Chapter 396: 227. Once again we see a top-notch sign_2

“So, the situation in Suzhou is about to come to a head as well?” Lei Jun looked at the two Taoists before him with keen interest as he asked,

The two men in front of him both wore deep red Taoist robes, dressed as Talisman-bestowed Taoists.

One of them looked young, appearing to be about twenty years old, though in fact he was indeed not yet thirty; he was Lei Jun’s junior in their sect and clan, Chu Kun.

Sitting beside Chu Kun was a Taoist who looked to be around thirty, but his hair was already streaked with gray, showing the wear and tear of time.

He, too, hailed from the Suzhou Chu Clan, and joined the sect even earlier than Lei Jun and Chu Kun—this was Chu Andong.

Back then, Chu Andong had also been one of the promising seeds that the Celestial Master Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain had worked hard to cultivate.

Although he joined a bit later than Lei Jun, he had still successfully passed the talisman ceremony and become a Talisman-instructed Disciple of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Unfortunately, fate was fickle, and afterward, when attempting the Heavenly Moat Tribulation between the Third Heavenly Layer Altar Stage and the Four-layered Heaven Yuan Talisman Realm, Chu Andong failed to make it through.

The reason it was called the Heavenly Moat Tribulation was not just its difficulty, but its extreme danger; *one misstep and there would be no second chances, no hope of remedy or rescue.*

As luck would have it, Chu Andong did not lose his life in that calamity; he barely managed to keep himself alive.

But his cultivation was for all practical purposes, destroyed.

It was only because he came from the venerable Suzhou Chu Clan, and was taught by a Taoist Holy Land like the Celestial Master Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain, that after years of nurturance and restoration, Chu Andong now seemed no different from a normal person—despite having lost his cultivation.

He did not return to the Suzhou Chu Clan.

The Celestial Master Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain also had no intent to expel him.

The mansion still retained his status as a Talisman-instructed Disciple, and arranged some simple jobs for him; thus, Chu Andong remained on the mountain.

Tracing his lineage upward, his teacher descended from Li Song—he was a Directly Inheriting Disciple of Li Song’s line.

However, during the earlier battle over Li Wai, his destroyed cultivation meant he stayed entirely away from the conflict.

Even when the Suzhou Chu Clan elders came to assist Li Song in battle, Chu Andong, like Chu Kun, kept his distance, *standing aloof since it wasn’t his concern.*

Afterward, when Tang Xiaotang took up the position of Celestial Master, she didn’t make things difficult for disciples like Chu Andong.

*Not to mention that Chu Andong hadn’t done anything; even for most others, the mansion placed appeasement above punishment.*

Over these years, Chu Andong had adapted to his current state and life.

*He used to watch the likes of Lei Jun and Chu Kun in their prime, with some complicated emotions, but now he had long since become resigned and peaceful about it all.*

“Great Void Temple has already withdrawn from Tianlong Temple,” Chu Andong said slowly, “Members of the Suzhou Chu Clan have joined forces with the imperial army, beginning a joint campaign to wipe out the traitors from Great Void Temple.”

At the start, that was certainly not the case.

Great Void Temple had strutted about at the doorstep of Tianlong Temple, completely disregarding the latter’s local influence and foundation in Suzhou.

*If the Suzhou Chu Clan hadn’t been secretly supporting this from behind the scenes, now that would have been truly bizarre.*

At that time, a significant portion of the Tang Imperial Court’s attention was entangled in the Southern Wilderness.

But would the prosperous lands of the South really allow Great Void Temple to run amok unchecked?

The Great Tang Dynasty, in the end, promptly dispatched troops to aid Tianlong Temple.

This move was within many people’s expectations.

But the one who led the army—was almost beyond everyone’s imagination.

The commander dispatched to suppress the rebellion and aid Tianlong Temple, was Prince Zhao’s Heir.

Presiding over Youzhou, the oldest and one of the most highly cultivated among the royal clan—the Old Prince, Prince Zhao’s Heir.

If, over the past century or two, Prince Zhao had been one of the pillars of the Tang Imperial Court, watching over the Northern Border for the Great Tang Dynasty, keeping the rabble at bay and containing the Youzhou Lin Clan—one of the Five Clans and Seven Families—

then, the current Old Prince Zhao had become somewhat ambiguous in his stance.

On the surface, the Prince Zhao’s Mansion and the Youzhou Lin Clan were still at each other’s throats, but anyone with eyes could see that both sides’ attitudes had softened significantly.

And previously, Prince Zhao seemed to have formed some unclear ties with both the Jinzhou Ye Clan and even the Qingzhou Ye Clan.

Connecting this with the previous two imperial successions, especially after Emperor Zhang Qilong’s passing when Prince Zhao was also one of the candidates but ultimately missed the throne again, *the Old Prince’s attitude really roused suspicion.*

Yet this time, Prince Zhao’s Heir was ordered by the central authorities in the Capital to go south and quell the rebellion, making the situation murky again.

