Ling Ting · Xing Ling Palace.
The incense smoke from the Incense Burner was faint, and on the outer corridor of the palace gate, two figures dressed in Purple Ribbon Daoist Robe slowly withdrew from the gate.
The two men, one fat and one thin, were both dressed in wide-sleeved Daoist robes with an apricot-yellow base and wearing Purple Gold Lotus Crown on their Upper Capital —clearly the attire of the highest-ranking members of the Daoist Sect.
Just then, First Squad geese flew slowly across the sky, but as they were about to cross Xing Ling Palace, they quickly turned a corner, naturally avoiding the area above the palace.
"All things have spirits, and the place where the supreme and holy being, worshipped by all spirits, resides is naturally avoided by living beings."
Yue Dewen sighed softly.
His Majesty's temperament changed drastically recently; I wonder if it's related to the sudden purge of the Eastern Sect.
Previously, Eastern Sect had always been closest to His Majesty.
Now, however, "Fellow Chongxuan, please be careful with your words. This is the place of the most sacred and noble beings in the heavens, and all spirits will retreat automatically to show their respect."
The tall, thin old man standing to the side said calmly.
The old man had a long, snow-white beard that reached his chest. His eyes were narrow and long, and occasionally a sharp glint would appear in them.
"Fellow Qing Yi is so eloquent, your words are truly sweet~~" Yue Dewen laughed heartily.
"How come the same thing becomes a good thing in your mouth?"
The old Daoist named Qing Yi was none other than the current Grand Master of the Great Ling Sect, the number one sect in the Number One Under Heaven, the True One Sect.
Qing Yi is his Daoist Title; his real name is Li Dao Yan.
"Brother Yue is truly brilliant. Even though it was clearly malicious talk, you managed to get His Majesty to nod in agreement. I am no match for such rhetoric," Qing Yi replied coldly.
"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me." Yue Dewen smiled smugly. "Speaking of which, Master Yuan just said about inviting His Majesty to participate in the Buddha Subduing Demons Grand Ritual..."
"The likes of the Western Sect are pretentious bastards. Their so-called demon-slaying is nothing but scorn!" Qing Yi snorted coldly, making no attempt to hide his disgust for the Western Sect.
The Sixteen Heavenly Demons Dance has now spread Great Capital.
At first, Western Sect only quietly recruited various noble Noble to participate. Later, as the number of participants increased, he simply increased the number of the Sixteen Heavenly Demons Dance Heavenly Demon Dance thirty-two, or even sixty-four, one hundred and twenty-eight. Now, he even wants to invite His Majesty to participate in such a filthy ritual. It's simply... Qing Yi's heart was filled with anger, but he quickly suppressed it.
He glanced at Yue Dewen, his mind racing with calculations.
"Brother Yue, we Daoist Sect are of one mind and share the same blood. Now the Western Sect is causing chaos in the court, openly corrupting morality and customs. We should..."
"Fellow Qing Yi, please be careful with your words. His Majesty has just agreed to participate in the grand ceremony," Yue Dewen reminded him.
"It seems you're determined to remain a bystander," Qing Yi nodded.
"My Great Dao Sect is of lowly rank and insignificant, unfit for great responsibility. How can we compare to the True One Sect, whose followers are spread throughout the world and whose masters are as numerous as clouds? Brother Li, it would be best if you did not say such a thing," Yue Dewen said with a smile.
"Hehe." Qing Yi chuckled twice, too lazy to pay any attention to this guy.
The two sometimes joined forces and sometimes faced off, and had long since gained a thorough understanding of each other.
"In that case, we'll discuss everything after Annan." Qing Yi cupped his hands and turned to leave.
This wasn't the first time Great Ling had marched into Annan, but due to the complex environment there, although each time there was a great deal of bloodshed, they were never able to occupy and conquer it.
Moreover, each journey requires a large number of physicians and medicines.
This portion of the manpower mainly came from the True One and Great Way sects.
Western Sect seized the opportunity to perform the Heavenly Demon Dance, taking advantage of this gap.
