Ying Prefecture
It was early spring and it was drizzling. From time to time, a gust of wind would blow across, bringing with it a slight chill. The bright green flagstones were gleaming with a dark green luster.
"Jia!" An ox-cart traveled through the drizzling rain on the green flagstones. The driver was wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat. The bells on the ox-cart's neck were ringing continuously.
Pei Zi Yun felt uneasy and uneasy. He then lifted the curtains and looked outside. Outside the window, the drizzling rain was falling on the bare trees and onto the ground.
'Could it be that someone is plotting against me?' Pei Zi Yun frowned and thought to himself, 'My cultivation is still lacking. Although there are signs, I don't know where they came from. Only by gathering intelligence can I determine where they came from.'
Just as he was deep in thought, the driver pulled the ox-cart and said, "Young Master, we've arrived at Fu Mansion."
Pei Zi Yun stopped thinking and threw a string of money at the driver before he alighted from the ox-cart. The drizzling rain fell on his umbrella as he gently knocked on the door and entered.
A fire was burning brightly in the room, and a teapot was placed by the side.
On the left side of the room, there were several paintings of mountains and rivers. On the right side, there were some calligraphy pieces.
Pei Zi Yun used a small fan to fan the air in front of the stove. Yu Yun Jun and High Scholar Fu then walked in and saw the tea on the stove. It was boiling and emitted a fragrant aroma.
Pei Zi Yun saw High Scholar Fu looking at the stove and stretched out his hand, "Master, Uncle Fu, please have some tea. This is a gift from the Crown Prince that I brought back from the capital city. It's a tribute, please have a taste."
"Oh? Tribute? Sect Leader's trip to the capital city was worth it. I shall have a taste. "High Scholar Fu looked at the pot of tea as he spoke.
Pei Zi Yun stood up and fetched a few cups of tea. He then said, "Uncle Fu, Master, please have a taste."
High Scholar Fu received the cup of tea and took a sip. At first, it was slightly bitter, but soon turned sweet. The aftertaste lasted for a long time before he said, "What a good tea."
Yu Yun Jun nodded her head as she ate, "This tea is indeed delicious, and the aftertaste lingers."
Pei Zi Yun drank his tea before placing the teacup aside. He then looked at Yu Yun Jun and High Scholar Fu and asked, "Master, Uncle Fu, how's the situation these few days?"
Yu Yun Jun and High Scholar Fu looked at each other. Yu Yun Jun then said, "When you first arrived in the capital city, the situation was rather dangerous. Ji Bei Hou and the Holy Jail Sect were on the move. But after a month, everything became peaceful. It was as if they had received some news. Since you were in the capital city, you were unable to use your Dao arts. Many times, your attempts to contact you were blocked by the Imperial Qi. At that time, we were suspicious."
"After contacting the Crown Prince, I found out that the Crown Prince's position was gradually stabilized. The Governor even sent people to express his goodwill. Originally, the County Guards were supposed to retreat after a month, but the County Magistrate ordered them to stay. Now, the County Gate has become peaceful, and the Daoists who were spying on us have all disappeared." Yu Yun Jun recounted the events one by one, her expression relaxed.
"Now that the people have calmed down, and we have recruited some young disciples to learn Daoist scriptures, the mountain gate has regained a lot of popularity. The Daoist temples that were sent out have also settled down and are receiving incense as usual."
"Although some people's moods have yet to recover, everything is getting better with each passing day." After saying that, he sipped his tea with a smile on his face.
"Other than that, did anything else happen? Or did anything else happen? Did Dark Altar Sect do anything? "Pei Zi Yun frowned as he asked, trying to get to the bottom of the matter.
Yu Yun Jun thought for some time, "Nothing. Maybe you've gained the support of the Crown Prince, and his power has increased. I've heard that Dark Altar Sect has made some moves, but they've all stopped now."
Pei Zi Yun picked up the lid of his teacup and gently played with the tea leaves as he hesitated. Not everyone who practiced Daoism had the Tide Rush.
After some time, the entire room quietened down. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of High Scholar Fu sipping his tea. There was still some charcoal burning on the stove in front of him, and some steam rose up into the air.
