Chapter 131: The Star-Picking Tower and the Bai Shen Fa

The Great Yun has two types of relay stations.

One is built by the imperial court and managed by the various prefectures and commanderies; the other is built by sects.

However, neither type of relay station has anything to do with ordinary commoners.

The former is for the imperial court to transmit official documents and for officials to lodge while passing through; the latter is for sects' own use, such as transmitting letters and so on.

Not long after entering the sect, Li Yuan sent a letter and silver notes back via a relay station; the round trip took nearly three months, a speed that was truly moving.

"Second Brother's handwriting isn't even as good as mine."

Inside the room, Li Yuan opened the package, glanced over it, picked up the letter, and tore it open.

Li Lin naturally knew how to read, but after years of chopping wood, he had neglected its use; his handwriting was very sloppy, yet between the lines, one could feel his concern and longing.

In the letter, Li Lin spoke of the changes in Gao Liu County after he left, the business of the weapon-forging shop, and the trivial matters of their own family.

With the care of the City Guard and Magistrate Liu Bin, whether it was the business of the weapon-forging shop or the Li family, everything was thriving.

Especially after the news that he had become a true disciple of the Divine Weapon Valley spread back, it caused a sensation.

"City Guard Lord Zhou, Magistrate Lord Liu, and all the families in the inner and outer cities came to offer congratulations; I didn't want to accept them, but your sister-in-law said we should, and she even made a list to send to you along with them..."

"By the way, people came from nearby counties, even from the commandery, and Lord Bai of the commandery came as well..."

More than ten sheets of letter paper, filled to the brim by Li Lin's writing, with a list of all the gift-givers appended at the end, totaling dozens upon dozens.

"Second Sister-in-law is truly a woman of the world."

Although the letter mentioned little, Li Yuan could still see the shadow of his own second sister-in-law.

Whether it was the business of the weapon-forging shop or receiving gifts and so on, it was all managed by Wang Juan.

"I originally thought that after receiving the letter, I would return home for a visit and bring Second Brother and the others to Fucheng, but now..."

Li Yuan put the letter away and opened the second one; the handwriting was very neat, obviously written by Second Sister-in-law.

Compared to Second Brother, this letter was much more organized, listing the major and minor affairs of Gao Liu City and the attitudes of various factions.

Finally, it was a tone of admonition:

"Everything on the last half sheet is for women being sent to your Second Brother! In just these few days, at least dozens of people have come to send them..."

"Be careful in Fucheng as well; you have a bright future ahead, so do not rush to marry, nor take concubines..."

"With Second Sister-in-law there, Second Brother should be able to hold steady."

Li Yuan felt slightly reassured in his heart.

He didn't even need to think to know that once the news of him becoming a true disciple spread back, a large crowd would surely come to show favor and flatter him.

He was somewhat worried that Second Brother might not be able to resist.

Li Yuan continued to flip through, and when he reached the end, his expression suddenly changed.

"By the way, Master Wang of the weapon-forging shop has returned; he also wrote a letter and sent a few books..."

"Wang Wang Wenyuan!"

Li Yuan's gaze sharpened.

During this time, the more he explored matters concerning the Bai Shen Fa, the more wary he became of that Master Wang.

Previously, the 'Baishen Sect Doctrine' mentioned in those few books he had casually given himself, he had not even found in the outer hall of the library.

"Wang Wang Wenyuan is still in Gao Liu? And he even entrusted someone to send me a letter..."

Li Yuan frowned tightly, flipped open the package, and indeed saw the three books at the very bottom, along with a letter.

Written on the envelope was: For Li Yuan's Personal Opening.

"Wang Wang Wenyuan."

Li Yuan took out a pair of golden silk gloves and put them on before carefully opening the letter.

"This is a letter of recommendation."

The very first sentence that came into view made Li Yuan pause slightly.

A letter of recommendation?

"Star-Picking Tower?!"

Li Yuan felt a slight shock in his heart.

He first learned of the Star-Picking Tower from a book given to him by Wang Wang Wenyuan, which mentioned an peerless Mo Gong called 'Ten Thousand Beasts Sit in Forgetfulness, Dragon Demon Heart Sutra'.

Later, the unknown swordsman who forced him to forge the Autumn Water Sword also mentioned it.

During this time, he had read many books and searched for quite a bit of intelligence, so he had gained some understanding of this Star-Picking Tower.

"Is that Wang Wang Wenyuan an assassin from the Star-Picking Tower?"

