Chen Li's visit this time consisted only of a few gifts. After chatting with Jiang Changsheng for two hours, he left. He was already serving in the capital, so finding the time to visit was no easy feat.
During that time, Chen Li also asked how his martial arts had been progressing lately. Jiang Changsheng kept a low profile, saying only that he was still improving without specifying how strong he had become.
He could not guarantee that Chen Li was not an enemy, so he was very cautious when dealing with him.
Half a month after Chen Li left, the New Year arrived.
The Jing Dynasty also observed New Year rites, signifying the passing of the old and the coming of the new.
Dragon Arising Temple was a place of cultivation, so the New Year was not especially lively.
After the New Year, Meng Qiuhe returned with the disciples. Sixteen had gone down the mountain, but twenty returned. Among them were three swaddled infants and five ragged youths, meaning they had lost four disciples.
Qing Ku had also lost an arm. He was no longer as lively as before. Jiang Changsheng was startled when he saw him and asked after him with concern, but Qing Ku merely laughed it off with easy grace, calmly recounting his adventures in the martial world.
"Senior Brother, you were right after all. Life below the mountain is not as good as life above it. There may be no war, but the human heart is impossible to fathom."
Qing Ku sighed with feeling. Jiang Changsheng did not know how to comfort him and could only pat his shoulder.
The next morning, Qing Ku was already practicing martial arts in the courtyard at daybreak. The disciples sharing the courtyard had learned of his experience and did not disturb him. After Jiang Changsheng finished ringing the tower bell, he practiced nearby.
He was used to practicing alone. It gave him a sense of security.
The return of this group of disciples shook Dragon Arising Temple for a long time. Even the Second Senior Brother had been injured; the dangers of the martial world far exceeded their imagination.
It was only after a full month that talk of the martial world below the mountain finally faded away. Dragon Arising Temple also became livelier, with eight new disciples and three small children, whom the disciples often gathered around.
Jiang Changsheng had already completely mastered Vajra Howl and Qi Finger, focusing all his attention on the Dao Follows Nature Skill.
Martial arts placed great importance on internal cultivation. With powerful internal strength, practicing external martial arts became easy. Yet what Jiang Changsheng cultivated was an immortal cultivation technique!
Jiang Changsheng's senses had already become extraordinarily powerful. He had felt it for himself: the true qi of the three senior disciples was not even half as strong as his. Even Taoist Priest Qingxu's true qi was merely on par with his, showing just how vast the gap was between immortal cultivation techniques and martial arts techniques.
He had not become arrogant. True qi was only one aspect; actual strength depended on many other factors. Besides, his body was still growing.
Chen Li maintained a frequency of visiting once every half year. Every time Jiang Changsheng saw him, he could sense his exhaustion. The top scholar who had once been high-spirited and pointed out murderers had become a heavy-hearted, weary official.
The emperor's pursuit of immortal arts was growing increasingly severe. He often flew into rages in court, and officials were dismissed at the drop of a hat, throwing the hearts of the court ministers into turmoil.
Time raced by.
Kaiyuan Year 14.
Fourteen-year-old Jiang Changsheng was already nearly one meter seventy tall. His features were handsome, and his long hair was casually tied behind his head with a grass rope, exposing his forehead, while the hair at his temples reached his shoulders. His appearance was exceptionally outstanding within Dragon Arising Temple. Some female disciples had secretly given him their hearts, but he cared only for cultivation.
Dragon Arising Temple's rules stated that anyone wishing to start a family had to leave the temple and descend the mountain.
That year, in summer.
Atop the Dao Bell Tower, Chen Li sat on the ground and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His face was full of worry as he said, "Changsheng, aren't you hot? Why aren't you hiding from the heat indoors?"
Jiang Changsheng sat cross-legged atop the railing. He looked as though he could fall at any moment, yet he was as steady as Mount Tai. With his eyes closed, he answered, "When the heart is calm, coolness comes naturally."
"You, you... you're becoming more and more like Taoist Priest Qingxu."
Chen Li sighed, then began complaining. "His Majesty the Emperor is becoming more and more muddleheaded. He actually ordered people to dig a Grand Canal, running from the north through to the south and all the way to the coast. This is not something that can be completed in ten or twenty years! I heard he only wants to make it easier to transport pills. It's absurd, utterly outrageous!"
