Being knocked down by the Heavenly Dao while ascending

"This……"
Even though Pei Mingyan was mentally prepared after Xue Qingyu's reminder, he still didn't expect it to be like this.

Seeing his expression, the head of the family explained, "In the early years, when disciples went out for training, they usually formed groups of several people. Many of the Mei family disciples completed their apprenticeship missions by forming teams. The Mei family disciples are particularly good at formations and are well-read. Although they cannot become the most powerful fighting force in the team, they are also indispensable. Over time, the Mei family's reputation has become more and more prosperous, and the disciples in the family have deep feelings with various independent cultivators and disciples from other sects."
"But with the benefits in front of them, everything changed. The Mei family disciples were too 'civilized' after all, and they were inevitably at a disadvantage in a real fight. Gradually, some of the Mei family disciples died in the treasure hunt, at first only one or two, and then more and more. The Mei family naturally investigated, but after searching for a long time, they could only come to the conclusion that it was an accidental death."
"We can't stop our disciples from going for training because of this. They still need to go for training, but in the eyes of outsiders, the Mei family has become a very useful tool. The lucky Mei family disciples have met good people, got married, or married into the family. Of course, there are also independent cultivators who have joined the Mei family, but the unfortunate ones have lost their lives in vain."
"In order to protect their disciples, the Mei family had no choice but to set down rules. Anyone who wants to cooperate with the Mei family disciples for a long time must go to the Mei family and leave a mark. This is not only a protection for the Mei family disciples, but also a deterrent to those who have evil intentions."

Pei Mingyan frowned.
The Mei family is overprotective of their disciples. Although this is as it should be, the solution should not be to find ways to protect them, but to teach them how to survive and teach them that human nature is sinister.
But the Mei family has been protecting their disciples in this way for thousands of years, and it is not easy to change their minds, so he did not say anything disapproving.

The head of the family obviously misunderstood his frown and said to him, "It's not that the Mei family is bullying others by taking advantage of their power. In those days, the partners they sought were mostly companions who would stick together through life and death. This mark is a kind of protection for both parties."

Pei Mingyan did not comment and asked, "What about Mei Xucheng?"

"About fifty or sixty years ago, he brought a man to the Mei family, saying that the two of them would form a life-and-death partnership. That man was handsome, gentle, and always had a smile on his face. He was a likable young man. The Mei family investigated his identity and background according to the rules. He was innocent and there was nothing suspicious about him. The elders in charge of this matter naturally happily let that man leave his mark in the Mei family."

"What happened next?" Pei Mingyan asked, "Did you hear any more news about Mei Xucheng?"

The head of the family nodded, "After that, Mei Xucheng never returned to the Mei family, but there were many Mei family disciples outside, and no one would always pay attention to a young disciple unless they received an emergency message. But he was relatively close to Elder Niu of the Niu Constellation in the Twenty-Eight Constellations at the time, and he wrote to Elder Niu intermittently on weekdays, so his life should have been relatively safe. Until more than 20 years ago, he suddenly died."

If this statement is true, then what the "Mei Xucheng" he rescued said and what was recorded in the Mei family's records more than 20 years ago overlap.
So what happened more than 20 years ago? The destruction of Fuyuan Natural Moat, the incident with Xiaokong...
"Have you seen the body?" Pei Mingyan asked.

"Of course. The Mei family will not allow any of their disciples to wander around, whether alive or dead."

This means that the Mei family has confirmed that it is the real Mei Xucheng, otherwise my father would not have kept it secret.
"The Mei family didn't care. They said Mei Xucheng's death was indeed an accident, right?"

"Yes." The head of the family gave an affirmative answer. "He was brought back by the Mei family from a small fishing village on the seashore. It seems that there was a natural disaster there. The entire fishing village was submerged by huge waves. Nothing was left."
The head of the family paused, "I know what you want to ask. You want to say that since Mei Xucheng is there, Jiang Yuansheng should be there too. Jiang Yuansheng is his name. But... we didn't find his body, nor did we find any traces at the scene. But the mark he left at the Mei family has dimmed and almost shattered. Only a small piece is left, and people can still vaguely sense his breath. The Mei family mark is closely related to the soul of life. The fact that it has shattered is enough to prove that he is dead."

"died?"
Pei Mingyan naturally didn't believe it. If this man was going to die, then who was causing the trouble?

The patriarch nodded, "He is indeed dead. The reason why his mark still remains is that Elder Niu Su Niu insisted that this matter was unusual, and he spent countless efforts to protect the mark."

"Is the mark still there?" Pei Mingyan asked.

The head of the family shook his head and nodded, "After the elder passed away, no one knew where the mark was."

Pei Mingyan fell silent. His originally clear thoughts became confusing again because of this inexplicable cause of death.
If the person who did it wasn't Jiang Yuansheng, then who was it?
"Which sect or school does Jiang Yuansheng come from?" Pei Mingyan had to think of another way.

The patriarch said nothing, but just walked into the library.
With every step he took, starlight would light up where the roof should have been. The entire library seemed to be placed in a brilliant starry sky. The stars moved and the movement of the stars happened in the blink of an eye.

Soon, the patriarch took out a thin piece of paper and said, "Jiang Yuansheng's information is all here."

Pei Mingyan took it and glanced at it. The content on the paper was very brief and not as detailed as the conversation between the two. It only added one useless piece of information: this person was a casual cultivator.
Since he is a casual cultivator, he has no sect or school. Fortunately, cultivators have a long lifespan, so I should be able to get some information from him. And there is "Mei Xucheng" in his hand. I wonder what news this person will bring.

