The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 271 must be a teacher from the Biyong Academy (3k)

The two were heading to that stone bridge.

Du Yuan had long wanted to see the sword hanging under the stone bridge. After all, the story of "a sword hanging under the bridge, ready to slay the dragon" was something she had heard many times before, but she still couldn't help but pay attention when she heard it again; now that there was actually such a sword in front of her, how could she not be tempted?
Walking along the road, Du Yuan looked at the man in black and asked, "Which sword under the stone bridge, do you know its origin and history?"

The man in black shook his head and smiled, "Many people came here back then, and many swords were left behind; after the great calamity, the world changed, and if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really wouldn't know the origin of many of the swords."

Then he added, "Besides, even if you see it with your own eyes, you might not recognize it. It might just be a completely unfamiliar sword."

These words made Du Yuan smile: "But you just said that you know everything about swords!"

The man in black hurriedly clasped his hands in apology:

"I was just speaking offhand just now, please don't take it seriously, please don't take it seriously at all!"

Since following Du Yuan on this journey, he dared not be arrogant anymore. This person was truly beyond his expectations, and the things he encountered with him were all unbelievable.

Therefore, I dare not make any rash judgments now, lest I end up being proven wrong later.

After all, how many sword cultivators were there back then? Given the vastness of the world and the wide number of sword cultivators, it's perfectly normal for them to leave behind a few immortal swords that they didn't recognize.

“Very well, let’s go take a look.” Du Yuan changed the subject and asked, “But have you ever heard of a sword that can slay dragons?”

The man in black robes pondered as he recalled:

"Dragon-slaying swords? There are many. True dragons are the masters of lakes and rivers, naturally possessing profound cultivation and great supernatural powers, coupled with their formidable physiques, making them renowned for their strength. Precisely because of this, there are quite a few immortal swords in the world that have slain dragons. However, most of those swords have only slain dragons in the past. It seems that you are asking about swords specifically designed to slay dragons?"

Du Yuan nodded and pressed further, "Yes, has there ever been such a sword?"

The man in black immediately waved his hand:
“The True Dragon clan is a first-rate and powerful clan. Who would deliberately forge a sword to incur their wrath? Of course, such a sword does exist, but we would never dare to display it openly and invite trouble for nothing.”

In fact, there are quite a few magical artifacts specifically designed for dragons, and even dragons themselves possess deadly weapons like the Dragon-Slaying Platform and the Dragon-Cutting Platform. It's just that the sword cultivator lineage is too special, so they alone cannot possess swords specifically for slaying dragons.

"But why are you asking this?"

When the man in black said this, he was a little unsure whether the man had asked the question on a whim.

Or perhaps he actually has some kind of grudge against the dragon lineage and wants to do something about it?
Du Yuan laughed:

“I had heard a story before, and when I happened to pass by, I saw something similar, so I couldn’t help but ask a couple of questions.”

"What story is it? Could you tell me about it?"

The man in black was clearly curious.

Du Yuan naturally had no reason to refuse, and after pondering for a moment, she said:

"Because floods often destroy bridges, people would hang a sword under the bridge when repairing it to scare away the dragons."

"It is said that if dragons and other creatures are left unchecked and stir up waves, this sword will cut them down."

This was a story that Du Yuan had heard both in her hometown and here.

But no sooner had he finished speaking than he heard the man in black shake his head and laugh:

"Your story was probably told to you by someone from today. Otherwise, such a story would never have happened in our time."

"A sword hangs beneath the bridge, ready to slay a dragon. This is clearly going against the dragon race. First of all, no one would go back to do it. Secondly, if you die, it might be better if you don't, but if you do, the dragons will definitely not let it go!"

Dragons are known for their proud and fierce nature. Once something so conspicuous happens, they will confront it head-on, no matter who it comes from.

Du Yuan smiled knowingly and said, "Indeed, it is an old story that I only heard about after the great calamity."

He then changed the subject and asked, "But what if the dragons of the world really do stir up trouble?"

The man in black robes remained calm and casually said:
"What should be done? Naturally, the Commanders under the Dawn God or the Cloud and Rain Dispatch Division should step forward to question them according to the law. If it really touches the core area of ​​the three religions, then an Arhat, a great Confucian scholar, or a certain True Person will personally descend to deal with it."

This answer did not satisfy Du Yuan; he still remembered the black dragon. So he pondered for a moment and then asked, "But in the end, you still couldn't truly land at the bottom, right?"

The man in black sighed softly: "This is the way of the world. The world is too vast, and the various forces are constantly vying for power and deeply intertwined. Many regulations can only remain on the surface and are difficult to truly implement. Often, it is only when a major disaster is caused that real punishment is brought about."

Finally, he shook his head again, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Even if it really causes chaos, sometimes it just fizzles out."

After softening his tone, the man in black added, "But then again, things are much better now than before. In the past, we didn't even have a proper set of rules."

In the past, even the most powerful emperor could only protect the territory under his own rule, and could no longer govern the rest of the land.

Even the emperor himself often faced an uncertain future.
It wasn't until the rise of the three religions that this chaotic world finally began to have some semblance of order. Du Yuan didn't answer, but was deep in thought.

Without giving it much thought, the man in black simply accompanied Du Yuan forward.
-
Beneath the stone bridge, the man in black, dragging his heavily injured body, pressed one hand tightly to his chest, and returned with a somber expression.

Seeing his appearance, the alluring woman, who was lazily nestled in the butcher's arms, glanced at him with a slight upturn of her eyes and said with a hint of mockery:
"Oh, I thought you'd already disappeared!"

The man in black swallowed hard, remained silent for a moment, and then said with a hint of anger, "The secret technique you gave me has clearly been tampered with by you!"

"You tampered with it?" The woman scoffed, retorting without any politeness, "Then was the golden pill you gave me clean?"

After saying that, she glanced at him sideways, her tone cold: "You and I are both like crows under the eaves. Since we're both covered in black, neither of us should complain about the other being dirty."

The man in black clenched his fist silently, offering no further rebuttal. He simply turned his gaze to the butcher beside him, his brow furrowing.
"Since you are the First Master of Tiannanzhai, my Golden Elixir should be of no concern to you. In that case, please tell me how to resolve this?"

He paused, then added, "I'll tell you the real stuff then. Don't worry, it'll be good for both of us."

The woman lazily shifted her position, curling up halfway in the butcher's arms without even lifting her eyelids. She casually said, "You have to tell me first before I'll consider it."

"If I had told you first, would you have believed me given the current situation?" The black-clad man's voice suddenly became more furious.

That slut still has to do these things even in her current state!

"You believe me just because I told you later?" The woman's laughter became even more mocking. "Have you forgotten the tricks you played earlier? There's never been any trust between us. If we want to talk, let's see who has the best skills."

These words left the man in black speechless. She was right; that was how things were between them, and they could only rely on their own abilities.

But this was his only hope.

He had to swallow this insult; he also had to take this gamble!
Therefore, he lowered his posture and respectfully cupped his hands, saying:
"I vaguely guessed the origin of that Confucian scholar."

As soon as these words were spoken, the two who had been nonchalant immediately became serious and pricked up their ears.

The scholar was clearly quite accomplished. Since he had made up his mind to deal with this person, he naturally needed to find out the other party's background first—knowing oneself and one's enemy is the only way to be safe.

"Oh? Tell me, what's his background? Is he an amateur, or did he come from some academy or even a traditional school?"

It would be a joke to say that such a formidable character would emerge from some unorthodox mountain path.

However, the three religions are different. They can no longer be defined as "major sects" or "great sects". They should be said to be the three most widely spread paths in the world!

Therefore, it's not surprising that an incredibly powerful person could emerge from unorthodox backgrounds.

Knowing the gravity of the situation, the man in black maintained his humble and bowed posture and slowly said, "In my opinion, he should be from the Biyong Academy."

"Biyong" and "academy" originally had the same origin and meaning.

Later, the various sages who were enshrined in the Confucian Temple, together with the Grand Master of Ceremonies, established rites and laws, regulated the rules, and set the framework for the world. Only then did they remove the name "Biyong" from the general concept and simplify it, but they specially built a "Biyong Academy" to commemorate it.

More importantly, the master of this Biyong Academy is none other than the Grand Master of the Confucian Temple himself!
So, as soon as the words "people from the Imperial Academy" were uttered, the butcher and the alluring woman's brows furrowed sharply, their voices hardening and revealing obvious urgency:

"Do you have any proof? If the Biyong Academy really sent someone, why are they so late? If they had arrived earlier, who in this area would have dared to act recklessly?"

In Confucian-influenced areas, the Confucian Temple is revered.

If you don't take Buddhism and Taoism seriously, that's fine. Although the three religions are interconnected, they are also wary of each other and secretly look down on one another.

Therefore, criticizing Buddhism and Taoism within Confucian territory may seem like asking for trouble, but in reality, it's about establishing a "respect for Confucianism" banner for oneself.

But if you dare to disrespect the Confucian Temple in this territory, then you are truly courting death.

A glint of light flashed in the black-clad man's eyes. He'd taken the bait!
But the more he spoke like this, the more slowly he said:

"It is precisely because they are teachers from the academy that they are late. Otherwise, how would the world know that the officials of the Confucian Temple can not only write books, but also wield swords to suppress the world?"

He paused, then added with a touch of certainty, "After all these years, we have to pick a few reckless troublemakers to make an example of them and show others the power of the Confucian Temple. Don't you two agree?"

The two men frowned even more deeply; they naturally understood this principle.

Even if they were in the position of the Confucian Temple, they would use this method: it's simple, direct, and effective.

They understood, but the thought that they themselves were among those troublemakers to be made an example of made an example of made an example of them made their hearts sink – this was something they couldn't comprehend.

(End of this chapter)