Chapter 297 - 294: The Old Daoist

Chapter 297: Chapter 294: The Old Daoist

The situation in Ling Province was growing increasingly chaotic.

Village massacres were still occurring.

Kong Sen had ordered Chen Danian to go out and apprehend the true culprits behind the massacres, but after a full half-month, he hadn’t even caught a glimpse of them.

’Truly and utterly useless!’

In contrast, Bai Yuan, who was also a Vice Governor, was far more competent.

Reports of his victories in slaying demons arrived almost daily. The number of monsters he had cut down surpassed all others in Ling Province, several times more than even the person in second place.

It was no wonder that both Du Qinghui and Jiang Changping had previously looked upon such a talent with great favor.

Even Kong Sen couldn’t deny Bai Yuan’s talent.

However, no matter how outstanding Bai Yuan was, Kong Sen would never entrust him with significant responsibilities.

It was a matter of allegiance. That alone was enough to doom Bai Yuan.

He had been sent to Ling Province by the Emperor specifically to curb the influence of Xu Dingchun’s faction. How could he possibly let Bai Yuan operate freely? Therefore, even though he knew Chen Danian was merely a mediocre man, he would continue to use him heavily.

The official ranks in Ling Province were currently depleted, and he was in dire need of manpower. If he didn’t use Chen Danian, was he supposed to get his own hands dirty?

’The world of officialdom is vast, but there are truly few who are both competent and loyal.’

Kong Sen’s gaze was grim.

’If not for the need to curry favor with Yan Shao’an, I wouldn’t have bothered taking on this mess in Ling Province.’

...

"Marvelous, simply marvelous!"

In the courtyard, Bai Yuan practiced his poison arts with his left hand and wielded his saber in his right. The Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber and the Manggu Zhuhe Technique sparred against each other, evenly matched.

The profundity of the Divine Mansion Technique was a true eye-opener!

He had always pondered how to stack his abilities to produce a stronger effect, and now the Divine Mansion Technique had given him the answer.

With the Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber and the Manggu Zhuhe Technique on his left and right, his saber arts and poison arts blended together perfectly, producing an effect even stronger than the sum of their parts.

’If I could stack a hundred different cultivation techniques... Tsk, tsk, that would be terrifyingly powerful.’

Bai Yuan’s Divine Mansion Technique was only at the entry level; it was better not to get ahead of himself and think about such distant possibilities.

What puzzled him, however, was that the lili had told him the Divine Mansion Technique was the key to three palaces. Yet, despite practicing it, he still didn’t have a single clue.

The lili was trapped on Shenfu Mountain by some unknown means used by a mysterious expert, and it was waiting for Bai Yuan to rescue it. It likely wouldn’t lie about such a matter.

Helpless, he could only wait until his Divine Mansion Technique became more profound before he could unravel its mysteries.

He still remembered the special profession that had been hinted at before.

But he had to wait until his Divine Mansion Technique reached the Mastered level to unlock it. Perhaps unlocking the new profession would give him the clues he needed.

The Mastered level corresponded to the third layer of the Divine Mansion Technique. Even with his system-like advantage, he would probably have to grind for a long time.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Someone was knocking on his door.

"Come in,"

Bai Yuan said lightly.

Yang Fangyu pushed the door open and walked in with a grin.

"Satisfying, truly satisfying! Seeing that bastard Kong fail is more gratifying than achieving merits myself!"

Yang Fangyu’s laughter grew louder.

Bai Yuan asked, "Kong Sen still hasn’t caught the culprit?"

"With a good-for-nothing like Chen Danian on the case? What’s the chance of that?"

Yang Fangyu scoffed.

His words showed he had no respect for his superior, Chen Danian.

After all, aside from seniority, there was nothing Chen Danian had that Yang Fangyu wouldn’t surpass one day.

Not to mention, Chen Danian’s constant indulgence in wine and women had long since eroded his combat prowess from its peak.

Bai Yuan frowned slightly.

