Chapter 18: Chengde Hall
Chapter 18: Chengde Hall (Part )
In front of Chengde Hall.
Tong Baixiong and others stood in the corridor waiting to be summoned.
The warriors outside the palace were wearing purple robes and holding golden gourds. They looked straight ahead, with fanatical expressions on their faces.
It is easy for a sect to fight and kill, but it is not so easy to establish rules and systems and maintain respect from top to bottom.
The reason for this is that warriors by nature do not like to be constrained, while those who are capable of governing the country mostly enter the imperial court.
From Pingding City to Heimu Cliff and Chengde Hall, from what he saw and heard along the way, Zhang Yu felt that the Sun Moon Sect had already begun to break away from the martial arts world and become the embryonic form of a local separatist force.
He was secretly curious in his heart: "Dongfang Bubai has far-reaching plans, and his civil and military skills are far superior to Ren Woxing. Why is it that in the end..., practicing the Sunflower Manual to a deep level can change a person's character so much?"
At this time, a man came out from the side corridor and walked slowly towards Chengde Hall.
She was wearing a long white dress and a veiled hat that covered her face. Judging from her graceful figure, she seemed to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, but her demeanor was calm and composed, which did not match her age.
Tong Baixiong saw the person coming and hesitated for a moment before moving forward and bowing, saying, "Tong Baixiong, the leader of Fenglei Hall, greets Saint Lady."
"How is Elder Tong these days?"
"Thanks to the Eastern Patriarch and Saint Aunt, I am in good health and can eat three bowls of rice in one meal."
"Elder Tong is the pillar of the Divine Religion. If you can eat three bowls of rice in one meal, the Divine Religion will be stable."
Tong Baixiong smiled and said, "I heard that Saint Auntie has been living in seclusion in Luoyang. When did she return to Blackwood Cliff?"
"The triennial Holy Ceremony is approaching, and Uncle Dongfang asked me to come back to assist in the teaching affairs."
Zhang Yu knew who the woman in front of him was.
Ren Yingying is the nominal number two in the Sun Moon Sect.
It had only been a few years since Dongfang Bubai was promoted from the Lord of Incense to the Left Protector of Light, and he had not established a deep foundation in the sect.
In order to stabilize people's hearts, he named Ren Yingying, the daughter of the former leader, as the Holy Lady, whose status was second only to the emperor.
In this way, those who wanted to rebel would lose their righteousness. After the position was consolidated, Ren Yingying was sent to live in seclusion in Luoyang Green Bamboo Lane, far away from the main altar of Heimu Cliff, and Ren Woxing's loyal confidants were eliminated, gradually eliminating the influence of the previous dynasty.
Such an open and covert strategy, combined with the odds, made Zhang Yu admire it.
She walked up to Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu did not kneel, but only bowed and said, "Zhang Yu, the deputy flag bearer of Yunshui Hall, pays respect to the Saint Lady."
"Did Uncle Wu give any instructions before he died?"
"Before Master died, he told me to remember one thing: be loyal to the leader and the Saint Lady, and never give up for the great cause of the Divine Religion, even if it means death!"
She whispered, "Do you understand your master's painstaking efforts?"
Zhang Yu said softly, "I understand."
"it is good."
Ren Yingying's voice sounded somewhat sad.
Although she was nominally the Holy Lady of the Divine Religion, her identity was awkward. Except for those who had received great favors and were determined to stand by the Ren family, the leading figures in the religion did not dare to have deep contacts with the remnants of the previous dynasty.
Wu Lianjiang is an old subordinate of Ren Woxing, and the two families have a deep bond.
"I already know about Uncle Wu's matter. Don't worry, I will take care of the old members of Yunshuitang."
Ren Yingying's voice was so soft that only Zhang Yuzhi could hear it.
Zhang Yu raised his head slightly, and through the veil fluttering in the breeze, he could smell the woman's fragrant breath.
A messenger walked out of Chengde Hall.
Tong Baixiong hurried forward.
The messenger said loudly: "The Holy Master, who is virtuous, righteous and wise, has ordered: Let the Holy Lady come to the palace to meet him."
Tong Baixiong frowned and said, "Didn't the Eastern Sect Leader ask me to come in?"
The purple-robed messenger did not even look at him, but turned around and led the Saint Lady into the hall.
Tong Baixiong cursed angrily: "These bastards, relying on Yang Lianting's power, actually don't even take me seriously."
