Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 573 Ripples at the Bottom of the Inkstone, Sorrow Amidst the Array

"That guy from Gu Xuandao Yuejian Mountain was so easily intimidated by Bai Canhong?"

Kuang Liuting read the battle report from Yangmingshan delivered by the Demon Suppression Bureau. His gaze paused briefly when he saw the list of casualties, but he quickly recovered. When he spoke again, his tone was laced with sarcasm:

"It's rare for someone even more ambivalent than the Master of the Star-Picking Pavilion to emerge from this area."

Zhu Tong, who was standing by, could hear the anger in Kuang Liuting's smile. Before he could react, the latter called on him by name and asked, "Have you written to Master Huquan to ask why Hongfen Temple and Qianfo Forest are hesitating at this time?!"

Zhu Tong first bowed and glanced at the tablet in his hand before respectfully replying, "Yesterday's reply from Yuejian Mountain was personally written by Master Huquan. It said that these two families were slightly short of military supplies, and that Huang Mi was unruly and difficult to control, which is why he was pulled out of Sizhou."

Kuang Liuting's expression grew even colder, but he still smiled and said, "Arrogant and difficult to control, how dare Hu Quan use such an excuse to fool me? I have cultivated for nearly two hundred years, and when it comes to arrogance, I have rarely seen anyone who can surpass him."

Zhu Tong was quick-witted. Hearing Kuang Liuting's anger intensify, she did not speak rashly. Instead, she lowered her head and remained silent, turning slightly to the side so that Kuang Liuting's gaze would fall on Su Chen in the corner of the hall.

The eunuch trembled with fright, but he remembered the earnest instructions of the palace men and managed not to do anything improper.

Fortunately, Kuang Liuting's slightly reddened eyes did not linger for long before turning back to Zhu Tong, and then asking again, "Is the Marquis of Fengcheng in the prefecture?"

The latter's tone became even more respectful, his back bent even more, and then he held the tablet and said respectfully, "Reporting to Your Excellency, the Marquis of Fengcheng is at the Fei residence, and the agreement reached in the hall is to rush to the aid of Yunjiao Prefecture in three days."

“Very well, invite him to come see me.”

No sooner had Kuang Liuting's edict been issued than Fei Tianqin, that old bird, appeared in the hall. At this moment, Fei's old ancestor, with his flat hair, no longer held the childish disdain he had shown towards Kuang Liuting outside Xuelin Mountain.

Although the arrogance in his sharp eyes hadn't completely faded, his demeanor wasn't much higher than that of Zhu Tong, the direct descendant of the Prime Minister Gui. His illustrious military achievements, connections with princes, and seniority across three dynasties seemed insignificant at this moment.

According to the Golden Core cultivator who knew Fei Tianqin, this third-tier peak demon, who had a somewhat fearsome reputation in the Immortal Dynasty, was far less respectful to Kuang Liuting than he was to Kuang Zefu, the royal family member of the Northern King.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you, Marquis of Fengcheng."

"I was just preparing for the expedition, and I came here to make things convenient for you, sir," Fei Tianqin said, thanking Kuang Liuting for the spirit tea he had recommended. A hint of pleasure flashed in his eyes as he was inhaled by the aroma, but the old bird had no interest in tasting it at the moment, and simply asked softly:

"I wonder why Your Excellency has summoned me here?"

After Kuang Liuting laughed heartily, he said, "I know that the Marquis of Fengcheng personally went to the Ancient Mystery Path and met with the True Man Huquan. This led to the Hongfen Temple and Qianfo Forest realizing their mistakes and returning to the right path. I did not inquire about the details before, but the situation has changed this time, so I would like to ask the Marquis of Fengcheng to tell me in detail about our previous conversation."

"Tiger Spring." Fei Tianqin paused for a moment, first responding to Kuang Liuting's question, but after careful consideration, he respectfully replied:

"Reporting to Your Excellency, when I spoke with Huquan the other day, there was no one else present. Upon hearing that Your Excellency had personally entrusted this matter and had seen Your Excellency's letter, he was overjoyed. Without even discussing it with his junior brother, Master Yunfu, he immediately settled the arrangements with me."

It is said that once Bai Canhongming of Zhaixinglou raises the banner of rebellion, he will lead his disciples on the mountain to join forces with Wu Laoshan and Hehuan Sect to fight against the rebels, so as to make some small contribution to the Immortal Dynasty.

