Amid a chorus of dissatisfaction, this farce finally died down.
The Empress said meaningfully, "Junior Guardian Lu, those words were a little too harsh."
The matter was raised high, then set down lightly.
Some felt that Xie Lingxuan had been wronged.
Others looked at you and whispered, "Whom Heaven wishes to destroy, it first drives mad."
The sun quietly slipped past its zenith.
Amid the pealing of bells and beating of drums, the blessing ceremony came to an end.
For the next three days, the Son of Heaven would personally fast and pray in a Daoist temple on Mount Zhongnan.
Accompanied by several trusted ministers, the Son of Heaven continued toward the mountaintop temple.
The remaining officials would rest for the night in the mountain's temporary lodgings, then descend the following day.
The Empress, accompanied by several favored concubines from the inner palace, prepared to climb the mountain with Zhou Jinyu and join the Son of Heaven.
Those palace attendants who had not been chosen were escorted back into the depths of the imperial palace by the Imperial Forest Army.
You raised your head and saw the crowd parting like flowing water.
One stream climbed the mountain in pursuit of the Son of Heaven, while the other flowed down.
Two groups of people, two different fates.
The crowd surged, filled with the great and powerful of the court, and word of Xie Lingxuan's affair spread without wings.
In particular, your words—"How could she be worthy of me, Lu Chen?"—became the focus of everyone's discussion.
Since it concerned Junior Guardian Lu, it swiftly became an amusing tale and topic of conversation from this trip to Mount Zhongnan.
A woman of deep affection had been humiliated, and one could not help but feel a trace of pity for her.
In the blink of an eye, with some people deliberately fanning the flames, Xie Lingxuan's name spread even farther.
The crowds bustled as people hurried up and down the mountain.
Su Yue tugged at her cousin Xie Lingxuan and said, "Cousin, let's go. A man like that is unworthy of you."
"Arrogant and conceited, looking down on everyone."
"Just now, so many young masters and young ladies spoke up for you. Once we return to Kyoto, there will naturally be plenty of ways to make Lu Chen lose all standing and reputation."
Xie Lingxuan was slightly dazed.
She looked at the figure standing on the stone steps, hands tucked inside his sleeves.
The wind stirred your cuffs, while your expression remained as light as drifting clouds and gentle as the breeze.
You sensed Xie Lingxuan's gaze.
You smiled faintly at her, then continued looking up at the vast blue sky.
For a moment.
It was as though her heart had become one with yours.
Xie Lingxuan recalled what you had said in the pavilion outside Kyoto when General Wang Yang had seen the Junior Guardian off years ago.
"Empty fame and hollow profit, vainly exhausting the spirit; a white colt flashes through a crack, fire in stone, a Dream Body."
Xie Lingxuan murmured, "Those who understand you say your heart is burdened with care; those who do not understand you ask what it is you seek."
Mount Zhongnan, night had fallen.
There were more than a dozen Daoist temples atop the mountain.
The starlight was quietly hidden behind heavy clouds, leaving behind a deep, boundless night.
A middle-aged scholar with slightly graying temples strode leisurely into this heavily guarded Daoist temple.
A trembling youth followed behind the scholar.
The two were none other than Demon Master Huang Dao and the aristocratic young master Xie Mu.
Huang Dao smiled and said,
"They're already dead. What are you afraid of?"
Xie Mu's mouth twitched!
He turned to look at the mangled limbs and rotten flesh strewn across the ground, at the blood seeping through the cracks beneath the door and flowing everywhere.
The entire Daoist temple was drenched in blood.
In an instant, more than fifty people had died before his eyes without a sound.
The stench drilled into his lungs, and he could no longer hold it back.
His stomach churned like rivers and seas overturning, rushing straight to his throat.
"Bleurgh!"
He vomited all over the ground.
Xie Mu was merely an aristocratic young master. He had his share of ruthless fighting and fierce bravado, but he had never seen such a bloody scene.
Huang Dao was considerate enough to fetch tea from a guest room in the temple.
He gently patted Xie Mu's back and helped him steady his breathing.
Huang Dao comforted him, saying,
"Perfectly normal. The first time I saw a corpse, I was just as excited as you!"
Xie Mu asked doubtfully, "You threw up too?"
