On the morning of the second day, the Emperor moved to Mount Wudang. Wang Ziteng led his personal guards to set up defenses at the foot of the mountain, to ensure that no enemy troops would suddenly appear nearby. Then, Zhu Banzhi of the Front Hall Division set up defenses along the winding paths of Mount Wudang. The mysterious Imperial Armament stayed close to Zhao Gou, to ensure the Emperor's safety.
Since it was a sacrifice, it was not convenient for Zhao Gou to sit in a sedan. To show his sincerity, he walked all the way up the mountain.
The path up Mount Wudang was not as steep as Mount Hua. In addition, with Zhang Sanfeng's reputation, the emperors of all the countries spent a lot of money to help him build Mount Wudang. Even the path up the mountain was paved with stone steps. It was not difficult to walk.
Even so, Zhao Gou still walked until he was panting. Along the way, he did not know how many times he had to stop and rest. The officials that accompanied him did not dare to say a word. Many people pretended to be too tired to move for his sake.
"The emperor's health is getting worse. Wasn't he in good spirits a few years ago?"
"It's probably because he escaped from the Jin Kingdom's search. Hasn't he never had an heir?"
"I don't know how long the emperor can hold on."
"Luckily, a few years ago, he chose two sons to adopt. Now that the crown prince has been decided, if anything happens, the country can be saved."
"It's a pity Prince Yi. He is talented and capable. Most importantly, he is courteous and much steadier than the crown prince."
"It is a pity. Back then, the palace chose two sons. Prince Yi had a great chance to inherit the throne. I don't know why the palace chose the crown prince."
"Didn't the emperor bring Prince Yi with him this time? In my opinion, the emperor dotes on Prince Yi. When the time comes, there may be hope for the throne."
…
These words had been exchanged countless times between the officials in private. Now, everyone could understand each other with just a look. There was no need to say it.
Halfway up the mountain, Zhao Gou looked back at the scenery between the clouds. He felt his field of vision widen. He could not help but sigh, "It really is like a celestial palace." The hard work of climbing was swept away in an instant.
But when he looked up and saw the words "Prince Slope" on the board not far away, the smile on his face froze and became frighteningly gloomy.
The Crown Prince Slope was built by the previous emperor. The bronze statue of the Crown Prince was enshrined in the hall. It was the only place of learning and praying for blessings in Mount Wudang. Scholars from all over the world came to observe the Crown Prince's expression while he was reading, to comprehend the Crown Prince's concentration in his studies, so that they could gain new insights and understanding of their studies, so that they could succeed in their studies.
Zhao Gou also knew these reasons. But when he thought about how he wasn't the Crown Prince in the past, and how the Crown Prince wasn't his biological son, it was hard for him to be happy.
When the officials heard him praising this place as a paradise on earth, many of them wanted to flatter him, but when they noticed his unfriendly expression, they all fell silent.
"Let's go!" Zhao Gou had originally planned to rest here, but now he wasn't in the mood, continuing to walk upwards.
When the officials saw the words "Crown Prince's Slope", they could roughly guess what was going on. They thought that the Emperor's mental state was really strong. Previously, he was so tired from climbing the mountain, but now, he climbed the mountain as if nothing had happened.
After that, the atmosphere of the entire group became much more gloomy, and before they knew it, they had already reached the mountain.
Yin Liting led the disciples of the Wudang Sect to welcome the Emperor at the entrance of the Purple Cloud Palace. Only Mount Wudang had this honor. If it were any other sect, they would at least welcome the Emperor at the foot of the mountain, even if they didn't welcome him at Xiangyang. It was just that cultivators were particular about peace and quiet, plus they had to maintain the mysterious image of immortals, so it was normal for emperors to seek immortality.
If you were too ardent and passionate, you wouldn't have the slightest bit of sage-like demeanor. How could the Emperor believe you?
Of course, the Wudang Sect didn't need to learn from the senior Taoists, but now that there was a publicly recognized Earth Immortal on the mountain, the entire Wudang Sect had a corresponding bearing, so they naturally didn't care about the fawning attitude of other sects.
"Why are you the only one here? Where's Zhenren Zhang, Master Song, and Second Hero Yu?" Even though he had roughly guessed what was going on, Zhao Gou still asked meaningfully.
As expected, Yin Liting looked conflicted. After a long time, he answered, "Master is in seclusion. Eldest Brother and Second Brother are studying with Master, so …"
The eunuch on the side couldn't help but scold, "How dare you people of Mount Wudang. The imperial court has already sent people to inform you, but you all avoid meeting them. Do you have any respect for the Emperor?"
Yin Liting looked troubled. "I dare not. It's just that when the palace sent the invitation, Master and the others were already in seclusion. This is an important matter, so they can't come out before it's done."
"Is that so?" Zhao Gou waved his hand to stop the eunuch from scolding him. "Then where is Zhenren Zhang in seclusion? What is he studying that is so important?"
Yin Liting answered, "Back at the Emperor's house. Master is in seclusion at the back of the mountain, studying with Senior Brother to perfect the True Martial Seven Sections Formation."
"True Martial Seven Sections Formation?" Zhao Gou frowned and glanced at the guards.
Of the people leading the imperial equipment, Ding Dian had been in Jianghu for the longest time. He naturally knew more about Jianghu than anyone else. He stepped forward and answered, "Back at the Emperor's house, the True Martial Seven Sections Formation was created by Zhenren Zhang when he saw the Turtle Mountain and the Snake Mountain in front of the Zhen Wu statue. However, the martial arts evolved from the majestic Turtle Mountain and the Snake Mountain are not something that one person can use at the same time. So he taught each of his seven disciples a set of martial arts, each with its own subtleties. If two people work together, they can attack and defend well, and their power is greatly increased. If three people work together, the power is twice as strong as two people work together … so on and so forth. When the Seven Heroes of Wudang work together, it's equivalent to sixty-four top-notch masters attacking at the same time. "
"Oh?" Zhao Gou's expression changed. "If there's such a magical formation, why is he still studying it in seclusion?"
