Chapter 642

However, Hong Qigong still had to deal with it. So he said lightly: "Senior Hong, you guys have a cup of tea first, no rush."

Actually, he knew perfectly well that these people hadn't come just for the drink.

But since they didn't mention it, he didn't say anything else, just hospitably receiving them.

After three rounds of tea, Ye Qin still rambled on about endless topics; if others didn't speak, he didn't either.

For a moment, the atmosphere became extremely awkward.

Hong Qigong also couldn't help but blush, suddenly saying: "Young Qin, you also know that whether it's the Orthodox Unity Sect or the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master Sect, they actually need to spread their teachings worldwide. Their craving for incense and qi fortune is stronger than anyone's. Moreover, over these years the confrontation between Daoism and Buddhism has always existed. So they want to borrow your strength to help suppress the Shaolin Temple."

After he finished speaking, the several old Daoists beside him looked at Ye Qin and added: "Lord Qin, rest assured, we will never let you act for nothing. If you have any conditions, just bring them up!"

These few Daoists are quite casual; they understand better than anyone that when asking others for help, you must give some benefit.

Ye Qin suddenly smiled and said: "In that case, I want all the Daoist Canon collections of each Daoist sect, including the scriptures and classics, as well as the cultivation methods you practice, and some inherited things. If you give them, I'll help."

After all, asking him to suppress the Shaolin Temple is not a good thing.

Originally, according to Ye Qin's plan, he would have refused outright, but then he thought of the Buddhist Cangjingge, and that the major Daoist sects should also have some unknown secret canons. If these secret canons could be combined, perhaps his Nine Grade Daoist Art could advance another level.

But this condition truly startled the several old Daoists that Hong Qigong had brought. One laughed and said: "Lord Qin, you must be joking; this joke isn't funny at all. You should know what all the secret canons and inheritances within a sect represent."

If they lose even their inheritance, they are no longer themselves.

Even paying such a painful price for the Shaolin Temple would not be worthwhile. The things accumulated by the predecessors over hundreds or thousands of years—how could they just be handed over like that?

This is absolutely impossible!

Another also laughed and said: "Lord Qin, your appetite is truly huge. This poor Daoist can decide to give you some martial arts secret manuals and medicinal ingredients for making elixirs. As for the Daoist secret treasury, forget it."

If even the secret treasury is gone, Daoism is no longer Daoism.

As the intermediary, Hong Qigong was quite embarrassed; he hurriedly said: "Everyone, the matter can be negotiated; why must we reach such an impasse? We…"

He was about to say something more when Ye Qin cut him off.

"Alright, Senior Hong. The people you brought here want me to lend a hand, and I agreed. You should know that the Shaolin Temple came to me before, and I refused each time. This time I put forward conditions, but you are unwilling; I cannot be blamed."

Just now you said conditions could be raised freely, but once he actually put them forward you went back on your word—what kind of thing is this?

He secretly shook his head; to him, it didn't matter.

At that moment, one of the old Daoists mocked: "Lord Qin, you probably think we Daoist sects are easy marks to fleece, but unfortunately we are not."

Ye Qin's face turned cold, then he said lightly: "I merely put forward my conditions; whether you accept them is your Daoist sects' choice. I also know that decades ago, you were valued by the imperial court, and the Supreme Purity Sect even made quite a show. But that was decades ago, not now."

Whether they are willing or not doesn't matter; after all, once the Shaolin Temple reopens its mountain gate, the first to be affected will be the Daoist sects and the various major sects on Qin Lake, not his Imperial City Guard.

"Ye Qin, you…"

Those few old Daoists were furious, their faces quickly turning grim. According to the information they received, if the Daoist sects don't get help, they will probably find it hard to suppress the Shaolin Temple. This time, they might end up losing more than they gain.

"Even if it's for the sake of worldly justice, you…"

Before that person could finish, Ye Qin coldly interrupted: "Shut up! What is this so-called worldly justice? Is it something you lot can casually discuss? And what does it have to do with me?"

"Let's go!"……

In the end, the several old Daoists that Hong Qigong brought could only leave in shame. Further talk would be pointless; the other side's demands were too great, making continued negotiation unnecessary.

Hong Qigong looked apologetically at Ye Qin and hurriedly said: "Young Qin, I'm truly sorry this time. This old beggar didn't mean to disturb you; it's just that human favors are hard to repay."

He shook his head, looking helpless.

In this world, the hardest debt to repay is a favor owed, and Hong Qigong deeply feels this.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly; Hong Qigong apologized again: "This time I'm truly sorry—I know you're also in a difficult position, but this concerns the pattern of the world and Qin Lake; you should consider it carefully yourself!"

