The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 168 - 98 Heaven and Earth Mysterious Sect, The Root of All Qi

Chapter 168: Chapter 98 Heaven and Earth Mysterious Sect, The Root of All Qi

Xu Qing knew that offending Duke Wei was just the surface issue; in reality, he and Inspector Wu had become the Court’s expendable pawns used to deal with local lords like Duke Wei.

The pie of the world was only so big; the Dynasty’s reforms were nothing but a struggle to snatch pieces of the pie from others, not to enlarge it.

Unless the Emperor had the courage to plow the world anew, the ancient Dynasty’s reforms were doomed to fail, inevitably leading to the demise of people and the extinction of governance.

However, if one could fill the National Treasury during their reign, it could indeed stop the decline of national power, but it would also alienate the localities further from loyalty and morality.

"This is the trend of history; for me personally, in the face of the torrential forces, a mere wave is akin to a mountain weighing down, causing my foundation to crumble and flow eastward."

"Duke Wei Mansion wants to deal with me, but I will not let myself be slaughtered."

Great figures are indeed formidable, but they too cherish their lives; seeing the desperation of the lesser folks, they wouldn’t dare to push too hard.

Xu Qing returned the body of Xue Ying without saying a word, which was enough for them to ponder for a long time.

"I can’t wait any longer, I must go get the Golden Light Spell today." Realizing the immense threat from Duke Wei Mansion, Xu Qing felt an even more urgent need to strengthen his power.

Great deeds hinge on the crucial three to five years; a millennium is too long when the opportunity lies in an instant!

He left the County Government, took his Fire Cloud Horse, and alone, he sped to the Golden Ray Monastery.

As for people like Guo Zhuang and Su Lianqing, Xu Qing had already instructed them to seek the help of the two guards Wang and continue to handle the remaining miscellaneous matters.

...

...

"It’s already afternoon, and our Sect Leader hasn’t returned yet." Outside the city, the Yizhuang was filled with a tense atmosphere between two groups of people.

"Our people have gone to the city to gather information, and besides, our Great Elder hasn’t returned either."

"Could something have happened?"

"How could it? The Great Elder is a master of the Great Success of Exorcism; one step further, and he can Manifest, like a living immortal. What do you know?"

"Nothing but tricksters playing gods and ghosts."

"Say that again."

As neither group’s leaders had come back yet, tempers flared.

At that moment, someone returned to Yizhuang.

"It’s bad, the Great Elder’s naked corpse has been hung at the city gates." The man stumbled in, his face stricken with horror.

Stripping and hanging a corpse at the city gate was the Court’s harshest punishment toward rebels.

The people of Great Yu believed that such a method could doom someone to an eternal fall into Jiu You, never to rise again.

"How could this be, and what about our Divine Sword of the sect?"

"I don’t know."

Inside Yizhuang, the members of the Lotus Sect were disheartened.

They all showed a look of utter confusion, uncertain of their next move.

Because to consolidate power, the Great Elder of the Lotus Sect had just purged the dissidents once more. Now, although the Lotus Sect still had many skilled practitioners, there was no longer a leader truly capable of leading them.

People from the Eagle Claw Sect asked tensely, "What about our Sect Leader?"

"He’s been captured and taken to the Punishment Room of the County Government."

"Ah." Although it was somewhat expected, the disciples of the Eagle Claw Sect were still shocked.

The Sect Leader was their heaven; the news of the Sect Leader being detained in the Punishment Room of the County Government was scarier than the Sect Leader being dead.

"The Sect Leader knows a lot, what if he can’t endure the torture?" A disciple of the Eagle Claw Sect murmured. Thinking of all the things tied to their Sect Leader, they couldn’t help but shudder.

A member of the Lotus Sect said, "We’re leaving."

What was the use of staying now that the Great Elder, a master of the Great Exorcism, was dead?

"We can’t leave!" A Hall Master with the surname Feng suddenly spoke up.

Soon after, the members of Yizhuang smelled an unusual fragrance.

"This is Elder Tang’s Bone Crumbling Fragrance." A high-ranking member of the Lotus Sect shouted alarmingly, followed by, "And you’ve put Soft Muscle Powder in our breakfast."

The people in Yizhuang fell one by one.

Even those who had undergone Bone Training, under the influence of the Bone Crumbling Fragrance, the effects of the Soft Muscle Powder quickly took over, leaving them with weakened limbs and the loss of the ability to move.

The people from the Eagle Claw Sect were no different.

Only Hall Master Feng and a few of his close confidants, having taken the antidote early on, were unaffected.

"You, Hall Master Feng, the Great Elder has treated you well."

"Well-treated?" Hall Master Feng scoffed, "If I hadn’t shown weakness early, the Great Elder would not have kept me around. Have you heard the saying, ’He who understands the times is a wise man.’"

"What do you mean? Are you going to take your brothers’ heads to side with the Officials?"

Hall Master Feng ordered, "Take them all away; we don’t need to bother with the others."

He and his few confidants, after feeding the antidote to the fellow sect members they were familiar with, immediately left Yizhuang with the group.

After traveling several miles, Hall Master Feng led them to an abandoned farmhouse and suddenly made a lotus gesture, bowing to the ground inside the farmhouse.

The others understood from Hall Master Feng’s gesture that an important person from their sect must be inside the dwelling.

"Hall Master Feng, you’ve done well in this matter. From now on, you are the Law Enforcement Elder of the Lotus Sect." A vague voice came from inside the farmhouse.

"It’s all thanks to the guidance of the Holy Maiden; I have only followed the Holy Teachings." Hall Master Feng replied.

