Chapter 191: Chapter 191: An Arrival
Spring of the 40th Year of Yuanding.
The Grand General of the North returned to the Capital City to report on his duties. His Majesty the Emperor was greatly pleased, promoting him to Minister of War and enfeoffing him as Marquis Wuding.
To be made a Marquis while still alive—Xu Dingchun was the first person to receive such an honor since the founding of the Xuan Yang dynasty.
The Court ordered Li Yong, the General of the Capital City, to head north and replace Grand General of the North Xu Dingchun in defending against the Demon Sect’s invasion.
Anyone with discerning eyes could see that this was clearly a promotion in name but a demotion in practice—his military authority had been stripped.
Swapping generals in the middle of a campaign was a major taboo, yet His Majesty the Emperor still forcibly seized power, disregarding the war in the Northern Territory.
Many old generals of the Northern Garrison Army thought Xu Dingchun would surely retaliate, but to everyone’s surprise, he actually settled into his role as the Minister of War.
The morale of the Northern Garrison Army plummeted, and the thousand-li defensive line showed signs of collapsing.
...
The war in the Northern Territory was a delicate situation where a single move could affect the whole.
Lu Xiao, the Lingzhou General, was trapped on the city walls. It was feared that he would have no chance of returning to Ling Province until the fighting subsided.
Without General Lu holding down the fort, the Lingzhou Army was inevitably weakened.
Furthermore, as the war in the Northern Territory grew more critical, eighty percent of the Lingzhou Army was transferred to the foot of the Great Wall.
Only a little over a thousand men remained in Ling Province, and even fewer were in Huanglong Prefecture, a pitifully small number.
On Shenfu Mountain.
Ji Chang’s expression was grim.
Even though the situation in the Northern Territory was urgent, Lu Xiao had still ordered him to stay behind, continue searching for the Divine Mansion, and bring the Divine Mansion Sect under control.
The thought of Old Fang racking up enough military merits killing enemies in the Northern Territory to burst, while he himself was stuck on a mountain in Huanglong Prefecture, only deepened his frustration.
After months of searching, he had basically given up hope of finding Murong Tian.
He was even starting to think the Divine Mansion didn’t exist at all.
He had personally led troops to search every corner of the Divine Mansion Sect, but he couldn’t find a single clue about the Divine Mansion. Continuing the search would be fruitless.
Originally, General Lu had thought that the Grand General of the North, Xu Dingchun, and the current Emperor would be locked in a struggle for some time.
He never expected the Emperor’s methods to be so decisive, hollowing out Xu Dingchun’s power just like that.
However, the Imperial Court’s methods were never laid out in the open. There was surely a bloody game of chess being played behind the scenes.
A new General of the North had arrived up north. With the fighting at its most brutal, they certainly wouldn’t let anyone go back.
Unlike General Lu, the Lord Governor had zero belief in the Divine Mansion’s existence. He merely wanted to weaken the Divine Mansion Sect to make it easier to govern, so he offered no help in the search for the Divine Mansion.
Although the Lord General and the Lord Governor appeared to be in perfect sync when dealing with the Divine Mansion Sect, they had actually been at odds for a long time, their open conflicts and covert struggles never-ending.
In fact, in the Xuan Yang dynasty, the General and the Prefect were meant to act as checks and balances on each other. The Court had no desire to see a scene of perfect harmony.
"Pull back all the men outside."
Ji Chang ordered the soldier before him.
The situation was different from a few months ago. Huanglong Prefecture was now teeming with all sorts of people. With General Lu absent from Ling Province, there were some individuals that even the Lingzhou Army dared not offend. Naturally, they had to be more cautious.
Besides, the Lord Governor had long been displeased with the Lingzhou Army’s large-scale search of Huanglong Prefecture and might seize this opportunity to cause trouble.
The Grand Ancestor Emperor had established a system of co-governance with the sects to create a multi-sided balance of power. No single faction was to become too powerful, not even the regional Prefecture Magistrate’s Offices.
...
Before the gates of Huanglong Prefecture City.
A dark-skinned Taoist and a young Confucian scholar walked into the city side-by-side.
Though there were only two of them, they carried an aura that seemed to overshadow all the talented individuals in the city.