"By the way." Suddenly, Qing Yi paused and turned slightly to the side. "I heard that Brother Yue has taken on another excellent disciple. Congratulations."
"Not at all, not at all, just taking care of it casually, just taking care of it casually," Yue Dewen returned the greeting with a smile.
"Whatever? Heh, such a talented disciple, it's not just a casual remark, is it? Even His Majesty knows about it." Qing Yi replied, then strode away.
Watching the other person leave, Yue Dewen's smile remained, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.
The Buddhist School has collapsed halfway, and now the True One Sect is truly the number one sect in the Number One Under Heaven. That old man Qing Yi is getting a bit arrogant; he must be brewing some kind of conspiracy again.
I really want to slap him to death. But no, I need peace and quiet, I need to be still.
He quickly composed himself and started walking out.
While thinking about how to incite Western Sect and True One to fight.
The foundation of the Great Dao Sect is immortality, which is different from theirs.
The conflict between True One and Buddhist School is actually about the orthodox lineage of religion.
Decades ago, the senior Grand Master True One sect was ordered to revise many Daoist Scripture and establish Daoist canons, thus eliminating a large number of apocryphal scriptures and canons.
Later, in a debate with two Buddhist School, he held his own against two opponents.
This established the True One Sect's position as the foremost Daoist Daoist Sect.
Unlike the Great Dao Sect's emphasis on tranquility and non-action, the True One Sect focuses on one word—struggle.
Back then, the founder of the True One Sect traveled thousands of miles to personally lead his disciples to find the founding Ling Emperor, Lingdi, who had not yet unified the country, and discussed with him strategies for governing the country and ways of self-cultivation.
This laid the foundation.
However, because of this, True One has always been considered unorthodox by many other branches of the Daoist Sect.
Because it does not conform to the essential principles of tranquility and non-action of the Three Pure Ones of the Daoist Sect.
Therefore, the conflict between True One and Western Sect was inevitable.
All Yue Dewen needed to do was light a fire behind the scenes and give it a little push. *** Great Capital, Fude Gate.
Beneath the towering gray stone city walls, a round archway, more than ten meters high, is a continuous stream of people and vehicles coming and going.
On both sides of the doorway, itinerant merchants pushing carts and carrying boxes on their backs loudly hawked their wares.
Above the city gate is a huge semi-circular platform.
First Squad archers and crossbowmen patrolled back and forth on the hill, carrying their weapons.
Zhang Rongfang, dressed in a Daoist robe from the Heavenly Treasure Palace, sat in a carriage and slowly entered the city.
Outside the car, there was a cacophony of voices, and the neighing of horses and donkeys.
He touched his wallet and looked out the car window.
The carriage passed through the tall, thick gray city walls and entered a wide White Stone street wide enough for eight carriages to travel abreast.
The street is divided into two sides by green belts, one side leading inward and the other outward.
On the far sides, there are sidewalks for pedestrians.
On both sides of the street, houses with red pillars, gray tiles, and stone walls stand one after another, forming a continuous stretch.
Occasionally, swallow's nests and pigeon's nests would flash by under the curved, sharp eaves.
"Master Daoist, would you like me to show you the way? It'll only cost a tael of silver a day!"
"Master Daoist, I only need eight coins a day, choose me!"
"Master Daoist."
Soon, a number of people followed closely behind the carriage.
I don't know how these people figured it out, but they recognized that Zhang Rongfang was from out of town.
Zhang Rongfang ignored them and looked at the endless street ahead.
White people, black people, blue-eyed people, black-eyed people, red-eyed people—all sorts of people came and went.
Among the people busking with musical instruments, there was one playing the violin, accompanying himself by stepping on a board.
Two Hu Xi People, a man and a woman, were tap dancing, spinning around with their hands on their hips, clapping loudly from time to time.
The girl had blue eyes and fair skin; her blonde hair and short skirt twirled as she moved, sometimes rising and sometimes falling.
This drew cheers and shouts of encouragement from those around them as they threw money into the water.
Zhang Rongfang looked away. Just a hundred meters into the city, he heard shouts in no less than four foreign languages.
