Chapter 209: Should He Make Another Trip to Wuqing Temple?!

A greeting with a heavy accent from beyond the Great Wall, its tone exceptionally cheerful, even a bit sly and mischievous, came from the moon-shaped entrance behind the side hall.

Lu Yuan followed the sound and saw a familiar, fat, and jolly figure trotting toward him.

Who else could it be but Song Yan?

He wore the iconic cyan Daoist robe of Tianlong Temple, but on him, the robe lacked the immortal and otherworldly aura of a Daoist.

Instead, it gave him more of a... worldly and prosperous look?

But right now, that "prosperous" face was clearly bruised.

His left eye was black and blue, as if someone had landed a solid punch, swollen so high it was nearly squeezed into a slit.

His right cheek also had a noticeable bruise.

The corner of his lip was split and still crusted with blood.

"Senior Brother!"

When Lu Yuan saw his state, he was taken aback for a moment, then quickly walked up to him.

"What happened to you..."

Song Yan ran up to Lu Yuan, tried to grin, but the movement pulled at the wound on his lip, making him hiss in pain.

"Ouch, don't even mention it, don't even mention it!"

He quickly covered his mouth with his hand and said, his voice muffled:

"Junior Brother, you're finally here!"

"Come on, come on, this isn't a good place to talk. Let's go to my place!"

As he spoke, he enthusiastically pulled Lu Yuan along. His gaze swept over Hu Yangyang and Hu Tutu, who were standing timidly behind Lu Yuan.

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but he didn't ask. He just greeted them with a grin:

"Oh, you brought two little ones too?"

"Come on, come on, all of you, let's go!"

Saying this, ignoring the two Daoists on duty, he dragged Lu Yuan and led the two little girls, familiarly turning onto a secluded bluestone path.

They headed toward the disciples' residential area in the back mountain.

Along the way, Lu Yuan looked at Song Yan's half-swollen, pig-like face and couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"Senior Brother, that injury of yours... what happened?"

"Those two on duty said you got into a conflict..."

Song Yan upon hearing this, clicked his tongue, and the movement pulled at the wound, making him wince in pain again.

"Conflict?"

"Pah!"

A hint of coldness flickered in his small eyes as he lowered his voice and said:

"What conflict? I got beaten up!"

"Someone put a sack over my head at night and beat me to a pulp on the ground!"

"I didn't even see who it was!"

A sack over the head?

Lu Yuan was dumbfounded. Inside Tianlong Temple, who would dare use such underhanded tactics against the personal disciple of Celestial Master He Xun?

And judging by Song Yan's injuries, the beating was no light one. It was clearly driven by resentment.

"What was it about?"

"Who did you offend?"

Song Yan led Lu Yuan and the others into a relatively quiet courtyard area, still with exquisite houses, and stopped in front of one of the independent small courtyards.

He pushed open the courtyard gate, walking in as he sighed. The playful expression on his face faded, replaced by a rare look of gravity and helplessness.

"Who did I offend?"

Song Yan invited Lu Yuan and the two little girls to sit on the stone benches in the yard.

He himself plopped down on a nearby stone pier, rubbing his still aching cheek.

"Junior Brother, you've come at just the right time, and quite a coincidence too."

"During this time, things have been... unsettled inside our Tianlong Temple."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing.

Song Yan looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then leaned closer to Lu Yuan, lowering his voice even further:

"It's about my master... he wants to do something."

"But some of the old masters in the temple disagree, and it's caused a pretty big rift."

"Right now, the temple is basically split into two factions."

"One side follows my master, for the sake of our lineage's inheritance."

"The other side is made up of those old disciples and senior Celestial Masters who have been in the temple for many years, with deep roots."

"They think the temple master is causing trouble for no reason, breaking the ancestors' rules, and shaking the foundation of Tianlong Temple."

Lu Yuan understood clearly.

No wonder the two Daoists on duty earlier were so dismissive and perfunctory toward Song Yan. They were probably from the other faction.

"What kind of matter could cause such a big uproar?"

Lu Yuan couldn't help but ask.

He knew that Senior Uncle He Xun was extremely strong-willed, but for it to cause a split within Tianlong Temple, it couldn't be a small matter.

Song Yan sighed. On this matter, there wasn't really anything he couldn't say.

Many outsiders already knew about it.

In fact, if everyone weren't so focused on Lu Yuan's affairs right now, if Lu Yuan hadn't caused such a stir in Fengtian City, people beyond the Great Wall would be talking about Tianlong Temple.

Song Yan didn't hide it from Lu Yuan. After all, Lu Yuan was family.

Song Yan rubbed his swollen and painful face. The usual mischievousness in his small eyes was gone, replaced by deep exhaustion and a hint of helplessness.

"What else could it be? It's all because of our Patriarch!"

Huh?

Lu Yuan was taken aback, not quite understanding what he meant.

Song Yan sighed again and continued:

"Back in the day, after the old master passed away, my master and your master had a falling out. Your master left in a huff and built his own Zhenlong Temple."

