He was born as a blacksmith, but he dominated the world

Chapter 486: Crisis under the King's Power

Jiang Lin did not pay any price for hunting down the man in brocade clothes from the Qingzhou Li family.

Instead, he gained the favor of Marshal Yu and rose to fame overnight.

Given his status and position at the time, he was very different from Yu Shuai. Under normal circumstances, he might not be able to see the real boss even if he died.

Not to mention that afterwards, Marshal Yu had someone send him one million taels of silver and hundreds of high-quality weapons.

From status to wealth, there has been a significant increase.

All of this can be said to be a coincidence, but what if this coincidence is man-made?
Think about what price the Li family paid?
It was just that an insignificant little person lost his head, and the lives of two Yuanwu realm guards.

In the past, some people would think that Yuanwu Realm had some status.

But by now, Jiang Lin knew very well that Yuanwu Realm was just a low-class group of people in the powerful clans.

Which of the true direct descendants is not above the Divine Martial Realm?
Not to mention anything else, even Li Qingluan, in just two or three years, has reached the second level of Shenwu Realm from Yuanwu Realm.

It’s not too high, but it’s not too low either.

It is not so easy for a person of divine martial arts to appear among the border troops.

Many generals are only at the peak of Yuanwu realm.

The individual combat capabilities of the powerful clans far exceed those of the border troops.

Thinking of this, Jiang Lin couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

I always feel like there is a pair of eyes staring at me all the time.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head, and he remembered what that indescribable feeling he had felt before was!

Line of cause and effect!
Before heading to the back mountain of Xujian Road, the Xuanwu Holy Soldier Arrow fell from the sky and landed in the blacksmith camp.

There was a thread of cause and effect entangled on it, and Jiang Lin relied on the power of the worldly world in his boxing to break it.

It was this arrow that made him give up the idea of ​​going to the Youhai and instead go to the mountain behind Xujian Road.

As a result, he met the Taoist master of Xujian Dao and gained some benefits from him.

But afterwards he began to have doubts that the reason why he went to the back mountain of Xujian Taoist Temple might be related to that Taoist master.

The so-called causal line was most likely placed there by him.

The two slightly different yet extremely similar feelings made Jiang Lin wonder, could it be that the Qingzhou Li family and Xujian Dao are related?

It seems that it is not impossible. If Li Qingluan can be a disciple of Xuanhua Dao, isn't it normal for the Li family to have other people who are disciples of Xujian Dao?

Given Xu Jiandao's two great magical skills, if someone from the Li family really had connections with him, and was plotting against him behind the scenes, it wouldn't be surprising.

The only thing I don't understand is that I haven't had much interaction with Xujian Dao or the Qingzhou Li family before, so why would they make such a plan?
Is it really because you see huge potential in the future?

Jiang Lin always felt that there was something fishy going on in this matter.

He couldn't help but think of the Taoist master of Xuanhua Dao, who was defeated by Emperor Shun several years ago. How is he doing now?

If possible, Jiang Lin really wants to meet this Taoist master.

In the world of [A Picturesque World], Jiang Lin had met several Taoist masters.

He wanted to know what the difference was between the Taoist master four hundred years ago and the Taoist master today.

Or maybe, you can learn something from this Taoist master that you have never known before.

Jiang Lin turned to look at Liao Mingxu and asked, "Brother Liao, do you know how the dozens of Taoist sects in Daqian were destroyed?"

This matter has always been a puzzle in Jiang Lin's mind.

The strength of Taoism four hundred years ago should not be underestimated.

Even though they declined later, the combined strength of twenty or thirty families was not something the Daqian court could deal with.

Even if powerful clans are added, it may not be easily shaken.

But during these years, Taoism was quickly lost in the long river of history.

With such powerful strength, how could he be defeated so easily?

Liao Mingxu replied, "The Dao Sect was destroyed? There are many reasons for that. Some suddenly went crazy and killed each other. Some defected and were wiped out. Some fought each other and died. Why did you suddenly think of asking this, brother?"

Jiang Lin did not answer his question, but frowned.

Suddenly going crazy?

Defect?
Conquer each other?

These reasons all seem strange.

Taoism is not completely aloof from worldly affairs, but it is also impossible to say that they compete for fame and fortune like ordinary forces.

