Chapter 223

"Perform a requiem for the dragon's resentment?"

Zhang Jian was slightly surprised, but he also had to admit that this was an excellent method of disposal.

Performing requiems for vengeful spirits and evil entities—these high adepts of the Daoist sect are professionals.

The dragon's resentment is also a vengeful spirit, though it is somewhat more troublesome.

With the combined strength of everyone, there is hope to resolve it.

This could also free up some of the court's strength, allowing more troops to be deployed to suppress the situation.

However, having so many Daoist high adepts enter Haojing City at once—if other people sneak in among them, there might be trouble later.

Zhang Jian dares to affirm that there will certainly be complications then!

"It seems we still need to make some preparations!"

Zhang Jian's eyes flickered darkly.

After the dragon's resentment erupted, Zhang Jian also realized this was his opportunity; if he could resolve it, it would likewise be a considerable fortune.

At this moment, Zhang Chang'an in his arms suddenly began to stir; upon looking and smelling a strange odor, he glanced over and instantly turned pale with shock, hurriedly calling for Yuyu and Qu Lian, the two women, to take the daughter from his arms.

At this time, he stepped into the main hall, where Qi Yuhua was busy.

Not long ago, Zhang Min from the hometown also became engaged, and Qi Yuhua was preparing to select some gifts from the storehouse to have someone send back.

Although Zhang Min is not the legitimate son of the Zhang family, he is young and has already obtained the status of a xiucai, with the juren examination within reach; moreover, he is close to Zhang Jian and has also secured a good marriage alliance!

His engagement is to the legitimate daughter of Gu Chengye of the Gu family in Fengyang Commandery.

To some extent, this counts as marrying into a high family, after all, a concubine's son marrying a legitimate daughter.

At this moment, seeing Zhang Jian enter the room, Qi Yuhua's eyes lit up and she immediately prompted him to offer a suggestion.

Zhang Jian did not decline; he selected some fine brushes and inkstones for Zhang Min, and besides that, Zhang Jian wielded his brush to write a letter of recommendation, preparing to have the family send it back.

This is the letter of recommendation from the Baiqiao Academy in Jixian Commandery.

The Baiqiao Academy is also extremely renowned among the southern commanderies; the instructors and teachers within the academy are many who wield great influence in the scholarly world, and in every imperial examination, the proportion of juren and jinshi from the Baiqiao Academy is not low.

Zhang Jian is acquainted with Shi Lun, and the Shi family has considerable influence at the Baiqiao Academy; I believe this will be sufficient to help Zhang Min gain smooth admission.

Beside him, Qi Yuhua saw this scene and could not help but tease.

"Husband, compared to others, your elder brother is not exactly qualified; Min'er's marriage not returning home is fine as it is, yet you still have to write such a letter of recommendation, 'tearing apart' other people's newlywed couples!"

Zhang Jian laughed.

"All professions are base, only scholarship is exalted—how could one indulge in the boudoir of tenderness? Moreover, being able to step onto the proper path of the imperial examinations is also the long-held wish of my younger brother; as an elder brother, I naturally ought to lend him a hand!"

In fact, besides this letter, he had already sent several other letters back through other channels earlier.

The leakage of dragon energy, combined with the overflow of the former dynasty's dragon resentment, is also an opportunity for the Zhang family.

An opportunity for expansion.

He predicted that the dispersal of dragon energy would certainly further weaken the court's control over the localities, and the Zhang family could seize the momentum to advance even further.

They could organize more caravans.

The principles of heaven and earth he comprehended from the books are not merely usable in cultivation; the role of knowledge is immense.

A slight information gap can create numerous advantages.

For example, the court has now lifted the salt ban; for the Zhang family, this is an opportunity—given the Zhang family's current wealth, they can completely obtain the exclusive sales rights to the Fengyang Commandery salt route, and by doing so, extend their influence to several surrounding commanderies.

Of course, not only the Fengyang Zhang family, but other great clans and aristocratic families will certainly not let such an opportunity pass!

However, he holds in his hand several methods for refining pure salt, which is sufficient to let the Zhang family gain more benefits in this competition.

Besides this, Zhang Jian also has various advanced concepts in business operation models.

……

In the tenth year of Jingwu, the Emperor of Great Qian Jingwu issued an edict inviting the Daoist observatories and monasteries of all commanderies of Great Qian, the renowned and named high adepts of the Daoist sect to enter Haojing City to hold the Grand Peace Ritual Assembly.

