Longzang

Chapter 316 Let's See Clearly
As Wei Yuan stepped out of his room into the morning light, a chilling autumn atmosphere immediately enveloped him.

The guards outside the post station were all ready to accompany Wei Yuan to the Western Garden for the autumn hunt. Wei Yuan looked up at the sky, where a layer of dark clouds hung, neither thick nor thin, giving off a gloomy feeling.

It's getting cold, I just wonder if it will snow today...

Wei Yuan felt a strange sense of emotion, then looked away and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

In the courtyard of the post station, an old servant was sweeping fallen leaves. His movements were slow, yet he seemed to be one with the world around him, sweeping the fallen leaves to the edge of the ground, one stroke at a time.

In an instant, this courtyard seemed to transform into heaven and earth, and the fallen leaves became figures of past glories and chosen ones of destiny. But their time had come, and they could only helplessly wither away and be swept into the dustbin of history.

Wei Yuan was shocked, but when he looked at the old servant again, all the strangeness disappeared. The old servant's movements became frail and his life force was like a candle flame in the wind, which could be extinguished at any time.

Wei Yuan did not go over, but instead waved to the post station official and asked, "Who is he?"

The official immediately turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat.

The man who worked as a handyman at the post station suddenly fell ill a couple of days ago and was bedridden at home. The official thought there was nothing else to do, so he just randomly found a poor old man to fill the position, giving him two pancakes a day and pocketing the wages himself. Unexpectedly, on his very first day of work, he was questioned by the military governor!
Seeing the official's appearance, Wei Yuan had a general idea of ​​what was going on, so he didn't ask any more questions. His mind raced, and without disturbing the old servant, he went out of the courtyard, mounted his horse, and rode towards the city gate.

However, Wei Yuan still felt a little emotional.

The post station was the face of the Great Jin Dynasty; those who could stay there, besides foreign delegations, were at least governors or commanders of the third rank. To be able to embezzle money from such a place was like squeezing oil from a stone.

Wei Yuan was too lazy to care, nor did he want to. Whether they were minor or high-ranking officials, arresting one meant arresting a whole bunch more—it was an endless cycle. He suddenly wondered if the entire realm would eventually become like this.

One hundred iron cavalrymen left the city gate and joined four hundred iron cavalrymen who were already waiting outside the city. Then, guided by a small squad of imperial guards, they headed towards the West Garden.

The autumn hunt took place in the Western Garden, a hunting ground exclusively for the Western Jin royal family. It stretched for five hundred miles and included mountains, forests, and rivers.

The autumn hunt was scheduled to begin at noon. Wei Yuan arrived an hour early and was led into the drill ground by an imperial eunuch. His cavalry, on the other hand, went to their designated camps.

As is customary, the Autumn Hunt is divided into two parts. The first part is a martial arts competition, in which warriors selected by various factions compete before the emperor to determine the champion. Participants are limited to those below the Dharma Aspect level, since Dharma Aspect cultivators are highly valued by any faction, and allowing them to participate in such a competition would easily provoke public anger and would be difficult to control.

The autumn hunting and martial arts arena was a thousand feet long, with pavilions and stands set up on both sides. Each high-ranking official had a designated spot, and Wei Yuan also had a small area on the side stands where he could bring ten personal guards.

Once Wei Yuan was seated on the platform, several eunuchs carried a bronze mirror to him. One of the eunuchs said, "Please check your appearance in the mirror, Lord Wei, so as not to be impolite."

This bronze mirror is truly a treasure; it can strip away disguises and reveal one's true self, and none below the level of an immortal lord can escape its influence. Although the bronze mirror is not fully activated, all ghosts and evil spirits cannot escape its power; they will vanish upon being reflected in it.

Looking in the mirror and grooming oneself is a fixed procedure, to prevent anyone from disguising their identity and infiltrating, or secretly carrying evil spirits. Wei Yuan was naturally not afraid, so he stood calmly in front of the bronze mirror.

The bronze mirror reflected a handsome and spirited face. His eyebrows were like swords, yet not entirely sharp, possessing a restrained elegance. His nose was high and thin, also shaped like a sword. His lips were red but not seductive. As for his eyes, they were undeniably beautiful. Back then, Master Fenhai had been particularly fond of young Wei Yuan's eyes, finding them even more beautiful than Zhang Sheng's, which infuriated Zhang to no end.

The person in the mirror was wearing a purple-gold hair-binding crown, and her long hair was tied up rather casually, fluttering freely in the wind.

It seems I was born with decent looks... Wei Yuan wanted to look a little longer, but seeing that the two eunuchs were sweating and struggling to lift the mirror, he had no choice but to give up and asked the eunuch next to him, "Is it alright now?"

