Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 302 The Difference Between Men and Women, A Frog in a Well

The Imperial Sword Manor, which has a history of over 500 years, is quite old-fashioned in some ways.

For example, in terms of raising children.

As the eldest son, Yin Tianqi will be able to cultivate the best techniques and martial arts, enjoy the best resources, and inherit the position of master of Yujian Manor in the future.

In these respects, Yin Tianxue could actually enjoy similar treatment.

This meant that she was completely unaware of the difference between herself and her brother when she was young.

In fact, she far surpasses Yin Tianqi in both martial arts talent and personal wisdom.

But as she grew older, she gradually became aware of the invisible gap between herself and her brother.

Despite being stronger and smarter, she could only be subordinate to that foolish older brother.

Young Yin Tianxue learned for the first time that there was a distinction between men and women in this world.

Actually, she was quite lucky. After all, the Imperial Sword Manor was a large and powerful family. Although Yin Hao was somewhat old-fashioned, his children did not receive much difference in treatment in daily life.

In ordinary families, daughters are likely to experience the difference between boys and girls as soon as they learn to walk and before they even have a clear understanding of the world.

This distinction is not limited to one person, one family, or even one place or one country; rather, it applies to the entire world and has become a consensus among people, forming a man-made rule.

Ordinary women, faced with the rules of the world, naturally have no choice but to accept their fate.

But Yin Tianxue is no ordinary person.

She quickly realized that above the rule of gender distinction, there was an even more powerful rule: the distinction between strength and weakness!

The rules governing the relationship between the strong and the weak are the only eternal rules in this world.

It could even be said that the distinction between men and women is itself derived from this rule.

But if you are powerful enough, you can naturally break this rule.

The Tang Kingdom, located next to the ancient Shu Kingdom, had a living example: Empress Wu Zetian, whose reign was as illustrious as the sun and moon.

Even in the history of Yujian Manor, there have been times when powerful women have taken charge.

Therefore, what Yin Tianxue really needs to do is to make herself stronger.

So powerful that he could even overthrow his father and thus change the rules he set.

However, the young Yin Tianxue was too eager. In order to increase her strength, she even secretly learned Yin Zhong's martial arts.

In the art of martial arts, the greatest taboo is greed for quick success and reckless advancement.

Moreover, the target she stole from was completely wrong.

Is the martial arts that Yin Zhong practices something that ordinary people can learn?

Despite her efforts in cultivation, Yin Tianxue's strength didn't improve much; instead, her meridians were damaged. Even worse, this injury was like a leech, impossible to remove.

Left with no other choice, Yin Tianxue prepared to confess to Yin Zhong, but unexpectedly discovered that the martial art Yin Zhong practiced was not actually owned by the Imperial Sword Manor.

Moreover, even her father, Yin Hao, was unaware that Yin Zhong had practiced this martial art.

Yin Tianxue immediately realized something was wrong; her second uncle seemed to be hiding something.

Fortunately, she was quick-witted and did not expose herself directly. After realizing this, she kept the matter a secret.

She had also tried to subtly guide her father, but unfortunately, as a child, no one paid attention to what she said.

Moreover, Yin Hao never doubted his younger brother. In fact, he felt guilty towards his brother because of the fact that his brother was abducted as a child and only returned after growing up.

Helpless, Yin Tianxue gave up and instead began to think of ways to treat herself.

However, despite searching through all the books in the Imperial Sword Manor and trying various methods, she was still unable to solve the problem.

Later, she suddenly discovered that the Blood Ruyi, an heirloom of the Imperial Sword Manor, was not only a symbol of the manor lord's status, but also a rare object with the power to bring the dead back to life and heal all wounds.

Yin Tianxue pretended to have suffered a qi deviation while practicing martial arts, hoping to get her father to give her the Blood Ruyi to cure her.

But Yin Hao flatly refused!
"The Blood Ruyi is a heirloom passed down from the Master of the Manor and must not be touched lightly. This is an ancestral precept that must never be violated!"

Yin Tianxue was completely stunned.

She knew her father was old-fashioned and followed the rules, but she never expected him to be this old-fashioned.

As a daughter, she suffered severe injuries from a qi deviation and was nearly killed. Although there was a precious treasure like the Blood Jade Scepter that could heal her, her father, Yin Hao, refused because of the rules.

What do you mean?
I'd rather my daughter die than break the rules.
In that instant, Yin Tianxue suddenly understood something.

His mother was severely weakened by childbirth and died shortly after giving birth to him.

Yin Tianxue has always felt guilty about this, feeling that she is the one who caused her mother's death.

However, the villa has the Blood Jade, which can completely cure the mother.

However, the mother eventually died!
She couldn't understand it at all, and even thought that the injury of losing vital energy might be something that even the Blood Jade could not cure.

But in that instant, she suddenly understood.

It's not incurable at all.

It was entirely because of his old-fashioned father, who insisted on following ancestral rules and was unwilling to take out the Blood Ruyi!
From that moment on, Yin Tianxue was completely heartbroken.

Years later, Yin Tianxue seemed indifferent to the matter, but in reality, she had been secretly making preparations.

The heirloom Blood Ruyi has always been hidden in a top-secret place and has never been taken out over the years.

Apart from Yin Hao, no one knew where Xue Ruyi was hidden.

But there will be a time when this treasure will definitely be brought out.

That will be the time for the manor lord to pass on his position!
Yin Tianxue had been preparing for this moment for many years, and now she was ready to take away the Blood Ruyi.

The more critical the moment, the more cautious Yin Tianxue became.

When someone who was very close to Yin Zhong suddenly appeared, she naturally had to keep a close eye on him.

Upon learning that this person, despite his young age, was already a grandmaster, Yin Tianxue's heart tightened even more.

Unlike those large, populous kingdoms, the ancient Shu Kingdom had a small population and few experts; master-level experts were extremely rare.

With two Grandmasters, Yin Hao and Yin Zhong, Yujian Manor has already secured its position as the number one power in the ancient Shu Kingdom.

In this situation, having an additional grandmaster increases the risk significantly.

but.

The arrow is on the string and must be fired.

Yin Tianxue had been preparing for this opportunity for so many years.

Once the succession ceremony is over, the Blood Ruyi will definitely be hidden away again, and it may not reappear until the next time the manor lord succeeds to the throne.

She can't wait that many years.

No matter how many variables there are, she must take action!

At night, a figure quietly left the Imperial Sword Manor and came to the Three Flowers Workshop below the manor, placing a letter on the bedside of Han Batian, the owner of the Three Flowers Workshop.

The next day, Han Batian woke up and saw the letter. He was shocked and then said with a wry smile, "This is troublesome..."

Han Batian has a domineering name, but he is actually just an ordinary person who doesn't know martial arts.

His Sanhuafang, ostensibly an antique business, was actually the largest black market for stolen goods near Yujian Villa, while also handling intelligence and commissioned business.

Han Batian had no children. He was once married, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, he and his wife were separated and have been separated for decades.

He adopted three daughters, all of whom have already reached the Acquired Realm.

In the ancient Shu Kingdom, experts at the Acquired Realm were already quite rare.

These three daughters are also the backbone of Sanhuafang's entrusted businesses. Yin Tianxue discovered Sanhuafang's secret businesses many years ago and entrusted them with business multiple times. Now she can be considered a VIP customer of Sanhuafang.

Not long ago, Yin Tianxue made a new request: to steal Xue Ruyi during the succession ceremony of the head of Yujian Manor.

Sanhuafang naturally wouldn't refuse the request from this distinguished guest and had already agreed.

But unexpectedly, the commission suddenly took an unexpected turn.

In the morning, Han Batian handed the letter to his three daughters to read.

"A distinguished guest from the Great Ming Dynasty...a Grandmaster-level expert?!"

The youngest daughter, Zhu'er, was clearly shocked: "So, there are three Grandmasters in the Imperial Sword Manor? That's terrifying! Father, maybe we shouldn't do this commission..."

"I'm afraid not!"

The eldest sister, Zhao Yun, sighed, a shadow falling over her eyes: "Father, how did you get your hands on this letter?"

Han Batian said, "I found it on the bedside table when I got up this morning!"

"What?!" Pearl exclaimed in shock.

Zhao Yun said, "It seems that our distinguished guest has already figured out our background. We have no choice but to do this commission!"

Pearl's face turned pale: "How could this be..."

The atmosphere in the room became extremely somber.

"Oh, it's alright!"

The second sister, Dou Dou, put her hands on the shoulders of her two sisters and said with a smile, "Even if there is one more grandmaster, with our eldest sister's intelligence and my lightness skill, we will definitely be able to get our hands on the Blood Ruyi!"

Her vibrant smile was infectious, making the two sisters smile involuntarily.

"Yes, it's just adding one more grandmaster, we can definitely do it!"

"That's what Pearl said innocently."

Han Batian felt even more gratified as he watched this scene.

Little did he know that Zhou Ming, who saw this scene through the mark, was practically grinning from ear to ear.

The idea of ​​being narrow-minded and having a limited perspective is all too common in this world where information transmission is extremely difficult.

Just like the three Blue brothers back then, they came from the Western Regions and had no idea what level of power the Second Flower Grandmaster was. They actually thought that the three brothers could seize the Rakshasa Token and even become the leaders of the Rakshasa Cult just by using the energy box in their hands.

The current Sanhuafang family is actually quite similar.

However, their understanding of the world was even shallower than that of the three Blue brothers.

In the ancient Shu Kingdom, Grandmasters were rare, and battles at the Grandmaster level might only occur once every few years.

As a power with a history spanning hundreds of years, the Imperial Sword Manor is virtually unchallenged.

Near the Imperial Sword Manor, let alone a battle at the Grandmaster level, it's not easy to witness even a battle at the Innate level.

Therefore, the three sisters had no concept of the combat power of even a master of innate level, let alone a master of grandmaster level.

In their minds, even martial arts masters are, in the end, just human beings.

Even if they are powerful, they can only take on ten or eight of them at most.

With their clever calculations, it's still possible for them to complete this task in front of the three grandmasters.

The phrase "sitting in a well and looking at the sky" perfectly describes them!
The three sisters, completely unaware of how terrifying the Grandmaster was, still decided to continue with the mission.

However, Zhao Yun, as the eldest sister, still changed some details of the plan and put forward more retreat plans, so that if the plan failed, the three sisters could leave calmly.

Before they knew it, the day of the inheritance ceremony arrived.

The three sisters boarded the carriage arranged by their distinguished guest.

Only through this carriage could the three of them secretly enter the Imperial Sword Manor.

Perhaps it was fate, but the two men in white noticed the unusual carriage and quietly followed it.

The clothing and hairstyles of these two men in white were quite different from those of ordinary people, carrying a sense of holiness and antiquity.

These two were members of the Tong clan, who were hiding in the Water Moon Cave.

The Tong clan lives in seclusion in a hidden realm, isolated from the world, but they are not completely oblivious to changes in the outside world.

In fact, they possess powerful magic that allows them to observe the outside world directly from within the Water Moon Cave Secret Realm.

At the same time, they also had some connections with the Long clan outside the region.

Not long ago, the patriarch of the Tong clan fell seriously ill. The clan elders tried everything they could, but they were unable to cure him.

The clan chief had three sons.

At this critical time, the eldest son, Tong Bo, tried to share his father's burdens by trying to find a cure for his illness while also handling clan affairs, keeping him quite busy.

The second son, Tong Zhan, was eager to help, so he and the third son, Tong Xin, searched frantically in the library of Shuiyue Cave. They finally found that in the Yujian Manor outside the Shuiyue Cave secret realm, there was a treasured heirloom called Blood Ruyi, which had the healing power to bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bones.

Tong Zhan immediately realized that he could use this treasure to heal his father.

However, it is an ironclad rule of the Tong clan that no one is allowed to leave the Water Moon Cave Secret Realm, and no one may violate it.

Desperate to save his father, Tong Zhan gritted his teeth and broke the rule, determined to leave Shuiyue Cave.

Tongxin discovered them halfway through, so they had no choice but to bring their younger brother along as well.

The two arrived in the outside world just in time for the succession ceremony. They learned that it was during this ceremony that the Imperial Sword Manor would take out the Blood Ruyi and pass it on to the next manor lord.

However, an invitation is required to participate in the ceremony; otherwise, one cannot even enter the Imperial Sword Manor, let alone participate.

The two brothers, naturally without any invitations, were barred from entering.

Left with no other choice, he walked along the high walls of the Imperial Sword Manor, hoping to find a weak point and sneak in.

It was a coincidence that they happened to see the carriage carrying the three sisters.

Upon seeing that the carriage could actually enter the Imperial Sword Manor, the two brothers followed it inside.

"Water Moon Cave Heaven...we'll find it soon!"

Zhou Ming had been paying close attention to this matter.

When the Tong brothers arrived at the Imperial Sword Manor after passing through the bustling city, they were already infected with the mark.

Having gone this far, the exposure of Shuiyue Cave was already inevitable.

It doesn't matter whether things unfold as they remember them or not.

Once these two return to Shuiyue Cave, the marks on their bodies will naturally tell Zhou Ming where this secret realm of Shuiyue Cave is hidden.

With that in mind, Zhou Ming arrived at Ruyi Garden.

The Imperial Sword Manor is a large manor with a vast area, and it contains a series of different gardens.

Ruyi Garden was a place specifically used to entertain large numbers of guests and hold solemn ceremonies.

Its most common use is during the succession ceremony of each generation of the manor lord.

The Blood Ruyi, a priceless treasure passed down through generations of the Imperial Sword Manor, can usually only be found in this park.

That's why it was named Ruyi Garden.

At this very moment, Ruyi Garden is ablaze with flowers and illuminated by a thousand lanterns.

The Ruyi Pavilion in the center was already filled with distinguished guests.

Among all the guests, Zhou Ming was considered the most distinguished, and was therefore led directly to the seat of honor at the very front.

(End of this chapter)