Chapter 279: Recruiting Allies

"Old Kong, with five people I've succeeded in the last one; to succeed in converting the Emperor of Great You, I estimate there will be some difficulty."

Tang Luo pushed open the door of Kongming's study and said, "So I found you an ally to come over; with their help, you won't have to worry about striking a snake without killing it and suffering the backlash."

Speaking, he threw a person onto the ground.

Kongming, who had just taken a sip of tea to dispel his drowsiness, spat out the tea in one mouthful.

Found an ally?

Kongming looked at the person lying unconscious on the ground; this way of finding allies is truly unique.

Are you sure this person will become our ally upon waking and join us in dealing with the Happy Temple, rather than finding someone to fight us to the death?

Kongming let out a long breath, feeling exhausted, as if he didn't want to think anymore.

He stood up, turned the person over, examined him closely, and placed him on a chair: "How did you encounter this person?"

"Do you know him?" Tang Luo asked.

Kongming nodded: "We've met once; he is one of the top ten inner disciples of the Longya Dao Sect, Qingfengzi."

"... Does he have a junior sister named Mingyuezi?" Tang Luo asked.

"No, how did he encounter him?" Kongming asked.

Tang Luo then recounted the entire incident from the beginning.

"Then Chengjiao is a follower and supporter of the Happy Sect; he shouldn't be mingling with people from the Longya Dao Sect." Kongming said.

"I don't know; I didn't hear him there weeping bitterly, repenting his sins, and letting him start anew before I left." Tang Luo said, "Just ask him."

"Huh—good." Kongming let out a long breath.

After a while, Qingfengzi woke up; Tang Luo handled him very gently, and his injuries were not serious.

"Daoist Qingfeng." Kongming said.

"It's you!" Qingfengzi exclaimed in shock, nearly jumping up from the chair, but he steadied himself and made no sudden movements. He glanced around; although still in the study, it was not the original study: "Mr. Kong's way of inviting guests is not very gentle."

Kongming slightly bowed and apologized: "Master Xuanzang acts somewhat freely; please forgive him, Daoist."

This also shows the difference in how Tang Luo and Kongming handle certain matters.

For example, regarding enemies, Kongming thinks of turning enemies into friends, thus having no enemies—Tang Luo entered the martial world myths in this way.

While Tang Luo, after converting enemies, has no enemies.

The ultimate goal is the same, but the methods differ; this is what is meant by the Three Thousand Great Dao, different paths leading to the same destination.

"Freely?" Qingfengzi couldn't help but widen his eyes; entering the court at night, a third-rank official's residence, knocking out and abducting a disciple of the Longya Dao Sect—is this called acting freely?

Clearly, it's lawless and heaven-defying! Mr. Kong seems to have a mistaken understanding of acting freely!

But Qingfengzi cannot say this out loud.

Because Tang Luo is staring at him with a half-smile, giving him the feeling that if he says the wrong thing, the other will act freely upon him.

So, Qingfengzi can only let out a cold snort.

Kongming also followed suit, straightened his body, and asked: "Forgive my bluntness, Daoist Qingfeng, why did you appear in Lord Cheng's residence and even engage in candlelit night talks with him?"

"This has nothing to do with you." Qingfengzi frowned.

He appeared there actually due to some unspeakable private matters, and it had nothing to do with the Happy Temple and the Longya Dao Sect.

"It does, because the poor monk intends to destroy the Happy Temple." Tang Luo said.

"What?" Qingfengzi's breath cultivation is not strong, so he is easily startled; of course, it also relates to what just happened.

Being directly knocked out and abducted, and now hearing someone wants to destroy the Happy Temple, Qingfengzi truly cannot remain calm.

"Destroy the Happy Temple." Tang Luo repeated, "Are you Longya Dao Sect interested in joining us? You don't need to do anything; in the end, just make the cleanup look good and clean it thoroughly."

That flat tone, as if letting the Longya Dao Sect come to act as the final cleaner.

Qingfengzi doesn't understand the meaning of "washing the ground," but he can fully understand the entire sentence.

His eyes widened, he was about to get angry, but meeting Tang Luo's calm gaze, it felt as if a bunch of icy, bone-piercing water poured down from heaven, drenching him inside and out, and his anger instantly extinguished.

He had to extinguish it, extremely unwillingly.

Qingfengzi shook his head slightly, his gaze toward Tang Luo and the other filled with wariness.

This half-month ago, the renowned talent of the capital, now a staff member of the prime minister, a commoner stirring up the winds and clouds of Great You.

And beside him stands the white-haired monk with unfathomable strength.

Who are they?

Where do they come from?

What do they want to do?

Qingfengzi's heart emitted the three philosophical questions, remaining silent.

"Daoist Qingfeng." Kongming's voice brought Qingfengzi back from his dream: "Master Xuanzang's words are what we want to do; the Happy Temple acts against the norm, provoking heaven's anger and resentment; it's time to remove this tumor from Great You. What do you think, Daoist?"

"What if I say no?" Qingfengzi said.

"Then the Longya Dao Sect will miss many opportunities for rise." Kongming said.

"Are you that confident?" Qingfengzi said with a hint of mockery, "Wuyue and Yixi aside, that Happy Bodhisattva, even the National Master has no certainty in dealing with him; otherwise, how could the Happy Temple be allowed to run rampant until now."

"Ten percent certainty." Kongming said very confidently, "We are only worried that the Happy Temple's centipede, though dead, will not stiffen, cannot be completely eradicated, hiding in the dark to stir up trouble, again bringing new disasters to Great You."

