Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 643 Shifting Responsibility: Hidden Cracks, Lingering Auspicious Signs Reflecting Prosperity and Decline

(Thanks to the God of Super Orichalcos for the 10,000 coins)
—Phoenix Cry City, Duke of Qin's Mansion

The hall was surrounded by many high-ranking officials. Sha Shan's embarrassed and ashamed expression gradually turned into indignation. His injuries were not serious, but his robes were disheveled and he looked rather pathetic.

The expressions of the high-ranking officials in the hall varied. Some, like the advisor Xu Lingzhi, were filled with righteous indignation; others, like the bodyguard Gui Baifu, remained calm and composed; and still others, like the chief clerk Zhu Tong, seemed lost in thought.
If an outsider were to see this, they would probably find it quite amusing.

However, the atmosphere in the hall couldn't remain silent forever. Finally, after being reminded by her colleague beside her, Zhu Tong came back to her senses and coughed lightly.
"We are all ministers in the same court, how could we make things so awkward? It's not nice."

Upon hearing this, Shan Shan's resentment deepened, and his tone betrayed a hint of anger: "Judging from what Chief Clerk Zhu is saying, it seems this matter is going to be blamed on me?!"

“Commander Sha, you’re too kind. What’s the big deal about grudges? What’s a little disagreement between colleagues over work? I’ll find a day to invite Marquis Wuning out for a banquet, so that I can apologize to Commander Sha.”

No sooner had Qin Sufu uttered these words of reconciliation than Shan Shan coldly snorted, "Ha, you, apologize?!"

After uttering those three words and revealing his dissatisfaction, Shanshan never looked at Qin Sufu, the military commander, again. Because of the latter's background, even though Qin Sufu had been in the Qin State Duke's mansion for a long time, Shanshan really didn't think much of him.

"Qin Dianjun will soon be sent out to take up a high-ranking post. He just needs to sort out all the details of his departure. Since this matter involves the Duke's army, you don't need to worry too much about it."

Xu Lingzhi spoke with an air of righteous indignation, as if she had no recollection that she herself was facing the same experience of being sent to a post outside the capital as Qin Sufu.

Qin Sufu was met with cold rebukes from both of them, but he didn't seem to show any particular reaction.

He was clearly used to such scenes in the Duke of Qin's mansion. He didn't get angry when his attempt to smooth things over was rejected, nor did he care about the looks he was getting.

He simply put away his scepter without making a sound, returned to the ranks of people, and remained silent.

Zhu Tong, who was presiding over the meeting, sighed deeply. People from the capital were always arrogant and spoiled, and he was already used to it. He knew that this trend was spreading and it was a bad thing, but he, who also came from a humble background, had no intention of saying a word.

If it weren't for the fortunate opportunity he had in his early years to become a disciple of the chief disciple of the Prime Minister Gui, his situation in this hall today wouldn't be much better than Qin Sufu's.

Xu Lingzhi, having gained the upper hand, showed no pride, only taking it for granted. Afterwards, she swaggered into the hall and loudly proclaimed, "The Duke's personal guards are the Duke's personal guards. Kang Dabao's disobedience to the Duke's personal guards is tantamount to disobeying the Duke."

According to Xu, the registrar should issue a letter on behalf of the duke, summoning him to the court for questioning and reprimand. This would also help to rectify the atmosphere within the jurisdiction and serve as a warning to others.

Even though Zhu Tong knew that these young masters from aristocratic families were extremely arrogant, after hearing these words, his expression still became unusually distorted and strange.

On the contrary, Gui Baifu, who had always been of one mind with Xu Lingzhi, stood up and said something fair:

"The title of Marquis of Wuning Prefecture was personally bestowed by the Emperor, and he has distinguished himself in battle. How can he be treated so lightly?! Furthermore, with the Duke absent, who in the Duke's mansion has a higher rank than him?! And who can speak up to punish him?!"
Surely this trivial matter shouldn't be brought before the Prince Consort himself?! Should we expect him to personally intervene?! Gentlemen, if that's the case, a small matter will escalate into a major conflict, and neither side will gain anything.

Gui Baifu was indeed of extraordinary status, and he and Zhu Tong had always been in perfect harmony. When he spoke, his words carried a weight a level higher than those of the others.

