When the Tang Empire was founded a thousand years ago, under the silent attention of Haotian Taoism, seventeen countries attacked the Tang Empire and failed miserably. After this battle, the Tang Empire was established as the mighty ruler of the world. Even Haotian Taoism, who represented the Divine Light to illuminate the world, had to cover its eyes with a piece of dirty cloth and reluctantly admitted this fact.
Today, Haotian Taoism was still widely spread in the Tang Empire, but it did not mean that the West-Hill Divine Palace had the sacred and supreme status in other countries. Because in the knowledge of the Tang people, the religious institution qualified to convey the will of Heaven was called the South School of Haotian Taoism, and it was the deformed product of the war many years ago.
Nominally, the South School of Haotian Taoism of the Tang Empire was subordinate to Haotian Taoism, and it was directly managed by the West-Hill Divine Palace. From the Hierarch Priest of the South School to the senior Taoists, they all cultivated Haotian Taoism, and their inheritance also continued from the southwest. However, in fact, the South School of Haotian Taoism should be counted as a part of the Tang Empire. Countless years of practice proved that, whether it was emotional inclination or position choice, as long as there was a dispute between the Tang Empire and the Divine Hall, all the Taoists of the South School were very firm — they would always stand firmly on the side of the Tang Empire.
Because of this reason, some conservative old Taoists in the West-Hill Divine Palace always insisted that the South School was a traitor more abominable than the Devil's Doctrine. For the same reason, the Tang Empire always trusted the South School of Haotian Taoism.
Today, the South School Divine Priest, Li Qingshan, was officially appointed as the Nation Master of the Tang Empire by His Majesty, and was also in charge of the Imperial Center Administration. The Imperial Center Administration was the institution that the imperial court governed all the cultivators in the Tang Empire, which showed the real relationship between the Tang Empire and the South School.
The Taoist temple of the South School of Haotian Taoism was at the South School, not at the South School of Vermilion Bird in Chang 'an City, but outside the South School of the Imperial City.
The black and white Taoist temple was set off by countless green trees, facing the Imperial City from afar. It had a different kind of beauty. It looked calm and gentle, and relatively short, without too much sense of sacredness.
In a side hall deep in the Taoist temple, there were two Taoists sitting at the end of the matte dark wooden floor. One of them wore a dark-coloured Daoist robe, with a bright yellow belt bestowed by the emperor on his waist. He looked like an enlightened master. He was the Imperial Advisor of Tang, Li Qingshan.
Sitting on the opposite side was a tall and thin old man. The old man was wearing a dirty Daoist robe that was stained with countless oil stains. His triangular eyes, which flickered with obscene light, were a stark contrast. In the face of the lofty Tang Nation Master, the old Taoist still stared at other places, his feet high, without any sense of respect or awe.
Li Qingshan looked at the teacup on the table and said thoughtfully, "The Academy is opening the Second Floor today."
"Yes." The old Taoist priest responded.
Sensing that something was amiss, Li Qingshan raised his head and happened to see the old Daoist priest staring lecherously at a beautiful, middle-aged female Daoist official who was passing by outside the corridor. The female Daoist official was smiling bashfully and timidly.
Seeing this, Li Qingshan smiled bitterly. He looked at the old Taoist priest and said, "Senior Brother, when you entered the talisman, you swore to enter Taoism with pure Yang and never to be close to women. Since that's the case, why do you still linger in the brothel every night? Why do you always pretend to be a lecherous devil?"
The wretched old Taoist was Yan Se, the only remaining Divine Talisman Master in the South School of Haotian Taoism. Hearing Li Qingshan's words, he shook his head disapprovingly. He stroked his beard and seriously retorted, "Junior Brother, what you said is wrong. That year, I was anxious to enter the talisman and made that oath. I regretted it for half of my life. Now I don't dare to break the oath and really get close to women. Why don't I try to be as slutty as possible so that my Taoist Heart can be free? "
Li Qingshan smiled helplessly. He really had no way to deal with this Senior Brother who was good at Taoism but preferred to roll around in the mortal world. Then he solemnly said, "After Prince Long Qing enters the Second floor, the back of the mountain of the Academy will look after him. Our responsibility will be less."
Hearing this, Master Yan Se's expression also became rare to be serious. After thinking for a moment, he said, "That guy is already the No. 2 figure in the Judicial Department at such a young age. He must have a big backer in the Divine Hall. It's best if we don't get involved."