"Does the Mei family have any record of the destruction of Fuyuan Natural Moat?"
Pei Mingyan handed back the information book about the Fuling Clan. "Most of what is written here are the strange stories and legends of the Fuling Clan by outsiders. Aren't there any chronicles or biographies?"

"There have never been many records of news about the Fu Ling Clan..." The patriarch took the book and suddenly stopped talking, "Yes, I remember now. When Jiang Yuansheng came to the Mei family, he said that he wanted to borrow books from the Mei family's collection. The Mei family's books have never been loaned out, so his request was not granted. Finally, Mei Xucheng went to the library to read books. I don't know if the books he wanted to read are those related to the Fu Ling Clan. I will send the steward here to ask tomorrow." So the matter has returned to the starting point again.
Pei Mingyan stopped worrying about it. The other party's purpose was unclear, but they were targeting the Mei family. He thought there would be other clues soon. He turned his attention to another matter, "What happened to Shu Yu?"

"Ah." The patriarch sighed and reached out to touch Pei Mingyan's forehead. "It was all because of you. He was practicing martial arts in the garden at the critical moment. The news that Yao Huichun sent home was obtained by the little kid. When he saw that you were dead, he panicked and went to the garden to make a scene. Then, he ran into Shu Yu. His blood boiled and he fell down because of anger."

Pei Mingyan naturally didn't believe it. Such a minor injury required all the elders of the Mei family to come?
But his father was obviously trying to keep it a secret from him, so he stopped asking and just said, "I'll go see him."

"He's probably waiting for you too." The patriarch seemed to have thought of something and suddenly laughed. "Knowing that you went there at noon but couldn't get into his room, a group of elders drove us all out and scolded us. Only in front of you is he a well-behaved and sensible child. Even if you don't say it, I would still ask you to go and take a look. Otherwise, a group of elders will come to complain again tomorrow morning."

"Really." Pei Mingyan couldn't help laughing.
The elders complained that only the Mei family knew about it. He grew up in the Mei family, so his two younger brothers were naturally close to him. When they knew he was going to move to Yingshan, the little kid was still young and easy to coax, but he, the second younger brother, acted like he supported his brother in front of him, and sneaked to the elders at night to make a scene.
Helplessly, the elders finally made a request - the young master could move out, but he had to defeat a group of elders first.

From that day on, his second brother acted as a good boy in front of him during the day, and acted as a supervisor at night, watching the elders practice.
The elders were extremely annoyed, but they couldn't do anything about a half-grown child. Besides, no one was willing to let Shanxue leave, so they endured it.

As a result, the elders were defeated.
Although this was expected, Mei Shuyu refused to give in. She sent her brother off in tears during the day and went to meet the elders at night.

Pei Mingyan felt guilty after defeating the elders. He went to ask for an audience with all the elders early the next morning, but was rejected without exception.
He was depressed for a while, thinking that the elders were really angry, but later he found out that his second brother was so angry that the elders couldn't stop him that he shaved all the elders' beards bald. After he left, the elders all went to their father to cry and complain.

Of course, my father had no choice but to call my second brother to teach him a lesson. As a result, the next day, a large section of my father's hair was cut off and made into brushes by Mei Shuyu and given to several elders.
Brushes made from head hair are naturally difficult to use, and were inevitably disliked by the elders. Mei Shuyu took photos of all of them and sent them to his father's desk. His father was so angry that he almost fainted.

Those who don't know may think that Mei Shuyu has some relationship with Sun Wukong. Thinking of this, Pei Mingyan smiled again, "He is young, but he has a bad temper. Leave this matter to me, and father should rest early."

Taking advantage of the moonlight, Pei Mingyan should have walked slowly while admiring the moon and flowers.
Since that troublesome second brother might be waiting for him to come over right now.
If he didn't arrive on time, he wouldn't have a peaceful life at home for the next few days, so he quickened his pace and hurried there.

The place where Mei Shuyu lives is unique in the Mei family. The entire house, including the roof beams and pillars, are made of white marble, pure white without any other colors.
There is a gentle tranquility under the moonlight. There are no green plants or flowers in the courtyard. Apart from the silvery white moonlight, there are no other colors.

The house is also made of white marble. Once the windows are closed, the light-blocking effect is exceptionally good, and it is impossible to tell whether the people in the house are resting or awake.
He arrived silently, stood on the steps, looked back at the fence sprinkled with moonlight, and felt an indescribable coldness and loneliness.

This feeling was somewhat different from Xue Qingyu. Although Xue Qingyu was wearing green clothes, he was gentle, as soft as water. He seemed to have no edges and corners, and nothing could make him angry. One could feel his heartfelt desire to treat all those around him well.

But his second brother was different. After nearly twenty years of getting along with him, he had never seen through him. So although they could get along on the surface, they could not really be said to have a heart-to-heart talk. It was really that the other party's words and deeds were too strange.

The gate is about four meters high and doesn't look very impressive, but it actually takes a lot of strength to push open such a door.

Pei Mingyan placed his palm against the door, and golden light spread from the center to the edge like the veins of a leaf, shining brightly and supporting one line after another.
Soon, the door seemed to be unlocked from the inside, and a figure rushed out, gave him a big hug, buried his head in his shoulder, and called out aggrievedly: "Brother."

Pei Mingyan couldn't help but frown, but still hugged him back.

This is one of the strange things. Mei Shuyu is too soft in front of him, and there is no reason for this softness.
The second strange thing, and the reason why he couldn't let down his guard for a long time, was that in the book, there was no such person as Mei Shuyu, nor was there any so-called second brother.

(End of this chapter)