https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-250-Flaying-for-Gallbladder-Riding-as-a-Mount-Part-2-/12587080/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-251-The-Auspicious-Lot-of-the-Upper-Realm-of-the-Thunder-Pavilion-in-the-Upper-Qing-Part-2/12587082/
Chapter 251: The Auspicious Lot of the Upper Realm of the Thunder Pavilion in the Upper Qing (Part 1
Chapter 251: The Auspicious Lot of the Upper Realm of the Thunder Pavilion in the Upper Qing (Part 1)
"Uncle."
An elderly man stood beside a woman who handed him a book.
"Yu Jing, thank you for your hard work." The elder of the Ye clan, Ye Mokequan, from Jinzhou, took the book and expressed his gratitude.
The woman was none other than Lin Xuan, the current clan head of the Lin clan from Youzhou.
She wore a palace dress, exuding elegance and sophistication with her otherworldly beauty, but her complexion still bore a hint of unhealthy pallor, lacking the rosy hue of a healthy person.
Lin Xuan shook her head gently. "There's only so much I can do at the moment."
Ye Mokequan unrolled the scroll. "You've already done me a great favor, Yu Jing. Take some time to rest and recover. As for the continuation of the Youzhou literary heritage, we can leave it to Brother Jingyang and the others."
Lin Xuan gazed at the reconstructed ancestral land of the Lin clan before her and remained silent.
The losses in Youzhou were far less severe compared to those in Jiangzhou, and the Northern Lin clan had a stronger foundation to begin with.
Although their ancestral land had been destroyed, it was not as devastating as the Jiangzhou Lin clan, who had suffered heavy casualties.
The Youzhou Lin clan still had several Great Scholars at the Eighth Tier of the Nine Heavens, who could organize efforts to continue their lineage, allowing Lin Xuan to focus on recuperating.
However, this great calamity loomed like a dark cloud over the heads of Lin Xuan and every other member of the Youzhou Lin clan.
And Lin Xuan's injuries...
Ye Mokequan sighed as he thought about it.
Under normal circumstances, the Ye clan from Jinzhou might not have been pleased to see the rise of a young Ninth Tier Great Scholar in the Lin clan from the North.
But at this moment, with the Tang imperial family pressing closer and the empress's actions clearly aimed at severing the roots of the noble clans, the Four Surnames and Six Powers had no choice but to unite.
Ye Mokequan had traveled thousands of miles to aid Youzhou, but unfortunately, Lin Xuan had been injured by Xu Yuanzhen, and her path to the top was almost cut off.
Fortunately, Lin Xuan quickly calmed herself and led her clan in rebuilding their ancestral land and continuing their lineage while summarizing and analyzing the various signs from the "barbaric" attack on their homeland, trying to understand the essence of their wild and unruly martial arts.
She compiled her insights, along with those of the elders of the Lin clan, into a book and handed it to Ye Mokequan for further reference.
"What about the Lin clan in Jiangzhou?" Lin Xuan asked at this point.
Ye Mokequan replied, "They are heading north into Huainan and toward the area north of Lake Taihu to find a new place to take root. However, they have not yet made a decision."
The ancestral land of the Lin clan in Jiangzhou had been destroyed, and their treasured Dragon-Snake Brush, which had been passed down through the generations, was damaged. Only a small number of clan members had escaped.
Now, the Southern Lin clan had only four Grand Masters at the Upper Realm, including Lin Yuwei, who was at the Eighth Tier. Among them, three were originally from the side branches of the Jiangzhou Lin clan.
At this point, the Southern Lin clan could no longer afford to be picky. Their only option was to stick together for mutual support.
At least, that would be the case in the short term.
However, they had no intention of heading north to Youzhou to seek a merger.
In that case, they had no choice but to choose a new place to take root and prosper.
Throughout the endless ages, similar incidents had occurred among the prestigious clans, and there were indeed precedents to draw from.
