A Scroll of Infinite Glory

"Gentlemen!"

As the noise grew louder, Abbot Zhiyuan of the Sanqing Temple stood up and shouted.

The room quieted down, and Daoist Zhiyuan said in a calm voice, "Although Daoist brothers Jiuying and Jiuhe cannot take charge, Qiushi has been accompanying Daoist brother Jiuying in recent years and has been favored by many eminent monks and Daoist friends. He is clearly the successor of Zhenwu Temple."

"Since he is still here, it is only natural that he should temporarily take charge of the imperial token."

Qiu Shi's identity as the successor has been clear for the past few years. Now that Daoist Zhiyuan has brought this to light, some sects that are close to Zhenwu Temple naturally did not hesitate to express their approval at this time.

Even some sects that knew they couldn't win the imperial token spoke up to support the Zhenwu Temple.

To put it bluntly, regardless of whether Zhenwu Temple can retain the imperial token this time, Wudang Mountain behind Zhenwu Temple is still standing there unscathed. Everyone there is a respectable person who values ​​face and rules, and few want to break ties.

"What Master Zhiyuan said makes sense. It wouldn't be a problem for Master Qiushi to preside over a regular Dharma assembly, but this Dharma assembly cannot be treated as an ordinary one."

Da Dao raised his head slightly, bowed to Daoist Zhiyuan, and then said, "In the fourteen counties of Chengyin Prefecture, hundreds of thousands of people have been plagued by evil spirits and demons for several months after the earthquake. Which household is not terrified and unable to sleep at night?"

"In previous years, the Ghost Festival Dharma Assembly was simply a way for ordinary people to follow customs, worship their ancestors, and show their filial piety. But this year's Dharma Assembly truly carries the hopes of tens of thousands of people."

A few months ago, there weren't many families who were actually harmed in the earthquake. However, because of the special terrain of Chengyinfu, the various energies were disordered after the earthquake, and all sorts of strange phenomena occurred too frequently, which inevitably made people in both urban and rural areas worry.

In this era, even if one doesn't encounter any real harmful monsters, just seeing them from afar or hearing a rumor from a distance can make people uneasy.

Every time a story of evil spirits harming people spreads, it's like the fear brought by an earthquake being exaggerated once again. Some seductive rumors, such as "The Ming Dynasty has lost its way, and Heaven is sending down disasters," have even spread to surrounding prefectures.

It is no exaggeration to say that people in Cheng Yin Prefecture are filled with fear and unease.

This is why the King of Yue, on his mission to govern Jiaozhi, requested the Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Provincial Judicial Commissioner to make a special trip here. It was precisely to take advantage of this Dharma assembly to pray for peace and stability for the people, to stabilize the prestige of the Ming Dynasty in Jiaozhi, and to further promote the benevolence and compassion of the Ming Dynasty.

Granny Yuan glanced sideways at Da Duo and said, "If we're talking about prestige, in the forty years that Zhenwu Temple has been established, every time they've fought against those evil sorcerers and subdued demons, they've always led from the front, earning the praise of the people. Once Qiu Shi takes over the Zhenwu Temple's name, who among us dares to say that their prestige can definitely surpass his?"

Da Dao laughed twice, his face all smiles, but he didn't back down an inch: "If it were some vague and unfounded things, then as long as you have a background and prestige, it would indeed be enough to convince people. But the problem is, the Ghost Festival Dharma Assembly is a real grand Dharma Assembly, not some trick to fool people in the countryside."

"On the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, when the Ghost Festival and Ullambana Festival officially begin, the person in charge bears the greatest pressure in communicating the rituals and powers of various sects, bridging the gap between the living and the dead, and appeasing the souls of the deceased."

"Master Qiushi is a true Taoist, and his skills are far superior to mine. However, he is not yet forty years old. I'm afraid he won't be able to bear the heavy responsibility of carrying out the rituals of various schools and conveying the wishes of the living to the souls of the dead."

strength!

In this world where magic truly exists, these monks and Taoists, in the end, are no different from martial artists; they still have to rely on their strength to prevail.

However, when it comes to actual strength, Akishi's current position is somewhat awkward.

As the chief disciple of Zhenwu Temple, he was naturally one of the best among the younger generation in his family. He was a follower of both Taoism and Buddhism, and he was humble and cautious. His cultivation was always steady and focused on achieving success. In his youth, he might not have been as fast as the disciples of smaller sects. It was only after he turned forty that he was able to unleash his full potential.

The saying "at forty one is no longer perplexed" refers to the fact that only after the age of forty can these people truly understand the classics, grasp the essence of a magical power, and enter the period of fastest progress in their lives.

