you to remind me that I'm trash? You're being too polite."
Xie Gou originally wanted to forget it—you can't force a melon to be sweet—but coincidentally she burped, so she said directly to Wu Yan, "You hear that? Is that human speech?"
Wu Yan held a round fan, her expression gentle, and persuaded, "Just consider it practice."
Jiang She frowned deeply, still reluctant.
Xie Gou reached out to block her mouth and gave Zhong Qian a reassurance, "Don't be afraid of him. He's a defeated opponent of our mountain lord. Lost badly, can't use any high-level Dao techniques anymore, and his martial arts fell a whole major realm."
Zhong Qian nodded, roughly understanding. He must be a cultivator who also practiced martial arts at the Mountain Summit Realm.
Wu Yan squinted and smiled.
Jiang She snorted and slowly stood up.
Purely by instinct, Zhong Qian retreated repeatedly, but not the kind of retreat to flee. Instead, he instantly raised his fist stance, condensed fist force, strengthened his fist intent, and stirred his killing intent!
Smooth as flowing water, completed in one breath. In the martial world back home, Zhong Qian never actively sought trouble. Whoever came to trouble him, he simply killed them.
Jiang She said, "Oh? I underestimated you. But if your skill stops here, there's no need to think highly of you."
Jiang She perked up a little, rubbing his wrists. "You nameless nobody, first state your name. Then let me make you understand one thing: you are more than a hundred thousand miles away from a true Golden Body realm."
Zhong Qian twitched the corner of his mouth, not daring to be careless. "Martial artist from Lotus Root Blessed Land, your Grandpa Zhong is here..."
Xie Gou sat beside Wu Yan, amazed. "You can't judge a book by its cover. Our Number One Zhong, usually doesn't show his hand. Whether praised or cursed, he takes it in stride. But when he fights someone, his mouth gets foul."
Zhong Qian's vision suddenly blurred. His entire body flew into the air, instantly bending like a shrimp. His back hit an invisible wall. A string of firecracker sounds rang out from all his bones. His eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins. His head tilted, and blood dripped from his ear to the ground. Zhong Qian grunted, his Adam's apple moving slightly as he swallowed the big mouthful of blood together with... tonight's midnight snack back into his stomach. Can't waste it. This was earned with his face.
Jiang She stood where Zhong Qian had been, one hand behind his back, the other beckoning to the Golden Body realm martial artist who was now crouching. "Come."
The ground trembled, raising a cloud of dust. Zhong Qian's form was as fast as a wisp of green smoke, his path twisting several times, but Jiang She still raised his hand and slapped him on the forehead, sending Zhong Qian to his knees on the spot. It was as if a thunderbolt had struck him directly on the crown of his head, buzzing loudly, his face covered in blood. Zhong Qian used all his strength to raise his hands, made fists, and shook them a few times. "I surrender, I surrender."
Jiang She laughed angrily. "Grandpa Zhong, is that you? You've only had one bite of the appetizer, and you tell me you're full?!"
Zhong Qian vomited a large mouthful of blood. His body lunged forward, and he had to support himself with his hands on the ground. He shook his head like he'd drunk several catties of fake liquor.
Jiang She sidestepped to avoid him and asked suspiciously, "How did you become the number one of the blessed land? Are you the biological son of Bixiao Cave Lord?"
Wu Yan quickly coughed. Don't you know that fellow Bixiao from the Fallen Treasure Beach has a hot temper?
Xie Gou silently noted that if she ever accidentally said something to offend Fellow Daoist Bixiao in the future, she would use Jiang She's words as a shield to avoid disaster.
Zhong Qian flipped over, lying on his back. He wiped the blood from his face, feeling like his whole body was falling apart. Weakly, he said, "Grandpa Zhong's skill is inferior. I admit defeat..." Zhong Qian suddenly performed a donkey roll with lightning speed. A foot had appeared where his head had been, with a pit beneath it.
