White Robes (Two Chapters Combined)

At the octagonal pavilion on the back of Golden Ao Mountain.

Ever since Su Yao and Xuan Yan received an order from some unknown official more than half a year ago, this pavilion has become their meeting place.

The osmanthus tree has finished blooming; its lush green canopy covers most of the corner of the pavilion.

On the stone table lay a map of the Nanzhao Kingdom, with four areas circled in vermilion: the confluence of the two rivers, the Nanzhao Royal City, the heartland of Southern Frontier, and the border of Miao Frontier territory.

Beside the cinnabar marks, countless small characters were densely written, all traces of the five people's deductions of the strategy for Liberation by Violence over the past six months.

The edges of the drawing were worn, and the paper bore the different ink marks of the five individuals: Yang Xiu's strokes were sharp, Zilin's were round and neat, Xuan Yan Ying Qi's were square and dignified, Xuan Yan's were hasty and hurried, and Mo Li's were rough and concise.

Yang Xiu, Xuan Yan, Zilin, Ying Qi, Mo Li sat in the pavilion, each with a different expression.

The mountain breeze outside the pavilion rustled through the osmanthus trees, making the lush green leaves whisper, but it couldn't dispel the stagnant atmosphere inside.

After a long silence, Mo Li broke it first.

He was usually very honest and kind, but now he was unusually frowning, his voice filled with barely suppressed anxiety:

"Fellow Zilin, Fellow Daoist Su told us to wait for him for half a year while he went into seclusion. Now, more than a month has passed since then, and not only has Fellow Daoist Su not emerged from seclusion, but we have also made no progress on the matter of Liberation by Violence. What should we do?"

Before Zilin could speak, Ying Qi shook his head and put down his teacup.

The teacup tapped softly on the stone table, mirroring his heavy and somber mood. "Fellow Mo Li, this matter cannot be rushed." He pointed to the circle of cinnabar at the confluence of the two rivers on the map, "The reincarnation of the True Lord possesses the Proclaiming Earth Attainment Rank and oversees the confluence of the two rivers; that formidable Proclaiming Earth barrier is a deadly obstacle. Fellow Daoist Su was able to break through Cang Lan with a single sword strike and obtain the Qi of the Dao, but he certainly cannot break through that barrier."

"No matter how thick the barrier is, it will eventually come to an end." Xuan Yan slammed the short ruler in his hand onto the table, a flash of silvery Comet Light disappearing across its surface. "In my opinion, we should return to the mountain to retrieve some Law Treasure, and then launch a preemptive strike. With the six of us working together, and with the help of Green Nuo and Golden Ao's protectors, we can concentrate our full strength on attacking one point. We might not be without a chance. It's been half a year, and we haven't even had a proper test. It's all been theoretical; what results can we possibly get from that?"

Seeing that the others remained silent, he paused and then said:

"No, go to the Sword Pavilion in Shu and borrow a Law Treasure sword from the Azure Firmament Netherworld Sect. I refuse to believe it can't be broken!"

"Fellow Xuan Yan, you are mistaken." Yang Xiu took the golden bell from his waist and held it in his palm. His voice was not loud but very steady. "Although the reincarnation of the True Lord's cultivation is not high, his Fruition Position has always been shining upon him, and he also has the Great Marsh Banner and the Sixfold Completion Jar. Back then, Xue Min, Brother Su, and I, with the Dao Lord's protection, could only hold our own against him. In the end, it was the King who intervened and seriously injured him. Now his cultivation is even stronger than before. In addition, the royal city has fallen, and the Proclaiming Earth army has swept through Nanzhao, Southern Frontier, and Miao Frontier. This is even more in line with the Proclaiming Earth's transformation into a Daoist sect. Moreover, the number of the Purple Mansion demons he can mobilize has more than doubled. With just the six of us and many protectors, a direct attack would be tantamount to suicide."

Xuan Yan's expression darkened slightly. He retracted the short ruler into his palm and snorted coldly, "So, according to Fellow Daoist Yang's intention, we're just going to sit here and wait until the year is up before we go and receive another Heavenly Thunder Tribulation?"