As soon as the words were spoken, all the cultivators in the hall fell into deep thought. After a period of silence, Shan Shan, still unwilling to give up, finally spoke up, his words righteous and righteous:
"Even if what Gui Qinwei said is true and insightful, this matter still needs a public discussion. If there is no resolution, and everyone follows the arrogant behavior of Chongmingzong, what will become of the authority of the government?! What will become of the social order and etiquette?!"

What Shan Shan said resonated with all the cultivators in the hall.

In the Qin State Duke's mansion today, there's hardly any room left for cultivators from the surrounding areas. Most of the scions of powerful families from the capital region don't have the habit of reasoning with local cultivators.

Having arrogance ingrained in their very bones, they had long since become accustomed to the local cultivators' obsequiousness.

Let alone vying for a fleeing demon within the Gongfu Road, even those who covet spiritual veins, blessed mountains, precious objects, and women will be offered up by sensible individuals at the opportune moment.

The prejudices in their hearts cannot be erased by the small amount of "local produce" that Kang Dabao has never missed for his birthday celebrations. If things were peaceful on ordinary days, many places might even offer some assistance.

However, the mere sight of Chongmingzong engaging in what they perceived as rebellious acts provoked their widespread anger.

As the noise in the hall gradually increased, Zhu Tong could no longer maintain his detached expression. He could only raise his hand in a gesture of restraint, and after the hall quieted down, he spoke calmly again:
"Commander Sha, don't be anxious, I will explain to you. Since this matter happened in Yunjiao Prefecture of Shannan Road, it is the Earl of Feng'en's responsibility to handle it."

He was also a nobleman personally bestowed by the current emperor, and a disciple of the Prince of the South. Moreover, he was always resolute and fierce, so he could not bear to see Commander Sha suffer such humiliation at the hands of Kang Dabao.

I believe that if we jointly write a letter and send it to the General Administration Office of Shannan Circuit, the Earl of Feng'en will know how to handle this matter.

"After such a thing happened, the Duke's Mansion did not question it, but instead asked one of the provinces to attack another. No matter what the final outcome of this matter is, it will probably damage the Duke's Mansion's prestige. The Chief Clerk's words are rather inappropriate."

Xu Lingzhi responded in a deep voice, clearly dissatisfied with what Zhu Tong had said.

After he said this, the quiet in the hall turned into a great noise again. Gui Baifu frowned, thought for a while, but still did not say anything.

Zhu Tong looked around, sighed inwardly, but didn't hesitate for long before speaking again:
"Since you gentlemen are unwilling to follow my suggestion, then let us jointly petition the Prince Consort and see what kind of assignment he will give after he finds out."

The other cultivators also objected, clearly harboring some resentment towards this Silver Knife Prince Consort, who came from a similarly humble background.

After all, they are not one's own people, and it's rare to get close to them. If one were to actually go to see them and explain the whole story, there's no doubt that things would get complicated and some people would get caught up in the mess.

Seeing that his proposals had been met with disapproval from the other cultivators in the hall, Zhu Tong also adopted an embarrassed expression:
"I am of limited talent and knowledge, and I have no other choice. Right now, the government is full of wise men and talented people. So please find someone more capable. I will not concern myself with this matter any further."

After speaking, Zhu Tong simply waved his hand and left. The cultivators in the hall reacted indifferently, as if they had become accustomed to it.

Only after Zhu Tong's figure disappeared from the cultivators' sight did someone realize: "Why didn't anyone stop her?"

"Who knew that Chief Clerk Zhu would act so casually?" Sha Shanxian seemed to have just realized what was happening, and turned to look at Gui and Xu: "Brothers, what should we do now?!"

Xu Lingzhi's face was extremely ugly. He hadn't expected Zhu Tong to actually abandon the mess. It wouldn't normally matter if the person in charge left, but if that person was also responsible, then it was rather embarrassing.

Knowing that family members know their own affairs, Xu Lingzhi felt that it was difficult to bring over the Nascent Soul Ancestor of her family at the moment. If she really offended Kang Dabao, who was nicknamed "the one who holds grudges," to death, it probably wouldn't be a happy thing.

Neither he nor the most indignant Shanshan had any ideas for the time being, so they all hoped that Gui Baifu, who came from the best family, would speak up.

The latter did not refuse, but instead said:
"Since there is no plan, then let's follow what Zhu Zhubu said before and ask the Shannan Circuit Governor's Office to question Chongmingzong and ask Feng'enbo to find Wuninghou for an explanation."