But with a limited number of top experts and without the Dragon-Snake Brush, it would be incredibly challenging for them to establish a new lineage. The difficulty was exponentially higher than that faced by the Youzhou Lin clan in their reconstruction efforts. It would undoubtedly take generations of hard work for their descendants to see any hope.
Moreover, Lin Yuwei and the others could only drift for the time being.
Choosing a new place to settle was not an easy task.
From the Tang imperial family above to the local powers below, there were obstacles from all sides as the Southern Lin clan sought a suitable place to stand firm again.
The area north of Lake Taihu served as a buffer zone between the Ye clan of Qingzhou and the Chu clan of Suzhou. Additionally, the presence of official forces from the court complicated the situation, even though no single dominant force appeared to be in control.
The fact that the Southern Lin clan could temporarily gather there was due to the discreet support of the Ye and Chu clans.
However, it remained uncertain where the Southern Lin clan would eventually be able to gain a solid foothold.
Their fate would only begin to unfold after this summer.
After the battle between Ye Mokequan, the elder of the Ye clan from Jinzhou, and Xu Yuanzhen of the Celestial Master's Mansion.
On the surface, this battle was a challenge issued by a Ninth Tier Grand Scholar of Confucianism to a Ninth Tier High Immortal of Taoism.
However, behind the scenes, numerous forces, including the Tang imperial family, would be involved, collectively determining the future direction of the Great Tang Dynasty.
Lin Xuan had no objections to Lin Yuwei and the others continuing their independent path, and the Youzhou Lin clan had no intention of forcibly subduing the remnants of the Southern Lin clan under the current circumstances. "As long as they don't turn out like the Xiao clan from beyond Long Province."
That was the bottom line.
Obviously, the Ye clan of Qingzhou and the Chu clan of Suzhou shared the same view.
While it was true that the Ye and Chu clans had facilitated the temporary acceptance of the Southern Lin clan in the area north of Lake Taihu, it also served their interests.
If Lin Yuwei and the others showed even the slightest sign of leaning toward the Tang imperial family, it would be equally convenient for the Ye and Chu clans to join forces in their southward and northward endeavors, respectively.
"There are currently no related signs," the elder spoke softly. "But some things may be inevitable..."
Lin Xuan understood the unspoken implication and nodded silently.
The literature and classics that had been passed down through the Lin clan in Jiangzhou for many years might be scattered and lost due to this war.
While the mere loss of these texts was regrettable, it was still the best outcome compared to the alternatives.
What was more concerning was the possibility that some of the Lin clan's classics might fall into the hands of the court.
The empress's established academic palace would further expand its collection, now incorporating the knowledge of the Xiao and Lin clans.
In a sense, it was difficult to say which outcome was worse: the complete destruction of the books and classics in a fire or their falling into the hands of the empress.
Both the Northern and Southern Lin clans had suffered devastating blows simultaneously.
Empress Zhang Wantong and Xu Yuanzhen of the Celestial Master's Mansion were now focusing their attention on the Ye clan of Jinzhou.
Under these circumstances, the Four Surnames and Six Powers had to be more cautious and prudent in their actions than before.
The academic palace in the capital city breathed a sigh of relief.
With the situation already improving, this year marked the beginning of a new phase of rapid development.
"The students there are becoming more and more diverse in background." Ye Mokequan remarked.
Lin Xuan frowned, "In just six or seven years..."
By 'diverse backgrounds', Ye Mokequan referred to the increasing variety of family backgrounds among the students at the academy.
He didn't mind having a few prodigies in the academy.
It was only natural for the Empress to invest significant resources and attract gifted child prodigies during the early days of establishing the academy.
What concerned Ye Mokequan was the growing number of self-enrolled students from a range of backgrounds, including not only the offspring of Imperial City commoners but also those from small and medium-sized clans, and even the children of government officials.
The current situation was not yet alarming.
However, if this trend continued, it would increasingly shake the foundations of the Imperial University and, by extension, the great clans.
Especially with the crucial battle looming this summer.
If the Jinzhou Ye Clan were to suffer a defeat in that battle, there was no doubt that the Empress would be emboldened to act more aggressively thereafter.
