Chapter 561 - 41: Some Small Contradictions

On the southern face of Qianmu Mountain, halfway to the summit, a large portion of the once-dense forest had been cleared away. From the stone steps leading to the Mountain Peak Dojo, a new, smaller path branched off. It was paved with bluestone slabs and led directly to the deforested area on the mountainside.

Dozens of outer sect disciples were here leveling the ground, trying to prepare a foundation. Down the mountain, outside the storeroom of the front hall, other disciples were taking inventory of giant logs that had been transported back in previous years, likely selecting some to be used as house beams.

Disciples returning from their training expeditions all stopped to gaze at the scene, curiously asking those nearby, "Are they building another palace?"

As soon as the question was asked, someone would loudly reply, "It’s an order from Ancestor Changqing! He said to build some kind of palace."

"That makes sense. Only an order from Ancestor Changqing could authorize clearing the forests of Qianmu Mountain. Otherwise, not even the Deans would dare to do such a thing."

"Has Ancestor Changqing come out of seclusion?" This was what the disciples returning from their expeditions cared about most.

"He came out half a month ago. For the past few days, he’s been meeting with Cultivators who’ve come to visit. I even saw the Deans of the various institutes go to pay their respects."

"Then do you know if the Ancestor will be going back into seclusion?"

"How would I know!"

"Sigh! Some of the Court’s Entering Cultivators have been getting way out of line recently. They even dare to meddle in our Daoist Palace’s affairs. Last time, a few disciples from the Loose Cultivator Alliance clashed with them, and a lot of people died. If the Ancestor were around, a single word from him would be enough to make the Court admit its mistake."

"It’s not just the Loose Cultivator Alliance. Last time, the Fire Institute had a case. I think they went to Mozhou Road to investigate an Evil Cultivator who was sacrificing commoners. They ended up clashing with people from the Court. I heard more than half the Fire Institute was mobilized, and two Inner Sect Disciples died."

"I know about that. The Court didn’t get off easy, either. I heard two of their Entering Cultivators fell, and they lost several hundred Qi Cultivators!"

The more the disciples talked, the more animated they became. Their conversation soon turned to recent conflicts with Court Cultivators and disputes with other emerging sects.

Because of the rules set by the True Monarchs, Cultivators of the Second Realm and above had rarely appeared in public over the past decade or so. This allowed some smaller sects and local aristocratic families to rise up, allying with the Court to compete for the resources of the major sects. They were restrained at first, but when the major sects chose to ignore them, they grew more and more aggressive.

After coming out of seclusion, Wang Ping spent his time sorting through intelligence sent by his puppets from various regions and meeting with representatives sent from different sects. Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Afterwards, he dispatched the Deans of Qianmu Temple’s various institutes to deliver his invitations to Zi Luan, Wu Quan, and Ganxing, inviting them for a small two-day gathering.

These three were Wang Ping’s most important allies for establishing his foothold in Nanlin Road, and they, in turn, needed an ally like him. After the invitations were sent, two of them immediately replied that they would arrive as requested. The only exception was Ganxing, who had gone to the Western Continent in search of a Demon Soldier.

「Five days later.」

Zi Luan was the first to arrive at Qianmu Temple, and he brought a dozen or so disciples from the Six Heart Sect with him. The two at the forefront were Hongyuan and Qin Zifeng.

The two of them had been chatting for less than half an hour when Wu Quan also appeared, bringing over a dozen disciples from the Earth Cave Sect.

"Ever since Ganxing got that Secret Technique from you, he’s been running around like a madman. He’s barely been in Nanlin Road these past few years. If I weren’t looking after his sect’s affairs, his disciples would have probably all scattered by now."

Wu Quan immediately explained on Ganxing’s behalf upon seeing Wang Ping.

Zi Luan said with understanding, "Fellow Daoist Ganxing entered the Third Realm over a thousand years ago. As an Artifact Cultivator, he has no Spiritual Body and no Primordial Spirit. I fear his time will be up in just a few more centuries. It’s understandable that he’s in such a rush."

