Great Zhou Grand Ancestor, Martial Arts Sect

Near noon.

Lin Changqing finally arrived at Fengle County Town.

The once-prosperous county town seemed to have gained a touch of desolation overnight. A great many refugees had gathered outside the city gates.

And more were still gathering.

Heavily armed soldiers guarded the gates, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving at will.

Lin Changqing had spent several taels of silver before he was finally allowed through.

He had observed carefully: everyone entering the city had paid silver, the amount varying entirely according to how those City Guard Soldiers sized them up.

Seeing this, Lin Changqing could not help but frown.

At a time like this, not only had the Yamen done nothing to settle those refugees Outside the City, it was even seizing this chance to amass wealth on a grand scale.

They truly were beyond saving.

No wonder the Eternal Army created by the White Lotus Sect had seized Three Counties in such a short time.

With Fengle County Town in such a miserable state, Lin Changqing did not believe the other counties could be any better.

He did not know what the upper echelons of the Great Zhou Dynasty court were like, but at the very least, the grassroots level was utterly rotten.

Still, none of that had anything to do with him.

In this life, he only wished to seek the Dao and pursue immortality. As for the affairs of all living under heaven, someone else would naturally resolve them.

He had neither the interest nor the strength for it now.

The myriad worldly desires were not something one could so easily become entangled with.

After entering Fengle County Town, Lin Changqing did not waste words and headed straight for the Divine Weapon Pavilion. He had come this time to find Third Master Chen, so there was no need to hide anything.

"Young Master Lin, you've come..."

The moment he entered the Divine Weapon Pavilion, a Waiter came forward to greet him. Clearly, he had long recognized Lin Changqing.

"Mm. Is your Shopkeeper here?" Lin Changqing nodded and asked in a low voice.

"Yes, he's in the Backyard. The Shopkeeper gave orders that if Young Master Lin came, there was no need to announce you. I'll take you over right away..."

The Waiter was exceedingly enthusiastic.

He had no choice but to be. Others might not know, but he knew perfectly well that the young man before him was no harmless figure.

He killed without blinking. Even Qingfeng Stockade, that den of bandits and brigands, had been wiped out by him alone with a single blade.

If a lowly shop waiter like him failed to serve Lin Changqing properly and provoked his displeasure—

Lin Changqing would not even need to act. Third Master Chen would strip his skin directly.

Lin Changqing said nothing more and followed the Waiter to the Divine Weapon Pavilion's Backyard, where he happened to see Third Master Chen drinking tea in a pavilion in the courtyard.

"Young Master Lin, what wind has blown you here..."

The moment Third Master Chen saw Lin Changqing, he immediately rose to welcome him, his face full of smiles.

His attitude was clearly even better than before. In particular, there was now a trace of respect in the way he looked at Lin Changqing.

Others might not necessarily have noticed such subtle shifts in emotion.

But Lin Changqing saw through them at a glance.

Quick-witted as he was, he soon understood the reason. Third Master Chen's changed attitude toward him was likely related to his destruction of Qingfeng Stockade.

There were no walls in the world that did not let the wind through.

Lin Changqing knew well that he could not keep the matter of wiping out Qingfeng Stockade hidden.

Besides, Third Master Chen's status and background were far from ordinary. It was only natural that he would know such things.

"Third Master Chen, you truly live a comfortable little life! Guarding the Divine Weapon Pavilion, this hen that lays golden eggs, you don't need to concern yourself with anything every day.

Drink tea, listen to tunes at the pleasure houses, and there goes a whole day..."

Lin Changqing did not stand on ceremony with Third Master Chen. He walked straight over and sat opposite him, then poured himself a cup of tea and slowly drank it.

"Young Master Lin, you've wronged me there."

Third Master Chen immediately gave a Bitter Smile. "Drinking tea is true enough, but listening to music at pleasure houses? I've never done that!"

"Heh, is that so?"

Lin Changqing gave a light laugh. "Third Master Chen, do you dare say you've never gone to a pleasure house to listen to music? If that truly is the case, then who is this famous Women's Friend of Fengle County Town everyone speaks of..."

"At any rate, it isn't me!"

Third Master Chen denied it without the slightest hesitation.

