"Daoist, you dwell in seclusion on Qingping Mountain, watching the winds rise and the clouds surge."
"Though you never set foot outside, you know the affairs of the world. Hidden away in your temple, your might still shakes a thousand miles around. What an immortal's life!"
A graceful young gentleman leaned against the hall doorway with a smile, wearing flowing-cloud white robes, a floral sash, an azure crown, and boots embroidered with lions playing with pearls.
His features were somewhat feminine, but that did nothing to diminish his bearing. Instead, they lent him an extra touch of elegance, making him look like the reigning court's third-ranked imperial scholar.
Jiang Sheng sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his expression composed and his eyes lowered. Holding a book, he slowly turned its pages. "What is wrong with that? Speaking of which, I have heard quite a bit about you, fellow Daoist."
"They say the romantic scholar famed throughout Qing Province has been roaming the mountains and waters of Qingshan County, always accompanied by beauties, composing poems and exchanging verses as he smiles amid the wind and moonlight. What a carefree life."
"Young Master Kongxu, why come looking for me instead of continuing to enjoy yourself?"
The visitor was none other than Young Master Kongxu, a rogue cultivator renowned throughout Qing Province.
Young Master Kongxu surveyed the front hall. Everything was new, and he could still catch faint traces of the wood's scent.
The hall had few decorations: azure bricks, meditation cushions, an incense table, and a portrait enshrined upon it.
After a moment's silence, Young Master Kongxu asked, "Daoist, are you aware that rumors have been spreading everywhere in Qingshan County Seat lately?"
"What does that have to do with me?" Jiang Sheng asked in return.
The corner of Young Master Kongxu's eye twitched. Unable to help himself, he said, "Daoist, trouble in Qingshan County is hardly good news for either of us!"
"Do not forget our objective—the River God in the Taiping River! If Qingshan County falls into utter chaos, who will have time to deal with that River God?"
Jiang Sheng looked at Young Master Kongxu, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Are you worried about slaying demons and vanquishing evil, or about the lives of Qingshan County's magistrate and people?"
"Or perhaps you are worried about the purple yang jade the magistrate promised you?"
Purple yang jade was a treasure that safeguarded Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators when they opened their Purple Mansion.
Such a spiritual treasure could increase a cultivator's chances of opening their Purple Mansion by ten percent. If they failed, it could also protect their heart meridians and preserve most of their cultivation, preventing them from dying on the spot.
Anyone who used purple yang jade would have another chance even if they failed to open their Purple Mansion.
Treasures of this kind, however, had always been controlled by the Qi Kingdom's court, the great aristocratic clans, and the major sects of each province.
Although Young Master Kongxu had stumbled into a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator's cave abode and obtained his legacy, that cultivator had been a rogue cultivator himself, with few possessions.
It had already been no small feat for that legacy to carry Young Master Kongxu into the Foundation Establishment Realm. Resources for the Purple Mansion Realm were scant indeed.
There was certainly nothing as precious as purple yang jade among those natural treasures.
But just because Young Master Kongxu could not obtain it did not mean Zhang Qingyun could not.
For Zhang Qingyun to become a county magistrate at forty, his lineage had contributed a great deal.
Moreover, Zhang Qingyun was an official appointed by the court. Every few years, the court distributed cultivation resources to the provinces, allocating them either to the Dao Palace or to the government offices.
That was why Young Master Kongxu had chosen to cooperate with Zhang Qingyun.
The same was even truer of Wenren Jie, the renowned rogue cultivator and hero of Qing Province. The cultivation method he practiced was incomplete, and his path ended at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
If Wenren Jie wanted to continue cultivating, he would have to complete the missing portions or switch to another cultivation method.
Yet what cultivation method capable of reaching the Foundation Establishment Late Stage was not firmly controlled by the court, cultivation lineages, or sects?
As for methods that reached the Purple Mansion Realm, apart from trying one's luck in the cave abodes of predecessors, the only chance of obtaining one was to serve the court or an aristocratic clan, or join a sect as an outer sect elder. Even then, it would not take one to the late stage of the Purple Mansion Realm.
Never mind the Qi Kingdom—which nation on the Eastern Domain Continent was any different?
The court, aristocratic clans, and sects held a tight grip on every kind of resource: cultivation methods, spiritual veins, pills, magical artifacts, spiritual plants, and spiritual treasures.
The distinction between insiders and outsiders was stark.
Leaving aside aristocratic clans, whose bonds were built on kinship and blood, even the court, which recruited talent without rigid restrictions, distinguished between those close to it and those distant. Sects placed even greater importance on raising disciples from childhood.
Rogue cultivators had a difficult life wherever they went.
That was why every rogue cultivator who established their foundation and opened their Purple Mansion through their own efforts became so famous. Every one of them possessed tremendous fortune.
Wenren Jie wanted a cultivation method, and Young Master Kongxu wanted purple yang jade. In truth, they were the ones least willing to see anything happen to Zhang Qingyun, and the most eager for the demon-slaying operation to succeed.
Now rumors ran rampant throughout Qingshan County, leaving everyone uneasy. The gentry and wealthy merchants in the county seat had joined forces to resist the county office's decrees, while the people of the surrounding towns were submitting petitions, hoping the authorities would abandon the operation.
The county office had become the center of a whirlpool, and Zhang Qingyun had been suspended above a pot of boiling oil. Whoever lurked behind it all was probably smiling as they watched him fry.