The position of the South School of Haotian Taoism had always been a bit awkward. They had to consider the interests of the Tang Empire first. However, the branch of the school was still in the West-Hill. They were in the middle of such a gap. Besides, there were those historical love and hatred. Facing Prince Long Qing, the Divine Son who was specially cultivated by the West-Hill Divine Palace, even Li Qingshan himself would feel very tricky if he didn't have the sacred coat of the Nation Master of Tang.
As the leader and Minister of Offerings of the South School of Haotian Taoism, they knew the unfathomable strength of the headquarter altar of the West-Hill Divine Palace. So they never thought that Prince Long Qing couldn't enter the Second floor.
"Compared with the West-Hill Taoism which has countless years of accumulation, our South School is still too weak. The strength of the Divine Hall is too unfathomable. Any one of the younger generation can make us feel troubled …"
Li Qingshan looked at Yan Se with a solemn expression and said, "Junior Brother Gongsun has been studying the method of combining talisman and tactical array. He has consumed too much of his blood and spirit. Now he has to stay in the mountain for self-cultivation. I don't know when he can recover his Divine Sense. Now, our South School only has you as a Divine Talisman Master, and there is no successor. I really don't know how to deal with the situation in the future."
The cultivators who could enter the Knowing Destiny State were often called Grand Cultivators. Once a Talisman Master could enter the Knowing Destiny State, he would be called Divine Talisman Master, which was used to describe that this Talisman Master had some kind of power close to God.
In ordinary battles, Divine Talisman Masters did not necessarily have more powerful and magical means than other Grand Cultivators. However, talisman techniques could help cultivation, strengthen weapons and armors, set up tactical formations, benefit military affairs, and even make clouds and rain.
However, Talisman Arts was the most difficult knowledge among all the cultivation methods. It was very particular about the cultivator's comprehension and aptitude. This kind of comprehension and aptitude was extremely difficult to explain in words. It could only be classified as a kind of natural sensitivity to talismans. It was purely an inborn ability, and could not be cultivated by perception.
It was said that Liu Bai, the Sage of Sword of South Jin Kingdom had tried to understand Talisman Arts. However, even such a person who was recognized as a peerless talent could not make any progress in Talisman Arts.
Therefore, for sects and countries, the existence of Divine Talisman Masters was undoubtedly the most precious and the most scarce key figure. There was even a saying that a country without Divine Talisman Masters was a small country, and a school without Divine Talisman Masters was not qualified to enter the mainstream.
The Tang Empire dominated the world, but there were no more than ten Divine Talisman Masters. Most of them were obsessed with the world of paper and ink talismans. They did not care about worldly affairs and lived in seclusion deep in the mountains. Only a few of them really walked in the world. The West-Hill Divine Palace claimed to have the most powerful cultivators in the world, but the number of Divine Talisman Masters was also very small.
Yan Se, the Minister of Offerings in the South School of Haotian Taoism, was such a Divine Talisman Master. He could not help but feel sad when he thought that there would be no Divine Talisman Masters in the South School after his death. He picked up the teacup on the table and drank the liquor.
Putting down the cup, he looked at the sky to the south of the Taoist temple and said with emotion, "The Academy does not care about worldly affairs, but it secretly checks and balances everything in the world. I have to admit that it has its own strength. As an old Taoist, I know that there are three old fellows hiding in the Academy."
The old fellows in this sentence naturally referred to the respected Divine Talisman Masters.
Li Qingshan frowned and said, "I heard that the one who presided over the opening of the Second floor of the Academy today … is a Divine Talisman Master. But we have not found out who he is."
"It should be Huang He."
Yan Se said, "After hiding in the Academy for so many years, he is probably the only one who has not gotten rid of his mortal heart."
"I heard that Long Qing suffered some losses in Victory House a few days ago."
Li Qingshan suddenly changed the topic and said indifferently, "Although we belong to the same sect and that young man is the focus of Haotian Taoism, as the Great Divine Priest of the South School, I really should not take pleasure in his misfortune. But I don't know why I can't suppress my joy when I hear the news. Every time I talk about it, it is really hard for me to suppress my laughter."
