Chapter 110 Tai 1
Chapter 110 Taiyi
Li Wuxiang exhaled slowly. Judging from the expressions of Pan Muyun, Lu Renjia, and Helian Ji...
Zeng Jianqiu didn't tell them that his youth and life span had come to an end!
"A desire to sacrifice one's life for the cause"?
Li Wuxiang had a bad idea in his mind - Zeng Jianqiu had been acting strangely when they were in Jinshui. He had given him the flying sword and left without saying goodbye. At that time, he felt that a cultivator who knew that his future cultivation was hopeless would be depressed even if he was an open-minded swordsman, but maybe he would come to his senses after a few days.
Even if Zeng Jianqiu was upset, he still wanted to find a way to help him solve the problem.
But now, I’m afraid Zeng Jianqiu really wants to “die for his cause” - to go deep into the dragon’s den and the tiger’s lair to rescue his guide, even if he can’t rescue him... Does he think that dying in battle is much better than dying of old age?
Li Wuxiang straightened up and said solemnly: "Brother Pan, count me in."
Pan Muyun nodded: "Lao Zeng didn't make a mistake. But he didn't ask me to tell you."
"He said that you have a special background and are extremely talented. If you become a swordsman, you will be incomparable to us in the future. I have never seen him praise someone so much. When he came, I was a little skeptical." Pan Muyun smiled, "But when he met you just now, a few words moved Cheng Peixin. I know what he meant."
"Practicing is neither easy nor difficult. The Sword Sect has had countless heroes over the past two thousand years, all fighting with all their blood and energy. This is a positive statement, and I'm just picking up the negative side. Most swordsmen are arrogant. Arrogant people... disdain to follow the crowd, so they rarely have insight and foresight."
Helian Ji shook the wine jar and said, "Hey, Third Brother, I don't like what you said. Sword Master Xiao, Sword Master Cao, Sword Master Cui, any one of them can be considered as a mastermind, right?"
Pan Muyun shook his head: "Those three sword masters are indeed amazing people, but what about the others? If you ask me, when we look at those people from the thirty-six sects and the six mysterious sects, we only feel that they are scheming against each other and calculating against their fellow disciples, but it is in this way that it is easier to cultivate strategic talents... I'm going too far. I'm just saying, Junior Brother Li, you have only been practicing for a short time, and this time it is very dangerous. I'm afraid that the two of us may not be able to come back. I'm not questioning your courage, but-"
"My flying sword belongs to Senior Brother Zeng." Li Wuxiang interrupted him. "During the Jinshui period, Zhao Kui was possessed by evil spirits. He and I served as bait and ambushed him. He was the bait, and Zhao Kui sucked away his life span... All his youth and life span were used up. I think he really wanted to sacrifice his life for his cause this time."
The three people were stunned and looked at each other.
Li Wuxiang tightened the flying sword in his chest.
If he had known earlier that Jian Zong was such a Jian Zong and Zeng Jianqiu was such a Zeng Jianqiu, he would not have kidnapped him and used him to gain Zhao Kui's trust.
Zeng Jianqiu said at the beginning that he also had "evil intentions". Now thinking about it, it's really...why did he use the "Five Mountains Treasure" to deceive himself? His behavior is really different from that of other people in the Sword Sect.
"So I had a hand in his misfortune. If you want to help him, I should be counted in as one of them."
After a long while, Pan Muyun slowly exhaled: "No wonder... I also felt that something was wrong with him at the time. It turns out it was because of this."
He lowered his head and thought for a while, then raised his face to look at Li Wuxiang: "Junior Brother Li, if you insist on going, I can't stop you. But there are some things I still need to tell you."
"Turn to page 131 of the Anthology of the World of Generals. I'll explain it to you as you read it."
Li Wuxiang took out the book and opened it again. From page 131 onwards, it was all about the Sword Sect. The light in the woods was dim, but it did not hinder his reading. He flipped through it quickly and soon finished four or five pages.
You know, the only person in power in the Sword Sect is not called "Sect Leader" but "Cult Leader", and his respectful title is "Cult Leader of the Donghuang Taiyi Sect". It seems that they also consider themselves to be authentic and on par with the six mysterious sects.
Below the leader are six "Sword Masters", who look like the "elders" of the six mysterious religions and thirty-six sects.
Below the Sword Master, there are six "Sword Masters". According to what is said in the book, Sword Master is a title of a specific position, and is responsible for managing a different number of "Sword Holders" under their command.
