“COUGH COUGH… COUGH COUGH…”

“Caught a chill?”

“Indeed.”

“Warmer weather brings its own infections. You should be careful.”

“Hmph. Looking back, it might have been better to pass away in winter, free and unburdened, rather than being reduced to this state by a dog-like thing like you.”

“Unreasonable! So unreasonable! After all these years, I come home for the first time, and you greet me with such harsh words. Wouldn’t this dishearten the thousands of Tianhu Mountain disciples?”

After placing a chess piece, Xue Yi picked up the teapot beside him and took a sip directly from the spout.

The tea was from Tianhu Mountain. Tianhu Mountain’s two biggest businesses were talismans and tea.

It was hard to say whether Tianhu Mountain’s talismans were effective. Some people drank water infused with a talisman and were miraculously cured, hailing it as divine. Others drank it and promptly kicked the bucket, which was then attributed to their lack of sincerity.

But the tea from Tianhu Mountain, at its peak, had scholars from the Qian State vying to purchase it; it was truly renowned by all.

Zhang Wenren pulled out a handkerchief, covered his mouth, and continued to cough. In his old age, he looked quite haggard.

In contrast, Xue Yi, sitting opposite him and of similar age, still had a stubborn patch of black hair on his head and looked far healthier than Zhang Wenren.

After his coughing fit subsided, Zhang Wenren put away the handkerchief. He looked up, and a glint of envy naturally appeared in his eyes as he gazed at his former junior martial brother.

How could he not be envious? The Yan Emperor had actually been willing to let him use the Yan Cauldron, a gift from the Xia Emperor of old, to absorb its draconic energy for his cultivation. This was a monumental opportunity that countless Qi cultivators couldn’t hope for in ten lifetimes! To put it bluntly, even a pig that knew cultivation techniques, if nurtured this way, could achieve a high level of mastery. And who would have thought that this junior martial brother, whose aptitude was unremarkable among his peers back then, would reach such heights today, becoming the esteemed National Teacher of Yan? As for him, Zhang Wenren… his given name, Wenren, was homophonous with the surname Wenren. It was just that after he ascended the mountain in his youth, his master had changed his name to Wenren (meaning cultured and benevolent). Now, his “homeland and family” were destroyed. At the same time, the Daoist lineage of Tianhu Mountain, which he had painstakingly preserved, was also in a precarious state, swaying in the midst of wind and rain.

Zhang Wenren placed another piece and said, “Junior Brother, this game cannot be finished today.”

Xue Yi nodded upon hearing this and replied casually, “Senior Brother, you’re not giving me any quarter either.”

These two old men, old enough to be great-grandfathers in the common world, spoke with a spark of the playful banter they shared as young martial brothers.

Zhang Wenren shook his head firmly. “I cannot yield to you. From childhood until now, I have never yielded to you.”

“But when we were young, the other senior martial brothers all looked down on me, a barbarian from Yan. Only you, Senior Brother, were willing to lend me a hand.”

“That was merely the greatest form of disdain.”

Xue Yi nodded and said with a sigh, “Senior Brother, why must you be like this?”

“If you were in my shoes, in my position, you wouldn’t ask that question.”

“That is true.”

“When the Yan Army entered Jin, and Lord Jingnan took command of Li Tian City, do you know how I had to compromise and swallow my pride to preserve this Tianhu Mountain, which neighbors Li Tian City?”

“I do.”

“The blood of the Wenren family flows in my veins! If not to protect the Daoist lineage left by our Master, why would I, Zhang Wenren, abase myself like this? Wouldn’t it be more straightforward for me to go down the mountain and challenge that Tian Wujing to a duel?”

Xue Yi shook his head. “You can’t defeat Lord Jingnan.”

“…” Zhang Wenren was speechless.

“People like us serve two purposes: one, to divine heavenly secrets; two, to handle matters of geomancy. Ultimately, we are nothing more than servants of worldly emperors, just with fur that appears a little smoother. Agents spy on officials and commoners for the emperor; we divine heavenly secrets for the emperor. In truth, there’s no difference. That’s why in my Yan State, Qi cultivators are under the jurisdiction of the Spy Bureau. After all is said and done, we aren’t dogs specifically trained to bite. We spend our lives in cultivation, dreaming of fighting against the heavens, but since we never even find where the heavens are, that fight never happens. Those who have never fought, no matter how high their cultivation base, can never defeat those dogs specifically tasked with biting. Our roles are different.”

“Just because you, Xue Yi, are content to be a dog, do you think everyone in the world wants to be a dog for you Yan people?”

“Don’t the Heavens also treat us like dogs? We cultivate for a lifetime without ever seeing a glimpse of them. Isn’t that being played like dogs?”

“You…”

“Senior Brother, it’s come to this. Can’t we speak a little more amicably? Must we be at daggers drawn, like fire and water? For people with one foot in the grave, going down quarreling is so undignified. Even if we were to meet Master, wouldn’t we have to pretend to be harmonious martial brothers to ease his elderly heart?”

“When you first arrived, Senior Brother, I was quite warm, thinking that with your reputation, I might be able to sleep a little more soundly by the side of this Lord from Yan.”

“Isn’t it even more peaceful now? No need to worry at all.”

Hearing this, Zhang Wenren’s eyelids drooped.

“Heh. Indeed.”

No need to worry anymore. Because I’m doomed.

“Senior Brother, I must go down the mountain. I have to leave before sunset. Senior Brother, you should also gather your disciples and make preparations early.”

“Firewood and kerosene have been readied. New clothes have been taken out. White candles and talisman paper are also prepared. There’s just one thing I want to ask of you.”