"Brother, do you know which Taoists have gone crazy?" Jiang Lin asked again.

Liao Mingxu thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be called Chonglong, Bailiu or something like that? There are several families, I can't remember clearly, after all, it happened a long time ago, and it has nothing to do with marching and fighting."

"If you want to know, you might as well go to the Ministry of Revenue and ask. Although Taoism is a foreign land, it is also under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue and has made some records."

Jiang Lin nodded and decided to go to the Ministry of Revenue.

As for the whereabouts of the leader of Xuanhua Dao, Liao Mingxu naturally had no idea.

According to him, this former Taoist master should be under the charge of Shang Yusi.

As to whether he was executed or just imprisoned, we would have to ask the people from Shang Yusi.

Jiang Lin did not ask any more questions. The rest of the matter could only be dealt with back in Kyoto City. He would not be able to get any information here.

They returned to Kyoto City happily. Although many brothers were killed or injured in the war, the border troops had long been accustomed to this.

After they returned, they first gathered a group of old friends and took Jiang Lin out drinking for three days and three nights.

All the flower boats on the Julu River were occupied by this group of returning border troops.

Even if you are a high-ranking official, you have to stand aside at this moment.

Everyone knows that border troops are not easy to mess with.

The border troops who have just returned from the battlefield should not be provoked.

They are full of murderous intent and their eyes are red. To provoke them is equivalent to hanging the heads of your entire family at the door for others to chop off.

With nearly 10,000 people attending the carnival, the daily expenses are not a small amount.

Fortunately, with the tens of millions of taels of silver "donated" by Li, the brothers in the border army were not stingy and took out all the salaries they had saved over the years.

The silver piled up into a mountain by the great river.

The girls were dressed up beautifully, and the owners of the restaurants in the city brought their chefs with them to cook by the river.

No place to sleep?

How can it be?

Temporary wooden houses sprang up one after another, and their efficiency was not much slower than that of the Construction Department.

Every day there is singing and laughter, eating and drinking as much as one wants, so how can one see the cruelty of the battlefield?

However, only such extravagance can dilute the pain brought by war.

Although Jiang Lin had something on his mind, he did not rush to do anything. Instead, he accompanied Liao Mingxu and the others to vent his pent-up negative emotions.

On the fourth day, Liao Mingxu went to the Ministry of War to report on his work and get promoted, and Jiang Lin finally had some free time.

In the blacksmith camp, General Yu, General Meng, General Hong and others sent a lot of pills.

The lowest level is a high-level elixir, and there are quite a few top-level ones.

Alchemists like Xia Shanliu, however, turned a blind eye to these top-level elixirs and kept staring at the intermediate elixirs that Jiang Lin gave them, as if they were possessed.

In order to ensure that Jiang Lin could improve his cultivation as quickly as possible, Marshal Yu specially sent a second-rank deputy general to keep an eye on him.

Jiang Lin had no choice but to eat all the pills in person. The large amount of medicinal power was dissolved, making his cultivation level increase rapidly.

After digesting all the pills, I should still be about 20% away from the true Daowu realm.

"These days, Marshal Yu and his men have been running around all the clans and finally found these pills, but they didn't expect that they were still not enough. Lord Jiang's physique is really enviable and worrying."

The deputy general left with a look of emotion on his face. He had to go back and report to the commanders that there were still not enough pills.

But this made Jiang Lin a little embarrassed. It was outrageous that he had eaten so much but still hadn't made a breakthrough.

But who can he blame? The furnace baking method made his physical fitness nearly ten times better than that of people at the same level, but it also increased the difficulty of his breakthrough tenfold.

Otherwise, he would have entered the Daowu realm long ago.

But then again, it's not surprising that it's so easy to enter the Daowu realm, and it can even be said to be indistinguishable from the crowd.

After the deputy general left, Jiang Xiu came over to ask about going to Qingzhou.

Upon learning that Jiang Lin did not cancel the engagement, Jiang Xiu felt relieved but also became curious.

"Little brother, is it that Miss Li is so beautiful that you can't take your eyes off her? You said you wanted to cancel the engagement, but you're not going to do it anymore."