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Yan, Fellow Daoist Yang did not mean that." Ying Qi quickly waved his hand. He knew that Yang Xiu and Xuan Yan had never had a good relationship. One was the Golden Court Daoist, and the other was the Wisdom Light Daoist. Both of them had stubborn personalities, and if they really quarreled, it would hurt their harmony. Moreover, Xuan Yan's Heavenly Chaos aura was most afraid of various lightning bolts. He already owed one, and if another one were added, it would probably delay his arduous cultivation for hundreds of years. "Fellow Daoist Yang means that a direct attack is not advisable, and we should find another method."

"What other method can we find?" Xuan Yan pressed, twirling the short ruler between his fingers. "In the past six months, we've tried arrays, Spirit Treasure treasures for deduction, and divination, but to no avail. Who can confidently break through the Proclaiming Earth barrier at the confluence of the two rivers? The royal city has fallen, and apart from our few villas, we have nowhere to stay. The heartland of the Southern Frontier and the Miao Frontier are teeming with Proclaiming Earth troops. I'd like to ask, what other method is there?"

"Then let's think about it some more." Ying Qi's voice also carried a hint of anger. He was usually the most composed, but now he was provoked by Xuan Yan's words "sitting idly to your death," and his brows furrowed. "It's better than risking your life."

Seeing that the two were getting increasingly agitated, Mo Li scratched his head and said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoists, please stop arguing. Although I'm not very bright, I also think that arguing won't solve anything." He pointed to the dense annotations on the map, "This is the culmination of our efforts over the past six months; we can't just say it's useless."

The atmosphere in the pavilion eased slightly, but the oppressive feeling remained.

Zilin remained silent. She sat upright to the side, toying with a black chess piece, gently placing it on the board. Her voice was low. "We are progressing, and the reincarnation of the True Lord is also progressing, and at an unimaginable speed." She paused. "Back when the grotto-heaven fell, he needed time to recover when he first emerged. Now, so many years have passed, and given that the current chaos aligns with Proclaiming Earth's intentions, he has likely already completely healed the injuries inflicted by the King's attack. His cultivation has probably reached a higher level. Time, after all, is not on our side."

After he finished speaking, the pavilion fell silent.

Mo Li scratched his head, lowered it, and said in a muffled voice, "We can't just wait like this, can we? The officials are really something. They made the decree sound so easy, ordering the reincarnation of the True Lord to Liberation by Violence within a year. If the reincarnation of the True Lord were so easy to kill, the King back then wouldn't have only severely injured him."

As soon as these words were spoken, Yang Xiu, Xuan Yan, and Ying Qi exchanged glances, all seeing the same expression in each other's eyes. Though the words were crude, they were exactly what they were thinking but dared not say aloud.

Yang Xiu remained silent for a moment, then suddenly tied the golden bell back around his waist, raised his head, swept his gaze over everyone, and slowly spoke:

There is something I have not yet told you all in detail.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the others changed slightly, and they all looked at him.

Yang Xiu took out a grayish-purple communication talisman from his sleeve. The surface of the Cloud Seal Script was covered with cloud-like characters that resembled Tortoise and Serpent Coil, and it faintly exuded an aura of intertwined True Qi and Profound Qi.

He placed the talisman on the table and said:

"Over the years, besides cultivating my spiritual power and training the three Dharma protectors in Green Nuo, I have also been keeping an eye on the movements in Tubo."

"Tubo?" Zilin's brows twitched slightly.

Yang Xiu nodded, his voice lowering slightly:

"After I fought the reincarnation of the True Lord at the confluence of the two rivers, I wrote to Golden Court to inquire about the True Martial Mountain. When the Supreme True Person Lord replied, in addition to answering the question about the Dharma Body, he also mentioned that traces of the ' Monk Mao ' had begun to appear in Tubo."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd:

"Furthermore, in earlier years, when Fellow Daoist Su first arrived in Nanzhao, the True Person Gui Hong of Qixia Temple discovered traces of Monk Mao in the north."