Of course, nominally, Emperor Jingwu dreamed that yin spirits and ferocious ghosts were entwined above Haojing City and would not disperse; this being unclear, he widely bestowed benevolence, inviting the high adepts of all Daoist monasteries to come to the capital together to perform a requiem for the wronged souls, while also holding a grand debate on the Dao, bestowing upon the victors of the debate numerous high offices and generous emoluments, and additionally granting them imperial gift plaques to bring glory to their lineages; for a time, all commanderies of Great Qian were in an uproar.

Even though the Daoists in the various Daoist observatories and monasteries were unwilling to contend for fame and profit, yet for the sake of their family lineages' dignity, they too had to go and try their utmost.

Haojing Southern Mountain

In this place, the rivers and mountains wind and undulate, the mountains are high and the forests dense.

Since the founding of the Great Qian dynasty, the Southern Mountain has been made into a royal hunting ground, and watchtowers have been arranged around it.

Yet hunters and mountain folk still frequently risk imprisonment to enter the vicinity of Southern Mountain to hunt, or to chop some firewood to supplement household needs.

At this time, in a deep mountain hollow, there was a figure with a deathly pale face, stumbling and staggering as it ran out from the mountain hollow.

In the mountain hollow, far off, two shadows watched the hunter as he departed.

One of them, a woman in red robes, wore an expression of worry.

"Husband, do you say this hunter can send out the news?"

The other shadow had a handsome countenance, and his entire bearing possessed a special scholarly elegance; his bodily energy flowed and circulated, and gray light glimmered in the depths of his eyes.

He spoke somewhat gloomily:

"Hongluan, you are merely desperate and grasping at any remedy; in my opinion, we would best simply leave this place—Southern Mountain may be good, but it is not a place for long residence, and moreover, this time the earth veins have been damaged; our ancestral dwelling place is no longer suitable for continued stay..."

This is an old fox.

Around Southern Mountain lie towering peaks and ancient forests, where spiritually exquisite places are not few; among them dwell mountain spirits, and one such group is this fox tribe.

Only recently, a high personage performed a secret art in Southern Mountain, breaking part of the mountain's earth veins; now the dragon veins of Shu State are damaged, and in the depths of Southern Mountain, dragon resentment permeates; as the two mountain chieftains of the Southern Mountain fox tribe, they suddenly felt great unease.

Thus, the two also developed a divergence.

This fox woman named Hongluan did not, because of this, come into conflict with the gray fox; on the contrary, she said: "Even if we are to depart, we should inform our benefactor, after all, the benefactor once saved our lives!"

Hongluan glanced at the gray fox, her eyes holding some dimness; Huyang did not take it seriously, speaking lightly.

"I will go contact other Daoist friends in the mountains, discuss the time of departure, leave together—everyone will then have companions, and it will be safer!"

As his words fell, he in an instant strode into the mountain forest and disappeared from sight.

Hongluan heard the words and her willow eyebrows furrowed even deeper; if it were only a single spirit migrating, it would still be acceptable, but so many spirits migrating together would likely attract the attention of cultivators, and even great demons, which might bring unknown dangers.

But she knew she could not persuade Hu Yang, and worry weighed on her heart.

At this moment, her gaze swept over the mountain ranges, only to see deep in the southern mountains a layer of dense, dark clouds gathering, thick yin energy bursting forth from the earth veins, shrouding a region, converging near a yin-evil earth cavern as if to open a gate of ghosts, drawing countless yin spirits to gather, truly terrifying.

In such a region, not to mention wild beasts, even ordinary spirits entering would have their essence and blood drained dry.

……

At the Zhuangyuan Mansion, Zhang Jian picked up once again the Purifying Soul Azure Lotus Incantation in his hand.

The Purifying Soul Azure Lotus Incantation, this wondrous method, was derived from the Purifying Soul Dharma Incantation.

Yet compared to the single Purifying Soul Dharma Incantation, it is far more profound.

Although Zhang Jian does not only know this one method of salvation, when discussing potential and familiarity, this method remains the one he is most familiar with.

He has thoroughly studied many Daoist classics, among which are not lacking in salvation scriptures; if he focuses his mind, reinforcing and evolving this method again would not be difficult.