Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 385 On Sin (I)

————Two months later, Yue Family in Hancheng

Today, the Yue family's lobby was quite lively. Not only were almost all of the 41 true cultivators in the family present, but there were also many guests from outside, such as Ye Zhen and Gu Honglang, who were also present despite their embarrassment. Together with the outsiders who were building their foundation, there were about a hundred true cultivators in the hall at this time.

Yue Jing was relatively fair and forgiving in his dealings. He did not vent his anger on Ye Zhen, Gu Honglang and other outsiders just because of the defeat at Xuelinshan.

To be fair, if we just discuss the actions of these two people, no one else can blame them.

After all, the former had done things for the Yue family and had imprisoned most of the sect's disciples, while the latter had lost two of his most beloved disciples, and all of them ended up being seriously injured, which would be difficult to recover without spending a lot of energy and time.

What’s even more rare is that before the two of them fled the camp, they risked their lives to bring Guixiang out with them.

At this moment, Tang Guwei's injuries did not seem serious at first glance. In fact, he was nearly killed in the battle because he was being taken care of by Chong Mingzong. But now, a second-level alchemist gave him a superior elixir to keep him alive. Otherwise, his entire human foundation would not be able to be maintained for too long.

But even so, he felt extreme pain when he moved a little, and it was difficult for him to speak, so he could only sit in silence.

Tie Liuyun, who had just returned victorious, also sat in the hall with a cold face. Even from a distance one could tell that he was gloomy. No one knew whether it was because of Xue Linshan's defeat or because of the setbacks in his quest to obtain the golden elixir.

A red-haired man with red eyebrows and round face sat above him. His expression was much uglier than that of the iron clerk who had just captured his nephew. He said in a cold voice:
“The outside world has spread rumors that he is as famous as Peng Xingyu of Wumu Mountain, known as the best illusionist among the twenty-seven inner cultivators, but he fell into the hands of a little-known junior like Heilu Daoist?
Wu Lao Shan is a Taoist temple after all, but they only sent out such a despicable disciple to do trouble. Aren't they ashamed?!"

These words caused the originally noisy hall to fall into complete silence. However, a slender monk who did not look like a man beside the red-browed, round-faced man broke the deadlock. When he spoke, his voice sounded like the chirping of a bird, melodious and pleasant:
"It was Fourth Uncle who made the mistake. Don't take it to heart. My Yang family has never forgotten our origins. How could we be dissatisfied or resentful towards the Holy Mountain?"

The man with red eyebrows and round face was about to open his mouth to argue, but when he saw the expression of the thin monk, his tone paused and he did not speak again.

Yue Jing, who was sitting at the head of the group, heard this and as the master of this place, he naturally came to smooth things over. Then he heard the old cultivator say softly, "Senior Yongcheng is worrying too much. How could we not know the true meaning of Senior Baoshan?"

After Yue Jing said this, Yang Yongcheng, who looked like a girl, and Yang Baoshan, who had red eyebrows and a round face, relaxed their expressions, bowed and accepted the offer, and settled the account.

As they were both advanced Jindan cultivators, there was no need for them to be so polite regarding ordinary fake pills.

But unfortunately, not only was Yue Jing extremely capable, but even Yang Baoshan, who was in the early stage of the Golden Elixir, felt that it would be difficult to win without exerting all his strength and paying some price; Yue Hongguo, the eldest daughter of the Yue family, was extremely favored by Kuang Liuting, and he even used his connections to gain the identity of the Holy Maiden of Wumu Mountain.

Because of the above, Yue Jing, the head of the Liang family, is very valuable in the eyes of these two Yezhou Yang family's direct descendants.

"According to your two seniors' opinions, will Peng Xingyu expose what we have done?"

Yue Jing waved his sleeves, and a stream of water vapor rose from the glass cups on the low table beside the two Jindans. As the old tea was steaming out, there was a plain low branch on the table, fresh, green and lovely.

As the flower buds open, the branches droop down, and when they reach the mouth of the crystal glass cup, the fresh flower dew slowly falls into the cup.