Yin Liting answered, "You may not know this, but this formation requires seven people to work together. It's a pity that Fifth Brother committed suicide that year, and Third Brother's leg bone was injured by the Herculean Vajra Finger. He was finally healed, and then Seventh Brother got into trouble …"
Zhao Gou asked curiously, "Didn't you just say that two people work together can double the power, and three people work together can double the power again? There are at least four or five of you now, can't you still use it?"
Yin Liting replied, "We did use it once before. Because of a misunderstanding, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and Fourth Brother fought with Wuji … with Zhang Jiaozhu of the Ming Dynasty. In the end, we were four against one, and we lost. Although our opponent's strange moves were a part of it, we still lost so badly when we worked together, which made Master realize that there are flaws in the True Martial Seven-sectioned Formation. So he has been thinking about how to perfect it all these years. It was not until recently that he got the inspiration, so he summoned Eldest Brother and Second Brother, who are the most skilled in martial arts, to perfect it together."
Zhao Gou frowned. Jia Shidao's words sounded reasonable, as if he was telling the truth. But he knew Jia Shidao well. Since he chose to make a move on the WuTang Mountain, how could he leave Zhang Sanfeng and the WuTang Heroes alone?
Unless Zhang Sanfeng and the Wudang Clan joined Jia Shidao … But he extinguished the idea as soon as it came up. If Zhang Sanfeng could be bought over, he wouldn't have become a land god respected by all countries.
"Let's go visit Immortal Zhang after I finish worshipping the heavens." As if feeling the cold wind at the top of the mountain, Zhao Gou couldn't stop coughing. He then signaled the officials from the Ministry of Rites and the disciples of Wudang to go together.
To prepare for the worshipping the heavens.
In fact, there wasn't much to prepare. The officials that needed to prepare had already come and prepared. Soon, it was Zhao Gou's turn to go up on stage to worship the heavens with the article that the Grand Secretary had carefully prepared.
Throughout the whole process, some of the ordinary officials and low-level disciples of Wudang all looked excited. Only a few people who knew the truth felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on their hearts, and they didn't dare to relax for even a moment.
Yin Liting looked at the road down the mountain several times, and he looked worried. If Qingshu couldn't come back in time, Wudang would probably go through an unprecedented disaster.
The entire process lasted for several hours. The entire place was immersed in a solemn atmosphere. Although many people were secretly criticizing Zhao Gou's actions in the past few years, the people of this era all respected ghosts and gods, so no one dared to show any abnormalities.
After the worshipping was finished, Zhao Gou said to the people around him, "As expected, they probably won't make a move during the worshipping."
Li Yanshi nodded and replied in a low voice, "There are too many eyes during the worshipping. It really isn't a good time." If the assassins were from the Jin Kingdom, they wouldn't care about this. But this time, their ultimate goal was the throne. If they killed the emperor in front of everyone, no one would be able to bear the reputation.
"Since they don't have a chance, then I will create one for them." Zhao Gou snorted coldly.
Li Yanshi hurriedly advised, "Think carefully, we haven't reached the point where we have to fight to the death. If we go down the mountain now, with the army escorting us, we can still make it in time."
Zhao Gou said in a low voice, "We have planned for so long, how can we give up when the time comes?"
Ignoring Li Yanshi's advice, he sent someone to invite Yin Liting over. "It isn't easy for me to leave the palace, and Wudang is thousands of miles away from Lin 'an. I don't know if I will have the chance to see Zhenren Zhang again in this lifetime, so can I trouble Hero Yin to invite Zhenren Zhang here?"
Hearing his sincere words and his trembling appearance, he didn't look like the ruler of a country, but more like an ordinary old man. Yin Liting couldn't bear it, "You are so sincere. If it was in the past, my teacher would definitely come, but now he can't leave … In the future, when he comes out of seclusion, my teacher will definitely go and visit you. Why are you in such a hurry?" After a pause, he couldn't help but add in a low voice, "You are so precious, it's better for you to return to the palace and take charge of the capital."
Zhao Gou was a little surprised to hear that he had a double meaning and was secretly reminding him. But now that things had come to this, how could he retreat just like that? "Since Zhenren Zhang is in seclusion and has no time to spare, then I will personally visit Zhenren in the bamboo grove at the back of the mountain. Even if Zhenren Zhang can't come out, it would be good to teach him a lesson through the door."
Having said that, he had the accompanying officials stay here to deal with the remaining formalities for the worship to heaven, while he himself led the imperial guards and found a Wudang disciple to lead the way, heading to the back of the mountain.
Yin Liting gritted his teeth and wanted to persuade him again, but suddenly someone stood in front of him, "Hero Yin, don't worry. You are the Son of Heaven, and will definitely be protected by all the gods and Buddhas. Of course, the evil will not be able to hurt him."
Lifting his head, he saw a glowing monk smiling at him. Yin Liting was shocked. All these years, with the guidance of his master and senior brothers, he had been practicing martial arts wholeheartedly, and his martial arts had improved greatly. Looking at the martial arts world, he was already a first-rate master. He could vaguely judge the strength of a person's strength through their Qi movement.
Before this, he had already felt the strength of the few people beside the emperor who were carrying the imperial equipment. Among the heroes of Wudang, perhaps only eldest brother and second brother would be able to compete with them. But this monk was clearly standing here, but he couldn't feel his presence. It wasn't that he had never felt this way before, it was every time he faced his master.
Could it be that this person was comparable to his master? But since when did Shaolin Temple have such a master?
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