The situation in Yanling Commandery

P. S.: I took some time to type this on a network in Wuhan. The internet here is completely unusable! I swiped my ID card, but the login password didn't work at all!!!

Twenty Spirit Stone, or twenty thousand Spirit Stone Coin, is a considerable fortune even for these Inner Sect Disciples. Most of the Inner Sect Disciple present have this amount in savings. But don't forget, everyone is Cultivator, and cultivation is the primary goal. No one would be willing to spend twenty Spirit Stone to buy wine.

In fact, these Spirit Stones were also very useful to Zhuge Xiang. Although he had played the most outstanding role in today's battle, everyone had contributed. He could accept Cao Ren's Magic Artifact, but it would be too unseemly to keep these Spirit Stones for himself. A gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way. Although he did not consider himself a gentleman, he still had his principles.

For twenty Spirit Stone, Lady Liu brought over forty or fifty jars of fine wine meant for enjoying the flowers and Flower Before Moon. She broke open the seals, and the intoxicating fragrance of flowers and wine was so rich that even those outside the private room couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, everyone quickly became somewhat tipsy, and their lively conversation became much more casual. Miss Qin Qing's zither playing was indeed excellent; each note, like pearls falling onto a jade plate, seemed to gently touch the heartstrings. She chose a cheerful tune that perfectly suited the atmosphere, and Lady Liu also appropriately selected a few girls to dance gracefully in the private room.

"Junior Brother Zhuge, I've decided to be your friend. Not only are you exceptionally talented, but more importantly, you have a resolute and decisive character. Those Qingxu Sword Sect disciples suffered a loss and still had to give us such fine wine. Haha, Human Heart." Raising his wine cup, Mo Buyan sat beside Zhuge Xiang, slightly drunk, patted Zhuge Xiang's shoulder, and said familiarly.

"I promised my senior brother that I'd let you come to Flower Full Building for a proper and enjoyable meal sometime, but I didn't expect those Qingxu Sword Sect disciples to be so sensible. Come, let's toast the Qingxu Sword Sect." Zhuge Xiang, who was also not good at drinking, was at least five parts drunk while others were only three parts drunk. He raised his cup and shouted.

"Haha, yes, let's toast those Qingxu Sword Sect Disciples!" Following Zhuge Xiang's words, the other Inner Sect Disciple also laughed strangely, raised their wine cups, and said in unison, then drank them down in one gulp.

"By the way, Senior Brother Senior Brother Mo, I'm new here and there are many things I don't understand. May I ask you for your guidance?" Zhuge Xiang asked in a low voice after taking a sip of wine.

"Why bother with such formalities between us? As long as it's something your senior brother knows, he'll tell you everything without reservation," Mo Buyan, patting his chest with his hearty voice.

"First of all, there's the situation in Yanling Commandery. Yanling Commandery is one of the Thirteen Commanderies of the Great Qin Empire, and it is governed by our Asura Sect on behalf of Heaven. But why does the small Qingxu Sword Sect dare to challenge our Asura Sect?" Zhuge Xiang asked in a low voice.

"Junior brother, you are unaware of this. In Yanling Commandery, our Asura Sect is indeed the largest. However, in this land, there are not only our Asura Sect Sect also other sects, such as Weituo Temple, Qingxu Sword Sect, and Tiandao Sect, as well as more than a dozen other Small and Medium-Sized Sects. If these forces were to unite as one, they would pose a considerable threat to our Asura Sect."

"Back then, Emperor Qin Ying Zheng, although he relied on the strength of our Nine Great Sects to pacify the Six Nations and unify the world, many cultivation sects from those six Six Nations were preserved and refused to submit to the rule of the Ying Clan royal family. Our Asura Sect guarded Yanling Commandery, and one of our tasks was to suppress the rebellious thoughts of these sects. Besides, even without this connection, our Asura Sect was the only dominant sect and controlled the most resources in Yanling Commandery. The Small and Medium-Sized Sects naturally received less, so it was normal for them to hate us. One sect was not enough to fight against us, so they naturally united."

"I see," Zhuge Xiang nodded in understanding upon hearing Mo Buyan's words.

The Asura Sect is the largest and occupies the most resources, while other sects receive fewer resources. Naturally, they will hate the Asura Sect. It's no wonder that the disciples of the Qingxu Sword Sect dared to provoke the Asura Sect. In order to fight against the Asura Sect, these Small and Medium-Sized Sects seem to have formed an alliance.

That's true. Many of the Inner Sect's missions involve conflicts arising from the mining of resources such as ores and medicinal herbs, which is why the disciples of the Battle Hall are tasked with suppressing them.

"What about the Hundred Flowers Palace? Is it also one of these Small and Medium-Sized Sects?" Suddenly remembering Mo Wuyan saying that the Flower Full Building was a property of the Cultivation Sect Hundred Flowers Palace, Zhuge Xiang asked.

"That's not it. The Hundred Flowers Palace isn't actually a sect from our Yanling Commandery. It's an affiliated sect of the Yin Yang Demonic Palace, one of the Nine Great Sects of the Great Qin Empire. They specialize in running the Flower Full Building and accumulating wealth for the Yin Yang Demonic Palace." Shaking his head, Mo Wuyan, as expected of a disciple around thirty years old, was very knowledgeable about the situation in Yanling Commandery. Zhuge Xiang was new here, so asking him these questions was the right thing to do.