The flower dew was like ice liquid at first, but after it entered the cup, it circulated along with the runes on the glass pieces, and before it fell into the bottom of the cup, it was already boiling, causing the few spiritual leaves that had just shriveled to happily open up again. Then, a refreshing fragrance arose in the hall.

The third-grade spiritual tea "Qingfeng Xiaoshi" that Yue Jing had painstakingly found was indeed too tempting. Some of the Yue family's true practitioners even lost all their reserve and began to drool.

But the two senior monks Yang Yongcheng and Yang Baoshan turned a blind eye to it, frowned and thought about Yue Jing's question.

In theory, the two of them only helped the Yue family and the Demon-Suppressing Division to force back the Hongyi Clan, and helped the Yunjiaozhou court occupy and stabilize the entire state. This was already a big token of their loyalty and showed their sincerity.

However, if all the intrigues of the Yue family were exposed, they might lose their position in Kuang Liuting’s heart. What could they do then?

After all, they ignored the very enthusiastic Zhu Tong, and after revealing some clues in Wumu Mountain, they chose the Yue family in Hancheng, which seemed to be cold but was actually hot.

If the Yue family falls, and the Jingji faction gains the upper hand in the Yunjiaozhou court, then the Yang family's descendants who have been dormant will not be so stupid as to approach them and offer their courtesy.

By then, if the Fei family's Sheshan Hall with Jun Tianqin in charge can act freely, how can the direct line of the Yang family afford to offend them?
I wonder how much time it will take to get back to the original source and recover the entire territory of Yezhou?

As for Wumu Mountain's opinion, unless Master Yueyin personally intervenes, who can make the old bird of the Fei family stop? !
But Shannan Road is still the place of Zhaixing Tower after all. Just look at how powerful Benying Temple is in the Snow Mountain Road. It can be called the number one sect in the Snow Region. However, it only sent a temple protector who is not a Taoist priest to find a concubine. He also needs to report to Zhaixing Tower first before he can go.

If Wumu Mountain secretly sends a few alchemy masters, the senior cultivators in Zhaixing Tower may be able to pretend not to know. However, if they send a capable senior cultivator or Yueyin Zhenren to come in person regardless of the tacit understanding, wouldn't they really be treating the master of Zhaixing Tower, who can be called "the number one cultivator in the southwest", as a dead man?

He is a real person who can compete with the current King of the South, and is not someone that the old and decrepit Real Person Yueyin can provoke.

After a moment of silence, Yang Yongcheng's eyebrows slightly curved, and he said, "Master Yue, in my opinion, Peng Xingyu may not be able to withstand it. Taoist Hei Lu will definitely take him to Kuang Liuting. The Kuang family is the best at humiliating cultivators, and they have plenty of tricks at their disposal."

"You're right. Kuang Liuting couldn't even control Jie Yi, let alone Peng Xingyu. We still need to make plans early." As soon as Yang Yongcheng finished speaking, the resentment on Yang Baocheng's face faded.

Yue Feng, who had just returned from Chongming Market, no longer had the excitement he had when he first saw Chongming Sect's army coming out. Instead, he looked much calmer. He only said in a deep voice:
"Uncle, it was the Chongming Clan who broke the rules first. No matter how many faults Guixiang has, he is now the Tang Guwei, a legitimate official of the Xian Dynasty.

"It is treason for a disciple of Chongming to assassinate someone in secret! Even if Peng Xingyu tells us everything, we are only slightly at fault."

"If the master doesn't think we have done anything wrong in seducing someone, then what you said is absolutely correct; if he thinks we did it on purpose, then what you said is far-fetched," Yue Jing shook his head, a look of fatigue flashed across his eyes, and then he asked, "When can Hong Guo come back?"

Yue Feng's younger brother Yue Wen was in charge of communication with the outside world. He immediately stood up and said respectfully, "Uncle, according to the message from Master Zi Yi who accepted my sister as his disciple, my sister will need about three months before she can return home to visit her relatives."

Yue Jing sighed again. There was nothing that could be done about it.

