Chapter 158: 158
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Thanks to Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhuang's prompt assistance, everyone at the carriage shop was unharmed with the exception of Big Master and the skinny guy, who were already under attack in the first place. To most people, that was only a crisis without much real threat.
Big Master came up to Li Ye and the others to express his gratitude once his condition stabilized. His broken arms would never be normal again, but with the help of the Cultivation Pill, he was able to make a nearly full recovery from his injuries.
Li Ye then asked Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhuang to continue guarding Cui Keli and the carriage gang, continuing the journey towards the east, while he made up some excuses to leave and went in pursuit of those from Wang family.
Li Ye never told them about his plan truthfully, as he still couldn't reveal his true identity and intention before his preparations were finished. Otherwise, his actions would be made known to Penglai sect.
Once Li Ye left the carriage shop, he went after Childe Wang with the hidden marks made by Black Office.
His gesture earlier was meant as a signal to the cultivators of Black Office to start a pursuit of Childe Wang. He purposely let Childe Wang leave so he could lead him to the rest of the Wang family.
After pursuing for more than ten kilometers, Li Ye found Liu Dazheng waiting for him by a section of river which was off the beaten track.
Seeing Li Ye approaching, Liu Dazheng greeted him, "Your Highness!"
"Let's save the courtesy." Li Ye stopped by the river and asked, "Where did they go?"
Like Song Jiao, Liu Dazheng met Li Xian after the conspiracy and didn't cut off ties with Prince An's Manor but followed Li Ye to Pinglu.
Judging from the last twenty years of Li Ye's life, he should've been closer to Liu Dazheng than to Song Jiao. However, Li Ye believed that it was more than pure friendship that had convinced Liu Dazheng, who had already decided to retire from the Jianghu, to follow him wherever he would go.
In fact, Li Ye couldn't figure out why Liu Dazheng followed him here, just like how he couldn't figure out why Song Jiao did the same. In his opinion, Mo Dongli and Zhao Polu, the other two of the four masters in Prince An's Manor who were once the attendants of Li Keyong, had even less reason to leave Li Ye.
"Childe Wang headed towards the Qingshui Villa about five kilometers away from here. After asking the civilians nearby, we learned that the villa was established by Pinglu army, and they have both good reputation and influence in this area." answered Liu Dazheng.
Li Ye nodded and asked again, "Have you accomplished what I asked of you?"
Liu Dazheng nodded solemnly and replied, "The invitations for all cultivators of Pinglu to the Kung Fu Championship in Qing Prefecture have already been written, more than half of the cultivators in the Black Office have also arrived to send out the invitations."
That was Li Ye's plan.
Since the Penglai sect was planning to take the opportunity of holding their gathering to unite the entire Jianghu of Pinglu under their leadership, Li Ye decided to hold a Kung Fu Championship in Qing Prefecture with the same purpose.
The question was, who would listen to him?
Nobody, obviously.
But it was still something that must be done.
So Li Ye forged this plan nonetheless.
After suppressing the Wu family and the Huafuzhu Mountain sect, Li Ye ordered the Black Office to give out the invitations in Qi Prefecture in the hope of bringing all renowned powers there under the control of the Black Office. He had also kept a cavalry of 800 from Wang Manor to help Li Zhen revamp the officialdom in Qi Prefecture.
Li Ye's original plan was to increase his control over Pinglu one prefecture at a time, so by the time the cavalry and the Black Office reached Qing Prefecture, Li Ye would have pretty much secured his control over all of Pinglu.
However, the Penglai sect's plan of holding a gathering was beyond Li Ye's predictions, so things had become much tougher for him now.
Therefore, Li Ye asked Song Jiao to send some cultivators from the Black Office to meet him. He also drafted a plan to send invitations in the name of the Black Office and gather all the cultivators in Pinglu to his Kung Fu Conference in Qing Prefecture.
There were only about a hundred cultivators in the Black Office to date, because training cultivators would cost a lot of money, especially training practitioners of Qi techniques. With all his wealth in Chang'an under Prince An's Manor, Li Ye could only afford to train a little more than one hundred cultivators. Moreover, he had been thinking of all possible ways to earn money in the past four years.
Half of the cultivators from the Black Office, the majority of them being practitioners, had come over. Among the four masters, only Song Jiao and Zhao Polu stayed in Qi Prefecture, while Liu Dazheng and Mo Dongli made their way down as well.
Li Ye surely wouldn't want all the cultivators of Pinglu to go to Penglai Island according to Penglai's plan. He must disrupt the plan somehow, and his way of doing that would be to force all the cultivators to return to Qing Prefecture before they reached Penglai Island.
While it would appear that the Black Office was organizing this Kung Fu Championship, Li Ye was actually the mastermind behind every step. This time, they would work hand-in-hand to start this unstoppable conflict in the Jianghu!
Would that be possible?
Of course.
As of now, only one invitation had been sent out by the Black Office, and that one was sent to the Cui family.
Did the Cui family accept the invitation?
