Make the Immortal Sect Great Again

The County Yamen, inner courtyard hall.

Chen Haoyan sat straight-backed in his armchair. He had been resting with his eyes closed, but a sudden stir of instinct made him look up at the young bailiff pushing open the hall doors.

“You’ve... crossed the threshold?”

Chen Haoyan couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes. Wang Ping stood before him fully armed, the Black Hornless Dragon Bow on his back and an Oxtail Saber at his waist, exhaling heat like a furnace with every breath.

As the young man drew closer, Chen Haoyan clearly felt a wave of heat wash over his face. His expression shifted. ‘Blood Like Fire, and it’s the highest grade, Supreme Yang Blood... Is this something the Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Bow can cultivate? Or is it that he doesn’t just possess innate divine strength, but his very blood is completely different from a Mortal’s?’

If that were true, it would be extraordinary.

‘For an ordinary county city to produce a martial artist with a single miraculous trait like mine is a once-in-decades rarity, let alone someone possessing two.’

After all, how could shallow waters produce a Flood Dragon? Hatching a turtle was more like it.

In Chen Haoyan's experience, martial arts prodigies with two miraculous traits across the entire Changle Commandery could be counted on one hand, and they certainly didn't appear every year.

At this thought, he felt a sudden pang of appreciation, almost unable to bear sending such a heaven-sent genius to carry out the upcoming mission.

However, he quickly suppressed the feeling.

‘Although recommending martial talents earns rewards from the imperial court, those rewards are of absolutely no use to me. No matter how great his talent is, what use is it if it isn’t mine?’

To him, human talent meant nothing; what mattered was human material.

In a flash of thought, Chen Haoyan had already restored his calm and composed demeanor. “Not bad,” he said lightly. “True Dragon Tendon and Supreme Yang Blood. If you survive this time, I will recommend you to the Divine Constabulary in the Capital for advanced training. When you return, you’ll start as an Internal Force Martial Master, and there is great hope for you to be bestowed an official title.”

‘Feeding me more empty promises?’

Wang Ping sneered in his heart, but on the surface, he nodded respectfully, his words ringing with conviction. “This subordinate will go through fire and water, never forgetting Your Excellency’s grace in raising me up.”

Wang Ping placed a heavy emphasis on the words ‘never forgetting’.

Although taking this mission had actually earned him a massive profit, Chen Haoyan’s original intentions were malicious. The magistrate just hadn’t expected him to have a cheat system, which allowed him to execute it perfectly.

‘So I’ll still remember this grudge!’

On the other side, Chen Haoyan didn't care about the shift in Wang Ping's tone. After all, no matter how high one's talent was, as long as it hadn't been converted into actual strength, it wasn't worth mentioning.

Furthermore—in his eyes, Wang Ping wouldn't even have the chance to realize it.

“Move out.”

The next second, Chen Haoyan slapped the armrest of his chair. Soon, several servants carried a massive wooden chest over, setting it down in front of Wang Ping.

When the chest was opened, Wang Ping was struck by the object inside. It was a blade stand with an exceedingly thick base. Shouchong’s Lotus Blade rested upon it like a crescent moon. As sunlight fell upon the steel, it instantly reflected a moonlight-like gleam, radiating a biting chill.

Seeing this, Wang Ping stepped forward to take the blade.

However, Chen Haoyan reached out and stopped him, then said in a deep voice, “Leave the blade on it. You are to escort it to Youren Temple together with the stand.”

“...Oh?”

The moment these words came out, Wang Ping realized something was wrong. He looked down at the stand holding the Lotus Blade, his gaze finally settling on its base.

‘Delivering a blade is one thing, but what is the point of bringing the stand?’

‘Is there a trick to it?’

With this in mind, Wang Ping glanced up at Chen Haoyan again. Seeing the magistrate's expression remain perfectly normal, he understood: ‘It seems this is his hidden hand.’

‘Could something be hidden inside the stand?’

‘Unfortunately, the material of this stand is quite good. It feels terrifyingly hard to the touch; it’s not something I can just smash open, and Mortal eyes cannot see through solid objects...’