The rest then realized that the person inside was the Holy Maiden of their sect.

This Holy Maiden came from the Luo Sect’s Main Temple and had secretly gained control over Hall Master Feng.

Among them, either disciples of Hall Master Feng’s inner circle or those he had fostered on normal days, seeing the situation, they naturally understood what to do and knelt down in worship.

"Holy Maiden, may you enjoy eternal blessings and everlasting youth!"

Flattery that cost nothing came from the mouths of sect members.

"All right, I too am acting on the orders of the Saint Heir."

"Saint Heir?"

"Bai Rujing committed unforgivable transgression, even daring to plot against me and the Saint Heir. The Saint Heir has already killed him."

"Elder Bai was actually killed by the Saint Heir’s own hand." The followers were shocked.

At the same time, they fell silent, as if chilled to the bone, not daring to speak.

This was a power struggle at the highest level within the sect, and they dared not meddle. Moreover, now that Elder Bai was dead, it was clear that the Saint Heir had won completely.

Indeed, only the wise and brave could understand current affairs!

Thankfully, Hall Master Feng was here, or it would be hard to imagine what their fate would be now.

"Yu Ting’s fate has not yet run out; the Saint Heir has ordered you to conserve strength. From now on, you will conduct some business in South Zhili, awaiting an opportunity, while also continuing to gather intelligence for the Saint Heir."

"Understood."

Infiltration, intelligence gathering, that was their old expertise, far safer than the violence and killing.

After all, since the Lotus Sect rose in revolt, those daring enough to fight had mostly perished, leaving behind not many brave souls. Either they died at the hands of Xu Qing or in the internal power struggles.

Those who survived, all wanted to cling onto life.

The decree from the Holy Maiden was exactly in line with their wishes.

Their enthusiasm for the Saint Heir and Holy Maiden surged, and they expressed their support more fervently.

"Here is some capital given by the Saint Heir for you to manage your businesses, take it all." Two iron chests were brought into the room.

Hall Master Feng opened the lids, revealing gold, silver, and copper coins brimming to the top.

The sight made the followers’ eyes gleam.

Unlike ordinary followers who were from the destitute and had their minds washed by doctrine, these followers had joined the Lotus Sect’s rebellion for wealth and women.

With money in hand, women were the least of their concerns.

The immense grace of the Saint Heir and the Holy Maiden, they could never repay in a lifetime!

For a while, the praise from the crowd became increasingly sincere.

In fact, this money was also the treasure that Elder Bai had taken down the mountain, and Hall Master Feng, having stealthily learned of its location, had it stored right here in this farmhouse.

And Hall Master Feng was an agent that Su Lianqing had developed long ago.

While Xu Qing slept, Su Lianqing tirelessly worked behind the scenes to contribute to the master’s grand endeavor.

Of course, most of her actions aimed to interpret the master’s intentions and then take measures accordingly.

Having precautions is never a bad thing.

One never knows, one cold day, she might even be able to provide a coat for the master. By then, her identity could also be brought to light.

From her background, Su Lianqing was more eager than anyone under Xu Qing to see him climb to the highest position.

However, she also dared not take too bold actions, lest she provoke the master.

These things had to be done step by step.

And from her professional perspective, every single action of the master was aimed at preparing for a future uprising.

The effect of a great example is profound, as has always been throughout history.

For instance, the Recovery Society had fostered ties with the local scholar class who most crave to climb the social ladder. The incense money from the Golden Ray Monastery had attracted merchants without background. The charity of the Recovery Society and the Golden Ray Monastery had won over the local impoverished masses.

Even the professional rebellion force of the Lotus Sect didn’t have foundations as solid as those Xu Qing had built.

The cumulative achievements of Xu Qing, over days and months, should chaos spread across the land one day, he’d be able to instantly muster a sufficient force, equipped with all sorts of talent, and possess great cohesion.

For these were all communities with common interests.

A group united by common interests would have a far more devastating power in times of chaos than righteous armies that swarm like locusts.

Their cohesion, too, was something the Official Army could not compare with.

"The master is still young; in twenty years, when chaos covers the land, the master will still be in his prime. Moreover, with the master’s high Martial Arts Cultivation, once he practices Refining Internal, at sixty years old he would only be like someone just entering middle age, which is the perfect time to strive and fight." Su Lianqing contemplated silently.

Regardless, after this ordeal, Xu Qing’s intelligence network had expanded significantly and recruited even more professional talents.

...

...

"Master, in recent days, I don’t know why, but there has been a Buddha’s light emanating from the stone walls of the Red Moon Cave at the back mountain," Fayue entered the meditation room and reported to the abbot, Grandmaster Yan Kong.

Yan Kong spoke gravely, "Have you gone into the cave to investigate?"

Fayue replied cautiously, "This disciple just went in to check, and found that at our ancestor’s site of meditation against the stone wall, there glimpses of golden light hinting at the presence of characters on the stone."

Yan Kong said, "This is the karmic connection that the ancestor spoke of which has now arrived."

He took one long look at Fayue and added, "Can you recognize the characters on the stone wall?"

Fayue answered, "I cannot; the inscriptions are still too vague."

Yan Kong: "Let’s go and take a look."

He led Fayue to the stone wall in the Red Moon Cave at the back mountain. There, lines of golden script were faintly visible. Yan Kong floated a palm at the stone wall in front of him.

Flakes of stone kept falling off the wall.

Fayue was astounded; the monk’s Great Vajra Palm could actually emit Dark Strength through the air. Containing his inner alarm, he turned to the true form of the characters revealed on the wall and couldn’t help but read out:

"Heaven and Earth Mysterious Sect, the root of all Qi."

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