Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 198 Farmers, Sincerity

"Come out!"

In the land of Chu, on a mountain path, Xiu Yuan paused and spoke softly.

When he met Zhu Xingye more than a month ago, he sensed that someone was secretly following them, but those people did not seem to have any ill intentions, so he did not take action directly.

Having already sent Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong back to the medical manor, he had no interest in continuing to beat around the bush with these people, so he directly extended an invitation.

Xiaomeng and Yanlingji stood beside Xiuyuan, raising their eyebrows and quietly surveying their surroundings.

The mountain path was quiet, with leaves falling in the wind on both sides, and the chirping of birds made the place seem even more remote.

"Sir?"

After a while, Yan Lingji looked over with some suspicion. She had already searched carefully, but had not found the people Xiu Yuan had mentioned.

"I'm not coming out~~"

Xiu Yuan looked to the southeast and gently shook his head.

"If you continue following me, I won't be so polite!!"

Xiu Yuan stood there for a while, and soon after, he saw several people come out from the southeast.

Upon seeing these people, Yan Lingji let out a soft exclamation.

The people who appeared were dressed very simply, or rather, very plainly. They looked more like ordinary people than spies.

"Who are you?"

Yan Lingji crossed her arms in front of her chest and spoke first.

Having learned from past mistakes, she no longer underestimated these simply dressed people. The fact that they could evade her detection meant that the newcomers were no ordinary individuals.

"We are from the Nongjia Siyuetang, and we have been sent by our headmaster to deliver this message."

Upon hearing the other party's words, both Xiaomeng and Yanlingji frowned.

"People from farming families?"

In the martial arts world today, various schools of thought coexist, with the Farmer's School being the largest, boasting 100,000 disciples. This number surpasses even the combined numbers of all other schools.

Yan Lingji glanced at Xiu Yuan first, and seeing that he did not object, she asked again, "What news?"

The two disciples from the farming family exchanged a glance, then looked at Xiu Yuan.

They followed cautiously, without overstepping their bounds in the slightest. Therefore, they could clearly see that among the three, the one with absolute authority was not the two girls, but the boy standing to the side.

“Our leader is Situ Wanli. He told us that our leader of the Xia Kui wants to invite Master Qingxu to visit Daze Mountain.”

Upon hearing this, Xiu Yuan frowned and his eyes flickered slightly.

"Situ Wanli, the chivalrous leader of the peasant family"

These two people were still somewhat unfamiliar to him. He had some impression of the former, who could be considered an opportunist who wavered between the Tian family faction and the outsider faction.

As for the leader of the knights, if I'm not mistaken, it should be Tian Guang who is in charge right now.

What could be Tian Guang's purpose in inviting him to be a guest at this time?

"What a huge honor!!"

"Since you invited our young master to our farmhouse as a guest, you only sent two lowly lackeys like you. Does your farmhouse look down on our young master?"

Yan Lingji narrowed her eyes and gave a cold smile.

Although Xiu Yuan is young, his identity is not simple. As a disciple of Bei Mingzi, the Supreme Elder of the Taoist Tianzong, his status in the Tianzong is already frighteningly high. Even the Tianzong leader, Chi Songzi, addresses him as his junior brother.

Moreover, Qingxu is a Grandmaster-level fighter. What was the Farmer Clan thinking that they would send a few of them to invite him? Did the Farmer Clan want to make friends or enemies?

"This this."

Upon hearing Yan Lingji's words, the two disciples of the Four Mountains Hall stammered and were speechless for a moment. However, judging from their expressions, a strange glint flashed in Xiu Yuan's eyes.

It seems that this is not the case; these two must have something they can't say.

"Master, please forgive me!!"

Seeing that the situation was about to reach a stalemate, one of the men swallowed hard, stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and said.

"Our hall master instructed us that when the master escorts Mr. Nian Duan back to Mirror Lake, it is not advisable for us, the Farmer Clan, to show ourselves to avoid attracting attention. The Sixth Hall Master's identity is sensitive, and with so many disciples in the Farmer Clan, it would be difficult for him to come over. The hall master instructed us not to disturb the master's peace along the way. Once the master reaches our Farmer Clan's territory, we should report to him immediately, and he will come personally."

Upon hearing this, Xiu Yuan couldn't help but glance at the man a few more times.

The man did speak a few words of truth. With so many disciples in the Farmer's School, it was inevitable that there would be a mix of good and bad. In other words, there were both good and bad ones. In addition, some people were envious of the position of the Sixth Hall Master, so he naturally had to be careful.