Although these words were simple, Zhuge Xiang gained a general understanding of the situation in Yanling Commandery.

After a moment of silence, Zhuge Xiang shifted closer to Mo Buyan and asked in a low voice, "What's the story with the War Hall Master? And who is Qing Mingzi? Would you mind revealing that, Senior Brother?"

"Senior Brother Qing Mingzi?" After a moment of silence, Mo Buyan and said in a low voice, "Discussions about Senior Brother Qing Mingzi are forbidden within the Inner Sect. Therefore, most Inner Sect Disciple only know of his name but not who he really is. Even I, who have been in the Inner Sect for five years, don't know much about him."

"Rumor has it that Senior Brother Qing Mingzi was once the Inner Sect's chosen genius, Chosen One, and had even already passed Heavenly Tribulation, achieving the Nascent Deity Transformation. Originally, the position of the Inner Sect's War Hall Master should have fallen to Senior Brother Qing Mingzi. Unfortunately, something seemed to have happened five years ago, causing Senior Brother Qing Mingzi to fall into a slump. And the position of War Hall Master, by some strange twist of fate, fell to the current Hall Master."

At this point, Mo Buyan paused slightly, looked around to make sure no one else was watching, and whispered in Zhuge Xiang's ear, "I've heard that because this position of Hall Master was obtained so by sheer luck, the Hall Master has been walking on thin ice every day for years, afraid that others will say he doesn't deserve his current position. He's constantly worried about losing it, especially afraid that a disciple with exceptional talent will surpass him in the future. So, he's secretly used underhanded methods to harm several talented Inner Sect Genius Disciple. Of course, this is just what I've heard; I don't know if it's true."

"Okay, I understand," Zhuge Xiang nodded knowingly, indicating that he understood Mo Buyan's words. He also became secretly serious. Zhuge Xiang had a feeling that he was in the Asura Sect Inner Sect and it seemed that things would not be peaceful.

"Come on, everyone, let's drink heartily!" Having just arrived, Zhuge Xiang was in a good mood, having already learned everything he needed to about Yanling Commandery and the Inner Sect Battle Hall. He raised his wine cup, and the other Inner Sect Disciple responded in unison.

No one knew how long they had been drinking, but Zhuge Xiang was already seven or eight parts drunk. With the last ding-dong, the dancing girls who had been gracefully dancing had all dispersed, and Miss Qin Qing's zither playing stopped like a jade bead falling onto a plate. Before they knew it, everyone had been drinking until late at night.

"Qin Qing has no particular hobbies, but she enjoys playing Silk-String Music. I would like to ask Young Master Zhuge for his opinion," Qin Qing said, her slender, fair hands gently caressing the Qin Strings, pressing down the last lingering notes of the music, leaving a lasting impression. At the same time, Miss Qin Qing asked Zhuge Xiang.

"I don't know much about these things. If you asked me to comment, it would be like chewing wax, or a cow chewing on a peony," Zhuge Xiang replied, shaking his head, his tongue slightly swollen and him seven or eight parts drunk.

Mo Buyan and the others heard Miss Qin Qing asking Zhuge Xiang a question, they exchanged knowing smiles. Clearly, Zhuge Xiang's behavior today had attracted Miss Qin Qing's attention. If Zhuge Xiang put in a little more effort, staying overnight at Flower Full Building and getting intimate with her should not be a problem.

It's a pity that Zhuge Xiang's alcohol tolerance was so poor. At this point, even a fool would know to say a few nice words to win her heart, but he simply shook his head.

"It is precisely because Young Master Zhuge remains still that you can offer your critique. Setting aside technical aspects like zither skills, Young Master Zhuge will surely be able to give me a fair answer regarding the artistic conception of the zither." Although Zhuge Xiang shook his head to indicate that he did not know anything about the zither, Miss Qin Qing continued to press him, her beautiful eyes fixed on Zhuge Xiang.

"A Casanova!" Mo Buyan and the others exchanged glances, the word reflexively flashing through their minds.

Miss Qin Qing is renowned throughout Yanling Commandery for both her beauty and talent. Countless men yearn for her music but cannot win her heart. Yet, she is captivated by Zhuge Xiang, whom she has just met. The fact that she only asks him speaks volumes.

"She's beautiful, but her music isn't," Zhuge Xiang grinned, slurring his words as he looked into Qin Qing's beautiful eyes.

Upon hearing the first half of Zhuge Xiang's sentence, Qin Qing's face lit up with a charming smile. However, after Zhuge Xiang the entire sentence, the smile on Qin Qing's face froze. Her reputation for her musical skills resounded throughout the entire Yanling Commandery, yet she never expected to receive a comment that her music was not beautiful.

Mo Buyan and the others were also stunned. They had thought that Zhuge Xiang was a Casanova who had easily attracted Miss Qin Qing's attention, but they did not expect that he would give a derogatory evaluation of Miss Qin Qing's superb zither skills.

"You..." Qin Qing's face showed displeasure, her fair finger pointing at Zhuge Xiang, too angry to speak.

If it were in other aspects, Qin Qing would think she could accept being Zhuge Xiang, but being belittled about her proud zither skills was something Qin Qing found hard to accept.

"I wonder what aspect you mean when Young Master Zhuge says my zither playing is not beautiful?" Qin Qing asked, her face clearly showing resentment and dissatisfaction, her beautiful eyes fixed on Zhuge Xiang, wanting to see how he would answer. (To be continued...)