Chapter 264: Interlocking, changing situation
Chapter 264: Interlocking, changing situation (Second update)
"Hey."
Hu Yanjun suddenly laughed.
"Why are you laughing for no reason again, fellow Taoist?"
Cheng Xinzhan was curious.
Hu Yanjun said,
"In fact, the last time I came to see the abbot, besides asking him to help me refine the sword, I also had another matter."
Cheng Xinzhan guessed that Hu Yanjun had not said everything that day, but he pretended not to know. Now that Hu Yanjun asked again, he asked,
"Oh, what else?"
Hu Yanjun was a little embarrassed.
"Well, I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the temple master. After all, it's just some petty things. That day, I was actually asked by someone to come here."
He pointed at Yu Nanlin.
"The master of the temple must know that we, the Xuanmen sect, were rewarded for slaying demons in Xikang. After years of fighting demons, our greatest achievement was the White Bone Temple. We, Qingcheng and Emei, both want to gain more credit in this final battle.
"In Qingcheng Mountain, the person in charge of Kangbei is my third junior fellow apprentice, Yu Bailu, who is also my disciple's great-uncle.
“He knows that you, the master, have great magical powers. You are invincible in the lower three tribulations of the golden elixir, and you win more than you lose in the middle three tribulations. What’s more important is that you have close friends with Yan Renying and Zhou Qingyun from Emei.
"In the past few years, Master, you have killed countless demons and earned a lot of credit for the Emei Sect. My junior brother saw this and asked me to be a lobbyist.
"I don't want you to help Qingcheng kill the demon, nor do I want you to distance yourself from Emei. As long as you are willing to stay in seclusion in Kanli Mountain for half a year, or go to the south for a trip, my junior brother will give you a generous gift.
"To be honest, it's hard for me to say this. Master, you want to kill the demon, but you want me to avoid the battle on purpose. It doesn't make sense, so I struggled for a long time that day, but I still couldn't say it out loud."
Cheng Xinzhan smiled when he heard this and said,
"It's just human nature, don't mind it, fellow Taoist. But you can speak out so calmly today, is it because Xuanmen no longer needs to rush to attack the White Bone Monastery?"
"Yes."
Hu Yanjun also smiled and nodded, and said,
"Not only that, I have something else to ask for."
"Oh? What's the matter?"
"The alliance has already decided. Now that most of the manpower is to be used to defend the south, we should temporarily stop the accounting of killing demons in Xikang and competing for credit. The most important thing is to work together to firmly control Xiao Xikang.
"So the alliance decided that Qingcheng and Emei will guard one side of the west and north of Xikang respectively. Yan Renying's Xichuan Sword Pavilion will not move and will continue to guard the Jinsha River and monitor the Xuanxin Temple. He will not have to worry about the White Bone Temple. The defense line of Zengqu River in the north will be fully taken over by Qingcheng to guard against the White Bone Temple."
Cheng Xinzhan listened and immediately thought of a question.
"What about Baihe Sword Pavilion?"
Baihe Jiange is located at a strategic point. To the east, it will join forces with Minshan Jiange to resist Longyou, and to the west, it will join forces with Xichuan Jiange to contain Xikang and Xihai. Now, if the northern line of Xikang is contracted and garrisoned by Qingcheng, Baihe Jiange, which is far away from the Yellow River, will be isolated.
Hu Yanjun heard this and said,
"I think the White River will soon turn into a White Horse."
"White horse?"
Cheng Xinzhan was stunned when he heard this.
Hu Yanjun nodded.
"The plans of the seven great sword pavilions in Emei are very long-term, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Now that the sword pavilions in the south have been deployed, the ones in the north will have to be retracted.
“Although the specific news has not come out yet, I think the meaning of the meeting is that Minshan Jiange will not move, and Baihe Jiange will be moved from the northeast of Daxikang to the south of Xiaoxikang. It should be a place to be chosen among Baima Snow Mountain, Lugu Lake, and Qionghai.