Zhang Yu secretly distanced himself from him. Tong Baixiong had lived for more than a century, but he seemed to have only a bad temper and no brains at all. Let's not talk about anything else for now. Once he said this, he would offend all the golden melon warriors outside the hall. Although they are not as noble as you, the leader of the Wind and Thunder Hall and the ten elders, on the Black Wood Cliff, you are an outsider, and they are the close attendants of the leader.
Tong Baixiong was disappointed, looked at Zhang Yu and asked, "Did you know Miss Ren before?"
Zhang Yu thought for a moment and said, "I am of low status, I have never met the Saint Aunt before, and I have rarely even heard of her."
Tong Baixiong nodded.
After a while, another messenger came out of the hall.
"The Holy Master of Wencheng, Wude, Renyi, and Ming has issued an order: Elder Tong Baixiong of the Wind and Thunder Hall is ordered to lead Qi Queqiao and Zhang Yu into the palace for an audience. The rest of the people are to wait outside the palace."
Tong Baixiong winked at Tieshi.
Before entering the gate, the three men took off their swords and handed them over to the golden gourd warriors.
Zhang Yu had just stepped over the palace gate when suddenly he saw a flash of cold light and two long-handled axes chopped down on his head, and four golden axes swept past behind him. Although he was mentally prepared, he still broke out in a cold sweat and subconsciously tried to use his internal strength to resist.
Tong Baixiong was much calmer. He stood with his hands behind his back, unmoved.
The purple-robed messenger then shouted, "Your Majesty, please come and see me."
The warriors retreated to the sides.
Zhang Yu looked and saw that the warriors in the hall were wearing iron armor under their purple robes and holding axes. In terms of elite level, they were even better than the golden gourd warriors outside the hall.
If someone enters the hall and hides a weapon or has ill intentions, he will naturally be exposed.
Or if they simply cannot withstand the intimidation and take emergency actions of resistance, that would also be regarded as treason, and the result would be crushed to pieces anyway.
"What a domineering method!"
Zhang Yu thought to himself that Dongfang Bubai not only wanted his followers to be loyal to him, but also to obey him absolutely. When facing swords and axes, they were not allowed to have any thoughts of resistance, not even subconscious resistance!
"This is a loyalty test. How long can the loyalty gained through this method last? Over time, I'm afraid there will be more resentment than awe, more alienation than closeness. No wonder after Ren Woxing escaped, so many believers gathered to support him in his fight against Dongfang Bubai."
The hall is only about forty feet wide, but about two hundred feet deep.
Zhang Yu walked in slowly with his head lowered. He couldn't help but feel excited. After all, the person he was about to meet, apart from his identity as the leader of the Demon Cult, was also one of the top figures in this world.
There were many rumors in the martial arts world. Some praised him as a great leader with both civil and military skills, while others cursed him as a demon who could make the Han people cry at night.
But there are very few people who have seen Dongfang Bubai. As time goes by, even what he looks like has become a mystery in the martial arts world.
The purple-robed messenger stopped at the bottom of the steps and said in a loud voice: "Pay homage to the Holy Master!"
Everyone knelt on the ground.
"The Holy Lord has both literary and martial virtues, and has unified the martial arts world for thousands of years."
The three of them said in unison.
"I am Tong Baixiong, the elder of Fenglei Hall, paying my respects to the leader."
"I, Qi Queqiao, the incense master of Fenglei Hall, pay my respects to the leader."
"I am Zhang Yu, the deputy flag bearer of Yunshui Hall, and I pay my respects to the leader."
Zhang Yu secretly rejoiced in his heart that he had read "The Master's Treasure Instructions" in the middle of the night, memorized hundreds of excerpts, and was finally able to catch up with the crowd.
In such a situation, if something went wrong, or if one was too clever and tried to make up for it, Dongfang Bubai would be able to see it at a glance, and if he called for the warriors then, he would probably not be able to escape the fate of being hit on the head with a golden gourd.
"Everyone, stand up." The voice was a little lazy and slightly magnetic.
Only then did Zhang Yu dare to look up slightly.
Above the golden palace, a pearl curtain was drawn, and behind the curtain one could faintly see a treasure couch with a figure sitting on it, with only the outline of a figure visible.
There are two chairs in front of the bead curtain.
On the left sat a saint lady in a white dress and a veiled hat, and on the right sat a tall Tibetan man.
He was in his early twenties, wearing a purple moire satin fur robe, black boots, strong body, white face and beard, very masculine. When he stared at people, his eyes always flashed with an inexplicable cold light, as if he could see through people's hearts through their bellies.
"All 981 members of Yunshui Hall died in Damao Ridge. What extraordinary qualities do you have that allow you to escape back to Heimu Cliff?"
(End of this chapter)