"The Divine Hall wants Long Qing to take over the throne of the Yan Kingdom. That day when the Princess sent the Crown Prince back, both Mo Li and Prince Long Qing would not miss such an opportunity and would definitely take advantage of it. What's more, Zeng Jing was with them that day."
He said to Yan Se, "It is a pity that he did not expect that he would be tricked in his best verbal skills."
Yan Se paid more attention to the name of Zeng Jing. He sighed and said, "Her Majesty and Her Highness are now like fire and water? His Majesty is in the prime of his life. Isn't it too early to start fighting for the throne? "
"Not to the extent of being like fire and water. Since the matter with the Imperial Astronomer, as far as I can see, Her Majesty has been silent and restrained, while Her Highness is young after all and can't control herself." Li Qingshan shook his head and said, "But this has nothing to do with our Haotian Taoism."
"They are all favored by the Emperor, but Her Majesty has the prince and Marquis Xiahou behind her. As you said, Li Yu is young after all. Even if she is good at dancing and has a lot of weight in the hearts of the younger generation, the people around her are inevitably young and lack some strength."
Li Qingshan nodded slightly and said, "Exactly. I heard that the student of the Academy who defeated Prince Long Qing in Victory House is also very close to the Princess. But I heard that this little guy called Ning Que can't cultivate."
Hearing the name Ning Que, Yan Se slightly raised his eyebrows. He held the empty wine cup for a long time and then said softly, "I have heard of this person. I even investigated him. He really has no potential for cultivation, otherwise I would choose him as my successor."
Li Qingshan's expression suddenly became solemn.
As the leader of the South School of Haotian Taoism, he knew how difficult it was for a Divine Talisman Master to find a successor and how picky his Senior Brother was.
Looking at his cautious eyes, Yan Se knew what his Junior Brother was thinking. He sighed softly and took out a ball of rolled paper from his sleeve and spread it on the table. The thin paper from the House of Red-Sleeves of the brothel was full of wrinkles, but it was still not damaged after several months. It could be seen how much Master Yan Se valued it.
"This is a note he wrote after drinking. There are no strict rules of writing. The branches are messy, but the strokes are full of meaning. It seems to be messy, but the meaning can be condensed and even emitted. The words have the shape but not the meaning. I have never seen such a way of writing."
After a moment of silence, Divine Talisman Master Yan Se said, "Unfortunately, there is no fluctuation of Primordial Qi."
…
…
"Being stuck between the cracks requires even more power, and the only people from the Southern Gate who have a seat in the temple are me and you, Senior Brother. If what you said is true, if this Academy student is really qualified to be your successor, you should know how important it is for our South School. "
Nation Master Li Qingshan looked at Yan Se seriously and said in a low voice, "We have to confirm whether he can cultivate or not."
Yan Se looked at the blue sky and drifting clouds outside the hall and shook his head slowly. He said, "No need to check again. Although the little guy is born with talisman, he really can't cultivate. What a pity."
Li Qingshan frowned and said, "This is very important. Check again."
"The Military Ministry, Xiao Lu, the teachers from the Academy, and your disciple have all confirmed that he can't do it."
Yan Se looked at him and said after a moment of silence, "In fact, I was also not satisfied. I secretly went to check later, but the result was the same."
It was a simple sentence, but it was unknown how much regret the Old Taoist had for not having a successor.
Li Qingshan was silent for a long time. He flicked his sleeve and said, "Check one last time."
…
…
A young Taoist with a Yellow Paper Umbrella under his armpit walked up to the two of them and knelt down respectfully. He placed the Yellow Paper Umbrella beside him and took out a stack of files from the Imperial Center Administration. Then, he lowered his head and reported in a low voice, "Last summer, there was a report saying that a cultivator appeared in a casino in Southern City. After investigation, that person should be Ning Que."
The room was in dead silence. Yan Se's thin beard rose without a sound. He slammed the table heavily like an old and crazy tiger, and shouted angrily, "That night, I asked you to investigate! What did you tell me! "
"Uncle …"
The young Taoist answered inexplicably, "The result was that Ning Que's acupoints were blocked and he couldn't cultivate."
"Since your uncle asked you about this, why didn't you tell him about the report from the Imperial Center Administration?"
Li Qingshan looked at his disciple coldly.
The young Taoist explained in a low voice, "That young man has a special identity, so …"
"What's special?"
