Chapter 330: The World Outside

The autumn wind was chilly, and the grass and trees were frosted. Even though the sunlight was just right, it could not dispel the biting cold of the autumn day.

On the towering and precipitous Jiugao Mountain, three people were descending along a small path. The one in the lead wore a Daoist robe, with a refined and upright appearance and a pair of thin mustaches, possessing the ethereal bearing of an Immortal. The young man and woman behind him were also outstanding in appearance, truly like an Immortal bringing a pair of golden boy and jade girl down to the mortal world.

"The autumn sky is high and the air is crisp, and the wild geese are flying high; this is a good omen. It shows that our trip will surely be smooth sailing. How can we let such scenery go to waste? Shall we just ride the wind and climb high, walking all the way to Zhongtian Prefecture?" the man in the Daoist robe said with great interest.

The young woman in her prime behind him sighed and said, "Second Senior Brother, why must you insist on walking? Walking or riding a horse from here to Zhongtian Prefecture will take at least ten days or half a month. If we used sword flight, we would arrive in half a day. It is better to arrive early than late."

Second Senior Brother shook his head and said, "Junior Sister, do you not know of 'accumulating strength for a long time to burst forth'? Whether it is you or Tang Shidi, you are both Sword Guests or Swordsman Seeds. An important part of your future cultivation is cultivating the heart; how can you be so impatient? Walking more is good for cultivating the Sword Heart. What you should care about is not the destination, but the scenery along the way."

Seeing that his Junior Sister was unconvinced, Second Senior Brother said, "Junior Sister, you must know that I am a Daoist who has cultivated for many years. No one understands cultivating the heart and nurturing one's nature better than I do. You don't understand, yet you aren't humble. Look at Tang Shidi; he understands my painstaking efforts. Isn't that right, Tang Shidi?"

The youth who had been deep in thought behind them, who was none other than Tang Zhao, said thoughtfully, "Senior Brother, can we really not ride a crane down the mountain?"

Xu Zhongnan was exasperated and said, "I told you, no! Although I am a Daoist, I am not a living Immortal. What riding a crane? If you want to ride one, you might as well go ask the old man for his precious crane. Also, there is always a 'twinkling' light around you. My eyes are getting tired from looking at you for so long. Can you adjust it?"

Tang Zhao lightly flicked his finger, and a light circled his fingertip like a ring, spinning round and round, and said, "It is my Sword Image. It should have been melted into the sunlight, but if Senior Brother finds it dazzling, it is because my skill is not yet refined. My apologies."

Xu Zhongnan snorted, "One after another, you are truly not cute at all."

Xue Yeyu suddenly sighed, "Senior Brother, there are no outsiders here, nor is Father here, so why must we be so secretive? Tell us the truth, are you not happy staying in Jingshi?"

Xu Zhongnan said angrily, "Nonsense... who said that?"

By the time he said the three words "who said that," his voice had already dropped slightly.

Tang Zhao withdrew his hand, and the light flew onto his head, pinning onto his hair bun like a hairpin, and said sincerely, "Senior Brother, we are fellow disciples, the same as biological brothers. If you are suffering outside and don't want to worry your family, if you don't tell your brothers, who else can you tell? If you are truly unhappy staying in Jingshi and don't want to return to the mountain, shall I go help you ask around and find a post in Yunzhou? Or you could join us in running the White Jade Flourishing Shop?"

Xu Zhongnan snorted again, "One by one, you are all little devils."

He fell silent, and the other two said no more. The three walked silently for a few steps when Xu Zhongnan suddenly sighed, "It cannot be called unhappy. The path was chosen by myself, and I have had some small achievements. The Imperial Preceptor treats me well, and I have no worries about wealth and glory. It is just that Jingshi is too big, with too many people, too many affairs, and too many powerful people. You can get what you want, but the price is also staggering, and you cannot make mistakes; you must always walk on thin ice. After living this kind of life for a long time, although I can cope, I always want to have a good rest. Yet I was kicked out by the old man, haha."

Since he had said this, Tang Zhao and the others would naturally not pursue the question with, "Can you really cope?"

Xu Zhongnan said himself, "Actually, I came back this time to find a few reliable helpers. As the saying goes, a single tree cannot support a house; in Jingshi, everyone forms cliques, isn't it because only with many people can one have momentum? I have operated in Jingshi for many years, and it is not that I don't have confidants, but there are truly few reliable and capable talents. Most of the people I trust have limited ability, and those with ability all have their own agendas. I really want to find a right-hand man of my own."

