Northern Chen's Secret Plot

Fortune...

After going around in circles, he seemed to have returned to where he started.

Yu Tunzhou counted them off in his mind. He had now gathered three Method Formulas: one for the Qi Ingestion Realm, a visualization diagram, and Refining the True.

According to Xie Linchuan, the three could be considered a "starter set" for the Qi Ingestion Realm.

It seemed his focus would have to return to cultivating a Qi Ingestion Method, so he could prepare for the first dispersal of fortune three weeks from now.

He wondered whether this dispersal counted as the signal that the town's contest for the Dao had officially begun...

Afterward, he asked Senior Brother Zhou in detail about the meaning of Wisdom Born of Concentration.

Upon entering this domain, one could enter a meditative state in a single thought. The body became harmonious and whole like a great pill, every limb and bone moving in perfect coordination, granting control over one's own body that could only be called supreme.

That was almost exactly what he had felt while practicing his punches just now!

In Senior Brother Zhou's eyes, that alone would give him an enormous advantage when competing with the disciples of the various factions, even if his martial skills were quite ordinary. As long as his strength and speed were not too far behind, he could counter every move that came his way.

But after learning that Yu Tunzhou had already cultivated the Spark Instruction to the third level, Zhou Tianchen looked regretful and did not try to persuade him to switch methods.

According to the usual rules, the first dispersal of fortune would take place in just three weeks.

It would certainly be too late to change course at this point.

Even so, before leaving, Zhou Tianchen left him the Heavenly Peng Daoist Temple's exclusive Qi Ingestion Method for reference.

As Zhou Tianchen departed, he kept looking back, sighing all the while.

The ancestral spirit still had no intention of going back with him...

Yu Tunzhou watched Zhou Tianchen disappear at the end of the mountain path, then put the Qi Ingestion Method away. He looked up to gauge the time of day and turned to call toward the temple:

"Dingguang."

The little monk hurriedly pulled on his robes and came running out, his feet pattering. As he passed Yu Tunzhou, he stumbled and fell headfirst. Yu Tunzhou instinctively reached out, caught the sash around Dingguang's waist, and scooped him up.

Dingguang dangled in midair, flailing his arms and legs a couple of times. When he realized he did not seem likely to fall, he looked back at his senior brother, his eyes sparkling with delight.

"Senior Brother, have you really become a martial arts master?"

"I'm all right."

With a deft flick of his wrist, Yu Tunzhou set Dingguang upright and waved a hand to show it was nothing.

"Then can you beat the pheasants on the back mountain now?" Dingguang wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

Yu Tunzhou clenched a fist. "No hurry. I'll go down the mountain and find Old Mo. I'll have him give us extra Dragon Fish next week."

"Extra fish?" Dingguang's eyes widened. Didn't that mean he would get to eat fresh fish?

"Mm. A Junior Brother Li has come to the Daoist temple. The Daoist priest said his status is about the same as yours, and he'll be living with us from now on."

Dingguang nodded. He did not care in the least whether the newcomer was Junior Brother Li or Senior Brother Li. It wasn't as though Li would be the one cooking for him.

Suddenly looking worried, he tugged Yu Tunzhou's sleeve. "Senior Brother, I haven't seen the little fox in ages. If you go to the back mountain to catch pheasants, can you help me look for it?"

"That fox?" Yu Tunzhou thought for a moment, then asked, "Did you find out what sound a fox makes?"

Dingguang nodded vigorously. "Senior Brother, your method really worked."

Yu Tunzhou's expression turned peculiar as he went over what had happened.

"You really punched it? And you haven't seen it since?"

"Mm-hmm."

Yu Tunzhou fell silent for a moment. A faint sense of guilt began to spread through his heart, but it vanished like smoke in an instant.

He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Dingguang, find the fishing rod I made later."

Dingguang asked in confusion, "Senior Brother, didn't you say you'd never go fishing again?"

Yu Tunzhou looked embarrassed. He had tried fishing before, and every time he cast his line, the river had happened to be clear enough for him to watch a school of fish circling the hook without biting, as though they were mocking him from the water.

Yet just yesterday, he had seen that strange girl catch a fish with nothing but her finger!

"You'll be the one fishing this time. You're lucky," Yu Tunzhou said encouragingly. "In a few days, I'll go find the fox for you."

"Oh." The little monk obediently agreed. If he could catch fish, then they could eat fresh fish every day.

He looked at the salted fish hanging under the eaves and worked it out in his head. If they could eat fresh fish every day, he would give the salted fish to the newcomer, so the newcomer wouldn't compete with him and his senior brother for the fresh fish.

Breakfast was soon ready. When Yu Tunzhou brought it to the Daoist temple, Li Jingxuan came out and took the tray from him.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Yu."

"Don't mention it."

Yu Tunzhou was a little surprised. Junior Brother Li's attitude toward him seemed to have changed somewhat.

Although Li had been very polite when they first met yesterday and had even addressed him as senior brother at the Daoist priest's arrangement, Yu Tunzhou could tell that Junior Brother Li did not really hold much in regard.

His gentleness had seemed more like treating everything alike, or rather, indifference.

But today, there was a little more sincerity in that gentleness.

He gave it no further thought. After breakfast, he took Dingguang and the fishing rod down the mountain.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, the strange girl was indeed there, squatting by the river in a daze.

Yu Tunzhou said quietly, "That girl caught a fish with her finger yesterday. Don't lose to her."