The Yue family had never thought that Yue Hongguo would be favored by a noble like Kuang Liuting. Even the attitude of the family leaders was ambiguous as to whether to give this legitimate daughter the resources to build her foundation.

Therefore, although Yue Hongguo became a Qingye foundation-building person who was lost in the crowd, in the eyes of the Yue family, it was already considered lucky. It was enough for her to choose a good family based on her appearance. How could they have thought that she would be able to enter the Taoist temple of Wumu Mountain and become a saint?

Although Kuang Liuting had instructed this, Yue Jing was a smart man after all. He knew that if there was no one to look after him, it would be very difficult for Yue Hongguo to practice in Wumu Mountain with his background and qualifications.

So he took him under the wing of Zi Yi Shang Xiu, the first disciple of Yue Yin Zhenren, and asked him to spend his time and energy to invite fellow Taoists to help Yue Hongguo to remove his tendons and cleanse his marrow, so that his journey would be smooth.

But to accomplish this, in addition to preparing a generous gift of reward for Master Zi Yi, more arrangements must be made with other masters.

Yue Jing has always been generous in doing things. He spent almost all the income of the Yue family of Hancheng in the past twenty or thirty years since the state court moved to Yunjiaozhou, just to complete this matter successfully.

However, Yue Jing also knew that even so, whether Yue Hongguo could have a smooth career in the future was still uncertain. Even so, the Yue family had to ask for it and do it.

But since Yue Hongguo is in Wumu Mountain and can't come back for the time being, Yue Jing can't pin his hopes on the advice of his wife.

Besides, for a person like Kuang Liuting, how much can this so-called "pillow talk" influence his thoughts?

"It's difficult to break the impasse anyway. Let's wait for a message from the Holy Mountain before we take action." Yang Yongcheng, the person with the highest cultivation level in the field, spoke and set the tone. Naturally, everyone would have no objection. Just as they were about to disperse and get busy, they saw a message talisman coming.

Yue Jing took it and read it. After scanning a few lines, his already furrowed brows became even more solemn. After that, he took the letter and said respectfully to the two people from the Yang family:
"Two seniors, the master has come out of retreat. Hearing about the Yang family's humble and submissive behavior, he was very impressed. He asked Yue to invite the two seniors to the state court. He wants to seek rewards for the two seniors from the Immortal Dynasty."

Yang Yongcheng's fair face was not full of joy. He stopped Yang Baoshan who was about to speak and spoke first: "Master Yue, isn't this a good thing? Why are you like this?"

But Yue Jing nodded and then shook his head, turned to Tie Liuyun and Gui Xiang and said:
"My Lord specifically asked me to take you two to the provincial court to inquire about the right and wrong of these events in Tanggu County. The letter directly said that you two should prepare your plans in advance. If you stumble in the slightest or dare to cheat or deceive, you will be beaten to death."

Although the two had not seen the original text of the letter, the murderous intent in the words was hard to diminish after Yue Jing calmly recounted them.

Yue Jing did not stop, got down from the chair, straightened his clothes and said seriously: "Let's go. Although the letter from the uncle did not urge us, the words between the lines are full of urgency. We can't wait."

After saying this, he didn't even look at the expressions of the crowd, he just murmured and sighed for a while: "I didn't expect Hei Lu and Kang Da Bao to be missed, so I don't believe that Jiang Qing was also missed. Can this small Chongming Sect really stir up any waves?!"

————One day later, Yunjiaozhou Court

There was a lot of excitement in the provincial court's execution hall today. Among those kneeling in the hall were many of Nan'an Earl's former favorites.

Not only was the head of the Kang family, who had a reputation as a capable official in recent years, now disheveled and in a very embarrassed state, but even the iron assistant of the Demon-Catching Division, who was responsible for destroying families and making children stop crying, had lost his prestige.

Fortunately, there are no outsiders here, so the jokes of the people in the hall will spread later.

Kuang Liuting was late and the main seat was vacant. The word "acting" that Meng Xuan, a clerk of the Criminal Department, had worn on his hat because of his mistakes was also removed after he took the heads of several foundation-building members of the Hongyi Sect a few years ago.

