Pei Zi Yun walked out of the Princess Mansion, followed by twenty armored soldiers. Amidst the wind and rain, the coachman helped him up the carriage and smiled, "Your Excellency, although it's summer, the wind and rain are not a problem. Please board the carriage!"
Pei Zi Yun smiled and sat on the carriage, "Let's go to the Dao Records Office!"
"Yes!" The coachman shouted and the carriage started moving. Although it was raining, it was summer and there were many people on the streets. Pei Zi Yun could hear the sound of the cow's hooves stepping on the muddy ground. The drizzle was sometimes heavy and sometimes slow. Pei Zi Yun could feel it. In a blink of an eye, he felt as though his Yin Master was under the weight of a mountain.
"I've been bestowed the title of True Sovereign. It's said that this is an ancient agreement. It has nothing to do with my cultivation. In fact, it's beneficial."
"I was thinking of bestowing the title of True Sovereign, which is equivalent to an Earl or a rank three official. That way, I would be able to take on the role of an Imperial Edict. It seems like I can take on the role of a True Sovereign, but it's still a heavy burden."
"Looks like I can't overcome this conflict."
"It all depends on the strength of the Plum Blossom."
He then took a deep breath and shouted, "System!"
A small Plum Blossom appeared before his eyes as it grew bigger and became a translucent information interface. It floated in front of his eyes as a series of words appeared.
"Mission: Eliminate Ji Bei Hou and be bestowed the title of True Sovereign (Completed)"
Pei Zi Yun looked at it carefully. After much effort, he had finally been bestowed the title of True Sovereign. His mission was complete. He then tapped on the interface.
"Boom!"
The translucent Plum Blossom slowly appeared between Pei Zi Yun's eyebrows. Originally it was missing a petal, but now it was growing out. It was light purple and transparent. Pei Zi Yun felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"The Imperial Qi has lessened, but it hasn't disappeared yet."
"Eh, the petals are complete, and the Plum Blossom can be upgraded. It can also be used to detect danger, causing the opponent to lose their sense of danger?"
Pei Zi Yun furrowed his brows as he thought about it for a moment. He then looked at the other items on the list.
"Yin Master: Ninth Level (42.1%)"
Being bestowed the title of True Sovereign meant that he would be respected throughout the four seas. He was not far from reaching the Full Circle level.
Pei Zi Yun retrieved a silver bottle from the corner of the table and poured himself a cup of tea. He then opened a fried dough bun, which contained strips of marinated beef. He leaned back on the cushion and looked out the window. He took a sip and continued thinking.
"When the king sets up a heavenly net, he uses it to cover it up. How can he allow the wild to remain outside?"
"These are the words of the ancient sages of this world."
"The general idea is that the country has set up a net of law in the world, and no one is allowed to wander outside."
"I work at sunrise and rest at sunset. I dig wells to drink and plough the fields to eat. What does the Emperor's power mean to me? Compared to the laws of the country, they are just people who can be punished."
"It's the same logic as not having the intention to rebel, but having the power to rebel. It's a different approach to the same result."
"Even if the Daoist is really quiet and inactive, according to the logic of the country, he has committed two capital crimes."
"One is to not be affected by the Heavenly Net, and the other is to possess Dao power."
"And no matter how many meritorious deeds I've made, I've committed a fundamental error of principle. This time, I've skirted the line and declined the young Canton Princess's marriage. I'm afraid I've planted a deep seed of trouble."
"When Perfected Lord Qi Ning was added, his killing intent was probably aroused."
"There are rules and authority. Now, he has to use me for the time being, which is why he allowed it." Pei Zi Yun thought about it and sighed.
During the Qing Dynasty, the Qing army conquered Beijing. Dorgon assessed the merits of the officials, and Oboi was promoted to the First Rank. After that, Oboi followed Ah Ji Ge to Hubei and defeated Li Zi Cheng's army. In the end, he was not allowed to talk about his merits and was fined money.