Furthermore, he discerned a hidden meaning in the other party's words. The farmer's visit at this time likely stemmed from his own ulterior motives, which were not to be made public.

If it were a normal visit, the farmer wouldn't be so cautious, as if afraid that outsiders would find out.

Therefore, he wasn't very interested in this invitation.

The six members of the peasant family each had their own agendas. Whether it was Tian Meng, Tian Hu, and Tian Zhong, who appeared in another timeline, or Zhu Jia, Sheng Qi, Tian Mi, and Wu Kuang, they all had their own little schemes.

Currently, with the leader of the chivalrous sect, Tian Guang, still alive, the six branches of the Farmer's Clan are living in peace. However, if something happens to Tian Guang, these six branches will likely fall apart instantly.

"Not interested in!"

Xiu Yuan shook his head.

Seeing this, Yan Lingji curled her lips. Who said that you have to go just because you're invited? In her opinion, these people from the Farmer's Family were acting suspiciously, and even if she went, it wouldn't necessarily be anything good.

On this point, the girl's thoughts were surprisingly consistent with Xiu Yuan's.

Upon hearing Xiu Yuan's words, the disciples of the Farmer Clan were taken aback. This was an answer they had not expected. The Farmer Clan was one of the most powerful sects in the world, with more than 100,000 disciples.

They have now made it clear that the farmers are not ignoring the issue, but are worried about causing trouble for the other party. They have also indicated that Situ Wanli will come in person, but the other party still does not intend to give the farmers any face.

"master."

The men who came with him were about to say something more, but they were stopped by the man who spoke up later.

They were disciples of the Four Mountains Hall, the most ordinary disciples of the Farmer's School. They were entrusted with important tasks by Situ Wanli because they had some skills in concealing their identities.

But in the end, they were just ordinary disciples, and their status was not equal to that of the young man in front of them. Now, the news of Shouying City in Chu State had spread throughout the world. Don't underestimate him because of his young age. In terms of status and realm, he was not someone they could talk to.

Now that they've been discovered and clearly rejected, all they can do is report this to their superiors as soon as possible; the rest is no longer their concern.

Seeing the group bow to him before disappearing back into the jungle, Xiu Yuan shook his head.

"Not all farmers are fools."

Upon hearing this, Yan Lingji subconsciously looked over. Judging from the words of the young man beside her, he did not have a good impression of the people from the farming family.

"Does the young master know those people?"

Seeing the boy take another step, she quickly followed and then asked again.

"The Farmer's School is the largest of the Hundred Schools. It is divided into six halls: Kuiwei Hall, Chiyou Hall, Lieshan Hall, Siyue Hall, Gonggong Hall, and Shennong Hall."

"The Four Mountains Hall that the person just mentioned is one of these six halls. The Farmer's School has a large number of disciples, claiming to number 100,000."

Upon hearing this number, Yan Lingji's eyes widened in astonishment. Such a number of combatants would be enough to form an army.

Tianze has always dreamed of restoring his kingdom, but the biggest obstacle is the military. If they had a similar number of combat-ready troops, the dream of restoring the kingdom would no longer seem so far-fetched.

"so much??"

Yan Lingji followed Xiu Yuan, her long hair flowing, seemingly somewhat disbelieving.

She didn't know much about the Farmer Clan, only that they had a large number of members. Based on what the Farmer Clan disciples had said before, she was certain that the Farmer Clan's main base should be in the State of Qi, or near the border between Qi and Chu. With such a large number of disciples, wouldn't they be afraid of arousing the suspicion of both Qi and Chu?
As his thoughts raced, some information about the farmers came to mind again, and Xiu Yuan selected some of the more important ones to recount.

"Farmers revere Shennong, the legendary ancestor who pioneered agricultural civilization and led his tribe from nomadic hunting and fishing to settled agriculture."

"The disciples of the Farmer School inherit the philosophy of Shennong, with the core idea of ​​'encouraging farming and sericulture to ensure sufficient food and clothing,' advocating the development of agriculture and the protection of people's livelihood."

"Later, it gradually evolved into 'The earth nourishes all things, Shennong is immortal, are generals, ministers, kings, and nobles born with a special destiny?'"

"The natural advantages also determine that the number of disciples in the Farmer's School will be much larger than that of other sects. Even ordinary people can join the Farmer's School without much effort."

"If they join the Farmers' Clan, they will have such a powerful force to rely on. Do you think those people wouldn't be tempted?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Lingji nodded thoughtfully.

After the fall of the Baiyue Kingdom, she wandered to other places and met many refugees. These refugees might not dare to act recklessly towards the high-ranking officials and nobles, but they were not so polite to those who were also refugees.

Faced with life and death, these people often exhibit even more cold-blooded and ruthless behavior, just as Xiu Yuan described, a situation that would likely sway most ordinary people. "And what about you Taoists?"

When the topic of sects came up, Yan Lingji subconsciously thought of the sect from which the two people beside her came: the Taoist Heavenly Sect.

Xiaomeng's eyes flickered slightly before she spoke, "Taoists don't have that many people. When Taoism accepts disciples, it considers both talent and fate. Sometimes, even if someone has enough talent, if there is no fate, Taoism will not accept them."

Upon hearing this, Yan Lingji couldn't help but reply.

"What if you never meet someone you're destined to be with? Are you Taoists just going to refuse to accept anyone? Wouldn't that be digging your own grave?"

Xiaomeng frowned.

She hadn't thought about this issue, but what Yan Lingji said was also true. After all, the development of a sect ultimately depends on people.

If they never encounter a destined person, wouldn't the number of disciples accepted by Taoism decrease, and eventually they might all disappear into the long river of history?

Then the girl turned to the boy beside her and asked softly, "Senior brother, is it really so?"

Xiu Yuan didn't stop walking. He also overheard the conversation between Yan Ling Ji and Xiao Meng. From a historical perspective, it really is possible.

Later generations of Taoism branched out into many lineages, and many of those with few members eventually disappeared into the long river of history.

It is evident that the Taoist philosophy regarding accepting disciples is "better to have none than to accept the wrong ones."

However, this is not the case for certain lineages.

"Junior sister, Master accepted you as his disciple. Do you think it's because you and Master are destined to be together?"

After a while, Xiu Yuan's words came over again.

Upon hearing this, Xiaomeng fell into deep thought.

According to the philosophy of Tianzong's discipleship, Beimingzi has already accepted him, which proves that he and Beimingzi are destined to be together. But who decides this destiny?
What does it mean to be destined to meet, and what does it mean to be not destined to meet?
Yan Lingji followed on the side, also pondering what Xiu Yuan had said. The concept of fate in Taoism is really hard to define.

"What do you mean, senior brother?"

Xiu Yuan looked up and gazed ahead. The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse. If they were ordinary people, they would probably only be able to sigh in despair at such a road. But for the three of them, it was just a minor inconvenience. Along the way, they could even enjoy the scenery of the mountains and forests.

After thinking for a moment, the young man spoke again: "I once heard a saying that goes, 'The will of Heaven is hard to defy.'"

Xiaomeng frowned. The will of Heaven is hard to defy. These four words do fit the main theme of the Heavenly Sect, but she also felt a little uncomfortable with them.

It's as if when facing problems, no matter what I do, it's all in vain. My fate has already been decided, so what's the point of trying?

Before she could say anything, Xiu Yuan's words came through again.

"What is the will of Heaven? Isn't the will of Heaven just human will? All cause and effect is related to human beings themselves. So-called fate can actually be understood as the nature of human beings."

"Birth, aging, sickness and death are natural. Joy and sorrow, separation and reunion are just attitudes that can be changed according to people's hearts."

Hearing this, Xiaomeng was a little confused, as these things seemed unrelated to what she had asked.

But Xiu Yuan didn't stop there. He continued, "Natural disasters and man-made calamities are objective phenomena, but our perception of events determines their impact. For example, if we think that heavy snowfall is a disaster, then the snowfall is a disaster. Conversely, if we think that heavy snowfall is a good thing, then the snowfall is a blessing."

"So I think whether it's fate or not is just Master's personal opinion. Just like a matter will have different conclusions depending on the perspective of two people. It depends on the person at the time."

At this point, Xiu Yuan sighed softly.

"If the sect's disciples dwindle, and someone comes to visit the sect, do you think the elders will consider them to be destined for these disciples or not?"

Xiaomeng then nodded, meaning she probably understood.

“Young master, if that’s the case, wouldn’t your Taoist school be a bit shameless?”

Yan Lingji's lips twitched. If that's the case, then whether someone is destined to be together or not is just something a Taoist master can say at will.

Xiu Yuan smiled.

King Wen once said in the Book of Changes, "When things reach an extreme, they change; when they change, they become fluid; when they become fluid, they endure."

"Later, Lao Tzu said in the Tao Te Ching, 'Reversal is the movement of the Tao, weakness is the function of the Tao. The crooked becomes whole, the bent becomes straight, the hollow becomes full, and the worn becomes new.' This is the principle in the end. Nothing is immutable, so we must learn to be flexible. Those Taoist masters are by no means stubborn and inflexible, so the situation you described will not occur."

"Adaptability."

Time flies, and three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

As night fell once more, Xiu Yuan, Xiao Meng, and Yan Ling Ji stood by the campfire, looking at an uninvited guest opposite them with somewhat embarrassed expressions.

"The master is truly decisive and efficient!"

"If it weren't for the fact that we farmers have more disciples, I probably would have lost them by now."

Xiu Yuan shook his head helplessly.

"Please forgive me, Hall Master Situ, but I have been away from the sect for many days and am eager to return."

The visitor was none other than Situ Wanli, the head of the Four Peaks Hall of the Farmer's Clan. This was something Xiu Yuan hadn't expected. He had already noticed something a day earlier and intended to avoid the visitor, but the number of Farmer's Clan disciples was too large, and in the end, he still managed to corner him.

Of course, this was also because they didn't really intend to hide. Otherwise, with Xiu Yuan's cultivation level, he could use the "Hidden Light and Dust" technique to conceal his figure. Even if Situ Wanli stood right in front of him, he probably wouldn't be able to detect him.

The fact that the Farmer Clan had sent a hall master to negotiate, and that they were using the method of having their disciples report their whereabouts along the way, told him that the Farmer Clan might really have something to discuss with him.

After much deliberation, he decided to meet the head of the Siyue Hall.

Hearing Xiu Yuan's words, Situ Wanli gave an awkward smile, but he didn't dare to say anything more. After all, the young man sitting opposite him was not an ordinary person, but a Grandmaster.

"I understand your feelings about returning to the sect, Master. A wanderer longs for home and yearns to go back. However, Master, could you please wait until I finish speaking before considering whether to stay or leave?"

Having reached this point, Xiuyuan no longer refused.

He then nodded.

"What business does Hall Master Situ have with me?"

Situ Wanli was standing on a tree trunk. Looking at the flames, the man said in a deep voice, "Our leader wanted to arrange a meeting with you, Master. As for the specific reasons, the leader didn't tell me, but he did mention the bargaining chip. I think you will be interested."

Upon hearing this, Xiu Yuan couldn't help but look over.

Are you sure you're interested?

This chivalrous leader is quite interesting; there aren't many things that can interest me these days.

"May I ask, Master, what does the chivalrous leader mean by 'interested'?"

Situ Wanli reached out and touched his mustache, chuckling.

"The notes on breaking through to the Grandmaster realm".

Xiu Yuan narrowed his eyes. Tian Guang's tone was quite arrogant. A breakthrough note to the Grandmaster realm—such a thing would be an invaluable treasure in any sect. How could the other party be willing to give it away?
"Is Hall Master Situ joking?"

Situ Wanli shook his head.

“Master, you are joking. Even if my family dared to make such a joke with others, we would never dare to make such a joke with you. You have become a Grandmaster at such a young age. Your future is limitless. My family will not offend such a noble person.”

"As for the master's doubts, I can explain a few things here. Breaking through the Grandmaster realm results in becoming a Great Grandmaster, a realm that is considered top-tier in the martial arts world. However, becoming a Great Grandmaster is extremely difficult, and there has been no movement in the martial arts world for nearly twenty years."

"Instead of guarding such a useless treasure, it's better to exchange it for usable assets. After all, the manuscript isn't a disposable item. Even if a master has read it, our farmers can still use it."

Xiu Yuan nodded; such an explanation was plausible.

He then added, "How can we guarantee the authenticity of this manuscript?"

Situ Wanli was visibly taken aback when he heard this question.

This was Tian Guang's arrangement, and Situ Wanli had no doubts whatsoever about this chivalrous leader of the peasant family.

If anyone else told him to invite someone using a breakthrough note to the Grandmaster realm, he would probably have some doubts. But the Hero Chief is different. After succeeding as Hero Chief, he never lies.

"Master, are you aware of the tombs of the Six Sages of the Farming Family?"

Xiu Yuan frowned slightly; to be honest, he remembered this place.

"Six of my family's elders are in seclusion here. They are all at the Grandmaster level, and the older ones are nearly two hundred years old."

"Two hundred years old?"

This time, it was Yan Lingji and Xiaomeng's turn to be shocked.

"Shennong Hall has a good understanding of health preservation, and the elder has been in seclusion, so nothing has happened."

"The Tomb of the Six Sages—was it at the hands of Bai Qi, the general of Qin's Wu'an Army?"

(End of this chapter)