At this time, he was in a side position, but he didn't even touch the files. He was busy serving tea to the two newly arrived Jindan senior cultivators and did not have the courage to interfere. However, the two senior cultivators of the Yang family did not take this fierce foundation-building sharp soldier seriously, and only cast their eyes on the black-shoeed Taoist who stood tall and straight in the crowd, like a needle in a bag.

After all, the "External Alchemy" method has a great reputation and is also famous for being difficult to practice among the secret arts. It is rare for the Black Shoe Taoist to have achieved this. It is reasonable for the two senior cultivators to have some interest in it.

Gun Shilu stood behind the main seat, but this time he lost his previous friendliness and did not even bother to glance at Kang Dabao. He remained silent, just waiting for the protagonist to arrive.

They waited like this from noon until after sunset. Not only were the people in the hall extremely distressed, but even Gun Shilu and Meng Xuan, who were close friends with the truth, had strange looks on their faces.

Until the stars faded, the two Jindan upper cultivators had already changed a few cups of spiritual tea on the low table beside them, and then a spiritual crane came out to call out the name:

"The Cavalry Commander, the Ranger General, the Earl of Nan'an, the military and people's livelihood of the four states of Feng, Ding, Pu, and Yun, Duke Kuang has arrived—"

When everyone was about to bow again, they heard the crane opening its beak and singing:
"The Supreme Guard, Marquis of Yangcheng, Lord Fei has arrived——"

Everyone in the hall was shocked when they heard this. Some people with shallow knowledge asked their colleagues beside them: "I haven't heard that the Fei family has a new elder. Who is this Yangcheng Marquis?"

"Didn't the Fei family already have an elder in Yunjiaozhou?"

"Is it the old bird?"

"Shut up. He earned it with the Blood-Slaying Sword Sect's Golden Elixir. The emperor himself said that this title will be passed down for ten generations. The eggs in his bird's nest that have just been hatched are a hundred times more valuable than your life or mine. You must not be rude to me."

"Greetings, lord earl. Greetings, Marquis of Yangcheng." No matter how surprised everyone was, they all had to calm down and bow together.

Kuang Liuting had a cold face and hadn't spoken yet when he saw the old bird, which was still ten feet tall after shrinking its body, repeatedly responded, "No need to be polite, no need to be polite. How come I always run into such a group of kowtow-mongering people wherever I go, ancestor?"

After it finished speaking, it thought about it and hesitated for a moment before sitting down in the main seat. While taking Meng Xuan's seat, it was still urging Kuang Liuting:

"Nan'anbo, please quickly review the case. After this matter is settled, I will go and kill the third-grade high-quality lion in the Jackdaw Mountains and find a better spiritual vein. This will save me from being uncomfortable in this cramped little town all day long."

Kuang Liuting was urged, but he did not show any impatience on his face. He even showed a rare look of respect. He nodded and said, "What Yangcheng Hou said is very true. The state affairs are difficult, but we can't delay them for too long because of a few incompetent people."

Jun Tianqin, however, was not interested in this. He just glanced at it and nodded his big head in response. After searching among the people in the hall for a long time, he seemed to have finally recognized the head of the Kang sect, whom he had met once before.

But when he spoke, there was no soothing tone in his words, but rather a hint of coldness:

"Kang boy, Nan Ying won't let me, the ancestor, help you, so it's hard to save you. You're on your own. Nan Xi and Nan Ying have returned to Yingzhou, and the little girl who is now in charge of Sheshan Hall didn't want me, the ancestor, to come.

But the ancestor thought that after all, these earth cultivators had brought two useless kids. If we didn't have a golden elixir to take charge, wouldn't it be a loss of prestige? So he came back to talk to Nan'an Bo and got a seat.

Don't worry, if they dare to bully others, I will dig out their golden elixirs on the spot and chew them as snacks, and then go to the Jackdaw Mountains to find two more capable ones, bring them back and return them to the Kuang family."