I have known Hu Quan for sixty years. After he was selected to join the Liangxi army, he cultivated under my personal guidance for a hundred years. Only after he attained the Golden Core and his master passed away did he return to Gu Xuan to inherit the sect. Therefore, his expression could not have escaped my notice, but at that time, he showed no unusual expression.

"I, your humble servant, am also unaware of what has happened. After hearing about the events in Sili, I sent several letters, but a reply has been delayed."

As Fei Tianqin finished speaking, the doubt in his eyes deepened, causing Kuang Liuting to frown as well. After pondering Fei Tianqin's words for a while, the latter asked, "Then, in the opinion of Marquis Fengcheng, could it be that Master Huquan was coerced by Bai Canhong?!"

"It is possible. In the past five hundred years, Yuejian Mountain has produced two True Persons, which can be called the most powerful in the ancient Xuandao. However, whether it is Huquan or his junior brother Yunfu, they are far inferior to Bai Canhong. At most, they can only protect themselves and cannot resist him. Therefore, it is reasonable that the two of them were instigated by the latter and lost their minds."

The old bird spoke at length, but towards the end, a strange feeling emerged, though it was unclear what was strange about it.

Instead, Kuang Liuting lightly tapped the table with his knuckles and then said, "Lord Fengcheng, do you think it's possible that True Man Yunfu colluded with Bai Canhong to harm True Man Huquan?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, while Hu Quan is called Senior Brother, it is actually Yun Fu Zhenren who was personally taught and nurtured by him to reach the Nascent Soul realm. This is unacceptable."

Fei Tianqin's voice trailed off, a look of surprise crossing his eyes before he suddenly snapped out of it: "What in this world is impossible?"

"Has Marquis Fengcheng visited Xinfu with True Man Yunfu to reminisce about old times?"

Kuang Liuting had just asked in a low voice when Fei Tianqin shook his head for a while: "After all, he is close to Huquan. This humble official has very little interaction with this Master Yunfu."

"Understood," Kuang Liuting said, now certain of his own thoughts, and no longer questioned Fei Tianqin, only offering a few more words of advice:
"The reason why Marquis Fengcheng went to Yun this time was only to lead the Fei family disciples to force back the Liangyi Sect's army."

Marquis Wuning and Xianzhou fought against a powerful enemy alone, killing countless enemies across the land. They are truly loyal. How to provide assistance is up to Marquis Fengcheng to arrange. The Duke's mansion will not interfere.

The Kuang family of Dingzhou, having received the favor of the Hehuan Sect's Immortal Jiangxue, and with the secret assistance of Baochai and Ga Da, were able to barely hold their own against the Yunshui Sect.

Although the Yang family of Yezhou had enlisted the help of several Golden Core cultivators from Mount Wulao, they were still no match for the Xianyu family. With manpower scarce and the emperor aging, the local authorities of Yezhou might need to show some leniency and consideration towards the Marquis of Fengcheng.

Fei Tianqin knew that it would be difficult to find a good job among these matters, but he did not refuse. With some concerns about Master Yu Huquan in mind, he left the hall.

Kuang Liuting waved his hand, dismissing the crowd of nobles around him, and then called Su Chen, who was standing in a corner of the hall, to his side and whispered, "Prepare paper and grind ink."

The latter bowed deeply before responding, but he hunched over and walked slowly to the desk, carefully examining the paper and ink on it for a while before making a move.

Su Chen picked up the pine soot ink, pressed his thumb against the "cloud pattern" on the top of the ink, and lightly tapped the side of the ink with his index and middle fingers, while his wrist spun in a light arc.

The ink stick fell obliquely onto the celadon Duan inkstone, without any resistance in the center of the inkstone, only with a "rustling" sound, like a silkworm eating leaves, or like fine snow rubbing against the steps.

Once the rustling sound subsided, Su Chen slowly and deliberately rotated his wrist, causing the ink stick to swirl evenly in the inkstone. Initially, the ink was as thin as a mist, clinging to the ice-like patterns on the bottom of the inkstone;

After a few breaths, the ink gradually darkened, as if it had absorbed all the sunlight that was leaking through the window, and gathered into a deep pool in the center of the inkstone.
A few breaths later, the fragrance of ink wafted out, mingling with the delicate scent of orchids on the desk. With a slight pause in his wrist, the ink stick left the inkstone, and a drop of thick ink fell into the center of the pool. The ripples that spread out reflected the face of Kuang Liuting, who had already approached.

The practice of grinding ink was also passed down among the eunuchs, and it remained extremely complicated and meticulous.