Xue Yeyu chuckled, "So you also want to form a clique?"

Xu Zhongnan said, "Are you showing off that you can talk, girl? Do you understand 'sharing wealth'? Chickens and dogs rising... never mind. If I really just wanted to form a clique and recruit people, I should actually go find those disciples like Baiyu and Moyu, tell them I'll take them to Jingshi to enjoy life, and give them some benefits; wouldn't I get as many as I want? I truly want to find a helper I can work with hand-in-hand. This person can only be one of our own fellow disciples, and they must have ability, be shrewd, and have a brain. Actually, the most suitable one is Tang Shidi. Next is Junior Sister; even Jiang Shidi is not suitable. The other junior brothers and sisters cannot achieve great things, and I cannot let them take risks."

Xue Yeyu shook her head repeatedly and said, "I thank you very much. If you go back to the villa to recruit people, wouldn't my father give you a whack with a stick? If you say you want to recruit Tang Shidi to join, he would change the stick into a Wolf-tooth Club. He often says that Jingshi is the most disgusting place in the world. Outside, there is chaos and war, and people are eating people, yet those top-tier big shots are still living in a drunken dream in their golden houses in Jingshi, dying without even knowing it. He wants you to come back, not just because he doesn't like you being an official, but because he is afraid that you will be wiped out along with those people and lose your life in a muddle."

Xu Zhongnan laughed, "If I really recruited Tang Shidi, how would I let the old man know? The old man has some insight; the Imperial Court is indeed beset by internal and external troubles, but to say it is in imminent danger is an exaggeration. The Imperial Preceptor is still there, and Jingshi is still stable. However, I have indeed given up on recruiting Shidi. It is just that the mountain cannot do without Tang Shidi. If Tang Shidi does not preside over it, you are old, young, arrogant, and stupid; wouldn't you be bullied? Also..."

He pondered for a moment before saying it, "Third Junior Sister. Third Junior Sister is trapped in a square inch of land and is very lonely. When I left, it left her with no one to talk to, and I have always felt sorry for her. Now that she has made a friend, I really cannot bear to take that away. Tang Shidi—"

Tang Zhao looked at this Senior Brother he had only met a few times.

Xu Zhongnan said sternly, "I don't know how much you know about her situation, but I heard that you persuaded her to come out for a walk to clear her mind. You are, of course, well-intentioned, but her situation does not allow her to appear in public at will. She lives in seclusion on the mountain to stay out of the sight of those people. Our primary task is to protect her well, and this is really not easy to do."

Xue Yeyu held her breath as she listened, and Tang Zhao was silent for a while before saying, "I understand. Senior Brother, can Third Senior Sister's situation be improved? Will she ever have a day to regain her freedom?"

Xu Zhongnan sighed and said, "Actually, it is possible. But we cannot rely on ourselves. Our Zhuoyu Villa is only a place to 'hide' her, not a place to 'protect' her. In the end, isn't it the case of an innocent man harboring a treasure becoming a crime? If she had a powerful backer she could trust, perhaps she could be more at ease. We are a small family, and our strength is insufficient. But to find her a bigger backer, nine times out of ten, it is like asking a tiger for its skin. Even that Gaoyuan Marquis with a good reputation may not be trustworthy."

Tang Zhao nodded and asked again, "What kind of expert would it take to truly protect her?"

Xu Zhongnan said, "This... as far as I know now, even the Imperial Preceptor is interested in her. So, one would have to be able to withstand the Imperial Preceptor to be considered barely qualified, right?"

The Imperial Preceptor...

Even Tang Zhao felt his scalp tingle when he heard the two words "Imperial Preceptor."

This Imperial Preceptor was the recognized number one expert of the Imperial Court and the pillar of the Imperial Court. It could be said that the reason the Imperial Court could still maintain its structure after so many years of turmoil was largely due to this Imperial Preceptor. As long as he was still there, the feudal lords and rebels of the world would have misgivings and would not dare to openly rebel.

So, how strong was the Imperial Preceptor's strength, and how high was his realm?

The answer is: No one knows!

No one knows how strong he is, no one knows what skills he has, and no one even knows if he is a Sword Guest. It is only known that his enemies are all dead, those who have seen him make a move are also mostly dead, and the few who survived are all tight-lipped and dare not mention it.