He followed Hao Ge to Sichuan and killed many loyal soldiers. Once again, he was reported and sentenced to death. It was clear to see how much he had suffered and how difficult his situation was.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Oboi could be said to have many merits, and was known as the 'Number One Warrior of Manchuria'. His contributions were outstanding, and yet he ended up like this. He was sentenced to death three times, and was dismissed many times.
Meritorious deeds could never be relied on. Pei Zi Yun had no illusions about this, "If it weren't for the system's request, I wouldn't have any requests from the Imperial Court."
"If it weren't for Xie Cheng Dong and King Lu, I wouldn't even want to participate in the Battle of Dragons."
"However, the Crown Prince is still alright, and is relatively generous. The Emperor doesn't have much longer to live, and will die in a few months."
"Of course, I can't rely on the Crown Prince as well. I can only rely on my own strength. However, this is a crime deserving of death." Just as Pei Zi Yun was thinking about this, he burst out laughing. The oxcart came to a halt, and the driver spoke from outside, "Your excellency, we've arrived at the yamen."
Under the drizzling rain, Pei Zi Yun alighted from the cart and saw the yamen of the Dao Records Department.
The Central Dao Records Department was under the jurisdiction of the Grand Herald Temple, and was actually a Daoist temple. The only difference was that it had a lion and a screen wall, which made it look rather odd.
Twenty soldiers followed behind him. When the guests saw this, they knew that Pei Zi Yun wasn't someone to be trifled with. One of them rushed out to Pei Zi Yun and smiled, "Your excellency, may I know your surname, Tai Fu?"
Pei Zi Yun didn't reply. Instead, a guard answered, "This is True Lord Qi Ning, who was personally appointed by the Emperor."
The guard looked at Pei Zi Yun and kowtowed, "Please wait, your excellency. I shall report this to the Emperor."
Pei Zi Yun nodded his head. Before long, more than a hundred men came out to welcome him. The leader was dressed in sixth ranked robes. He rushed out to welcome him, "This humble subject is the Supervisor of the Dao Records Department, Feng Min. Greet your excellency!"
Feng Min was around forty years of age, and had a fair complexion. He looked rather neat and tidy. Pei Zi Yun then spoke, "I've been ordered by the Emperor to investigate Dark Altar Sect. Bring me all the information from their archives."
"Yes, your subordinate shall do so immediately." Feng Min then led the way. As soon as he entered the monastery, he noticed that the monastery was about fifteen mu in size. The main hall was located in the middle of the monastery. Within the monastery was the Immortal Officer Hall, which was where the Immortal Generals and Immortal Officers were trained.
Behind that was the Dao Monarch's Hall. There was also the Scripture Tower, Stargazing Tower, Bell and Drum Tower, etc. This was where the Dao Officials were trained. Pei Zi Yun didn't have time to take a closer look. As he walked along the corridor, he saw a small courtyard hidden within the dense forest. The entire courtyard was filled with bamboo, and it was extremely quiet. Pei Zi Yun then invited him in.
As soon as tea was served, someone came in with a stack of documents.
"Your excellency, please take a look." Feng Min spoke. These documents were classified. Hence, even if Pei Zi Yun wanted to take a look, he had to be present.
Pei Zi Yun took a look and his heart skipped a beat. He saw that it was filled with information about the monastery.
He took out one of the pages and looked at it carefully. There were a few lines of words that said, "Han Shan Monastery. West of White Turtle County, there is a spring. The spring water is clear, and there are three hundred and eleven mu of farmland.
The head of the monastery is Fang Kang. There are seven Daoists who practice martial arts, three Daoists who practice magic, and eleven Daoists who practice incense.
There were also many other important matters that were recorded in the appendix.
Pei Zi Yun's heart skipped a beat as he thought to himself, "My Free Cloud Sect must have investigated this thoroughly. The country does indeed have the power to topple mountains and overturn seas."
Just as he was thinking about this, he revealed a smile and said, "Your excellency Feng is indeed diligent. These documents are very detailed."
"Your excellency, I am a subject of the Imperial Court. I have to do my best for the Imperial Court." Feng Min then sighed, "However, these documents are only superficial."
"The amount of farmland and the number of people can be investigated. However, it would be difficult to find out more about the inside story."
