Killing Monks

People only know the Tao Te Ching, but they don't know that the Tao Te Ching is divided into eighty-one chapters.

Thirty-seven of them are the Dao Jing (Tao Te Ching), which expounds on the Great Dao. The opening line is "The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name."

The other forty-four chapters are the "Tao Te Ching," which expounds on the virtue of sages. The opening line is "The highest virtue is not virtue, therefore it is true virtue; the lowest virtue does not lose virtue, therefore it is not true virtue."

This Taoist dared to comment so bluntly on the Taoist Ancestor's true words, showing absolutely no reverence in his words; he was simply... arrogant.

Chu Kuangjun couldn't help but interject, "Those are the words of the Dao Ancestor."

The Taoist Master Mingyue gave him a strange look and said:

"The Tao Te Ching is meant for later generations to learn and understand, not for them to regard it as gospel and to venerate Lao Tzu as some kind of 'Taoist patriarch'."

He paused, a hint of helplessness in his voice: "It's even more inappropriate to place him with the other two clay sculptures, letting him enjoy the offerings of incense."

"This is utterly baffling!"

"If we are to regard the Tao Te Ching as the ultimate guide," Mingyue put down her wine cup and asked Chu Kuangjun.

"But in the five thousand characters of the Tao Te Ching, which sentence says that the author should be worshipped? Which sentence says that temples should be built, statues erected, and people should kneel and kowtow three times and nine times?"

Chu Kuangjun was stunned by the question.

Although he had not traveled much in the martial arts world, he had not met many Taoist priests.

But no matter what kind of Taoist priest, which one doesn't constantly talk about the "Three Pure Ones" and the "Taoist Ancestor," and show great respect to the statues of gods, never daring to be negligent in chanting scriptures and burning incense?

Unlike the man before me, who speaks without any restraint, as if he were treating Laozi, the founder of Taoism, as an ordinary "writer"?

Guangyuan smiled.

The laughter was soft, yet it made Daoist Mingyue turn his head.

"Senior brother sees things clearly," Guangyuan raised his wine cup and gently clinked it with Mingyue's. "Scriptures are ultimately written by people."

Mingyue's eyes lit up. He carefully examined Guangyuan and nodded slowly after a while: "Junior brother, you are also a clever person."

As they spoke, the two exchanged a smile.

Chu Kuangjun watched from the side, completely baffled.

He felt as if the two were speaking in riddles, saying things he couldn't understand.

Afterwards, Guangyuan and Mingyue talked about some mysterious and esoteric things.

Chu Kuangjun was completely bewildered by the terms "name" and "appearance" and could only silently eat his rice.

After the pot of rice wine was emptied, Guangyuan suddenly changed the subject:

"On my way to Luoqing County, I witnessed how domineering the Lu family was. Merchants and travelers gave way, commoners avoided them, and even the government seemed to have to defer to them."

He looked up at the bright moon.

"May I ask, senior brother, do you know why the Lu family is able to act so arrogantly? Could it be... that they have connections in the imperial court?"

Guangyuan asked directly.

This is the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Without powerful backers in the officialdom, how could a family dare to be so blatantly domineering?

Daoist Mingyue put down the rough porcelain wine cup in his hand.

"That's not the case," he said, shaking his head. "The Lu family has been rooted in Luoqing County for over three hundred years."

"Three hundred years is longer than the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

"The dynasties in the Central Plains change like the seasons, but Luoqing County will always be the Luoqing County of the Lu family."

Guangyuan said thoughtfully, "Dynasties come and go, but powerful families remain. Imperial power doesn't extend beyond the county level."

Whether it was the Northern Zhou or the Southern Tang, the reach of the imperial court's power only extended as far as the county government.

In the mountainous and rural areas below the county level, people relied on clans, powerful families, and the intricate relationships of the local community.

If the county magistrate wants to accomplish something meaningful during his term, he has no choice but to deal with local tyrants like the Lu family.

"Junior Brother is right!" Mingyue glanced at Guangyuan approvingly. "But the reason why no one dares to offend the Lu family is not only because of the government."

His tone became more solemn: "The Lu family... once produced a Heavenly Realm expert."

"Heavenly Realm..."

Guangyuan read those two words aloud.

Earth Realm martial artists are already capable of establishing their own sects. Even figures like the abbot of Jinjia Temple are only Earth Realm martial artists, and not even at the peak of the Earth Realm.

The Heavenly Realm, on the other hand, is a realm that truly transcends the mundane and is renowned throughout the world.

The powerful experts of the Northern Zhou Dynasty either served in the army or lived in seclusion in the imperial court. There were very few of them in the martial arts world, and they were all giants in their own right, such as the headmaster of the Nine Dragons Martial Academy.

The Lu family has produced such a figure, and with the foundation they have built over hundreds of years, it's no wonder they can dominate this land.

"But that's not the most crucial point." Mingyue's voice suddenly turned somewhat low. "The Lu family... has a knife."

"A terrifying knife!"

Guangyuan laughed: "What's so scary about a knife? It won't make people unable to resist telling the truth."

He remembered that strange dagger, the Righteous Words Demon-Suppressing Dagger.

Mingyue slowly shook her head, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.

"The Lu family's knife is a black knife."

"It is pitch black, with no luster on the blade, yet it can absorb all the light from the surrounding area."

"Rumor has it that this sword is extremely strange; if it is submerged in water, the entire pool of clear water will slowly turn black."

Chu Kuangjun was taken aback: "There's such a knife...?"

"This is an ominous blade." Mingyue's voice seemed to become much more sinister when she mentioned the blade.

"The Lu family has a long-standing rule: if anyone asks for this knife, the Lu family will offer it to them with both hands and will never stop them."

"Someone once didn't believe in superstitions and actually took this knife out of the Lu family."

"But within three years, that family was ruined and the knife disappeared without a trace."

"In a few years, someone will rediscover this knife in the desolate wilderness outside Luoqing County, or near the Lu family ancestral graves!"

"It just lay there quietly, as if it had never left."

Chu Kuangjun gasped, "This is so bizarre?"

"The strangest things are yet to come." Daoist Mingyue wanted to take a sip of wine, but found that the bottle was already empty.

He reluctantly put it down and said, "Those who have wielded knives in the Lu family throughout history have mostly met with untimely deaths."

"Patricide, fratricide, wife-killing, child-extermination... these horrific acts of family ethics continue generation after generation."

Some say it was the evil aura within the knife that corrupted people's hearts. Others say it was the sins committed by the Lu family ancestors, and that the knife was a curse, a form of retribution.

He looked at Guangyuan and said seriously, "So now you understand why no one dares to provoke the Lu family, right? The weak fear the strong, the strong fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear the reckless—"

Guangyuan interjected, "Those who are reckless... those who are mad."

"That's right." Mingyue nodded emphatically. "The Lu family has been tormented by that knife for hundreds of years, and they've long since... become somewhat abnormal."

"Reasoning with a madman? Nobody's willing to take that risk."

A variety of reasons led to the Lu family's domineering style of doing things.

A confluence of factors has led to the Lu family's current unbridled and reckless behavior. In the eyes of the Lu family, the rules of the martial world and the laws of the imperial court are probably less important than their own black sword.

What else can stop them?

"I heard that the Lu family's son has been found?" Guangyuan asked again.

Mingyue glanced at Guangyuan, a half-smile playing on his lips, but he said nothing, only replying:

"I was unaware of this news; how could you possibly know, Junior Brother?"