"Master Dao, where are we going now?" the driver asked loudly.
"Zhong Hui Trading Company Pharmacy, the largest pharmacy in Great Capital." Zhang Rongfang had already inquired about his destination before he arrived.
Zhang Qingzhi felt guilty, so he collected a lot of information about him in this regard.
They even managed to get a simple map.
"Yes!"
The driver obeyed and sped up the carriage.
Turning corners and passing through side streets.
Zhang Rongfang was a little dizzy from all this. Half an hour later, the carriage finally stopped in front of a bustling and prosperous shop.
The business occupies nearly a hundred meters of street-side shops, with a row of red doors wide open.
Small carts carrying medicinal herbs were constantly coming and going.
Some carts were piled with bundles of medicinal herbs that were five or six meters long, resembling small mountains.
Zhang Rongfang gave a few instructions, told the carriage to find a parking space, and got off to stand in front of the shop.
As soon as I got off the bus, a waiter wearing a gray hat and a gray short-sleeved shirt came forward to greet me.
"This Daoist priest, are you here to buy medicine? Oh my, it's actually a Daoist priest from the Heavenly Treasure Palace! My apologies, please come in."
"Our Zhong Hui Trading Company is the largest medicinal herb trading company in the entire Great Capital. Whatever medicine you need, we have it all!"
This fellow had a keen eye; he recognized Zhang Rongfang's origins in just a few words.
Soon, Zhang Rongfang was led inside the business.
Upon entering, you are greeted by a grand hall that spans two floors.
There are spiral staircases on both sides leading to the second floor.
After asking questions, the waiter led Zhang Rongfang to a Quiet Room on the second floor to wait.
Less than two minutes after I sat down, a maid immediately brought me a plate of tea and fruit.
A middle-aged man with a shiny forehead and a slightly bald head, carrying a string of money pouches around his waist, strode into the room.
Upon entering, the man immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhang Rongfang.
"My name is Shen Zheyun, the manager of the trading company. I heard that you, Master, wish to buy a hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum?"
Zhang Rongfang sized up the man.
The other person had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes showed shrewdness and fatigue. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing his strong muscles.
Upon entering, one is greeted by a strong, mixed aroma of medicinal herbs.
"Indeed, this humble Daoist, Heaven and Earth, needs to purchase a Hundred-Year Red Ganoderma. May I ask your esteemed merchant's opinion?"
"Hundred-Year Red Ganoderma? Yes, it exists, but..." Shen Zheyun nodded, closed his eyes, and thought for a moment.
"There should be three left in stock, but they were all pre-ordered recently."
If you're not in a hurry, it might take some time. We can get the goods from other branches."
As expected of the largest trading company, it truly has everything.
Zhang Rongfang nodded.
"How long will it take to get the goods? Please do it as soon as possible, I need it urgently, and the price is negotiable."
What he needs now is to meet the initial requirements for medicinal herbs. He can make up for it later with Attribute Points.
"I may need to inquire before I can give you an answer, but as far as I know, it will probably take at least two months for the round trip," Shen Zheyun replied.
Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly at the mention of "two months".
"This has taken quite a long time." "Master Dao, you may not know this, but wild red Ganoderma lucidum has always been one of the Main Herb needed by nobles."
It can treat deficiency of qi and blood, fatigue and weakness, and has a good effect on many heart diseases.
"So Upper Capital is ordered as soon as it's available. It's hard to keep any stock on hand," Shen Zheyun replied.
"I understand. May I ask when those few items in your trading company's inventory were ordered?" Zhang Rongfang suddenly asked.
"About half a month ago." Shen Zheyun clearly had a good memory.
Zhang Rongfang had a vague idea about what was going on "half a month ago." The image of Master Chongxuan's smiling, chubby face flashed through his mind.
After leaving Zhong Hui Trading Company, he went to several other large pharmacies out of reluctance.
The answers they received were exactly the same as those from Shen Zheyun.
All the Hundred-Year Red Ganoderma have been pre-ordered.
Left with no other choice, he had to return.