The old monk looked at him with a gentle smile and shook his head, indicating that he didn't know the answer, or that he didn't understand why he asked such a question.
The young monk looked more mature than before, but he still had a temper. "What do you mean, Your Excellency?" he asked unhappily.
When those Cultivation practitioners were discussing earlier, they only talked about who had a higher chance of becoming the sect master of Aoyama, but they didn't express their own thoughts.
This wasn't a matter that everyone was qualified to express their opinions on.
The young monk felt that the other party's question was obviously malicious.
"I'm just asking."
Jing Jiu took off his conical hat and sat down in front of the two monks.
The young monk was surprised to see Jing Jiu, and said happily, "Immortal Master Jing Jiu, it's you! Why are you here? We meet again. "
Jing Jiu asked, "You don't practice the Vow of Silence anymore?"
The young monk felt a bit embarrassed, scratching his head.
The old monk laughed, saying, "When you went to the temple that year, I was still in the north. After I came back, I heard from my disciple …"
As he was talking, he suddenly coughed, and the wrinkles on his face deepened, as if he was in great pain.
The young monk explained hurriedly that his Master had suffered an internal injury in the snowland, which was difficult to cure.
Jing Jiu looked over and found that the old monk's meridians had been invaded by the coldness, and they were a bit withered. There was indeed no good way to cure them, except to recuperate for a while.
The young monk was talking about the coldness in White Town, the ugliness of the monsters in the Snowy Kingdom, and the mysteriousness of the Broadsword King … when he suddenly covered his mouth with his hand.
Jing Jiu thought that the old monk didn't ask him to shut up today.
The young monk covered his mouth with his hand and mumbled a few times, insisting that he wouldn't speak.
The old monk coughed with a smile, and said, "After the West Ocean Incident, the temple didn't allow us to have any contact with the disciples of Aoyama."
Jing Jiu knew that it was because Liu Ci had released Taiping Zhenren, and Zen Master wouldn't let it go so easily.
He said to the young monk, "I'm not an ordinary disciple of Aoyama. I'm a disciple of Shenmo Peak."
The young monk thought it made sense. The relationship between the temple and Aoyama was ordinary. They were only close to Shenmo Peak. He quickly put down his hand and said, "Immortal Master, what did you mean by asking that question just now?"
Jing Jiu said, "Living in this mountain, we don't know the true face. It's good to listen to the opinions of other sects."
The young monk did not understand why a young disciple like him would care about the candidate of the sect leader. He shook his head and said, "I've never met any of those big shots. I don't know any of them. How would I know who's more suitable to be the sect leader of Aoyama?"
Jing Jiu thought to himself, 'You may know a person's face but not his heart. Who else can say that they really know each other?'
The young monk asked curiously, "Who do you support? Peak Lord Guangyuan Zhenren or Fang Jingtian? "
Jing Jiu said, "We don't know each other, so of course we won't support him."
The young monk did not understand his words and scratched his head in embarrassment.
For some reason, Jing Jiu had always liked this monk. He smiled and asked about his recent situation.
This level of small talk was very rare for him.
The young monk became spirited and told him about his travels with his master in the past few years, how he treated and saved people. Whether it was the local customs or strange illnesses, he told him everything. It could be said that he explained everything in detail.
This was not recent situation, it was a memoir.
Jing Jiu listened to the chivalrous deeds and those who saved the dying. He did not feel annoyed, nor did he praise or ridicule. He did not respond to the conversation either. He only made a few noises occasionally.
But it could be seen that he was listening very seriously.
The old monk looked at this scene with a smile.
The attitude that Jing Jiu showed was the state that the monks of Guocheng Temple liked and pursued the most.
The morning light finally fell on the peak. The bonfire had already turned into ashes. They were about to continue their journey. The young monk asked, "Immortal Master Jing Jiu, are you also going to the Platanus Sect?"
Jing Jiu said, "Yes, but I don't want to reveal my identity."
The young monk looked at his face and said worriedly, "This is very difficult … Even with a bamboo hat, the Platanus Sect won't let me in if I don't reveal my identity."
Jing Jiu said, "If there is a market in front, I want to buy two bamboo hats."
The young monk did not understand, but the old monk did. He thought for a while and said, "Okay."
…
…
There was a lake between the Dong Ling Mountains. There was a valley in the east. It welcomed the morning light every day, so it was called Dawn.
Dawn Lake was not as strange as the Blue Lake of Aoyama, nor was it as vast as Ōzawa's, but it had a picturesque scenery.
The mountain wind blew the willow branches and gently touched the surface of the water, creating countless ripples.
Many of the willow branches were tied with bells, giving off crisp sounds. The sounds mixed together didn't make people feel annoyed, but made them feel peaceful.
The most famous magic item of the Platanus Sect was the Clean-Heart Bell.
The Clean-Heart Bell could help the Cultivation practitioners resist the evils and calm their minds. It was an important magic treasure, no matter when they were meditating or traveling spiritually. The effects of the Clean-Heart Bells of different states were quite different. As such, all the Cultivation sects attached great importance to the Platanus Sect. Because of the Aoyama Sect, the whole Cultivation circle had been quiet for two years. The Clean-Heart Meeting was the first significant event of the Cultivation world. Many sects came to attend the meeting, except for the Zhongzhou School, the No-Mercy Sect and the destroyed Western Sea Sword School. Almost all the sects had come to attend the meeting.