They did.
That was because Li Ye wrote Cui Shulin a letter on his own name.
Now that he understood Cui Shulin well from his stay with the Cui family, he was able to compose the letter appropriately and gain support from Cui Shulin easily. Liu Dazheng and Mo Dongli already visited Cui Shulin together for this matter. In this way, the Kung Fu Championship was easily established in Qing Prefecture with the combined effort of the Black Office and the Cui family.
The stage was ready, and there would always be plenty of audience for this kind of event, so the only thing missing now would be the participants.
Liu Dazheng, Mo Dongli and the Black Office had already caught up with Li Ye the previous day and were able to share information with him in secret.
During this trip to the east, they planned to welcome all their participants back to Qing Prefecture.
For example, Li Ye was about to give out the second invitation now.
And this one was going out to the Wang family.
He made up his mind to put up a rival show with the Penglai sect this time!
...
The Wang family was one of the four prominent families in Pinglu, and one of the two big names in the Pinglu army.
Unlike the Cui family whose status in the Jianghu of Qing Prefecture had long been well-established, the Wang family had only become more reputable in recent decades. Therefore, it was apt to call them a rising clan of generals.
In the Vassal State Army, sergeants would remain in their positions for their entire life. They would not be allowed to quit after only a few years, neither would they be happy to. To them, being in the army was a symbol of power, the day they took off the armor would be the day they lose their power and all benefits that came with it.
Since they were a clan that bred generals, their status would be directly influenced by the position they held in the army, which was then directly influenced by one's level of training. In the army, high qualification was the only convincing voice to make people listen to you, especially in an age free of war.
The current patriarch of the Wang family, Wang Hanshan, was one of the two regional commanders in Pinglu army, as well as one of the two who had reached Level 6 of Qi-refining in the army.
At the moment, Wang Hanshan was meeting a very distinguished guest in Qingshui Villa.
"Meeting" might not be the most accurate word to use, because he had been standing with his body bowed down, as if he was summoned by someone of a higher status.
In front of him sat a Taoist dressed in white robe, he had the aura of an Immortal which suggested that he was from Penglai sect.
"Sir, you would like us, the Wang family, to confront the Cui Family?" asked Wang Hanshan as he frowned. He looked sturdy and robust with a tough look on his face, everyone could tell he was trained in army judging by his unrelenting character.
"I'm not asking you to wipe out the Cui family with your best soldiers, general. I'm simply asking you to make Cui Keli go back." the Taoist in white robe said casually.
"That wouldn't be a problem." said Wang Hanshan after he heaved a sigh of relief.
"Have you heard of what happened in Jimo Villa, general?" asked the Taoist in a tone that was half-casual and half-serious.
Wang Hanshan's expression became a little nervous as he listened. Jimo Villa was relatively well-known in Pinglu, and everyone knew that their master never respected any Taoist sect. That was pretty much the only bad thing about Liu Junlai, since he always showed great manners towards others and had been respected by many as a heroic figure. In the past few days, all the trainers in Pinglu were travelling east, hence news that Jimo Villa was exterminated over night had spread very quickly.
"I heard the deed was done by the Junior Priestess of the Immortal's sect, but I wonder if it was true?" probed Wang Hanshan.
"Penglai sect never fails to accomplish what we set out to do." replied the Taoist as he looked at Wang Hanshan with a meaningful smile on his face.
That was his way of acknowledging their own doing.
Of course he would acknowledge that, since that was why the Junior Priestess was sent out.
In their plan of uniting the Jianghu of Pinglu, only those obeying them can survive, and the rest would be exterminated without mercy! Penglai sect had just showed all trainers the consequence of going against their will!
At this crucial juncture, they have to showcase both their strength and attitude.
Perhaps the Penglai sect even secretly accelerated the spreading of information after Jimo Villa was wiped out.
Wang Hanshan was no longer talking.
There were many different powers in the Jianghu, such as training clans, gangs of different sizes and rebellion groups, yet none of them possessed the strength to fight head on against the army. Judging from the size, the army was still the strongest power of them all. Therefore, as one of the two commissioners of Pinglu army, Wang Hanshan had always looked down on trainers.
However, Penglai, which was one of the five greatest Taoist sects, was located in Pinglu, and they were the only Taoist sect that Wang Hanshan did not dare underestimate. If not for the fact that Penglai was organizing this gathering to seek the Immortal's path, Wang Hanshan would not even care to attend.
The Taoist in white robe said slowly, "The world is changing, I'm sure you are already aware of that. Since we've already decided to establish our power in the Jianghu, any other power that doesn't submit to us doesn't need to continue existing. Like Jimo Villa and the Cui family. It's just a matter of time."
Wang Hanshan's heart was gripped tightly by fear. He understood the Taoist's words clearly -- this time he was only supposed to warn Cui Keli and force him to go back. When the gathering to seek the Immortal's path was over, it would be the end for the Cui family as well.