At over thirty years old, Qiu Shi could only maintain a 60% chance of winning against his peers. Any higher would be considered arrogance. As for the older generation in the arena, if he were to face them, Qiu Shi probably wouldn't even have a 20% or 30% chance of winning.

The reason why Master Luo and his group were able to maintain such a high-minded attitude and not rush to turn Qiu Shi into a corpse was precisely because of this common sense. They believed that the younger generation of Zhenwu Temple was a whole level below them and could not cause any trouble.

"Master Dadao's words do indeed have their merits."

Having said that, Qiu Shi had no choice but to respond, "If Master cannot return before the fifteenth of July, among the fellow practitioners present, there are indeed some seniors who are more suitable than me to preside over this Dharma assembly. However, there is only one imperial token. I wonder which senior, Master Da Duo, thinks can live up to everyone's expectations and take the lead?"

As Qiu Shi spoke in a gentle, inquiring tone, Da Dao felt a chill run down his spine. Not daring to meet the gazes of those old men who were staring at him, he could only laugh it off.

"Although I have some thoughts on doing my best for the people of Jiaozhi, I am just a nobody in the end. How dare I comment on the senior masters? I think Master Qiushi is knowledgeable and experienced. Your choice must be the most fair."

"Oh."

Qiu Shi let out a barely audible chuckle, his gaze indifferently shifting from Duo Da to the assembled grandmasters and senior figures. He said gently, "I am but a junior; how dare I presume to act on my own? I wonder if any of you senior masters have someone you would recommend?"

The crowd's gazes darted between different groups, but they all kept their mouths shut, and the room fell silent for a moment.

Da Dao had already taken the opportunity to sit back in his seat, looking down at his nose and pretending to be a wooden doll.

"Now that we've already laid everything out, why are you still putting on airs?"

An old but loud voice rang out, and every one of the more than three hundred people standing inside and outside the hall heard it clearly.

The person who spoke was the most conspicuously dressed person in the hall.

He looked so old that his hair was almost all gone, with sparse strands barely held together on his head in a small bun made of thin hemp rope. His entire body, from his skin and beard to his eyebrows, exuded an aged, yellowish, and grayish aura.

From the neck down, however, the colors are incredibly varied and bizarre. With the slightest movement, you can hear the cuffs and hem making a soft rustling sound.

During the early years of the Ming Dynasty, there were extremely strict regulations on clothing and attire for all professions and social classes, with requirements for colors and styles.

For example, regulations stipulated that ordinary people were not allowed to wear boots or hats, and at most could only wear straw hats or rush hats. Ordinary people were not allowed to use bright yellow, reddish-yellow, or bright red, etc., otherwise they would be severely punished.

However, after the Hongwu Emperor, the restrictions were no longer so strict. As the various schools of Neo-Confucianism spread widely and were admired by the court and the public, almost no one, from the emperor to the common people, cared about these restrictions anymore.

Historical records indicate that after the Zhengde Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, servants of wealthy families were allowed to wear clothing designated for gentry in the early Ming Dynasty. Some commoners even imitated the attire of marquises and high-ranking officials and could wear it openly in the streets.

During the Zheng Ming Dynasty, apart from the imperial yellow color, which was the official color of the royal family, all other colors could be used by the common people, and even by the clothing of foreigners and barbarians.

Even so, those who, like the old man before them, cut layers of colored paper into clothes and swagger around in public, would still be secretly cursed by the Confucian scholars as "wearing demonic clothes."

But his colorful paper clothes represent the most prestigious figure among all the unorthodox sorcerers in the fifteen prefectures of Jiaozhi, excluding Taoism, Buddhism, and sorcery, and he is almost eighty years old this year—the Old Man of Wild Head.

"The Wudang 'Returning Dragon Pillow Summer Melody, Golden Blade Moves Nine Autumns' has ten generations. Forty years ago, that Taoist priest Dongyuan traveled to all the famous sects in Jiaozhi to compete in magic. No one could beat him, so everyone respected his Jade Register Grand Master Talisman."

"Now that this thing has been passed down to his disciples and grand-disciples, you're not satisfied. Let's have another fight then."

Old Man Huangtou spoke each word as if it were the sentiment of most people present: "Today, Jiuhe is being buried, so it is not advisable to make any rash moves. Starting tomorrow, anyone who wants to compete for this talisman should give their name to the young Taoist Qiushi."

"They draw lots to pair up, then the two pairs compete against each other. The one standing at the end is, without a doubt, the one in charge!"