As for the "Sword Master", according to the book, he should be the person who holds the power of law enforcement in the Sword Sect. Among the ten or so swordsmen in a region, there will be a Sword Master. If he hears that a swordsman is doing evil, the Sword Master will go to take care of it. If he hears that a swordsman is in trouble, he will also go to check.
"The trapped Senior Brother Lou is a swordsman. I just said that he can actually be considered Junior Brother Zeng's master. In fact, it is like this - we call each other brothers among our fellow disciples. It is not like other sects that emphasize seniority and inferiority. However, we also have factions. However, this faction is not a faction that seeks power in the Six Mysterious Sects or the Thirty-Six Sects, but a heritage."
"The True Immortal Body Dao Chapter and the Flying Immortal Sword Chapter, each person's training method is slightly different. Since it was Junior Brother Zeng who taught you the method, you are actually from his lineage. Your lineage is good at training Qi and blood, and breaking the law. This is the most authentic training method of our sect. Others' training methods are slightly different. For example, my lineage is good at breaking illusions, breaking delusions, and finding tricks."
"What I want to say is that, apart from the Plum Palm Sword, there are only three of you in your lineage. This journey is dangerous, and we don't know if we can rescue Senior Brother Lou. If not... Junior Brother Li, you must remember to protect yourself. The Plum Palm Sword will no longer be passed down."
Li Wuxiang nodded: "I haven't practiced for long, but I have no shortage of ways to save my life."
Pan Muyun rubbed the sugar stains left by the raisins on his palms and said, "Okay. You should still have things to do at Feiyun Temple, so we'll leave first. Your Senior Brother Helian and I have to get some things on the way, and your Senior Sister Lu also has to go somewhere else to do something. When you've finished your business, come catch up with us - we'll go to Qingjiang City first, along the Jinshui River. We'll be delayed on the road for a day or two, so you should be able to make it in time. Then..."
Are these people just going to leave as soon as they say so? Li Wuxiang quickly said, "Wait, Senior Brother Pan, I have something else to ask. I just don't understand, we swordsmen come and go in the martial arts world, besides doing justice, what do we mainly do? What if I find a place to concentrate on practicing?"
The three swordsmen looked at each other and suddenly laughed. Pan Muyun laughed twice: "Old Zeng didn't tell you? He only told you to be chivalrous and righteous? Haha, no, of course we didn't walk around randomly. So, he didn't tell you about You Jiuyuan's matter?"
“Yeah.” “Hahaha, that’s really the style of your lineage. Okay, then listen to me.”
"The reason why we have to travel around the world is actually to collect geography from all over. There are very few places in the world where people live, and there are even more places that are uninhabited and have never been visited by anyone. We mainly go to these places - record the mountains and rivers, terrain, forests, minerals, rare birds and animals. To be more specific, we need to record the location of a certain mountain, how many peaks there are, how many rivers there are, and where they flow from and to where. "
"For example, when your senior brother Zeng was near Deyang, he spent most of his time in the mountains, passing through villages and towns on his way back and forth. He would intervene if he saw any injustice, but he didn't go out to...do justice. Naturally, when he met someone like you, he would introduce him to his sect, which is also the right thing to do."
"So we don't stay in one place all the time. For example, we've been staying near the True Form Sect's dojo for the past few decades. When things here are done, we'll move to another place. All the things you've written down must be sent back to You Jiu Yuan."
"Speaking of You Jiu Yuan, your Senior Brother Zeng didn't tell you where it is, did he?"
Li Wuxiang nodded: "Yes."
"The thing is, many sects have the concept of outer disciples, but the Sword Sect doesn't have this concept, but it does exist. For example, before we came tonight, you were considered an outer disciple - someone introduced you to the sect and taught you the Dharma, but you couldn't be called a swordsman. Once we have seen you, you will be a swordsman."
"But I am a swordsman, so I can only give you the identity of a swordsman. To go to Youjiuyuan, you have to meet a swordsman. Only when the swordsman thinks you are suitable can you enter Youjiuyuan. After meeting the swordsman, there will be no problem with your character. But to go to Youjiuyuan, it is not just your character that counts, but what you do."
"When we travel around, we sometimes get some errands from You Jiuyuan. For example, your senior brother Zeng and a few of us got an errand before, which was to go to Ranshan to find a Taoist book called Guang Chanzi. Your senior brother Zeng succeeded in this task, but it was also thanks to you. You can do this kind of errand or not. If you do it and return to report, you can get some benefits in exchange, such as urgently needed medicinal materials, magic tools, gold and silver, and so on."
"If you go to see the Sword Master, he will give you a task to do. Once you complete it, the Sword Master will know that there is nothing wrong with your character, and the Sword Master will know that there is nothing wrong with your ability, and then there will be no more problems."