Zhong Qian appealed to the mink-hatted girl for help. "Vice Chief Xie, so what if tonight's dishes were subpar? What kind of deep grudge is this? It's not worth taking my life over, is it?!"
Xie Gou slapped her hand on her face, helpless. "That's it, then. I've done my utmost. You just couldn't seize the opportunity. Don't blame me for being disloyal later."
Zhong Qian sat on the ground, fists clenched on his knees, trying to gather a wisp of pure true qi that had scattered like thousands of threads. No good.
Jiang She lightly stamped his foot, and Zhong Qian floated in the air. Jiang She came to his side, reached out to grab his shoulder, and gave a gentle shake. Another series of bone vibrations. This move by Jiang She was like a snake catcher gripping a snake by its seven inches, then suddenly shaking it, making the snake docile. Zhong Qian collapsed to the ground, limp, but his eyes were wide open. "Grandpa Zhong, how come I feel like my qi and blood are flowing smoothly, and I'm refreshed?"
Jiang She laughed heartily. "Grandpa Zhong, enjoying your blessings lying on the ground?"
Zhong Qian beamed, clasping his hands in thanks. "Zhong Qian thanks the senior for feeding me punches."
Jiang She asked, "Your mountain lord is a famously renowned martial arts grandmaster. How does my fist technique compare?"
Zhong Qian said, "This junior's eyes are dull, my realm too low. I suppose each has its merits."
Jiang She waved his hand.
Zhong Qian grimaced, limping and staggering away.
Soon after, an old man appeared at the door. Xie Gou immediately smiled. "Senior Xu!"
Jiang She glanced at his dao partner, and the woman went to get wine.
Xu Yuanxia smiled and explained, "Couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a walk and admire the moon. Unintentionally walked over here. What happened? Quite a commotion."
Since being "kidnapped" here, Xu Yuanxia had been staying temporarily in the mountains.
Green mountains and blue waters, black words on white paper—they always seem to be so good at preserving youth.
How many heroes throughout history have hated the word "old age," how many beauties cannot bear a single gray hair?
Jiang She and Xu Yuanxia—two men separated by more than ten thousand years in age—hit it off at first sight, for no apparent reason.
With Zhu Lian, Jiang She knew his background, so no matter how much he liked him, their conversations were ultimately somewhat reserved. Only with this self-proclaimed former border army soldier, who roamed the martial world in his prime and returned to his hometown to open a martial arts school in his old age, and who had been compiling a travelogue of mountains and rivers in recent years, did Jiang She feel a deep affinity. They got along famously.
With this "old man," Jiang She truly let down all his defenses. Wu Yan was not surprised.
Whether it was his personality, his rambling conversation, or Xu Yuanxia's life experiences—they all suited Jiang She's taste perfectly!
Jiang She joked, "Brother Xu, what a hero you were back then. You left the battlefield alive, wearing a big beard and carrying a sword, alone, slaying demons and monsters. How carefree! It was fine that you became close friends with that little Daoist you met by chance on the martial world, but how did you end up taking in this little brother Chen Ping'an? Brother Xu has stooped too low."
Xu Yuanxia roared with laughter. "Who says not?"
Having quietly arrived from the Fuyanglu Dao Field, Chen Ping'an stood outside the residence's door for a moment but did not go in.
Let these two old martial world veterans chat a bit more about the martial world.
At Fuyanglu, even with Liu Xianyang personally teaching the sword technique, progress was still slow. Firstly, this sword technique had two thresholds—one hidden, one manifest. The obvious one was, of course, the need for extremely high comprehension and a correspondingly clear sword heart. The hidden one, however, was an odd requirement:
The swordsman either had to be completely dreamless, or extremely prone to dreaming, and be able to remember the dreams upon waking.
Earlier, Chen Ping'an had managed to cross the threshold and begin learning the sword technique, which was already no small feat.
Furthermore, "thanks to" the chaotic state of his personal heaven and earth's atmosphere, practicing this sword technique was excruciatingly difficult for Chen Ping'an.