How could Young Master Kongxu not be anxious under such circumstances?
Wenren Jie had already rushed back to the county seat to assist Xu Xiao. After turning the matter over in his mind, Young Master Kongxu had decided he still needed to ask Jiang Sheng to leave the mountain.
After all, Jiang Sheng's strength was plain for all to see. The Eight Wolves of Dongjun had all died at his hands. If he stepped forward, the unrest throughout Qingshan County would surely subside.
But now that Jiang Sheng had exposed his intentions with a single remark, Young Master Kongxu no longer knew how to say what he had prepared.
"Young Master Kongxu, if you truly are worried about your purple yang jade, you should be in Qingshan County right now, not here with me," Jiang Sheng said.
Young Master Kongxu merely smiled at that. He surveyed the tranquil, elegant Daoist temple, then turned to gaze at the distant mountains. Suddenly, he said with a smile, "Daoist, Qingping Mountain is uniquely favored by nature, with spiritual resonance stirring beneath the surface. What a treasure of a place!"
"If I cultivated here, I imagine it would not take long for my bottleneck to loosen. Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, or even opening my Purple Mansion, would hardly be difficult then."
The look in Jiang Sheng's eyes changed slightly as he regarded Young Master Kongxu.
Although Young Master Kongxu had his back to Jiang Sheng, he instantly felt a stabbing sensation, as though a blade were poised against his back. It lasted only a moment, but his body stiffened.
Realizing he seemed to have said something wrong, Young Master Kongxu gave a couple of awkward laughs. "Haha, since you are unwilling to leave the mountain, Daoist, I will not trouble you further. I shall return to the county seat and lend Fairy Xu a hand."
With that, Young Master Kongxu left the temple with an outward air of composure, then immediately rode the wind away. He moved so swiftly that he vanished into the horizon in mere moments.
Jiang Sheng silently watched the direction in which Young Master Kongxu had departed. At some point, the easy serenity in his eyes had turned to icy indifference.
"Master..." Tian Ming'an appeared behind Jiang Sheng.
"Ming'an," Jiang Sheng said softly.
"Your disciple is here," Tian Ming'an replied.
"If someone coveted your household's wealth, what would you do?" Jiang Sheng asked.
Tian Ming'an answered without hesitation, "Fight back, of course. What right does anyone have to covet the Tian Family's wealth?"
Then Tian Ming'an added, "If they were more powerful than our household, we could only endure it for the time being. Once we grew stronger, or found an opportunity, we would strike back."
Jiang Sheng nodded. "Indeed. It is not the thief who steals that you fear, but the thief who keeps your possessions in mind. Someone takes a fancy to what you own, yet gives no sign of it, lurking in the shadows and patiently waiting for an opportunity."
"What a blessing it is for me to encounter such a thing."
Tian Ming'an asked cautiously, "Master, has that Young Master Kongxu set his sights on us?"
Jiang Sheng gave a slight nod. "He has that intention."
"Then, Master, what do you intend to do?" Tian Ming'an asked.
Jiang Sheng withdrew his gaze from the distance and continued turning the pages of his book. "Do you know where Young Master Kongxu went wrong?"
Tian Ming'an considered it before answering, "Was it in coveting what belongs to us?"
Jiang Sheng put down the book and looked at Tian Ming'an. "Wrong. His mistake was not discovering what I had concealed, nor was it coveting my possessions."
"His greatest mistake was coveting my possessions despite being weaker than me."
Tian Ming'an nodded, only half understanding. Then he saw Jiang Sheng rise and stretch. "But he will not die just yet, because he is still useful to me alive."
"Enough. Let us leave him alone for now. I will examine your recent progress in cultivation. As for Young Master Kongxu, I will deal with him after the river god grand sacrifice."
Tian Ming'an was delighted to hear that and hurriedly said, "Master, lately I have felt much stronger, and my thoughts have been especially clear. I can faintly sense qi stirring in my abdomen. I imagine I will soon be able to draw qi into my body."
Jiang Sheng chuckled. "Why are you in such a hurry? Are you hoping to catch up to me?"
"Do you know that I grew up in the Dao Sect? From an infant in swaddling clothes, through learning to babble and then to walk, even though I was precocious, I did not begin learning cultivation until I was eight."
"Even then, I began with literary studies and martial training. It took a full four years before I drew qi into my body."
"Cultivation is not something you can rush."
Tian Ming'an was a little disappointed, but he soon adjusted his mood and began demonstrating his martial skills for Jiang Sheng with meticulous care.
As Jiang Sheng watched the solemn expression on Tian Ming'an's little face, his thoughts had already drifted far away. Qingping Mountain is the cultivation sanctuary I claimed, the place I chose to open my Purple Mansion and even form my Golden Core!
And now I have a disciple as well. Young Master Kongxu, you covet my sanctuary, but do you think I do not want your fortuitous legacy in return?
Young Master Kongxu, do not be impatient. Once the matter of slaying demons and vanquishing evil is settled, I will send you into reincarnation.
Today's first update~ Gentlemen, please send some recommendation votes and monthly votes my way. Although I cannot post extra updates right now, I, Lin Yuan, will remember them all. Once the monthly vote count rises, I will definitely make up the extra updates. Incidentally, those gentlemen tipping Lin Yuan now will all have a chance in the future to enter Penglai, learn the Dao Lord's true teachings, dwell in cave heavens and blessed lands, and stand above the rest of the cultivation world!
(End of chapter)
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