He also didn't want to make things difficult for Ye Qin, lest he be blamed later.

"Senior Hong, you're being too serious; this isn't your fault. I've already laid out my conditions—whether they accept them is up to them. Even if it later fails because of this, no one else can be blamed." Ye Qin shook his head, still respecting Senior Hong.

As for those old Daoists of the Daoist sects, he didn't take them to heart at all. He secretly thought: "If they knew a thing or two of spellcraft, I might still have to be wary of them a bit. But the Daoist Canon in this world is just ordinary scriptures, and those old Daoist sects don't know spellcraft either—I have nothing to fear from them!"

Ye Qin always kept in mind that strength is the true way.

He glanced indifferently out the window; after Hong Qigong left, he began to ponder how to profit from this struggle over incense and qi fortune.

"If I could collect the scriptures of Buddhism and Daoism worldwide, my Nine Grade Daoist Art would surely advance another level, and my sword techniques could gain a few more moves." Ye Qin muttered to himself.

You should know that the Shaolin Temple is merely the largest faction of Buddhism in the Central Plains; besides it there are temples like Mount Wutai. Daoism, apart from the Dragon Tiger and Orthodox Unity sects, also has the Qingcheng and Supreme Purity sects, among many others. Only when all these sects are combined do they constitute true Buddhism and Daoism.

"Come here!"

Ye Qin softly called out; the guard hidden in the darkness immediately responded, clasping his hands and saying: "My lord, what are your orders?"

"Go monitor that group of old Daoists; they won't give up easily."

"Yes……"

Immediately, the room fell back into silence.

In a hidden room of the inn, several old Taoists in gray Taoist robes sat around a table. One old Taoist immediately sank his face and said: 'That brat is utterly ungrateful, actually demanding all the Daoist scriptures and inheritances of our various Daoist sects—pure daydream!'

He let out a cold snort, and another person beside him also nodded slightly, saying: 'He's too arrogant, thinking that having an official post lets him do as he pleases. Hmph, we too have received imperial appointments!'

'What should we do now? Without his help, with our strength it's hard to oppose Shaolin. Those Qin Lake people aren't united either; they're utterly unreliable!' said an old Taoist in a low voice.

If they cannot stop Shaolin from reopening its mountain gate, they will only be forced to defend. But how could they possibly win in a contest of incense against those monks who bewitch people's hearts?

The dim room instantly fell into silence, with no one speaking again.

After a while, someone finally spoke: 'We must think of a solution; otherwise, when Shaolin reopens its mountain gate tomorrow, we will have no countermeasure. One can imagine that this time Shaolin's reopening of the mountain gate is certainly well-prepared.'

'I heard that brat say that Shaolin also sent people to find him, but he didn't agree. This might be considered good news.' An old Taoist picked up the conversation, furrowed his brows, and said.

Ye Qin, after all, remained neutral, which for them was neither good nor bad; at least Ye Qin had not turned to the enemy.

'What good news is that?' an old Taoist beside him said irritably: 'At most it's just a trivial piece of news.'

For their various Daoist sects, there is no actual benefit.

'Why not invite all the major sects from Qin Lake? This Shaolin mountain gate reopening concerns everyone's interests; we can't have only a few of us doing the work while they reap the rewards!'

An old Taoist said in a low voice: 'We can also use this opportunity to unite them into a single rope, first deal with whatever Shaolin has stirred up, and then talk. As long as we control enough followers, we can bestow divine titles through incense allocation, giving those people certain benefits is also possible.'

!

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone around the table fell silent, their expressions turning strange, revealing a different look.

The Buddhist Sect can seal Buddha positions, and our Daoist Sect can also seal deity positions, enjoying incense and qi luck to break through the martial dao bottleneck. However, the side effects are likewise great.

"Unsuitable. Although deity positions have many drawbacks, you should all know that once the person receiving the seal encounters trouble, or mismanages the followers, it will be a terrible disaster for us." An old Daoist priest shook his head in objection.

Deity positions are also strange; if nothing happens, it's fine, but once something goes wrong, the only outcome is fragmentation and loss, making it not worth the cost.

"First, let's try to persuade them; we don't necessarily have to pay such a heavy price. We and those martial world sects are actually the same—we all need qi luck. In recent years, after Young Forest Mountain Closure, everyone has reached a delicate balance. But if this balance is broken, the parties suffering losses will not only be our Daoist Sect, but also those Qin Lake sects." The person said lightly, making many old Daoists feel this plan was feasible.

