The monkeys of Shiyue Peak were indeed too noisy, much louder than Liu Shisui and the young monk of the Guocheng Temple. As such, Jing Jiu didn't land in front of the Daoist hall surrounded by the forest, but went to a spot behind the peak. There were a dozen seemingly ordinary courtyards, in which precious Cultivation scripts and magic pills were stored. The security was tight.
To protect against the heavenly fire, there was no other vegetation except for the iron trees that could withstand the heat.
The iron trees didn't blossom or bear fruit, and their leaves were bitter and tasteless. As such, there were no monkeys here.
The sword light of the Sword of the Universe alerted Shiyue Peak. Jing Jiu was surrounded by a dozen flying swords as soon as he landed, and there were at least a few lethal formations ready to be activated at any moment.
A disciple yelled, "Who are you?!"
Jing Jiu turned around.
"Young Senior Master … no, Senior Master!"
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
The disciples of Shiyue Peak were startled when they saw his face. They put away their flying swords hastily and bowed to him.
Jing Jiu said, "I'll take a look by myself. You guys don't need to follow me."
He said "don't need to follow me" instead of "don't need to follow me." It was obvious that he wasn't trying to show his friendliness as the new sect master. The disciples of Shiyue Peak eyed each other speechlessly, thinking that this was the forbidden area of Aoyama, where the most important Cultivation scripts and magic pills and precious treasures were stored … Well, the whole of Aoyama belongs to Jing Jiu, and he can go wherever he wants.
Jing Jiu walked into a small courtyard not far away and came to the front of a three-story building.
The elder in the building had already stood up and was waiting for him. Jing Jiu didn't say anything to him, and walked straight into the building.
The elder was startled. He crossed his hands and shot out his sword source, dismantling the formations in the stairwell as quickly as possible.
Jing Jiu kept walking forward without a pause.
The elder followed behind Jing Jiu, waving his hands to dismantle the formations. In a few seconds, a fine sweat broke out on his forehead.
There were six dangerous formations in this seemingly ordinary three-story building. Even a Cultivation practitioner in the upper state of the Broken Sea would have a hard time breaking in.
When he reached the third floor, Jing Jiu stopped and thanked the elder for his hard work.
The Elder bowed and left the building. He stood in front of the stone steps to prevent anyone from entering the building by mistake and disturbing the Sect Leader's reading.
Jing Jiu suddenly remembered that Yuan Qijing did not hand over the Aoyama Formation to him.
He didn't think too much about this matter. He walked into the building and easily found the shelf. He took out a very thin book from it.
Back when he had just arrived in Aoyama and stayed on Shiyue Peak for ten years, he didn't learn how to plant flowers and weed, nor how to refine the magic pills. All he did was read all the books on Cultivation on the peak. After that, he came to take a look a few more times, until he was sure that even the Aoyama Sect could no longer search for new cultivation manuals, then he stopped coming.
He still remembered those cultivation manuals that were worth memorizing. Today, he came not to review them, but to read that book.
There was very little content in that old book. It mainly talked about a kind of self-observation.
Observing flowers in a mirror. When the mirror broke into pieces, the flowers would flourish; but if the mirror eventually turned into powder, all the flowers would die at the same time.
This kind of self-observation was not profound, not to mention marvelous; but the Method of Dividing Mirrors derived by the author was very important.
It was this Method of Dividing Mirrors that inspired Taiping Zhenren to create the Formation of Dispersed Smoke and Clouds.
Jing Jiu didn't read the words in the book. He rubbed the paper between his fingers to confirm the approximate age of the book, and also to make sure that he couldn't tell anything from it.
He walked out of the building and handed the book to the elder, saying, "Find out where this book came from."
The elder asked, "How long do you want to find out, Sect Master?"
"In the beginning," replied Jing Jiu.
…
…
The news was soon reported to Taiping Zhenren.
Taiping Zhenren took over the book and glanced at it, remaining silent for a long time. All the peak masters in Aoyama were from the Shangde Peak, and an experienced peak master like Taiping Zhenren knew something about the Formation of Dispersed Smoke and Clouds, and knew the relationship between this book and that formation. Why did Jing Jiu want to find out where this book came from?
After some thought, Jing Jiu said, "Since it is the order of the Sect Master, let's investigate it carefully."
Because of Jing Jiu's order, the whole of Shiyue Peak was on the move.
Seven elders led dozens of disciples and hundreds of caretakers. They didn't do anything else except to investigate the origin of that book. The masters put forward their ideas and then issued orders; dozens of disciples were responsible for analyzing the information, and then recording and indexing the information; and hundreds of caretakers were required to run back and forth between the courtyards with the heavy books in their arms.
The atmosphere was tense and lively among the cliffs. Even those iron trees seemed to be affected by the atmosphere, swaying slightly in the wind, as if they were about to blossom.
