Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1032: Song

Simin County.

The night was so dark that there was even a hint of whiteness on the horizon. The moonlight was dim, but the stars were bright, waiting for the rising sun.

The palace was tightly closed, with yellow brocade railings, dark blue locks, and dim light. Soldiers in dark blue armor stood quietly in front of the steps. The entire palace seemed extremely silent, with only the occasional cry of a crane or two echoing between the beams.

Occasionally, a gentle breeze blew, blowing the hanging yellow brocade. The plaque on the hall had a black background and golden writing, shining a bright yellow light in the night.

【Fengwu Hall】.

In the sky, hundreds of white cranes were circling around the hall in unison, their wings covering the sky. From time to time, one or two would float down and land on the eaves of the palace or on the sides of the steps, folding their feathers and legs, as if they were pretending to take a nap.

The front of this hall was lined with brocade that looked like long snakes, and there were paths with patterns of water and fire snakes on all four sides. The huge dark red square had a lamp stand every ten steps, and was filled with kneeling monks in uniform, with their heads bowed to the ground, not moving at all.

After walking a hundred feet, they saw the Ninth Step. Below the Danbi was still a wide platform, filled with men and women of different ages, wearing dark blue clothes, kneeling there. Their yin and yang were opposite, and their positions matched, one by one with those on the steps. They were all descendants of the bloodline.

Even though there were tens of thousands of monks kneeling inside, the entire palace was still extremely silent. As the light gradually climbed up the hall, it illuminated the two people standing next to the hall at the highest point.

The man stood with his chest puffed out and his eyebrows raised, looking serious. He was wearing a green robe, with an unopened scroll hanging on one side of his waist and a golden talisman on the other. He held a sword in his hand.

The woman standing opposite him was only dressed in white, holding a wooden box with dark blue patterns in her arms. She looked calm and peaceful, but there seemed to be something locked in the wooden box. It trembled strangely from time to time, and water and fire gushed out, but they could only slide down the woman's white arms without causing any harm.

Nine more steps up, there was a man standing beside the hall. He had a slender figure, golden eyes, and was quite handsome. He wore a white inner garment, a twill silk shirt under it, and a black shirt with a straight collar and white patterns on the outside. There were crane feathers on his shoulders, which made him look particularly tall and straight.

It was Li Jiangliang.

His expression was solemn and dignified. He waited until the stars shone together and gradually dimmed. Finally, he could not wait any longer and bowed on the steps, saying respectfully:
"May Your Majesty take the throne, ride on the changes of water and fire, control the march of the intertwined serpents, face south, and all the people in the world will be grateful."

The man waited in front of the steps for a while. An eunuch listened from the side of the hall and respectfully delivered the order:
"Master Li, please."

Li Jiangliang's expression changed slightly. He bowed and entered from the side hall.

There are eighteen steps leading into the side hall, each step is bright red. A waterfall-like purple air stream flows down from the steps, bringing a mysterious feeling that is refreshing and pleasant.

After going up eighteen steps, I finally saw a side door with a dark blue base and golden patterns. I pushed the door open and entered. The strong smell of sandalwood hit my nose. The palace was filled with smoke and I could only see a few white shadows standing in the sandalwood mist.

It turned out to be several naked, hairless women with round faces and fair skin, some holding green and gold robes, some holding green and black ribbons, some squatting, some standing, in different postures. They were motionless, like statues.

These women were lined up in rows, of different heights. Behind the main seat was a fairy throne with carved dragons and painted phoenixes, and on both sides were painted two dragon beasts, whose bodies were long and stretched out like two giant pythons.

A young man stood next to him, wearing a simple white robe, with long hair loose, and his back to him.

Li Jiangliang did not dare to raise his eyebrows, but took a step back, knelt down in front of the door, and bowed:
"Your Majesty is benevolent and gracious, and your light shines upon me. I, a mortal, dare not ascend the Fengwuxian Palace. I can only kneel before the steps and listen to the immortal's command."

His slightly trembling voice echoed in the hall, and he heard a voice as clear as ice coming from above:
"Enter the palace."

Li Jiangliang had to get up and step over the threshold. Then he stepped in. He felt a crisp feeling on the soles of his feet and heard a clear breaking sound. Under the white air was a lot of condensed brine, mixed with frost and snow, forming a crystal clear scene.

Li Jiangliang stopped looking frightened and walked slowly to ten steps in front of him. He stopped right in front of the women who looked like objects and bowed.
"The minister is here."

Only then did he see the man above turn around and walk down the stairs. There was a purple cloud and white frost condensing. The face with short black eyes and handsome eyebrows was looking at him steadily.

"You come."

Li Jiangliang apologized and immediately took the dark blue inner robe from the woman's hand and put it on him. Yang Xu stared at him quietly and said:

"Back then, I was helping those two small cultivators to get back their embezzled food. I happened to see you traveling south, and that's how we became friends... Thinking back to it now, it's still very clear in my mind."

He smiled slightly, raised his eyebrows and said:
"Have you ever thought about... there is some calculation involved."