After hearing this, Sect Leader Kang, who had been kneeling for the entire day, didn't know whether to be happy or sad. He could only open his mouth and say, "Thank you for your concern, Old Ancestor."

Kuang Liuting stood aside without any hurry. He was not angry even after hearing Jun Tianqin's rather presumptuous words. He waited until the old bird had finished speaking before he sat back in the main seat and glanced at everyone in the hall one by one: "You are all worthy of being the backbone of my state court. You have done great things!"

His voice was not loud, but it made a big hole when he landed on the ground.

Now, two months have passed since the war ended outside Xuelin Mountain. I think Kuang Liuting has already sorted out all the things. So as soon as he said this, everyone in the scene with different thoughts immediately showed panic and bowed in unison:

"I am guilty, I hope you will forgive me!"

"Hmph, then let's ask them one by one." After Kuang Liuting's hateful voice, he seemed to have just remembered the two Yang Family Golden Elixirs. He bowed slightly and said softly:
"According to the rules, we should have commended the offenders before they were punished, but the people below were too unreasonable, so I have to ask the two Yang family elders to wait for a while. I hope the two elders will forgive me."

Yang Baoshan only looked at the Earl of Nan'an, who was said to be the backbone of the royal family, for a while. He didn't know what he was thinking, but he didn't react.

Yang Yongcheng smiled and apologized, "My brothers and I have been in chaos for a hundred years. We were forced to stay under the tyranny of Liangyi Sect and could not take any action. It was only in recent years that we finally hoped that Master Wang would come back. We have waited for so long, so we don't need to waste time."

Seeing that the two Yang family masters were so sensible, Kuang Liuting turned his attention back to Yue Jing, Kang Dabao and the others. He spoke again, his words still very softly: "Guixiang, you speak first?"

Gui Xiang had never thought in his life that he would encounter such a big situation after he was fortunate enough to establish his foundation. Now he was kneeling in the hall, with three Jindans staring at him. This was a blessing that many true practitioners could not ask for in their entire lives, and yet he had encountered it.

In such a hurry, Guixiang had forgotten most of the words he had prepared in his mind, and he could not remember a single word of the words he had prepared to exonerate himself. He could only kneel on the ground and kowtow, shouting repeatedly: "Guilty! Guilty!"

Yue Jing and the others looked even uglier, but Kuang Liuting was unwilling to waste time on such a small character, so he shouted sternly: "Tie Liuyun! You, the deputy officer of the Demon Hunting Division, come and tell me how you perverted the law and acted in favor of your own interests?!"

Tie Liuyun had not expected Kuang Liuting to be so merciless. He knew that he could not escape this disaster, so he could only grit his teeth and did not answer Kuang Liuting. He just said, "My Lord, we recovered Dingzhou in this battle thanks to the dedication of the three armies. My Lord, we have wiped out the fake Dan San in this battle."

"Bang" a violent bolt of lightning instantly annihilated Tie Liuyun's protective aura, and he flew backwards, but then quickly stood up and fell to the ground.

At this time, he had already given up the hope of getting away with it, and just like Guixiang who was kneeling beside him, he kept shouting, "Guilty! Guilty!"

"You are smart. Merits are merits, and faults are faults. If you mix them together, how can you demonstrate the majesty of the king's law?! If you dare to say anything to show off your merits again this time, you will have to save your position as the assistant of the Demon Suppression Department for your next life."

Kuang Liuting's tone was icy cold, frightening Tie Liuyun so much that he dared not move at all and almost stuck his head to the ground.

"Master Yue?! It's your turn to speak!"

Yue Jing took a deep breath and saw Peng Xingyu kneeling beside Kang Dabao with a pale face. How could he not know that everything had been exposed? He was a bachelor and only said:
"Yue Jing is old and stupid, and doesn't know the big picture. He only cares about the Yue family's personal gain, and ruins the atmosphere of the state court, causing discord between the natives and the immigrants. This is indeed a serious crime!