"Brother Kaiyang, is that Divine Mansion Sect disciple named Bai Yuan really so formidable? Even you were no match for him?"
The young Confucian scholar asked the dark-skinned Taoist curiously as he gazed at the bustling Huanglong Prefecture City.
That Taoist was none other than the Kaiyang Taoist from Longevity Palace. This was his second time in Huanglong Prefecture.
"He should be the Sect Leader by now."
The Kaiyang Taoist spoke calmly, showing no anger for his defeat.
’In truth, if Bai Yuan hadn’t used poison back then, I wouldn’t have been the one to lose in a head-on fight.’
’I’m still confident I can defeat Bai Yuan.’
"Brother Yan, that man has many tricks up his sleeve. You should be careful too."
Anyone who could walk shoulder-to-shoulder with the Kaiyang Taoist was certainly no ordinary person.
Indeed, this young Confucian scholar’s background was quite impressive: a disciple of Qingshan Academy and a student of the Lord Governor.
These two points alone guaranteed he was far from mediocre.
In the Xuan Yang Martial Dao, besides Jianghu Martial Masters, there were the Three Religions Martial Masters.
It went without saying that the experts from the Buddhist and Taoist sects were formidable, but these Confucian scholars were no less capable.
Did people really think the founding sage of the Confucian Family wasn’t attacked while traveling through the various states back in the day?
The only reason he wasn’t was because his fists were too strong, and he traveled with a thousand fierce disciples. The sight of them would make anyone tremble.
Naturally, the scholars of later generations inherited their ancestor’s legacy. Besides statecraft and strategy, most of them also possessed martial skills.
Like the other two religions, Confucian academies did not advocate for belligerence. Most practitioners cultivated Inner Strength to seek breakthroughs. Although their practical combat skills were inferior to those of Jianghu People, their years of cultivating the mind gave them a unique advantage when it came to breaking through to the Zhi Gan realm.
Just like this student of the Prefect, who, despite being only in his early thirties, was already showing signs of breaking through to the Zhi Gan realm.
He was even faster than the Shenfu Sect Master, Murong Tian. This wasn’t because Murong Tian’s aptitude was truly inferior to the scholar’s, but because the Three Religions were simply more adept when it came to breakthroughs.
"Huanglong Prefecture truly is an interesting place."
The scholar named Yan Mo chuckled.
With the Divine Mansion Sect around before, young people from Ling Province rarely had a chance to visit Huanglong Prefecture. This time, Yan Mo had come specifically to travel and even made a side trip to Longevity Palace to drag the Kaiyang Taoist along.
Although Longevity Palace kept to itself, Yan Mo and the Kaiyang Taoist were on pretty good terms.
When the Kaiyang Taoist had previously roamed the Jianghu, Yan Mo had even accompanied him for part of the journey.
"I hear Elder Minister Jiang’s granddaughter is also in the city. Why don’t we pay her a visit?"
"As you wish."
The Kaiyang Taoist said flatly.
He had never been very interested in currying favor with the rich and powerful.
...
Before the Jiang Mansion.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.
The dull thumps of knocking echoed.
Only expensive, high-quality wood would make such a sound, so many people could guess the wealth of the household just by hearing the knock.
After a moment, a young servant pushed open the main gate.
"Honored guests, please come in."
The young servant was very perceptive. Of course, this was mainly because he was from Lingzhou and knew perfectly well who these two were.
By the time Yan Mo and the Kaiyang Taoist reached the main hall, the Lu siblings were already seated there.
Jiang Yan was as sharp and impressive as ever. She stood and cupped her fist. "So it is Brother Yan and Daoist Kaiyang."
Yan Mo smiled slightly. "Sister Jiang, is Minister Jiang in good health?"
"I haven’t seen my grandfather in two years either, but I imagine he’s fine."
Yan Mo nodded with a smile. With the Elder Minister’s power, there was virtually no room for his health to be poor.
At this moment, Lu Shanshan also stood up and gave a graceful curtsy. "Brother Yan, Daoist Kaiyang."
As a legitimate daughter of the Lu Family, she had naturally met these famous figures from Ling Province before.
Yan Mo chuckled. "Sister Lu is here too."
Lu Yu, sitting off to the side with one leg crossed over the other, showed no intention of getting up.