However, this path is easy to learn but difficult to master, and it is also useless for cultivation. In addition, the current emperor is pragmatic and does not like it. Therefore, even when Kuang Liuting was in the capital region, it is not clear that many eunuchs had the abilities of the eunuch before him.

"Not bad," Kuang Liuting said with a rare genuine praise, then ignored Su Chen and focused his attention on his writing.

The red-robed eunuch who often served by his side understood immediately. After a sigh, he pulled Su Chen to his side and spoke to him warmly. With just a few words, the eunuch sealed Su Chen's bright future. He wasn't jealous, for opportunity clearly wouldn't fall into the hands of a lazy person.

Heaven knows how much effort this minor eunuch surnamed Su put in to hone his ink-grinding skills to such an extent, given his lack of connections and single-minded dedication. How could an ordinary person bear to do that?!

Just as the red-robed eunuch finished giving his instructions, he saw that Kuang Liuting had also finished writing the letter in a long and flowing style. The latter dodged the red-robed eunuch's eager approach to take it, but carefully read through the letter again before thinking to himself:

"In that case, let's sweep this world even cleaner."

But then he saw the talisman in his hand turn into light and go away. Halfway there, it split into two. One side went towards the heart of David, the Great Abyss; while the other side seemed to be heading towards the outer sea.

Yangmingshan
The night was as dark as ink, and the smell of blood mixed with the scent of herbs wafted in the wind on Yangmingshan.

Kang Dabao stood atop the mountain, the clear light of the Jade Palace Halberd reflecting the red veins in his eyes. A fragment of a magical artifact, shattered during the fierce battle, was still embedded in the groove of the halberd, gleaming with a bloody light like scales.

"How is Wei Gu?" he suddenly asked, his voice hoarse with a metallic scraping quality. Duan Anle methodically put away the medicine in his hand, ignoring the lingering bloodstains on his fingertips.
"I've forced him to take several top-grade second-tier healing pills. Qi Ke told me that Wei Gu's heart meridian is 30% shattered. Alas, it's a tragedy. It's lucky that a Foundation Establishment cultivator can survive such injuries. As for what happens afterward, it's all up to fate. Besides, it's hard to save too many of those array masters."

"Understood. Don't worry, my disciple is always sensible. Having taken such a precious pill, how could he bear not to wake up?"

Kang Dabao interrupted him, unsure if he had been convinced by his own reasoning. He then glanced at the spiritual soil in front of the battle line, which was soaked in blood and whose original color was no longer discernible.

A long spear, now without its master, lay embedded in a pile of corpses. The crimson aura at its tip clashed with the moonlight, scattering tiny silver fragments that seemed to adorn this hellish scene with a chilling, desolate hue.

The two remained silent for a moment. As Ye Zhengwen's pen made the final mark on the bamboo slip, the sky was already turning a pale white. He rolled up the list of casualties into a tube, and the bloodstains on the bamboo surface congealed into dark red scabs, just like the unburied corpses from the battlefield.

The groans echoing through the clinic pierced the dawn. Kang Rongquan's wooden demon was piling up broken spears and shattered armor into a small mountain. The emerald green sap mixed with black blood dripped onto the ground, which surprisingly gave rise to several thorny weeds.

"How many Qingjue Guards are still capable of fighting?" Kang Dabao's voice startled the fire crows with bulging bellies perched on the branches.

Duan Anle held the newly counted roster, his knuckles white from the effort: "Only one False Core cultivator has perished, more than half of the Foundation Establishment cultivators are wounded or killed, almost none of the Qi Refining disciples are unharmed, and the organizational structure of each camp is incomplete, requiring reorganization. Only seventeen second-tier spirit crossbows remain usable."

At this point, Duan Anle suddenly lowered his voice: "Master, Brother Xiu from Qiaogong Fort didn't make it."

Kang Dabao was suddenly startled, not knowing what he had thought of.

At this moment, Duan Anle handed over the silk scroll left by Xiu Ming. Kang Dabao did not read much of the advice on how to repair and arrange the spiritual artifacts. He only ran his fingertips over Xiu Ming's blood-stained handwriting, his gaze sharpened, and he remained silent for a long time.

"Summon the newly chosen leader of the Craftsmanship Fortress to come out and see me. We will discuss how to reforge spiritual tools according to local conditions and other matters."

Duan Anle respectfully acknowledged the reply. He still had many things to attend to, so after reporting Xiu Ming's death to Headmaster Kang, he quickly excused himself.