"——What if it doesn't work out?"
"If you can't do it the first time, try the second time. If you can't do it the second time, try the third time. If you have a good character and live a long life, there won't be any big problems." Pan Muyun looked at him, "You don't have to think about this. You killed Xu Daosheng in Ranshan, and everyone who knew about it felt very happy. You must have passed the test with Mei Zhangjian. But after all, you haven't gone to see him yet, so I can't say more to you."
Li Wuxiang nodded: "But why do we record those mountains and rivers?"
"Well, everyone asks this question, and there should be an answer, but we don't know it. The only person in the world who knows the answer may be the leader, and the six mysterious sects may not know it. However, what they know is that they will not let us do what we want to do."
"You don't really need to think about it. Remembering those things is what the sect wants us to do. But as individuals, we still need to practice. Taking on errands, remembering things, and reporting to Youjiuyuan all have their benefits. Our Sword Sect has its benefits for making a contribution. It's not like other sects that have to do things based on seniority or internal struggles, so it's very worry-free."
Pan Muyun sighed when he said this: "But sometimes it's not as easy as I said. For example, Lou Zhijian got a job from You Jiuyuan this time, but it was a difficult job - he had to go to the parish of the True Form Church to record a mountain."
"People in the sect don't often go to the diocese. This time we all feel it's very strange and are still guessing. We have been thinking for a hundred years that the living Taiyi might be suppressed by the True Form Sect. Does the sect think he is in that mountain? Senior Brother Lou took this task, but he was trapped by the True Form Sect. Thinking about it carefully, he must have felt that he was about to form a pill, and the consumables he needed were a lot, so he decided to take a risk. Alas, if we had known this was the case, we could have tried to gather some for him."
Li Wuxiang had heard about the suppression of Taiyi from Cheng Peixin before, but at that time he just thought it was speculation and rumors from outsiders. But now he heard it from Pan Muyun's mouth, which made him stunned.
Pan Muyun saw his expression, smiled, and nodded: "Well, the first time I heard this, I had the same opinion as you. But Taiyi was suppressed in the human world, in the mountain gate of one of the six Xuan sects. But it's hard to say, maybe they took turns to suppress him. Before, you asked me why I recorded the geography of mountains and rivers, and I guess it was related to suppressing Taiyi. Okay, is there anything else you want to ask?"
There is indeed one last one. It comes from what he has seen and heard these days——
"Brother Pan, there was a Ye Dynasty in the past, but why haven't there been other dynasties in the past three thousand years?"
The three of them were stunned, as if they didn't expect him to ask this question.
Li Wuxiang thought about it for a moment and understood their reaction.
There is only one dynasty in the world, and there will be no other dynasties after that. To the people in this world, this is nothing strange. Asking this question is probably similar to asking others in the previous life, "Why are there so many dynasties in this world?"
Pan Muyun exhaled: "Old Zeng said you are different, and he was right. Few people would want to ask about this."
"This is also the method used by the Six Sects of Mysterious Religions to suppress Taiyi. You should know that Donghuang Taiyi was the emperor of the Ye Dynasty in the past. His enlightenment was different from the other seven emperors in the Eight Sects of Mysterious Religions. The other seven, although they also achieved enlightenment in human form, absorbed the fortune of heaven and earth - mountains, rivers and seas, sun and moon, while the Emperor Taiyi absorbed the fortune of humanity."
"Since he was suppressed, the Six Sects of the Mysterious Sect naturally could not make the human destiny too prosperous. Therefore, since the Ye Dynasty, there has been no second emperor. Within the diocese, all power belongs to the Six Sects of the Mysterious Sect, and no one dares to form an association. Outside the diocese, if there is any sign of rebellion, the Six Sects of the Mysterious Sect will definitely extinguish it at all costs, so naturally there will be no dynasties."
"There is something you may have wanted to ask, but now you understand, right? So Emperor Taiyi was suppressed at the beginning, but was not wiped out by those people together - Taiyi fell, the destiny of humanity was cut off, and the six sects of Xuan were also going to be destroyed. Therefore, the world is like this now, the prosperity is far less than it was three thousand years ago, and the world is just hanging on by a thread."
"Junior Brother Li, you understand, right? We are looking for Taiyi not because of a sectarian dispute or a dispute over orthodoxy, but for the people of the world and the destiny of humanity!"
It’s still two in one. Let me explain some background settings. It’s the old ginger slices in a dish. It doesn’t taste good but it’s indispensable!
(End of this chapter)