Sha, Xu, and the others were still dissatisfied, but none of them dared to challenge the headmaster Kang himself. So they all listened to Gui Baifu's words and sent a joint letter.

However, when Qin Sufu stepped forward to affix the seal of the Commander, Shan Shan coldly shouted, "Commander Qin, how long do you plan to keep leaking this public meeting?!"

The former had no intention of arguing, but seeing that the sand dunes had already stepped forward and were blocking his way, he calmly and respectfully asked:

"If Commander Sha is so worried, he can ask the Duke to not send anyone to the Military Academy during the next meeting of the Duke's Mansion and to wait for further arrangements."

Seeing that all eyes were drawn to their argument, Gui Baifu sensed that the divide between the Earth and Guest cultivators in the Duke's mansion had deepened. He immediately realized what was happening and called out, "Fellow Daoist Sha."

Shan Shan was not entirely ignorant of the bigger picture, but as he stepped aside, he said coldly, "I hope Commander Qin knows better than to act rashly."

Qin Sufu didn't even respond, but simply clasped his hands in thanks to Gui Baifu, sealed the seal, and left.

This unexpected turn of events silenced the once lively hall. Gui Baifu sensed something was wrong and, looking in the direction Zhu Tong had left, sighed softly to himself, "You're quite clever; you've managed to clean up the mess perfectly."

Gui Baifu's fingertips caressed the cold teacup on the corner of the table, his gaze sweeping over the scattered brushes and ink in the hall.

The edges of the jointly signed memorial scroll were slightly curled by the candlelight, as if no one had the confidence to actually hand over the letter.

The night wind outside the corridor blew into the window frame, stirring up a few pieces of paper that had fallen to the ground. One of them was a crooked ink mark that Qin Sufu had accidentally smeared when he stamped the paper, which was just like the chaos in the Duke's mansion at this moment.

He raised his hand and extinguished half a candle. As the firelight dimmed, the sound of the guards changing shifts suddenly came from afar, the clappers striking the blue bricks with a somewhat urging tone.

"What the ancestor said is true. The Kuang family's empire cannot be cleaned up by just having more Nascent Soul cultivators emerge from the Kuang family. The Duke of Qin's mansion was clearly newly established, and the dukes of the mansion should have been ministers of the prince's residence."

But what new look could be seen inside? It was still exactly the same as the imperial court, full of corruption. This world can only be saved if the founding emperor escapes his predicament! After the joint memorial scroll was covered with official seals, Gui Baifu did not say a word to the others and turned to step out of the hall.

His robe brushed lightly against the dust on the threshold, leaving a barely perceptible faint mark, which was instantly swept away by the night wind.

Just like the barriers and hidden worries in the hearts of the cultivators in the hall, they seem to have disappeared, but in fact they have long been rooted and are just waiting for a spark to ignite.

Yangmingshan
Sect Leader Kang was unaware of the squabbling and intrigue within the Duke of Qin's mansion. After obtaining the Mani Leaf from Ga Da, he immediately returned to the sect.

After landing, he first instructed his disciples to spread the word that Yuan Jin, the second elder of the Chongming Sect, had recently obtained a spiritual object for forming the core and was going into seclusion to form the core, refusing to see any outsiders. Only then did he go to Qinghan Courtyard, find his wife's younger sister Fei Wanqing, and solemnly hand over the Mani Treasure Leaf to her.

"I'm glad I didn't fail in my mission and didn't disappoint the old master," Kang Dabao said with a sigh of relief, while Fei Wanqing's beautiful eyes were filled with surprise.

They had all heard their two elders say that the Mani Leaf was extremely rare, but they never expected that their brother-in-law would have such ability, and that he had already obtained it in such a short time.

The matter was of great importance, so Fei Wanqing didn't say much more. She simply held the Mani precious leaf carefully in her bosom and thanked her again.
"This treasure is crucial to the future of the Fei family in Yingzhou, so Wanqing cannot stay any longer. Wanqing will certainly explain to the two elders the great merits that her brother-in-law has made this time."

Although this was exactly what Sect Leader Kang wanted, upon hearing Fei Wanqing's words, he still had to speak frankly on the surface: "It's our own business, why bother with such formalities? As long as we haven't delayed the important matters of the two elders, that's good enough."

A look of gratitude welled up in Fei Wanqing's eyes. Just as she was about to take her leave, she heard Kang Dabao say, "The journey to Yingzhou is very long. I wonder if you are prepared, Wanqing."