"As for my master, he joined Tianlong Temple. Now, decades have passed, and my master has become the temple master."

To this, Lu Yuan nodded slightly. He knew a bit about this now.

Song Yan paused, a complex expression on his face—both a sense of loyalty to his master and helplessness about the current situation:

"Tianlong Temple originally had its own founding patriarch. For hundreds of years, the temple's disciples offered daily worship, and the incense never stopped."

"But my master... he always felt that our lineage's tradition originated from Patriarch Zhang Jiuting, and the foundation of Tianlong Temple should also change to honor our own branch's patriarch!"

"He wants to... take down the original founding patriarch enshrined in Tianlong Temple and 'invite' our Patriarch Zhang Jiuting to take the main seat!"

Lu Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.

No wonder!!

This was essentially a fundamental shift in the temple's lineage and a reshaping of its beliefs from within!

They wanted to remove the founding patriarch who had been worshipped for hundreds of years from the altar and replace him with their own branch's patriarch!

No wonder Tianlong Temple was in an uproar.

Lu Yuan suddenly understood and said:

"So, those disciples and senior Celestial Masters who originally worshipped Tianlong Temple's founding patriarch are fighting tooth and nail against it."

Song Yan clicked his tongue, but there wasn't much malice in his tone toward his fellow disciples. He just said:

"It's more than just opposition!"

"Those are their patriarchs!"

"Who would tolerate someone replacing the patriarch they've worshipped for generations?"

"Those old-timers are genuinely heartbroken!"

"They think my master has forgotten his ancestors, broken the fundamental rules of Tianlong Temple that have stood for hundreds of years!"

"They weep and remonstrate in the temple every day, even kneel for long periods in front of the patriarch's statue, causing a huge commotion."

Saying this, Song Yan shrugged again and said:

"But..."

"They're just making noise. They can't really do anything."

Huh?

Lu Yuan looked at Song Yan curiously, wondering where he was going with this.

Song Yan curled his lip and said:

"Right now, my master's word is basically law in Tianlong Temple."

"He's won the title of Celestial Master so many times, he's got his own skills, and over the years, he's taken in so many disciples and apprentices."

"Those old-timers can't openly compete with my master. All they can do is resort to these dirty tricks behind the scenes!"

Song Yan pointed at his black-and-blue eye and swollen face, his tone full of grievance:

"For example, this is what happened to me. They put a sack over my head and beat me up at night. It's a warning to others!"

"They're taking their anger out on me to force my master to back down, or to make those following my master lose heart!"

Lu Yuan hadn't expected that things inside Tianlong Temple had come to this.

But this didn't have much to do with Lu Yuan, or rather, Lu Yuan couldn't really help.

He was just thinking that he had come to Tianlong Temple for the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family's malevolent deity offering grounds...

And now, with Tianlong Temple in this state...

Wait?!

His own matter... might actually be able to help Senior Uncle He Xun!

Song Yan finally managed to rub his injuries until they hurt a little less. He then redirected his attention to the two little girls beside Lu Yuan.

He tilted his head, his small eyes full of curiosity, and leaned in to whisper to Lu Yuan:

"Junior Brother, what's the deal with these two little ones?"

"Did you just have them?"

"Are they your daughters?"

"You work fast!"

Lu Yuan: "..."

Lu Yuan glanced at Hu Yangyang and Hu Tutu, who were sitting quietly.

Hu Tutu was cautiously looking around this unfamiliar courtyard, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of Lu Yuan's clothes.

Hu Yangyang kept her eyes downcast, silent like a lifeless porcelain doll.

Lu Yuan then said to Hu Yangyang:

"Yangyang, take Tutu around here, get familiar with the place. I need to talk about some serious matters with Senior Brother Song."

Upon hearing this, Hu Yangyang immediately looked up at Lu Yuan. A flicker of barely noticeable dependence flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her usual composure.

She silently stood up, walked over to Hu Tutu, and said softly:

"Tutu, let's go."

Hu Tutu reluctantly looked at Lu Yuan, but seeing that her sister had already stood up, she obediently let go and slowly followed Hu Yangyang out of the courtyard.

Just as Hu Yangyang and Hu Tutu's figures disappeared beyond the moon-shaped entrance, and only Lu Yuan and Song Yan remained in the yard.

The calm on Lu Yuan's face faded, replaced by deep seriousness.

Lu Yuan looked at Song Yan's round face, which was bruised but still full of anticipation, and decided to lay out all the major events of the past few days.

Lu Yuan first glanced toward the entrance to make sure the two little girls weren't nearby, then spoke slowly:

"Those two little girls, one is called Hu Yangyang and the other Hu Tutu. They are the biological daughters of Hu Huxu, the current head of the Hu Family of Continuing the Lamp."

Song Yan nearly jumped off his stool. The sudden movement pulled at his wound, making him hiss in pain as he whispered in shock:

"What?!"

"The Hu Family of Continuing the Lamp?!"