When this matter was mentioned, Li Jiangliang lowered his eyes and replied:
"Your Majesty... Jiangliang did not see any conspiracy, but it was his lifelong wish to have a place to rely on, not buried in the clan's mediocrity, and have the power to save the people. This is enough..."

"Save the people..."

Yang Xu stared at him quietly, his lips moved, but he didn't speak, restrained his expression, and replied:
"You have been friends with me since childhood, you are my sister's husband, and you are more respected than all the other ministers. You should have a share of the credit today."

Li Jiangliang was not worthy of the honor, and bowed respectfully:
"Your Majesty is the supreme ruler of the world, and you have been given the mandate by heaven. Your destiny is fixed, and I cannot claim credit for it. I can only serve you and obey your orders."

Yang Xu still stared at him:

"That's not true. If it weren't for you, the Song Dynasty would have fewer people and more people who just sit there and do nothing. Although I can't become a golden elixir, I have infinite power. You deserve some credit."

"Depending on the emperor's grace."

Yang Xuan turned his eyes and said casually:

"Among all the kings, the King of Wei is the most noble. He competes for the fortune of the north and south and controls the various clans on the left side of the Huai River. His heirs must be rewarded. Which envoy should be sent to confer the title of king today?"

Li Jiangliang only held up a white silk shirt with a black collar and a blue edge, put it on him, and replied:

"I dare not answer this question to avoid suspicion."

Yang Xuan glanced at him and said:
"If you go, it will be embarrassing, so let Master Ning go."

Li Jiangliang obeyed his orders and put on more imperial robes for him. He listened to the words of this invaluable adult who was the reincarnation of the true Qi:
"The Lixia area is in great danger. I have issued an order not to kill anyone. All the cultivators have followed my orders. Only you advised me not to let the remnants of the evil flow into the county. It will be clear who is loyal and who is treacherous."

Li Jiangliang hesitated for a moment, and instead of taking off a ribbon, he knelt on the ground and whispered:
"I am ignorant and do not understand... Since Your Majesty has the power of purification, why don't you use your divine power to free yourself from the evil power of the Golden Lotus, but instead allow them to enter the county... I am afraid that in the future, a cult will rise again in Lixia, and peace will not be restored for a hundred years."

Yang Xu stared at him quietly and replied:

"The place where the evil power of the Golden Lotus resides, once it is changed, it is changed. It is equivalent to having them read the scriptures for so many years. Even if the great desires have receded, they are still bewitched. If a person sees ghosts, even if I make the ghosts retreat, I still cannot let him recover the mindset of not having seen ghosts, unless I move their souls."

"Now, if there is only spontaneous piety in one's heart and others are willing to believe in Buddhism, and you can use magic to change them, then they will be no different from Buddhist practitioners."

"To change the world with one's own heart is the orthodoxy of the Emperor of Wei and the country, not the way of Tianwu. When the Great Desire was rampant, the people of Lixia had no freedom to disbelieve. Now that I am in power, they have the freedom to disbelieve in me. Since the Great Desire has gone, I want them to make their own choice."

Li Jiangliang could only lower his brows and replied:

"I am reckless."

He knelt on the ground, holding up the black-patterned white jade boots. As Yang Xu raised his foot, he said:

"The new dynasty has been established. Your father is in the north, but Jiaozhi cannot be lost. We must appoint a governor. Since Liu Bai is a purple manor and has the military token of Chu, you should go to Jiaozhi and let him guard it."

"As for the name of the mansion."

He paused, and Li Jiangliang said respectfully:

"We have discussed that Jiaozhi overlooks Shitang and has the responsibility to pacify the sea. The Song Dynasty can be called [pacifying the sea]."

These words made Yang Xu's pupils slightly dilated, and he frowned and said:
"You are ignorant... The word [Jing] is not good, it offends the taboo of the venerable. Let's use [Jing] instead. Calm it with tranquility, and it will be stable and peaceful forever. Let's call it [Jinghai Duhufu]."

"Yes!"

Li Jiangliang did not dare to ask which venerable taboo he had offended, and quickly answered, kneeling firmly, holding up the crown with a round front and a square back, and five colors and twelve tassels, and lowering his head very low.

Naturally, he had no right to wear the imperial crown for Yang Xuan.

But the soon-to-be-appointed Emperor Song held the crown in silence, staring at it, and said coldly:
"The Emperor's Mandate... originated from the Wei Dynasty. The Emperor's crown was also modeled after the Wei Dynasty. It was round in front and square in the back, to represent the pivot of the heaven and earth's yang. It had five colors and twelve tassels, to represent the five virtues and twelve qi. The Qi and Liang dynasties copied what others had said, one was 'Xiqi' and the other was 'Suiqi'. It was just one of the twelve tassels, but they also wore this Emperor's crown."

"Now that the True Qi has attained the Dao, what is the meaning of learning the Wei system?"

Li Jiangliang felt a chill in his heart.

This imperial ceremony was not something that Li Jiangliang did on his own. It was a one-to-one correspondence with Yang Tianyou, and could be traced all the way back to Yang Ruiyi... Yang Xu might not be asking this question to him!