Lin Changqing chuckled and did not continue teasing Third Master Chen. After draining the tea in his cup in one gulp, his gaze sharpened as he said solemnly, "Third Master Chen, Mr. Lin has come today to ask you about a few matters..."

"Ask is too grand a word. Whatever Young Master Lin wishes to know, just ask. Chen San will certainly tell you all I know and hold nothing back."

"Since that's the case, then Mr. Lin will speak plainly."

After pondering for a moment, Lin Changqing said in a deep voice, "Third Master Chen, may I ask how one can obtain more cultivation methods and martial skills...?"

"Cultivation methods and martial skills!"

Third Master Chen was stunned for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Young Master Lin, that is no easy question!

As everyone knows, Martial Arts Cultivation Methods and martial skills are incomparably precious, and are basically closely guarded secrets. Take the Chen Family, for instance. Our strength is considered fairly decent in Fengle County, isn't it?

Yet we only possess a few cultivation methods and martial skills, and they are absolute secrets, never passed on to anyone outside the Chen Family.

Because they are the foundation upon which the Chen Family stands."

Lin Changqing said nothing, his expression unchanged.

Naturally, he knew all that Third Master Chen had said. But those were not the same old platitudes he wanted to hear.

Moreover, he believed Third Master Chen had not called him here merely to say such things.

Sure enough, after pausing briefly, Third Master Chen continued, "If Young Master Lin wants cultivation methods and martial skills, there are actually only two paths.

One is to join a sect; the other is to enter the Imperial Court..."

"A sect?"

Lin Changqing immediately frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Third Master Chen, do you mean a gang?"

"Of course not."

Third Master Chen immediately shook his head. "What does a gang amount to? Even the most powerful gang in the Great Zhou Dynasty is nothing compared to a true sect.

A true sect possesses a complete martial arts inheritance, with countless cultivation methods and martial skills. Even the weakest sect has powerful experts holding down the fort, far surpassing the aristocratic families and gangs of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

I have heard that those powerful sects are not the slightest bit weaker than the Great Zhou Dynasty..."

"Oh... then why have I never seen anyone from a sect, or even heard of them before? Could it be because this is a remote frontier, where there are no sects?"

Lin Changqing was inwardly shocked as he asked in a deep voice.

"Hahaha, that is not the case."

Third Master Chen immediately shook his head. "It is because there are no sects within Great Zhou's borders. All Martial Arts Sects lie outside Great Zhou.

Back when the Great Zhou Grand Ancestor unified the realm and founded the Great Zhou Dynasty, his might weighed upon the world.

He once decreed that sects were forbidden from operating within Great Zhou, forcing all the sects under heaven to dare not set foot in the Great Zhou Dynasty."

Hiss!

Upon hearing this, Lin Changqing could not help drawing in a sharp breath. According to Third Master Chen, Martial Arts Sects were immensely powerful, even comparable to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Yet the Great Zhou Grand Ancestor had once been able to cow all the Martial Arts Sects under heaven into not daring to take a single step into the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Just how powerful had he been?

Then, as though recalling something, Lin Changqing said in a deep voice, "That's not right! By your reasoning, if I joined a sect, wouldn't I have to leave the Great Zhou Dynasty and seek out people from those sects...?"

"If this were the early days after Great Zhou's founding, that would indeed have been the case. But things are different now."

Third Master Chen shook his head slightly and sighed. "Great Zhou has stood for eight thousand years, and now it is far from what it once was.

Not only do demons and fiends run rampant, ravaging the common people.

Evil cults from beyond the borders also throw the realm into chaos. A thousand years ago, a Demon King once wreaked havoc across the land, leaving the people of Great Zhou unable to live in peace.

All of Great Zhou's powerful experts mobilized, yet they still could not defeat that Demon King.

With no other choice, they could only invite the great Martial Arts Sects beyond the borders to join forces. Only then was that Demon King, who had thrown the realm into turmoil, suppressed.

But Great Zhou also paid a tremendous price.

It abolished the Grand Ancestor's ancestral decree, acknowledged the lawful status of Martial Arts Sects, and permitted them to spread their teachings and recruit disciples within Great Zhou..."