’Why pretend to be all friendly and respectful?’
’He knew perfectly well the relationship between his General father and the Prefect. By rights, it was impressive enough that his own sister hadn’t come to blows with this pretty-boy.’
’Shanshan has really grown up.’
Lu Yu thought with some emotion.
"And this is?"
Yan Mo turned his head to look at Lu Yu, who was behind the two women.
Lu Yu remained seated, casually cupping his hands. "Lu Yu of the Lu Family. A nobody, not worth mentioning."
Hearing the name "Lu Yu," a flash of surprise crossed Yan Mo’s eyes.
That General Lu had many children, but their quality was nothing to write home about. Few of the Lu Family’s legitimate line were accomplished. However, one illegitimate son was said to be excellent; even his teacher, the Prefect, praised him often.
His teacher, the Prefect, had even lavished high praise on him, describing him as having "an exquisitely cunning mind and a gift for natural ingenuity."
However, Lu Yu spent his years with the Lingzhou Army, so he rarely appeared in public.
"So it’s Brother Lu."
Yan Mo’s smile remained gentle.
Jiang Yan spoke up at the right moment. "Brother Yan, what brings you to Huanglong Prefecture?"
Yan Mo: "I just wanted to meet the person who gave Brother Kaiyang such a fall."
"Bai Yuan?"
"Precisely."
Yan Mo nodded.
Lu Yu curled his lip. "If you meet my Brother Bai, you’ll definitely be beaten to death."
This time, Jiang Yan’s expression turned to one of interest. "You really know Bai Yuan?"
She had heard from Lu Shanshan that Lu Yu had spent some time in Huanglong Prefecture, so it was indeed possible that he knew Bai Yuan.
Lu Yu: "Of course. We’re brothers who’ve been through life and death together."
Hearing Lu Yu’s words, everyone had a different expression.
Lu Shanshan shot a glare at her half-brother.
On the surface, the Divine Mansion Sect had been attacked by the Demon Sect, but in reality, it was their own father who had personally destroyed it. This was no longer a secret among the upper echelons of Ling Province.
But here Lu Yu was, calling the new Sect Leader of the Divine Mansion Sect his brother. It was truly... hard to comment on.
Yan Mo wasn’t angered, his self-cultivation excellent.
"We won’t know if I’ll be beaten to death until after we fight."
The people of the Northern Plains were fierce and robust, which was why there were so many Jianghu People.
Thus, even Yan Mo, who came from Qingshan Academy, was tinged with a belligerent aura.
Perhaps it was precisely for this reason that the Prefect of Lingzhou valued him and took him on as a student.
Everyone in Ling Province knew that neither the Prefect nor the General was good-tempered.
’Fifteenth on the Heavenly Rankings...’
A smile touched the corners of Yan Mo’s lips.
His purpose in coming here was simple: to make a name for himself.
The Heavenly Rankings were now extremely influential. As long as he could step on Bai Yuan to take the fifteenth spot on the Rankings, he could use that fame to seek a higher official position in Ling Province.
Scholars, naturally, were meant to become officials.
But becoming an official required more than just practicing martial arts and passing exams for a title. More importantly, one had to build momentum and prestige.
As long as his fame grew large enough to be known even by the great figures in the Imperial Court, a promotion wouldn’t be far off.
Then, with a recommendation from his teacher, the Prefect, it would be possible to secure a fourth-grade official post—and not a local one, either.
Lu Yu sneered inwardly.
He naturally knew what Yan Mo was thinking.
But when he thought of his Brother Bai’s methods, he felt completely at ease.
’Using my Brother Bai as a stepping stone?’
’He’d better see if his own feet are steady enough. Otherwise, he might just trip and fall to his death.’
’Brother Bai, don’t you let me down.’
...
The Hundred Thousand Mountains, Divine Mansion Sect.
Bai Yuan’s brows furrowed as he opened his eyes.
’Who’s calling me?’
Ever since his skills had improved, his perception seemed to have grown increasingly sharp. He often felt as if someone was calling his name by his ear.
Bai Yuan knew very well that this was the illusory, esoteric "Gan."
He had already touched the border of Gan.
Even he hadn’t expected that Demon Hunters would have a special talent for comprehending Gan.