The Taoist had a sip of tea to moisten his throat. When he put down the tea bowl and saw that Wang Hanshan was silent, he smiled and said, "Soon there will be only three prominent families in Qing Prefecture. I'm sure you would want to ensure your family's top position among the three, as well as your own top position in Pinglu army."
He meant that he was giving Wang Hanshan a chance to obtain greater power, if he chose not to cherish this opportunity, it would go to other families.
Wang Hanshan certainly understood what he meant. He also knew that once he agreed to do what Penglai requested of him today, there would be more to come in the future. Both the Wang family and Pinglu army would become sharp swords that could exterminate whoever was standing in Penglai's way.
Would it be worth it?
Wang Hanshan already had his answer for that question.
"I heard that you are a disciple of Militarism as well, General Wang?" said the Taoist in white robe.
"Every solider in the army is a disciple of Militarism!" replied Wang Hanshan solemnly.
The Taoist ignored his reply and continued, "To ordinary people, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and Militarism are the four traditional schools, yet they have no idea how wrong they are!"
Wang Hanshan did not comment.
To define Militarism loosely, anyone in the army could be regarded as a disciple of Militarism. Which general would deny that? After all, it had been commonly acknowledged that one was a disciple of Militarism upon entering the army.
However, if one was to define Militarism strictly, those trainers who observed the training method of Taoist sects and practiced Taoist methods shouldn't be regarded as pure disciples of Militarism... Wang Hanshan shook his head and stopped thinking deeper into this matter. If one was to define Militarism this way, how many pure disciples of Militarism would remain in this world?
There was another fact: Militarism was the school that did not have its own power. There was no sense of unity, hence they technically shouldn't even be listed as one big school.
The value of Militarism only lied in making great contributions through wars and victories. If two disciples of the same master were to meet on the battlefield as enemies, they would only fight for their lords and have no regard for their shared friendship.
To many people, Militarism was just a killing tool.
Even so, as the chaotic era approached, disciples of Militarism would still want to showcase their strength on all battlefields in the world.
"I've said what I wanted to say, it's time for me to leave." The Taoist stood up, glanced at Wang Hanshan, then continued, "Just a reminder, make sure not to underestimate Cui Keli. It seems he is backed by some master."
"You may rest assured and just wait for my good news, sir." said Wang Hanshan as he bid him farewell.
The Taoist in white robe said nothing more and strode right out of the gate.
During the battle in Jimo Villa, there was a master beside Cui Keli who could fight against the Junior Priestess easily. What was more astonishing was that he only showed Level 7 of Qi-refining then, and he was a trainer who was never seen in the Jianghu of Pinglu before!
With Level 7 of Qi-refining, he was already on par with Junior Priestess whose Qi-rifining was at Level 9, wasn't that strange? It was even more puzzling since he seemed to be a nobody!
"Who is that man?"
Apparently, the Penglai sect was alerted by his existence.
"He must be someone significant!"
"We must find out his identity."
"Better yet, root out the power behind him as well."
"The gathering to see the Immortal's path is round the corner, no mistake nor can accident be tolerated."
"What is that man up to? Who is trying to meddle with the Jianghu of Pinglu and disrupt our plan?"
"We must find out the secret power behind him!"
"Also... that fat guy with the peach wood sword on his back piqued my interest as well... That peach wood sword seemed to be ordinary, but it once left a deep impression on Penglai..."
"Why were they together?"
The Wang family would be Penglai's tool to test the waters.
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Thanks to Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhuang's prompt assistance, everyone at the carriage shop was unharmed with the exception of Big Master and the skinny guy, who were already under attack in the first place. To most people, that was only a crisis without much real threat.
Big Master came up to Li Ye and the others to express his gratitude once his condition stabilized. His broken arms would never be normal again, but with the help of the Cultivation Pill, he was able to make a nearly full recovery from his injuries.
Li Ye then asked Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhuang to continue guarding Cui Keli and the carriage gang, continuing the journey towards the east, while he made up some excuses to leave and went in pursuit of those from Wang family.
Li Ye never told them about his plan truthfully, as he still couldn't reveal his true identity and intention before his preparations were finished. Otherwise, his actions would be made known to Penglai sect.
Once Li Ye left the carriage shop, he went after Childe Wang with the hidden marks made by Black Office.
His gesture earlier was meant as a signal to the cultivators of Black Office to start a pursuit of Childe Wang. He purposely let Childe Wang leave so he could lead him to the rest of the Wang family.
After pursuing for more than ten kilometers, Li Ye found Liu Dazheng waiting for him by a section of river which was off the beaten track.
Seeing Li Ye approaching, Liu Dazheng greeted him, "Your Highness!"
"Let's save the courtesy." Li Ye stopped by the river and asked, "Where did they go?"
Like Song Jiao, Liu Dazheng met Li Xian after the conspiracy and didn't cut off ties with Prince An's Manor but followed Li Ye to Pinglu.
