428: Chapter 30: Unofficial History 428: Chapter 30: Unofficial History After the spring rain, the world became clear and bright.
Usually crowded with a constant stream of people, today the Great Chu Imperial City seemed unusually quiet.
The reason was simple.
Early this morning, the news that the East Crossing Mission from Fan Yin Temple had arrived at Great Pudu Temple had spread through every street and alley, drawing many people to the excitement; news in the Imperial City spread faster than a Sword Immortal’s flying sword…
In fact, this visit by Fan Yin Temple’s East Crossing Mission was merely a “routine” visit, but once the news hit the streets, it subtly changed.
At first,
it was rumored that the Da Li Dynasty, which revered the Buddhist teachings, was facing internal political instability and the Zen Master had sent the mission to retrieve the Saint Monk’s Buddha Bone from the Great Pudu Temple to stabilize the situation.
Then, the miraculous uses of this Buddha Bone were exaggerated to the heavens.
Some said that after worshiping and offering sacrifices to the Buddha Bone, one could bring the dead back to life, turn meat back to bone, and cure all diseases.
The Zen Master was bringing back the Buddha Bone to prolong the life of the King of Da Li.
Others said that the Buddha Bone contained a wisp of the Saint Monk’s soul.
With the great era coming and the situation unstable, the Zen Master wished to see the Saint Monk from Great Pudu Temple to borrow his wisdom for answering doubts and resolving mysteries.
The rumors grew wilder and wilder.
Some even said that the leader of this East Crossing Mission from Fan Yin Temple was the reincarnation of the Saint Monk from Great Pudu Temple, and retrieving the Buddha Bone was to allow the “true owner” to fully resume his place.
As the rumors fermented, more and more people were drawn to the event.
The heavy rain last night at Moss Ridge had washed away much.
The deaths of those Evil Cultivators from the Southern Border Mission seemed merely like a few droplets splashing in the rainwater.
After the rain, the mist evaporated.
The deaths of Huai Ting, Wu Yin, and others went unnoticed.
…
…
“Young Lord, you finally decided to return?”
The gates of Chen Mansion were slowly pushed open.
What came into view was the face of a young man, wronged and angry.
Duan Zhao was taken aback and sheepishly withdrew his head that he had poked out.
Standing at the door of Chen Mansion now was a beautiful young girl whom Duan Zhao had never seen before; with rosy cheeks and almond eyes, she carried herself with easy grace and had a small talismanic cloth bag hanging at her waist.
Behind this girl was the Young Lord he had been waiting for all night.
“Sorry, something came up last night.”
Xie Xuanyi walked into Chen Mansion on his own, poured a cup of tea, and sat down in the courtyard, looking up slightly.
Above the courtyard, clouds churned, faintly accompanied by the sound of a sword.
“There were things to handle…
but couldn’t you at least have brought me along?” Duan Zhao apologized to Deng Baiyi and then, still visibly upset, turned around and angrily sat opposite Xie Zhen: “You just left, and I was still on the mountain.
Fan Yin Temple, the Taoist sects, the Imperial City Department all showed up.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Xie Xuanyi sipped his tea and said, “That must have been exciting.”
“It really was exciting…”
Duan Zhao responded subconsciously, then continued resentfully: “If it weren’t for Uncle Huang Su stepping in, I might have been pushed back into the Heavenly Prison by Yuan Jimo!”
Xie Xuanyi raised an eyebrow.
He looked up at the sky; amid the howling wind, a flying sword slowly descended.
Huang Su arrived in the courtyard and nonchalantly said: “The Special Enforcement Officer who rushed to Moss Ridge last night was Yuan Jimo’s trusted ‘Copper Bone’; the talks were a failure, the emissaries sent by the Three Great Sects were wiped out, and Copper Bone became frightened.
He wanted to take all the cultivators present back to the Imperial City, somehow trying to provide Yuan Jimo with an explanation.”
“That guy’s gone mad.”
Xie Xuanyi scoffed: “Could a Special Enforcement Officer really mobilize people from the Taoist sects and Fan Yin Temple?”
No wonder True Master Jun Shan hurried to bid his farewell in the middle of the night.
It turned out the Taoist disciples were to be taken away by the Imperial City Department.
“Yes…
Taoist sects have Jun Mountain behind them, and Fan Yin Temple has Miao Zhen…”
Duan Zhao spoke resentfully: “The people from the Taoist sects and Fan Yin Temple left very assertively; only I was left behind.
Young Lord, I thought you might come back last night…”
Xie Xuanyi fell into a brief silence.
To be fair, the power behind this lad Duan Zhao was perhaps the most frightening of all.
Not only did he have Lotus Peak and Da Sui Sword Palace behind him.
There was also the transcendent Wangyou Island!
The Yang God Warrior from Wangyou Island and the highly strategic Lady Wangyou, those two beings, were powerful stabilizers.
So much so that after Xie Xuanyi left last night, he completely overlooked Duan Zhao…
with the methods of those two, last night’s dispute with the Southern Border Evil Cultivators, no matter how big, wouldn’t pose any real danger to Duan Zhao.
“Sorry.”
Xie Xuanyi rubbed his forehead, said helplessly: “I indeed forgot about you last night.”
Someone pretended to be heartbroken, sighing deeply with a heavy heart.
“You don’t need to feel guilty, because last night, Copper Bone wasn’t able to take anyone away.”
Huang Su spoke calmly: “This Special Enforcement Officer is still receiving treatment…
with good luck, he might wake up in about ten days to half a month.”
…
Xie Xuanyi silently moved his head, giving Duan Zhao a meaningful look.
The little guy stopped pretending, laying his cards on the table, and said with a grin: “Young Lord, you should have seen the drama last night; it was spectacular!
The monk from Fan Yin Temple nearly knocked Copper Bone’s soul out of his body with a staff—such a scene.
Even though they’re both in the Grotto Heaven Realm, the Special Enforcement Officer had no power to resist…
I originally wanted to keep watching the show at Moss Ridge, but unfortunately, Uncle Huang Su arrived.
I heard Yuan Jimo brought many people and surrounded Moss Ridge, but I don’t know how things ended.”
Xie Xuanyi stood up suddenly, delivering a swift flick to the forehead with such speed that it was impossible to dodge.
Duan Zhao covered his forehead, grimacing.
In reality, the flick hadn’t been hard at all.
Duan Zhao’s body had been forged by Wangyou Island into a Vajra Body, at most feeling a slight pain, but the clever lad knew he was at fault, so he pretended to look pitiful.