All Sides Scheming, Plotting for Qingshan

All Sides Scheming, Plotting for Qingshan

"Gulp."

No one knew who had nervously swallowed.

Though it was the bitterly cold twelfth lunar month, with frigid winds howling, the terrifying aura spilling out from the river had reduced the riverbank at East River Town to dead silence. Of the ten thousand people gathered there, not one dared make a sound.

Even the children had their mouths clamped shut by their parents and were pinned beneath them.

Zhang Qing's pretty face had gone pale with tension, yet she still forced herself to remain calm. "Everyone, I know you bear resentment toward me. But now that the demon has emerged, it certainly will not spare anyone here."

"I have already prepared contingencies. As long as you attack the demon, afterward everyone will receive a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills and thirty spirit stones!"

Xu Xiao added, "I will give each of you an additional bottle of Yellow Sprout Pills. As long as you fight with all you have, you may come to me afterward to claim them."

"But if anyone dares try to retreat—"

Xu Xiao did not finish, but every Rogue Cultivator understood what she meant: retreat, and die!

The vortex in the middle of the river grew larger and larger. A huge, savage head coated in gold lacquer emerged from its depths.

The instant that head appeared, its golden eyes fixed dead on the Rogue Cultivators along the riverbank. Its mouth split open, revealing rows of sharp fangs. "This god heard that you wish to slay demons and vanquish evil?"

The moment those words fell, Zhang Qing's face turned deathly pale. Something was wrong!

It was not just Zhang Qing. The Rogue Cultivators and townsfolk also realized something was amiss. Why did the River God not seem weakened in the slightest?!

The cold wind wailed as the waters of the Taiping River began to churn into waves.

Standing atop a wave several zhang high was the River God, with the head of a fish and the body of a man. He wielded a pointed trident, fish fins sprouting from his back, and his golden vertical pupils brimmed with cruelty. "A pack of ants dares dream of slaying a god? Today, none of you will escape. Die for this god!"

With a roar from the River God, he swung his trident. The Taiping River surged and roiled, waves several zhang high crashing toward the shore as though heaven and earth were overturning.

The people of East River Town stared in horror as the floodwaters rushed toward them. The waves were taller than the city walls, bearing down with a terrifying force as though they would destroy everything in their path.

After a moment of stunned silence, every townsman erupted into terrified cries and scattered in flight!

Standing atop the waves, the River God grinned. "What a marvelous sight."

Xu Xiao looked at the Qi Refinement cultivators trying to retreat and shouted angrily, "What are you standing around for?! Attack!"

Wang Ping gripped the lowest-quality spirit artifact in his hand until his knuckles turned white. The fear in his heart grew ever greater, until it became a black hole that swallowed him whole.

The next moment, Wang Ping lost his mind. Screaming hoarsely, he raised his weapon and charged toward the River God's towering, godlike body, desperately unleashing spell after spell.

Then, as the several-zhang-high wave came crashing down with the weight of a thousand jun, Wang Ping was instantly reduced to a puddle of blood.

When the other Qi Refinement Rogue Cultivators saw this, how could they possibly endure any longer? They fled in terror.

Even though they had swallowed poison, their instinct to survive still made them unwilling to die here.

The River God watched the dark mass of townsfolk scatter like ants. Countless people fell, countless were trampled, and countless were separated from their families. His heart filled with delight and exhilaration. "You ants, do you now know how to revere a god?"

Xu Xiao grabbed Zhang Qing, summoned her brocade handkerchief beneath them, and carried them both straight into the air, evading the river water.

Looking down again, they saw muddy water continuously surging out from the Taiping River. Wave after wave battered the shore, swallowing the land and living things along the banks.

The Rogue Cultivators were useless. Fellow Daoist Wen, Old Master Qiao, Young Master Kongxu, why had they not appeared yet?

Xu Xiao was frantic with anxiety.

Meanwhile, atop Qingping Mountain, Jiang Sheng sat quietly in meditation on a stone slab at the summit.