Shortly after, someone else said: "Actually, the aristocratic family representatives can also be invited; after all, we share a common goal with them. Surely no one would refuse."

Everyone nodded in agreement; a few old Daoists, hearing that the idea was good, said, "Let's do it then—after all, it's just trying to revive a dead horse."

Soon, the heads of each Qin Lake sect were invited over by this group of old Daoists. Although there had been some grudges among them, meeting inevitably led to a round of quarrels and shouting, but eventually, under the persuasion of several Daoist sects, they stopped.

An old Daoist priest, seeing everyone silent, said: "Everyone, I know you have personal grudges. But what we must do now is unite to oppose Young Forest's reopening of the mountain gate."

"You all surely understand that if Young Forest successfully reopens its mountain gate, it will compete with us for followers and plot to seize incense and qi luck. By then, monks will spread across the world, and nobody will fare well. Gathering everyone today is precisely to stop Young Forest from reopening its mountain gate tomorrow!"

A faint voice sounded, and then the room fell silent again.

Finally, people began to speak one after another.

"Fine, then I'll follow your lead. Let's all unite to stop Young Forest from reopening its mountain gate."

"Exactly so!"

"We can do it like this…"

Soon, these people began discussing, exchanging ideas one after another. Through collective brainstorming, they quickly devised a plan. However, the specific implementation will depend on tomorrow's situation.

This confrontation will also determine who gains the upper hand between them and the Buddhist Sect in the coming period. Don't be fooled by the Daoist Sect's low profile; it hides many masters, even peerless experts of the Innate Realm exist. This is also their confidence.

And Young Forest remains completely unaware of this!

That day, as the first ray of morning sunlight spread across the sky, the main gate of Young Forest Temple slowly opened, two novice monks standing on either side to greet guests. This day was destined to leave a vivid mark in Young Forest's history.

"Everything will be decided right now!" Du Zhen muttered softly, then turned to the monk beside him and asked: "Has the Grandmaster's side been arranged properly?"

The monk quickly nodded, saying: "The Grandmaster said that once Young Forest reopens, he will certainly emerge from seclusion to lend a hand. Young Forest cannot be insulted; the Buddhist Sect will surely rise, and that is today!"

Du Zhen nodded satisfiedly: "Good, then go inform the Staff Monk and the disciples of the Bodhidharma Academy—today we likely face a tough battle."

"Yes, Senior Brother!" the monk replied, then hesitated a moment and added: "Right, the abbot said that if we fail, Young Forest might abandon you, handing you over to those who obstruct us to vent their anger. But he hopes you succeed, so you would not only become the chief seat, but also the next abbot of Young Forest."

These words were both realistic and cruel, but Du Zhen still nodded heavily: "For Young Forest's future, I am willing to give it a try, no matter how great the cost, I will not spare anything!"

Young Forest has waited a long time for this day; they no longer wish to linger in Mount Song, guarding this small temple, lacking incense and qi luck, Young Forest in the martial world is almost forgotten.

"Let's set out!"

Monk Du Zhen led the crowd toward the mountain gate; whether the mountain gate can be reopened rests today. As the person in charge of this incident, he must face the many fellow Daoists of Qin Lake.

From the moment the sun rose, various Qin Lake people gathered here, waiting for their companions to arrive, preparing to charge into Young Forest and demand an explanation from those monks.

Taking the lead were the various Daoist Sects, with the major Qin Lake Sects as support; they marched mightily along the mountain road toward Young Forest's mountain gate.

Before the mountain gate, Ye Qin had already brought people to secure a good spot, watching the crowd surge like a tide; even the Beggars' Sect could not stay out of it. The struggle for followers is tied to qi luck, so Hong Qigong naturally also came to contend.

Each Daoist sect also had one or more old Daoist priests leading the way, followed by a group of elite men, appearing mighty and imposing.

"Qin Xiaozi, why aren't you going up yet?" Seeing Ye Qin's smiling face, Hong Qigong couldn't help but come over and ask.

Ye Qin shrugged: "This time I'm not taking the lead; there's no need to rush to the front. We have to give others a chance to shine. The struggle between the Daoist Sect and the Buddhist Sect is a dispute over the Dao lineage—what does dragging me into this have to do with anything?"

He was just here to watch the excitement.

Hong Qigong could only wryly smile at the words, then gave Ye Qin an annoyed stare: "You kid, all you know is to tease me. If the Buddhist Sect truly becomes strong, you won't fare well either. Just watch."(End of Chapter)