"There's no news." Pei Zi Yun suppressed his palpitations and massaged his eyebrows before saying, "Send another 300 taels of silver to the County Magistrate. Only by reciprocating will we last."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"I've suddenly sensed something. The fate of the sect is connected to me. My Tide Rush shouldn't have come out of nowhere. It's time to be more vigilant." Pei Zi Yun thought to himself. It wasn't a bad thing to be more vigilant.
Thinking this way, Pei Zi Yun then said, "Arrange for regular patrols. If anything happens, report it to me immediately. Activate the communication talisman. Although we've borrowed the Crown Prince's power and influence, we still have to take precautions. We must not allow anyone or any sect to take advantage of us."
"Oh yes, have you prepared the information that I requested from you the last time?" Pei Zi Yun asked. It wasn't convenient to ask the Crown Prince for help in the capital city, in case the information was leaked and attracted attention.
"I've got it." Yu Yun Jun said as she took out a booklet and handed it over, "This is what I've gathered from various sources. It's the most detailed and authentic."
Pei Zi Yun took the booklet and flipped it open. It was filled with tiny characters. The handwriting was beautiful, and it was densely packed with information.
Du Zi Nong
His father was an assistant minister in the Ministry of Rites. He came from an illustrious family and had many Grand Scholars. He entered school at the age of seven, became an Elementary Scholar at the age of 17, and a High Scholar at the age of 24. However, he only became a Grand Scholar at the age of 35.
The following year, he became an assistant minister in the National History Department. He then became an assistant minister in the Ministry of Works, the Minister of Works, and finally the Minister of Rites.
Which year, month and day he would be promoted or punished, and where he would be promoted or demoted.
Throughout his journey, he received many favors from the Emperor. The rebel army rose up, and he defeated the bandits many times. Eventually, he was trapped in Hong City with 30,000 soldiers.
After attacking the city for five days and nights, the city fell and he was captured. When he saw the leader of the bandits, he refused to kneel down. His kneecaps were dug out. When he bowed to the bandits, his tongue was cut off. He used his finger to stab the bandit leader and spat out blood.
Not only that, the leader of the bandits was filled with hatred and sent people to wipe out his entire family. It's possible that a few of them managed to escape, but their whereabouts were unknown.
This person was truly loyal. He had only killed a few hidden dragons, and received such terrible retribution. His entire family was almost wiped out, and war ensued for many years. When he finished reading, Pei Zi Yun sighed.
The Daoist in the dream was Zhang Jin Dao, a seventh rank official in the Dao Records Department. He was once indebted to the Grand Preceptor, but was killed on the spot because he had killed a hidden dragon. The Imperial Court announced that he had passed away, and conferred him the title of Dao Master.
There were even more details below. All three disciples received terrible retribution, and died horribly. Pei Zi Yun then closed the book and thought for some time before sighing, "What a tragedy!"
There were supernatural powers in this world. To resist such powers, the result would be tragic.
"Oh yes, this person gave the Grand Preceptor a map of the Dragon Veins. Perhaps the location of the Immortal Veins is within it."
Just as he was deep in thought, the communication talisman in his robes started to heat up. Pei Zi Yun pointed at it, and the talisman glowed brightly. The image of Ye Su'er appeared. She looked at Pei Zi Yun anxiously and said, "Brother Pei, bad news. Something has happened to True Element Sect. The magistrate wants to raid our monastery in the city."
"The magistrate wants to raid the monastery in the city?" Pei Zi Yun paused. True Element Sect was an alliance, and he could not ignore them. It was just that something was wrong.
"What's the crime?"
Ye Su'er then said, "It's said that the female Daoist in the monastery is a scumbag. The cause was a heavy snowfall during the new year. The Elementary Scholar Xiao Ming came to the monastery to admire the incense. He said that the Elementary Scholar was elegant and graceful, and thus invited him to stay for a meal. Then something happened."
Speaking up to this point, her face turned red, and turned angry, "It's also said that Xiao Ming's Yang energy had been taken away, and he died when he returned. His wife reported this to the magistrate, and the magistrate sent men to arrest the people in the monastery. He also said that we had connections with the bandits, and had captured many disciples who did not have any martial arts or Dao arts."