The weather was not good that day. Dark clouds covered the sky and cold winds howled. From the Daoist temple halfway up the mountain, not even a trace of sunlight could be seen.

Tian Ming'an stood silently behind Jiang Sheng. His martial training had yielded considerable results lately, and he no longer feared the summit's freezing winds as he once had.

From the mountaintop, looking toward the Taiping River, they could clearly see the river water gradually swallowing the land.

Several towns of Qingshan County lay along the Taiping River. Tens of thousands lived along its banks, with East River Town alone holding over ten thousand people.

Tian Ming'an knew that today was the day the county magistrate had set for slaying demons and vanquishing evil. Yet judging by the situation along the river, the people of East River Town had clearly already suffered disaster.

"Master..." Tian Ming'an could not help but speak, wanting to say something, but once he opened his mouth, he did not know what to say. He could only close it again.

"You wish to ask why, on the day set for slaying demons and vanquishing evil, your master has not acted? Or do you wish to ask why, despite having left seclusion, your master still sits by and watches the people of East River Town suffer?" Jiang Sheng's voice was gentle, and at the sound of it, all agitation seemed to vanish in an instant, leaving only peace and calm.

Jiang Sheng rose to his feet and looked at the somewhat helpless Tian Ming'an behind him, his gaze remaining tranquil. "Do not be impatient. It is not yet time for your master to act."

"When hunters hunt large, fierce beasts, they must continually wear down the beast's strength and keep bleeding it. Even once the beast is exhausted, the hunter must still tread carefully. Otherwise, one moment of carelessness and he will suffer the beast's dying bite."

"The River God of the Taiping River is a genuine Purple Mansion Realm demon. Dealing with him will not be as easy for your master as dealing with the Eight Wolves of Dongjun."

Tian Ming'an suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Then, Master, County Magistrate Zhang's plan was to abandon East River Town from the very beginning?!"

Jiang Sheng shook his head. "Not only that."

"East River Town, West River Town, Stone Mountain Town, Big Willow Town, Peaceful Town—all of them will be abandoned! Even Qingping Town at the foot of Qingping Mountain may be abandoned."

"Only after the demon has flooded the six towns and driven the river waters into the heartland of Qingshan County will your master act."

A chill ran down Tian Ming'an's spine. Six towns—that meant the lives of tens of thousands of people!

County Magistrate Zhang intended to trade the lives of the people in Qingshan County's six riverside towns for a chance to slay the demon. But was he not killing the demon because he cared deeply for the people?

Was he not a man who loved his people as his own children?

Seeing Tian Ming'an's astonished expression, Jiang Sheng snorted coldly. "Those who accomplish great things do not fuss over trifles. How much less should they in a plan like this?"

Tian Ming'an felt as though something inside him had shattered. "But... but why?"

Jiang Sheng frowned slightly. "Why must there be so many whys?"

"There is a Purple Mansion Realm demon in the Taiping River. As long as it remains there, your master cannot know a moment's peace on Qingping Mountain."

"And County Magistrate Zhang is also constrained by the gentry of Qingshan County. If the people revere the River God, who will listen to him, the county magistrate? Besides, slaying demons and clearing away illicit cults is a major political achievement. Why do you think County Magistrate Zhang would do this?"

Tian Ming'an was completely dumbfounded. All at once, he felt that this world was so real, yet so unfamiliar.

Jiang Sheng continued, "Do you understand now why your master could not be bothered to leave the mountain?"

"Outside the mountain is County Magistrate Zhang's territory. Within the mountain is your master's Daoist ground. This was agreed upon between us from the beginning, and it is why your master is unwilling to leave the mountain."

Tian Ming'an looked somewhat lost. "This disciple always thought County Magistrate Zhang was a good man."

Jiang Sheng gave a soft laugh. "A good man? Even your master does not dare claim to be one. County Magistrate Zhang became the magistrate of an entire county before reaching forty. How could he possibly be some soft-hearted fool?"