One academy in the capital might not be cause for concern.
But if similar academies started popping up outside the capital...
"The surge of spiritual energy in the world... it is a blessing that can also bring forth disasters!" Ye Mokequan sighed.
He shook his head slightly, not elaborating further, and lowered his head to look at the book in his hands.
Lin Xuan remained silent.
There were countless people in the world, and just like a pearl could shine regardless of the dust that covered it, true talent would always stand out, and these two things were not mutually exclusive.
While the surge of spiritual energy in the world facilitated cultivation, it also made it easier to discover talents that might have otherwise been buried and overlooked.
Noble families were usually vigilant and rarely missed the exceptional talents among their offspring, although their talents might not necessarily be suited for the Confucian path of succession.
As for ordinary people...
Lin Xuan fell silent, her gaze sweeping across the vast land of Youzhou in the North.
Ye Mokequan read the book slowly.
Lin Xuan quietly stood by his side.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, the elder finished reading the last page, closed the book, and nodded gently at Lin Xuan, "Thanks to the help of Yu Jing and the others from Youzhou."
Lin Xuan asked, "Have you found a way to counter that barbaric martial art, Uncle?"
The elder before them rarely engaged in physical confrontations.
However, having reached the Nine Heavens Tier many years ago, his reputation was well-established, and no one dared to underestimate him.
In his younger days, he, too, had been an exceptional genius who led his peers.
In response to Lin Xuan's question, Ye Mokequan said, "I have a few ideas, but it's too early to say that I've found a solution."
He sighed softly, "Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of time to ponder this slowly."
It was already a great achievement to have bought half a year's time.
"Next, I will discuss this with a few fellow Daoists."
Ye Mokequan suddenly smiled, "Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise that this wild martial art seems to target another unfamiliar branch of the Confucian path, rather than directly targeting us. At least now, we still have some options to consider. Otherwise, in such a short time, I would have no choice but to surrender."
Lin Xuan looked thoughtful, "There have been some rumors in the capital lately regarding that strange classic."
Ye Mokequan nodded, "We'll look into it later."
His gaze shifted towards the south, "Although we follow different paths, we must admit that Xu Yuanzhen's unexpected move was completely beyond our expectations.
However, we must not be negligent and ignore her and the other means of the Celestial Master's Mansion because of this."
Even if they managed to overcome the current difficulties and decipher the bizarre true intent of the martial art, they would only barely make up for their previous disadvantages.
Ye Mokequan had bought himself half a year.
But it was obvious that Xu Yuanzhen wouldn't be idle during that time.
"The Celestial Master's Sword, Dragon-Tiger Strike..." Lin Xuan murmured, "There may be other new tricks up her sleeve."
If Tang Xiaotang lent the Celestial Master's Sword to Xu Yuanzhen, then Xu Yuanzhen, who had already cultivated the Nine Abyss Real Fire, might be able to use the sword to attract the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder and attempt to master the Dragon-Tiger Strike.
Although the connection between the person and the sword might not be as seamless as with its original owner, there could still be flaws in their coordination. Nonetheless, the Dragon-Tiger Strike was a supreme ability far superior to the Yin Fire Tiger.
Moreover, Xu Yuanzhen's strength was already far beyond that of ordinary people.
Lin Xuan, who had personally experienced Xu Yuanzhen's power not long ago, could attest to this.
Even though she recognized every Daoist charm Xu Yuanzhen used and understood them all, when they actually fought, she discovered that it was completely different from what she had expected.
The subtle variations and intricacies far exceeded Lin Xuan's expectations.
She even suspected that if other disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion were to face Xu Yuanzhen, they would also be caught by surprise.
"In the past, I also underestimated her." Ye Mokequan admitted, "We still need to observe Tang Xiaotang and the others, but it's certain that Xu Yuanzhen is now a peerless genius comparable to Her Majesty."
Lin Xuan sighed.
