Big Matters, Small Matters (Please Bookmark, Follow, Monthly Tickets, Recommendation Tickets)

Amid the Mountain Ranges, atop a sheer cliff.

Gu Heng's figure flashed across the sky like a streak of light before landing on a huge boulder atop the cliff. He looked toward Daoist Yucheng, who was quietly gazing at the endless Mountain Forest below.

He smiled. "What put you in such a fine mood today, coming here to enjoy the scenery?"

Daoist Yucheng flicked a finger lightly, sending out a burst of force that swept aside the gale howling over the cliff. Then he said, "Back when we had just succeeded in Qi Refining, we searched the mountains and patrolled for demons together, dreaming of slaying demons and eliminating evil, becoming great Mystic Sect Cultivators admired by all. In the blink of an eye, it's been nearly several hundred years, hasn't it?"

"Nearly three hundred years... It feels as though it were only yesterday!"

Daoist Yucheng let out a breath of stale air, turned to meet Gu Heng's eyes, and said with a Light Laugh, "Your foothold was nearly dug out from beneath you, yet you can really endure it!"

Gu Heng said irritably, "What else could I do? The people above are laying out their plans, so I can only pretend not to see it." With that, he took a jug of wine from his Storage Bag and took a fierce gulp.

"The ones setting the board seek to steal the Xia Dynasty's National Destiny... I reckon that in another hundred years, the world will descend into great chaos. I just don't know what form it will take this time."

Daoist Yucheng accepted the wine Gu Heng handed over and lowered his voice. "The imperial family..."

Gu Heng cut him off. "I have no interest in the Overall Situation, and you shouldn't cling to it too stubbornly either. Wouldn't it be better to steadily guard our shabby Daoist temple and enjoy the fine wine, beautiful scenery, and beautiful women of this world?"

Daoist Yucheng gave Gu Heng a serious look, then tipped his head back and took a drink. Staring at the magnificent rivers and mountains before them, he said, "We truly lack the ability to influence the Overall Situation, but as Chess Pieces, there is still a sliver of hope that we can slightly alter the situation in Nanlin Road."

"For your Beloved Disciple?"

"For all of us!"

"Don't forget the last failure. We are insignificant and weak; if those above do not nod in approval, there is nothing we can do."

For some reason, a faint smile appeared on Daoist Yucheng's face when he heard that. He said with a smile, "Bowing and scraping—who doesn't know how? I can do it, you can do it, and so can my Disciple!"

By the river.

Feng Miao and Xia Yao built a Wooden Platform for Zuo Suzi, then burned his corpse to ashes with a great fire. This was to prevent Evil Cultivators from refining his body.

This world had no notion of the bizarre and uncanny, but refining corpses was still possible, and the corpses of Qi practitioners made the finest materials.

Once the fire was lit, Xia Yao and Feng Miao pinned the Snake Demon before the blaze. One held down the Snake Demon's head while the other cast the Soul Searching Technique on him.

The Soul Searching Technique was also a spell commonly used by Qi practitioners. Daoist Yucheng's Spellbook contained it, but Wang Ping had not yet had the chance to learn it.

"How was it?" Wang Ping asked Feng Miao when she withdrew her power.

"His memories were erased. Even his memories of the North Mountain Mountain Forest were erased..." Feng Miao's expression turned extremely ugly. As she spoke, she silently glanced at Zuo Suzi's remains in the flames.

"Just as I thought. The Lesser Demons were only meant to lure us here. Their goal was to get rid of us here; it had originally been a foolproof plan..."

Xia Yao remained calm. Looking at Wang Ping, she said, "Thankfully Daoist Changqing was here. Otherwise, all of us would have been buried here!"

Wang Ping fell into thought. A Secret Method Cultivator working with several dozen Lesser Demons could have wiped out all four of them without the slightest effort, then pinned everything on the Lesser Demons of North Mountain. Even if the Daoist Scripture Hall investigated, a Mountain Search Operation would have been enough to account for it.

But now, things were different...

"There must be something hidden in North Mountain. Even if this Mountain Search Operation turns the entire Mountain Forest upside down, I want to see exactly what secret they are hiding!" Feng Miao said fiercely.

"I'm afraid it will only become Unnecessary Trouble in the end!"