Judging from the last twenty years of Li Ye's life, he should've been closer to Liu Dazheng than to Song Jiao. However, Li Ye believed that it was more than pure friendship that had convinced Liu Dazheng, who had already decided to retire from the Jianghu, to follow him wherever he would go.
In fact, Li Ye couldn't figure out why Liu Dazheng followed him here, just like how he couldn't figure out why Song Jiao did the same. In his opinion, Mo Dongli and Zhao Polu, the other two of the four masters in Prince An's Manor who were once the attendants of Li Keyong, had even less reason to leave Li Ye.
"Childe Wang headed towards the Qingshui Villa about five kilometers away from here. After asking the civilians nearby, we learned that the villa was established by Pinglu army, and they have both good reputation and influence in this area." answered Liu Dazheng.
Li Ye nodded and asked again, "Have you accomplished what I asked of you?"
Liu Dazheng nodded solemnly and replied, "The invitations for all cultivators of Pinglu to the Kung Fu Championship in Qing Prefecture have already been written, more than half of the cultivators in the Black Office have also arrived to send out the invitations."
That was Li Ye's plan.
Since the Penglai sect was planning to take the opportunity of holding their gathering to unite the entire Jianghu of Pinglu under their leadership, Li Ye decided to hold a Kung Fu Championship in Qing Prefecture with the same purpose.
The question was, who would listen to him?
Nobody, obviously.
But it was still something that must be done.
So Li Ye forged this plan nonetheless.
After suppressing the Wu family and the Huafuzhu Mountain sect, Li Ye ordered the Black Office to give out the invitations in Qi Prefecture in the hope of bringing all renowned powers there under the control of the Black Office. He had also kept a cavalry of 800 from Wang Manor to help Li Zhen revamp the officialdom in Qi Prefecture.
Li Ye's original plan was to increase his control over Pinglu one prefecture at a time, so by the time the cavalry and the Black Office reached Qing Prefecture, Li Ye would have pretty much secured his control over all of Pinglu.
However, the Penglai sect's plan of holding a gathering was beyond Li Ye's predictions, so things had become much tougher for him now.
Therefore, Li Ye asked Song Jiao to send some cultivators from the Black Office to meet him. He also drafted a plan to send invitations in the name of the Black Office and gather all the cultivators in Pinglu to his Kung Fu Conference in Qing Prefecture.
There were only about a hundred cultivators in the Black Office to date, because training cultivators would cost a lot of money, especially training practitioners of Qi techniques. With all his wealth in Chang'an under Prince An's Manor, Li Ye could only afford to train a little more than one hundred cultivators. Moreover, he had been thinking of all possible ways to earn money in the past four years.
Half of the cultivators from the Black Office, the majority of them being practitioners, had come over. Among the four masters, only Song Jiao and Zhao Polu stayed in Qi Prefecture, while Liu Dazheng and Mo Dongli made their way down as well.
Li Ye surely wouldn't want all the cultivators of Pinglu to go to Penglai Island according to Penglai's plan. He must disrupt the plan somehow, and his way of doing that would be to force all the cultivators to return to Qing Prefecture before they reached Penglai Island.
While it would appear that the Black Office was organizing this Kung Fu Championship, Li Ye was actually the mastermind behind every step. This time, they would work hand-in-hand to start this unstoppable conflict in the Jianghu!
Would that be possible?
Of course.
As of now, only one invitation had been sent out by the Black Office, and that one was sent to the Cui family.
Did the Cui family accept the invitation?
They did.
That was because Li Ye wrote Cui Shulin a letter on his own name.
Now that he understood Cui Shulin well from his stay with the Cui family, he was able to compose the letter appropriately and gain support from Cui Shulin easily. Liu Dazheng and Mo Dongli already visited Cui Shulin together for this matter. In this way, the Kung Fu Championship was easily established in Qing Prefecture with the combined effort of the Black Office and the Cui family.
The stage was ready, and there would always be plenty of audience for this kind of event, so the only thing missing now would be the participants.
Liu Dazheng, Mo Dongli and the Black Office had already caught up with Li Ye the previous day and were able to share information with him in secret.
During this trip to the east, they planned to welcome all their participants back to Qing Prefecture.
For example, Li Ye was about to give out the second invitation now.
And this one was going out to the Wang family.
He made up his mind to put up a rival show with the Penglai sect this time!
...
The Wang family was one of the four prominent families in Pinglu, and one of the two big names in the Pinglu army.
Unlike the Cui family whose status in the Jianghu of Qing Prefecture had long been well-established, the Wang family had only become more reputable in recent decades. Therefore, it was apt to call them a rising clan of generals.
In the Vassal State Army, sergeants would remain in their positions for their entire life. They would not be allowed to quit after only a few years, neither would they be happy to. To them, being in the army was a symbol of power, the day they took off the armor would be the day they lose their power and all benefits that came with it.
Since they were a clan that bred generals, their status would be directly influenced by the position they held in the army, which was then directly influenced by one's level of training. In the army, high qualification was the only convincing voice to make people listen to you, especially in an age free of war.