This Imperial Preceptor was appointed as Imperial Preceptor when the Founding Emperor founded the dynasty, and through two hundred years of wind and rain, even now at the end of the dynasty, he has never been replaced.

In these two hundred years, there has been no lack of powerful ministers who monopolized power, warlords who ran rampant, arrogant relatives of the emperor, and ambitious vassal kings. They themselves or the forces under them often had powerful Sword Heroes and Spirit Officials, but none of them dared to challenge the Imperial Preceptor head-on. At most, they would carefully probe within the Imperial Preceptor's tolerance limit, and if they crossed the line even slightly, they would be instantly wiped out.

Legend has it that he is not invincible in single combat, nor does he have a huge force that responds to a single call; he is the kind of strong who can face ten thousand alone and can grasp the overall situation by himself. He is unsolvable.

By now, everyone has probed the Imperial Preceptor's bottom line—he does not care about the power struggles in the imperial court, he does not care about the political chaos in the local areas, and he does not care about the victories or defeats on the front lines. During the time of a young ruler, it is acceptable for a queen mother to preside over the court and hold power, and even if the emperor is foolish and cruel, it is tolerable for a close relative of the king who is deeply trusted by the people to take his place. The only thing he does not allow is for anyone to shake the imperial throne of the Great Jin. Especially in the capital, anyone who dares to rebel in Jingshi will be turned to dust.

Also... regarding the person himself. The Daoist temple under the Imperial Preceptor's name has a transcendent status, and even a Daoist Child cannot be disrespected by others. There is nothing the Imperial Preceptor wants that he cannot get.

Regarding this first point, Xu Zhongnan is a Daoist official in the temple, so he has deep feelings about it, and he also deeply believes in the second point.

"Even if Gaoyuan Marquis dominates one side in Yunzhou, he must visit the Imperial Preceptor when he arrives in Jingshi. If the Imperial Preceptor wants something from Yunzhou, Gaoyuan Marquis must also take the initiative to collect it for him. Wait until you are confident that you can defeat Gaoyuan Marquis before you go to probe the Imperial Preceptor."

Tang Zhao sighed. Even though he had always been confident, he could not help but feel deeply powerless—after so many years of diligent study and practice plus his cheat, he had only just become a Sword Guest, and the road ahead was still long.

Although he was now going to take a job at the Yunzhou Land Inspection Department, the world outside was big, and he really wanted to go and see it.

The three of them chatted for a while about this heavy topic, then tacitly changed the subject, turning to talk about the customs and scenery outside Yunzhou, such as in Jingshi. Xu Zhongnan invited Tang Zhao to visit the Daoist temple, not to join his clique, but to broaden his horizons. Tang Zhao naturally agreed.

After descending the mountain, there was a straight road leading to Zhongtian Prefecture. Since Xue Yeyu and Tang Zhao knew that Xu Zhongnan wanted to walk to clear his mind, they did not urge him to hurry. When they arrived at Jichun City, Tang Zhao completed the procedures and said goodbye to Chi Deputy Envoy and the others. Xue Yeyu and Xu Zhongnan went to the market to buy a few good horses. Xu Zhongnan felt that riding a Donkey was more suitable for his temperament as an Immortal outside the world, but since Xue Yeyu refused, he had to give up.

Tang Zhao went to inspect the White Jade Flourishing Shop again and found that everyone was working very hard, and the large batch of Art Tools ordered by the Snow Mountain Wangfu had already been shipped. Even two Snow Dragon carriages had been built. When Xu Zhongnan saw these carriages, his eyes sparkled, and he immediately ordered two, one for himself and one for the Imperial Preceptor.

Tang Zhao felt that it was inappropriate for the elderly Imperial Preceptor to ride a carriage, so he designed a four-wheeled carriage on the spot, saying that it would be pulled by a Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse in the front, and the Imperial Preceptor could sit on it wearing a Tongtian Crown and holding a feather fan, which would feel very grand.

Xu Zhongnan felt that this design was very strange, but Tang Zhao was already a well-known Great Talisman Swordsman and designer, so he believed him and placed the order.

Since Tang Zhao was going to Zhongtian Prefecture, he felt that he could take the opportunity to investigate the market there in preparation for opening chain stores. He immediately brought along Wei Se, who was familiar with the shop's affairs.

The four of them changed to their mounts and headed all the way to Zhongtian Prefecture.