With Xie Gou nearby providing contrast, Chen Ping'an appeared especially dull and of very ordinary aptitude.
Arriving at the bamboo tower, he stood by the cliff, gazing at the bright moonlight, at the Chess Dun Mountain, at the Red Candle Town at the confluence of the three rivers, where lights were brilliant.
During the day at the government office, he had reviewed the Ministry of Rites' mountain and river files. The Changchun Marquis Yang Hua was extremely pragmatic; the Great Ditch Marquis Estate accepted no congratulations. In recent years, she had personally inspected the prefectures and counties within her domain, requiring no attendants or carriages, not greeting the local mountain and river officials, traveling to thousands of counties.
In contrast, the Linli Marquis Cao Yong acted according to official rules, his tactics seasoned, his governance diligent—a different style.
Chen Ping'an also looked into the newly appointed Qiantang Prefect Cen Wenqian, as well as the Iron Talisman River Water God Bai Deng at his doorstep.
Additionally, he personally approved the Ministry of Rites' recommendation, allowing the Jade Liquid River Water God Li Qingzhu to be transferred to establish a temple and statue on the Mud Snake River in Wei Zhou. At the same time, the Mud Snake River Water God Su Rui was to be transferred to the Jade Liquid River.
Chen Ping'an called for Xie Gou, saying he wanted to go out to see the scenery along the Great Ditch and also test the effect of the Imitation Three Mountains Talisman.
Xie Gou had no objection. That travelogue of hers would gain a few more chapters!
He produced the counterfeit Three Mountains Talisman, whose only flaw was that its earth-shortening range wasn't far enough. They stopped briefly among the mountains and headed towards the Central March territory.
The East and West Great Ditches originated from the myriad mountains of the South and North.
Great Li Han Prefecture, Qiu Kingdom capital.
At a breakfast stall near the imperial road, a dull-looking youth and a freckle-faced girl packed their gold, silver, and valuables into a slanted shoulder bag. They had to wait for the city gates to open, so they sat down here for a quick meal. They ordered two bowls of cheap wontons—big filling, thin skin—with seaweed, dried shrimp, and shredded spiced dried tofu. In the center of the table was a bamboo tube full of chopsticks, with various bottles of sesame oil and sauce dishes.
The youth pulled out a pair of chopsticks, habitually tapped them lightly on the table, then buried his head in eating.
The girl leaned sideways, her back to the stall vendor, and pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe the chopsticks a few times before starting to eat.
She picked up a wonton and put it in her mouth, squinting her eyes as she chewed slowly. Delicious.
The youth glanced at her. A three-penny bowl of street-stall wontons, and you’re eating it like a refined young lady.
Willow branches weak and supple, a fifteen-year-old maiden's waist. Her figure was excellent, but unfortunately her face wasn't pretty.
The vendor brought a steaming bowl of wontons to a new customer at the next table, saying in fluent Great Li official speech, "Take your time, guest," then continued working.
The girl whispered, "Brother, we were living so well here. Why do we suddenly have to leave? I just planted flowers and trees in the yard. Cost several taels of silver. Can't take them with me."
They were both wearing the common masks used by martial artists, calling each other brother and sister while traveling. In previous years, they had settled here and opened a small rice shop.
The youth, with an ink jade hairpin in his hair, just chewed his wontons. The girl knew he was always cautious, so she spoke to him through secret sound transmission: "Didn't you say Qiu Kingdom was quite good? You even wanted to find a chance to establish a sect here. I guess another immortal master saw through my mask? Brother, I'm sorry for making you move again."
The youth showed displeasure, annoyed. "How many times have I told you? I don't care about your life or death. I'm just worried that if I abandon you carelessly, I'll anger that unpredictable Dao transmitter, and I'll never have any hope for the Great Dao. I'll just be a wandering wild cultivator, living from day to day, floundering in the mud forever."
He had always been straightforward. Traveling together all these years, it wasn't tiring to get along.