Jiang Changsheng opened his eyes, his expression strange.
The Grand Canal?
Wasn't that Yang Guang's move from Chinese history?
The more Chen Li spoke, the more indignant he became. Building the canal would consume far too much manpower, material resources, and money. Not only was the treasury strained, but the people were left unable to live in peace.
"If this continues, war will break out again. They'll attack the neighboring dynasties. Alas, the age of prosperity will be no more."
Chen Li spoke with a face full of concern for the nation and its people. Jiang Changsheng did not know how to comfort him.
At this rate, if the Jing Dynasty truly fell into chaos, Dragon Arising Temple would not be safe either.
A sense of urgency rose in Jiang Changsheng's heart. Although his true qi had already surpassed Taoist Priest Qingxu's by far, he had many enemies.
He had to hurry and cultivate the fourth layer of the Dao Follows Nature Skill!
Chen Li spoke for an hour before leaving. He truly could not endure any longer and was nearly fainting from the heat.
Jiang Changsheng watched him leave and noticed that Chen Li had begun to stoop.
Time truly wore people down.
Though Jiang Changsheng was only fourteen, his past and present lives combined amounted to more than forty years. He had always been sensitive to the passage of time.
His body was in the bloom of youth, making him feel as though one day in the mountains was one year below.
One month later.
First Senior Brother Li Changqing came to Jiang Changsheng and asked whether he was willing to descend the mountain for experience.
Jiang Changsheng refused outright.
The killing scheme had returned?
Li Changqing left in disappointment. After all, descending the mountain could not be forced.
Three days later, Li Changqing led fifteen disciples down the mountain. The youngest among them was thirteen.
Jiang Changsheng had been waiting for a prompt.
Sure enough.
At noon the next day, a line of words appeared before his eyes:
Kaiyuan Year 14: A spy persuaded the First Senior Brother to lure you down the mountain. You refused, thereby escaping a fatal calamity and receiving a survival reward—miscellaneous art, 'Years Calligraphy'.
Calligraphy?
Jiang Changsheng was disappointed. It seemed the scale of the calamity also determined the scale of the reward.
In his spare time, he had already completely mastered the alchemy technique he had obtained before. Unfortunately, he had no Medicine Cauldron to refine pills in.
Calligraphy was not bad either. Distinguished officials and noble guests often came to Dragon Arising Temple to compose poetry and make merry. The temple had no shortage of the four treasures of the study, all gifted by visitors.
It would be nice to cultivate his temperament when he had nothing to do.
After all, life here was truly dull apart from cultivation.
That very day, Jiang Changsheng asked for brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, then practiced writing in his room while pondering the matter of the spy.
This was already the second time. There was a way to find the spy. Since someone had urged Jiang Changsheng to descend the mountain on both occasions, he only needed to ask the First Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother to compare notes.
At night, Qing Ku returned to the room. Having just washed his feet, he sat on the bed, wiping them with a cloth as he said, "Senior Brother Changsheng, His Majesty the Emperor is coming to Dragon Arising Temple tomorrow. Do you want to go take a look? That is the current Holy One, someone one may never see in an entire lifetime."
Hearing this, Jiang Changsheng's right hand trembled slightly. He asked calmly, "What is there to see about an emperor? Does he have an extra mouth compared to us?"
Qing Ku laughed. "Don't say things like that. Be careful that word gets out. Since you do not want to go, then don't."
Jiang Changsheng raised his hand and admired his writing with a smile. "It's not that I won't go. I have nothing else to do anyway."
Three words were written on the white paper.
Not a Gentleman!
At noon the next day, Jiang Changsheng walked along the stone path between the courtyards. He had just finished cultivating and was preparing to take a look at his own imperial father.
From a hundred zhang away, he could already hear the discussions of his fellow disciples.
"So that is the emperor? He truly looks wise and mighty!"
"Yes, I heard the emperor has cultivated True Dragon Qi, like a living dragon walking the earth."
"I'm more curious whether the emperor has found an immortal pill."
"Don't talk nonsense. If someone hears you, you'll lose your head."
The closer Jiang Changsheng drew to the Hall of Bright Mind, the fewer words he could hear. Soon, he heard the conversation between Emperor Jiang Yuan and Taoist Priest Qingxu.