Jiang Xiu's face was full of anticipation, and she said, "In fact, it's a good thing if you don't retire. Your parents are old and are looking forward to having grandchildren. If you don't get married, they will be waiting anxiously."

Daqian was also a world where men and women got married very early. After all, there were wars every year, and if a family did not have more children, the family line might really be cut off.

Jiang Lin didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard this, and said, "We can get married, but there are some reasons that I can't tell you clearly, it's not what you think."

"Really..." Jiang Xiu was a little disappointed and muttered, "But my parents and I really hope that you can get married and have children soon."

Jiang Lin didn't say much about this matter, and only said: "I still have to go to the Ministry of Revenue, and I may also have to go to the palace. I don't know when I will be back, so you don't have to wait for me for lunch."

"Ah, then go and get busy, don't delay the important things."

Jiang Xiu hurriedly pushed him over, but just as Jiang Lin was about to move, she seemed to have thought of something and hurriedly shouted, "Can dinner wait?"

Jiang Lin waved his hand, without saying whether to wait or not, and disappeared.

Song Ziyan came over and asked, "Aunt Jiang, has Master found a good mistress for us?"

"Looking for shit!" Jiang Xiu said unhappily.

Seeing Jiang Xiu leave unhappily, Song Ziyan went back with his head hung.

Sheng Yingchun, who was still practicing chopping with a knife, glanced at him and asked, "I told you, Master will never marry a girl from just any family."

"But why not get married? My mother married my father when she was seventeen." Song Ziyan said.

"That's your mother, not your master's wife," said Sheng Yingchun.

"But……"

"But what but? Keep practicing. I don't want to eat anymore!"

Sheng Yingchun's tone was so stern that Song Ziyan shrank his head in fear and dared not say anything more.

At this time, Jiang Lin had already arrived at the Ministry of Revenue.

His current status is at its peak.

Even when the Minister of Revenue met him, he had to bow and call him Lord Jiang.

The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue accompanied him personally. When he learned that Jiang Lin wanted to find out about the Taoist sect in the past, he said, "If Lord Jiang wants to see it, just send someone to let him know. Why bother to come here in person? Hey, go get all the relevant files for Lord Jiang to review!"

Several officials from the Ministry of Revenue responded quickly and then brought the files. The Minister of Revenue poured tea for Jiang Lin and accompanied him quietly without saying a word.

Looking at his appearance, someone who didn’t know him would think he was just an eighth-rank official.

We can't blame the minister for anything. The Ministry of Revenue is in Daqian, a department that only requires hard work but no achievements.

The people of Daqian died too quickly.

Every year, the Ministry of Household Affairs is extremely busy with population statistics and information updates.

If you make a mistake, you will be scolded; if you make no mistake, you will also be scolded.

The Ministry of War will come to you to ask for people, the Ministry of Personnel will also come to you to ask for people, and the Ministry of Works will also come to you to ask for people.

The Ministry of War will come to you for money, the Ministry of Works will come to you for money, and people from various states and prefectures will still come to you for money.

Want to make a contribution?
There is no chance of that. As long as you make fewer mistakes and get scolded less often, things will be fine.

Therefore, the status of the Ministry of Revenue could not be raised.

When you meet someone like Jiang Lin, you have to treat him with courtesy.

Otherwise, even if your Ministry of Revenue is turned upside down, no one will say a good word for you, and they will blame you for being blind and offending people you shouldn't have offended.

Jiang Lin took the file and looked through it for a while, and soon found the relevant Taoist information.

After looking around, I found that the recorded cases of several Taoist sects going crazy were all similar.

He suddenly became crazy, as if he had lost his mind.

The records were not very detailed, with only one or two sentences like "Taoism is dead".

Jiang Lin looked through the other sects again, some of which killed each other, some of which clashed with various forces and were wiped out, and some of which defected.

The records are fairly accurate, even clearly showing how many people died.

During the four hundred years of the Daqian period, as many as twenty-one Taoist sects were destroyed due to various reasons.

If we count Jueyuan Dao and Xuanhua Dao, there are twenty-three schools.

There are twenty-four Taoist sects in total, and now only Xujian Taoist is left.

Xujian Dao is currently being watched by the imperial court, and there's no telling when he might follow in the footsteps of his predecessors.

