Chapter 882: Seclusion of the Sect
The white crane understood his meaning, spread its wings, and soared into the air, flying toward the peak.
The wind stirred the courtyard, scattering the blossoms on the trees. Tang Thirty-Six waved his hand, catching a few petals midair, then walked back into the thatched cottage. Looking at Huai Ren, he said, "We're not Xiao Zhang, so we count as guests, right?"
Huai Ren knew what he had done but didn't call him out. Smiling calmly, she replied, "Those who come from afar are naturally guests."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "Since we're guests, how can there be no tea?"
Huai Ren remained composed. "Ping Xuan, serve tea."
The Nanxi Zhai disciple kneeling behind her responded softly, rose, and walked out of the thatched cottage.
As she passed Tang Thirty-Six, he stopped her, stuffed the petals he had gathered into her hand, and said gently, "Sister Ping Xuan, I prefer flower tea."
Watching this scene, whether it was the three Nanxi Zhai elders or the other disciples, they couldn't help but shake their heads, thinking to themselves, what a spoiled young master's act—truly irritating.
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...
Even with boiling water ready, brewing tea took some time, and drinking tea with idle chatter required even more. Just as Tang Thirty-Six was sipping his flower tea and chatting with that senior sister named Ping Xuan about the flatbreads of Fuchun Prefecture, the time was up.
A clear crane cry rang out from the sky, accompanied by a whistling wind, as the white crane slowly descended into the courtyard.
Seeing someone on the crane, the Nanxi Zhai disciples were shocked, wondering if the Saintess had come out of seclusion early.
But the one riding the crane was not Xu You Rong; it was a young man.
Seeing that young man, Ye Xiao Lian and many Nanxi Zhai disciples immediately bowed. Some disciples who hadn't been to Hanshan or the capital were astonished at who could ride the Saintess's white crane, but seeing this scene and recalling what their senior and junior sisters had said before, they quickly came to their senses and knelt in salute.
"We pay homage to His Holiness the Pope."
Chen Chang Sheng nodded, exchanged a few words with Ye Xiao Lian and the familiar Nanxi Zhai disciples, then walked toward the thatched cottage.
Huai Ren and the other two Nanxi Zhai elders had already risen and were waiting quietly outside the cottage.
Chen Chang Sheng said apologetically, "Entering uninvited is indeed improper, but I was worried, so I hope you'll forgive me."
Huai Ren said calmly, "I imagine His Holiness the Pope has misunderstood, thinking there was internal strife in Nanxi Zhai and worrying about the Saintess's safety, which is why you came straight to the peak."
That had indeed been Chen Chang Sheng's initial thought, but now it was inconvenient to admit it.
Huai Ren continued, "However, Nanxi Zhai is about to announce a major matter to the world. His Holiness the Pope's arrival at this moment adds to the glory. Thank you for coming."
Hearing this, Tang Thirty-Six's heart skipped a beat. He knew this must be the major event Ye Xiao Lian had been worried about.
Chen Chang Sheng's expression grew serious. "May I ask what matter it is?"
Huai Ren's demeanor was utterly calm, as if she were recounting something trivial. "Nanxi Zhai plans to enter seclusion after the New Year."
Hearing this, Ping Xuan, Yi Zhi, and other second-generation Nanxi Zhai disciples trembled slightly. They looked at Huai Ren, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Ye Xiao Lian and the other young Nanxi Zhai girls showed unwilling expressions on their faces, but in the end, they too couldn't utter a sound.
When Chen Chang Sheng first heard this, he didn't understand.
Wasn't Xu You Rong in seclusion in the cave dwelling at the peak? Who was going into seclusion?
Then he recalled a passage from the "Southern Altar Miscellaneous Records" he had read as a child.
Nanxi Zhai had three types of seclusion.
If a cultivator within Nanxi Zhai went into closed-door cultivation, it could be called seclusion.
The entire Nanxi Zhai could also enter seclusion, similar in meaning to a cultivator's closed-door cultivation, still using the character "seclusion."
From the day of seclusion onward, Nanxi Zhai would no longer communicate with the outside world. The forbidden formations of Saintess Peak would activate, effectively cutting it off from the world.