The two were reminiscing about their glorious years. Jiang Yuan did most of the talking, largely sighing with emotion, while Taoist Priest Qingxu echoed him with calm detachment.
Outside the courtyard near the Hall of Bright Mind, imperial guards in golden armor stood strict watch, forbidding idle people from approaching.
Meng Qiuhe and a group of disciples waited along the emperor's route. A small stream ran through Dragon Arising Mountain, crossed by a little bridge. The flowers and grasses on both banks were lush, and the group gathered in a stone pavilion beside the bridge. There were more than a dozen of them, crowding the small pavilion so tightly that there was barely room to stand.
Meng Qiuhe was boasting about what he had seen and heard during their last expedition. When he saw Jiang Changsheng approaching, his eyes lit up. "A rare guest indeed! Junior Brother Jiang, why are you here? Hurry in. Make room for him, all of you."
The three seated disciples quickly rose, while the other standing disciples also moved aside.
Jiang Changsheng was the only disciple whom Taoist Priest Qingxu had said could cultivate freely without attending Dao lectures. His status was special, and because he usually kept to himself, the disciples felt distant from him and did not dare offend him lightly.
Jiang Changsheng entered the pavilion and sat down, smiling as he asked, "Second Senior Brother, what puts you in the mood to tell stories today?"
Dragon Arising Temple's three senior disciples were all martial arts fanatics. First Senior Brother Li Changqing possessed exceptional talent, while Meng Qiuhe's talent was ordinary. Yet through diligence making up for shortcomings, he had even won matches when sparring with Li Changqing.
Meng Qiuhe laughed. "Naturally, I came to see True Dragon Qi for myself. They say the Holy One is accompanied by a dragon wherever he goes. How could we not pay our respects?"
His use of the words "pay respects" was rather skillful.
Jiang Changsheng began chatting with his fellow disciples. His arrival felt novel to them, especially to Meng Qiuhe.
Meng Qiuhe was very curious about Jiang Changsheng's current strength. Last year, he had sought Jiang Changsheng out and proposed a spar, but Jiang Changsheng had immediately admitted defeat, saying he was not qualified yet. As the senior brother, Meng Qiuhe could not force him to fight and had no choice but to let it go.
Half an hour later.
A group of imperial guards in golden armor approached. Taoist Priest Qingxu and Jiang Yuan came into the disciples' view. The disciples hurried out of the stone pavilion and knelt in salute. Jiang Changsheng did the same. Bowing to his biological father was not such a bad thing.
When Jiang Yuan came closer, Jiang Changsheng could not help raising his head, only to meet Jiang Yuan's gaze.
Jiang Yuan wore a dragon robe with a gold base and a light imperial crown. His face was imposing, though gray already streaked his temples. As he approached, his gaze lowered and collided directly with Jiang Changsheng's raised eyes. Jiang Changsheng stiffened and hurriedly lowered his head.
He had imagined countless ways of meeting Jiang Yuan, even considered revealing everything directly. But how could he make Jiang Yuan believe him?
There were no witnesses.
Taoist Priest Qingxu had only happened to save him outside the imperial palace.
"This little Daoist, raise your head."
Just as Jiang Changsheng's thoughts became a tangled mess, Jiang Yuan's voice came. He did not look up, assuming Jiang Yuan was calling another disciple.
Taoist Priest Qingxu's voice sounded. "Changsheng, His Majesty is calling you."
Jiang Changsheng instinctively raised his head and met Jiang Yuan's eyes again. He did not hide his nervousness. It would be stranger if he were not nervous before the emperor.
He noticed an old eunuch behind Jiang Yuan. The man kept his head lowered and his back bent, his body incomparably frail, as if half of him had already entered the grave.
Such powerful true qi, even stronger than Taoist Priest Qingxu's!
Jiang Changsheng remembered him. This was the old dog who had taken him out of the imperial palace back then. However, this old dog had not fought Taoist Priest Qingxu; Jiang Changsheng had been passed from person to person along the way.
Jiang Changsheng did not pay the old eunuch much attention. Lowering his gaze, he said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
I will not write any green-hat poisoning plot, so everyone can read without worry. The descendants mentioned in the synopsis will definitely be the protagonist's biological bloodline~~~ A new book sets sail, please vote and send rewards~~~
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