I stole divine power in Daxia

Chapter 530: Thunder Heralds the Dawn of Spring, but It Is Hard to Keep the Flowers of the Prosperous World

After waiting for a month, the spring rain finally came from the southeast of Yujing Mountain. The drizzle of spring rain, accompanied by the sound of thunder that came from far away, fell in front of the eaves like beads falling on a curtain of water.

Now is a good time in Tianjing. Even though it rains continuously in spring, the people live in peace and the teahouses are bustling with people.

The newsboy carefully wrapped piles of newspapers in oil paper and canvas bags and continued to walk through the small teahouses.

The spring rain was falling, and even the railway construction, which was in full swing, had to stop for a few days. Railway workers were not a menial job in Tianjing. Affected by the stock market of the Daxia Exchange, the few stocks were growing day by day. Railway workers who were able to obtain shares naturally had rich wallets. In addition to the silver and money paid on time every month, the more important stocks were not fully in their hands for the time being. According to the words of the masters, they were called options, and they could only get them after working for two or three years. However, there were many matchmakers in every house and alley who were matchmaking for railway workers, and railway workers immediately became popular.

Tianjing is the center of Daxia, and news from all over the world converges here. The old scholar on the storytelling stage on the first floor not only tells novels and stories. Nowadays, with a hundred schools of thought contending and reforms continuing, the common people often cannot understand what they read when they hold a newspaper, so this has become the point for novelists to go on stage and tell stories. This is also what Hu Wenlang hinted at. Originally, the newspaper industry would eventually be concentrated in the hands of novelists.

And even though the Tianjin novelist Hu Wenlang has not revealed his identity as the reincarnation of Wei Wu, Ke Anran has been promoted to the Minister of Education. Even though the Newspaper Department has appointed a Vice Minister of Education to take charge, there is no suppression of the newspaper industry as before. Therefore, Hu Wenlang, the editor-in-chief of Tianjing News, has become a hot commodity again. Many people are sure that he can become a third-rank novelist before the age of 30. Therefore, Hu Wenlang's voice among Tianjing novelists is even more effective than some third-rank novelists.

After finishing a storytelling, the gavel was struck. The old scholar in washed-white cloth suddenly pointed to the light coming in from outside with one hand and pressed the gavel with the other hand and said, "Dear readers, today is spring rain and we are closed. I will tell you something that is not in the book. If you like it, please give me some money."

"Don't tell us some rumors, old man. Last time you said that the shares of Baizhishan Mining Company in Shantongfu would rise, but after more than a month of buying them, they haven't moved at all."

A spectator in the audience couldn't help but expose the old scholar's secrets.

The old scholar blushed for a moment, but still muttered, "Why didn't it increase? Didn't it increase by one penny? How can you lie about a scholar's affairs? It's obviously not the right time..."

He still wanted to talk about some great truths, but a voice came from the box on the second floor, "Well, if you speak well, there will be a reward."

The old scholar heard the nobleman in the second-floor box say something and said quickly, "Okay."

Then his eyes suddenly lit up, and his skinny body half-lay down from the desk, like a sick tiger pouncing on its prey, "Dear readers, do you know the origin of this spring rain outside?"

Many people laughed and said, "Where else can the spring rain come from? It naturally comes from the water on the ground."

The old scholar immediately became obedient, sat down, picked up the fan beside him, and waved it a few times before saying, "Then the guest, please listen carefully. There was no rain this spring. Zhou Hou couldn't bear the suffering of the people, so he went down the Luo River to the Taiyi Temple on the sacred mountain, and transformed himself into the Dharma image of the sage Tongtian. He caught the sun and the moon, turned night into day, harmonized Li and Kan, and called the wind to rain. This spring rain came up from the southeast, against the Luo River. The faint thunder in your ears is the supreme magic that Zhou Hou taught in Taiyi Temple."

Many warriors who were sitting idly sat up straight, their eyes gleaming with excitement, "Are you serious? We can't talk nonsense about the saints."

Among the lower classes, Zhou Tieyi has always been believed to be practicing martial arts. In fact, there are also faint rumors from the upper classes. For example, when he pulled up Mei Qingchen that day, the left general Yuchi Pojun commented on Zhou Tieyi's martial arts. When he was accepting disciples at the Railway Chamber of Commerce, the seventh prince and the fourth prince also said that Zhou Tieyi was practicing martial arts.

If Zhou Tieyi really manifested the image of a saint, then doesn't it mean that a saint has appeared in the martial arts world today? Then the unpopular martial artists at the bottom of the cultivation chain will suddenly transform from being despised at the bottom to becoming a top-level cultivation school on par with Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. People all over the world will look up to them. This is the true meaning of one person's enlightenment bringing prosperity to the whole family.

However, while the warriors were eagerly waiting, the lower-class Confucian scholars did not take it seriously. Some even shouted, "How can we make up stories about saints? If he really became a saint, why didn't the court issue any documents and the newspapers didn't publish any news? If you follow his example and spread rumors to confuse the people, I will report you to the authorities today and punish you for disrespecting the saint!"