Qingfengzi thought for a moment and said: "If you truly have sincerity, come to the Chengtian Pavilion tomorrow; someone will receive you, and we can discuss with the two of you."

The Chengtian Pavilion is the Longya Dao Sect's station in the capital.

"Very good." Kongming nodded.

Plans cannot keep up with changes, or rather, cannot keep up with Tang Luo's free-spirited actions.

But drawing the Longya Dao Sect into this, we also need not worry about the Happy Temple's backlash causing excessive damage to Great You's side.

As for the emperor's attitude, it's still that saying: as long as the Happy Temple dies cleanly, there will be no problem.

Kongming and them also do not need the Great You emperor's favor; they only need to complete the task, and they won't stay long in Great You as an official or half-official, so they are not afraid of suppression afterward.

No matter how much the Emperor dislikes it, he must join Tang Luo and the others in jointly building a strong and prosperous Great You.

Even in a feudal dynasty with autocratic imperial power, the Emperor cannot simply do as he pleases.

In Great You, the person who can do as he pleases... Kong Ming couldn't help but glance at Tang Luo.

If this one were to abandon his mission and not care, he could probably pull it off.

"Then, see you tomorrow." Qingfengzi stood up, his body swaying slightly, and was about to leave.

"Wait." Tang Luo suddenly spoke.

Qingfengzi halted his steps, his heart skipping a beat. Could it be the other party had changed his mind?

"Daozhang, tell this poor monk the story of the Longya Dao Gate and the Wuyai Sect." Tang Luo said, "The night is still long, and this poor monk belongs to the 'Listening School'."

"You... how would you know of the Wuyai Sect?" Qingfengzi said.

"Because, a hundred years ago, this poor monk was a guest at the Wuyai Sect." Tang Luo smiled, "The vegetarian meals back then tasted quite good."

Qingfengzi walked through the night of the Central Capital, his face bearing a feeling as if in a dream.

He had never imagined that one day (night), he would be in the Central Capital, abducted without the slightest power to resist, and then made to recount the Wuyai Sect's past for half a double-hour.

What kind of experience counts as this?

Qingfengzi had cultivated the Dao for decades, and this was the first time he had encountered such an ordeal.

In the study, Kong Ming picked up the tea that had already gone completely cold, drank a sip without the slightest care, and said: "Unexpectedly, the Longya Dao Gate was actually formed from the merger of two sects."

The Longya Dao Gate officially appeared in the Great You court's view thirty-five years ago, became the state religion twenty-five years ago, and has remained so to this day.

But before that, fifty years ago, the Longya Dao Gate did not actually exist.

It was formed by the merger of the two major sects, the Wuyai Sect and the Nilong Sect.

The reason for the merger, according to Qingfengzi's account, seemed to be that they suffered a powerful enemy, a great calamity; both sects were severely weakened, and thus merged.

This move could be said to have saved the two sects; the Longya Dao Gate, which later became the state religion, was truly at the height of its power.

As for what the powerful enemy and great calamity were, Qingfengzi did not elaborate, speaking vaguely.

"So you're saying you have acquaintances in the Longya Dao Gate, which should help us exterminate the Joyous Monastery, right?" Kong Ming looked at Tang Luo and said, his words not matching his true thoughts.

"Hahaha!" Tang Luo was extremely proud. "Old Kong, you guessed right. I owe the Wuyai Sect a debt of kindness, having 'cultivated' their genius senior sister disciple, making her understand the treachery of the jianghu and that cultivation is not easy. Making her understand that the most important thing when walking outside is having good judgment."

"... As expected." Kong Ming pressed a hand to his forehead.

When Tang Luo said he went to the Wuyai Sect as a guest, Kong Ming had a premonition, feeling it was an unwelcome guest arriving.

The result really was so.

"How about I go alone tomorrow?" Kong Ming said.

"Go together, go together." Tang Luo said, "What if the Longya Dao Gate also needs to be guided to salvation?"

"Then you might as well tear down the whole Great You." Kong Ming said.

"If we first guide all those demons and monsters to salvation." Tang Luo actually considered it seriously, "The Longya Dao Gate, the Joyous Monastery—if there's a need to guide them, they can all be guided."

"Those court officials of Great You are no exception either."

"Calm down." Kong Ming said, "Absolutely don't, on a sudden whim, 'guide' the entire Great You."

"Just speaking casually; however you put it, it's still a mission." Tang Luo laughed, "I won't act recklessly."

As of now, guiding to salvation to obtain merit is still based on the foundation of completing missions.

But if he truly encountered merit that reached the heavens conflicting with a mission, Tang Luo would still prioritize merit and abandon the mission—after all, he had never failed a single mission.

"The Longya Dao Gate's reputation has always been good." Kong Ming said, "They also engage in subduing demons and eliminating devils; if scum appears among their disciples, they will try their best to deal with it."

"The phrase 'try their best' is used well." Tang Luo said.

"In the current situation, cultivators are bound to have special privileges." Kong Ming said, "One can't let one's own people suffer losses for the sake of outsiders; being able to handle it superficially is already not bad. Many people's dispositions don't match, and the Longya Dao Gate also refuses them, which allows the Joyous Monastery to take them all in and expand unchecked."

"If the Longya Dao Gate is willing to participate, then we basically won't need to clear various connections and take it slow anymore, right?" Tang Luo asked.

"Naturally." Kong Ming said, "Bringing the Longya Dao Gate into play will make things much simpler, only, I'm afraid it won't be easy."

Since the rise of the Joyous Monastery, the Longya Dao Gate has become much more low-key, putting most of its energy into subduing demons and eliminating devils, and its interference in court politics has obviously decreased.

Who knows what they are plotting.