Nine Luminaries Shared Heart Mirrors, Kunlun Society

Since Emperor Gaozong of Tang issued the edict banning marriage, the once powerful Gao family had already shown signs of decline.

Most of the powerful families in the court today are actually military and noble families that rose to prominence after the An Lushan Rebellion.

More than sixty years ago, during the upheaval that led to the reconstruction of the Great Tang, some military families were wiped out, but many others seized the opportunity to advance further.

Military families could also produce civil officials; so much so that for a time, more than 70% of the high-ranking positions in the court belonged to military families.

In both academic and martial arts, the vision and foundation of these scions of noble families from a young age are unmatched by any other family.

When Hai Donglai first proposed the idea of establishing civil and military schools, many aristocratic families, though displeased, did not take it seriously deep down.

So-called official schools existed as early as the Han Dynasty. Although they could select some outstanding talents, these talents could only be recruited by aristocratic families. How could they easily shake the foundation of these families?

They simply thought Hai Donglai of fierce temperament and strict character, hoping to see more people in the world embark on the path of martial arts training to make him feel at ease.

However, after the Great Tang Dynasty established numerous civil and military schools, the pool of talent to be selected from the common people was simply too large.

Even if someone is originally the son of a commoner, after going through layers of selection, they will still receive a lot of resources from the official schools, making the external advantages of the sons of aristocratic families smaller and smaller.

With the Inner Guard that covered the entire Great Tang as a starting point, the number of official schools established far exceeded the small-scale operations of the Han Dynasty.

There were members of prominent families who secretly cursed and gnashed their teeth in anger.

The disciples trained by those old beasts in the Inner Guard are not simply those who can read some classic texts and learn a few rigid martial arts moves.

More than sixty years, in the context of ordinary people, is equivalent to three generations.

Many once-powerful families have faded into obscurity, or even been completely eradicated.

The remaining Lineage are all deeply rooted, with many successors, making them exceptionally difficult to shake.

The Pei Clan of Hedong was one of them.

Chang'an, Pei Residence.

The patriarch Pei Dongcheng, with a golden crown, black hair, phoenix eyes, an iron face, and a long beard, was grinding ink and writing in his study.

The image of a beautiful woman adding fragrance to the inkstone and her delicate hands grinding ink has always been regarded as elegant by scholars.

When Pei Dongcheng was in his study, he preferred quiet.

Two elderly servants stood guard outside the door, while solemn bookshelves stood in rows inside the study.

There were no maids inside the house.

The ink stick swirls gently in the inkstone, making a soft rustling sound, and gradually shortens.

The ink, which should have been black, was ground into oval-shaped swirling patterns resembling silver threads on the inkstone.

If one has sharp eyesight, one will see that each silver hair that makes up the swirling pattern is actually a slender, long, and sharpened sword.

Heart and Blood Martial Dao, business with heart and soul.

A powerful mental state is enough to generate earth-shattering Sword Intent.

The eight hundred small swords in this inkstone are all illusions, but each sword truly possesses the power to slay tigers and bears, and to destroy souls and spirits.

Pei Dongcheng grinding ink was, in effect, sharpening his sword.

Suddenly, he sensed something, stopped grinding ink, and took out a three-inch-sized silver-white round mirror from his bosom.

"Another urgent matter?"

Pei Dongcheng squeezed out a little blood with his thumb and pressed it onto the mirror.

As the blood was absorbed by the mirror, his mind sank into it, as if he had entered a dark, misty place.

Eight other figures also appeared here one after another, each one blurry and indistinct, as if shrouded in mist, with only a silhouette outline visible.

Three of them, like Pei Dongcheng, were dressed in ancient attire with tall hats and wide-sleeved robes.

There was another one, with her hair tied in a bun and dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, who didn't seem to have any distinctive features at all.

Pei Dongcheng had dealt with these people many times and already knew that these four people, like himself, were Tang People.

But four of them belonged to a different race.

Sogdians, Tubo, Dashi, Turks.

People in the Central Plains were accustomed to referring to the various countries in the west, such as Great Qin, collectively as the Nations of the Far West.

Located on a major transportation route between the Great Tang and the Far West, the Sogdians established numerous oasis cities, where commerce flourished and merchants held high status, engaging in trade between Eastern and Western countries.

Many Sogdians were descendants of those who migrated to the Great Tang Dynasty. It is said that An Lushan and Shi Siming both had some Sogdians blood.