But even if the question was not directed at him, he would still answer, and said respectfully:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Emperor is above worldly affairs and rules with his hands folded. Although Ning worships Wei Shuo, he was established by all the families and adopted the five-colored twelve-tassels. Today, Zhenqi has been re-established and the old system should be followed."

"Emperor."

Yang Xuan raised his eyebrows and said:
"People who cultivate immortality like the word [True]. They take the creation of heaven and earth and regard this as the truth. Tianwu became the Emperor, but he was not the Emperor because he became the True Emperor. Therefore, he is often called the True Lord. Isn't the Emperor's Mandate redundant?"

Li Jiangliang began to sweat and said respectfully:

"For the peace of the world!"

"Hahahahaha!"

After Yang Xu put on the imperial crown, Li Jiangliang knelt beside him, feeling the thick clouds floating away from his side. He knew that it was the Emperor of Song who was steadily descending from the white mist.

Emperor Song stopped in front of the palace gate, put one hand on the palace gate, and said calmly:
"You call him the Emperor, but you don't know that he seeks truth instead of the Emperor. The so-called rectification of nature and stopping lust is the work of the predecessors. His benevolence is infinite, but I don't know to whom he is benevolent. In short, it is not for the common people. If the common people are more important than seeking truth, how can they go to the outside world?"

Li Jiangliang didn't know how to answer him. He just watched him walk out of the hall. Outside the hall, the cheers were deafening, the water and fire were turbulent, the sky was green and blue, and countless mysterious lights were filling the air.

Long, colorful snakes fell from the sky and climbed up the white steps. The purple air in front of Li Jiangliang became thicker and thicker, and he could only feel the cold and sticky snakes climbing around his arms and passing by him one after another.

Surprisingly, there was no joy in his heart, but rather endless confusion, and even a strange sense of surprise.

When he was escorting the convoy southward, the hero who drank and talked with him... was he really the Emperor of Song?
"If pacifying the Kingdom of Yue and establishing a new dynasty was not what you wanted, how could such a grand situation have come about? How could Yang Xu say such a thing back then... Your Majesty... What exactly do you want to do?"

Outside, the sounds of bells and tripods rang out, and officials were singing ceremonies, as if they were performing an awarding ceremony. Li Jiangliang could vaguely hear it. He just knelt in the hall and found that the white mist on both sides had quickly dissipated, but the female bodies were still condensed in the hall.

These bodies had long since solidified like jade and turned into spotless stone, yet they were white with a hint of pink, emitting a faint peach fragrance, and their eyes were lively, as if each one was ready to move at any time.

He stood up slightly, with his head lowered all the time towards the emperor, walked out naturally from the side, and knelt outside the hall.

"Boom!"

A mysterious bell sounded suddenly, and as all the officials kowtowed, thousands of white cranes descended from the sky, spread their wings and flew over the countless monks kneeling on the ground, and landed on the next-level platform, among the tens of thousands of male and female descendants.

These white cranes were huge in size, bringing with them rolling winds, tumbling water and fire, but the man and woman kneeling on the ground were unaware of them. They just let the white cranes land one by one on the lampposts nearby.

"Boom!"

They kowtowed once more, and the huge white cranes that had landed among the crowd stood up on one leg. Their broad wings opened with the sound of bells and tripods, covering the men and women on both sides one by one, fitting tightly together, leaving only endless white under the stairs.

The white color blended perfectly with the white color in the sky, which immediately captivated Li Jiangliang's eyes and made him lower his head quickly.

"The destiny of heaven has been bestowed upon Xiuwu. Huaijian has won the country, put an end to the chaos and helped the people for many years... When Tianwu passed away, he almost fell... This year, he was thrown into the water and fire. The nature is in my body, and the immortal chapter is in the first place. I will carry out Xiuwu again... I will be entrusted with the people, establish a country and establish a marquis, meet the expectations of the families, and establish a country and become an emperor..."

The magnificent immortal music echoed in the air, and countless water and fire rolled in the sky. Yang Xu took a step forward and said lightly:

"Its name is Song."

"Boom!"

Li Jiangliang raised his head again. It was dawn, the moonlight was dim, and the sun had not yet risen. However, a star as bright as the sun suddenly shone brightly, illuminating the world, like a god from the sky, quietly gazing at the earth.

The light was so dazzling that Li Jiangliang couldn't help but shed tears.

Xiuwu Xingming!

"Om..."

Suddenly, the sky and the earth were bright, the void was shaking, water and fire were intertwined, and the world was in turmoil. All the cultivators in the south of the Yangtze River raised their heads, looked towards the sky, and looked at each other in panic!
'The sky is changing!'

It was even more lively in Taixu. Rays of light emerged from the empty darkness. Some were counting with their fingers, some were deep in thought, with their brows lowered and no words spoken.

"The spiritual atmosphere has changed..."

But there was only fear in the hall. Even the real people waiting in front of the hall lowered their brows and remained silent. Suddenly, a clear voice was heard from the side, with a respectful and solemn tone:
"Ning..."

"I present a pair of dragon tendons to your majesty!"