Although the scholar was eloquent, the storyteller was not afraid of him. After all, who didn't start out as a poor scholar? Besides, he didn't say anything nonsense. "The reason why the court hasn't issued any documents yet is because the sage Zhou has not returned to the court yet. Besides, everyone in the upper echelons already knows about this. If you are well-informed, go to Luoshui Ferry in Xuanwu City and find a few boat captains who have been sailing upstream from Luoshui in the past two days. You will know the answer by asking them. Why bother arguing with me?"

"Old man, I just mentioned it because you might miss the opportunity."

The Confucian scholar wanted to argue with the storyteller, but was held down by the warriors next to him. At this time, the warriors did not care about the dispute and only wanted to know whether this was true and whether there was any chance.

"What opportunity? If the thunder outside is really Zhou Hou preaching, why are we turning a deaf ear to it?"

The old storyteller was very pleased to see the Confucian scholars being pinned down by the warriors and unable to speak. He thought, "Culture should not fight against force, and the people should not fight against officials. I will teach you a lesson here, seniors."

He coughed, "This thunder sound is the result of a saint's preaching. Only a fifth-grade ghost fairy can hear it. As for the opportunity, of course it is to follow the Luo River down to Taiyi Temple to listen to the lecture. Saint Zhou has opened the door to convenience and held the Zhoutian Grand Ceremony. Not only is he preaching, but I heard that the Bodhisattvas of Nananda Temple, the Taoists of Xuandu Mountain, and the lecturers of Confucius Academy have all been invited to explain the truth. The Luotian Grand Ceremony will be held for 49 days, and I estimate that the Zhoutian Grand Ceremony will take about the same amount of time, so if you hurry there now, you may be able to listen to the end."

Although Yujing Mountain is more than 3,000 miles away from Taiyi Temple, one can go down the Luo River all the way there. Nowadays, the fastest steamship can travel 800 to 900 miles a day if it goes downstream, so it will only take three or four days to arrive, and one will naturally be able to listen to the sermons.

After hearing this, the young warriors became restless and decided to go to Xuanwu City to inquire about the news. If it was true, they would go to listen to the lecture even if it meant losing everything they had.

The two warriors dropped a small ingot of silver and pressed it directly into the wooden table. "We two brothers will go and get the news now. If you, an old scholar, dare to make up stories, we will smash your bookstall when we come back."

The old storyteller didn't care at all. He raised his fan and bowed, saying, "Have a safe journey, both of you. If you have heard a few great stories, please tell me about them when you return to Beijing."

The young and energetic martial artists were so surprised when they heard the old storyteller's confidence that the older one bowed and said, "Of course."

After saying that, he took his hat and headed towards Xuanwu City in the spring rain.

Just when everyone was still hesitating whether to believe what the storyteller said, they saw a bright gold ingot dropped from the air in the private room on the second floor. It did not jump around, but landed steadily on the storyteller's table. "Well said!"

Everyone saw it clearly and thought that since the distinguished guests on the second floor had given gold as a reward, this must be true, so they all stood up and went to investigate. The crowd went out in a huge crowd, and the bustling teahouse was deserted in an instant.

At this time, the old storyteller took the gold and went up to the second floor. He opened the door curtain and saw two burly little flags wearing embroidered clothes of the God-killing Department, with swords on their waists and their hands never leaving the hilts. Even when they saw the storyteller coming in, there was still a knife in their eyes, as if they were going to draw their swords at the next moment. The old storyteller smiled shamelessly, bowed his head and saluted the person sitting in the middle, and presented the gold, "Sir, this gold..."

The person sitting in the middle was wearing a robe embroidered with a green snake. He had a sturdy and strong figure, like an adult giant bear. The whip mark on his face looked extremely ferocious.

"You can keep this gold. My master has taught me that if you want your subordinates to take risks, the reward should not be small. You will also have to spread the news and let all the storytellers in Yujing Mountain talk about this matter. You will also bear risks, so this reward is just an appetizer. There will be more benefits later. Don't you think so?"

The old storyteller took the gold into his arms and said with a smile, "Your Excellency is right."

The captain of the God-Slaying Division in the green snake robe chuckled, then touched the scar on his face and said, "But the master also said that if the people below do something bad, they must remember the punishment."

The old storyteller's smile froze, and then he swallowed hard. Of course he knew who the 'adult' the man in front of him was talking about. Wasn't he the one who preached at Taiyi Temple?
If you don't know who this adult's adult is, and you don't dare to talk about the saints, let alone give him a bar of gold, even if you give him a head, he wouldn't dare to shout loudly in the market.

"Little one understands, little one understands."

The old storyteller nodded quickly, then hesitated and said in a low voice, "In fact, we don't need to spread this news. There are so many wealthy families in Yujing Mountain. Logically speaking, this matter should have been spread long ago..."

The old storyteller asked hesitantly.

