Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 254 Meeting Bei Mingzi, Secrets of the Martial World

"Master, you were looking for me?"

On the back of Mount Taiyi, a young man arrived at Bei Mingzi's residence.

Upon hearing the sound, Bei Mingzi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. Looking at the disciple sitting opposite him, he gently raised his hand and presented him with a cup of tea.

"An old friend just came to visit me."

After a while, Bei Mingzi spoke in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Qingxu narrowed his eyes. Someone whom Beimingzi called an old friend was probably not an ordinary person in some respects.

"Is it because of the shops at the foot of the mountain?"

Qingxu quickly realized that the person's visit to the Heavenly Sect at this time must have a special meaning.

Bei Mingzi nodded.

"The fact that the various schools of thought were able to survive in an era means that none of them were simple characters, especially those old guys hiding behind the scenes, who all had their own agendas."

"After the Qin Dynasty unified China, the Yin-Yang School chose to bet on Ying Zheng. Of course, the return was quite considerable. With the help of the Qin state, the Yin-Yang School became one of the most powerful sects in the world."

"The Taoists have accumulated a vast amount of wealth through salt and white paper, which has already attracted the attention of many people. If it weren't for us in the Heavenly Sect, those old guys would probably have jumped out from the shadows long ago to enjoy the fruits of their labor."

Upon hearing this, Qingxu slowly put down his teacup.

"What kind of people are they?"

Mentioning those people, Bei Mingzi snorted coldly, his expression not looking too good.

"Do you still remember Yan Wu from the Armored Gate?"

"Yan Wu?"

A strange look flashed in Qingxu's eyes. He still remembered that old man very well. After all, the old man was the first top expert whose combat power reached the Grandmaster level after he entered the martial arts world.

In reality, Yan Wu's realm has not yet reached the Grandmaster level. If those people were like Yan Wu, they would only be a bit troublesome for them, not a difficult problem.

“The weakest are about the same as him, while the stronger ones have all entered the Grandmaster realm. The martial arts world is vast, and there are many strong people. Not everyone likes to stand in the spotlight; many prefer to live in seclusion behind the scenes. This phenomenon becomes more pronounced the higher one's cultivation level.”

"The world of martial arts you've encountered so far is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the strong."

Upon hearing this, Qingxu subconsciously pinched his chin. He seemed to have heard an incredible secret from his master.

Of course, this secret is probably not a secret to some veterans in the martial arts world, or more precisely, to those with great skill in the martial arts world.

"Master, who is the strongest person in the martial world right now?"

Hearing this question, Bei Mingzi was somewhat surprised, but then he replied, "There are always people more powerful than you, and there is always a higher level to reach. In my impression, no one in the martial arts world dares to claim to be the strongest. As for the realm, as far as I know, the highest level is the Grandmaster realm."

Qingxu remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

There is no strongest, only stronger. This answer is consistent with the logic of reality. As time goes by, more amazing talents will surely be born in this world, and even those people from back then may not really be gone.

However, the matter of his cultivation level also made his heart sink.

Often, what makes people feel discouraged is not the ruggedness of the road ahead, but the lack of a way forward. Just like now, he actually hopes that the highest level in the current martial arts world is not the Grandmaster.

"The reason I called you here this time is to let you know in advance that what you can calculate, others in this martial arts world can also calculate, and some people have already started placing bets on it among various factions."

"Don't underestimate those old guys. Their achievements are not solely due to luck."

Qingxu raised his head and slowly looked at the old man in front of him. He had never told the old man about his thoughts, but now it seemed that he had not kept them from him.

After a while, Qingxu slowly spoke.

"Master, this disciple would like to give it a try."

Bei Mingzi raised his eyes, a hint of inquiry appearing in his cloudy eyes. Qingxu was his disciple, and he had placed a lot of hope in him.

The other party has already become a grandmaster at such a young age. With such talent, it is not impossible for him to reach even higher levels in the future, reach the legendary realm of Taoism, and even glimpse the path to immortality.

After a while, Bei Mingzi stroked his beard and sighed.

“When you first started, you told your teacher that your path lay in seeing the heavens and earth, seeing all living beings, and seeing yourself. You sought peace of mind, freedom from worries, and a tranquil mind.”

"At first, I wasn't really interested in what you were saying, but now I'm a little curious about what you've seen all these years?"

Qingxu remained silent.

A soul that has traversed a thousand years of time can see more than just the present; it also sees the historical periods that flash through its mind. Therefore, after witnessing everything in the present, it had its later thoughts.

"For Taoist disciples, the pursuit of the Tao is more like an obsession, a lifelong pursuit. No force can stop a person from pursuing their own Tao."

Upon hearing this, Qingxu Heart Lake returned to its calm. Some things, though insignificant, cannot be ignored.

"You go first~"

Qingxu stood up, respectfully cupped his hands in greeting, and then slowly left.

As he watched his disciple leave the small courtyard, Bei Mingzi's gaze gradually became distant.

The Tao is inherently impermanent; it is moved by a single thought.

Although Qingxu's appearance was somewhat unexpected, it was within the Dao. His arrival gave the world another choice. What Daoists care about is never whether something should or shouldn't be done, but rather that every change has its own laws.

"The world is already like this, why be so attached to it!"

The sound dissipated with the wind, and Bei Mingzi's figure slowly disappeared from the spot, as if the wind had passed without leaving a trace.

In another small courtyard on the back of Mount Taiyi, Qingxu gently pushed open the door.

Inside a bamboo house, a silver-haired girl slowly opened her eyes.

"Is this the story you were telling? I think the word 'accident' is a more fitting description of what happened today."

Qingxu shook his head slightly, and with a sway of his body, he was already inside the house in the next moment.

"This isn't my story. The Net's operations aren't part of this new story." The girl glanced at him indifferently, picked up the small teapot on the bamboo table, and poured two bowls of tea. It seemed she had grown fond of this thing herself.

When guests come, she will serve them some tea, but because of her status, very few people in her courtyard are able to drink this bowl of tea.

What kind of story was that?

Qingxu sat down on the side of the bamboo table, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the bright sky in the courtyard.

"I heard that Ying Zheng once told this story in Xianyang Palace. He said that it was a story that began with a sword and would also end with a sword."

The girl, who was kneeling to the side, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

"sword?"

The sword is inherently a weapon of death. Using a sword as the starting point symbolizes conflict and slaughter, especially since it comes from the mouth of someone who... I'm afraid this story won't have a happy ending.

What do you think, senior brother?

After a while, the girl asked again.

Qingxu withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the person beside him, Xiaomeng, his junior sister, a very talented person. He seemed to have changed a lot by himself, making this girl, who was originally difficult for ordinary people to approach, more humane.

"I think it should be a story that includes me, you, the Heavenly Sect, Taoism, the Hundred Schools of Thought, the martial arts world, the imperial court, and the whole world."

Xiaomeng lowered her eyelids, a faint smile flashing across her lips. She wasn't really interested in the story, but now that Qingxu had told her that she was also in it, she was starting to look forward to it.

“I killed those people from the Net.”

“Ni Chang let one go, but Qing Ze and Mo Xuan are a bit unexpected. When did they break through to the Grandmaster realm?”

After sitting for a while, Xiaomeng spoke again about what happened last night. The assassination attempt arranged by Luo Wang ended without success. Of course, this failure was only in relation to Sanhepu, but for Luo Wang, it was a heavy loss.

In the round trip, Luo Wang lost a total of four Grandmaster-level experts at Sanhepu: two mid-stage Grandmasters and two early-stage Grandmasters. Such losses would be painful for any force.

Of course, at this time she was unaware of some of the events that had occurred at the Cape headquarters. If she had known that the number of people lost by the Luo Wang organization at the Cape was almost the same as that lost by the Sanhepu organization, she probably wouldn't have reacted this way.

With the empire as its backing, Luo Wang is indeed able to recruit a lot of talents, but becoming a grandmaster takes time. Losing so many experts at once will likely severely damage Luo Wang's strength.

"To accomplish something, you often have to pay a price. Sometimes the price is small, and sometimes it is large. Unfortunately, the price that Luo Wang is planning is extremely high. This is just one part of it."

As the leader of the Heavenly Sect, Xiaomeng had come into contact with many imperial dignitaries and was quite clear about the empire's attitude.

Although Qingxu's words were plain, she could vaguely sense a murderous intent hidden within them.

"The Empire seems to have no intention of being an enemy of our Daoist sect. I heard from the court that Prince Fusu will visit Tianzong in a while. If the Luo Wang makes a move, it is indeed the court's will. Then Fusu will definitely not dare to come to Taiyi Mountain."

As a clever and quick-witted person, Qingxu could tell that Xiaomeng's words contained hidden meanings. Moreover, she was a girl who had been by his side since childhood, so he would not be wrong.

"Junior sister thinks I shouldn't go looking for the Luo Wang again?"

After a moment of silence, Xiaomeng replied softly, "At least not in the open. We can kill a mere Zhongchefu official, but we still need to be careful about that person. He's not qualified to put the Daoist school and the empire on opposite sides just because of Zhao Gao."

Qingxu suddenly paused in his movements. Ever since Xiaomeng became the head of the Tianzong Sect, she seemed to be considering things less one-sidedly.

While she might not pay much attention to some details, the overall direction will not be wrong.

Geniuses, in many cases, not only possess exceptional talent in cultivation but also demonstrate a knack for applying their knowledge to other areas.

"Once you understand one method, you understand all methods; Junior Sister's cultivation is steadily improving!"

Upon hearing this, Xiaomeng chuckled, but her laughter carried a hint of sarcasm.

“If it weren’t for someone’s unwillingness to take on the responsibility of sect leader, I could have gone to Zhao Gao’s place on behalf of my senior brother.”

Qingxu's eyes twitched at these words, but he pretended not to hear them. Different statuses meant different considerations, but he felt that Xiaomeng was more suitable for the position of sect leader. This girl had been with him since she entered the sect, and although her mindset had changed somewhat, it didn't seem to be much. Last time, she had caused several elders in the sect to lose face during the sword competition at the Guanmiao Terrace on Mount Taiyi. He had heard about this from Zixuan.

"I'll listen to my junior sister."

Xiaomeng gave a soft snort, seemingly still angry about the position of sect leader.

"We won't make a scene."

Upon hearing the following words, Xiaomeng turned around and stared at her senior brother for a long time.
"As you wish!"

"And what about Qingze and Moxuan? Senior brother, don't you plan to give me an explanation?"

Qingze and Moxuan were a shopkeeper and a shop assistant, respectively. She knew about Moxuan's identity; he was someone she brought back from South Korea years ago, and apparently, he was an assassin.

However, Qingze didn't have much information. The two battlefields that happened last night were not far apart, and she clearly felt the opponent's use of the color-changing fluctuations. If an outsider knew the Heavenly Sect's ultimate technique, it would be unreasonable for her, as the sect leader, to ignore it.

Qingxu thought for a moment and then explained, "It's not the right time to talk about Qingze yet, but I passed down his cultivation technique to him, so he is considered one of my disciples."

Xiaomeng's eyes flickered slightly. Hearing what Qingxu said, he probably didn't want to say much about the shopkeeper's matter. However, knowing the source of the other party's cultivation technique made it understandable. As an elder of the Heavenly Sect, Qingxu did have the right to accept disciples. It was only natural for a master to pass on his cultivation technique to his disciple.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. The little girl from our Heavenly Sect who was abducted by the Yin-Yang School has become the Lesser Master of Fate of the Yin-Yang School."

Upon hearing this, Qingxu frowned slightly. This situation was within his expectations, but it seemed that the little girl's time to become Shao Siming was much later than planned.

"According to the report from the Yin-Yang School's spies, Donghuang Taiyi did not use Yin-Yang techniques to erase her consciousness, so her succession as Shao Siming was much later."

Consciousness was not erased.

Qingxu sighed softly to himself. So this was the root of the problem. It seemed his trip to Mount Li had not been in vain.

"Xiao Ling is back?"

Xiaomeng nodded.

"He's back! I heard he wanted to thank you!"

Qingxu then asked, "I heard from Xiaoling that the little girl is his sister. Is that true or false?"

"Is it important?"

"You~~"

(End of this chapter)