For example, he had said, "I love beautiful women, but I'm not a womanizer. So don't worry. Even if you strip naked, I won't be a flower thief."
"When I find him and become his disciple, establish a teacher-disciple relationship, then we'll go our separate ways. I don't want to be dragged down by you anymore."
"True fox spirit. Wherever you go, you cause trouble."
Seeing her on the verge of tears, the young cultivator became even more irritated. With his chopstick, he split a wonton in half. The girl obediently became mute. The youth's hairpin was inscribed with a few flower-room lyrics in fly-head script. It was both a personal interest and a greeting to qi cultivators and martial artists.
The youth explained impatiently, "Qiu Kingdom is about to be in turmoil."
The girl was surprised. "Who dares to cause trouble for Qiu Kingdom now? It's a single-character vassal state. Don't the storytellers at the capital restaurants talk about how the Han Prefecture General, stationed at Wooden Fish Gully, governs his troops strictly? How valiant he was in the Great Li auxiliary capital battlefield back then?"
The youth sneered. "How long has it been since you went to a restaurant or teahouse? I'll give you half a day. Go listen again?"
All day long, fiddling with those plants, reading those poorly printed scholar-beauty tales. When she gets to the kitchen, she ties on an apron, stands at the chopping block, and it's like she's commanding her own small world. Nothing else matters.
The girl felt a little wronged. Wasn't it because she was afraid of causing him trouble? When she learned he planned to establish a sect, she became even more reluctant to go out to crowded places. But when she looked around, it didn't seem like there was going to be any unrest. Was some high official in the capital, or a general leading troops outside, bullying the Han clan's orphans and widows, trying to usurp the throne?
But weren't the most powerful people at court right now those imperial relatives and nobles who held high positions? If she remembered correctly, the people controlling the official appointments, the treasury, and even the military in the capital and borderlands in Qiu Kingdom all shared the surname of the Empress Dowager. She had once seen their processions; they didn't care at all about any exceeding of their station.
Fortunately, their arrogance was only in their faces, eyes, and lavish decorations. There were no reports of them treating lives like grass.
She looked towards the city gate. Both sides of the road were crowded with goods stalls and carts, selling everything. There were peddlers walking along, looking for empty spaces, carrying huge loads on their shoulders like small mountains, filled with all kinds of miscellaneous goods: colorful paper butterflies, bamboo dragonflies, pellet drums. When daybreak came, it would be even more beautiful. Hey, everything to tempt the eyes of children, then cheat money from the pockets of adults.
There was an old man squatting by the road, hands tucked in his sleeves, chatting with a neighboring stall keeper who also got up early to make a living. They talked about everything under the sun. In a bucket by his feet, a few live fish occasionally splashed.
Why would there be turmoil?
She asked, "Are we going to the Rouge Prefecture in the Colorful Garment Kingdom?"
The young man's eyes were vacant. He shook his head. "What would we do there? Nothing to look forward to."
All these years, they had depended on each other, truly like siblings who left their hometown together.
During their travels south of the Great Ditch, it was indeed like "a beautiful woman is a disaster." Several storms had been caused by her. The registered cultivators there, and some wild cultivators, both had their faults. The former were even more unscrupulous; the latter at most couldn't control their mouths and spoke frivolously. But the former couldn't control their hands—they would rob outright! If they couldn't rob, they would contact the local officials and use dirty tricks.
They had no choice but to head north.
They stopped when they reached Han Prefecture, relatively close to the Great Ditch. The world was much more stable here, so he had thoughts of finding a Dao field and opening a cave dwelling here. Their travel documents and household registrations were all genuine, their backgrounds clean, able to withstand inspection. Otherwise, they wouldn't have made it this far.
Two leisurely guests arrived at the wonton stall: a middle-aged scholar and a mink-hatted girl.
An emergency council meeting ended. The young Empress Dowager returned to the palace. Maids with lanterns walked ahead, and behind, attendants carried her long train.