In addition to providing the Clean-Heart Bells of different states as usual, the Clean-Heart Meeting was also held to celebrate the birthday of the Grandmaster.
It was interesting that nobody knew how old she was, save for the Grandmaster herself.
The Cultivation circle only knew that the Plum Meeting hadn't started yet when she first appeared in the Cultivation world.
Both the Clean-Heart Bell and the birthday of the Grandmaster were worthy of celebration; but the atmosphere by Dawn Lake was devoid of any celebration, and it was even a bit depressing.
The Cultivation practitioners of various sects understood the reason. They told their disciples not to walk around casually before the meeting, not even to go sightseeing by the lake.
As the Grandmaster grew older, she became more and more worried about the future of the Platanus Sect. She was worried that the current sect master, her daughter-in-law, the Madam Chen, would remarry after her death and give the Platanus Sect to someone with a different surname. Many years ago, she had suggested that the Madam Chen marry a nephew of her husband's family, but her proposal was rejected without hesitation. Since then, the internal conflicts of the Platanus Sect had become obvious. In order to ensure the continuation of the De branch, the Grandmaster had used many methods. If it weren't for the support of the Aoyama Sect, the Madam Chen would have been abolished a long time ago.
…
…
Three monks wearing conical hats came to the shore of Dawn Lake.
The disciple of the Platanus Sect who was in charge of receiving them was experienced and knowledgeable. He knew they were from the Guocheng Temple at first glance. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he had no choice but to let them in. The Guocheng Temple was highly respected by the Cultivation practitioners of the Guocheng Temple. If people knew that the Platanus Sect refused the masters of the Guocheng Temple outside the door, they would be criticized.
The reason why this disciple of the Platanus Sect felt uncomfortable was the same as the reason why the free-traveling practitioner in the ruined temple had left in advance. The Grandmaster would never invite the monks of the Guocheng Temple to participate in the Clean-Heart Meeting. Did they come here by themselves because they were certain that something bad would happen at the Clean-Heart Meeting?
Nobody had expected that things would happen so fast, or that the table would be overturned so early.
At the welcoming banquet that night, the white-haired Grandmaster De stood on the main seat with the help of a middle-aged man.
There was no sign of Sect Leader Chen or the young master of the Platanus Sect, Sensei De.
The middle-aged man had a high cultivation base and a cold aura. In the eyes of the cultivators of the various sects, he was somewhat unfamiliar.
The Grandmaster said indifferently, "Let me introduce everyone. This is my husband's nephew. His name is Yuanquan."
Countless gazes fell on this middle-aged man called De Yuanquan.
Some people had already guessed that this was the Dao companion that the Grandmaster had chosen for Sect Leader Chen.
After a moment of shock, people finally understood the Grandmaster's intentions and couldn't help but burst into an uproar!
No matter how much the Grandmaster pressured Sect Leader Chen, the cultivation world had always thought that she wanted to kill her mother and pass on the position to her grandson.
Looking at the scene today, could it be that she was preparing to pass on the position to this De Yuanquan?
Then what about Sect Leader Chen and Sensei De? Was he imprisoned, or was he … already dead?
No one spoke. The scene was deathly silent.
Even if it was a tragedy of flesh and blood killing each other, it was still the internal affairs of the Platanus Sect.
It was evident that the Grandmaster had taken complete control of the Platanus Sect; others couldn't interfere, and dared not interfere.
It was then that countless gazes left De Yuanquan and turned to a spot in the hall, as if they had a tacit understanding.
That was the best spot in the hall.
The people of the Aoyama Sect were sitting in that spot.
The leader was the elder of Shiyue Peak, He Bumu, followed by Lin Yingliang and other young disciples.
He Bumu usually planted the medicinal herbs and made magic pills in the peaks, and occasionally hosted the Inherited Sword Competition. He wasn't famous in the Cultivation world.
Judging from his appearance and bearing, the crowd thought he was an honest and taciturn old man.
What would the Aoyama Sect say about this?
"Where is Sect Leader Chen?"
He Bumu didn't show any emotion on his face, but his question was very straightforward.
The Grandmaster said expressionlessly, "Chen fell ill a few days ago, so it's not convenient for her to meet the guests."
"If so, I'd like to pay her a visit," said He Bumu.
The Grandmaster said nonchalantly, "It's not convenient for a man and a woman to do that."
This was very unyielding.
"Where is the Young Master?" asked He Bumu.
The Grandmaster said, "Sensei has to take care of her mother, so she has no time to meet the guests."
He Bumu stood up and said to the Grandmaster, "You should know that Shenmo Peak has only had three guests over the years: Tong Yan, Bai Zao, and the Young Master."
The Grandmaster said expressionlessly, "Elder He, if you have something to say, just say it."
"Nothing can happen to her," said He Bumu.
The Grandmaster was still expressionless, as she said, "The young people like to play around, so it's normal for them to get hurt. Is Zhao Layue going to kill me because of this?"
After a moment of silence, He Bumu looked at the middle-aged man named De Yuanquan and asked, "Do you … want to die?"
(End of this chapter)
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