"That Ning Que seems to know Qi IV."
"Then?"
"Qi IV is Chao Xiaoshu's man."
"Then?"
"Chao Xiaoshu … is His Majesty's man."
The young Taoist raised his head and looked at his master and uncle. He said in a low voice, "If Ning Que is His Majesty's man, the Imperial Center Administration must keep silent."
Yan Se didn't seem to hear him at all. He just stared at the files on the table. His old lips moved slightly and he murmured, "That boy can really cultivate? How is it possible? His acupoints are obviously blocked … "
Li Qingshan noticed that the veins of his Senior Brother's right hand were bulging and slightly trembling. He knew that he must be emotional at this time and couldn't control himself.
"Senior Brother."
"Yes."
The two top bigwigs of the South School of Haotian Taoism looked at each other and saw the determination and determination in each other's eyes. They nodded slightly.
Li Qingshan said in a low voice, "As long as we can confirm that Ning Que is really qualified to be your successor, we, the South School of Haotian Taoism, must snatch him to be your successor, no matter he is His Majesty's man or the princess's man!"
…
…
The door of the Old Brush Pen Shop on Lin 47th Street was smashed open by someone. The neighbors who wanted to fight for justice subconsciously kept silent when they saw the yamen runners surrounding the door of the Old Brush Pen Shop, as well as the dangerous officials.
Nation Master Li Qingshan broke into the Old Brush Pen Shop with Yan Se. They didn't see Ning Que, but they saw two pieces of calligraphy hanging on the wall.
"Good calligraphy."
Yan Se expressed his opinion in a concise and clear manner. Afterwards, he looked at Li Qingshan and said, "If I said I was sixty percent confident before, I'm eighty percent confident now. If I can see his greed and thirst for brush and ink, then I'm ten percent confident!"
Li Qingshan frowned and asked, "How sure?"
"If I can feel his hunger and thirst for writing."
Yan Se stared at his eyes and said solemnly, "You must give him to me. I am sure that there will be one more Divine Talisman Master in the South School of Haotian Taoism after ten years."
Before going out, the respected Divine Talisman Master looked around at the unsightly scented goods and said with emotion, "Who would have thought that in such a small bookstore in such a shabby street, there is a talented calligrapher of Talisman Taoism?
Hearing this, Li Qingshan vaguely thought of one thing. He suddenly turned around and looked at the two authentic works of Ning Que on the wall of the Old Brush Pen Shop. He suddenly raised his eyebrows.
…
…
Outside the Imperial Study of the Imperial Palace, the little eunuch Lu Ji bowed respectfully and said, "Reporting to Nation Master, His Majesty is discussing the war of Yan Kingdom with the ministers in the court meeting. His Majesty said before the tea and porridge that since Nation Master rarely wants to appreciate calligraphy, please come in, but don't mess up the bookshelves."
Hearing this, Li Qingshan opened the door of the Imperial Study without hesitation.
…
…
Yan Se stared at the paper scroll that was spread out, looking at the words "Flowers bloom on the other shore" vividly written on it. His aged face gradually revealed an expression of endless joy and admiration.
Li Qingshan looked at him seriously and asked, "Senior Brother, do you see the hunger and thirst?"
"Although the style is completely different from that of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy, I can confirm that it is written by the same person." Yan Se said in a trembling voice, "As for the hunger and thirst … I can see that when he wrote this, he was as greedy as a fox that hadn't eaten chicken for 800 years."
The young Taoist glanced aside and asked confusedly, "I have seen the double-hook copy of this calligraphy in the mansion of the Old Chancellor. The Old Chancellor said that these five words are full of vigor and spirit, without a trace of weakness and emptiness. It is hard to find in the world. In this case, why do you say it is hungry and thirst?"
"You know nothing!" Yan Se scolded with his hair covering his face, "Only when you are unbearably hungry and thirsty can you hold the brush and write to your heart's content. How can you write so full of vigor and spirit?"
The young Taoist hesitantly stepped back.
Li Qingshan stared at Yan Se's eyes and suddenly asked, "One hundred percent?"
Yan Se looked back at his eyes and said forcefully, "One hundred percent!"
Li Qingshan waved his sleeve and laughed. The green leaves in the Imperial Garden were flying.
Yan Se gently stroked his thin beard and laughed enchantingly. The paper and brush in the Imperial Study shook slightly.