But please, my lord, please take into consideration that Yue Jing is diligent in his work and his family is loyal and righteous, and put all the blame on Yue Jing alone, and do not implicate the Yue family, so that the Yue family's children can continue to serve you, and die for the great cause of the Immortal Dynasty!
Kuang Liuting's temper was not difficult to figure out. Under normal circumstances, Yue Jing's words alone would have calmed him down. But this time was unusual. After hearing what he said, he only raised his eyebrows slightly, nodded slightly, and settled the matter without responding.

He didn't even look at Peng Xingyu and Heilu Taoist. He had asked them about this matter clearly before the Yue family and others came, so there was no need to elaborate on it here.

The Nan'an Earl only cast his eyes on the head of the Kang family, and asked softly, "County Magistrate Kang, please tell me."

At the critical moment, the latter's cheerful and cheerful temperament was revealed again, which was particularly eye-catching among the cowering and frightened criminals:

"My Lord, please understand. In order to seek personal revenge, our sect's true disciple Kang Rongquan colluded with Tang Gu Kuai's Patriarch Kuai En and others to murder Tang Gu Wei Guixiang. After the plot failed, he was summoned to the Demon-Catching Division to arrest him. This is natural and beyond dispute!
The Ming family was unwise in sending people to rob, and after the army of the Demon Division arrived, they did not surrender in the hope of getting a lighter sentence, which made things even worse!

Our sect elder Pei Yi and others raised troops to resist, causing several colleagues in the Demon Suppression Division to die in the battle. This is truly treasonous and irrefutable!

Kang Dabao was the magistrate of Pingrong County and received great favors from his master, but he did not teach his disciples to be loyal and righteous. This is a clear fact and there is no need to argue! However, "

Kuang Liuting's expression eased a little. No one in the hall spoke. Kang Dabao hadn't finished speaking yet:
"But, my poor disciple Han Yundao should not have died! He should have survived after protecting his fellow apprentices and fighting against powerful enemies! But he was killed by this shameless person who hated me! Gui Xiang was cowardly and went into battle. He didn't kill my apprentice Kang Dabao, he killed a loyal soldier of the state!"

Kang Dabao suddenly pointed at Guixiang, who was shaking like a sieve, and frightened him so much that he couldn't even scream. But the head of the Kang family continued:
"If my disciple had died in the king's business, it would have been absolutely justified! The whole sect would have been very relieved! But he was framed and killed by a traitor, and all the disciples in the sect were heartbroken!
As a result, some people took advantage of the traitor's youth and inexperience to trick him into doing something wrong! But he was not only taking revenge for his personal grudge, but also avenging the thousands of loyal officials of the state court who died in vain at the hands of traitors! He had to have some reputation.

Therefore, I hope that Master will spare us for the sake of Chongming Sect’s past loyalty! In the future, Chongming disciples will definitely keep this in mind and remember it forever! "

These words were indeed sincere and heartfelt, and finally moved Kuang Liuting a little, but when he spoke, it still made Kang Dabao feel cold all over:

"You are good at speaking eloquently. It is obvious that your disciple did something wrong and deserves death, but you can find something I have never thought of to make up for him. This makes me feel a little ashamed. But..."

Kuang Liuting's face changed: "The prefecture and county government offices are not for show. If you kill officials, you are committing treason and must be punished! I will give you a list. Gun Shilu and I have carefully worked it out these days. If you are guilty, you should be put to death.

After you have read them one by one, if you feel that you have been wronged, you can submit a statement to refute them one by one. We will read them and make a decision after we think they are meaningful. As for you and other people in Chongmingzong, you can move to Liangxi Road. Since you are so brave and powerful that you disregard the laws of the country, you should go to guard the border for the country to atone for your sins!"

As soon as Kuang Liuting finished speaking, no one in the hall said a word to defend Master Kang. Not only Jun Tianqin was watching with great interest, as if he was watching a show, but even the Taoist Heilius took a deep breath and secretly gave Kang Dabao a look as if he was going to discuss the matter in the long run.

But after the latter took the jade slip list handed over by Gun Shilu, his two little eyes almost popped out.

But the first person listed on the jade slip was: "Jiang Qing."

(End of this chapter)