It was inevitable that there would be some complaints. For instance, a disciple in charge of the herb garden of flower-stone on the West Mountain suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to apply the rain that day. He couldn't help but complain about the new Sect Master's mischievous behavior, and then went to the master to ask for forgiveness.
Unexpectedly, the master didn't mind it at all, saying, "It's not important. Let's finish the task assigned by the Sect Master first. But the leaves of the green orchids will curl when they are short of water. You have to wipe them with the Chalcedony Liquid at night."
The disciple's face changed color, thinking that there were three hundred and seventeen green orchids in that patch; if he had to wipe the leaves of each one of them, how could he rest? And judging by the situation, he would have to come back tomorrow to rummage through the piles of old books!
The masters thought it was interesting to spend the day like this, at least with some new interests, especially when the oldest books hidden in the library were brought out, many of which they had never read before. As they browsed through the books they were interested in, they motioned for the caretakers to open the books and lay them flat on the stone slabs. In the library building of Shiyue Peak, there was a formation to keep it dry and warm; but the books, which had never been exposed to sunlight for a long time, would still have some problems.
The sun was nice this spring, just right for the books to dry.
…
…
It was impossible to find out the origin of an unknown book, even for someone like Jing Jiu, who was good at calculation and deduction. But it took them only three days to find a definite clue after gathering all the resources of Shiyue Peak. The original author of the book should be the great Cultivation practitioner Yan Zhenlu from a thousand years ago.
The question was, where did Yan Zhenlu's train of thought come from when Jing Jiu asked to find the very beginning of the book?
Though this great Cultivation practitioner was famous, he was a free-traveling practitioner, and he didn't belong to any sect until his death.
In the end, the elders of Shiyue Peak came to a conclusion after reading a few unofficial histories of the Cultivation practitioners and a few random notes of the local sects: Yan Zhenlu should be a deserted disciple of the Mirror Sect.
After receiving the report from Shiyue Peak, Jing Jiu was quite satisfied, thinking that being the sect master did have some benefits. He didn't have such a feeling when he was the grand sect master of Shenmo Peak; but if he were still a regular disciple, Shiyue Peak wouldn't let him investigate, let alone use so many resources to help him investigate.
After the hotpot dinner that day, Yuan Qu and Ping Yong-Ka became more well-behaved, and even Ada became quieter.
It wasn't until one day that Gu Qing couldn't help but bring up the matter of the Plum Meeting again.
It was late in spring, and the flowers in Zhaoge City should have bloomed by now. The Plum Meeting would be held in about ten days, but the Aoyama Sect hadn't chosen a representative yet, let alone set off.
Jing Jiu said, "The Sword Trial will go on as usual, and the leader will still be Nan Wang."
Gu Qing thought it was good to hear this, so he sent a message to Xilai Peak as soon as possible, asking them to arrange the details of the event.
The Sword Trial was held smoothly the next day, but something unexpected happened. Nan Wang said that she wanted to stay behind closed doors and didn't want to go to Zhaoge City.
Gu Qing was a bit worried. This was the first time that a peak master had disregarded his Master's order since his Master became the sect master. What did this mean?
Jing Jiu was surprised that Nan Wang was so diligent in her Cultivation, but he wasn't worried, saying, "Guangyuan it is then."
Then he remembered the Sword Trial of Aoyama that day, and asked, "Who won?"
Gu Qing didn't say anything, looking at a place behind him with a faint smile.
Jing Jiu turned around and saw Yuan Qu standing by the window on the second floor of the Daoist hall, raising his right hand embarrassedly.
Yuan Qu was quite ordinary in Shenmo Peak, and he didn't even have a sense of existence. But it was because this was Shenmo Peak, where there were too many geniuses.
Jing Jiu felt surprised, but also satisfied. Back when he was still in the Undefeated State, he had defeated Ma Hua and Gu Han in a row at the Sword Trial of Aoyama, and even broken Guo Nanshan's famous Blue Ocean sword. Yuan Qu's Cultivation state was ordinary, and so was his flying sword; but he had won first place at the Sword Trial. Though it was far less difficult for him to win, he did have his own style.
Thinking of this, Jing Jiu said to Yuan Qu, "You're not allowed to lose in Zhaoge City either."
The smile on Yuan Qu's face disappeared instantly, as he thought nervously that the Sect Master wanted him to win first place in the Cultivation tournament at the Plum Meeting.
…
…
The participants of various sects had gone to Zhaoge City one after another, including the Mirror Sect in Jadeite City. The Chief Official of the Mirror Sect had left more than ten days ago with a dozen disciples, and the Sect Master was behind closed doors. As a result, Que Niang was in charge of the internal affairs of the sect. Que Niang wasn't the most senior among her peers, and she wasn't the most senior Big Sister, but she had a good talent and a strong comprehension ability, and was diligent in Cultivation. As a result, her Cultivation state had improved very quickly, and she was favored by the Sect Master and the Chief Official. And for another reason, her status in the sect had become more and more special.