"Find him."
"He is not at home."
"He is a student of the Academy. Today the Second floor is opened. Of course he is in the Academy."
"He can't cultivate. What does the opening of the Second floor have to do with him?"
"The problem is that he can cultivate now. That is why we are in a hurry to find him."
"That makes sense."
"You go or I go?"
"If I go, it will be too noisy. If the Academy finds out his ability, it will not be good."
"Then I go."
The Nation Master and the Minister of Offerings became happier as they talked. The young Taoist looked at the two elders who were excited and wanted to say something but stopped. Whether in the Southern Gate Temple or in the Imperial Center Administration, his duty was to make up for the mistakes of his seniors. Therefore, although he was scolded repeatedly today and knew that his words would affect the mood of the two elders, he still had to say it.
"Master, Uncle, since Ning Que can cultivate, he will definitely try to enter the Second floor … If he enters the Second floor, what should we do?"
Li Qingshan and Yan Se suddenly stiffened. After a while, they thought of something and breathed a sigh of relief at the same time with some lingering fear.
Li Qingshan stared at the young Taoist and scolded, "What a fool! Even if he can cultivate, can he beat Prince Long Qing? Of course he can't enter the Second floor! "
Yan Se shook his head and sighed, "I was worried about the Divine Son of West-Hill. Now that I think about it, I have to thank him for directly cutting off Ning Que's hope of entering the Second floor."
Li Qingshan took out a token from his yellow belt and handed it to Yan Se. He said solemnly, "Don't let those old guys in the Academy find out. If anyone dares to stop Senior Brother except the Academy, you can punish them directly. You don't even have to use the name of the Southern Gate!"
Yan Se took the token and looked at him with interest. He asked, "How?"
"Whatever you want."
"Including Mo Li and Long Qing?"
"Of course."
The young Taoist interrupted again with a bitter smile. "Master, Uncle, those two are sent to Chang 'an by the West-Hill Divine Palace. It's fine if we don't take the initiative to cooperate with them. But if we go against them, I'm afraid it will be unreasonable."
"What's wrong with that?"
Yan Se glared at him and waved his old and smelly Taoist robe. He shouted, "I have lived for 80 years and finally found such a successor! Who dares to stop me! "
Li Qingshan said in a cold voice, "Senior Brother, you must bring him back. The future hope of the South School of Haotian Taoism lies in him. If anyone dares to stop you, kill them all!"
Outside the imperial study, the little eunuch Lu Ji had been eavesdropping on the impassioned conversation of the Taoist priests. It was not accurate to say eavesdropping. For those Taoist priests with wonderful skills, none of his actions could be hidden from them. But they did not care.
Lu Ji glanced at the closed door of the imperial study and then at the direction of the Palace of Counsel. He thought to himself, "That guy's identity is finally going to be exposed. This is the last chance for both Commander Xu and myself."
Having made up his mind, he didn't care much anymore. He quickly ran towards the direction of the Conference Hall with his slender legs, thinking that he had to tell His Majesty before the Nation Master did. However, he didn't know how to explain himself in front of His Majesty …
"Great news, Your Majesty!"
"The author of the Flower Blooms on the Shore Shore has finally been found!"
"His name … is Ning Que."
…
…
Ning Que did not know that the Tang Nation Master and a Divine Talisman Master regarded him as the only hope to change the embarrassing and fatal situation of the South School of Haotian Taoism with no successor. They wanted to sweep away all the bad guys and snatch talents and wanted to take him as a disciple even if they cried.
He also did not know that the calligraphy he wrote in the imperial study last year, which had been in various copies in the homes of the ministers for several months, was about to jump out of the sea. Later, the high and mighty Emperor of Tang might hold his hands with tears in his eyes, sobbing that he had been looking for him for a long time, and then reward him with thousands of acres of fertile land and numerous beautiful maids.
He did not know these things. He was still struggling to walk on the mountain road in the back of the mountain of the Academy. He only knew that the damn mountain road was getting harder and harder to walk. He only knew that there was a wooden bridge in front of the mountain road, and several mountaineers were standing on the bridge.
Those mountaineers were either leaning against the tree or the bridge, looking tired and gloomy. One of them looked at the seemingly endless mountain road and sat down slowly on the ground, pale and desperate.
It was Xie Chengyun. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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