Maitreya Descends, the Wisdom King Appears

Lianshan Xin gave it some very serious thought, then continued, "Then if I married the princess first and killed her afterward, could I break through three major realms in a row and ascend to heaven in a single step?"

Qi Shiyun's brain overloaded.

People really did laugh when they were at a loss for words. Qi Shiyun discovered that this was exactly what she ended up doing.

She did not know whether she was laughing from anger or amusement. Either way, her laughter was utterly speechless. "Don't try these little tricks in front of other people. They're a good way to get yourself killed."

"So, Third-Place Qi, you think my idea might actually work?"

Qi Shiyun rolled her eyes at him. "If you want to die, feel free to try. You might be able to conceal it if you killed the princess in secret. But marrying her first and then killing her? Do your Nine Clans really mean that little to you?"

"Fair point."

Lianshan Xin also felt that marrying the princess before killing her was far too challenging.

For safety's sake, it would be better to choose either Marrying a Princess or killing her.

That depended on what Qi Wenbin uncovered.

And on whether his own guess was right.

"Third-Place Qi, do you have any other information about the princess? With only what we have now, she'll probably be very difficult to find."

Qi Shiyun thought for a moment, then divulged a secret. "His Majesty has never mentioned it publicly, but my master once told me in private that His Majesty seduced a Demon Cult enchantress when he was young."

"Wait, who seduced whom?"

Lianshan Xin thought he had misheard.

Qi Shiyun stressed, "His Majesty seduced the Demon Cult enchantress."

Lianshan Xin said, "...His Majesty really played wild."

Qi Shiyun shrugged. "When His Majesty was young, he was a dissolute, philandering prince with neither learning nor skill. Nobody thought much of him back then, and at first, he had no intention of vying for the throne either. Instead, he yearned for a carefree life in the martial world, so he concealed his identity and spent many years roaming it. Many of today's martial experts were acquainted with His Majesty back then, including quite a few holy maidens and heroines."

Lianshan Xin struggled to find the words. "His Majesty really... did play wild."

Qi Shiyun said, "Being wild in your youth is a good thing. My master said His Majesty had already savored all the splendors under heaven when he was young, so after ascending the throne, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to affairs of state. That was why Great Yu flourished more and more with each passing day. Having seen and tasted those things in your youth is much better than sinking into lust in middle or old age. It's a blessing for both the country and its people."

Lianshan Xin mulled that over and slowly nodded. "It sounds like you're whitewashing His Majesty, but I do think there's some sense to it."

"Of course there is. Make your name while you're young; youth is the time for reckless abandon. At our age, we should be headstrong, making trouble, and throwing our weight around. If we're still like that twenty years from now, we'll become laughingstocks and court our own deaths. Lianshan Xin, cherish the time we have now. When young people make mistakes, many important figures will simply laugh it off."

A rising-star bonus?

Lianshan Xin glanced at Qi Shiyun and realized that this might be an unspoken consensus among the powerful figures of this world: be more tolerant of the young, let them play among themselves, and have the old geezers stand by with their hands tucked into their sleeves.

Otherwise, no matter how heaven-defying Qi Shiyun's talent was, she should not have dared to climb over the Crown Prince to advance herself. That was far too flagrantly insubordinate.

Viewed that way, even the Divine Capital, where the hierarchy ought to have been at its strictest, had a much more open atmosphere than he had imagined.

It had something of the grandeur of the flourishing Tang dynasty from his previous life.

Only sufficient confidence could foster such tolerance.

"Do you have any other questions?"

Lianshan Xin knew that when Qi Shiyun asked this, she meant she wanted to leave.

So Lianshan Xin shook his head. "None for now. I'll keep meditating to stabilize my cultivation. Go ahead and take care of your business, Third-Place Qi."

Qi Shiyun explained, "Your consecutive breakthroughs through two realms just now benefited me as well. I also need to spend an hour in seclusion to stabilize my cultivation."

"The effect is that noticeable?" Lianshan Xin was somewhat surprised.

Qi Shiyun dangled a tempting promise before Lianshan Xin. "That's why our lineage produces exceptional talents most easily, with cultivation speeds that tower over their peers. Once you enter the Grandmaster Realm, you'll enjoy the same advantages."

"I'll work hard."

Lianshan Xin truly was envious.

He knew perfectly well that Qi Shiyun was painting him a picture of a feast, but even if only a tenth of that feast was real, it was enough to make his mouth water.

An hour later.

Lianshan Xin left the Seclusion Room.

Classes at the White Deer Grotto Academy officially began tomorrow.

He intended to go home to see Qi Wenbin and, most importantly, to see Dai Yueying again.

He would put matters on the home front in order before focusing on his studies at the White Deer Grotto Academy.

Qi Wenbin had a surprise for him.

"That woman really is no ordinary person. She shook off my pursuit."

"She shook you off? As far as I know, Dai Yueying is only a Meridian Opening Realm martial artist, while you, Brother Qi, specialize in tracking and surveillance. You're at the peak of Qi Condensation, half a step from the True Intent Realm, and you couldn't keep tabs on her?"

Qi Wenbin's weathered face reddened. "That's why I said Dai Yueying is no ordinary person. She really could be a fiend of the Demon Cult."

If Dai Yueying was not a Demon Cult fiend, then the problem lay with his abilities.

Qi Wenbin could not accept that.

More importantly, he really had discovered something suspicious.

"My lord, although I lost Dai Yueying, I did make an unexpected discovery. You gave me her home address, so I went there to investigate. Sure enough, I found some telltale traces."

Qi Wenbin drew a statue of the ever-smiling Maitreya Buddha from inside his robe.

Beside him, Du Jiu's expression changed sharply when he saw it. "A Maitreya Buddha statue? You found that in the Dai Family?"

"Yes."

"So she really is a Demon Cult fiend." Du Jiu's tone was grave.

"A single Maitreya Buddha statue is enough to confirm she's a Demon Cult fiend?" Lianshan Xin questioned.

Du Jiu explained, "You only just joined the Nine Heavens, my lord, so there are some things you don't yet understand. The Demon Cult's current slogan is 'Maitreya Descends, the Wisdom King Appears.' The Demon Cult claims that Maitreya Buddha will descend to the mortal world, and that the 'Wisdom King' will lead the people in overthrowing our dynasty. The current Demon Cult Leader condensed the peacock Wisdom King dharma form upon reaching the Dharma Form Realm, and is known in the martial world as the 'Wisdom King.'"

The Dharma Form Realm was the seventh realm of the Martial Dao, and the threshold for the great grandmasters of the Heaven Ranking.

There were further distinctions above the seventh realm, but ordinary people collectively called them the Immortal Realm. Those who reached it rarely set foot in the mortal world.

The Dharma Form Realm was essentially the pinnacle for mortal martial artists.

Barring any surprises, the Heavenly Sword was also in this realm.

After hearing Du Jiu's explanation, Lianshan Xin understood the symbolism of the Maitreya Buddha statue, but still felt the conclusion was somewhat hasty. "As far as I know, the Imperial Court hasn't publicly outlawed belief in Maitreya Buddha. Surely it's normal for some Buddhists to worship him in private?"

Qi Wenbin shook his head. "The court hasn't publicly outlawed Maitreya Buddha because the Buddhist Order refused to agree. At one point, the court even considered wiping out Buddhism over it. However, the Daoist Order backed the wrong contender during the struggle for the throne, while the Buddhist Order had formed a favorable connection with His Majesty before he ascended. That led to the new balance we have today. Behind the scenes, though, the court has always been cracking down on Maitreya worship. In all the major temples, Maitreya has the fewest statues and receives the fewest incense offerings. Those who worship Maitreya are also singled out for investigation."

Du Jiu added, "Within the Demon Cult, statues of the Peacock Wisdom King are more common. But to conceal their identities, cultists operating outside don't dare carry statues of the Peacock Wisdom King, which would easily expose them. Instead, they prefer to worship Maitreya Buddha, who hasn't officially been outlawed by the Imperial Court."

Lianshan Xin fell into thought.

Was Teacher Dai a Demon Cult follower too?

Were there really this many Demon Cult fiends around me?