“What is it?”

“The ancestral hall of Tianhu Mountain’s Daoist lineage… can it be saved?”

Xue Yi shook his head. “Senior Brother, are you asking me to intercede?”

“Yes.”

“If I don’t bring this up, it might still be preserved. After all, although we Yan people don’t believe in these things, we still hold a sliver of reverence in our hearts. But if I do mention it, then it certainly cannot be saved.”

“Then what use is your title as National Teacher of Yan?”

Xue Yi nodded wistfully and said, “Others might do me this favor, but Tian Wujing… whose favor would he grant? Even His Majesty, our Emperor, is indebted to Tian Wujing—so indebted that he can’t repay it. How could one expect Tian Wujing to grant anyone a favor?”

“Why did you have to… Why did you even bother…”

Xue Yi sighed and said, “Alas, Senior Brother, after hearing you say all this, I’m starting to think I really did kill the Marquise.”

“You can’t escape involvement.”

“Yes, I can’t escape involvement. I shouldn’t have come here. My coming here was the biggest mistake.”

“This is an unexpected disaster for you, but why must it implicate my Tianhu Mountain?”

“Because the incident involving the Marquise happened on Tianhu Mountain. Regardless of whether I did it, regardless of whether I’m connected to it, Tianhu Mountain cannot escape.”

“We at Tianhu Mountain knew nothing about it!”

“But Lord Jingnan needs to vent his anger.”

“And to vent his anger, he must use my Tianhu Mountain as a sacrificial offering?”

Xue Yi paused for a moment, then turned his head to look at his Senior Brother and said, “Exactly.”

“On what grounds… On what grounds… On what grounds…”

Xue Yi smiled and said, “The Jingnan Army wants to destroy you. What does that have to do with you?”

“…” Zhang Wenren was silent.

Xue Yi straightened his Daoist robe, ensuring it was impeccable, then said, “Senior Brother, do you remember when all of us martial brothers used to go down the mountain together to explore secret caverns?”

“I remember.”

“Every time, I would go in first to scout, then call you all in.”

“Yes.”

“Then, this time, let me, your Junior Brother, scout this path to the netherworld for you. When it’s your turn to follow, Senior Brother, you will surely feel more at ease.”

Once he finished speaking, Xue Yi let out a long laugh and floated down from the mountain.

「At the foot of the mountain」

Soldiers of the Jingnan Army had already surrounded the area. Each soldier wore a white cloth tied to his left arm, armed with bows, crossbows, and other weapons, standing in solemn, orderly ranks. They were merely waiting for the order from the one in the city to charge up the mountain. When that time came, any talk of a centuries-old Daoist lineage or a sacred Ancestral Court would all become like mist and smoke, a relic of the past.

Xue Yi walked down.

His identity was clear to the Jingnan Army soldiers present. Yet, even so, when his figure appeared, not a single person in the Jingnan Army, from top to bottom, knelt or saluted him. The common soldiers did not lower their weapons; the commanders did not dismount. Here, the title of the reigning National Teacher seemed utterly useless. This figure, whom the palace eunuchs addressed as ‘Old Ancestor’ and ‘Grand Master’, now bore the full brunt of the Jingnan Army’s fury.

This scene was unexpected, yet it also felt entirely reasonable.

Xue Yi looked up at the sky and said, “Please trouble someone to inform Lord Jingnan that Xue Yi requests permission to descend the mountain.”

No one moved, which meant no one would relay the message. This was an attitude that needed no explanation—it was the attitude of this Jingnan Army. Indeed, in the eyes of some commanders, Xue Yi even saw a kind of anticipation. They were not only unafraid of his title as National Teacher but seemed eager to kill him, even though he was a formidable Qi cultivator who had spent many years cultivating with the Yan Cauldron. But these battle-hardened elites, veterans of countless campaigns, held little fear for so-called masters of the mortal realm. After all, Heaven knew how many such masters perished in any major battle.

Xue Yi sat down cross-legged on the mountain path.

His gaze grew profound. He had come here, to Li Tian City, on the Yan Emperor’s command, specifically to bestow blessings upon Lord Jingnan’s soon-to-be-born child and to perform a “marrow cleansing and body strengthening” ritual. In all of Yan, only three princes had ever received his “blessing” before. One was the Eldest Prince, Ji Wujiang, the Yan Emperor’s first child. Another was the Second Prince, Ji Chenglang, who was the current Crown Prince because he was the eldest son of the primary wife. The third was the Sixth Prince, Ji Chengjue. To think he had traveled a thousand li, leaving the capital for the first time in decades, all to bestow a blessing upon Lord Jingnan’s first child.

Inside Xue Yi’s robe, he still carried a personal letter handwritten by the Yan Emperor for Tian Wujing. It even contained the name the Yan Emperor had personally chosen for the child. That man, whose words were law and whose imperial brush outlined destinies, had even rambled on in the letter, meticulously suggesting names for both a boy and a girl, writing with incredible detail.

But the current situation had suddenly become as precarious as a pile of eggs.

Xue Yi knew that Yan’s strength lay in one army and one marquis. The army was the Northern Army, and the marquis was Lord Jingnan. If, because of this incident, Lord Jingnan were to rebel, then Yan…

Xue Yi closed his eyes, a sense of helplessness washing over him.

He was surrounded by a host of Tiger Guards, yet only the gentle mountain breeze continued its caress.

After a long while, Xue Yi changed his posture from sitting cross-legged to kneeling.

He declared in a loud voice, “Xue Yi, National Teacher of Yan, kneels and humbly requests an audience with Lord Jingnan!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep