Dugong

Chapter 126 Ancient Legends
"His Majesty must know about this, which is why he doesn't care about our martial arts progress!"

Li Ping'an had no innate inherited items. No matter how many years he practiced martial arts, and how vast his true energy was, he was ultimately only at the acquired level.

As for where to find the "inheritance," the Wang family's secret manual is vague on this matter.

Perhaps they didn't know, or perhaps they were deliberately hiding it.

The only record of its inheritance is that a hundred years ago, Emperor Taizu of the Great Yong Dynasty bought a jade pendant at the Jubaoge pawnshop.

Not long after, Emperor Taizu broke through to the Innate Realm, gathered together several rebel forces, and grew his army from a few thousand men to 100,000 soldiers, becoming one of the most powerful rebel armies at the time.

"Treasure Pavilion!"

Li Ping'an had heard of this business; it was similar to the imperial estates or the Imperial Workshops, owned by the Imperial Clan Court.

They mainly dealt in antiques, with shops all over the thirty-six prefectures.

"So the inherited artifacts are most likely antiques, or rather, ancient objects?"

Li Ping'an pondered for a moment, realizing the sinister intentions of the Wang family, who were clearly trying to incite him to fight against Jubaoge.

Unfortunately, this was an open conspiracy, leaving Eunuch An with no other choice.

Li Ping'an put away the secret manual and summoned Eunuch Xia, giving him instructions.

"Take men and investigate the Wang family to see if they are involved in the plot to murder the imperial envoy. His Majesty has ordered us to investigate thoroughly, so we cannot let anyone off the hook!"

Eunuch Xia asked in confusion, "Sir, didn't you just sell a large amount of farmland and mines to the Wang family?"

"Business is business, and investigation is investigation."

Li Ping'an is no gentleman; he's petty and never holds a grudge for long.

evening.

After ordering the young servant to guard the door, Li Ping'an headed to the Sanqing Temple Pavilion.

In just over two months, he had read through all the books in the library and learned several superior techniques, but unfortunately, he had not found the secret of innate cultivation.

Li Ping'an didn't look through any books tonight. Instead, he took out a tinderbox from his sleeve, blew on it a few times, and the flame flickered and rose. He muttered to himself.

"Zhang Tianshi ascended to heaven in broad daylight, and the Sanqing Temple has endured for a thousand years. It should have an innate lineage, or at least it once did..."

With that, he flicked his finger, and the tinder flew toward the bookshelf.

"Infinite Heavenly Lord!"

The sound of a Taoist horn came from the corner of the wall, and an old Taoist priest emerged from the shadows. He was disheveled and dressed in tattered clothes, and he swung a bamboo broom to extinguish the tinderbox.

"Fellow Daoist, you have learned twelve Daoist arts and can be considered a disciple of the Three Pure Ones. Why then do you engage in such insidious acts?"

"Finally deigned to show yourself?"

Li Ping'an's skin glowed golden, surrounded by layers of protective energy. His figure grew more than a foot taller in mid-air as he looked down at the thin, old Taoist priest.

“Our family is eager to seek the Tao, and we believe that the Three Pure Ones are broad-minded and will not mind.”

A look of horror flashed across the old Taoist priest's eyes, but he managed to maintain a calm and composed expression as he slowly spoke.

"The Sanqing Temple has no more innate lineage, fellow Daoist, do not waste your efforts."

Li Ping'an said, "You say there isn't, so there isn't?"

Corrupt officials never admit to embezzlement; they must be subjected to torture before they will obediently confess. Eunuch An has a hundred ways to torment the Sanqing Temple.

For example, burning down a library, confiscating farmland, and arresting believers.

After repeated upheavals, the Sanqing Temple will inevitably decline. Even without the Buddhist community's intervention, other sects will take advantage of the situation.

The old Taoist priest remained silent for a long time before asking in return, "Fellow Taoist, do you know what the innate is?"

Li Ping'an recalled Wei Gonggong's mysterious appearance and described him as follows: "He was incredibly strong, had a youthful appearance, and seemed capable of walking on air."

"Yes, and also wrong."

The old Taoist priest said, "There is no such thing as innate talent in this world. Reaching your level in martial arts cultivation is already a rare and unparalleled genius, one that is rare even once in a thousand years."

Li Ping'an was slightly taken aback: "Then where does the innate talent come from?"

The old Taoist priest said, "In ancient times, there existed the 'Qi' of heaven and earth. At that time, Qi cultivators absorbed Qi to cultivate, and could fly through the sky, escape into the earth, move mountains and fill seas."