"Now that Miaojiang has surrendered, the Southern Demon Cult can focus more on invading Dianwen, Sanxiang, and Yuyang. We have no control over Sanxiang and Yuyang, as that is Dongdao's business, but we have to guard against Dianwen.
“So we not only have to defend southern Shu, but also southern Kang. Therefore, Baihe Jiange will be transferred to the southern line of Xikang, and Chishui Jiange, which previously extended into the territory of Dianwen, will also withdraw.
"Behind Chishui Sword Pavilion is Qionghai, which is close, so I guess Chishui Sword Pavilion will go to Qionghai. Qionghai is in the east, mainly to resist Dianwen and to defend against Miaojiang. Baima Snow Mountain is in the west, which is also an important place, mainly to resist Dianwen and to defend against Tubo, so I guess Zhou Qingyun will be transferred there.
"Of course, we will also send people from Qingcheng Mountain to build a city on the southern line."
Cheng Xinzhan nodded. He understood. This was indeed an appropriate arrangement.
"So, I have something to ask of you. After the Baihe Sword Pavilion is transferred, I hope that you can help the Xichuan and Baihe Sword Pavilions as usual and take care of our Qingcheng Mountain's Zengqu River defense line from time to time. Don't worry, the reward from Qingcheng is no less than that from Emei. The friendship between Qingcheng and Emei in Shuzhong and Xikang is no less important than that of Emei."
Cheng Xinzhan nodded when he heard this. If he wanted to see the Xuanmen in Shu, he could not just stand at the position of Emei. He said immediately,
"Fellow Daoist Huyan, you are too kind. I am a wanderer from the east, living in Xikang. For me, the more friends I make, the better. And the more demons I kill, the better. For me, there is no difference between a Taoist temple in Qingcheng or a sword pavilion in Emei."
Hu Yanjun laughed when he heard this.
"The master of the temple is indeed a free and easy person!"
The sword was obtained and the matter was settled. After chatting for a while, Hu Yanjun got up and said goodbye and left.
Cheng Xinzhan and others escorted them out of the mountain.
"After returning to the mountain this time, I will go to southern Sichuan. If you have time in the future, you can also go to southern Sichuan for a stroll. The northern part of Kang is majestic and the southern part of Sichuan is steep. They are both beautiful."
Hu Yanjun clasped his fists.
Cheng Xinzhan returned the greeting and nodded.
"I will go. Have a safe trip, fellow Taoist. We will meet again if we are lucky."
"See you soon."
Feng Jihu and Wu Qingbo also said goodbye.
After watching Master Huyanjun and his apprentice leave, Feng Jihu said to Cheng Xinzhan,
"The situation in the world is closely linked. After the Green Robe Patriarch suppressed the four directions and subdued the Miao region, the situation in Xikang also changed drastically, and the situation became turbulent."
Cheng Xinzhan nodded.
"The earth is filled with murderous intent, dragons and snakes rise from the land, and Green Robe is the first real dragon to rise up on the wind during the murderous catastrophe. I wonder who will be the next one."
Feng Jihu said,
"You told me that the Xuanmen in Xishu is very different from what we had in mind, and the habits of the plants and trees are also very different, so you invited me to come and take a look. Now I am here, and I have stayed in your temple for half a month. I have a general idea of Xikang and Xuanmen. Now that the outside world is changing, I have to take a look around. I am not going back to the temple, I want to go out for a walk."
Cheng Xinzhan naturally had nothing to say, but handed the token of Xichuan Jiange to Feng Jihu, "Then be careful, brother. If there is any danger, you can take shelter here."
Feng Jihu did not refuse. He took the token and flew away on a cloud.
Seeing this, Wu Qingbo also looked at Cheng Xinzhan.
"Guanzhu."
Cheng Xinzhan knew what he was going to say, so he said,
"Go."
Cheng Xinzhan didn't have much to explain to Wu Qingbo, as his realm was much higher than Cheng Xinzhan's.
