knife

Chapter 355 Meeting
Such is the helplessness of life.

You know perfectly well that there's a pit ahead, but there are not only pits in other directions, but also sharp knives and spears stuck in them. What do you do?
You can only jump into that pit first; as for the consequences, we'll have to wait and see.

The lesser of two evils.

This is the fate that Wei Zhengdao is currently facing.

Linghu Ye is now standing in front of him with a large sword, ready to cut off his head and dig out his foundation. Naturally, there is no way for him to back down, because if he backs down, he will have nothing left.

Meanwhile, Li Dachui was slowly cutting the fat on Wei Shi's buttocks with a small knife. It was bloody and painful, but not fatal at first, because Wei Shi was a big, fat man who could withstand such cutting for a long time.

The only solution now is to team up with the guy with the small knife and take down the guy with the big knife first before worrying about anything else.

Unlike Wei Zhengdao, who was extremely troubled and whose hair was falling out in clumps, Hong Zhan was full of curiosity about Li Dachui.

For Hong Zhan, it was an extraordinary achievement for a young man in his twenties to become a Xiantian (a type of immortal being).

In Hong Zhan's knowledge, there was only one person who became a master of innate level at a younger age than Li Dachui, and that was He Qingqiu.

He Qingqiu had already achieved spiritual travel by the time he was in his twenties.

However, Hong Zhan believes that He Qingqiu cannot be considered a real person; he is a god, an immortal.

It's just that this deity descended to the mortal realm and ultimately perished, which is truly lamentable and tragic.

If she hadn't descended to the mortal realm, perhaps He Qingqiu would have forged an unprecedented miracle in the martial arts world, illuminating the path for those who came after her.

what a shame.

Last night, heavy snow fell all night long. The snow that hadn't had time to melt was covered with a thick new layer. When you stepped on it, it seemed to only reach your calves, but in reality, the snow was already up to your thighs, only because the bottom was frozen solid.

The weather was extremely cold, so there were fewer people on the streets.

Inside the Xuandu Temple, you can hardly see anyone.

Last night, the Imperial Guards of Chang'an and the Black Ice Guards made repeated visits, almost turning the Xuandu Temple upside down. In the end, except for some high-ranking Taoist priests, the rest of the people were all gathered in a large hall and placed under guard.

To the surprise of Chongxu, the abbot of Xuandu Temple, the people from the Black Ice Platform and the Imperial Guards were definitely there for the same purpose, but they were clearly not working together.

The two sides even glared at each other coldly.

This is puzzling.

The first person to arrive was a young man whom Master Chongxu did not recognize.

However, he was quite familiar with the young woman who accompanied him.

She's the daughter of the famous scholar Zhang Ruo!
Since returning to Chang'an, he has visited Xuandu Temple quite often and donated money and goods to the temple frequently.

This young master must be the person the Black Ice Guard is protecting, because those surrounding him are all prominent figures from the Black Ice Guard in Chang'an.

The young master was quite humble and politely greeted Master Chongxu. However, as soon as he introduced himself, he almost caused Master Chongxu to stumble on the spot.

Li Dachui, Protector-General of the Beiting Protectorate.

Moreover, the well-informed Daoist Chongxu also knew that the imperial court was preparing to promote Li Dachui to the title of Prince of Zhenbei.

This is the first person who was not a member of the royal family to be granted the title of king since the founding of the Qin Dynasty.

Everyone was well aware of the imperial court's ulterior motives.
The purpose was simply to use the title of Prince of Zhenbei to lure Li Dachui into marching into the interior of the pass, thereby restraining Linghu Ye.

It seems that Li Dachui is about to agree to the court's request and join forces with the Wei family. Otherwise, why would he have traveled all the way to Chang'an?

This is a big event.

Now Chongxu understood why the Black Ice Platform and the Imperial Guards were on high alert, not only sealing off Xuandu Temple but also almost completely surrounding the entire Chongye Ward.

"It's a pity we came at the wrong time!" Li Dachui showed none of the arrogance and haughtiness that Chongxu had feared. He was like a tourist, smiling at Chongxu: "If we had come in the third month of spring, when all the thousand peach trees in Xuandu Temple were in full bloom, it would have been a magnificent sight!"

"Although there are no peach blossoms in full bloom, the icicles of various shapes hanging down from the branches, colorful and dazzling, are a rare sight!" Chongxu laughed, pointing to the garden.

Master Chongxu was adept at winning the favor of high-ranking officials and nobles. Although there was no sunlight in the sky at this time, Chongxu lit candles in a palace and then used a crystal prism to project the light onto the peach grove. The countless hanging icicles then became colorful and magnificent.

Li Dachui gave Chongxu Daoist a thumbs up: "Daoist, you have a brilliant idea! This method is something most people wouldn't think of!"

Chongxu squinted his eyes as he laughed.

“Young master, the plum blossoms at Daxingshan Temple across the street are quite nice too. After we finish our discussion today, we can go and take a look!” Zhang Qingyun said with a smile. “Daxingshan’s vegetarian cuisine is also very famous.”

Upon hearing Zhang Qingqu's words, the smile on Master Chongxu's face vanished.

"Miss Zhang, the tea and food at our Xuandu Temple are far superior to theirs!"

