Chapter 51

As Wei Rong recounted his experiences with Lu Rongbo, he was not surprised when Lu called him out. Kneeling on the ground, he confessed, "My master is Cui Haike, the Lingxu Zi of White Stone Cave on Nanhai’s Juping Island. My real name is Yang Li. My master was close friends with Uncle Lu, and often took me to Rabbit Cliff as a guest, where I met Senior Sister Lu. On the day I went to Xuanshuang Cave to seek guidance on swordsmanship from Senior Sister, I encountered her in distress. On the way, I met Immortal Jile, who advised me to change my surname and name, and to proactively join the disciples of Jinxun Nu. Together with Senior Sister, I entered Ziyun Palace, looking for an opportunity to help her escape. Now that you know the whole story, I have my own master and cannot join another sect." He bowed to Yue Qing twice, "First, I thank you for saving Senior Sister Lu from the demon’s lair, and second, I thank you for your high regard for me and the precious gifts you have bestowed." He handed over the twin swords with both hands, "This is my resolve. Whether I live or die is entirely up to you."

Liu Buxu, watching from the side, laughed, "This child is quite stubborn, but his unwillingness to forget his roots is commendable."

Lu Rongbo was about to plead, but Yue Qing waved her off and said to Yang Li, "Keep the sword for now. I will write a letter, which you can take back to your master. Rest assured, we are old acquaintances with your master. I once received a flask of Six Yang Bone-Replacement Elixir from him, which was before you joined his sect. So you don’t need to be afraid. Even if you don’t want to be my disciple, you should still call me Uncle Master."

After saying this, he had someone prepare ink and paper, wrote a letter, and handed it to Yang Li.

Yang Li, hearing this, felt relieved. He took the letter and thanked Yue Qing again, then left to return to the South China Sea.

Liu Buxu said, "Brother Yue, are you sure about this? Don’t lose both your disciple and your flying sword. I remember those twin Feixing swords were personally bestowed by Grandmaster Taibai."

Yue Qing replied, "By letting Yang Li take the master-transmitted flying sword, I am entrusting him with the third-generation leadership of the Wutai Sect. I have also given him a great gift, and he will not refuse. Moreover, he knows about our relationship with Emei and will not dare to offend us."

Liu Buxu said, "Brother Yue, you are truly generous. You haven’t even become the sect leader yet, but you are already promising someone else the position."

Yue Qing smiled and called over Situ Ping, who had been talking to Wei Kan. In three years, Situ Ping had grown from a baby who needed to be carried to a lively little boy. He had been well-fed and well-rested on Maoshan Mountain, and the Liu brothers had treated him like their own disciple. His senior brother Wei Kan had also taken good care of him, helping him escape his previous life of hardship. His personality had become less shy and more confident, and he was now plump and cheerful, always smiling. "Master, I have missed you so much since you left. Once, I dreamed about you and woke up crying. Senior Brother Wei even teased me about it... Master, don’t leave this time. If you have to go, take me with you."

Yue Qing patted his head, "Alright, but it depends on your progress."

Situ Ping quickly said, "I have completed the cultivation of the Five Elements Chapters and am now practicing the Taibai Mystical Art taught by Uncle Liu."

Yue Qing could see that Situ Ping had extraordinary talent and was willing to work hard, making significant progress.

"Good! This time, I will take you back to Wutai Mountain and forge a great treasure for you." Yue Qing put down Situ Ping and had him and Wei Kan go to meet Senior Sister Lu Rongbo.

At this moment, Liu Quan came to apologize, "I failed to bring back the Heshaji Book and ask for your punishment."

Yue Qing smiled, "Although we haven’t been together for years, we have been in constant communication through flying sword messages. I already know about your situation. The Heshaji Book belongs to their sect."

Liu Buxu, hearing this, hurried over and asked, "What’s the story with the Heshaji Book? I asked Junior Brother Liu, but he wouldn’t say."

Yue Qing pointed at Liu Quan, "You tell them."

Liu Quan first apologized to Liu Buxu, "This matter involves the secrets of two sects. Without my senior brother’s permission, I couldn’t reveal it. Please forgive me." Liu Buxu quickly said it was fine and urged him to speak. Liu Quan then said, "Everyone knows that Heshaji Daoist had three brothers. The eldest is Dafang Zhenren Shen Tuoxiu, Heshaji Daoist is the second, and the youngest is Iron Drum Immortal Zhou Meng. Zhou Meng had three disciples: Zhu Que, Shang Zhu, and Wei Ji, known as the Three Evils of Zhongnan. Heshaji Daoist and Zhou Meng were contemporaries of the three elders of Emei, so the Three Evils of Zhongnan are of the same generation as Changmei Zhenren. I have only recently moved to Zhongnan Mountain and heard about them. In the past, Zhu Que violated the rules, and Shang Zhu was punished along with him, while Wei Ji was the executioner. Shang Zhu, out of loyalty to his fellow disciple, endured the punishment without complaint, while Zhu Que, with evil intentions, used sweet talk to persuade Wei Ji to loosen his restraints, then used the Heavenly Xin Divine Crossbow to kill Wei Ji. He then took advantage of Zhou Meng’s meditation to kill him."