"And by your logic, your master deliberately conserved his strength, used those Rogue Cultivators as expendable pawns, and allowed the demon to flood six towns and drown tens of thousands of people. Does that not make your master a person guilty of every conceivable crime as well?"

Tian Ming'an repeatedly said he would never dare, but Jiang Sheng merely waved a hand, looking utterly carefree. "When I came to this mountain and met your grandfather, I said that I only wanted a quiet place for peaceful cultivation. Matters beyond the mountain have nothing to do with me. Let alone Qingping Town—even if everyone in Qingshan County died, what would that have to do with me?"

"Your grandfather is a clever man. He foresaw this day long ago, which is why he sent you up the mountain—to preserve the Tian Family bloodline. Your grandfather is someone of consequence. I was willing to be his friend despite the difference in our ages, and that is why you were allowed up the mountain. Otherwise, did you truly think kneeling in the wind and snow for seven or eight days had moved me?"

Seeing Tian Ming'an's stunned expression, Jiang Sheng could not help but laugh. "You are far too naive. Not to mention coming here—even if you went to some random sect with Foundation Establishment or Purple Mansion Realm cultivators, forget kneeling for seven or eight days. Even if you knelt for seventy or eighty days, or seven or eight years, if they did not want you, they still would not want you."

"I merely found an excuse to take you in."

Those words shook Tian Ming'an to his core. He had never imagined there were such factors involved. He had always believed that his sincerity had moved Jiang Sheng.

Jiang Sheng's star-like eyes watched the frozen Tian Ming'an with amusement. "I imagine that during those days, your grandfather kept trying to persuade you to give up—to enjoy wealth and comfort, or go to some academy or Daoist palace in Dongjun?"

Tian Ming'an nodded unconsciously. Jiang Sheng smiled. "Do you know what your grandfather was truly thinking at that time?"

When Tian Ming'an shook his head, Jiang Sheng gently patted him on the shoulder. "My grandson, you must hold on. The Tian Family's future can depend only on you."

Those words exploded in Tian Ming'an's mind like thunder, leaving him rooted where he stood.

Only after a long while did Tian Ming'an recover. At that moment, his mouth was filled with bitterness and his thoughts were in complete turmoil. He truly did not know how to describe what he felt. He only felt that he appeared clever, but was actually as stupid as a donkey.

All this time, he had worried himself over nothing. All this time, the gentry and wealthy merchants of Qingshan County had painstakingly stirred up public sentiment and deceived the people. They believed their secret schemes were flawless, but everything had long been within someone else's plans.

Whether evil cultivators ran rampant or ignorant fools caused trouble, the entire situation in Qingshan County looked chaotic and dangerous, yet it had always remained under the control of Jiang Sheng and Zhang Qingyun!

Jiang Sheng chuckled. "Do you know why your grandfather had you come up the mountain to cultivate?"

"Only cultivation allows one to grasp one's own fate. Only by relying on a powerful backer can one avoid easily becoming a pawn."

"Who are the pawns? The wealthy merchants and gentry of all Qingshan County, evil cultivators and Rogue Cultivators alike—they are all pawns. Your grandfather is a pawn as well."

"As for the common people, there is no need to mention them. They are merely ignorant rabble. Whoever shouts loudest is the one they listen to, drifting through life like grass and weeds."

As he spoke, Jiang Sheng let out a soft sigh. "Ordinary mortals spend their entire lives toiling amid worldly affairs, their life and death not their own to command."

"Mortals trouble themselves in vain, and in the end, they gain nothing but an empty gust of wind."

First update.

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PS: I never said Zhang Qingyun was a good person. When Zhang Qing was making her plans, Zhang Qingyun never objected, which already made his stance clear. What he cared about was only slaying the demon, not how many people suffered. Otherwise, when the city was being harassed by evil cultivators, he would have asked Jiang Sheng to act long ago.

And Jiang Sheng was never kind-hearted. He was a cultivator. External affairs had nothing to do with him; he simply did not want threats near him.

As for the rest, Lin Yuan had actually hinted at many things already. If you still have questions, we can discuss them in the comments.

(End of Chapter)