Chapter 285: The Four Great Masters of Tang Sect
Chapter 285: The Four Great Masters of Tang Sect
Su Shaoying noticed the old lama's gaze, but he merely spread his hands innocently, indicating that he had nothing to do with what had just transpired.
The old lama knew that Su Shaoying was not involved; otherwise, he wouldn't have left first but stayed on the other side to distract him while the Tang Sect members boarded from the other.
However, knowing and being annoyed were two different things, and the old lama's cultivation had not yet reached the level of a calm and clear mind.
Thus, the old lama harrumphed loudly before turning back into the cabin.
Of course, they wouldn't dare linger any longer. The Shu land was Tang Sect's territory, and who knew if there were more Tang Sect members on either bank of the Min River? Having barely escaped, they needed to get away as soon as possible.
On the other side, the two young men who had fallen into the water were pulled onto a small boat, and the two vessels drew close to Su Shaoying, one on the left and the other on the right.
"I am Tang Tianyi," said a young man, cupping his fist in greeting. "May I ask which esteemed senior brother of Emei Sect this is?"
Su Shaoying nodded in realization. It was actually Tang Tianyi, one of the Four Great Masters of the new generation of Tang Sect. Then, the other three must be...
"Su Shaoying of Emei," Su Shaoying cupped his fists in return, his mood improving.
Tang Tianyi was much more polite than that old lama.
"So it's the renowned Second Hero Su," Tang Tianyi replied.
As the two boats drew closer, Tang Tianyi's face bore a hint of arrogance, but his attitude was amiable. "These are my three cousins."
"Tang Tianrong!"
"Tang Tianqi!"
"Tang Tianzong!"
"Su has long admired the fame of the Four Great Masters of Tang Sect," Su Shaoying said with a smile. "Meeting you today, I can see that your reputation is well-deserved. If not for those dozen or so standard bows and arrows, I'm afraid all the lamas on this boat would have been killed."
Hearing Su Shaoying's praise, the faces of the few people present lit up with smiles.
Tang Sect and Emei Sect were both located in Shu, so naturally, there was competition and cooperation between them. However, overall, they couldn't be considered enemies. Emei Sect was a renowned sect, and Dugu Yihe's fame shook the world. No matter how proud the Tang family was, they wouldn't dare be arrogant toward Emei Sect.
As for Tang Tianzong's arrogance toward Lu Xiaofeng...
No matter how famous Lu Xiaofeng was, he was just a wandering hero who helped people for a living. He didn't actually fight that often, and on top of that, he was young and popular with women, which made it even easier for him to arouse the hostility of the young masters of famous families.
Not to mention Tang Tianzong; even the master of Changleshan Zhuang, the Taiping Swordmaster Sima Ziyi, didn't take him very seriously.
"I was just taking a boat down the river to Jiangnan, and I didn't expect to run into several brothers taking revenge," Su Shaoying said. "Fortunately, I didn't disrupt your actions."
Tang Tianzong, being the youngest, couldn't help but speak up, "Actually, we waited until you were far away before we made our move."
Upon hearing this, Su Shaoying immediately understood and cupped his hands towards Tang Tianyi, "Thank you, Brother Tang!"
"You're too kind." Tang Tianyi waved his hand, feeling relieved to be dealing with an intelligent person. "This is an enmity between us and the Snow Mountain Temple on the Tibetan border. Naturally, we wouldn't want to involve Brother Su."
"Are they lamas from the Snow Mountain Temple on the Tibetan border?" Su Shaoying's eyes flickered, and he asked, "Brother Tang, do you know where they're going?"
Tang Tianyi shook his head, "I don't know. We discovered them when they entered Sichuan."
Tang Tianrong coldly said, "No matter where they go, as long as they're in the Central Plains, they're our targets."
Tang Sect's poison and hidden weapons were famous throughout the world, and the Tang Sect disciples were confident in their abilities.
"You can run from the monk, but you can't run from the temple," Tang Tianqi said indifferently. "Since they've come to the Central Plains, they shouldn't think about going back."
The land of Sichuan and Shu blocked the road to Tibet. As long as the lamas wanted to return to the Tibetan border, they had to pass through Sichuan and Shu, unless they made a big detour and first went from Guanzhong to Gan and then turned south.
"Big brother, should we notify Bu..."
Before Tang Tianzong could finish his sentence, he caught a glare from Tang Tianyi, causing him to swallow the rest of his words.
Su Shaoying smiled faintly and addressed Tang Tianyi, "Since Brother Tang still has matters to attend to, I won't disturb you further."
Tang Tianyi's eyes flickered, and he returned the courtesy, "Please forgive me for making you witness such a scene, Brother Su. After we kill that old ghost, Nica Zabu, we'll visit Emei Mountain to share a drink with you."
"Please do!"
"Please!"
The two Tang Sect boats steered towards the shoreline, while Su Shaoying continued his journey southward.
"It seems that Tang Sect and Bu Ju have been in contact," Su Shaoying mused.
In the original story, Tang Tianzong and Bu Ju appeared together. Bu Ju wanted to exchange a jade tablet for Lu Xiaofeng's palace satin, while Tang Tianzong proudly allowed Lu Xiaofeng only to view the Tang family's hidden weapons.
At first, one might assume that their gathering was merely coincidental. But later in the story, when Tang Tianzong and Bu Ju appeared together in the imperial palace, specifically waiting for him, it revealed a lot.
Bu Ju, the leader of the Tian Gang, was the top figure among the thirty-six gangs of bandits in the Sichuan-Hunan region. The Tang Sect, with its mysterious and ambiguous nature, having connections with Bu Ju was not unusual. However, the Emei Sect was a renowned righteous sect, and they would typically avoid any potential scandals.
"Did Bu Ju follow those lamas to track their movements, and then they plan to take action when the opportunity arises?" Su Shaoying's eyes lit up at the thought.
Later, when Su Shaoying found the large ship again, it had already run aground on the shore, and the people on board had vanished without a trace.
"They're gone?" Su Shaoying thought about the original story and shook his head with a smile. "If they really were those lamas, with the help of the Pingnan Royal Palace covering for them, even with the combined efforts of Tang Sect and Bu Ju, they wouldn't be able to find their traces."
In the original story, the only place where the Vajrayana lamas appeared was in the final battle at the pinnacle of the Forbidden City, where they aided the Pingnan Royal Palace and the Palace Supervisor in communicating messages and attempted to kill Yan Renying to silence her.
The only reason Su Shaoying could think of for the old lama to bring his disciples into the Central Plains, risking discovery and confrontation with the Tang Sect, was treason.
The Lingnan region was relatively remote and not within the Tang Sect's territory, so they were unlikely to go there. He wondered if they would cross paths in the capital.
"Hmm?"
Su Shaoying blinked, and another speculation came to mind, "When Ye Gucheng pretended to be injured, why did he involve the Tang Sect? Could it also be related to the Dazeshan Temple?"
Logically, Ye Gucheng should have found someone who could cooperate with him to fake the injury, thus minimizing the possibility of any mishaps.
By involving the Tang Sect, it could either be sheer arrogance, a special request, or an unexpected turn of events.
Su Shaoying made a connection with Ouyang Qing's situation, "Could it be that Tang Tianyi discovered something, forcing Ye Gucheng to take his life?"
It's quite impressive to get entangled in a treason case while seeking revenge.
Su Shaoying disembarked on the south bank of the Yangtze River. As he thought, he made his way through the dense forest, searching for the official road.
Just then, a heartbreaking scream pierced the air from up ahead.
"Who are you, really?!''
"I'm just a blind embroiderer."
(End of Chapter)
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