Wang Ping remained silent. He knew that Secret Technique had obvious flaws. Its greatest use was merely providing Artifact Cultivators with a method to cultivate a Primordial Spirit. As for actually advancing, the success rate was negligible unless one could snatch ’Top-Grade 04’ from the South Sea Taoist.

After their conversation began, Yu Lian said a quick goodbye to Wang Ping, then transformed into her true form and flew off toward Baisui Lake.

The three of them spent the first day drinking tea and chatting idly. Meanwhile, their disciples were already down the mountain, sparring with Magic on a newly constructed platform. The matches were all friendly, stopping once a victor was clear, and were followed by discussions to share insights.

Before long, their conversation naturally turned to the current conflicts between the various sects and the Court.

Similarly, on the second day, Wang Ping, Zi Luan, and Wu Quan also broached this topic. This was one of the reasons Wang Ping had invited them.

Qianmu Temple was, after all, one of the top sects in Nanlin Road, and even in the entire Chu Country. If it allowed itself to be provoked by the Court and a few minor sects and families, and let the situation continue to develop, the thousands of disciples within Qianmu Temple and the tens of thousands of Qi Cultivators who depended on it for their livelihood would surely start to have second thoughts.

"At first, I didn’t pay much attention to this. I thought it was just some petty squabbles among Entering Cultivators. But I never expected things to escalate so quickly. Two months ago, one of my disciples reported that in the last year alone, dozens of disciples from my sect died in these conflicts. Even though they were all just untalented Qi Cultivators, it’s still infuriating!"

Wu Quan was very serious about this issue. "They’re encroaching on our territory and resources. We can’t let this go on any longer, or the consequences will be dire!"

Wang Ping didn’t rush to state his position. He looked at Zi Luan first, waiting to hear his thoughts.

Zi Luan didn’t hesitate and stated his opinion directly. "We should indeed do something. My Six Heart Sect is the closest to Jinhuai City, so our conflicts with the Court are the most intense. The Imperial Family... seems to be in danger of being turned into puppets. If this continues, I’m afraid civil war in the Chu Country is imminent."

Wu Quan frowned. "But we can’t interfere in the country’s internal affairs!"

"It’s not like the Court is the only one with Entering Cultivators. Our sects have plenty of disciples. Besides, the Chu Royal Family is descended from Fellow Daoist Changqing’s eldest disciple." Zi Luan looked at Wang Ping, maintaining his usual smile. "If you trust me, Fellow Daoist, leave this matter to me. I guarantee I’ll handle it flawlessly."

’His wicked sense of humor is at it again. He’s probably treating this whole affair as some amusing game.’

"Alright. I won’t be going into seclusion for the next two years." Wang Ping did not refuse. He then added, "I’ve successfully refined the communication device we acquired on Mozhou Road. As you suggested, I’ve placed it somewhere no one will ever find."

"That’s good news..."

Zi Luan said in a joking tone, "Then we won’t have to go through so much trouble to meet in the future. To be honest, I’m a little afraid to go out these days. I always feel like someone is spying on me from the shadows."

Wang Ping knew Zi Luan was referring to Xiu Yu, and that this was a subtle reminder not to forget about investigating the leads on him.

Wu Quan, however, asked, "When can we get the Communication Tokens?"

Wang Ping answered him directly, "One year at the latest. I still need to make some arrangements!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Lian’s massive form emerged from the clouds above Qianmu Temple. She then transformed into a streak of light and landed in the small courtyard of the Mountain Peak Dojo.

"Qianqian brewed some fruit wine at Baisui Lake," Yu Lian said. "She asked me to bring some over, said she forgot to give it to you when she visited a few days ago." As she spoke, she flicked her tail. The Storage Array carved on the surface of her Scale Armor glowed green, and a dozen sealed wine jars appeared out of thin air on the open ground in front of the main house.