Li Dachui laughed and said, "No, those monks are all fat and bloated, I don't like looking at them. I still prefer Taoism. In times of peace, they live in seclusion in the mountains; in times of chaos, they enter the world to save people. This philosophy is more in line with my expectations of reclusive masters!" "Exactly, exactly!" Chongxu smiled so much that his eyes narrowed. "Seven or eight out of ten of the Taoists in my Xuandu Temple are currently traveling around, healing the sick and saving lives. My requirement for them is simply to do one good deed every day!"

"Master, your virtue is truly admirable!" Li Dachui praised with a smile.

"Protector, why don't we go into the quiet room and sit for a while? Let this old Taoist priest brew some tea for you."

"Very well, Prime Minister Wei is very busy, let's enjoy some tea while we wait for him!"

Sure enough, in Chang'an, the only person who can now stand on equal footing with the Protector-General of Beiting and discuss matters of state is the current Grand Secretary Wei Zhengdao.

They drank tea for almost half an hour, but Wei Zhengdao still hadn't arrived.

Seeing that Li Dachui was calm and composed, showing no signs of anger or dissatisfaction, Chongxu couldn't help but admire him in his heart, "A person's name is like a tree's shadow."

Every person who achieves great success does so through hard work and dedication.

At this age, such composure is something most people cannot achieve.

Zhang Qingyun, who was sitting cross-legged behind him, was already showing signs of irritability, while Li Dachui was still leisurely discussing the principles of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements with him.

He wasn't just going through the motions; he had genuinely studied it deeply and his words were substantial, greatly enlightening Chongxu.

At this moment, Chongxu even hoped that Wei Zhengdao would break his promise, so that he could have a thorough discussion with Li Dachui about the principle of "two elements giving rise to four symbols, four symbols giving rise to eight trigrams, and the Tao giving rise to one, one giving rise to two, two giving rise to three, three giving rise to all things, and all things returning to one."

After all, people like Li Dachui are always elusive and rarely seen. Even when he is somewhere, it's not something you can just see whenever you want. And even if you do see him, these busy people don't have much time to discuss these seemingly abstract principles with you.

These principles might be mere pastimes for them, but for them, they are their livelihood.

However, Master Chongxu's little scheme was destined to fail, because just as he was about to ask another question, Li Dachui put down his teacup and smiled at Master Chongxu, saying, "Prime Minister Wei has arrived. Let's go out and greet him. The great Dao cannot be explained in just a few words. If Master Chongxu has any free time in the future, you can come to the border to find me. Li Dachui will definitely be waiting for you!"

Chongxu was overjoyed: "I will definitely come. Protector, you have such a profound understanding of the Dao. I admire you very much and will definitely come to ask for your guidance."

“Excellent, excellent. Daoist Liaoran and Daoist Yiming have both gone to the border region. If Daoist Chongxu also goes, we can all get together and surely make our Daoist school flourish.”

"These two went too?" Chongxu was taken aback. Weren't these two always at odds?
"The area outside the pass is a good place." Li Dachui smiled and walked out.

Wei Zhengdao and Hong Zhan walked out slowly from the peach grove.

Li Dachui wasn't very familiar with Wei Zhengdao. This was the second time he had met him. The first time was the night Li Dachui broke into the palace; he had only caught a glimpse of him from afar.

But Hong Zhan, who impersonated this person to kill Li Tai, was naturally very familiar with him.

Seeing the real person appear before me now is quite interesting.

"Minister Wei!" Li Dachui bowed from afar, "Greetings, Li Dachui!"

Wei Zhengdao continued walking, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said with a smile, "Governor Li, I have long heard of your great name, it is truly awe-inspiring. Today I finally get to meet you in person, what a fortunate occasion!"

They stood three steps apart and smiled at each other.

Looking at the young man in front of him, Hong Zhan couldn't help but feel a surge of jealousy.

You're good at martial arts, so it's one thing to be a genius, but how come you're the boss of the Beiting Protectorate?
How come you get everything?

He stepped forward and stretched out his hand, "Hong Zhan!"

Li Dachui smiled and reached out his hand, and the two large hands clasped together.

Chongxu's expression changed slightly. He stepped forward, flicked his whisk, and blocked Wei Zhengdao's path.

Wei Zhengdao watched this scene with great interest.

Although he was not familiar with martial arts, he had seen many instances of martial artists arguing and testing each other's strength, many of which unfolded right in front of him, simply to demonstrate their power.

Of course, these two are not based on this.

Both of them remained motionless, but Hong Zhan's clothes rippled outwards as if a stone had been thrown into a calm pond.

"I admire you!" Hong Zhan let go, shaking his head and smiling wryly.

"I got the better deal!" Li Dachui said, "Senior Hong is injured!"

“I’m decades older than you!” Hong Zhan shook his head and said.

"Youth has an advantage in boxing!" Wei Zhengdao said, trying to defend Hong Zhan. Hong Zhan was his man, so naturally he was unhappy about the loss.

Hong Zhan shook his head: "That's a term used for those below the Innate level. Once you've entered the Innate level, the influence of age is minimal."

“Once Senior Hong is fully healed, we can spar again!” Li Dachui laughed. “There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”

(End of this chapter)