Then, Wu Qingbo also turned into fire and left.
After Cheng Xinzhan watched the two people disappear from his sight, he shook his whisk and went back to the mountain. He knew that it would not be long before someone would come to find him.
----
The next day.
"Brother Tao."
Zhou Qingyun came, his footsteps still so brisk.
In the temple, Cheng Xinzhan was making tea.
"sit."
The two sat facing each other.
Cheng Xinzhan pushed the tea over.
Zhou Qingyun looked down and saw that it was Mao Feng tea. Every time she came over, he would brew Mao Feng tea. Although she hadn't drunk it yet, she could already smell the sweetness of the tea.
"Brother Dao knows I'm coming?"
Zhou Qingyun knew that when Cheng Xinzhan was alone, his favorite drink was Oolong from Fujian. He would use Cuilan from Yicheng when entertaining guests, and only when he came by himself would he brew Maofeng.
"I heard you were going south?"
Cheng Xinzhan answered the question irrelevantly.
Zhou Qingyun's hand holding the teacup was stunned for a moment, then he nodded slightly.
"Yes, the order from the alliance has come down. Go to Qionghai on the border between Kang and Yunnan."
"Qionghai?"
Cheng Xinzhan was a little surprised.
"Yes."
Zhou Qingyun didn't know why Cheng Xinzhan spoke in such a tone.
"Hu Yanjun has been here and said that Chishui Sword Pavilion should go to Qionghai, and you might go to Baima Snow Mountain."
Cheng Xinzhan said that he also thought what Hu Yanjun said was more reasonable.
"No wonder Brother Dao asked me if I was going to the south. It turns out that Hu Yanjun was here." Zhou Qingyun thought to herself, then she nodded and explained.
"I was originally scheduled to go to Baima Snow Mountain, and the situation there is more chaotic and complicated than that of Qionghai. It is the most densely populated area where three rivers converge. It is always shrouded in clouds and fog, and there are many demons. I am the eldest sister, so it is natural for me to go.
"However, after learning the news, Junior Sister Yu took the initiative to request to be transferred to Baima Snow Mountain to exchange places with me."
"Oh? Then why is that?"
Cheng Xinzhan asked.
Zhou Qingyun explained,
"It should be because of Junior Sister Yu's master before she entered Emei. She was born in Longxiang Temple. Longxiang Temple is in the northwest of Yunnan, at the junction of Yunnan and Xikang, not far from the White Horse Snow Mountain. Junior Sister should want to be closer to her original master."
After hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan nodded and said with a smile,
"That's still good. Although Qionghai is closer to Miaojiang, it is also closer to Shuzhong. We can attack or defend. In the end, it is safer."
Zhou Qingyun smiled and nodded.
"when are we leaving?"
"I'll leave tomorrow."
Cheng Xinzhan nodded, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly said,
"I don't know if your Baihe Sword Pavilion is too far away, or if I found a suitable location in Kanli Mountain. I think the distance to Baihe or Qionghai seems to be about the same."
Hearing this, Zhou Qingyun also smiled, like a jasmine flower blooming in early spring.
"That must be because Brother Dao has a good eye and has found the right temple."
"Well, Qionghai is very close to Wumeng Mountain, so we still can't take it lightly."
Cheng Xinzhan suddenly turned the topic to Qionghai.
Zhou Qingyun smiled and thought, in the past, I was the one who came up with the topic of conversation, but today, Brother Dao took the initiative to speak, and after only a few words, it was difficult to continue. So she changed the topic naturally without changing her expression.
"Brother Dao, in the Treatise on the Equality of Things, it is said that there are human sounds, earth sounds, and heavenly sounds in the world. Although I have read it thoroughly, I still don't understand it. Could you teach me?"
When Cheng Xinzhan heard this, his eyes immediately lit up and he said excitedly,
"Lai means wind. In the sky it is Gang, on the ground it is Xun..."
(End of this chapter)