Seeing that Wei Yuan showed no signs of illness, the eunuch hurriedly said, "Lord Wei is a handsome and talented man, so naturally he can... ... ... "

His voice suddenly trailed off, and the whole world turned into black and white in Wei Yuan's eyes, and everyone's movements slowed down tenfold.

The world still had one last bit of color, which was myself in the bronze mirror, my left eye's pupil had turned blue!
A faint voice echoed in Wei Yuan's ears: "You have a connection with Buddha..."

Wei Yuan emptied his mind, suppressing the three immortal plants to prevent any aura from leaking out. He quietly watched as the world returned to normal, and the eunuch's voice returned to normal.

The eunuchs carried the bronze mirror down to the adjacent viewing platform.

Wei Yuan remained seated, his face showing no sign of distress. Just now, the Impure Earth White Lotus had stirred, seemingly about to be activated, but Wei Yuan had suppressed it. However, watching the palace officials gradually disappear into the distance, Wei Yuan seemed lost in thought. Even this bronze mirror, a national treasure, had shown unusual activity?
Has something changed about the magic weapon, or has something changed about the country?

It seems the King of England's warning wasn't unfounded; the autumn hunt is indeed a treacherous affair. Wei Yuan is even more determined this time to avoid recklessness, to cower in the face of trouble, to only take his share, and if all else fails, to forgo it altogether.

Although the King of England believed that Wei Yuan should have a share of the autumn hunt, Wei Yuan was now quite perceptive and knew that some people didn't think so; they simply felt that everything was rightfully theirs. Others might have initially thought it should be Wei Yuan's, but then felt their share wasn't enough, so they changed their minds.

Thinking about the inexplicably changed color of his pupils in the mirror, Wei Yuan casually touched his left eye, thankfully finding nothing unusual.

His mind suddenly wandered, and a strange thought came to him: If he doesn't do well in the future and falls on hard times, can he still make a living with his face?
Wei Yuan then thought of a certain inexplicable little monk. Although that little monk had some mental issues, his face was undeniably handsome. If the apocalypse came, he would have even less to worry about in terms of food.

Perhaps it was because the little monk was so handsome that Wei Yuan was ruthless that day, slapping him quite a few times.

Before long, noon had arrived, and all sorts of demons and immortals gathered. The Prince of Jin sat high on the central platform, his face still hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see clearly.

"It's noon, the autumn hunt begins!" The voice of Liu Quangong, the Grand Eunuch, echoed throughout the hall, lingering for a long time. Wei Yuan immediately felt several gazes fall upon him, brazen and undisguised. Wei Yuan looked back and saw one was a burly, hot-tempered man, and the other was a man with eagle-like eyes and a lingering shadow between his brows.

Like Wei Yuan, these two men were military governors. One was Xu Tongshou, the military governor of Anbei in the north, and the other was Lü Wenbai, the military governor of Yunxiang, whose fiefdom bordered the Eastern Jin and Tang dynasties.

At this moment, the eunuchs continuously called out names, and one by one, the martial artists stepped onto the training ground, divided into six pairs, and began to fight each other. After a short while, there were winners and losers; the winners were led aside to rest, while most of the losers were carried off. A short while later, six more pairs of newcomers competed on the training ground.

This martial arts demonstration was completely different from the banquet held by the King of Wei. This was a martial arts demonstration held before the emperor, and the warriors who appeared were all warriors that the princes and ministers had painstakingly gathered. Each of them had profound cultivation and deep knowledge of Taoist magic, and they fought to the death as soon as they stepped onto the field. In the blink of an eye, three people had died. The bodies and limbs of the dead were immediately collected by the palace officials, and the large amount of blood left behind was slowly absorbed by the martial arts field.

Compared to the autumn hunting and military exercises, the King of Wei's night banquet was like children playing house.

Cui Yu and Xu Yi stood behind Wei Yuan, their expressions changing slightly after only watching two rounds. All the competitors entering the arena were skilled; they had no advantage, and neither of them possessed the same ruthlessness as the newcomers.

Those people would kill without hesitation upon meeting, using every insidious and deadly method imaginable. They employed not only assassin techniques but also some street thug tactics, all in pursuit of victory.

Suddenly, a scream rang out in the arena. A male swordsman was facing off against a female swordsman. He had already severed one of her arms and one of her legs, and now he was slowly twisting his foot under her chest, listening to the cracking sounds of her ribs.

Unexpectedly, the female swordswoman's only remaining arm suddenly grew a foot longer, grabbed the swordsman's crotch, crushed all the cumbersome parts, and then dug the lump out of his flesh with her five fingers!
The male swordsman screamed in agony, and with a swift stroke, decapitated his opponent. He himself didn't last long before collapsing and dying.