"Her finger?" Dingguang's eyes widened. He looked toward the girl and nodded firmly. "Senior Brother, I won't lose!"

"I believe in you." Yu Tunzhou offered him a word of encouragement. "I'm going to find Old Mo. Wait here for me to come back, and don't wander off."

He crossed the stone bridge, went into town first, found a certain house, and knocked on the door.

A moment later.

The one who opened the door was Chen Xuanye, whom he had not seen since they exchanged the Spark Instruction.

Compared with a few days ago, Chen Xuanye's gaze was more composed and his presence steadier, clearly the result of a recent breakthrough.

The instant he saw Yu Tunzhou, Chen Xuanye's pupils narrowed slightly. He seemed to recall something and said in disbelief:

"You're going to quibble with me over a single fish basket? Yu Tunzhou, do you know that out there, a single Lower Vehicle Qi Ingestion Method is enough to make the great clans of certain commanderies bash one another's heads in?"

Yu Tunzhou explained, "The old baskets have long since broken. I wove all the ones I have now myself. If I lose one, there's nowhere to get another."

"Wait here."

Chen Xuanye had no desire to listen to this fellow's nonsense. He turned and went back into the house. Now that he had no attendants, he had to do everything himself.

Before long, Chen Xuanye tossed a fish basket out with a whistle of wind. He had deliberately thrown it harder and aimed it higher, wanting to see whether Yu Tunzhou could catch it steadily or fumble and make a fool of himself.

"See you in a couple of days." Yu Tunzhou caught the basket easily, then added before leaving, "Thank you for your Qi Ingestion Method. I'll keep our agreement."

Chen Xuanye watched Yu Tunzhou leave. Despite receiving his assurance, he felt no joy. Instead, he frowned.

What level of his Qi Ingestion Method had that boy reached now?

Just then, an old man walked out of the house with his hands clasped behind his back. His hair and beard were white, and his gaze was serene.

"Granduncle Xuan," Chen Xuanye greeted him respectfully.

"Mm." The old man gave a soft acknowledgment. "Several people have asked me recently whether the method we gave that boy was really the Spark Instruction."

Chen Xuanye hurriedly said:

"Rest assured, Granduncle Xuan. There was no mistake."

The old man waved a hand. "I believe you, of course, but the others keep thinking that our Chen Household secretly backed this boy."

Chen Xuanye's expression darkened.

Did they truly suspect the Chen Household of secretly betting on Yu Tunzhou, or were they deliberately finding fault and joining forces to pressure him because he had traded a Qi Ingestion Method for Dragon Fish and seized the initiative?

Chen Xuanye knew very well that although everyone said those who entered the grotto-heaven were responsible for their own lives and deaths, this contest for the Dao had never been as "fair" as it appeared. The struggles among the various powers outside the grotto-heaven were tangled up in it as well.

Things might be better among the great martial sects. If someone truly died because their skills were inferior, then they were simply dead.

But among Aristocratic Clans and vassal states like theirs, all kinds of relationships were tangled together like roots and knots. Some had feuds going back generations, while others had been friends for just as long, and there were distinctions of rank and status besides.

He himself came from the Northern Chen imperial family. As one of the largest vassal states, Northern Chen wielded enough power to rank its imperial family among the top ten Aristocratic Clans under heaven.

That was why he did not have to fear Xie Linchuan, who came from the Northern Plains Xie Household, or care about Xie Linchuan's status as a member of Evergreen Mountain. But would he dare lay a hand on Great Yan's third-ranked palace examination candidate, its future imperial son-in-law?

He wouldn't!

If he dared, the Great Yan Dynasty would find some other pretext to bring the Northern Chen imperial family to account within a few months!

In the past, there had been a Chen Household descendant who eventually ranked among the immortal seeds. Yet because he had acted too ruthlessly and offended the Great Yan imperial house, the struggles among the various factions had ultimately forced him to go to the Great Yan Dynasty as a hostage.

Over the years, the Great Yan Dynasty had suppressed vassal states like theirs in almost every way.

After a moment's silence, he said, "I understand, Granduncle Xuan. Once the contest for the Dao begins, I'll handle it properly."

What he meant was that he could only prove their innocence by getting rid of Yu Tunzhou.

"You don't understand." The old man shook his head. "What I mean is, since the others already believe it, you might as well really bet on this boy."

Chen Xuanye was shaken to the core. He looked up sharply, his eyes full of confusion.

"Granduncle Xuan, Xie Linchuan must have told him about the flaws in the Spark Instruction. Between us and him..."

The old man raised a hand, and Chen Xuanye immediately fell silent.

"I understand your concern, but there is no grudge in this world that cannot be resolved."

The old man's voice was even, yet every word carried weight.

"He cultivates the Spark Instruction, so we can help him comprehend its True Intention and overcome its flaws. Many of the subsequent methods in the Human Emperor's inheritance are also in our Chen Household's hands. These are all things we can bring to the negotiating table."

"All the world bustles for profit; all the world hustles for gain."

"If you still can't accept that, then let me put it another way-"

The old man abruptly changed tack, his tone sharpening as he swept Chen Xuanye with his gaze.

"Chen Xuanye, once the contest for the Dao begins, will you willingly serve as another's foot soldier, a running dog for Great Yan, or will you borrow Yu Tunzhou's hand to take the head from that Great Yan imperial son-in-law's shoulders?"

Chen Xuanye was horrified, as though struck by lightning.

Was Northern Chen preparing to rebel against Great Yan?!