The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 30: The Priest on Duty, Wants to Break Through

Ask for advice in the thatched cottage.

Two Taoists sat opposite each other at a table.

Xuankong took out a token and placed it on the table.

It is the size of a palm, dark all over, and made of special ore iron. Mysterious patterns are outlined on both sides, with a word "Zhu" in the middle. It is painted with iron and silver, with dragons and phoenixes flying, revealing a strong murderous and domineering aura.

It is an order to kill.

If you want to know straightness, you must use a ruler.

If you want to achieve squareness or roundness, you must have rules.

The Great Xuan Divine Dynasty united all parties to govern the world of cultivation, established various institutions, and promulgated numerous rules.

One of the rules is that one must not destroy the forces of cultivation at will. If a life-and-death feud is formed, it must be reported first. Once the evidence is conclusive, a killing order must be issued to settle the grudge.

The Guangfasi is the law enforcement office that is responsible for handling conflicts among practitioners of the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty and issuing wanted warrants.

Personnel are not recruited from outside, but are drawn from the Tiandiyuan, Qiankunlou, Bodhi Hall, Pantheon and other government offices, and then are governed by officials sent by the Daxuan Divine Dynasty.

When handling affairs, mediation is the main approach.

If the dispute cannot be resolved peacefully, and the party in the right is assertive and refuses to give in, the Guangfasi will verify the authenticity of the evidence and immediately issue a death order, allowing both parties in the conflict to attack each other.

Life and death are determined by fate and we are not responsible for anything.

The killing order is divided into four categories: gold, silver, copper and iron:
The iron-clad killing order is aimed at third-rate forces and practitioners in the Jinglian realm.

The bronze killing order is aimed at second-rate forces and practitioners in the Qi training stage.

The silver killing order is aimed at first-rate forces and practitioners in the realm of spiritual cultivation.

The golden killing order is aimed at top holy places and more terrifying powerful people.

The level of the Qiuzhen Temple is limited, it is just a small force in a corner. Xuanming knows very little about the last type. He even knows the composition of the Guangfasi because his senior brother Xuanye once entered the Tiandi Academy.

Looking at the killing order on the table, Xuanming signaled Xuankong to start talking with his eyes. He was very curious.

Could something have happened in the meantime?
Or is there something wrong with the killing order?

---

Xuan Kong didn't keep anyone in suspense and said:

"Brother, on this trip to Fengyang County, the Guangfa Division seems to be intentionally delaying..."

As he narrated his own experience, Xuanming understood the whole story.

After Xuankong arrived at the Guangfasi, the priest on duty did not arrive immediately and it took a full half incense stick of time for him to show up.

Faced with the overwhelming evidence of the projection stone and Old Master Chen's corpse, the priest still wanted to mediate, advising Xuankong to stay calm and not get angry.

They say things like it's better to resolve a feud than to create one, that monks should have compassion, and that one should leave a way out for the future so that they can meet again. I don't know if they are really giving advice and persuasion to avoid seeing killing, or if they are just going through the motions.

At first, Xuankong didn't care. He just thought he was unlucky to meet a priest who was stupid and confused.

Until he insisted on asking him to issue a killing order, the priest on duty seemed not to understand and kept on nagging. His words revealed a sense of "the culprit is dead, and the Chen family will surely fall from grace without the protection of Old Master Chen. There is no need to kill them all."

Xuankong felt something was wrong:

Is this priest talking too much?
Is this too much?

Or are you deliberately delaying time?
Or do you really not want to issue a killing order?
It was not until he requested again and again that the god issued the killing order with a stern face, complaining that the Qiuzhen Temple was too murderous, too ruthless, and too violent.

Xuan Kong controlled his temper and accepted the execution order, then left Guangfasi in a hurry. He was thinking all the way.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the priest on duty was doing it on purpose, because he had been delaying time all along.

But Xuankong was difficult to be sure, so he asked Xuanming for help.

Only cultivators at the Qi training stage are qualified to serve as priests in the Guangfasi. This is a hard requirement.

The matter involves such existence and is of great importance, so he has no choice but to pay attention to it.

It would be fine if he was just worrying too much.

If not, why did the priest want to stop it? What is the relationship with Chen Mansion? Is it an enemy or a friend of Qiuzhen Temple?
All these must be clarified.

If there is really a grudge, you must take precautions early, so that when the time comes, you will not be confused and have no idea how you were killed. You will go to the underworld in a daze and be so stupid that the ancestors will not recognize you.

---

Inside the thatched cottage, the mountain spring water was boiling.

The moment Xuankong stopped talking, the water in the pot was just right for use.

Xuanming stretched out his hand and was about to pick it up when Xuankong took action first: "Brother, let me do it."

Xuanming took back his right hand and said nothing.

First of all, it would be hypocritical to refuse politely.

Secondly, Xuankong loves delicious food.

Better at making tea than him.

He was happy to be served. Stroking his beard, Xuanming was deep in thought.

We have to guard against what Xuankong is worried about.

We must find out whether the priest on duty is a friend or an enemy, and whether he did it intentionally or unintentionally.

After Xuankong brought a cup of tea, Xuanming said, "Brother, you are right! Being cautious can catch a thousand-year-old cicada. This matter concerns the safety of our Qiuzhen Temple. No matter how cautious you are, it is not too much."

