"Circulate through the small heavenly cycle, chant a spell and form hand seals; this humble Daoist was a little immortal of Mount Laojun who attained the Dao.
Studied the Nine Palaces Diagram, practiced the Meridian Condensation Formula; the nun called me a rotten scoundrel for not paying last night..."
Another morning had come. Zhang Qingyuan hummed a nonsensical song as he packed his luggage with Zhang Junbao.
It was now July of the sixth year of Jiaxing, the one hundred and forty-first year of the Great Qian Empire.
Only thirty chapters had passed, yet Zhang Qingyuan had already been in this world for two years.
A few days earlier, after Zhang Qingyuan's sudden enlightenment into the meaning of profound understanding, he and Zhang Junbao had decided to leave the mountain. They had already said goodbye to their senior brother and spent the past few days eating and drinking with several martial nephews on the mountain whom they got along with. They would leave this morning.
Zhang Junbao left the Taiqing Cave Profundity Skill on the mountain as their principal internal cultivation method for nurturing body and mind.
The Daoists of Taiqing Palace already cultivated their bodies and minds, so this cultivation method could not have suited them better.
Senior Brother Miaoxin was immensely grateful. They had internal cultivation methods on the mountain, but none were combat-oriented formulas. Most focused on nurturing body and mind and nourishing the meridians.
The Taiqing Cave Profundity Skill, however, had an extremely high ceiling. One glance showed what an impressive cultivation formula it was. Senior Brother Miaoxin thanked them over and over, at a loss for what he could give them in return.
Zhang Qingyuan laughed. "Whatever else, we share a grandmaster. We're martial brothers whose masters were brothers, and we're both members of Taiqing Palace too. We're adding to our own family's assets. All this thanks makes us sound like outsiders."
"Junior brothers, you..." Miaoxin said awkwardly. "The two of you will establish your own Daoist lineages and found your own Daoist sects one day. You'll need a few prized cultivation methods to bolster your reputation. This..."
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. Not to blow my own trumpet, but you know how creative I am. Producing martial arts manuals is as easy as reaching out and taking them," Zhang Junbao said, pressing him.
At the mountain gate, Miaoxin had brought his disciples to see them off.
Zhang Qingyuan did not particularly mind either way, but Zhang Junbao was determined to establish his own Daoist sect, so neither of them could stay on the mountain for long.
Over the past year, Zhang Junbao had studied seventy-two classics and browsed a hundred and thirty-five Daoist scriptures. With more knowledge in his head, he naturally needed corresponding experience cultivating amid the world to advance further.
"Senior Brother, martial nephews, see us no farther. The mountains are high and the roads long. We'll meet again someday!"
"Travel safely, Junior Brothers. If you run into any trouble, you must write and tell me!"
"Don't worry!"
The two waved and turned their backs, heading down the mountain.
Their route was still roughly the same, though Zhang Qingyuan had added a few more stops.
His wish to travel across the country had never faded, so their next stop was not Divine Province to the east, but Bingzhou Prefecture to the north. Their good senior brother Chen Xugu's Daoist sanctuary was there.
Throughout the past year, one question had kept troubling them.
Just how beautiful was their young sister-in-law, the third princess of Great Qian, to have defeated Qin Shuangjiang, the previous generation's number one on the Rouge Ranking, in the battle for a husband?
Moreover, to win their young sister-in-law back then, Chen Xugu had even gone to Great Feng's capital to snatch her from her wedding.
First, Chen Xugu had done them a kindness and saved both their lives.
Second, they truly wanted to resolve the question in their hearts.
Whether out of sentiment or reason, they had to visit Bingzhou.
After descending the mountain, while resting at a teahouse at its foot, they happened to overhear several jianghu travelers chatting. They learned that the jianghu had remained extraordinarily lively over the past year.
The jianghu was still the jianghu. It had not fallen silent simply because Zhang Junbao and Zhang Qingyuan were absent.
The jianghu could do without anyone, because its people were still the same bunch.
After Zhang Qingyuan and Zhang Junbao went up the mountain, Shaolin had suddenly closed its gates for three months. Zhang Junbao guessed they had been dealing with the monk Juekong's descent into demonic cultivation.
Also, after the two went up the mountain, the Water-Parting Sword had appeared.
Apparently, it had fallen into the hands of a young man named Gu Yunzhou. The young man was said to be a descendant of the former master of the Water-Parting Sword.
Who knew whether that was actually true?
Last year, the young man had stirred up quite a storm around Central Province and Divine Province, drawing countless jianghu factions into the struggle for it.
Like a protagonist who grew stronger along the way, the young man had killed plenty of people and finally escaped.
Then there was the leader of the Mount Song Sword Sect. After mastering the Ice Soul Cold Heart Sword Technique, his confidence had soared, and he had announced his intention to gather the Five Mountains Sword Sects and elect a Five Mountains Alliance Leader.
Afterward, Lin Shuyan, the Huashan Sect's eldest disciple, had come knocking and beaten him up.
His reasoning was that there was nothing wrong with merging the Five Mountains Sword Sects and electing an alliance leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, but the title "Five Mountains Alliance Leader" would not do.
Your Five Mountains Sword Sects share the same roots, but what does that have to do with our Huashan Sect?
The Mount Hua Sword Sect and the Huashan Sect were both on Mount Hua. If you became the Five Mountains Alliance Leader, those in the know would understand you commanded the Five Mountains Sword Sects, but those who did not might think the Huashan Sect had to obey you too.
Now Pei Wuya, leader of the Songshan Sect, thoroughly understood what it meant for disaster to come out of one's mouth. The other four mountains' sword sects gloated. Served him right for showing off.
It was fortunate Lin Shuyan had gone early. Otherwise, the Wuwang Sect, one of the six great sects, was on Mount Heng. Had they acted, Old Pei would have suffered more than a beating.
Once the Five Mountains Sword Sects affair had drawn to a close, news suddenly came from Netherworld City that its old city lord had passed away, and his son, Situ Qingluan, had succeeded him.
There were also reports that Situ Qingluan had found a map of the Ancient City of Guixu, learned the location of its treasure, and intended to go there in search of the lost hoard.
Before anyone knew whether this news was true, another report arrived. While traveling in Netherworld City, the leader of the Holy Sect, one of the twelve sects, had been wounded by Situ Qingluan. After fleeing back, he personally declared that Netherworld City's new lord was practicing an evil art, cultivating with Death Qi.
The martial world of the Central Plains was shaken!
Jinshan Temple took the lead, bringing six of the twelve sects to subdue the demon. The two sides fought a great battle in the Ancient City of Guixu. Those six sects suffered devastating losses, with two sects wiped out entirely.
The two destroyed sects were the Great Luo Sect and the Great Void Sect. The other four also suffered devastating losses. Jinshan Temple's abbot, the monk Yunji, passed into nirvana on the spot, and seven of its ten great warrior monks died.
Situ Qingluan, leader of the Nether Manor, made his name in a single battle. After he returned to Netherworld City, its influence blazed like the sun at noon.
Although Jinshan Temple had lost an abbot, it had only suffered damage to its sinews and bones. The six great sects, however, never recovered from the blow.
Two of the six great sects were gone, and three had suffered grievous damage to their foundations. Other factions swiftly carved up the assets of those five sects. A sad and lamentable fate.
The first line of the jianghu rhyme was changed outright: three temples, six factions, seven great sects.
There had once been twelve sects. Now there were seven great sects.
The Mount Lu Flying Sword Sect had avoided being carved up not because it had lost fewer people, but because its holdings were extensive, and it chiefly made its living forging swords.
Although it had not been carved up, its strength had fallen to the second tier of martial-world factions.
Then why were there still seven great sects?
Because the Joyous Union Sect had moved up.
The big brother and big sister had been staying peacefully at home when someone suddenly arrived to tell them, "Your sect is now a first-rate jianghu faction. Happy?"
This joy had come too suddenly. Luo Binghe and Qin Shuangjiang were utterly bewildered.
Zhang Qingyuan and Zhang Junbao felt somewhat helpless. They had not even learned all the jianghu factions yet, and now the whole lineup had changed?
It left them feeling rather powerless, as though they had sat in the mountains while a thousand years passed in the world outside.
Netherworld City had always been one of the five cities. It had not previously belonged among the villains.
Although Netherworld City acted perversely and decisively and had never done much good, it had not done much evil out on the Western Regions frontier either.
Yet because of the treasure in the Ancient City of Guixu, it had become a villain outright.
Quite a few heroes intended to launch a punitive expedition. Supposedly, Old Pei of the Mount Song Sword Sect was gathering the Five Mountains Sword Sects to avenge the six great sects.
Did Old Pei think he had what it took again?
This was the biggest event to have taken place in the jianghu over the past year. Right now, everyone was discussing Netherworld City.
After resting, Zhang Qingyuan and Zhang Junbao quietly departed, continuing toward Bingzhou.
They had little to say about the changes in the jianghu. Fight all you like. So long as the winds of battle did not sweep over the two of them, they could all remain friends.
As they strolled along, Zhang Junbao suddenly asked, "Brother Yuan, do you think Situ Qingluan is a bad person?"
"Of course not."
"Ah, the jianghu." Zhang Junbao sighed.
"What person in the jianghu doesn't have blood on their hands? Put plainly, it's still all scheming and deceit."
Zhang Junbao nodded. "They simply can't see clearly because they're caught up in it."
"Brother Bao, you're wrong." Zhang Qingyuan stopped and corrected him. "It's not that they can't see clearly. They're only pretending not to see."
"Pretending not to see?"
"Heh." Zhang Qingyuan said, "As one of the five cities of the jianghu, Netherworld City never used to have anyone in the jianghu speaking ill of it.
Perhaps neither side found the other objectionable.
But why did Jinshan Temple join forces with six sects to subdue demons at the end of last year?
Remember, Netherworld City is on the Western Regions frontier. Although it's still within Great Qian's borders, it's ten thousand li from Jinshan Temple.
Where is Jinshan Temple? Suzhou!
Were they really going there to subdue demons?
They'd seen that there was treasure in the Ancient City of Guixu!
Seven top-tier factions went, along with who knows how many smaller sects. They haven't even mentioned all the other forces involved.
That great host marched over, only to find that City Lord Situ's cultivation had advanced enormously. They were beaten back with disastrous losses.
With so many dead, the various forces of the Central Plains openly proclaimed that they would avenge them, painting City Lord Situ as a demon.
Were they really seeking revenge?
They'd learned that Situ Qingluan had already brought the treasure back to Netherworld City.
They're going there to carve up the treasure!"
"Despicable!" Zhang Junbao spat.
"They're making money. Nothing shameful about that."
"It's shameful. Very shameful!" Zhang Junbao disagreed.
Zhang Qing laughed, then suddenly thought of something and said with a smile, "Making money calls for cleverly contrived pretexts. With enough profit and a righteous excuse, the smaller sects will follow once the experts from the great sects go.
If they succeed,
the great sects take the lion's share, and a little broth is enough for the small sects."
"Ah." Zhang Junbao sighed.
Zhang Qingyuan leaned close to Zhang Junbao and added, "Believe it or not, if you announced right now that the two of us had created a martial art that granted eternal youth and immortality, they'd call us villains too. They'd even call that imaginary martial art an evil art, and the ones hunting us down would be those same famous orthodox sects."
Zhang Junbao: "..."