Chapter 227: Chapter 116: The Mutating Chessboard

Qianmu Mountain.

Yu Cheng Taoist’s small courtyard was as quiet as ever. Tianshan Daoist had dealt with the Iron-Eating Insects at the Mountain Peak Dojo and left in a hurry. Elder Wu hadn’t lingered either. In the small courtyard, besides Yu Cheng Taoist, there was also Xingshan, who was supposed to be in seclusion.

"Six days ago, Emperor Jianwu issued an edict appointing our Wang Family’s current Patriarch, Wang Wen Yi, as the General of the Eastern Expedition, with the rank of Minister of Political Affairs. But that very night, he was attacked. Fortunately, the Imperial Family was prepared. The assassins were all taken down, but none were taken alive, and they had no memories..."

After Wang Ping arrived, at a nod from Yu Cheng Taoist, Xingshan quickly said, "The letter mentioned that when the assassins were surrounded, they used some unknown Secret Technique. A pillar of white light fell from the sky, trapping the three of them inside. Then, their bodies evaporated into thin air, just like water."

"For something this big, there must be clues, right?" Wang Ping glanced at Yu Cheng Taoist. ’The Saints Dan Chen mentioned,’ he thought.

Xingshan quickly replied, "There are none. The pillar of light cleaned everything up. Not even a Third Realm Great Cultivator could analyze that light pillar."

"But the pillar of light is a clue in itself!" Wang Ping said softly.

Yu Cheng Taoist spoke up. "From the rise of the Human Dao, to the establishment of the Five Sects of Xuanmen and the two sects of Tianmen, and the later, destined emergence of the Daoist Scripture Hall, our path of cultivation has evolved. It has gone from the initial fusion with Spirit Veins to the current era where a hundred schools of thought flourish. There are now very few forms of Magic or Cultivation Systems that we cannot identify."

Wang Ping silently sat down opposite Yu Cheng Taoist. He looked at Xingshan and asked, "Junior Brother, is there anything else?"

"Nothing else!"

"Then you may go. From now on, just focus on your seclusion. The world situation won’t fall into chaos anytime soon." Wang Ping said with a hint of seriousness, "Do you understand what I mean by that?"

"Yes, Senior Brother. I understand." Xingshan cupped his fists in salute and obediently exited the small courtyard.

Yu Cheng watched Xingshan leave the courtyard. While lighting a nearby stove, he said, "The great tide is rolling in, and everyone has their own agenda. We use time to scheme against others, and others can use time to scheme against us. The Wang Family slipping from our control was something I expected. It was inevitable. But..."

He looked at the lit stove fire and chuckled mockingly, "But under this great tide, choices are inevitable. And with choice comes hesitation. As long as we present them with a second path, the rest will depend on timing and the human element."

Wang Ping picked up the kettle, filled it with water from the nearby cistern, and placed it on the stove. Just then, Yu Lian flew up from Wang Ping’s body, releasing Water Spirit Qi to scan the area for spiritual fluctuations. After confirming everything was clear, she landed next to Wang Ping, perching primly on the stool.

"There’s something I haven’t had a chance to tell you, Master..." Wang Ping then told Yu Cheng Taoist about the letter from Dan Chen.

Yu Cheng Taoist stood up halfway through the story. He walked to the courtyard entrance and stared at the old locust tree outside, lost in thought. Only after Wang Ping had finished explaining everything, including his own speculations, did Yu Cheng return to his seat.

The water had boiled by now. Yu Cheng Taoist unhurriedly brewed the tea, took out three cups, and filled them. After downing a cup, he said softly, "I have never heard of what you speak. My master once said that Saints might exist, but only in the past or the future, never in the present."

Wang Ping pondered this statement, but his confusion only deepened.

"A Saint’s wisdom and thoughts are not like ours..." Yu Cheng Taoist paused, placing his teacup on the stone table. After a long silence, he looked up at Wang Ping. "Have you ever seen the toys children make from mud by the river? Perhaps in the eyes of a Saint, we are nothing more than those mud toys."

Yu Cheng Taoist didn’t seem to hold the two Saints in high regard. After describing his own understanding of them, he stared at the flames leaping in the stove and added, "Of course, this is just my personal opinion. Everyone has a different understanding of the two Saints."

Wang Ping didn’t want to dwell on the matter of Saints. Instead, he said very seriously, "They act without logic or purpose, solely to please the Saints they speak of. I’m afraid this will cause some things to spiral out of control..."

"You and I have never been able to control the affairs of the world. It’s not our place to worry about this. We only need to watch from the shadows. Who knows, we might even get to be the oriole behind the mantis."

Yu Cheng Taoist stroked his beard lightly.

Wang Ping said cautiously, "But with just the two of us, I’m afraid we’ll end up as the snipe and the clam..."

"Mm, that’s also true..."

Yu Cheng Taoist’s words trailed off. He then simply savored his tea.

Wang Ping felt as if he were staring at a tangled mess of threads. He tried to find the right path among them, but when he looked closely, he found many of the threads were blurry and indistinct. And so, after a moment’s consideration, he asked, "Can I still go to Lishui Prefecture?"

Before Yu Cheng Taoist could answer, he continued, "This trip is still necessary. Besides, the formal notice of my visit has already been sent. My original plan was to go to Fellow Daoist Xia Yao’s place and wait until the Imperial Family publicizes the matter of Second Senior Brother, then travel from there to Shangjing City."

"A good move,"

Yu Cheng Taoist praised.

Wang Ping met his master’s gaze and asked, "Then, what do you plan to do about Li Yan, Master?"

"I’ve already waited so many years; I don’t mind waiting a little longer. Now that there’s news of him, I believe that sooner or later, I will drag him out from whatever dark corner he’s hiding in."

...

「Mountain Peak Dojo.」

In front of a locust tree in the garden, Wang Ping sat quietly on a cattail mat, holding a specially made bamboo slip that recorded recent major events.

"Master’s emotions were running high after you mentioned Li Yan. He seems like he can’t wait," Yu Lian reminded him.

"I noticed."

Wang Ping put away the bamboo slip, rose, and looked toward the training grounds. Watching Shen Xiaozhu and Wang Yang, he couldn’t help but think back to his own early days of cultivation.

"When are we leaving for Lishui Prefecture?" Yu Lian asked.

"Anytime."

As Wang Ping spoke, he felt a trace of mental fatigue, so he sat back down in the core of the array to enter a meditative state. He used his divine soul to merge the Luck-Borrowing Talisman and the Spirit Communication Talisman within his body.

When he finished his cultivation, his turbulent emotions had calmed. He opened his eyes and looked toward the garden gate.

Yang Hou, the Inner Courtyard Director, was waiting outside the gate for an audience.

"A Steward from the Jimin Association, last name Liu, has come to see you." Upon seeing Wang Ping, Yang Hou went straight to the point.

Wang Ping paused for a moment. Information about the Jimin Association surfaced in his mind: it was a Loose Cultivator organization registered with the Daoist Scripture Hall. Their members were spread throughout Zhongzhou, and they held many of the six seats in the Daoist Scripture Hall.

Yang Hou paused after speaking, then continued, "He says he comes with a message from Dan Chen Daoist."