The Nine Luminaries Shared Heart Mirrors was originally a set of rare treasures belonging to the Sogdians.

This set of mirrors has nine faces, and the Weapon Soul powers they possess are not offensive, but they can communicate at any time across thousands of miles.

Even in the far north, in a lead-mercury mine, or on an unnamed island in the deep sea, the operation of the mirror's magical powers remains unaffected.

The Sogdians initially used this set of mirrors simply to collude with the princes and nobles of various countries in the East and West, in order to facilitate some shady business dealings.

But after being discovered by someone with ulterior motives, they turned the tables and took control.

The nine people who now possess the mirror are no longer its original owners.

Over the years, they have repeatedly plotted and accomplished several major feats that far exceeded the interests of a small caravan.

"The matter of the Mountain King Divine Drum has become more complicated."

The Tubo figure spoke first, saying, "When the Divine Drum arrived in Nanzhao territory, it was first targeted by several notorious bandits who had heard rumors of it and came to stir up trouble."

"When my men caught up with the drum at the Nanzhao Royal City, they learned that it had already been acquired by the new Nanzhao."

Pei Dongcheng stroked his beard and said, "The new ruler of Nanzhao, Zheng Tianchang?"

"No."

The Tubo figure said, "My men have inquired and learned that this man's origins are unknown. Rumor has it that he annihilated Zheng Tianchang's palace in a matter of moments."

"Furthermore, right before everyone's eyes, he captured the Fire Tree Dhuta with a single move and two techniques."

The figures present all shifted slightly in their postures, clearly moved.

Another figure with a tall hat said, "He captured the Fire Tree in one move; his strength is considerable. Is this person worth recruiting?"

Pei Dongcheng glanced at the man.

Having collaborated for many years, he had long suspected the identities of these figures in tall hats.

Most likely, they are from the Wu Clan of Huaixi, the Kong Clan of Lingnan, and the Li Clan of Zhao Commandery.

The one who spoke just now was from the Wu Clan.

"I'm afraid that won't work."

The Tubo said, "This man appeared and soon rescued Cheng Xin. It is said that Cheng Xin even called him his uncle."

Cheng Xin's stance was known to all nine people present.

Upon hearing this, the Wu Clan fell silent for a moment.

"Everyone!"

The Dashi man's harsh voice rang out, "You say that Kunlun is the king of all mountains."

That's why our organization is called the Kunlun Society.

"But those things I did in the past, though not bad, how could they be worthy of the title of King of Mountains, who can so freely manipulate all the mountains under heaven?"

The Dashi man laughed, "Killing Hai Donglai and his conservative forces is imperative."

"They shared the resources that should have been concentrated among the masses, creating a very negative impact. Even within our country, this has resulted in a lot more noisy insect chirping."

"Only by killing them can we restore everything to its proper course and create an era of unparalleled glory and nobility."

Of the nine people present, this Dashi man's speech and behavior were always the most likely to create a certain fanatical atmosphere.

"Now, with another old fogey from the old era appearing in Nanzhao, what else is there to consider?"

"Of course it is! Cut him off, blow him to pieces, burn him, and make him cease to exist!"

The Wu Clan chuckled lightly, "That makes sense. However, in order to prevent the current commander of the Inner Guard from going to meet the Divine Drum, we have already lost a considerable amount of our secretly cultivated forces."

"Would this esteemed gentleman from the Dashi Kingdom be willing to personally offer his assistance?"

The Dashi man calmly replied, "I came to Tubo at the invitation of the Mountain King to search for and persuade his remaining followers. This is of utmost importance, and I'm afraid I cannot leave yet."

The Wu Clan let out a sneer.

Pei Dongcheng stroked his beard thoughtfully, then suddenly said, "The overall situation is paramount!"

"I will send another person, though only one, whose strength far surpasses that of Fire Tree, and who is more decisive in handling emergencies. He can serve as the leader of this operation."

The Tubo were overjoyed. "This man is skilled with a sword?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Dongcheng knew that these people had indeed guessed his identity.

He nodded and said, "He has fully inherited my skills; he's only lacking a bit more experience and refinement than me."

The Turks, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

"Alright, then I will also send one of my cousins, who is pure of heart and possesses profound martial arts skills."

The Turks said bluntly, "Let's find a place to gather all your forces, with my cousin as your deputy and the Pei Clan family as your leaders."

"Let them meet first, then seize the drum and kill them!"

(End of this chapter)