Along the way, one could see remnants of various families gathered together. Many of the smaller families' cultivators' defensive magical artifacts were far inferior to the monks' robes, and they were scrambling to put them on, which made the scene somewhat comical.

"Yang Xun, take them to the back of the mountain to reorganize them."

Yang Xun, who had been promoted to deputy general of the Red Guard, still had fragments of a rosary bead from some unknown monk on the seal in his hand, but as soon as he heard Duan Anle speak, he immediately nodded heavily and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Dave, who fought alongside Yang Xun, was not so lucky; his body has been collected and preserved by the Dai family cultivators.

His broken sword was carefully embedded in a cliff face by the disciples of the Good Deeds Hall. A small wooden plaque was attached to the tassel of the sword, which read, "Master Dai, record of merits and deeds, died in Yangming, Xianzhou."

This was carved by Ye Zhengwen overnight; the characters are neat and upright, and the few words became a solemn eulogy.

As everyone performed their duties, the drumbeats signaling the start of battle suddenly resounded.

The cultivators of the Azure Guard sat in meditation on the remnants of the lotus platform formation. Only three lotus leaf phantoms remained, yet they stubbornly continued to spin, condensing the morning dew into spiritual liquid and dripping it onto the wounds of the injured.

The new recruits of the Crimson Guard are learning to form battle formations. Most of them are collateral descendants or even servants from various families. In the past, they could only serve as righteous followers, but now they are fortunate enough to be incorporated into the Crimson Guard. However, they do not know whether to be happy or worried.

Many of them had just fought a bloody battle, and their arms were still trembling when they held the crimson light. But at this moment, no one dared to joke with their lives.

Therefore, after Duan Yunzhou led the veteran soldiers through some training, endured some whipping, and rallied their spirits, these loyal followers, whether they regretted it or not, became quite respectable.

At this moment, Wei Gu, whose face was ashen, was fixed on a white jade platform in the center of the clinic, his body covered with roots of purple spirit grass.

The sect leader, Kang, who was inspecting the area, was personally channeling spiritual energy into his heart meridian. The clear light in his palm intertwined with the purple of the grass tendrils, gradually forming a mysterious seal on his chest.

At this moment, Wei Gu, who had been teetering on the brink of life and death, finally felt a sliver of strength to speak: "Sect Leader..."
"Hold on," Kang Dabao said wearily. "That monk Huang Mi hasn't retreated yet. If you die, who will rebuild the Xuanhuang Ring Meridian Array?"

Wei Gu's eyelids twitched, black blood spilled from his throat, but he forced a smile: "The most worthwhile thing in Wei Gu's life is coming to Pingrong County from Jingnan Prefecture and becoming a disciple of Chongming."

"Silence!! There's no need to say such things!!" The Grand Master Kang was also filled with emotion. When he accepted Wei Gu into the sect back then, he never imagined that the latter would make such progress.
Not only was Mo Ku, who entered the sect at the same time, far inferior, but even many of his fellow disciples were not as good as him.

"Before the sect leader disciple fainted, he managed to retrieve some of the main flag, which was still somewhat repairable."

When Wei Gu spoke, he could no longer lift his arm, but in the end, he still managed to sweep his little finger across the storage bag at his waist and pull out a jade slip.

Before Kang Dabao could even take the bait, Wei Gu suddenly fainted.

Qi Ke, who was busy and covered in blood, led a group of alchemists over and invited Sect Leader Kang to the outer room, whereupon the latter began to seriously examine the jade slip given to him by Wei Gu.

Without needing to read it carefully, Kang Dabao knew that this was Wei Gu's notes on the essence of the Xuanhuang Ring Pulse Array, which he had studied a few days ago. He then handed it over to the fake alchemist and array master, instructing him to try to repair the mountain-protecting array as soon as possible.

Just as he was about to speak with a few more members of the Liang family to boost morale, another letter arrived from Master Kang. Before he could even take it and glance at it, he saw that Chief Secretary Buse, who had been keeping to himself lately, was also holding a letter, his face beaming with joy.

Kang Dabao glanced down at the letter in his hand. Before the approaching Buse could even speak, Kang Dabao guessed that the contents of their letters were roughly the same.

But then he heard a smirk and say, "Marquis Wuning and Marquis Fengcheng have arrived in Yunjiao Prefecture, killed one of the Golden Core cultivators of the Liangyi Sect, and forced their army to retreat a hundred miles. At the same time, they sent a letter saying that Marquis Gucheng and Yingshan Army are on their way. We don't need to make any more contributions; we just need to hold onto our wealth and status!"

(End of this chapter)