"Aren't they one of the Ten Families beyond the Great Wall!"

"How did you end up with the daughters of a Ten Families' head?"

Clearly, as a disciple of Celestial Master He Xun, Song Yan knew quite a bit about the Ten Families.

Lu Yuan recounted everything that had happened over the past few days, telling Song Yan the whole story from start to finish.

Song Yan listened, utterly dumbfounded.

Lu Yuan looked at Song Yan and continued:

"Hu Huxu got what he deserved, but these two children are innocent."

"Their mother died early, and now their father is dead too. If we don't take care of them, in this treacherous world, their fate would be unimaginable."

"So I've decided to bring them back to Zhenlong Temple to raise them."

Song Yan wasn't really concerned about Lu Yuan adopting Hu Yangyang and Hu Tutu. He was still stunned by what Lu Yuan had just said, muttering to himself.

"Three super Malevolent Deities... Liu Xuanyin... has he gone mad?!"

"If that had succeeded, wouldn't it have brought devastation to the lands beyond the Great Wall?"

To Song Yan's shock, Lu Yuan replied quite calmly:

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"He's already dead."

Song Yan sat there on the stool, his mouth hanging wide open, unable to close for a long time.

But he quickly snapped out of it. He realized that his junior brother's sudden visit to Tianlong Temple must be related to this matter.

Coming back to his senses, Song Yan immediately looked at Lu Yuan and said:

"S-so... so..."

"Junior Brother, you came this time for..."

Lu Yuan looked at Song Yan with calm, steady eyes, his tone resolute:

"I didn't come this time to catch up or to meddle in the temple's internal disputes."

"I came to ask Tianlong Temple to step forward and invite Senior Uncle to join me in cleaning up the remaining poison of the Liu Family."

The color gradually returned to Song Yan's face, but the shock in his eyes hadn't faded. He instinctively pressed:

"Cleaning up the remaining poison?"

"Junior Brother, you mean... although Liu Xuanyin is dead..."

Lu Yuan took over the conversation, his expression solemn.

"Liu Xuanyin has been brought to justice, but the outer nurturing grounds, the yin-gathering pools, and the various malevolent deity offering sites he operated for hundreds of years are mostly still intact."

"Now, with no leader and no one to maintain them, those places, just like the Life-Severing Wang Family's Nurturing Malevolence Site back then, could spiral out of control at any moment and cause a catastrophe!"

Lu Yuan paused, his tone growing heavier:

"Every one of these places is a potential source of disaster."

"If we don't clean them up in time, before long, the lands beyond the Great Wall will likely face devastation once again."

Song Yan listened, took a deep breath, and his round face flickered with changing expressions.

Although he was usually cheerful and joking, when it came down to it, his mind worked fast.

He instantly understood the core demand of Lu Yuan's visit and realized the immense merit and prestige this matter represented!

After all, wasn't the Life-Severing Wang Family's Nurturing Malevolence Site a precedent?!

That site had produced a twenty-seven-year-old Celestial Master, Shen Shulan!

Of course, Wuqing Temple didn't end up with two Celestial Masters in the end, but getting Shen Shulan to become a Celestial Master at twenty-seven was still a huge achievement for Wuqing Temple.

And now...

If Tianlong Temple, under the leadership of Celestial Master He Xun, successfully cleaned up these threats...

Then, for Tianlong Temple, especially He Xun's lineage, which was in the midst of a controversy over "changing the patriarch"...

At that moment, with merit weighing down and prestige unmatched!

Those old-timers opposing the change of patriarch, no matter how unwilling they were in their hearts...

Facing the "brightness of the Heavenly Dao" and the "will of the people," they would have no choice but to hold their noses and accept it!

Thinking of this, there was no trace of the previous dejection and grievance in Song Yan's small eyes!

They were shining like two small lanterns!

He suddenly slapped his thigh, but the motion made him wince in pain. He didn't care, though, and lowered his voice, unable to hide his excitement:

"Junior Brother, this isn't asking for help at all!!"

"You've just handed my master, and our entire lineage, a massive, perfectly justified opportunity to establish our authority!"

He rubbed his hands together excitedly, as if he could already see everyone in Tianlong Temple bowing to his lineage.

The more Song Yan talked, the more excited he got, and even the pain from his injuries seemed to vanish.

"Junior Brother, I'm going to go tell my master right now!!!"

Lu Yuan watched Song Yan instantly transform from "pig-face" to "hyperactive" and sighed inwardly. Just as he had expected.

Tianlong Temple's internal factions would see this as an opportunity.

"Junior Brother, rest for a bit. I'll go report to the front right away!"

Song Yan finished speaking, and ignoring how much his face still hurt, he dashed out of the courtyard like a whirlwind, heading straight for the Heavenly Pivot Hall.

After Song Yan left, Lu Yuan sat in the courtyard, pondering.

Once he finished discussing things with Senior Uncle He Xun...

This matter...

Lu Yuan thought to himself, should he make another trip to Wuqing Temple?!