A Stir Among the Myriad Sects

As evening fell, thunder and lightning roared across the sky, followed by a thorough rain.

An ancient town in Jiangnan, with its white walls, black tiles, and cobblestone paths, appears even more elegant and graceful in the rain.

From a bird's-eye view, the seven large ponds scattered throughout the town appear vibrant and full of life even in the rain.

Fish would occasionally surface, even leaping out of the water, splashing water and eliciting laughter and shouts from the nearby children.

This is Seven Stars Pond.

It is said that this ancient town was already very prosperous during the Northern Song Dynasty, but by the end of the Song Dynasty, despite being located in the Jiangnan region, the town was plagued by frequent droughts and floods, rampant epidemics, and the people were suffering.

The ancestors of the Murong Family surveyed the land and water here, assessed the terrain, and commanded a group of martial arts practitioners to change the straight stream to a winding stream on the east side of the town, resembling the arc of Taiji.

They also repaired the ponds and ancient wells in the town, eventually creating a total of seven large ponds, each connected to the water veins, allowing for water storage and extraction regardless of water levels, eliminating the problems of drought and flood.

The Murong Family thus settled down and gradually became a prominent family. Although the main family mansion was only located in a small town, it had a reclusive style, showing that they never forgot their roots.

In fact, in recent generations, the Murong family has become Murong Family, with businesses in more than ten major cities and counties in the vicinity, and even the Jiangnan Poetry Society, which is run by his Lineage members in the capital.

The common people in the town had long held the Murong Family in high esteem and were themselves quite humble. Nothing could offend them, and the Murong Family treated them with great leniency.

In the martial arts world, the Murong Lineage is becoming increasingly formidable, displaying the sharp edge of swordsmen and proving themselves to be a force to be reckoned with.

Anyone who slightly offends the Murong Lineage will be met with a swift and severe retribution.

The current head of the family, Murong Shijie, wearing a jade crown, with deeply etched eyebrows and three strands of black beard hanging down to his chest, was inspecting matters in a cool, large room in the southwest corner of the mansion.

There were two ice coffins in the room. One of them contained an old woman who lay face up, and her body showed no signs of injury.

The other was a dwarf old man with a face that was filled with resentment and horror, as if he had witnessed something shocking before he died.

These two were highly capable assassins in the Murong Family's Dark Hall, but they were hastily buried in a mass grave in Yongchun County.

Not long ago, the Murong Family discovered clues, exhumed the body, reconstructed its appearance, and transported it back to the Murong Family in an ice coffin.

"It has been confirmed that those who died in that battle also included the leader of the Giant Whale Gang, the head of the Sea Sand Sect, the fourth elder of the Hainan Sword Sect, and the Three Yin Wind Sha."

The steward of the Dark Hall said, "They tracked Yongchun down because of the Fire God Secret Formula, but now the Fire God Secret Formula has appeared at the Southern Shaolin."

"The young man who killed them seems to be a master of hard martial arts; he must have close ties to the Southern Shaolin."

Murong Shijie stroked his long beard. "Southern Shaolin is already surrounded by wolves. Do you think you can break this situation with the Fire God Secret Formula? It will only attract more covetous eyes. It's unwise."

The steward of the Dark Hall said, "Our clan originally had a property near the Southern Shaolin, and in recent years, we have gradually added many skilled martial artists to our ranks."

"Their original intention was to get a share of the profits after the Southern Shaolin fell. Should we make them focus their attention on the Fire God Secret Formula?"

Murong Shijie nodded. "Since they dare to raise the banner of resisting the Japanese pirates, I predict that the Japanese pirates will soon take action..."

He paused for a moment after saying this.

"That brat surnamed Chu even calls himself Rogue Person from overseas. Hmph, he's probably in the Southern Shaolin Temple."

"They killed one of our family's most trusted men, whom we've painstakingly trained for years; they cannot be let off lightly."

"I will personally go to Quanzhou to oversee the situation and take control."

A flicker of excitement crossed the Dark Hall's eyes as he said, "The last time the head of the family personally took action was fifteen years ago, wasn't it?"

Murong Shijie said leisurely, "A long sword is a dangerous weapon, Non-Self wish to use it recklessly, but how can it be left unused for many years?"

"It's time for it to drink the blood of a master once more."

Murong Shijie's ears twitched slightly as he heard the sound of clothes rustling in the wind outside the door.

A nimble figure darted across the courtyard and arrived at the gate.

The steward of the Dark Hall also noticed, and before anyone could knock on the door, he calmly turned around, opened the door, and took a letter.

But when his gaze swept across the letter, he suddenly froze.

Murong Shijie frowned. "What?"

The steward of the Dark Hall turned around, still somewhat stunned. "Chen Zuqi attacked the Southern Shaolin today..."

Murong Shijie asked in surprise, "Has the Southern Shaolin been destroyed today? I haven't even had time to set off yet, and the people I arranged beforehand probably won't be able to seize much benefit."

The steward of the Dark Hall felt a dryness in his throat and said in a hoarse voice, "No! Chen Zuqi... he's dead!!"

Murong Shijie's expression changed, and he took the letter.

Southern Shaolin... Layman Tian...

The letter clearly stated that the Japanese pirates set fire to the mountain, causing unrest.

Chen Zuqi attacked the main hall of the Great Buddha, but was killed by Chu Tianshu, a lay Buddhist from the Southern Shaolin!