If not for her attire, who would imagine this beautiful young woman was the most powerful person in Qiu Kingdom? On a whim, she went to the hot spring. After bathing, her skin glowed like fine jade. She stepped out of the steaming pool and, attended by maids, put on a silk robe as thin as a cicada's wing, her curves fully revealed. She seemed to have a gloomy expression, but in truth, she was exceptionally pleased. She went to the bed and lay down. The maid immediately drew the curtain. Through the hazy veil, a shape like a white snake writhed. The woman rubbed herself gently, emitting a faint, mosquito-like sound from between her legs. A tall, slender maid standing by the bed blushed deeply. Because she had trained in martial arts since childhood and was skilled with swords and bows, she was completely different from the usual fragile maids. She knew it would soon be her turn to serve the Empress Dowager.
The woman's eyes were sharp, then turned misty. While softly calling her lover's name, she thought in her heart: all of you, go die, go accompany that old pervert in his grave. That dry, wrinkled, tree-bark-like ugly skin, the stench of alcohol and meat on his breath, nauseating. Two bastards, how unlucky that they resemble his appearance so much.
Liu Lang had said he would take her far away, to be mandarin ducks in eternal love. They would go south, to his hometown, find a place with beautiful mountains and waters, and establish a villa... He even said that even in the Great Li capital, which hid dragons and crouching tigers, he still had his own way to escape.
The fourteen-year-old young emperor, his delicate face twisted and ferocious, held a golden horsewhip. He struck again and again, flaying a palace maid who had just been transferred from a prince's mansion until she was a bloody mess, lying on the ground barely alive. The youth dropped the blood-stained whip, a bit bored. She had indeed not made a sound. He had threatened her earlier: if she dared utter a sound, he would kill her old master.
Ha ha, my good little brother, you still want to leave the capital and be enfeoffed as a king? When you go to the Great Li capital this time, do you really think I don't know your little scheme?
A eunuch shuffled in with quick, short steps, carrying a basin of water. The youth washed his hands, then raised them. A maid wiped them dry with silk cloth.
An instructress from the Empress Dowager's side came to deliver an oral decree: "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager orders His Majesty to stop this foolishness."
The youth nodded. The old woman was like a ghost, making no sound when she walked. The emperor's expression was gentle as he said, "Thank you, Instructress Hong, for relaying the message."
The Great Li Dynasty, as the suzerain state, did not have the custom of forbidding its vassal monarchs from using the title "Emperor."
In the deep courtyard of the Prime Minister's mansion, the Protector of the Nation, a true person who had been summoned to the capital for a council on imperial order, was staying as a guest. This true person had brought only one direct disciple down the mountain. At the moment, he was in a secret meeting with the current chief councilor and a group of high-ranking young officials.
A young official from the Chuandi faction was worried and asked tentatively, "Lord Chief Councilor, Venerable True Person, isn't the Qiu Kingdom border army really like an egg striking a stone? Will we be implicated by that madwoman? The national edict issued by Great Li has directly defined us as rebels. It's said that a list will soon be released, very long, with several hundred people. It will let all within and without the Qiu Kingdom court know that anyone on that list will be considered traitors and rebels. Within three days, they must surrender at the Han Prefecture General's official residence, or else..."
The chief councilor stroked his beard and smiled. "She's not lost her mind. Her paramour, Liu Wenjin, has far-reaching ambitions."
In recent years, various elegant gatherings, literary societies, academy lectures, and street-corner storytellers in Qiu Kingdom had all been secretly promoting the atrocities of the Great Li border army. During that time, many inspiring words had emerged, such as: "The Qiu Kingdom Han clan has nurtured its scholars for five hundred years. For us scholars to speak out for justice, for the border soldiers to turn the tide, it all comes down to this moment..."
The true person smiled and said, "And then what? Kill everyone? If it's three or four hundred people, that involves at least a hundred clans. Add the marriage alliances of these hundred clans, and the examination hall master-student relationships in the civil service—how can you kill anyone without killing a large section of people's hearts?"