Shen Tuyuan sneered, "They, they would like to keep this secret as long as possible."

It was not only because they had kept it a secret for so long that the people above could send more of their own people to listen to the sermon, but also because the people above knew better than the people below what it meant that Zhou Tieyi's sermon had the aura of a saint. There was also a saint on Yujing Mountain! This was not the second saint flying in the air, so naturally they couldn't say anything nonsense.

Shen Tu Yuan saw through this point, so he had to speak for Zhou Tieyi, because he was Zhou Tieyi's man, and he could not escape this point. Even if Zhou Tieyi did not want to be a saint, in this situation, the subordinates who had the closest relationship with Zhou Tieyi could only let Zhou Tieyi 'become' a saint first, or at least make ordinary people in the world think that Zhou Tieyi was a saint. Whether this saint was real or fake at that time would depend on their own methods.

Suddenly, the shadow under Shen Tu Yuan twisted, and a member of the God-Slaying Division wearing the Flying Eagle General Flag walked out of the shadow, clasped his fists to Shen Tu Yuan and said, "Sir, there is an urgent report."

Today, the God-Slaying Department is no longer the low-paying government office it once was. It collects commercial taxes from Tianjing and is the mouthpiece of the Tianjing newspaper. It is now a top-notch powerful department in the world. Coupled with the central and local selection system, it naturally attracts local talents. Even Shentu Yuan's subordinates now have fifth-rank thieves serving them.

"what's up?"

Shentu Yuan asked while glancing at the old storyteller.

The old storyteller tactfully bowed and said, "Sir, I'm leaving now."

After he stepped out of the door, lowered the curtain, and could no longer hear any sound from inside, he breathed a sigh of relief. The back of his spring shirt was a little wet. Although his cultivation was not very high and he was only a seventh-rank novelist after all these years, since he had entered the door of cultivation and lived for several decades, he naturally understood many principles.

For example, he knew that this matter was a conspiracy between Shentu Yuan and some of Zhou Tieyi's men, and not the idea of ​​Zhou Tieyi himself. Otherwise, with Zhou Tieyi's, no, Zhou Sheng's current ability, if he really wanted to spread this matter in Yujing Mountain, it would be far from impossible for it to spread only from the teahouse.

But even though he knew that this was the intention of Zhou Sheng's subordinates, the old storyteller could only do as he was told. After all, Zhou Sheng was too far away from him, thousands of miles away. If he didn't do as he was told, not to mention whether he could get the benefits, the Sky Prison in the God-Slaying Division was going to be expanded again, and there would definitely not be enough cells for him alone.

As the old scholar walked down the stairs, he looked out the window at the sound of wind, rain and thunder. He saw the flaming peach blossoms wrapped in wind and rain, falling from the branches, pouring into the pavilion and covering the steps. He couldn't help shaking his head and sighing, "The mountains and rivers are full of wind and rain, the fish and dragons are changing, the thunder announces the dawn of spring, and it is difficult to keep the flowers of the prosperous age."

After the outsiders left, the fifth-rank thief was still worried. The shadow under his feet was like fine sand, covering the inside and outside. He said in an urgent voice, "A case just happened. The collection officer of the Imperial College was killed in the study. Before he died, he wrote the word 'Zhou' in blood."

Shentu Yuan immediately realized that something was wrong, because the Imperial Academy was located on Yujing Mountain and was an official school of the imperial court. Nowadays, when the emperor recruited scholars, he mostly recruited people from the Imperial Academy. Although the people there were not very good at cultivation, there was no doubt that no one would suddenly kill a collection official, especially since this collection official had ulterior motives and wrote the word "Zhou" before he died.

Shen Tu Yuan suddenly sneered, "The saint has not yet ascended to the sky, and there are many demons in the world. It is time for us to take charge of the God-Slaying Division!"

"Go and inform the department first, bring all the people, and seal off the Imperial Academy on the pretext of arresting the evil spirit. We, the God-Slaying Department, will be in charge of this case."

"The... the General Academy will be closed?"

The general flag said unconfidently, wondering whether it was right for him to follow Shentu Yuan. It had only been a short time since they killed the students of Taixue Academy last time, and this time they were going to close down Taixue Academy. If things were not done right, it would be a big deal.

"Why? Do you have any questions about my orders?"

Shentu Yuan looked at the general.

Although this person had only been with Shen Tu Yuan for a short time, he had also experienced Shen Tu Yuan's methods of controlling his subordinates. It was not as easy as Zhou Tieyi's. He quickly bowed and said, "I'll do it right away."

After saying this, he turned into a shadow and disappeared.

Shen Tu Yuan did not waste any time. He walked down the stairs with footsteps as fast as drumbeats, put on the red cloak raincoat handed to him by the strong man guarding the horse outside, and rode his horse into the air. He wanted to seal the Imperial Academy, but he could not do it alone. In a moment, his horse was as fast as lightning, galloping in the air, with his cloak flying, redder than the bunches of peach blossoms below.

(End of this chapter)