Huang Long laughed. "I was so excited, I didn't sleep all night."
Xie Mu did not know how to respond.
Looking at Huang Dao's concerned face, his heart was filled with lingering fear.
Xie Mu had no idea what method Huang Dao had used. He had merely tapped lightly with a finger.
The tall guard who had just been clad in armor had, in an instant, been sliced into several pieces and scattered across the ground.
Seeing the youth's curiosity, Huang Dao said,
"Do you want to learn? I can teach you."
"It's actually very simple. You just turn spiritual energy into threads."
Xie Mu hurriedly shook his head.
"N-No need."
Huang Dao did not particularly care after hearing that.
He looked outside and frowned.
"This emperor is rather cautious. He actually isn't in the main hall."
"These people died for nothing... Forget it, they were already killed."
The people living in this room were all concubines from the inner palace; the current emperor was not among them.
Huang Dao strolled along as though taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard, continuing toward another Daoist residence.
Xie Mu could only follow close behind him, trembling with fear.
At that moment.
A disturbance sounded, as though someone had entered through the side gate.
Xie Mu nervously hid behind Huang Dao.
Then he saw!
A sinister, enchanting monk in white slowly walk in.
His features were cold and stern, and his eyes revealed an indescribable evil aura.
Huang Dao smiled, seemingly unsurprised.
"I sensed an aura following behind me. So it was you, old monk."
"How did you come from Great Snow Mountain to Great Qing?"
The monk in white was none other than Chan Master Withered Wood of Great Snow Mountain, draped in a white kasaya.
Outside the Daoist temple, he had just sensed a thick stench of blood, and one of the auras was especially obscure and unfathomable.
Curious, he had decided to investigate.
He had not expected to encounter Great Qing's Demon Master Huang Dao.
Chan Master Withered Wood pressed his palms together and chanted a Buddhist invocation.
"Amitabha."
His voice was compassionate yet solemn. "Demon Master, your killing intent remains as heavy as ever. These women are all innocent. Why drag them into this?"
Huang Dao smiled and said,
"Oh? What guidance does this old monk have to offer?"
Xie Mu's eyes lit up. Could this be a righteous eminent monk? Perhaps he could be saved.
Chan Master Withered Wood shook his head and said,
"This old monk merely regrets their primordial yin."
Xie Mu's vision went dark. They were birds of a feather.
Two fiends had come to Mount Zhongnan tonight.
This was greatly troubling!
Chan Master Withered Wood fixed his gaze on Huang Dao and said in a deep voice,
"Demon Master, what realm has your cultivation reached now?"
Huang Dao smiled faintly and stood with his hands behind his back.
"Old monk, why not test it yourself?"
Chan Master Withered Wood pressed his palms together and fell silent for a moment.
"This old monk does not dare."
"Demon Master, you have already mastered the Demon Sect's supreme cultivation art, the Dao Heart Demon Seed."
He sighed and continued,
"This old monk is advanced in years and has become increasingly cautious."
"This old monk came for vengeance. I originally intended to slaughter the Three Truths Sect to the last, but since Demon Master is here, I shall only take the heads of the Lu Chen brothers."
"Demon Master, you would not mind, would you?"
Huang Dao nodded slightly and said calmly,
"So long as it does not involve that emperor, the lives and deaths of everyone else are yours to decide."
With that, the monk in white turned and left.
Upon hearing this, anxiety immediately surged in Xie Mu's heart.
That demonic monk in white was actually going to kill Junior Guardian Lu. What was he supposed to do now?
The monk in white had only just departed.
Huang Dao seemed to sense something and waited calmly.
Before long!
Seven more figures appeared.
Led by two Great Qing martial arts grandmasters, the seven included the eunuch Ma Bao, who held the imperial seal.
The seven had come to Mount Zhongnan to protect the current Son of Heaven.
Seeing the corpses covering the ground before them, their brows knitted tightly, and a sense of dread rose in their hearts.
Once they clearly saw the middle-aged man's face, all seven changed expression drastically and cried out,
"Demon Master!"
There will be another chapter tonight. My honored readers, please make sure to read it—please, please keep following.
And thank you all for your support!
Tuesday will be another day that decides life and death. The follow-up reads that day are very important.
Before you continue