"Monk Mao?" Ying Qi's expression changed slightly. "You mean, those wicked monks of Tubo Buddhist School?"

"Indeed." Yang Xiu put the communication talisman away again, his gaze serious. "The letter from Supreme True Person said that those Monk Mao originally practiced in the snowy regions of Tubo and never ventured into the Central Plains. But in the past six months, some people have seen their traces in the snowy mountains bordering Nanzhao and Tubo. Supreme True Person said that Buddhist School Chan School Zen) school of Buddhism and the Tubo Buddhist School have always been at odds. Monk Mao cultivates the mind, while the Chan School practice asceticism and mantras. The two schools have been fighting each other for many years. Now that the Monk Mao have appeared on the border of Nanzhao, their intentions are unclear."

Xuan Yan placed the short ruler on the table, his brows furrowing even more deeply. "Monk Mao has come to Nanzhao? What are they after?"

"I don't know," Yang Xiu shook his head. "But Supreme True Person said something along those lines: 'If Monk Mao entered Nanzhao, he would either be Proclaiming Earth or a shaman.'"

"A witch?" Zilin gently put down the black chess piece in her hand, a flash of understanding appearing in her eyes. "Witchcraft Dao Returning to the Hidden and Buddhist School both lead to salvation. The Esoteric School practices of Monk Mao have some similarities with Witchcraft Dao. If they're targeting the followers of the Witch Department and the Witch Kingdom..."

"That Ying Qi things even more chaotic," Ying Qi said slowly, his expression darkening.

Silence fell over the pavilion. The osmanthus tree rustled in the wind, and a few withered leaves swirled down onto the stone table, landing on the dense annotations.

Just then, a clear voice came from the mountaintop, reaching everyone's ears:

What are you afraid of?

As soon as he finished speaking, a streak of pure white light pierced through the air and landed in front of the octagonal pavilion in just a few breaths.

"Brother Su Dao!"

"Su Yao!"

Several calls rang out simultaneously, some filled with joy, some with relief, and some with a sense of liberation.

Yang Xiu was the first to stand up, quickly stepping forward. His gaze lingered on Su Yao's face for a moment before he spoke:

"Brother Su, do you have a solution?"

Su Yao shook his head.

Upon seeing this, the atmosphere in the pavilion instantly became heavy again.

Xuan Yan's expression changed, and he was about to speak when Su Yao raised his hand to stop him.

"I know what you're all anxious about." Su Yao walked to the stone table and sat down, his gaze sweeping over the map covered in annotations, then over the faces of the five men, and slowly said, "The one-year period is almost halfway over, and the matter of Liberation by Violence is still completely unresolved."

He paused, then continued, "But when I went to the Zhao Household to help Fellow Xuan Yan, I received that mysterious decree. The decree came abruptly; the officials only said, 'Within one year, Proclaiming Earth True Lord shall be reincarnated and his body Liberation by Violence,' without mentioning anything else."

Xuan Yan couldn't help but say, "I was there too. But in the end, we were..."

He paused, then continued, "Fellow Daoist Su, have you grasped the deeper meaning behind this?"

Su Yao did not answer immediately. He picked up the teapot on the stone table, poured a cup of tea, took a small sip, and then slowly said, "Think about it, since the Proclaiming Earth incident, how many imperial edicts have the officials issued?"

Yang Xiu pondered for a moment and said, "Leaving aside the reincarnation of the True Lord, the order he gave us to stop True Lord reincarnation is one thing. The bestowal of the wondrous Gang Qi of the Eastern Pole Dao Lord is another. And then there's the Zhao Household's..."

"Every time they issue an imperial decree, the officials only give us the direction, not the method." Su Yao put down his teacup. "They didn't teach us how to stop the reincarnation of the True Lord; they didn't teach us how to open the Purple-Blue Secret Realm Liberation by Violence; and now they've ordered the Liberation by Violence of the True Lord's reincarnation, just like that."