"Even if this Xiao Ming came to the monastery, there's no proof that he had any connections with the people in the monastery. Besides, he only died half a month after he returned to the monastery. It was obviously his own illness, what does it have to do with taking away his Yang energy?"
"The most despicable thing is that he linked the local pervert, Sai Qing Feng. He said that Sai Qing Feng often stayed in our monastery, and that our monastery was a place of debauchery. Master said that our sect does not forbid marriage, and that there might be people who fell in love with each other. But the last time Master went to inspect the monastery, there were seven female Daoists, and five of them were virgins. How could it be a place of debauchery? I suspect that the magistrate must have been influenced by someone, and wanted to use this as an excuse to attack us. We are a sect of women, and this reputation of debauchery is a huge blow to us."
"This is what Master instructed me to do, and I've told you everything."
"I understand, I'm coming now!" Pei Zi Yun frowned, as his face turned green. He then turned around and said, "Looks like someone couldn't deal with our Free Cloud Sect, and decided to target True Element Sect instead."
Hearing Pei Zi Yun say this, Yu Yun Jun stood up, "Do you want me to go with you?"
Pei Zi Yun paused for sometime, "I'm afraid it's a diversion. Master, inform the sect to be on high alert. You should continue to guard the prefecture. If there's an attack, you can contact us immediately and respond in time."
As soon as Pei Zi Yun finished speaking, he noticed that it was drizzling outside. He then took off his raincoat and bamboo hat and rode the ox-cart to the pier. The rain was getting heavier, and waves were crashing against the shore.
Seeing Pei Zi Yun rush over, the crew members were astonished. Pei Zi Yun then asked, "Have you restocked the boat?"
"Dao Master, we've restocked half of it. We're still busy." The captain stood up and bowed, "If you have any matters to attend to, we can set off immediately."
Pei Zi Yun felt relieved as he waved his hands, "You've worked hard, and I wanted to give you a few days off. It's just that I have some matters to attend to. Set off immediately, and follow the river to An Ji Prefecture."
"We'll restock our rations and water when we reach the shore."
"For your hard work, I shall reward you with silver."
"The captain shall reward you with five taels. The first, second and third officers shall reward you with three taels. The rest of you shall be rewarded with two taels!"
"Yes, Young Master."
Following Pei Zi Yun's orders, the crew members' morale was greatly boosted. The huge anchor was pulled up, and the sails were raised as they set sail towards An Ji Prefecture.
It was drizzling as Pei Zi Yun stood at the top of the deck, listening to the sound of the rain hitting against the windows. He watched as the chefs took out water and started cooking.
Pei Zi Yun's eyes were filled with melancholy as he paced around in deep thought, "To say that there are unfilial disciples within the sect, there definitely are. In fact, it's not uncommon for them to have one night stands."
"But True Element Sect's Dao Arts are completely different from Holy Jail Sect's. Not only do they not allow for dual cultivation, they also require one to maintain their chastity before opening the gates of heaven. If not, it would be difficult for them to improve."
"The sect doesn't forbid marriage. Women who have no hope of opening the gates of heaven are usually married off. Only a minority of them would remain unmarried and lose their chastity. The Sect Leader said that out of the seven women he saw, five of them were virgins. He wouldn't lie to me.
"Who did the magistrate mobilize so many people for?"
Pei Zi Yun couldn't help but laugh coldly. These kinds of tricks were very common. Those who played politics would not try to find any evidence of their crimes. Instead, they would try to find a way to attack them.
Someone in your family is corrupt, so your whole family is corrupt, so you must be a heinous criminal who deserves to be killed — this is a very common practice.
True Element Sect is also a female Dao sect. It's hard for them to defend themselves against this attack. No wonder they asked me for help.
"However, it can also be seen that True Element Sect has been peaceful for too long. The law does not apply to those who are nobles. Furthermore, it was during the founding of the country that the officials were cruel. Although it would be disadvantageous for a Daoist to go against the magistrate, how did a Daoist survive for so long?"
"It's because they have the right methods to counter this!"
"They even forgot about this. They've really thought of themselves as golden cats."
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