"You mean... Nanxi Zhai intends to cut itself off from the world?" Chen Chang Sheng looked into Huai Ren's eyes.
Huai Ren seemed to feel no emotion in his gaze. "Correct."
Silence fell over the thatched cottage. For a long time, no one spoke.
Chen Chang Sheng walked to the doorway, gazing at the beautiful scenery before the cliff. "How long?"
Huai Ren stepped behind him and said softly, "Ten years."
Hearing this, the Nanxi Zhai disciples' spirits sank as before, unchanged, clearly having known in advance.
"Ten years..." Chen Chang Sheng murmured to himself.
Cultivators lived far longer than ordinary people. Living past two or three hundred years was normal, and those with profound cultivation could live over six hundred, even up to a thousand years.
For such a long cultivation life, ten years was but a brief moment. Beauty might not age, and the mortal world might still see no gray hairs.
But ten years of isolation from the world was still a hard pill to swallow for these young Nanxi Zhai girls.
They could only see the clouds and mist of Saintess Peak, not those beyond. They could only see the flowering trees on the flat ground, not those outside.
They could only see themselves, never again the people outside.
If he set aside those thoughts, for Chen Chang Sheng, Nanxi Zhai's ten-year seclusion meant that for a decade, the Li Palace would lose its strongest external support.
Back in Fengyang County, Xiao Zhang had said he encountered the imperial envoy. Chen Chang Sheng hadn't understood why then, but now it was clear.
Who most wanted to see Nanxi Zhai enter seclusion for ten years? Of course, it was his teacher, Shang Xing Zhou, and everyone in the Great Zhou court.
Prince Xiang and Wu Qiong Bi, two powerful figures in the sacred domain, personally led the envoy to ensure this matter proceeded smoothly.
Reasoning backward, these three senior Nanxi Zhai Daoist nuns suddenly ending their wandering and returning to the mountain to forcibly demand Nanxi Zhai's seclusion must also be connected to Shang Xing Zhou and the court.
Thinking this, he glanced at Hu San Shi Er, wondering how the state religion had received no news of such a major event at Nanxi Zhai.
Hu San Shi Er gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, signaling with his eyes that he would investigate immediately.
Those were matters for later. The most pressing issue now was how to convince these three grand-aunts of Nanxi Zhai to change their minds.
"Can we talk alone?" Chen Chang Sheng looked at Huai Ren.
Huai Ren said, "As His Holiness wishes."
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...
The sun was setting.
Because the beautiful mountains along the Tongjiang River were very tall, the sun soon touched the mountain's shadow, bringing a twilight feel.
Chen Chang Sheng stood at the cliff's edge, gazing at the setting sun in the distance, silent, lost in thought.
"Yes, it was the Daoist Lord who sent people to find us and personally convinced us, which is why we ended our wandering early."
Huai Ren stood beside him. Her still-youthful, beautiful face was gilded by the setting sun, making her appear exceptionally dignified and holy.
"For the disciples, isolation is certainly hard to accept, and I believe the Saintess won't agree either, but I insist on doing it."
She turned to face him and said calmly, "Your Holiness the Pope should also know that seclusion has three meanings. A cultivator's seclusion is closed-door cultivation; the sect's seclusion is self-isolation from the world. But the original meaning of seclusion was Nanxi Zhai reuniting with the Li Palace. If I want to avoid that last scenario, I have no choice but to choose the second."
Chen Chang Sheng said, "In the 'Nanxi Idle Window' written by the first Saintess herself, she spoke of this last type of seclusion. The words make it clear. Although she founded Nanxi Zhai with her own hands, she still hoped that the state religion would eventually reunify. What you and I want to do fully aligns with her thoughts. What's wrong with that?"
"That was countless years ago. Time always changes many things. Nanxi Zhai now has its own heritage. Why should we sever that heritage and merge with the Li Palace? More critically, if we follow Your Holiness and the Saintess's plan, Nanxi Zhai could very well plunge into the abyss of destruction."
Huai Ren looked into his eyes, calm and resolute. "I cannot stand by and watch you and the Saintess lead Nanxi Zhai into this war."