Pei Zi Yun laughed. All the orthodox Daoist temples had their own Dao techniques. Although they weren't flawless, they couldn't be investigated by just anyone. Of course, if the country were to focus their investigation on one Daoist temple, they would definitely be able to find out everything. However, there were over eight thousand Daoist temples under the heavens. Even the Dao Records Department did not have the manpower and resources to do so.
Any investigation that did not involve manpower and resources would be considered amateurs.
Pei Zi Yun continued reading. At this point, the entire room was silent. All he could hear was someone chanting. Pei Zi Yun took a closer look and his eyelids twitched.
He continued reading and asked, "These documents, can I make a copy of them?"
"Actually, it's not allowed to be copied or brought out. However, since you're acting on orders, it's different. You just have to leave a receipt." Feng Min bowed as she spoke.
"That's easy!" Pei Zi Yun smiled as he turned around and walked towards the table. He then picked up a brush and wrote on a piece of paper, "The Dao Records Department shall assign ten Dao Officials to bring the documents regarding Dark Altar Sect to Imperial Envoy Pei Zi Yun. This is the order!"
When he had finished writing, he handed it to Feng Min, "I'll give you this. Do you feel at ease now?"
Feng Min took a look and hesitated, "Assign ten Dao Officials, this …"
Pei Zi Yun's expression changed as he laughed coldly, "You're going against my orders?"
Feng Min froze as he regained his senses. This man before him was a man who had killed countless people. Even when he led his troops into battle, he did not show any mercy. He then bowed and replied, "Yes, your humble official shall gather them now."
"I'll give you 15 minutes to make a copy and gather the documents." Pei Zi Yun then regained his composure. Seeing that Feng Min had left in a hurry, he pondered for some time before retrieving a document from a drawer. He then laid it out on the table and searched for a particular spot. After some time, his eyes narrowed, "It's here."
"Dark Altar Sect is an established Daoist sect. Their businesses are spread far and wide. They have a total of 111 monasteries, and there are many highly skilled cultivators within."
"The fact that the Imperial Court appointed me to this task was to use me as a spear. If I were to carry out a large scale raid on their properties, it would be a huge blow to their reputation. Not only would it incite a backlash from the Daoist sects, it would also incite the sympathy of the Daoist sects. When that happens, I would have no choice but to rely on the Imperial Court."
"Even if I'm guilty, killing me would not incite the Daoist sects."
Pei Zi Yun thought for a moment before he understood the intentions of the Imperial Court. He then laughed coldly, "But I need the strength of the Imperial Court to kill Xie Cheng Dong. My mission is to kill Xie Cheng Dong, and not to be a pawn in the fire for the Imperial Court."
"Without the original owner's memories, no matter how intelligent I am, it would be difficult for me to see through the fog. However, I know the alias of Xie Cheng Dong's father."
"Cao Zhi Long, Deep Lake Monastery's abbot."
"I shall ambush him and lure Xie Cheng Dong out. I can then test out my new special technique." Pei Zi Yun knew that once one reaches the Yin Master level, they would have some form of killing intent, and would have a sudden impulse.
Once he reached the tenth level, his senses would be even sharper, and he would be able to predict the future.
At this point, a Plum Blossom appeared between his eyebrows. It rotated slightly, and his vision blurred for a moment before it became clear again.
"It's done. I've shielded my soul from the danger." The Plum Blossom on Pei Zi Yun's eyebrows had just faded away when he heard the sound of footsteps. Ten Dao Officials came out with documents.
Pei Zi Yun no longer hesitated as he ordered, "I'll give you three hours to prepare. Gather at my mansion before 7 PM and follow me out of the capital city."
As he finished, Pei Zi Yun turned around and walked out the door. The Dao Officials were all shocked.
Someone was displeased, "Only three hours? Isn't that too tight?"
Feng Min was displeased as well. She then scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting? Hurry up and prepare. The True Sovereign is in charge of the army, and the military rules apply. If you're late and get your heads chopped off, don't blame me for not reminding you. Hurry up and go!"
With these words, the ten Dao Officials dispersed and made their own preparations.
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