Que Niang had won a few chess tournaments in a row, and created the history of the Plum Meeting. She was recognized as the best chess player. As a result, she felt a bit lonely, so she didn't go to the Plum Meeting this year. She put down the scroll in her hand and looked at the plum branch in the mirror, sighing, wondering when she would have the opportunity to see the chess games played by Mr. Jing Jiu and the Young Master Tong Yan again.
The footsteps broke out in the courtyard. A disciple came to report that a Cultivationist from Aoyama had come to visit her and wanted to meet her.
Que Niang felt a bit baffled, thinking that she didn't have any acquaintances in Aoyama even though the Mirror Sect and Aoyama were on good terms. On the contrary, she had some acquaintances on the Cloud-Dream Mountain. Who would come to visit her?
She walked to the outside of the courtyard and saw the two people brought by the disciple of the Mirror Sect, feeling even more baffled.
It was a warm spring day, so why were these two people wearing conical hats?
Que Niang said with a faint smile, "I wonder who these two Cultivationist friends are …"
The disciple of Aoyama walking in front lifted his conical hat slightly, exposing half of his face.
Que Niang's eyes were full of surprise and delight. She signaled for the disciple of the Mirror Sect to leave, and led the two people into the small courtyard. She bowed to the person and said, "Mr. Jing Jiu, what brings you here?"
The two people took off their conical hats. They were Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue.
Que Niang bowed to Zhao Layue hastily, but she suddenly remembered Jing Jiu's current status. Her expression changed abruptly, and she bowed again earnestly, "Greetings, Immortal Sect Master."
She had done so many things in such a short time, so it was inevitable that she was a bit flustered. Her face was a bit flushed, and her freckles shone slightly, making her look even more adorable.
Que Niang was both surprised and puzzled, thinking that the Plum Meeting was taking place in Zhaoge City, and the Zhongzhou School was pressuring them about that matter; why did Jing Jiu come to the Mirror Sect? Moreover, as the Sect Master of Aoyama, how could he wander around so casually?
Jing Jiu told her the purpose of his visit.
Que Niang thought the name Yan Zhenlu sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember which senior master of the sect he was. "I might have to ask the masters," she said.
Zhao Layue caught the white cat crawling out from Jing Jiu's sleeve and said to her bosom, "Thank you."
As Que Niang was about to leave, she suddenly stopped and said apologetically, "I have to report this matter to my Master."
It wasn't that it would be troublesome to investigate Yan Zhenlu, but Jing Jiu's status was different now.
In any case, Que Niang had to report this to the Sect Master; otherwise, what if something bad happened to him here?
… …
… …
The Sect Master of the Mirror Sect was still behind closed doors, but Que Niang couldn't care less about it.
The visit of the Sect Master of Aoyama to the Mirror Sect hadn't happened for many years. Even though it was a secret visit, it was still much more important than staying behind closed doors.
After hearing Que Niang's report, the Sect Master of the Mirror Sect said after some thought, "I have an impression of Yan Zhenlu. He should be someone from our sect. Though I don't know what Sect Master Jing wants to investigate, I'll try my best to cooperate with him. But … since he came here in private, I think he doesn't want to be known by others, so I won't show up. You have to be careful not to leak the information."
From that day on, Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue stayed in the small courtyard, not taking a single step out of it.
The elders and disciples of the Mirror Sect, like the elders and disciples of Shiyue Peak, started to search for stories in the piles of old papers.
Fortunately, it was a nice spring day in Jadeite City, so they could dry the books.
Que Niang had been keeping Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue company in the courtyard. She glanced curiously at the white cat in Zhao Layue's bosom from time to time, but more often than not, she peeked at Jing Jiu.
Jing Jiu knew that in the eyes of people like Tong Yan and Que Niang, beauty and ugliness were not as important as black and white, so he knew what she wanted to do. "Come on," he said.
Que Niang came back to her senses after a moment of bewilderment. "Teacher, you're too kind!" she exclaimed in pleasant surprise.
She was the only one who watched the shocking game played on the Chessboard Mountain until the end, which had a great influence on her chess playing.
From that day on, she had regarded Jing Jiu as her Master. She called him 'Teacher' out of excitement.
Zhao Layue sat on the chair with the white cat in her bosom, thinking that it was not a bad thing to call him 'Teacher'.
"I've called you 'Teacher' unconsciously when we were talking about you over the last few years, which made many people in the sect misunderstand me." Que Niang came back to her senses and said embarrassedly, "When you became the Sect Master of Aoyama last year, the masters thought there was a special relationship between you and me, so they paid more attention to me … Please forgive them."
There was a Go board in her room, which turned into countless Go boards when the mirrors in the room shone on it.
Jing Jiu picked up a white Go piece and said while looking at her, "It's the mirror's problem what you look like, not you."
Hearing this, Que Niang fell silent for a long time. Then she took out a black Go piece and put it on the Go board gently, saying, "Master, please enlighten me."
(End of this chapter)
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