The Star-Picking Tower is an assassin organization, different from famous Daozhou powers like 'Death-Ending Tower' and 'Life-Extinguishing Tower'.

The Star-Picking Tower has a very ancient lineage, but it is very small.

Its lineage comes from the 'Ten Thousand Beasts Daoist' from over fifteen hundred years ago; the core assassins never exceed one hundred and eight,

and at their smallest, there were even only a dozen or so people.

But the Star-Picking Tower's reputation is very great, very great indeed!

"Legend has it that the Great Yun's founding emperor, Pang Pang Wenlong, died from an assassination by the Star-Picking Tower..."

Li Yuan's heart felt slightly cold.

Just thinking that an assassin had once been secretly watching him made his scalp prickle.

"A family of two Dragon Forms; the Li family's feng shui seems quite good."

The characters on the letter were round, integrated, and restrained, yet Li Yuan felt as if a sword tip were pressing against his brow.

"Two Dragon Forms? Yes, Eldest Brother Li Yue? Is Eldest Brother also of the Dragon Form bone structure?!"

Li Yuan became even more surprised, and as the tone shifted, his heart rose even higher:

"Li Yue was the ninth person I recommended; you are the tenth."

Big Brother actually joined the Star-Picking Tower...

Li Yuan felt a bit numb.

The Star-Picking Tower's reputation is naturally better than the Xieshen Sect; they never harm the local areas or trouble the common people.

But they assassinate kings and attempt regicide!

"Taizu Pang Pang Wenlong, Emperor Wen Pang Yunhai, Mu, Ming, Rui, Kang..."

Li Yuan counted on his fingers; at least nineteen emperors of the Dayun Dynasty had been assassinated, and six of those assassinations succeeded!

Beyond that, many elders and sect masters of the major sects in the various Daozhou had also been assassinated.

Their reputation is slightly better, but only slightly.

With too many enemies, the assassins of the Star-Picking Tower are hunted down by both the imperial court and the Jianghu; once discovered, they are often wiped out along with their entire families.

"Big Brother is a rebel..."

Li Yuan kept a wooden face and continued reading; what followed were the various benefits of joining the Star-Picking Tower.

Words about great medicines, divine weapons, and peerless Wu Gong were all spoken, saying everything one could desire was available.

The items listed above did indeed stir Li Yuan's heart a bit, such as divine weapons, Wu Gong, and great medicines.

"If you have the life to take them, you won't have the life to spend them!"

He merely thought of it and shook his head repeatedly; for an industry where one straps their head to their belt, he had always kept his distance.

But...

"Big Brother actually has the Great Dragon-Form Root Bone?"

Li Yuan's expression was solemn; in his memory, impressions of Big Brother were few, knowing only that he was serious and never smiled.

"With the Great Dragon-Form Root Bone, which sect in the world couldn't he join, yet he must join the Star-Picking Tower?"

Li Yuan felt his teeth ache a bit; he continued flipping through, and fortunately, in the end, Wang Wang Wenyuan had left room for maneuver.

"If you have no intention, simply burn this; if you do, then take this letter, and someone will come to find you in the near future..."

"Those three books are a gift from me; they are not Wu Gong, but the Bai Shen Fa doctrines, and the Bai Shen Fa introductory mental formula."

"It is the Zheng Fa!"

Wang Wang Wenyuan emphasized his tone.

"The Xieshen Sect and the three major sects are already enough; adding the Star-Picking Tower on top..."

Rubbing his brow, Li Yuan felt the waters of the Zhe Long Mansion were far deeper than he had anticipated.

"Could it be related to the Split-Sea Black Whale Hammer?"

This thought floated up in Li Yuan's mind; he subconsciously shook his head, yet felt it was not impossible.

Friction between the three major sects and the Divine Weapon Valley has existed for a long time, but the Xieshen Sect came to them proactively,

and now adding this Star-Picking Tower.

An assassin organization that assassinates kings and attempts regicide, making countless enemies, surely doesn't intend to seize the Zhe Long Mansion?

"It is not impossible! It is very possible!"

Li Yuan's heart tightened; even if this possibility was small, it could not be ignored.

"I must combine five tier-five hammer weapons with stacked talents as soon as possible, and also find a way to reach the fire vein at the end of the Chi Rong Cave..."

After spacing out for a long time, Li Yuan gritted his teeth, took the three books from beneath the package,

"Bai Shen Sect Scriptures, Bai Shen Sect Unofficial History, and Bai Shen Fa Introduction."