The village massacres were a major incident. Logically, even if Chen Danian was incompetent, he should have had experts from the Court to assist him. It was strange that they still hadn’t found a single clue after all this time.

The Demon Sect’s methods this time were undeniably clever. Bai Yuan refused to believe there wasn’t a mastermind pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

However, none of this had much to do with him.

Thanks to Kong Sen’s machinations, he was almost completely uninvolved in the matter.

Therefore, even if things went wrong, he wouldn’t be blamed.

All he needed to do was focus on his cultivation in peace.

「In a quiet, verdant forest on Shenfu Mountain.」

The faint sound of conversation and laughter could be heard.

"Brother Bai, why don’t I have a word with my father, the King?"

The speaker was none other than Li Huan, who had come from Lingzhou City.

He had long heard about Bai Yuan’s troubles in Huanglong Prefecture and had made a special trip to see his two friends.

Bai Yuan shook his head. "There’s no need for that right now."

The King of Qingzhou was a hereditary Prince, while Grand Protector Yan Shao’an was a pillar of the state with immense power in the Court. A conflict between the two would inevitably be noticed by the Court.

In Bai Yuan’s current situation, if the King of Qingzhou showed any obvious favoritism towards him, it would make the Emperor, sitting high in Jinluan Hall, think that the King of Qingzhou had already allied with Xu Dingchun.

An alliance between a Prince and a Military General with troops under his command—no Emperor could sit comfortably with that.

Never mind that the King of Qingzhou would never agree; even if he did, it would bring Bai Yuan nothing but harm.

Li Huan sighed softly.

He genuinely considered Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu his friends.

Seeing them being suppressed by Kong Sen naturally displeased him.

Yang Fangyu chuckled. "A wise man doesn’t fight for temporary satisfaction. Who knows who will win in the end? The position of Lingzhou General has been vacant for a while now. Maybe it’s destined for our Ah Yuan."

His tone was completely different from when he had gloated about Kong Sen’s failure, now sounding as if he had seen through the heart of the matter.

Li Huan nodded.

There was some truth to Yang Fangyu’s words.

The candidate for Prefect of Lingzhou had been decided, but the position of General had been vacant for a long time.

Ever since the last General, Dong Wanjun, was promoted to Grand General of the North, the position had remained unfilled.

It was said that the Ministry of Personnel had proposed several candidates, but the matter was always quietly dropped when it reached the Ritual Department.

Although the Chief Eunuch of the Ritual Department had the privilege of approving the Emperor’s edicts, it didn’t mean they dared to meddle too much in the appointment of a third-grade official. Li Huan refused to believe the Emperor hadn’t given his tacit approval for this stalemate.

Given Bai Yuan’s track record of numerous great achievements, it wouldn’t be surprising if he became the General.

However, besides Bai Yuan’s own efforts, it would also depend on the plans and strategies of Minister Xu.

Behind every official’s promotion lay countless schemes and power struggles involving the interests of multiple factions, let alone for a high-ranking position like the General of a province.

Bai Yuan just smiled faintly and said, "Let’s drink."

With Li Huan’s arrival in Huanglong Prefecture, the three friends were reunited. It was an occasion that called for a good, long drink.

The three of them drank late into the night before Li Huan and Yang Fangyu, satisfied, finally left to descend the mountain.

Caught up in the moment, Bai Yuan decided to escort them down the mountain.

"How could we be men of common grass? I leave, laughing toward the open sky."

Bai Yuan was feeling rather uninhibited.

Li Huan and Yang Fangyu’s eyes lit up.

"Ah Yuan, I never knew your poetry had a touch of the Poetry Immortal’s flair."

Yang Fangyu couldn’t help but praise.

Don’t be fooled by his current rough and burly appearance; a few years ago, he too was a suave and promising young scholar.

Not just anyone was qualified to be a student at Yingshan Academy, one of the Four Great Academies of Xuan Yang.

When it came to literary talent, Yang Fangyu could actually be considered a master.