The current patriarch of the Wang family, Wang Hanshan, was one of the two regional commanders in Pinglu army, as well as one of the two who had reached Level 6 of Qi-refining in the army.
At the moment, Wang Hanshan was meeting a very distinguished guest in Qingshui Villa.
"Meeting" might not be the most accurate word to use, because he had been standing with his body bowed down, as if he was summoned by someone of a higher status.
In front of him sat a Taoist dressed in white robe, he had the aura of an Immortal which suggested that he was from Penglai sect.
"Sir, you would like us, the Wang family, to confront the Cui Family?" asked Wang Hanshan as he frowned. He looked sturdy and robust with a tough look on his face, everyone could tell he was trained in army judging by his unrelenting character.
"I'm not asking you to wipe out the Cui family with your best soldiers, general. I'm simply asking you to make Cui Keli go back." the Taoist in white robe said casually.
"That wouldn't be a problem." said Wang Hanshan after he heaved a sigh of relief.
"Have you heard of what happened in Jimo Villa, general?" asked the Taoist in a tone that was half-casual and half-serious.
Wang Hanshan's expression became a little nervous as he listened. Jimo Villa was relatively well-known in Pinglu, and everyone knew that their master never respected any Taoist sect. That was pretty much the only bad thing about Liu Junlai, since he always showed great manners towards others and had been respected by many as a heroic figure. In the past few days, all the trainers in Pinglu were travelling east, hence news that Jimo Villa was exterminated over night had spread very quickly.
"I heard the deed was done by the Junior Priestess of the Immortal's sect, but I wonder if it was true?" probed Wang Hanshan.
"Penglai sect never fails to accomplish what we set out to do." replied the Taoist as he looked at Wang Hanshan with a meaningful smile on his face.
That was his way of acknowledging their own doing.
Of course he would acknowledge that, since that was why the Junior Priestess was sent out.
In their plan of uniting the Jianghu of Pinglu, only those obeying them can survive, and the rest would be exterminated without mercy! Penglai sect had just showed all trainers the consequence of going against their will!
At this crucial juncture, they have to showcase both their strength and attitude.
Perhaps the Penglai sect even secretly accelerated the spreading of information after Jimo Villa was wiped out.
Wang Hanshan was no longer talking.
There were many different powers in the Jianghu, such as training clans, gangs of different sizes and rebellion groups, yet none of them possessed the strength to fight head on against the army. Judging from the size, the army was still the strongest power of them all. Therefore, as one of the two commissioners of Pinglu army, Wang Hanshan had always looked down on trainers.
However, Penglai, which was one of the five greatest Taoist sects, was located in Pinglu, and they were the only Taoist sect that Wang Hanshan did not dare underestimate. If not for the fact that Penglai was organizing this gathering to seek the Immortal's path, Wang Hanshan would not even care to attend.
The Taoist in white robe said slowly, "The world is changing, I'm sure you are already aware of that. Since we've already decided to establish our power in the Jianghu, any other power that doesn't submit to us doesn't need to continue existing. Like Jimo Villa and the Cui family. It's just a matter of time."
Wang Hanshan's heart was gripped tightly by fear. He understood the Taoist's words clearly -- this time he was only supposed to warn Cui Keli and force him to go back. When the gathering to seek the Immortal's path was over, it would be the end for the Cui family as well.
The Taoist had a sip of tea to moisten his throat. When he put down the tea bowl and saw that Wang Hanshan was silent, he smiled and said, "Soon there will be only three prominent families in Qing Prefecture. I'm sure you would want to ensure your family's top position among the three, as well as your own top position in Pinglu army."
He meant that he was giving Wang Hanshan a chance to obtain greater power, if he chose not to cherish this opportunity, it would go to other families.
Wang Hanshan certainly understood what he meant. He also knew that once he agreed to do what Penglai requested of him today, there would be more to come in the future. Both the Wang family and Pinglu army would become sharp swords that could exterminate whoever was standing in Penglai's way.
Would it be worth it?
Wang Hanshan already had his answer for that question.
"I heard that you are a disciple of Militarism as well, General Wang?" said the Taoist in white robe.
"Every solider in the army is a disciple of Militarism!" replied Wang Hanshan solemnly.
The Taoist ignored his reply and continued, "To ordinary people, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and Militarism are the four traditional schools, yet they have no idea how wrong they are!"
Wang Hanshan did not comment.
To define Militarism loosely, anyone in the army could be regarded as a disciple of Militarism. Which general would deny that? After all, it had been commonly acknowledged that one was a disciple of Militarism upon entering the army.
However, if one was to define Militarism strictly, those trainers who observed the training method of Taoist sects and practiced Taoist methods shouldn't be regarded as pure disciples of Militarism... Wang Hanshan shook his head and stopped thinking deeper into this matter. If one was to define Militarism this way, how many pure disciples of Militarism would remain in this world?