"Would the Great Li border army really dare to kill all sixty thousand border soldiers, then kill all the way to the capital, and finally slaughter us all? Would they kill the chief councilor? Would they kill the full court of civil and military officials? Would they kill the emperor? Would they kill the Empress Dowager? How many people would be left alive on the streets alongside the imperial road?"
"If so, that's quite a feat for the Great Li Song clan. The thirty-odd vassal states are all watching. Half of Bottle Gourd Continent south of the Great Ditch is watching too."
The chief councilor's expression was awkward. It was fine if the border war was brutal—since ancient times, when have wars not caused deaths? As Liu Wenjin of the Ministry of Rites said, if enough people die outside the capital, the civil and military officials of Qiu Kingdom can get an extra path for promotion, and the Great Li barbarians will be willing to lower taxes.
The master and disciple returned to their quarters. The disciple cursed angrily, "Damn Great Li, they deliberately set the taxes so high, but they tie down all the detailed rules rigidly. The officials can't get any oil, and it's caused our mountain sect's income to drop drastically."
The true person smiled. "The Great Li Song clan, they were originally uncivilized barbarians from the northernmost part of Bottle Gourd Continent. They love slaughter, are used to using knives, and have cut short how many kingdoms' lifespans? Smashed how much literary orthodoxy?"
After entering the room and closing the door, the disciple said through secret sound transmission, "Master, what if the Great Li Dynasty dares not kill the many officials and literati below the mountains and takes it out on us cultivators on the mountains? What then?"
The true person sneered. "Your master has already contacted a powerful military official in Han Prefecture. He's just putting on an act for Qiu Kingdom. If that Han Prefecture General is the Supreme Emperor of Qiu Kingdom, then he, who oversees Great Li military affairs in the Qiu Kingdom territory, can also be considered half an emperor. Compared to him, the Qiu Kingdom chief councilor and Liu Wenjin of the Ministry of Rites are nothing."
The disciple sincerely praised, "Master, you are far-sighted and have never miscalculated. The offering plaque from the Great Li Ministry of Justice is as good as yours."
The true person was complacent, stroking his beard and laughing. "Stop flattering and fawning. But seriously, with that 'Do-No-Wrong' plaque, things will indeed be very different."
In his heart, he thought, it's a pity that the local officials in Great Li have many rules, and both the capital and the auxiliary capital above are strict in their investigations. Otherwise, in Bottle Gourd Continent decades ago, once that young Empress Dowager lost power, she would have come to warm his bed. For cultivators who have entered the Middle Five Realms, the joy of lovemaking is nothing compared to cultivating the essence, qi, and spirit. But an Empress Dowager who has ruled from behind the curtain for years, barely over thirty, well-preserved, and beautiful—it wouldn't be bad to enjoy her.
The disciple hesitated for a moment, then said, "Master..."
The true person laughed. "My good disciple, is there something else you want to say?"
The disciple smiled. "Nothing. I just had a few compliments, but they seemed too flattering. I'm afraid they would displease Master, so it's better not to say them."
After leaving the room, he gently closed the door. His eyes were dark and unreadable.
Before dawn, Wei Bo had intended to take Mountain Lord Chen to the capital government office for roll call, but found that Chen Ping'an was not on the mountain.
Wei Bo didn't have the face to send a letter directly to Cloud Mist Mountain, urging the Green Juniper Peak to send the Cloud Root Stone and Cloud Mist Incense to Fallen Mountain.
He had to report to the Great Li Ministry of Rites, then inform Central March Jin Qing that he needed to pass through and go to Cloud Mist Mountain to discuss some matters.
Jin Qing had been in a bad mood lately, so he went with Wei Bo to Cloud Mist Mountain to clear his mind.
They had no major business, but the joint visit of two Great March God Lords thoroughly startled Cloud Mist Mountain.