Jiang Lin closed the file, looked up at the Minister of Revenue next to him, and asked, "How many powerful clans have been destroyed over the years?"

The Minister of Revenue said without hesitation: "There are three or five."

Jiang Lin raised his eyebrows slightly. The Taoist sect had wiped out more than twenty families, but only three or five powerful clans were wiped out?
He did not forget that four hundred years ago, the Taoist sect suppressed the powerful clans.

Compared with the proportion of destruction, it is too exaggerated.

"Could it be that this is the work of the imperial court and the powerful clans?"

Although it is very likely based on the current situation, Jiang Lin still feels that the one with a smaller probability is more worth believing.

Even if the imperial court and powerful clans join forces, can they really destroy the Taoist heritage so easily?

Don't even mention that the powerful clans have ancestors who have reached the Daowu realm. Back then, the Taoist master who carried seven swords on his back fought seven alone without even taking a breath. How powerful he was.

It is hard to believe that such a Taoist sect would have no foundation and would perish so easily.

The more he looked, the more confused Jiang Lin became.

He closed the file, stood up and bowed to the Minister of Revenue: "Thank you, Mr. Minister. I will treat you to a drink tomorrow."

"Okay, okay." Although the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was half a level higher than him, he did not dare to be arrogant and was very friendly.

After Jiang Lin left, several officials came up to the Minister of Revenue and asked expectantly, "Why don't you invite Mr. Jiang to have a meal?"

"Yes, if we can get on Lord Jiang's high branch, our Ministry of Revenue will have a good life."

"Haven't you heard from the people in the Ministry of Industry? Ever since Lord Jiang came out of nowhere, the lives of those insignificant subordinate departments under them have improved. Even the Blacksmith Battalion, which was ranked at the bottom, can now be ranked among the top three of the forty-eight departments!"

The Minister of Revenue snorted and said, "Master Jiang is such a person, how could he collude with us just for such a small profit... Bah! We should be friends! If you want to please Master Jiang, you have to work harder."

"How to be attentive?" someone asked.

"Look carefully for all the files Lord Jiang just opened. Check them carefully! Find something related, even just a sentence or a few words, as long as it's useful!"

After leaving the Ministry of Revenue, Jiang Lin went directly into the palace.

Since you have questions, you might as well ask the person in person.

He now treated Emperor Shun no longer with the same respect and reserve as a subject treats the emperor, but rather as if he were caring for his own junior.

If there are indeed some unknown secrets hidden in the long river of history that may cause harm to ourselves and Daqian, we must find out.

With the golden token given by Emperor Shun, the journey was smooth.

After arriving at the imperial study, Eunuch Tian seemed to have received the news long ago and was already standing at the door waiting.

"Master Jiang."

"Eunuch Tian."

"But are you coming to see His Majesty?" asked Eunuch Tian.

"Yes."

Eunuch Tian did not say much, but stepped aside to make way instead of leading the way himself.

Although it was only a slight difference, it represented that Jiang Lin was second only to the emperor in the palace.

After entering the imperial study, Jiang Lin saw Emperor Shun still standing in front of the huge map.

He seemed to always stay in the same posture, or perhaps this was the inheritance of Emperor Daqian.

Jiang Lin walked over. Although he regarded the other party as a junior, he still bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty."

Emperor Shun did not turn around, but only asked, "What's the matter?"

"I would like to ask Your Majesty how the twenty-three Taoist sects were destroyed. How many of them are related to the court?"

This question is straightforward.

Emperor Shun couldn't help but turn around and asked, "Why do you suddenly think of asking this?"

"It's just because I'm confused. Why did the Taoist sect, which is so powerful, perish so quickly?" Jiang Lin said.

Emperor Shun was silent for a few seconds, and then said: "I have asked this question to the late emperor, and the late emperor also asked the same question."

Jiang Lin was slightly startled, and Emperor Shun continued, "But there is no answer. Before me, the imperial court had never taken action against the Taoist sects. Therefore, only the Jueyuan and Xuanhua Taoist sects were wiped out by the imperial court. As for the other sects, there were various reasons as recorded in history."