This was the beginning; the subsequent rounds of combat became increasingly brutal and bloody, with the competitors growing stronger and stronger. The watching nobles and royalty, however, grew more and more excited, placing bets and spending money like water.

The eunuch standing on the platform said solicitously, "Lord Wei, wouldn't you like to play a game?"

Wei Yuan smiled slightly and said, "I have no luck in gambling, so I'll pass."

"What a pity. This year's martial arts competition was more exciting than ever before..." The eunuch kept shaking his head, seemingly lamenting the loss of several hundred million taels of silver for Wei Yuan.

At this moment, a female swordsman in the arena cleaved her opponent's earthen shield and heavy shield in two with a single stroke, cutting him diagonally in half. Standing amidst the enemy's blood, she proclaimed loudly, "Jiang Yao, a rogue cultivator from the Northern Border, wishes to request guidance from Lord Wei Yuan!"

It has come after all... Wei Yuan had already expected it. Looking towards the main stage, he saw Prince Jin sitting high in the shadows, motionless.

Wei Yuan stood up, picked up the Immaculate Pure Land, and walked into the martial arts arena. The surrounding stands were silent, and all the important figures were scrutinizing Wei Yuan, but their thoughts were completely unreadable from their faces.

Since we've come to the Autumn Hunt, there's no escaping this hurdle. From another perspective, only by demonstrating something can we be qualified to take something away.

The other pairs had already decided their victors and retreated, leaving only Wei Yuan and the female swordsman. The female swordsman had short hair, was of medium height, and wielded a four-foot-long, palm-width sword—a greatsword, but not quite a giant sword. She wore a white warrior's robe, which appeared to be a fine magical robe, and strips of cloth were wrapped around her forearms, which possessed various effects such as great strength, speed, and spell-breaking.

Her once delicate face now bore several fresh scars. Her swordsmanship was simple and practical, perfectly integrated with her Taoist magic. Her swordsmanship was ruthless but lacked grace, suggesting it was a style honed through life-or-death battles.

Wei Yuan stopped in front of her and asked, "I am the Dingxi Jiedushi of the imperial court, a second-rank official. What right do you have to challenge me?"

The female swordsman was taken aback, unsure how to respond.

Although she lacked experience, she knew this question was difficult to answer. If she answered incorrectly and the Prince of Jin granted her request, then Wei Yuan could use the same reason to challenge her master. In one-on-one combat, the Taichu Palace had never been afraid of anyone.

The female swordsman's ears twitched, her expression changed, and her left hand suddenly clenched, but then slowly loosened. She said, "After this battle, regardless of victory or defeat, I will cut off my own arm to atone for my offense!"

Wei Yuan asked calmly, "Which hand will be severed?"

The female swordsman's face was somewhat pale. She suddenly raised her left hand and said, "The hand that holds the sword!"

Wei Yuan finally nodded and said, "Okay."

On the high platform, a few people seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Wei Yuan and the female swordsman distanced themselves, and the palace officials quickly cleaned up the bloodstains and debris on the ground, re-established the formation, and then retreated to the sidelines.

Wei Yuan felt a gaze on him faintly from the central platform. A thought struck him. The Prince of Jin wouldn't humiliate him for no reason, so what did this mean? Or was there something he wanted to see?
Wei Yuan's mind raced, and a pale red petal suddenly appeared at his fingertips. The pure and authentic celestial aura immediately caused a slight commotion on the high platform.

At this moment, Wei Yuan understood that his most famous possession was none other than the Moon Laurel Immortal Tree. Although he had shown Zhao Tong the Scarlet Night Immortal-Slaying Sword, the Prince of Jin was clearly not satisfied. He wanted to see the Moon Laurel Immortal Tree in its original form and whether it had the power to prolong life and restore health.

When Zhao Tong came to the realm to deliver the imperial decree, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of longevity-enhancing items. With Wei Yuan offering so much immortal silver, Zhao Tong's advice was naturally very thorough. Therefore, Wei Yuan now understood that the Prince of Jin did not care about immortal trees, nor did he lack immortal trees; what he lacked was an immortal tree that could extend lifespan.

Since the Prince of Jin insisted on seeing it clearly, Wei Yuan let him see it clearly, so he took out not the Scarlet Night Immortal-Slaying Sword, but the petals of the Moon Laurel Immortal Tree.

The pale red petals transformed into a wisp of sword energy, disappearing and returning in an instant.

The female swordsman dodged with all her might, but only managed to avoid a vital spot in her heart; a hole was punched through her left shoulder.

(End of this chapter)