Chen Zuqi's body has been sent to the Quanzhou government office, with an imperial envoy present as a witness.

Back then, this Pirate Heavenly King repeatedly charged into battle along the coast, always at the forefront. The government had already drawn his portrait and recorded his true appearance.

The Murong Family members mingled in the crowd and observed; the faces of the corpses were indeed identical.

But what truly proves the identity of the Pirate Heavenly King is the aura of inner strength emanating from that corpse.

He had probably been dead for two or three hours, yet there was still a faint trace of internal energy emanating from his corpse.

Therefore, the sheer amount of internal energy that corpse possessed in the moments before its death was truly astonishing.

Aside from Chen Zuqi himself, where else among the Japanese pirates could one find such a top-tier master?

"Even two hours after his death, his inner energy had not dissipated..."

Murong Shijie murmured this sentence, his expression changing several times, his eyes shifting between light and shadow.

The more skilled you are, the more you can appreciate how terrifying this kind of thing is.

Such a person was actually killed.

The steward of the Dark Hall asked in a daze, "Master, are we still going to Quanzhou?"

He had barely finished speaking when he came to his senses and realized he had asked a stupid question.

The news on paper truly shocked him so much that he lost his composure and became speechless.

Upon hearing this, Murong Shijie's expression indeed darkened further.

"A long sword is a dangerous weapon; any rash action will surely bring misfortune. Let's put it away for now."

Murong Shijie coldly uttered those words, still somewhat unable to let go of the matter, and read the letter over and over again.

"Rogue Person from overseas? Could he really be some kind of Rogue Person from overseas? How could the Southern Shaolin possibly have such a master?"

Murong Shijie, then said, "The spies from the Flowing Cloud Manor should also know this news, right?"

"But we still need to show our stance and report the information we've gathered to the Flowing Cloud Manor as quickly as possible."

Xiahou Mountain Manor, nestled in the Mount Taihang.

The elderly, whose numbers have recently decreased, sat in their armchairs, looking at the letter in their hands.

After the initial shock, he seemed somewhat relieved.

"That brat, he actually turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise."

Master Xiahou muttered to himself, but the thought of his second son leaving home made his teeth ache.

"You bastard! You haven't been back for years! Who knows who you like? Does that girl deserve to wait for you? You bastard! You bastard!"

He slapped the letter to pieces, still furious. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he summoned the butler.

"Prepare a generous gift for me, and choose it carefully; it's to be sent to the Southern Shaolin."

The old steward asked, "Is there any pretext for this gift?"

"Apprenticeship Ceremony!"

Master Xiahou roused himself and laughed heartily, "Layman Tian, thank you for helping to discipline my good-for-nothing son. Our Xiahou Family should naturally offer this apprenticeship gift in return."

Within days, news of Chen Zuqi's defeat and death spread Jiangnan.

First, they had been keeping an eye on the various forces and sects of the Southern Shaolin for a long time, and received reports from their own spies.

Soon, their news spread and corroborated each other, causing a huge uproar in the martial arts world.

There were all sorts of opinions, and many figures in the Southern martial arts world changed their minds, eager to cultivate a good relationship with the Southern Shaolin.

However, some people are still observing the situation. In fact, because the Southern Shaolin Temple, under the guise of fighting against Japanese pirates, has wiped out many gangs that had previously impersonated pirates, they feel even more threatened and are considering quickly seeking refuge with another sect.

It wasn't until news spread from the capital that the biggest leader among the Japanese pirates was brought to justice and executed.

As a result, the story of the Southern Shaolin Temple's resistance against Japanese pirates became a hot topic of discussion among the people.

The image of Layman Chu Tian has been interpreted in dozens of different ways in the streets and alleys.

By this time, the news had reached beyond the Great Wall.

In the frigid lands beyond the Great Wall, rivers freeze for seven months of the year.

In some narrow sections of the river, where the water is only a few dozen feet wide, the ice can be more than ten feet thick.

The large wooden houses on both sides of the river, with colorful ribbons fluttering in the wind, resemble an army camp or an ancient tribe.

Wild animal pelts were either used to block doors and windows or hung high up.

Painted wood, slightly carved, stands inside and outside the camp, depicting the faces of Ghost God, exuding a mysterious and wild atmosphere.

This is where the best group of swordsmiths from beyond the Great Wall live together. The furnaces are blazing red, and the smoke from the chimneys rises in wisps, seemingly scattering even the wind and snow.

This is also one of the most important halls in the infamous Demonic Sect. The music and banquet are melodious and lively, as if people are brought to the temple of Ghost God, where they rejoice and shout together.

The man, wrapped in a heavy fox fur coat, sat sideways by the fireplace, most of his face hidden beneath the snow-white fur.

Outsiders could only vaguely see his eyebrows, which were slightly white at the ends, and his cold eyes.

"Kill Chen Zuqi?"

His voice was clear and strong, but it became somewhat hoarse and aged towards the end.

"Investigate! Find out all the information about this 'Layman Tian ' since he first appeared in the martial world."

I need the most detailed information.

"Furthermore, send men to Dongying. Now that Chen Zuqi is dead, I fear the people he supported are not up to the task, and Dongying will descend into chaos again."

"We can't let the Flowing Cloud Manor keep controlling our raw materials and sales channels. We should profit from Dongying and let them be in chaos and fight each other!"

The news of Chen Zuqi's tragic death will soon be transmitted back to Dongying through the machinations of certain individuals.

(End of this chapter)