Having obtained the items he had sought for so long, Li Yuan's heart felt heavy; he flipped through them woodenly for a while before his complexion improved.

The doctrines of the Bai Shen Sect are numerous; just this booklet lists over a thousand.

Li Yuan flipped through; these doctrines had no problems; although they contained no rhetoric guiding people toward goodness, they held nothing evil or strange.

From beginning to end, it all said the same thing.

That is, worshipping oneself as a god is Zheng; worshipping a god as a god is Xie; using it correctly makes it Zheng, using it wrongly makes it Xie.

"Worshipping oneself as a god, clarifying the mind and seeing one's nature, sweeping the hut, strengthening the body, thus one can extend life and achieve immortality..."

Li Yuan gathered his thoughts; the two words "immortality" suppressed all his stray thoughts.

Li Yuan took a deep breath and continued flipping through.

The second book concerns legends of the Bai Shen Sect, and a large portion of it mentions the Xieshen Sect.

Worshipping oneself as a god requires extremely high talent and supreme mental fortitude; this is the Zheng path.

But the vast majority of people in this world do not possess such talent and mental fortitude, thus the Xie path arose in response.

Worshipping oneself as a god is difficult; worshipping a god as a god is easy.

From the first person who worshipped a god, gaining astonishing power from bloody rituals, this path had already completely overshadowed the Bai Shen Zheng Fa.

"Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva, Mutilated God, Blood, Flesh, Sinew, Bone Four Vajras, Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, Kidney Five Gahlanas..."

The Bai Shen Sect's unofficial history is truly wild enough.

Over the past thousand years, countless people have practiced the Xiu Bai Shen Fa, and the number of gods worshipped is even greater.

The Zheng gods officially sanctioned by the Dayun Dynasty, and the unacknowledged Yin shrines and wild gods, all have been worshipped, with rituals performed.

"Because the worshipped gods differ, the Bai Shen Fa has many subdivisions; worshipping the Blood Vajra Fa belongs to this category."

Li Yuan flipped through slightly and felt his eyes opened wide.

Whether these stories are true or false aside, the things revealed within made him look askance.

For instance, the Blood Vajra Fa.

Who first created this method is unknown, but seven hundred years ago, one person cultivated it to great perfection,

His qi and blood were like Wang Yang, cutting across a ten-li river; the strength of one man rivaled a thousand armies, and once shook the world.

"True or false aside, it really is intimidating."

Li Yuan read for a while, waiting until his mind was completely calm, then set down this unofficial history,

and picked up the third book.

"Bai Shen Fa: Introduction."

Upon opening it, he found Wang Wen Yuan's warning.

"Though Bai Shen Zheng Fa is a Zheng Fa, if one's talent and comprehension are insufficient, it is very easy to fall into the evil path.

Your talent is not as good as Li Yue's, and after Li Yue cultivated Xiu Ci Fa to the fifth layer, he could not continue and had no choice but to switch to cultivating the Dragon Demon Heart Scripture…"

Li Yuan glanced over it.

Without Wang Wen Yuan's warning, he was already both curious and wary of Bai Shen Fa; without understanding it clearly, he wouldn't dare learn it.

Only…

"Big Brother's talent can compare to mine? Mm, definitely better than mine…"

Li Yuan knew very well in his heart.

"Human strength is finite, but heaven and earth are boundless. Taking the boundlessness of heaven and earth to supplement one's own finitude, offering oneself as a god—this is the method of longevity!"

At the opening, the one who wrote this method lavished praise upon it, calling it the number one divine Wu Gong under heaven through the ages.

Mm, many Wu Gong say that.

Li Yuan was unfazed, reading word by word, sentence by sentence; once he started reading, he read straight through until the horizon paled with dawn.

"Good stuff, truly good stuff."

Closing the Bai Shen Fa secret manual, Li Yuan's heart pounded; just from this opening, Li Yuan could be certain.

"The grade of this Wu Gong is higher than the Soldier Dao Combat Killing Hammer, but entering this method is also very dangerous…"

Li Yuan scratched his head.

The first step of cultivating Bai Shen Zheng Fa is to drive blood qi into the brain,

the second step is to drive force into the brain.

This…

"So dangerous, no wonder few people cultivate Zheng Fa."

Li Yuan was also a little daunted.

Blood qi into the brain—one slip, and the brain will explode…