"Ancestor Tianqin said that as long as a message is sent to him, he will wait at the Chen Gong Sect in Mo Hai Dao. Ancestor Tianqin said that the Chen Gong Sect leader Gu Yangzi is a close junior, so there is no need to worry."

The head of the Kangda Sect had traveled to Yingzhou several times before. After hearing what Fei Wanqing said, he immediately reviewed the geography along the way in his mind.

Once they figured out that the Desert Sea Road was located between the two places, they felt much more at ease.

However, being extremely cautious, after pondering for a while, he still asked, "Isn't it necessary to ask a few sect leaders in Fengming Prefecture to escort us along the way?!"

“At this time, the clan elders are all figures who have fallen into the eyes of others. If we act rashly, it may cause unforeseen complications.” Fei Wanqing replied crisply and then explained, “Ancestor Ye Sui has bestowed upon Wanqing the method of concealment and movement, so my brother-in-law has nothing to worry about.”

"Yes, that's good."

— Several months later, in Yeongju, Gyeonggi Province, at the Fei family's residence

Fei Tianqin entered Fei Yeling's cultivation cave with a joyful expression. After arriving at the Baodan Platform, he still hadn't seen Fei Yeling's true form. He immediately felt that there seemed to be a trace of deathly aura floating in the abundant spiritual energy, which was extremely repulsive.

The old bird's originally bright mood immediately dimmed considerably. It then used its divine sense to locate the position before flapping its wings to find Fei Yeyi in front of it.

Fei Yeyi, already looking quite old, now showed signs of fatigue as he leaned against the black jade couch.

Her white hair was not tied up, but scattered on the edge of the bed. Each strand of hair was like withered grass that had been exposed to frost and snow for a hundred years, with a dry gray color. A few strands clung to her cheeks, and you could even see the slightly brittle cracks at the ends of the hairs, as if they would break at the slightest touch.

His eye sockets were sunken, and his eye sockets seemed to have collapsed as if all his spiritual energy had been drained away. However, his pupils were not completely cloudy, and occasionally a glint of light would flash in his dim yellow pupils.

Like a spark suddenly bursting forth from a candle in the wind, it was instantly swallowed by death, yet it shone brightly in that very moment, clearly relying on sheer willpower to hold on and prevent its consciousness from collapsing.

Hearing Fei Tianqin's footsteps, he slowly raised his eyes. When his dim yellow pupils turned to the person coming, a very faint trace of dullness flashed across them, and then the golden light shone brightly again.

His voice, as if squeezed from rotten wood, was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, yet every word was enunciated precisely: "It's my brother! How did it go, Kang boy?!"

“It has been made,” Fei Tianqin said, forcing back his pain, and then took the Mani Leaf out of the feather. “Today I brought Wanqing back to the clan’s territory with me, and I checked the quality of this Mani Leaf on the way. It is indeed genuine.”

“Indeed, I was right.” Fei Yeyi took the Mani Leaf and examined its veins carefully before praising it, “It is indeed of superior quality and was distributed by Benying Temple to this generation of Buddhist disciples.”

With a flick of his sleeve, a jade-colored dressing case appeared before him. He pointed, and the top layer of the case opened. Fei Tianqin, seeing two more Mani jeweled leaves inside, exclaimed in surprise:
"How come my brother still has such a treasure?!"

“Where are these treasures?!” Fei Yelin shook his head and smiled. “They were all obtained from elsewhere by my foolish younger brother through all sorts of tricks and schemes while you were picking up Wanqing, brother.”

Seeing that Fei Tianqin still seemed puzzled, Fei Yeqing explained again: "How can we entrust all our hopes to a junior when it concerns the very survival of our clan?! We must seek stability within stability to be on the right track."

Fei Tianqin agreed wholeheartedly and nodded repeatedly.

Fei Yeqing then carefully examined each of the precious materials in the dressing case in front of Fei Tianqin. Not only the Mani Leaf, but also other treasures, she had also made extra preparations.

He was clearly drawn to this last, high-quality Mani leaf; even the dimness in his eyes brightened, and his withered fingertips trembled in mid-air before he could barely steady himself with the incantation to draw the hexagram.

The skin at the knuckles was taut and shiny, like thin paper stuck to the bone, ready to crack at the slightest pressure.