"Since the incident started with the Chen family, let's start the investigation from that clan. Tomorrow, the old Taoist will give orders to Xuanyin and Changchunzi to carefully check the residences of Old Master Chen and the head of the Chen family and other high-level officials to see if there are any secret rooms or compartments, and whether there are any clues in the correspondence.

We also need to find out the hundred-year history of the Chen family, unravel it, sort out the current and past connections, and see if they have any connection with the various forces in Fengyang County. "

"Also, please go to Fengyang County tomorrow and secretly inquire about the news of the priest on duty last night."

After thinking for a while, Xuanming instructed: "If there is a chance, you might as well ask whether the priest on duty last night has switched shifts with someone else."

Xuan Kong was not stupid. He guessed something after a little thought and asked, "Brother, do you suspect that the priest was used as a pawn?"

Xuanming: "This possibility cannot be ruled out. If the priest on duty at the Guangfasi Department deliberately made things difficult, the signs would be too obvious."

"There are three possibilities: either the priest is not smart... has a strange mind and did it on purpose; or the priest was used and didn't realize it; or the priest has a... eccentric personality and means well but ends up doing something bad. We are asking for trouble."

Xuan Kong: "We really need to think it through."

After drinking tea to moisten his throat, Xuanming continued:

"We will do what we need to do first. If we gain nothing, we can only wait for Junior Brother Xuanxu to come out of seclusion."

"My founder of Qiuzhen Temple once had an old relationship with the fifth-generation founder of Tianzhuan Sect. Yuanji Zhenren of that sect is currently serving in the Guangfa Division of Fengyang County. Perhaps Junior Brother Xuanxu will need to make a trip this time to make use of this relationship."

Xuankong nodded.

"Just do as Senior Brother said."

"We will do our best. If we can find something, that would be great. If not, that's all we can do."

He also knew the origins of Qiuzhen Temple and Tianzhuan School.

The Tianzhuan Sect is a major Taoist sect in Fengyang County. It has been passed down for more than 500 years. There have been many Immortals from generation to generation. The current generation is even more prosperous, with two Immortals in charge.

Because of this, Qiuzhen Temple will not easily use this favor, and good steel should be used where it is needed most.

One priest from the Guangfasi is enough for them to fulfil their obligation.

---

After finishing the serious business and chatting for a while, Xuankong left.

Before leaving, Xuanming reminded him to consult with Xuanyin and others to pool their wisdom.

Ultimately, he's not good at this kind of thing.

Ask for advice in the thatched cottage.

After finishing the remaining tea in the cup, Xuanming sat by the window, gazing at the rising crescent moon in the night sky, muttering to himself.

“It’s time to break through.”

He wanted to polish his skills for a while, but things change unpredictably and the matter with the priest interrupted his plans.

Although his own strength is comparable to that of a Qi training immortal, he is not a Qi training cultivator after all. Only when he becomes an immortal will he be more confident in facing risks.

It would be fine if the priest's obstruction was just a coincidence.

If there really is a conspiracy, no matter which possibility it is, it is detrimental to the pursuit of truth and indicates the existence of a greater crisis.

His strength has been exposed through the projection stone, and his enemies in the dark may not be willing to see him become a real person.

After comprehensive consideration, Xuanming must take advantage of the moment when all parties are paying attention to the Qiuzhen Temple and the powerful enemies dare not act rashly, and break through first to gain more advantages in the game.

After all, he was a well-known fool, but it was amazing enough that he could reach the threshold of Qi training after only seven years of practice. It was hard for the other party to imagine that he could break through at any time. It was too unreasonable.

This is exactly Xuanming's opportunity.

With this in mind, he hung a sign indicating he was in seclusion at the door and quietly went deeper into Floating Cloud Mountain.

Before leaving, he also called Xuan Yang away.

Fuyun Mountain is just an ordinary branch of Canglong Mountain. The latter is a thousand miles in radius and stretches for tens of thousands of miles. It is vast and boundless. Its area is one-fifth of the area of the flower-growing area in the previous life. It is mostly deep mountains and dense forests, and seldom visited by people.

Breakthrough in Qi training involves greater movement and noise.

Xuanming decided to break through in the depths of Floating Cloud Mountain, at the junction of the branch and main veins. Even if there are monsters and demons, their strength is relatively low. With the protection of Xuanyang, it is relatively safe and will not attract attention.

Maybe you can play the pig and eat the tiger again, and defeat the strong enemy secretly. The routine is not afraid of getting old, as long as it works.

I didn't tell Xuankong, not only because there were too many people and too many gossips, the more people knew, the greater the crisis, but also because he was too gossipy and had a lot of mouths.

Xuan Yang was added because he was average in handling chores, so in dealing with the aftermath of the Chen family, it would make no difference whether he was there or not.

Instead of just being a bystander, it is better to protect yourself.

　感谢玄晨0大大打赏的1000起点币；感谢黑玉桑大大、柯吾王大大、吾意无忧大大、1改变1大大、有宝山真人大大、黑夜之子大大、悠然自得01大大、天天向上图书大大的1张月票；感谢江南南大大、2018……3512大大、洼蒂大大、2019……5060大大、流芒-be大大的2张月票；感谢2022……8800大大的5张月票。

　　
　
(End of this chapter)