There was another fact: Militarism was the school that did not have its own power. There was no sense of unity, hence they technically shouldn't even be listed as one big school.
The value of Militarism only lied in making great contributions through wars and victories. If two disciples of the same master were to meet on the battlefield as enemies, they would only fight for their lords and have no regard for their shared friendship.
To many people, Militarism was just a killing tool.
Even so, as the chaotic era approached, disciples of Militarism would still want to showcase their strength on all battlefields in the world.
"I've said what I wanted to say, it's time for me to leave." The Taoist stood up, glanced at Wang Hanshan, then continued, "Just a reminder, make sure not to underestimate Cui Keli. It seems he is backed by some master."
"You may rest assured and just wait for my good news, sir." said Wang Hanshan as he bid him farewell.
The Taoist in white robe said nothing more and strode right out of the gate.
During the battle in Jimo Villa, there was a master beside Cui Keli who could fight against the Junior Priestess easily. What was more astonishing was that he only showed Level 7 of Qi-refining then, and he was a trainer who was never seen in the Jianghu of Pinglu before!
With Level 7 of Qi-refining, he was already on par with Junior Priestess whose Qi-rifining was at Level 9, wasn't that strange? It was even more puzzling since he seemed to be a nobody!
"Who is that man?"
Apparently, the Penglai sect was alerted by his existence.
"He must be someone significant!"
"We must find out his identity."
"Better yet, root out the power behind him as well."
"The gathering to see the Immortal's path is round the corner, no mistake nor can accident be tolerated."
"What is that man up to? Who is trying to meddle with the Jianghu of Pinglu and disrupt our plan?"
"We must find out the secret power behind him!"
"Also... that fat guy with the peach wood sword on his back piqued my interest as well... That peach wood sword seemed to be ordinary, but it once left a deep impression on Penglai..."
"Why were they together?"
The Wang family would be Penglai's tool to test the waters.
Thanks to Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhuang's prompt assistance, everyone at the carriage shop was unharmed with the exception of Big Master and the skinny guy, who were already under attack in the first place. To most people, that was only a crisis without much real threat.Big Master came up to Li Ye and the others to express his gratitude once his condition stabilized. His broken arms would never be normal again, but with the help of the Cultivation Pill, he was able to make a nearly full recovery from his injuries.Li Ye then asked Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhuang to continue guarding Cui Keli and the carriage gang, continuing the journey towards the east, while he made up some excuses to leave and went in pursuit of those from Wang family.Li Ye never told them about his plan truthfully, as he still couldn't reveal his true identity and intention before his preparations were finished. Otherwise, his actions would be made known to Penglai sect.Once Li Ye left the carriage shop, he went after Childe Wang with the hidden marks made by Black Office.His gesture earlier was meant as a signal to the cultivators of Black Office to start a pursuit of Childe Wang. He purposely let Childe Wang leave so he could lead him to the rest of the Wang family.After pursuing for more than ten kilometers, Li Ye found Liu Dazheng waiting for him by a section of river which was off the beaten track.Seeing Li Ye approaching, Liu Dazheng greeted him, "Your Highness!""Let's save the courtesy." Li Ye stopped by the river and asked, "Where did they go?"Like Song Jiao, Liu Dazheng met Li Xian after the conspiracy and didn't cut off ties with Prince An's Manor but followed Li Ye to Pinglu.Judging from the last twenty years of Li Ye's life, he should've been closer to Liu Dazheng than to Song Jiao. However, Li Ye believed that it was more than pure friendship that had convinced Liu Dazheng, who had already decided to retire from the Jianghu, to follow him wherever he would go.In fact, Li Ye couldn't figure out why Liu Dazheng followed him here, just like how he couldn't figure out why Song Jiao did the same. In his opinion, Mo Dongli and Zhao Polu, the other two of the four masters in Prince An's Manor who were once the attendants of Li Keyong, had even less reason to leave Li Ye."Childe Wang headed towards the Qingshui Villa about five kilometers away from here. After asking the civilians nearby, we learned that the villa was established by Pinglu army, and they have both good reputation and influence in this area." answered Liu Dazheng.Li Ye nodded and asked again, "Have you accomplished what I asked of you?"Liu Dazheng nodded solemnly and replied, "The invitations for all cultivators of Pinglu to the Kung Fu Championship in Qing Prefecture have already been written, more than half of the cultivators in the Black Office have also arrived to send out the invitations."That was Li Ye's plan.Since the Penglai sect was planning to take the opportunity of holding their gathering to unite the entire Jianghu of Pinglu under their leadership, Li Ye decided to hold a Kung Fu Championship in Qing Prefecture with the same purpose.The question was, who would listen to him?Nobody, obviously.But it was still something that must be done.So Li Ye forged this plan nonetheless.After suppressing the Wu family and the Huafuzhu Mountain sect, Li Ye ordered the Black Office to give out the invitations in Qi Prefecture in the hope of bringing all renowned powers there under the control of the Black Office. He had also kept a cavalry of 800 from Wang Manor to help Li Zhen revamp the officialdom in Qi Prefecture.Li Ye's original plan was to