“Suzhou was very surprised,” Chu Kun said softly.

He made no attempt to avoid talking about these matters in front of Lei Jun.

After all, they were all disciples of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

The same went for Chu Andong.

“I heard someone from Youzhou traveled south overnight to Suzhou, but what exactly they discussed is unclear,” Chu Andong stated calmly.

His words were vague, but Lei Jun and Chu Kun both understood—the visitor from Youzhou referred to a special envoy dispatched by Prince Zhao’s Mansion, sent directly to the Suzhou Chu Clan.

Such an action could only mean one thing: to explain themselves to the Chu Clan.

Explain what?

That Prince Zhao’s Heir acted on his own, not on the Old Prince’s orders?

*Well, now that made this an intriguing affair.*

Why would Prince Zhao’s Heir undermine his own father?

Put bluntly, if Prince Zhao truly ascended to the throne and became monarch of the Great Tang, his heir would be the new Crown Prince.

*Never mind the future—even just the boost from the empire’s fortunes and the practice of the Emperor’s Technique would make any imperial offspring green with envy.*

Unless…

“There are deep conflicts between Prince Zhao’s Heir and Prince Zhao himself—he might even risk having his Crown Prince title revoked by his own father,” Lei Jun remarked, “Although the odds are slim, given the recent events, it really cannot be ruled out.”

Nobody on the outside truly knew what Prince Zhao’s Heir was thinking.

But by leading troops south to quell the rebellion on behalf of the central government in the Capital, he had left the Suzhou Chu Clan anxious and perplexed.

They failed to gauge the Tang Imperial Court’s real intent or depth.

Instead, it was the Empress who pulled off a wild, unpredictable move, leaving everyone guessing.

The Suzhou Chu Clan took it in stride; on the surface, of course, they still remained loyal to the court and coordinated with the suppression army.

As a result, Great Void Temple pulled back, lifting the siege on Tianlong Temple.

“Our Empress truly acts unpredictably—when it comes to poaching others’ talent, she wields her shovel in the slyest ways,” Lei Jun said with a laugh.

Chu Andong said, “It’s true, to conquer directly by the orthodox, and to triumph through the unusual—yet if I may speak frankly, Her Majesty’s recent moves have mostly been the unusual kind and rarely the orthodox. This certainly leads to unexpected results, but the empty spaces on the board are disappearing. In the end, she’ll have to contest victory head on…”

Lei Jun and Chu Kun both seemed thoughtful.

*Though Buddhism and Taoism were two different paths, at times their fates were entwined; Tianlong Temple’s siege being lifted brought relief to everyone at Dragon Tiger Mountain as well.*

All Lei Jun kept up with, aside from the rumors outside, was his own cultivation and spell research.

Until, finally, an event seemed ready to land right at his feet.

The East Palace Crown Prince, after leaving Mount Shu Sect, had made the Celestial Master Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain his next stop.

A dedicated envoy had already contacted them to arrange the visit and hospitality schedule.

The Crown Prince, though noble, was still not the Empress—there was no need for the Celestial Master to greet him personally according to the rites.

So it was fine to just have Shangguan Ning go welcome him.

Yuan Mobai was in seclusion, Wang Guiyuan was away, leaving Lei Jun and Chu Kun as the heads of their line.

Normally, once the Crown Prince ascended the mountain, they would be expected to join in the reception for appearances.

Chu Kun hesitated, “Senior brother, though the Crown Prince has always shunned politics and indulged in poetry and art, his leaving the Capital lately seems like a reaction to prolonged calm—he wants to draw some attention to himself before the world.”

Lei Jun said, “That’s entirely possible.”

Chu Kun had a good sense of things, “Matters between the Emperor and the Crown Prince are best left untouched. Maybe we should keep our distance and avoid involvement?”

*To be honest, Lei Jun had thought about this himself.*

But what surprised him was that, this time, the glowing sphere in his mind revealed the following message:

[The Crown Prince ascends the mountain, and waves rise inside and out—meet it with calm, and fortune will come as Lei moves.]

[Best lot: While the Crown Prince visits the mountain, host the party and receive the guests. There is an opportunity to gain a third-rank connection and expand your fate’s pathway—no risk, no harm, utmost fortune!]

[Perfectly neutral lot: While the Crown Prince visits the mountain, stay on the mountain but avoid contact with the visitors. You gain nothing extra, but also lose nothing. Balance.]

[Moderately unlucky lot: While the Crown Prince visits the mountain, leave to avoid partaking in the event. Nothing gained, some minor turbulence, a scare but no real danger—yet hidden troubles will be sown. Be cautious in the future. Misfortune.]

*So, leaving to avoid the event might actually cause trouble, while staying to host the Crown Prince and his party is the truly auspicious choice?*

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep