Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

Chapter 124: A Surprise Agreement!

March 9th, Beizhili, Hejian Prefecture, Cangzhou.

More than two thousand miles east of the city lies a continuous, winding mountain range, in the middle of which stands a majestic mountain. It was formed when the primordial energy began to recover, and a powerful earth vein was born from the ground. As the world expanded, numerous low hills and mountains slowly emerged, guarding the main peak that was a thousand feet high at the center.

The Li family named this mountain Ciqingshan, meaning an evergreen sacred mountain bestowed by heaven.

On the mountainside of Ciqing Mountain, a grand and imposing ancient palace stands, its heavy gates wide open, with armored soldiers standing guard on both sides.

Inside, Jia Tang, dressed in a black and red divine tiger robe and wearing a jade tiger crown, with strong features and a cold and stern expression, sat upright on the right side of the center, exuding a sharp and domineering aura.

Across from him stood a sprightly old man with a youthful face and white hair, wearing a Liang crown and fine clothes, with a solemn expression and a profound aura.

Between the two was a jade tray containing a scroll of gold-leafed text. The characters "Niu," "Liu," "Chen," and "Hou" were faintly visible on it, numbering about a dozen. There were also densely packed tiny characters on it, emanating an inexplicable aura.

With a smile in his eyes, Jia Tang took out the Jia Clan's Command Order and used his vital energy to imprint it onto the golden page, creating a blank space, and waited for the old man's actions.

Upon seeing this, Li Yunqiong, the first ancestor of the Li family, narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the character "石" (stone) on the left side of the blank space. It was actually in the first column.

After a moment of stunned silence, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, and a three-inch jade seal flew out from his wide sleeves and was heavily stamped on the blank space on the gold page.

The ceremony is now complete!

A flash of light appeared on the surface of the gold page, then suddenly fell silent again.

"Old Master, I hope you will be more lenient with me in the future!"

Li Yunqiong replied with a beaming smile, "Now that the alliance is established, I will certainly do my utmost!"

"Excellent."

The two exchanged a smile, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

This alliance has been delayed for a long time. As early as the end of the year before last, the other party had conveyed its desire to conclude an alliance treaty with the ceremony of the founding of a nation.

This means that this matter requires the unanimous approval of all eight government departments.

Before the founding of the nation, the first generation of the Jia family obtained a scroll from a secret realm, which was a document of an alliance between major ancient powers.

Those whose names are recorded on documents are bound by an unseen destiny, intertwined, mutually dependent, helping each other, and of one mind and one heart.

Those who betray will be cursed, and their entire clan will suffer!

This was common knowledge during the founding of the nation, given the grand scale of the alliance ceremony orchestrated by Wu Xun.

Later, other forces did want to join, but the highest level of the document could only have eight forces of the same rank, which was occupied by the Eight Dukes' Mansion.

The next level has twelve sections, each belonging to one of the twelve marquises of that time.

What the world doesn't know is that the Jia family had the authority to add, remove, or change the number of allied forces on documents. For example, if a marquisate had disappeared, a spot would be left vacant in the second generation, and several more spots would be left vacant in the third generation!

Jia Tang was initially reluctant to accept Li's request because they had never worked together before, and it was uncertain whether their specific principles of conduct would be compatible with those of the Eight Mansions.

Later, Jia Tang ordered Wang Heyuan to come to the Li family to make a preliminary verbal alliance. In return, the other party sent a second-level cultivator south to fight to the death. Moreover, the head of the second branch was Li Yunqiong's grandson.

This shows their utmost sincerity!

Therefore, Jia Tang merged the Jia families of Ning and Rong into one, leaving one spot for Li to sign!

At the lower left, Li Shou, the current patriarch of the Li clan, stood up, wearing the unique green mountain and crane robe of the Li clan's literary cultivators. His dignified face was full of smiles as he said, "From now on, you may be called General. I hope you will give me much guidance!"

Jia Tang nodded with a smile: "Definitely."

Li Shouben then bowed to Jia Kang, who was sitting to his lower right, and said with a smile, "General, if you have some free time in the future, you can come to the clan and give this good-for-nothing some pointers."

The younger generation has also had a fortunate turn of events.

Jia Kang forced a smile: "I wouldn't presume to offer guidance, but rather to exchange ideas—"

The remaining five worshippers and Li Shi Da Xiu greeted each other warmly, creating a lively atmosphere.

Only Li Shouzhong, the third from the bottom left, looked a little dark-skinned, because after signing the contract today, the other party had taken his daughter back to their clan.

Although it eased some of the pain of longing in her heart, her daughter's open and unreserved interaction with her brother-in-law was truly a disgrace to the family and an act against all moral principles.

But when Li Shouzhong met his patriarch's meaningful eyes, he felt it wasn't so bad. After all, his daughter was already a widow, and remarrying wasn't a big deal, especially since Jia Tang was such a shrewish and ambitious man.

This combination of conservative thinking and pressure to change left him with an unpredictable expression.

Upon seeing this, Jia Tang stepped forward, bowed slightly, and clasped his hands in a formal greeting: "Greetings, Elder."

In an instant, the hall fell silent. The core members of both Jia and Li's sides stared intently at Li Shouzhong, awaiting his response.

Given Jia Tang's status, marrying a widow who has given birth to a child would already be a very respectful gesture, especially since she has always taken good care of her nephew, Jia Lan.

Li Shouzhong sighed inwardly, slowly stood up, and reached out his hands to help Jia Tang up.

"The general need not—"

Upon hearing this, Jia Tang waved his hand to interrupt, and said with a smile, "I get along quite well with the Imperial Censor, so please just call me your nephew, sir."

Li Shouzhong glanced discreetly at his ancestor, who was nodding in secret, and calmly replied, "Nephew, there's no need for such formalities. From now on, the Jia and Li families will be as close as family."

"Haha, that's wonderful!"

As the laughter rang out, the hall instantly returned to its lively and noisy atmosphere of conversation.

Jia Tang chatted briefly with Li Shouzhong before getting up and leaving. In the blink of an eye, he and Li Yunqiong arrived at the pavilion on the mountaintop.

The two stood side by side, gazing leisurely at the magnificent blue sky and sea of ​​clouds before them.

After a long pause, Li Yunqiong asked first, "Does Yu Yin know who Xiu Lan is?"

Jia Tang's brows furrowed slightly, and he said calmly, "It belongs to the south of the Confucius family!"

"Indeed!"

Li Yunqiong nodded in confirmation and said, "Twenty-two years ago, at his first birthday celebration, the old ghost from Nan Kong invited me to pay my respects, and we met once."

"More than twenty years have passed. The other party has grown into an adult and his appearance has changed drastically. I could not even recognize the portraits of the three scholars that Shouzhuo brought back from Qingyun Tower."

"Unexpectedly, the name was on the business card they sent when they invited us, which made us realize what was going on."

Jia Tang nodded slightly: "The Dongping Prince's Mansion and his clan have never lost contact. He, along with the other three princes, secretly allied with Bei Kong."

"In that case, only the people of Nan Kong remain."

Li Yunqiong was taken aback upon hearing this. The Dongping Prince's Mansion? Hadn't they broken ties with the Jia family decades ago?

Because they came from the same place, the conflict between the two sides was quite tense, with each side suffering casualties.

"Acting? Using a stunt double?"

Jia Tang shook his head: "He was someone who failed to break through back then, and whose path forward was cut off."

Li Yunqiong suddenly realized and laughed, "People often say that the old devil Jia has many tricks up his sleeve, and it's true."

Jia Tang smiled helplessly, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes.

"As long as it works, that's fine."

"What did the Master teach me about the Southern Confucian school?"

Li Yunqiong laughed heartily upon hearing this: "What's there to teach? Do you think I couldn't guess what happened a few days ago when the Southern Confucian Temple in Quzhou was attacked by fire-elemental martial artists?"

"All I can say is that they did a good job. These people who came south from the Song Dynasty are very ruthless."

Jia Tang thought about it and realized that was indeed the case, but there was no need to be afraid.

"He may be cold, but he's definitely not as fierce or ruthless as us!"

"From the initial setbacks to the recent attack, our Jia family is inextricably linked to Nan Kong. Nan Kong has joined forces with the Chen family, and the two sides are secretly cultivating blood soil with human blood and flesh in various places to grow great medicines."

"Recently, due to the matter of the crocodile, some unpleasant things may have happened, leading to the attack on the four kings."

Li Yunqiong smiled faintly and said boldly, "It's only polite to reciprocate. Let's show them the rules of the North!"

"Oh?"

"There is a hidden power in the three regions of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian called the Lu Song Literary and Martial Arts Association, which is divided into the Jiangxi Lu Alliance, the Fujian Songbai Pavilion and the Zhejiang Literary and Martial Arts Association."

"Among the participants in this literary and martial arts gathering, there is a True Person of the third rank, one in literature and one in martial arts, both of whom are cultivators of the Confucian school."

Jia Tang's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked in surprise, "How does the Master know so much in such detail?"

Li Yunqiong gazed at the clouds on the horizon, stroked his beard, and smiled faintly: "I am the leader of the Deer Alliance, and one of the three late-stage second-tier pavilion masters of the Pine and Cypress Pavilion is Shouben."

Jia Tang was taken aback upon hearing this, staring blankly at the elegant and composed Master Li before him, his robes fluttering in the breeze. He sincerely exclaimed, "What skill!"

Li Yunqiong smiled and said leisurely, "Families with a long history are inherently cautious; they will make multiple bets and hold back in various places!"

"This is true for the Li family, and it is also true for the Kong family!"

"Didn't your Jia family also conceal the affairs of Master Shi and Dongping?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Tang's smile widened: "What a coincidence! May I ask if there is an elderly martial artist in Songbai Pavilion with formidable lightning-attribute supernatural powers?"

Li Yunqiong paused, stroking his beard. An incredulous look flashed in his eyes as he asked suspiciously, "Could it be Master Shi?"

"Indeed!"

Jia Tang laughed heartily and explained, "Years ago, after Master Shi recovered from his injuries, he went south and broke through to the third level. He never returned and has been hiding in the Pine and Cypress Pavilion ever since. He only came to our aid when our two mansions were attacked last year!"

Li Yunqiong snapped out of his daze and clicked his tongue in amazement: "In that case, it's only right that Lu Song, both scholar and warrior, should be under our command!"

"That's how it should be!"

On the thirteenth day of the third month, fallen flowers and flying catkins.

Located in the northwest corner of Jianning Prefecture, Fujian Province, Yuliang Mountain, close to the border of Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, became the central stronghold of the Lusong Martial Arts Association, a powerful force that secretly intimidated the cultivation communities of the three provinces.

At the foot of Yuliang Mountain, in the dense forest, there are towering ancient trees that take five people to encircle. Their lush branches and leaves completely block out the sunlight, but some stubborn rays of light shine through the gaps in the leaves and illuminate the lush green ground.

Just then, a figure suddenly flashed by, and the air currents from the speeding figure pressed down on the boundless green grass.

After entering the dense forest, the man walked 120 steps to the south and then to the west, then 80 steps to the east and then 35 steps to the north, until he came to a large tree with three vines wrapped around it. He then released a little bit of his inner energy.

"Click~"

With a crack, a narrow hole appeared in the trunk of the tree, which was three zhang above the ground, and a cultivator wearing a mask with pine branch patterns emerged from it.

"Second Master!"

"Is Master Wenyu still alive?"

"The real person is still alive."

Upon hearing this, the Second Pavilion Master's eyes shone brightly beneath his veil, and he nodded with a smile, saying, "Excellent!"

After flashing into the inner chamber, he plummeted straight to the ground. After descending about twenty feet, his vision suddenly opened up. He could see a large, square underground chamber with bright candlelight. Many black-clad men wearing masks with different patterns were running back and forth carrying small bamboo tubes. He could also faintly hear low shouts coming from the depths on both sides of the underground chamber.

The Second Pavilion Master, dressed in a purple pine and cypress robe symbolizing good fortune and longevity, slowly strolled into the stone chamber directly in front of the underground chamber amidst greetings from numerous men in black.

Inside, an elderly scholar with a thin face, narrow eyebrows and eyes, and thin lips sat cross-legged on a futon. Hearing the noise, he didn't even lift his eyelids and said calmly, "What is it?"

The second master bowed slightly and reported, "I have come specifically to request something from the Master!"

"What is it?"

"Your head!"

Upon hearing this, Master Wen Yu was taken aback when he suddenly sensed a surge of violent and powerful energy behind him. In an instant, a dazzling and brilliant lightning spear shot out from the Second Pavilion Master's hand. The explosive sound of it piercing the air caused tangible ripples in the space around it, and it struck the Master's back with unstoppable force!

"boom!"

A pale blue light membrane flowed across Wen Yuzhen's body. After a brief stalemate, it shattered and dissipated into specks of blue light. Immediately afterward, a dull and broken jade pendant fell from his body!

At this moment, Master Wen Yu vanished instantly, and a torrent of literary energy filled the stone chamber, then condensed into tiny golden spikes, which descended upon the Second Pavilion Master!

"Jade thread pierces three acupoints, golden needle penetrates nine gates!"

Seeing this, Shi Cuiyue, hidden behind the mask, smiled coldly. His entire body circulated with qi, and dense purple lightning enveloped him. Instead of retreating, he charged into the sea of ​​golden thorns!

"A continuous, piercing clang appeared, and the scattered aftershocks caused the earth here to crack. A surging wave of air shot into the sky, instantly penetrating the earth more than twenty feet thick, leaving a hole several feet in size, allowing sunlight to shine through."

High above Yuliang Mountain, Master Wenyu Kong Hua stared at Shi Cuiyue's mask with a gloomy look. This was a Yuan soldier transferred from his family and placed in the Hall of Merit to conceal his aura, which was replaced by the person in front of him a few years ago!

"A treacherous person who hides their head and tail, launching sneak attacks from behind!"

Shi Cuiyue laughed loudly, his voice turning shrill, and cursed, "You little brat, I'll kill you today!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sky suddenly darkened, and thick, dark clouds flashing with lightning condensed and spread for hundreds of feet above. The next instant, a thunderclap exploded in the clear sky, tearing apart layers of clouds. A violent aura covered the entire Yuliang Mountain and struck straight down towards Kong Hua!

"Crack"

Kong Hua's eyes narrowed, and brilliant scriptures flashed within them. His entire body surged with literary energy, and lines of light dripped down from his body.

The small characters disappeared into it, and the surrounding energy swept in, transforming into a giant a hundred feet tall, roaring to the sky as it charged forward!

"Like a towering mountain, a pillar supporting the sky, its proud stride shakes the four directions!"

"boom!"

A deafening explosion resounded high in the sky, and a powerful shockwave pierced the clouds!

Shi Cuiyue's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and a terrifying divine thunder that could destroy the world was brewing, which swept down with black clouds formed from lightning!

"Die!"

However, in the blink of an eye, Kong Hua's figure suddenly disappeared, appearing hundreds of feet away as if by teleportation. Behind his head, a sutra was spinning, its pages turning automatically without any wind!

"Zhao guest wears a silk tassel on his hat, Wu hook sword gleams like frost and snow. Silver saddle shines on white horse, swift as a shooting star."

"Kill one man in ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles. After the deed is done, dust off your clothes and leave, concealing your identity and name."