Under One Person: Sincerity Moves the Gods

Chapter 91 Celestial Master's Mansion

Once you cross the archway, you enter the actual territory of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Several stone tablets stand on both sides of the stone steps, with the four large characters "Taoist Ancestral Temple" engraved on them. The characters are mottled and obviously quite old.

Further up, you'll see several palaces scattered among the mountains, with blue bricks and gray tiles, upturned eaves, exuding an ancient and solemn atmosphere.

Li Cunzhen and his group of four walked up the stone steps, but after less than a hundred steps, they heard a noisy commotion coming from above.

Looking up, I saw seven or eight young Taoist priests gathered in a circle on the open ground inside the mountain gate, watching something interesting.

In the center of the circle, a tall figure stood with his back to them, looking down and fiddling with something in his hands.

The figure was extremely conspicuous, towering over his fellow disciples by more than half a head, making even his Taoist robe appear somewhat short.

Zhang Zhiwei.

Li Cunzhen recognized him at a glance.

At this moment, a Taoist priest in the circle saw the four people approaching and quickly reminded them.

"Senior brother, someone's here."

Zhang Zhiwei turned around, still holding a bamboo cricket cage in his hand.

He squinted at him, recognized Li Cunzhen, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Hey, Old Li, what brings you here?"

He casually tossed the cricket cage to his junior brother next to him, strode over, looked Li Cunzhen up and down, and then glanced at Lu Jin and Li Muxuan behind him.

"And she brought two little followers with her?"

Lu Jin's face darkened, but remembering the lesson she learned last time, she managed to hold back and remain silent.

Li Cunzhen then cupped his hands in greeting.

"Master Zhang, I apologize for disturbing you. I have some questions about cultivation and would like to ask the Celestial Master for guidance, so I have taken the liberty of coming to bother you."

Zhang Zhiwei waved his hand.

"Why are you being so polite with me? Just come on over."

He paused, then his gaze fell on Zhang Huaiyi, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Huaiyi, where have you been these past few days? I haven't seen you for days."

Zhang Huaiyi looked somewhat embarrassed, unsure how to respond.

He glanced at Li Cunzhen, then lowered his head and mumbled something.

"Going down the mountain—I walked around for a bit."

Zhang Zhiwei tilted his head.

"Go down the mountain? Does Master know?"

Zhang Huaiyi remained silent for a moment, without saying a word.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't press further, but simply patted him on the shoulder.

"Go ahead, as usual, Master is still in the main hall."

Zhang Huaiyi nodded and led Li Cunzhen and his group across the open space toward the main hall.

The main hall is located on the central axis of the Celestial Master's Mansion and is the largest hall in the entire complex.

Two large, vermilion-lacquered pillars stood in front of the gate, with a couplet hanging on them.

The first line reads "The Way pervades the three realms," the second line reads "Virtue matches Heaven and Earth," and the horizontal inscription reads "The altar of all laws."

A plaque hangs above the gate, with gold lettering on a black background, bearing the three large characters "Celestial Master's Mansion".

Zhang Huaiyi stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath.

Li Cunzhen noticed that his hand trembled slightly in his sleeve and said in a low voice.

"Master Zhang, if it's inconvenient for you, we can go in ourselves."

Zhang Huaiyi shook his head.

"It's alright, please come with me."

He pushed open the palace door and stepped inside.

The hall was spacious and bright, with a grand master's chair in the center. Behind the chair was a huge portrait of an old Taoist priest holding a whisk, with a kind face and an air of otherworldly grace.

The deity enshrined is Zhang Daoling, the patriarch of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Zhang Jingqing was sitting in a grand chair, holding a cup of tea in his hand. The tea had gone cold, but he didn't drink it. He just stared at the tea leaves in the cup, lost in thought.

Hearing footsteps, he lifted his eyelids.

When he saw Zhang Huaiyi walking at the front, his eyes darkened slightly, and he slammed his teacup down on the table.

"You wretched beast, you finally know how to come back?"

The sound wasn't loud, but the air inside the hall seemed to vibrate.

Zhang Huaiyi's face turned pale, and he knelt down with a thud, bowing his head and not daring to speak.

Li Cunzhen and his two companions stood at the doorway, unsure whether to go in or back out.

Zhang Jingqing's gaze passed over Zhang Huaiyi and landed on Li Cunzhen, her expression softening slightly.

"Li Cunzhen of the Sanyi Sect?"

Li Cunzhen stepped forward and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Junior Li Cunzhen greets the Celestial Master."

Lu Jin and Li Muxuan also bowed.

Zhang Jingqing nodded and asked.

"What brings you to my Celestial Master's Mansion?"

Li Cunzhen told the truth.

"I have encountered some doubts in my cultivation and would like to ask the Celestial Master for guidance."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingqing pondered for a moment, then waved her hand and said.