"I have heard of Zhou Meng," Liu Buxu said. "My master once told me that he and his eldest brother helped the three elders of Emei in a great battle at Diaojiao Ji in the East Sea against the old demon of the West Sea, driving the Master of the Yellow Emperor and his disciples to flee. I never thought he would be killed by his own disciple."

Liu Quan said, "Zhou Meng originally wanted to become a Golden Immortal and ascend to the heavens in his physical body, like Heshaji Daoist. However, after Heshaji Daoist had been gone for two or three hundred years, Zhou Meng was still not complete in the mortal world. He then aimed to become a Heavenly Immortal, but was killed by his disciple. He had lost patience and did not want to reincarnate and cultivate again, so he directly ascended to the heavens. Fortunately, he had foreseen many things and left restrictions in place. Zhu Que was suppressed by a mountain of innate Five Elements True Qi and confined to a valley, unable to leave. I found the Heshaji Book at the location you calculated. On my way back, I met Shang Zhu, and we had a great battle. I was trapped by his Five Elements True Qi and was about to escape with the Heshaji Book when he stopped attacking and told me the story. I then realized that the Heshaji Book was their sect’s legacy and was related to lifting the restrictions and killing the traitor Zhu Que. I returned the book to him and helped him kill Zhu Que. Afterward, Shang Zhu and his disciples studied the Heshaji Book for over seventy days and said that since I had a connection with it, I could practice it with them, but could not pass it on to others."

Yue Qing nodded, "When I sent you to retrieve the book, it was because Heshaji Daoist had already ascended and had no disciples, and I didn’t want the heavenly book to be neglected. As for Shang Zhu and Zhu Que, it was not important to the retrieval of the book, so it was not shown in the divination. What you did is good. Our sect’s Tongxuan True Scripture is the orthodox Daoist tradition of Laojun in the mortal world, no less than any other sect’s Daoist arts. The Heshaji Book is merely an additional benefit. Moreover, helping Shang Zhu kill the traitor is a great deed that upholds the righteous spirit of the world and sets an example for all cultivators." He did not show any regret or blame, but instead praised Liu Quan, who had been anxious for three years. Lu Rongbo was also impressed and had a better impression of Yue Qing and the Wutai Sect.

After that, Yue Qing chatted with the Liu brothers. In the three years since his absence, Maoshan Mountain had changed significantly. Liu Buxu’s five disciples were in charge of the five temples. Only Baiyun Temple and Yuchen Temple received visitors from the mountain, while Renyou Temple and Deyou Temple were responsible for training disciples. Each temple had over two hundred young Taoists learning talisman drawing, incantations, and spirit summoning. Outstanding performers entered Qianyuan Temple to further study exorcism and divine invocation. Liu Buxu’s three disciples were in charge of the three palaces. Chongxi Palace was responsible for the rules and discipline of the Maoshan Sect. Yuanchu Palace was responsible for teaching the Daoist arts, and those with exceptional talent and insight could enter Yuanchu Palace to learn true immortal arts. Jiuxiao Palace was a place for high-level cultivators to meditate and research Daoist arts.

Yue Qing was impressed. The management model of the Maoshan Sect had a modern business-like feel, different from any other Daoist sect in the world. Perhaps because the Maoshan Sect was deeply involved in secular affairs, he knew that the Maoshan Sect had many properties in the mortal world, including fields, estates, shops, and money houses, making it wealthier than many families that had been around for hundreds of years. It was not surprising that the Maoshan Sect had developed to this extent. This model had its advantages and disadvantages compared to the traditional master-disciple inheritance. It was not easy to say which was better, and he would need to study it carefully when he took charge of the Wutai Sect.

Yue Qing stayed on Maoshan Mountain for over a month, "My Daoist arts are now complete. This time, I will return and make sweeping reforms to the sect’s rules, redefining the structure and making significant changes. We all know how our fellow disciples behave, and the resistance will be considerable. Therefore, I must plan carefully. One misstep could ruin my reputation and waste years of hard work."

Xu Feiniang said solemnly, "Others are manageable with the two of us, but there is one person to be wary of—our Uncle Master. He will treat your reforms as a child’s play and not interfere. However, if he hears that you have obtained the Taibai Wuyan Luo, the Mixed Yuan Secondary Register, and the Tongxuan True Scripture, he will not let it go. He might cause a great disturbance, and if he is enraged, he could unleash the Great and Lesser Twelve Secret Demon God Thunder, destroying the entire Wutai Mountain. How will we deal with that?"