Jiang Lin's pupils shrank when he heard this. The fall of Taoism had nothing to do with the imperial court?
"That powerful clan?"

"They may not have this ability. At least I have never heard of such records." Emperor Shun said.

Jiang Lin suddenly fell silent. It was not the court that did it, nor was it the work of the powerful clans. So where did the destruction of that sect come from?
"Everyone thought that the court's opponents were the clans that had stood firm for many years. However, no one knew that beneath this seemingly glorious royal power, there might be an invisible and intangible enemy."

"The clans are strong, but I at least know how strong they are. As for those hiding in the dark, I know nothing about them."

Emperor Shun looked at Jiang Lin and said in a deep voice, "Now do you understand why I am so anxious and must end everything in this lifetime?"

Jiang Lin subconsciously said, "Because the Dao Sect is going to be destroyed? The person or force hiding in the dark is about to succeed. Whatever they are going to do, it must be a world-shaking event. But if that's the case, why are you still trying to suppress the Jueyuan Dao, Xuanhua Dao, and Xujian Dao?"

"Do you think that if all twenty-one Taoist sects were destroyed, these three sects would still be able to exist even if I did nothing?"

Emperor Shun snorted: "I know someone wants to do something, but I can't let them do it! Even if the Taoist sect is destined to be completely destroyed, I want to intervene!"

Jiang Lin understood that Emperor Shun didn't want the other party to live too comfortably.

The dark forces destroyed the Taoist sect. God knows what they wanted to do or what they wanted to get.

If the imperial court took the initiative to destroy the Taoist sect and took away everything that could be looted, there might be a chance to prevent the other party from succeeding.

In the absence of any useful clues, doing this may be a good idea.

"Can't you find any clues at all?" Jiang Lin asked.

Emperor Shun shook his head: "The court has investigated this matter for generations, but there is no clue. The destruction of those Taoist sects seems to be completely natural, and there is no flaw to find."

"The fewer flaws there are, the weirder it appears," Jiang Lin added.

"indeed so."

Emperor Shun nodded. His expression was so heavy that Jiang Lin's heart also felt heavy.

Such a powerful Taoist sect even surpassed the Daqian border army to a certain extent.

They can't stop the forces in the dark, can Daqian stop it?
It is definitely not possible to rely on the existing strength.

Perhaps, only the giant skeleton can do it.

Jiang Lin took a deep breath and asked, "Master Xuanhua Dao, are you still here?"

"Shang Yusi has imprisoned him in a hidden prison, away from the sun. I will not let him die until the rat in the dark is found." Emperor Shun said.

This is a matter of course. Whatever the enemy wants to do, it must never be done.

Whatever the enemy doesn't want you to do, you can definitely do it.

This is an indisputable truth no matter in what era or in what world.

It is only right that the leader of Xuanhua Dao is still alive.

Jiang Lin asked, "Can I meet him?"

Emperor Shun looked at him and did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze, as if he was discerning something.

Jiang Lin felt at ease and looked at him.

After a long time, Emperor Shun finally nodded and said, "Then let's meet."

"If you are worried, you can go with me." Jiang Lin said.

Emperor Shun shook his head: "I won't go."

His tone and demeanor were full of caution.

It seems to be saying, if you, Jiang Lin, really want to do something weird, I and the Taoist master of Xuanhua Dao will not be caught by you in one fell swoop.

Although the Daqian Emperor saw the handwritten letter left by Gu An Ning, he did not completely let down his guard.

Beneath the seemingly stable power of the Daqian monarchy, there are many hidden crises, which make him walk on thin ice and dare not let his guard down.

Otherwise, if we are not careful enough, we may overturn hundreds of years of foundation laid by our ancestors.

Soon, a man at the peak of Yuanwu realm, dressed in black tights, entered the imperial study.

Emperor Shun said, "Take Jiang Lin to the hidden prison to see the leader of Xuanhua Dao."

"Yes."

The man in black tights is Shang Yusi's man.

Their faces were covered with black armor, which they never took off easily. Even the palace guards and even the personal eunuch like Eunuch Tian did not know who the Shang Yu Si were.

"Please come in, Lord Jiang." The man in black tights gestured.

Jiang Lin nodded and walked out of the imperial study first.

(End of this chapter)