"You guys go out first."

"Yes."

Li Cunzhen cupped his hands in greeting, led Lu Jin and Li Muxuan out of the hall, and then closed the hall door behind him.

The moment the palace doors closed, the light inside dimmed slightly.

Zhang Jingqing looked at Zhang Huaiyi kneeling on the ground and remained silent for a long time.

Zhang Huaiyi knelt there, his forehead almost touching the ground, not daring to move.

"Raise your head."

Zhang Huaiyi raised his head, his eyes already red-rimmed.

Zhang Jingqing looked at him, her tone calm, yet carrying an air of authority.

"I've already let you fly far away, so why have you come back?"

Zhang Huaiyi gritted his teeth, his voice choked with emotion.

"Master, I can't bear to leave Longhu Mountain."

Zhang Jingqing gave a cold laugh.

"I can't bear to part with you... When you were bullying your master, why didn't you think about feeling reluctant to part with him?"

Zhang Huaiyi lowered his head, tears welling up in his eyes.

"This disciple knows that deceiving my master is a grave mistake, but I grew up on Longhu Mountain and have been familiar with every blade of grass and every tree for more than ten years. My fellow disciples treat me like brothers and sisters, and my master treats me like a son or nephew."

He raised his head, looked at Zhang Jingqing, his eyes full of earnestness.

"This is my home. I have nowhere else to go and I don't want to leave."

"Although I have wronged you, I believe that you are not a tyrannical person and would not ruin my cultivation because of this."

"So, I came back this time to find out another reason."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingqing's eyes flashed with a sharp light. She nodded, then stood up, put her hands behind her back, and walked up to him.

"Okay, I do have another reason."

"However, I can only tell you the reason after you are deposed."

97

Zhang Huaiyi shuddered, and the color drained from his face in an instant.

Zhang Jingqing looked at him, her tone indifferent.

Even so, would you still be willing to come back?

He held up two fingers.

I'll give you two choices.

"First, I will withdraw your methods, but I guarantee your life will be safe, and after recuperation, you will be able to move around like a normal person."

He paused, then bent down his first finger.

"Secondly, you should leave now, and neither I nor the Celestial Master's Mansion will make things difficult for you. Our master-disciple relationship ends here."

Upon hearing these two conditions, cold sweat broke out on Zhang Huaiyi's forehead and trickled down his cheeks.

He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse.

"Master, your cultivation has been so difficult—"

"Is spiritual practice difficult?"

Zhang Jingqing interrupted him, her voice suddenly rising.

"In your eyes, are we, as members of the Zhengyi School, only practicing these harmful methods considered cultivation?"

Zhang Huaiyi was speechless. After a moment of silence, he finally slammed his head heavily against the floor tiles.

The hall was so quiet that the faint sound of candles burning could be heard.

Zhang Jingqing's voice rang out again.

"What, you want to choose the first option?"

Zhang Huaiyi raised his head, his eyes already blurred with tears.

He looked at the white-haired old Taoist priest in front of him, his voice trembling.

"Master————"

"I am still willing to call you Master."

"After you crippled me, I really can't guarantee that I would still be willing to become your disciple."

"But now, take back everything you gave me."

After saying that, he kowtowed again, his forehead touching the ground, and did not lift it up again.

Zhang Jingqing looked at him and slowly raised her right hand.

Golden light gathered in his palm, growing brighter and brighter until it illuminated the entire hall.

"Good, that's rare."

His voice was calm and undisturbed.

"Huaiyi, I'm making my move."

The golden light hovered above Zhang Huaiyi's head; it only needed to fall to obliterate all of his life's cultivation.

"Are you upset?"

Zhang Huaiyi's tears dripped onto the floor tiles, leaving a small water stain.

"Wronged!"

His voice was forced out of his throat, choked with suppressed sobs.

Zhang Jingqing's hand remained suspended there, motionless.

A moment later.

The golden light dissipated.

Zhang Jingqing withdrew her hand, turned around and walked back to the armchair, where she sat down.

Zhang Huaiyi felt the oppressive aura above his head disappear, and was momentarily stunned. He raised his head and stared blankly at Zhang Jingqing.

Zhang Jingqing picked up the tea, which had already gone cold, took a sip, and then slowly spoke.

"Huaiyi, let me ask you a question."

"Are you truly willing to be crippled to stay in the Celestial Master's Mansion, or have you figured out that I didn't really intend to cripple you, but rather had ulterior motives for returning?"

Zhang Huaiyi was stunned.

He knelt there, his mind blank.

After a long while, he whispered a sentence.

"Would you believe me if I said I had both?"

Zhang Jingqing gently reviewed it once.

"Do they all exist? —"

In other places, some believe; in other places, some do not.