Ye Mokequan fell into a thoughtful silence, "Actually, compared to Tang Xiaotang lending the Celestial Master's Sword to Xu Yuanzhen, I'm more worried about something else..."
Lin Xuan's eyes met his, "You're referring to the suspicious death of Lin Chengming?"
Ye Mokequan nodded slightly.
To this day, the battle in Jiangzhou remained a mystery to the outside world.
Many had witnessed Lin Chou being trapped by the Confucian Cuff, so they were cautious and vigilant, but they had no doubts about it.
However, the death of Lin Zhe, the clan head of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, who had a higher cultivation level and possessed the clan's treasured Dragon-Snake Brush, was suspicious.
In theory, even if Lin Zhe was injured due to the destruction of their ancestral land and couldn't defeat Tang Xiaotang, who wielded the Celestial Master's Sword, he should still have had a good chance of escaping if he wanted to.
The most likely outcome was that either Lin Zhe died but sent away the Dragon-Snake Brush, or the Dragon-Snake Brush was damaged but Lin Zhe managed to escape.
The fact that both Lin Zhe and the Dragon-Snake Brush had perished in the great river was unexpected by many.
If there were two Locking Confucian Restraints, then Lin Che and Lin Chou would have been pinned down on the spot.
After all, with the turmoil in the Lin Clan's ancestral land affecting Lin Che, helping him break through the siege would gradually free him from the influence of the ancestral land, allowing him to recover some of his strength.
"There must be others aiding the Celestial Master's Mansion, or perhaps they have other hidden tricks up their sleeves."
Ye Mokequan spoke softly, "I began to suspect this earlier when the Celestial Master's Sword returned to the vicinity of Dragon-Tiger Mountain during the battle between Li Wai and Dragon-Tiger Mountain, eventually falling into Tang Xiaotang's hands. But what about the Spirit-Embodied Heavenly Master Seal, which was also lost and has its own spiritual consciousness? Why didn't it appear in that battle?"
Lin Xuan frowned, "Are you saying that the Heavenly Master Seal has returned to Dragon-Tiger Mountain?"
Ye Mokequan: "If the Heavenly Master Seal had indeed returned to Dragon-Tiger Mountain and was reclaimed by someone from the Celestial Master's Mansion, they wouldn't have just stood by and let the Heavenly Master's Robe be lost again.
So at that time, I suspected that the Heavenly Master Seal might already have an owner, but not someone from Dragon-Tiger Mountain. However, if Tang Xiaotang had both the Heavenly Master Seal and the Heavenly Master Sword in this battle in Jiangzhou, then Lin Chengming's death would be unjustified. This makes me reconsider the matter."
"That's not impossible, but if I had to choose, I'd rather Tang Xiaotang regain control of the Heavenly Master Seal." Lin Xuan said, "Compared to that, I'm more concerned about the identity of those secretly helping the Celestial Master's Mansion. Who are they?"
After all, no one witnessed the reappearance of the Heavenly Master Seal.
However, many people saw the mysterious long-range attacks that consecutively killed three of the Lin Clan's Upper Realm elders in Jiangzhou.
It was just unfortunate that the people of Jiangzhou were in disarray and had lost their composure at that time, only thinking about escaping and not paying attention to the true identity of their opponent.
Ye Mokequan: "Yes, I don't wish for that either."
Lin Xuan: "The news from the capital and a few other places seems to indicate that it's not someone from my Confucian archery lineage.
From this perspective, it's more likely to be an external alchemy flying sword or some other magical treasure from the Taoist sect. But... according to the news from both Jingxiang and Bashu, it doesn't seem to be someone from the Shushan School."
Ye Mokequan's gaze turned to the southwest, toward Bashu.
He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Bashu... it's not necessarily..."
Lin Xuan was slightly surprised, but she maintained her composure and calmly looked at Ye Mokequan.
After a while, Ye Mokequan continued, "It's very likely... that it's someone from the External Alchemy lineage of the Taoist sect..."
Lin Xuan caught the implication of his words, "Do you mean there are External Alchemy masters outside of the Shushan School?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