increase his control over Pinglu one prefecture at a time, so by the time the cavalry and the Black Office reached Qing Prefecture, Li Ye would have pretty much secured his control over all of Pinglu.However, the Penglai sect's plan of holding a gathering was beyond Li Ye's predictions, so things had become much tougher for him now.Therefore, Li Ye asked Song Jiao to send some cultivators from the Black Office to meet him. He also drafted a plan to send invitations in the name of the Black Office and gather all the cultivators in Pinglu to his Kung Fu Conference in Qing Prefecture.There were only about a hundred cultivators in the Black Office to date, because training cultivators would cost a lot of money, especially training practitioners of Qi techniques. With all his wealth in Chang'an under Prince An's Manor, Li Ye could only afford to train a little more than one hundred cultivators. Moreover, he had been thinking of all possible ways to earn money in the past four years.Half of the cultivators from the Black Office, the majority of them being practitioners, had come over. Among the four masters, only Song Jiao and Zhao Polu stayed in Qi Prefecture, while Liu Dazheng and Mo Dongli made their way down as well.Li Ye surely wouldn't want all the cultivators of Pinglu to go to Penglai Island according to Penglai's plan. He must disrupt the plan somehow, and his way of doing that would be to force all the cultivators to return to Qing Prefecture before they reached Penglai Island.While it would appear that the Black Office was organizing this Kung Fu Championship, Li Ye was actually the mastermind behind every step. This time, they would work hand-in-hand to start this unstoppable conflict in the Jianghu!Would that be possible?Of course.As of now, only one invitation had been sent out by the Black Office, and that one was sent to the Cui family.Did the Cui family accept the invitation?They did.That was because Li Ye wrote Cui Shulin a letter on his own name.Now that he understood Cui Shulin well from his stay with the Cui family, he was able to compose the letter appropriately and gain support from Cui Shulin easily. Liu Dazheng and Mo Dongli already visited Cui Shulin together for this matter. In this way, the Kung Fu Championship was easily established in Qing Prefecture with the combined effort of the Black Office and the Cui family.The stage was ready, and there would always be plenty of audience for this kind of event, so the only thing missing now would be the participants.Liu Dazheng, Mo Dongli and the Black Office had already caught up with Li Ye the previous day and were able to share information with him in secret.During this trip to the east, they planned to welcome all their participants back to Qing Prefecture.For example, Li Ye was about to give out the second invitation now.And this one was going out to the Wang family.He made up his mind to put up a rival show with the Penglai sect this time!...The Wang family was one of the four prominent families in Pinglu, and one of the two big names in the Pinglu army.Unlike the Cui family whose status in the Jianghu of Qing Prefecture had long been well-established, the Wang family had only become more reputable in recent decades. Therefore, it was apt to call them a rising clan of generals.In the Vassal State Army, sergeants would remain in their positions for their entire life. They would not be allowed to quit after only a few years, neither would they be happy to. To them, being in the army was a symbol of power, the day they took off the armor would be the day they lose their power and all benefits that came with it.Since they were a clan that bred generals, their status would be directly influenced by the position they held in the army, which was then directly influenced by one's level of training. In the army, high qualification was the only convincing voice to make people listen to you, especially in an age free of war.The current patriarch of the Wang family, Wang Hanshan, was one of the two regional commanders in Pinglu army, as well as one of the two who had reached Level 6 of Qi-refining in the army.At the moment, Wang Hanshan was meeting a very distinguished guest in Qingshui Villa."Meeting" might not be the most accurate word to use, because he had been standing with his body bowed down, as if he was summoned by someone of a higher status.In front of him sat a Taoist dressed in white robe, he had the aura of an Immortal which suggested that he was from Penglai sect."Sir, you would like us, the Wang family, to confront the Cui Family?" asked Wang Hanshan as he frowned. He looked sturdy and robust with a tough look on his face, everyone could tell he was trained in army judging by his unrelenting character."I'm not asking you to wipe out the Cui family with your best soldiers, general. I'm simply asking you to make Cui Keli go back." the Taoist in white robe said casually."That wouldn't be a problem." said Wang Hanshan after he heaved a sigh of relief."Have you heard of what happened in Jimo Villa, general?" asked the Taoist in a tone that was half-casual and half-serious.Wang Hanshan's expression became a little nervous as he listened. Jimo Villa was relatively well-known in Pinglu, and everyone knew that their master never respected any Taoist sect. That was pretty much the only bad thing about Liu Junlai, since he always showed great manners towards others and had been respected by many as a heroic figure. In the past few days, all the trainers in Pinglu were travelling east, hence news that Jimo Villa was exterminated over night had spread very quickly."I heard the deed was done by the Junior Priestess of the Immortal's sect, but I wonder if it was true?" probed Wang Hanshan."Penglai sect never fails to accomplish what we set out to do." replied the Taoist as he looked at Wang Hanshan with a meaningful smile on his face.That was his way of