Zhang Huaiyi kowtowed again, his voice urgent and sincere.

"Master! Huaiyi already has a home in the countryside. I regard you and my fellow disciples as my father and brothers; Longhu Mountain is my home. Huaiyi really doesn't want to leave Longhu Mountain!"

He paused, swallowed, and continued.

"Huaiyi certainly has his own agenda. Over the years, I have repeatedly deceived my master, which is indeed a grave mistake. But you are not the kind of person who would harm your disciple over something like this!"

"Besides this matter, Huaiyi has done nothing else that would betray our sect. You are not the kind of person who would easily believe rumors or arbitrarily punish people. Therefore, Huaiyi dares to guess that—Master is testing his disciple for some reason."

After he finished speaking, he lay down on the ground and stopped making a sound.

Zhang Jingqing looked at him, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.

"really."

He nodded.

"So what do you think I'm testing you for?"

Zhang Huaiyi started, his face full of confusion.

"This disciple does not know."

Zhang Jingqing was silent for a moment, then asked, "I'll ask you again, why did you hide yourself from me and my disciples?"

Zhang Huaiyi lowered his head, tears streaming down his face, his voice trembling with sobs.

"This disciple did not intend to conceal it from Master and fellow disciples, nor does this disciple have any special reason—"

His voice grew softer and softer.

"You know my story. Back then, I was young and ignorant. If it weren't for my defeat, how could my family have been brought to ruin? I caused the deaths of an entire family—"

He raised his head and shook it repeatedly at the Taoist priest in front of him, his tone urgent and aggrieved.

"From that moment on, I never wanted to attract anyone's attention again! I truly have no wicked thoughts, Master!"

Zhang Jingqing looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze mixed with a sigh.

"I know."

His tone was calm and even.

"If I ever discover that you have any dirty intentions, I'll definitely have to test you."

He stood up, walked to the window, looked at the mountain scenery outside, and turned his back to Zhang Huaiyi.

"I've been observing you ever since I first discovered you were secretly doing your own work a few years ago."

"Actually, my test for you began back then. Unfortunately, you failed that test."

Zhang Huaiyi suddenly looked up, his face full of confusion and bewilderment.

"What test? This disciple has no idea!"

"I'll do anything!"

Zhang Jingqing turned around and looked at him, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"I have always treated you with sincerity! All these years I have hoped that you would no longer hide anything from me."

He paused, then emphasized his words.

"Even if it's not about your master! Anyone on the mountain will do! If you can let anyone on the mountain know about your affairs, I'll consider it a success!"

"So you've managed to fool everyone all these years! You even deliberately hid it from Jinzhong, which is right next to you!"

Zhang Huaiyi opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but couldn't say anything.

Zhang Jingqing looked at him and sighed.

"After all these years, I don't want to wait any longer. I know what you've been through, which is why this second test is necessary."

"This test for Xiangbie... I just want to see your true colors when you're in dire straits."

"7

He walked back to the armchair and sat down.

"Based on my observation of you, I'm not surprised at all that you fought back then."

"But I really didn't expect you to make so many excuses and just run away."

He shook his head.

"I'm blindly disappointed. But with your current methods, surviving out there shouldn't be a problem."

"But your return surprised me even more."

He looked at Zhang Huaiyi, his gaze unusually warm.

"Waran, you guessed my intentions and came back with your own agenda, but at least you were willing to take this risk."

"How rare, Huaiyi."

"This is the first time in all these years that you've revealed your true nature in front of your master."

Zhang Huaiyi lowered his head, tears dripping onto the floor tiles.

"Master, your disciple knows he was wrong."

Zhang Jingqing looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

"This test was not entirely satisfactory."

"I'll consider you one of the best."

Zhang Huaiyi shuddered, raised his head, and looked at Zhang Jingqing through teary eyes.

The Taoist priest waved his hand and sighed.

"Go down and call the one by the door in."

Zhang Huaiyi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he couldn't say anything.

He kowtowed three times, stood up, wiped his tears with his sleeve, and turned to walk towards the palace gate.

The palace doors opened, and sunlight streamed in.

Li Cunzhen and his two companions, along with several other Longhu Mountain disciples who had a good relationship with Zhang Huaiyi, were waiting outside the door.

They couldn't quite hear the commotion inside the hall, but they definitely felt Zhang Jingqing's "You beast" and the golden light that followed.

Upon seeing Zhang Huaiyi emerge, Tian Jinzhong stepped forward and asked with concern.

"Huaiyi! What's wrong? Is there some misunderstanding between you and Master?"

Zhang Huaiyi's eyes were still red. He ignored Tian Jinzhong and looked at Li Cunzhen first.

"Master invites you in."

Li Cunzhen nodded and stepped into the hall.

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