Zilin's eyes flickered slightly, as if she had caught something. "You mean...?"

"The officials certainly won't remain indifferent." Su Yao gazed towards Jiankang, his eyes deep and calm. "Since that imperial decree was issued more than half a year ago, there has been no further news. I imagine the officials are also trying to find a solution. We should just wait and see."

"Wait patiently?" Xuan Yan frowned. "But a year is too long..."

"The one-year period was decided by some unknown lord," Su Yao said, withdrawing his gaze to Xuan Yan's face. "But we are not to be bullied. Which of us doesn't have a True Lord? A Supreme True Person Lord? Or even an Immortal or Dao Lord!"

Su Yao's words left each of the five people with their own distinct feelings.

Yang Xiu remained silent for a moment, then suddenly nodded. He recalled Xu Mo's retelling of Jin Ting Shangzhen's words, "You two can cause a huge uproar in private, but when it comes to receiving the imperial decree, you're more well-behaved than anyone else." Now he thought about it, perhaps what the officials wanted was never for them to "obediently accept the decree," but rather for them to "make a scene."

Ying Qi and Mo Li exchanged a glance and said nothing more.

Xuan Yan put the short ruler back into his sleeve, exhaled a long breath, and ultimately said nothing more.

Looking back on his argument with Ying Qi and Yang Xiu, and the angry words he had said, he felt somewhat ashamed. But he also knew that he wasn't targeting them personally; he had just been holding it in for too long and was too anxious.

Although Su Yao's words did not provide a solution, they at least made him understand one thing: his family had people on their side. Moreover, they did not know which official had delivered the decree. Since his own superiors did not say anything, everything was uncertain. After all, they could have been cultivating in the mountains, and their current presence was out of necessity.

Zilin picked up the black piece from the chessboard and put it back in the chess box. Her gaze fell on Su Yao's face, and she nodded slightly.

The meaning was clear: she believed him.

Just then, a streak of light flashed from the direction of the mountain gate. Liu Yunhe revealed himself, his face serious, clearly having rushed all the way. He quickly walked to the pavilion, bowed to Su Yao, and hurriedly said:

"Master, a white-robed boy has arrived outside the mountain gate, saying he summons you and several Daoist disciples to receive an imperial decree. The boy's face is indistinct, but his body is filled with Ancient True Qi, and his aura is unfathomable. This disciple dares not act on my own initiative and has come to report this."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiu, Xuan Yan, Zilin, Ying Qi, Mo Li all stood up at the same time.

Ancient True Qi. His face was not clearly visible.

"Probably some important figure from Kunlun Mountain," Yang Xiu murmured, his voice carrying a complex emotion. He subconsciously touched the golden bell at his waist; the bell twirled slightly between his fingers but remained silent.

Zilin looked at Su Yao, her gaze questioning.

Su Yao slowly stood up, straightened his robes, and faced the direction of the mountain gate.

That boy in white must be the one from Kunlun Mountain.

"Let's go," he said, stepping forward first, "To go and greet them."

The group filed out and headed towards the mountain gate.

Mo Li walked at the back, and couldn't help but turn back to look at the map on the stone table one last time.

The dense annotations on the drawings fluttered gently in the mountain breeze that swept through the hall, like every deduction, every argument, and every trace of resentment the five people had experienced over the past six months. He sighed and quickly followed.

Behind me, the map in the octagonal pavilion lay quietly on the stone table.

A gust of wind blew a corner of the drawing up, then it fell back down.

The osmanthus trees rustled, like whispers.

There is a word cloud:

After six months of deductions, no plan was found; the five men stared blankly at the incomplete map.

He hesitated again on the Zhao Household.

Where the Ancient True Qi moves, a white-robed figure descends from the heavenly path.

Don't think that waiting passively will lead to no solution; there is a hidden secret.

The osmanthus breeze blows, and one should act as if playing a game of chess.

The road leads down to Golden Ao Mountain, where banners flutter in the clouds.