As the sky was just getting light, the new Mountain Lord Huang Zhonghou, his dao partner Wu Yuanyi, a group of venerable patriarchs, and Green Juniper Peak Lord Cai Jinjian all arrived at the mountain gate, respectfully welcoming the two God Lords.
The National Teacher's residence. The two-courtyard government offices were already as bright as day. Officials who didn't need to attend the early court session began their routine work in an orderly manner.
In a single-room side chamber, Rong Yu was still wearing yesterday's clothes, but today Fu Qing had changed into a dark blue blouse and apricot yellow skirt.
Since ancient times, a beauty is like a fine wine—whoever drinks it gets drunk, making one crave more.
Rong Yu teased, "Changing clothes today, applying a little makeup tomorrow, a little less each time, then the day after tomorrow, painting your nails. Tsk, full of schemes. If you ask me, you could pick any small vassal state, become a favored consort vying with the main queen for affection, and make the emperor neglect his morning court. You'd be more than capable."
Fu Qing neither blushed nor got angry, just ignored her.
Rong Yu raised one hand and waved it, as if lamenting, "The two of us practice swordsmanship and martial arts, ride horses and draw bows. Our hands are all calloused, and our butts aren't fair and delicate. When we take off our dresses and let our husbands see, it's worrying to death."
Fu Qing said angrily, "You're even more slick-tongued than a lecher!"
After a moment of silence, Fu Qing looked towards the opposite side chamber. She said, "That fellow surnamed Yu, what was he thinking? Why did he take the risk?"
Yesterday, she had presided over an interrogation. Without much use of torture, he had confessed everything. No backbone at all.
Rong Yu unexpectedly remembered an old incident. In previous years, National Teacher Cui had circled a single sentence in red ink on a case file.
"You don't know you were wrong. You know you were going to die."
Fu Qing had arrived a bit later and hadn't seen that sentence.
Rong Yu said nonchalantly, "Great ambition but little talent, lacking patience, what else? For years, he's had his eye on the position of Director of a bureau in the Ministry of Rites. He was jealous for a long time. With National Teacher Cui not around, his mind started working. He thought it was a now-or-never opportunity. Even knowing that wealth and honor can be lost in danger, he still had to try. Look at how many figures in history books, with a single act of ruthlessness, achieved great things. Since then, the strong have strong luck, soaring to prominence. Since they could all do it, every one of them leaving a name in history, why couldn't he?"
Fu Qing shook her head, disagreeing.
Rong Yu laughed. "It's also my fault for being too good-looking. You have an even better foundation, but who told you to always have a sour face, looking like you'd gouge out anyone's eyes if they dared to glance at you? Too cold, too scary. Not like me, all soft and weak. When I tie my belt, there's something there. Plus, I'm both the orphan of the top martial arts general under the Patrol Envoy and the maid of National Teacher Cui. That double identity made him covet me, feel pity for me? At just over thirty, it's the age when you can't control your bird. He couldn't help but have wild thoughts. Isn't that just human nature?"
Fu Qing said calmly, "You've read so many books for nothing. There are two kinds of killing without a blade: slander and lust."
Rong Yu laughed it off. After dealing with so many case files and archives, they would find that the inner workings of officialdom were more exciting than the stories in books.
Fu Qing asked, "National Teacher Cui did a great many things, but there are also many problems, as if deliberately left behind. Is it because it had to be this way, or was it intentional?"
Rong Yu put away her hand and warned seriously, "Don't think even half a thought about things you shouldn't think about."
Fu Qing nodded.
Rong Yu laughed. "That was a double entendre."
Fu Qing was furious and reached out to hit the foul-mouthed troublemaker. Rong Yu giggled, "Why go far when it's near? Why go big when something small will do?"
After their horseplay, Rong Yu looked at the sky outside. It was strange. Why hadn't the National Teacher arrived yet? Oh, right. The National Teacher had to attend the small court session first, to discuss with His Majesty the selection of the new Minister of Personnel for Great Li.
Dawn had broken.