Xia Yao gazed toward North Mountain. Since the Secret Method Cultivator had failed to strike them down in one blow, he would certainly flee at once, and most of the secrets would be taken away.

She had returned to a rational state and said, "Also, Daoist Gu Heng was right. We are not suited to take part in this Mountain Search Operation any longer..."

"I'll stay behind. You go back first and report..."

"What I mean is, we can join them as Ordinary Qi Practitioners, rather than in the name of this assignment."

Wang Ping added, "Let's wait until the fellow Daoists from Sanhe Temple arrive first..."

The people from Sanhe Temple arrived the next day.

Zhao Qing had encountered them on the road. Leading them was a Middle-aged Qi Practitioner with the Daoist Name Guangxuan, accompanied by several dozen Disciples. From the look of it, they intended to wipe out the Monsters of North Mountain completely.

The group did not enter the county town. Instead, they stayed at the residence of a Wealthy Household outside the city.

The Wealthy Household's surname was Tian, and Guangxuan called him Master Tian.

After the various parties exchanged greetings, Feng Miao directly asked about the Serious Matter...

Guangxuan did not answer directly. Instead, he looked at Master Tian and said with a smile, "You tell us first. How did things end up in their current state?"

Master Tian looked to be around fifty. His hair had already turned gray, the wrinkles on his face were pronounced, and the qi and blood within him were already declining. When Guangxuan called on him, he smiled and cupped his hands. "Daoist Priests, the matter of North Mountain began ten years ago..."

It was a very clichéd story. Ten years ago, someone had first brought out high-quality furs from North Mountain to barter in business, and then a vast Business Network gradually took shape. In the end, no one could say just how deep the waters ran.

"We are merely ordinary folk, so we do not think that far ahead. Over the years, no less than six hundred thousand taels of silver have passed through my hands, but less than twenty thousand taels truly reached me. Most of the money went to fill the deficit of the Provincial Governor's Yamen..."

"What deficit does the Provincial Governor's Yamen have?" Xia Yao demanded.

"The Military Expenses for suppressing the Northwest Rebellion were all raised by the provincial governors across the south. If not for the business in the Mountain Forest sustaining us, Public Outcry would have long boiled over here..."

"So you mean we are the ones in the wrong?" Guangxuan asked with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"I wouldn't dare!" Master Tian waved his hands repeatedly.

Guangxuan did not waste words with him and went straight to the point. "The Disciples of Sanhe Temple will be able to establish an Outpost Camp and Sentry Towers on the outskirts of the North Mountain Mountain Forest by tonight. The prefect's official documents have also been delivered to the two County Magistrates. They will muster their Troops and join us as quickly as possible."

He said this to Master Tian, making his stance clear.

"I am willing to contribute twenty thousand taels to support this Mountain Search Operation!" Master Tian declared decisively, then found an excuse to take his leave.

Once the host had tactfully departed, Guangxuan turned to Wang Ping and cupped his hands. "Fellow Changqing, to be honest, I have long known about the situation in Shu County. But the waters here are muddied, and the relationships within are link after link, each clasping the next. We can only do our best to maintain the balance and stop the demons of the Mountain Forest from coming down to harm people."

"This world is growing more and more diseased!" Feng Miao exhaled.

There were many such matters in this world. The Mountain Forests were governed by Mountain Gods invested by the Imperial Court, and the Mountain Gods themselves were demons who had accepted amnesty. As time passed, they would claim the mountains as kings or collude with local Prefectural Offices and clans to conduct shady business. The darkness breeding in such places was beyond counting.

Feng Miao and Xia Yao had trained abroad year-round and had seen far too many things like this. But for those who cultivated the Dao, there were some things that, if left undone, would forever leave their thoughts obstructed. Some would even become one of them.

Guangxuan met Feng Miao's gaze and smiled faintly before continuing, "Since matters have reached this point, not a single Monster from North Mountain will be allowed to escape this time, including the Secret Method Cultivator behind them!"

"Thousand Wood Temple will also take part in this Mountain Search Operation. The Inner Sect disciple is already on the way here; Master sent the order last night," Zhao Qing added.

"Master?" Wang Ping was somewhat surprised.

"Yes!"