Li Ping'an raised an eyebrow: "Then aren't they gods and Buddhas?" The old Taoist nodded and said: "I guess that the gods worshipped by Buddhism and Taoism, and even by heretics like White Lotus and Maitreya, are ancient Qi cultivators."

Li Ping'an frowned and asked, "What does this have to do with innate talent?"

"Later, at some unknown time, the Qi of heaven and earth disappeared, and the Qi cultivators lost their foundation for cultivation and eventually perished."

The old Taoist priest recounted, "Although the Qi cultivators are gone, the magical artifacts they crafted still remain in the world. They contain the Qi of heaven and earth, which is the method to break through to the innate level."

Li Ping'an suddenly realized, "So Zhang Tianshi found the ancient magic treasure, refined it, broke through to the Innate Realm, and ascended to immortality in broad daylight?"

"Our patriarch cultivated the art of corpse liberation, not ascending to heaven in broad daylight." The old Taoist priest looked embarrassed. Of course, becoming an immortal was a lie to deceive believers; our patriarch simply died of old age.

Li Ping'an didn't care whether the ascension was real or not, and asked, "What about the magical treasures left behind by the Celestial Master after his corpse dissolution?"

"Broken."

The old Taoist priest shrugged: "The innate Qi contained in magical treasures is finite. It is constantly depleted over the generations and cannot be replenished. Once exhausted, it will break into dust."

Li Pingan pressed further, "And what about the ash?"

The old Taoist priest replied, "The Celestial Master Seal passed down through generations of the Sanqing Temple was forged by incorporating the five elements into the ashes. Unfortunately, it lacks the primordial Qi and is merely an ordinary object."

Li Ping'an stared at the old Taoist priest, scrutinizing him to see how much truth was in his words. He then took the opportunity to steal the Celestial Master's Seal and play with it.

The old Taoist priest seemed to have guessed what Eunuch An was thinking and said, "The Celestial Master's Seal has been lost several times over the past few hundred years, and it is no longer the original. It would be of no use to you, fellow Daoist."

Li Ping'an asked, "How many generations of innate beings has the Celestial Master Seal been passed down?"

"Five generations."

The old Taoist priest said, "The ancient magical artifacts contain different amounts of Qi. The Bodhi Beads of the Vajra Temple were broken after four generations, while the Nine Dragon Seal of the previous dynasty was passed down for three generations."

Li Ping'an suddenly asked, "How many generations do you think the jade pendant of the dynasty can be passed down?"

"..."

The old Taoist priest's lips twitched as he proclaimed a Taoist title: "Infinite Heavenly Venerable. With the Holy Emperor on the throne, the nation is prosperous and flourishing, and of course it can last for thousands of years."

Li Ping'an lowered his eyes, his killing intent suddenly erupting. His figure flashed and darted about, his palms transforming into claws as he reached for the old Taoist's head.

No one else should know what happened tonight.

Furthermore, the truth of ancient legends is hard to discern, and Eunuch An believed even more strongly that a person's words are only true when they are about to die.

The old Taoist priest knew that the eunuch was ruthless and vicious, so he had taken precautions and raised three layers of protective energy around his body.

Bang bang bang!
The protective energy shattered repeatedly, and the old Taoist priest drifted away like a feather in the wind.

Just as Li Ping'an was about to give chase, a clear and melodious voice rang in his ears: "Eunuch An, what Master Xuanqing said is true, please spare his life."

Li Ping'an's expression suddenly changed, and he immediately used the Righteous Shadowless Technique, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

The old Taoist priest, unaware of what had happened, muttered with lingering fear, "Eunuchs are indeed fickle!"

Picking up the bamboo broom and leaving the library, I saw a young Taoist boy sleeping soundly against a pillar by the entrance and couldn't help but sigh that the Sanqing Temple had no successors.

A chill ran through the night.

The old Taoist priest took off his tattered Taoist robe and covered the young Taoist boy with it.

……

March.

The former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel colluded with powerful families and repeatedly submitted memorials to impeach Eunuch An, angrily denouncing the eunuch for killing loyal officials and harming the country and its people.

Emperor Yongning kept the matter secret.

Mid-month.

A highly respected old scholar committed suicide by crashing into the palace gate, claiming to seek justice for the thousands of dead members of the Li family.

April.

News of the bandits' raids and the extermination of the Li family reached the capital.

While the officials and nobles were shocked and silent, Minister Zheng of the Ministry of Justice took the lead in submitting a memorial to the throne, supporting His Majesty's reform of the salt administration.

(End of this chapter)