"Om-"

As the incantation was performed, the hundreds of yellow oracle bone inscriptions embedded in the stone wall suddenly emitted a warm yellow spiritual light.

The light patterns flowed along the ancient engravings on the oracle bone inscriptions. At first, there were only a few scattered spots, but they gradually connected into thin lines, like stars being blown by the wind, flickering layer by layer from the bottom of the stone wall to the top.

Finally, all the spiritual light gathered in mid-air above the Altar of Embracing the Elixir to form a fragmented yet coherent Qian hexagram. Dust from the edges of the hexagram fell down in a flurry, yet it never dissipated.

Fei Yeqing's gaze was fixed on the hexagram, and he even breathed very softly. He swallowed hard before explaining in a hoarse but exceptionally clear voice: "The first line of the Qian hexagram is 'Hidden dragon in the abyss,' and the fifth line is 'Flying dragon riding the clouds'—this is an omen of 'the dragon will eventually emerge from its hiding place, and the ancestral fire will never be extinguished'!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Fei Yeyi couldn't help but cough twice. For the first time ever, a faint blush appeared on his withered cheeks, and his wrinkles gathered together, as if a stone that had been pressing on his heart for a long time had finally been moved half an inch.

The deathly aura surrounding Fei Yeyi's sleeves seemed to shrink back under the pressure of the divination's spiritual light, yet it remained like an inescapable fog, clinging to the armrests of the Xuan Yu couch.

He raised his hand and pointed at the divination symbol. When the spiritual light at his fingertips touched the symbol, tiny specks of light fell onto the back of his hand, only to be instantly swallowed by the deathly aura.

Fei Yeyi didn't care at all, and stared at the divination image, saying, "Brother, you see, although this divination image is incomplete, it has no flaws like 'the dragon at the top is too high and will regret it'! This shows that the clan will survive this time and there is no danger of its destruction!"

As he spoke, his voice still trembled, but it was filled with a forced strength, as if he wanted to use the auspicious meaning of the divination to force back the death energy in his body.

Fei Tianqin suppressed his inner turmoil and looked at Fei Yeli's pale face with concern, saying, "Brother, where is there any mistake in your divination? It is undoubtedly auspicious! Our Fei family of Yingzhou will surely prosper for generations to come."

Fei Yeling seemed somewhat confused, unable to detect the unusual tone in Fei Tianqin's words, but still firmly stated, "Yes, yes, brother is absolutely right. After much hardship, I, Fei Yeling, have finally gathered all the precious items, bringing new life to the Fei family!!"

After he finished speaking, a chill ran through his voice:

"The Baili family, the Wenshan sect, the Yuelusu family—they are all wolves and tigers!! But I must let you know why my Fei family of Yingzhou can be called the number one powerful family in the Great Wei Dynasty!!"

"Brother, you should return to Fengming Prefecture."

Looking at the forced light in Fei Yeqing's eyes, Fei Tianqin swallowed back the words of advice that were on the tip of his tongue, and only bowed and replied, "Don't worry, brother, I will set off back to Fengming Prefecture right away and make sure I keep an eye on which wind direction is right."

As the old bird turned around, his sharp eyes caught a glimpse of Fei Yeyi's withered hand gripping the edge of the Xuan Yu couch tightly, his knuckles white. The deathly aura that had just been driven back by the spiritual light of the divination had wrapped around his sleeves like vines, and even the divination inscriptions on the yellow jade tablet beside the couch seemed to have darkened a bit.

The moment he stepped out of the cave, a low cough, barely suppressed, came from behind him, causing Fei Tianqin to pause, but he didn't dare to turn around.

It feared seeing the paleness after Fei Yeling's light red faded, and even more so, it feared shattering the auspicious omen of "the dragon will eventually emerge from its hiding place, and the ancestral fire will never be extinguished," which could not conceal the withering of human life.

The wind outside the cave entrance carried the spiritual essence of the tribe, but it could not dispel the melancholy in Fei Tianqin's heart.

Chaos in the imperial court of David's Dynasty, and the conflict between the local people and the Hakka in Fengming Prefecture.
Although there are many things outside that are difficult to go smoothly, none of them can compare to the anxiety caused by the remnants of the hexagram on Baodantai.

As he took off, Fei Tianqin couldn't help but glance in the direction of the cave. He saw that glimmer of light flash in the thick clouds before being swallowed by the twilight.

(End of this chapter)