Li Huan also savored the words. "It may not be perfectly structured, but it’s brimming with vigor and a grand spirit."

Listening to their stream of praise,

Bai Yuan couldn’t help but blush a little.

He had inadvertently resorted to the act of plagiarism.

It seemed he had finally checked off a requisite skill for any transmigrator.

Before he knew it, he had escorted the two of them all the way into Huanglong City.

Although Huanglong Prefecture was under a curfew due to the war, such rules hardly applied to the three of them.

None of the guards at the city gate dared to stop Bai Yuan, the Vice Governor of Lingzhou.

Watching his two friends’ staggering figures, Bai Yuan felt his own head spin a little.

The wine that could get a Martial Artist drunk was certainly no ordinary vintage.

He didn’t know the Six Meridian Divine Sword, so he had no way to force the alcohol out of his system. He had to rely on his powerful physique to endure it.

Fortunately, now that he had opened his Divine Mansion, his strength had increased again. Drinking five pounds of wine was no problem at all.

He had outdrunk both Yang Fangyu and Li Huan by himself.

He raised his right hand to his forehead with a wry smile. ’I really should drink less in the future.’

Just as he turned to leave, a clear voice rang out.

"Young friend, please wait."

Bai Yuan stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head toward the voice and saw an old Daoist smiling at him. The man wore a filthy Daoist Robe, yet his face had a somewhat transcendent air.

"This Daoist Master...?"

The old Daoist said, "Young friend, I can see that your bone structure is extraordinary. You are a once-in-a-generation martial arts prodigy. How about you become my disciple?"

"..."

Bai Yuan was speechless. He never thought such a clichéd plot from the storybooks—bumping into a master who wants to take you as a disciple—would actually happen to him.

"Daoist Master, I already have a master."

The old Daoist replied, "No matter. My lineage isn’t so particular about such things."

"..."

Bai Yuan asked, "May I ask why you wish to take me as your disciple, Daoist Master?"

"All things are governed by fate. It is your destiny to be my disciple."

"..."

Bai Yuan was pretty sure the old Daoist was just spouting nonsense.

He had already trained his Four-Nine Book to the Master level. While divination could perhaps predict future events, it didn’t seem to have much use when it came to finding a disciple.

If this were any ordinary Daoist, he would have already turned and left.

The only reason he was engaging him today was because this old Daoist was just too... ordinary.

But this wasn’t a normal kind of ordinary.

At Bai Yuan’s current level of cultivation, he could perceive the unique aspects of anyone, be they common folk or Martial Artists.

Everyone had something that made them different from others.

Yet this old Daoist before him seemed to have merged with all of creation, making it impossible to find any distinct feature. And having no distinct features was, in itself, his most distinct feature.

’Softening one’s light and blending with the dust!’

A unique state of being from the Daoist Sects came to Bai Yuan’s mind.

The old Daoist said, "Fate cannot be defied. This is the karma between you and I."

Bai Yuan still shook his head. "Daoist Master, I don’t believe in fate."

Although it was clear at a glance that this old Daoist was no ordinary person, and was very likely a master from a Daoist Sect, Bai Yuan had no intention of taking another master for now.

He had already formally taken Xue Gui and Dong Wanjun as masters, and while he and Zhou Siming weren’t officially master and disciple, they had that kind of relationship in practice.

It wasn’t that Bai Yuan was afraid of the constraints of Jianghu conventions; it was simply that he could already see a wide, open path before him and no longer needed anyone’s guidance.

The old Daoist sighed softly.

It seemed it would be nearly impossible for him to take this young man as his disciple today.

"It is embarrassing to say, but this humble Daoist’s purse is empty. I have not eaten in seven days. I wonder if you, young friend, could spare a meal for me?"

Bai Yuan had a sudden realization.

’There’s always more to learn about navigating the Jianghu.’

This old Daoist’s technique of using discipleship as an excuse to freeload a meal was truly something he’d never heard of before.

After a moment’s thought, Bai Yuan nodded and agreed.