acknowledging their own doing.Of course he would acknowledge that, since that was why the Junior Priestess was sent out.In their plan of uniting the Jianghu of Pinglu, only those obeying them can survive, and the rest would be exterminated without mercy! Penglai sect had just showed all trainers the consequence of going against their will!At this crucial juncture, they have to showcase both their strength and attitude.Perhaps the Penglai sect even secretly accelerated the spreading of information after Jimo Villa was wiped out.Wang Hanshan was no longer talking.There were many different powers in the Jianghu, such as training clans, gangs of different sizes and rebellion groups, yet none of them possessed the strength to fight head on against the army. Judging from the size, the army was still the strongest power of them all. Therefore, as one of the two commissioners of Pinglu army, Wang Hanshan had always looked down on trainers.However, Penglai, which was one of the five greatest Taoist sects, was located in Pinglu, and they were the only Taoist sect that Wang Hanshan did not dare underestimate. If not for the fact that Penglai was organizing this gathering to seek the Immortal's path, Wang Hanshan would not even care to attend.The Taoist in white robe said slowly, "The world is changing, I'm sure you are already aware of that. Since we've already decided to establish our power in the Jianghu, any other power that doesn't submit to us doesn't need to continue existing. Like Jimo Villa and the Cui family. It's just a matter of time."Wang Hanshan's heart was gripped tightly by fear. He understood the Taoist's words clearly -- this time he was only supposed to warn Cui Keli and force him to go back. When the gathering to seek the Immortal's path was over, it would be the end for the Cui family as well.The Taoist had a sip of tea to moisten his throat. When he put down the tea bowl and saw that Wang Hanshan was silent, he smiled and said, "Soon there will be only three prominent families in Qing Prefecture. I'm sure you would want to ensure your family's top position among the three, as well as your own top position in Pinglu army."He meant that he was giving Wang Hanshan a chance to obtain greater power, if he chose not to cherish this opportunity, it would go to other families.Wang Hanshan certainly understood what he meant. He also knew that once he agreed to do what Penglai requested of him today, there would be more to come in the future. Both the Wang family and Pinglu army would become sharp swords that could exterminate whoever was standing in Penglai's way.Would it be worth it?Wang Hanshan already had his answer for that question."I heard that you are a disciple of Militarism as well, General Wang?" said the Taoist in white robe."Every solider in the army is a disciple of Militarism!" replied Wang Hanshan solemnly.The Taoist ignored his reply and continued, "To ordinary people, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and Militarism are the four traditional schools, yet they have no idea how wrong they are!"Wang Hanshan did not comment.To define Militarism loosely, anyone in the army could be regarded as a disciple of Militarism. Which general would deny that? After all, it had been commonly acknowledged that one was a disciple of Militarism upon entering the army.However, if one was to define Militarism strictly, those trainers who observed the training method of Taoist sects and practiced Taoist methods shouldn't be regarded as pure disciples of Militarism... Wang Hanshan shook his head and stopped thinking deeper into this matter. If one was to define Militarism this way, how many pure disciples of Militarism would remain in this world?There was another fact: Militarism was the school that did not have its own power. There was no sense of unity, hence they technically shouldn't even be listed as one big school.The value of Militarism only lied in making great contributions through wars and victories. If two disciples of the same master were to meet on the battlefield as enemies, they would only fight for their lords and have no regard for their shared friendship.To many people, Militarism was just a killing tool.Even so, as the chaotic era approached, disciples of Militarism would still want to showcase their strength on all battlefields in the world."I've said what I wanted to say, it's time for me to leave." The Taoist stood up, glanced at Wang Hanshan, then continued, "Just a reminder, make sure not to underestimate Cui Keli. It seems he is backed by some master.""You may rest assured and just wait for my good news, sir." said Wang Hanshan as he bid him farewell.The Taoist in white robe said nothing more and strode right out of the gate.During the battle in Jimo Villa, there was a master beside Cui Keli who could fight against the Junior Priestess easily. What was more astonishing was that he only showed Level 7 of Qi-refining then, and he was a trainer who was never seen in the Jianghu of Pinglu before!With Level 7 of Qi-refining, he was already on par with Junior Priestess whose Qi-rifining was at Level 9, wasn't that strange? It was even more puzzling since he seemed to be a nobody!"Who is that man?"Apparently, the Penglai sect was alerted by his existence."He must be someone significant!""We must find out his identity.""Better yet, root out the power behind him as well.""The gathering to see the Immortal's path is round the corner, no mistake nor can accident be tolerated.""What is that man up to? Who is trying to meddle with the Jianghu of Pinglu and disrupt our plan?""We must find out the secret power behind him!""Also... that fat guy with the peach wood sword on his back piqued my interest as well... That peach wood sword seemed to be ordinary, but it once left a deep impression on Penglai...""Why were they together?"The Wang family would be Penglai's tool to test the waters.