‘Wait, I don’t just have Mortal eyes.’

‘Never mind then!’

Wang Ping retracted his gaze, looking as though he had no interest in secrets. In reality, he had already activated his spiritual sense, quietly peering toward the base of the blade stand.

‘It really is hollow!’

The next second, its contents appeared in Wang Ping’s vision.

Then he froze—because what entered his sight was a bronze seal, adorned with carved jade ornaments and two ancient seal-script characters.

‘Longxing.’

‘Is this... the Longxing County Seal? The imperial court’s official seal in Longxing County, a symbol of authority. All official documents issued by the Longxing County Yamen must be stamped with this.’

How did Chen Haoyan get it?

After all, no matter how formidable Chen Haoyan was, as a chief constable he was at best a weapon. How could he have taken this county seal from the hands of the county magistrate?

And why place it here?

As Wang Ping pondered this, he hoisted the blade stand onto his shoulder and strode out of the Inner Yamen. There, a carriage had already been waiting for quite some time.

Surrounding the carriage were the bailiffs of the County Yamen.

Wang Ping spotted Liu Ye in the crowd. The man’s expression was conflicted; he looked as if he wanted to say something, but he shut his mouth the moment Chen Haoyan walked out.

Suddenly, Wang Ping looked up, feeling a dampness on his cheek.

“...It’s raining again?”

The weather had been unpredictable lately. It had just poured heavily a few days ago, and now Longxing County was welcoming another hazy drizzle.

...

“This rain comes at the perfect time.”

Inside a small courtyard, Shouchong looked up at the sky with a smile on his lips. Behind him stood dozens of White Lotus Sect believers, the same ones Wang Ping had seen at the Daoist temple.

“I heard that Xie Shi was killed by the yamen’s bailiffs on a rainy night. Now, with another heavy rain falling, I will go kill a few yamen bailiffs to avenge him. It will also fulfill the bond of master and disciple between us. I imagine if he knows of this in the underworld, he will surely feel at peace.”

“Sect Master jests.”

As he spoke, several White Lotus Sect members walked over and laughed. “We all know that you, Sect Master, are arguably the most heartless and ungrateful person under the heavens.”

Hearing this, Shouchong shook his head.

“Your master is an upright man who stands tall between heaven and earth. I have always valued loyalty and righteousness. Do not listen to the mud the government slings at me; it is all vicious slander.”

“As for Xie Shi’s death, our White Lotus Sect is in the business of rebellion. How can there be rebellion without bloodshed? Sometimes, one ought to look for the reason within oneself. Had his martial arts improved over all these years? Did he train seriously? If that fellow could have taken a step further and cultivated Internal Force, how could he have died?”

...

Several believers opened their mouths slightly at his words, but then voluntarily shut them. Not hearing any response, Shouchong turned around and cast a smiling glance at the believers behind him.

“What, not speaking?”

The believers lowered their heads. “We dare not speak.”

Shouchong chuckled. “Rest assured, your master has always welcomed criticism.”

“Then we’ll say it.” Only then did someone look up and softly say, “Senior Brother Xie Shi didn’t cultivate Internal Force, but wasn’t that because you refused to impart the true techniques to him, Master?”

Shouchong’s expression instantly stiffened.

After a moment of silence, his face darkened, and he said sinisterly, “Rebellious disciples, daring to ruin my reputation... And the rest of you, is this what you all think as well?”

The other believers hastily shook their heads.

“Hmph. Fools.”

Shouchong shook his head. “The true techniques... Do you think I didn’t want to pass them down? It’s not that I wouldn’t, it’s that I couldn’t! Or rather, even if I did, you wouldn’t be able to learn them!”

The believers felt somewhat unconvinced. “Master, if you don’t impart them, how do you know we won’t be able to learn them?”

“Because I already did.”

Shouchong sneered. “Xie Shi, and that includes all of you—everyone who joins my White Lotus Sect—I imparted the true techniques to you on your very first day.”

“However, just like Xie Shi, you merely speak pretty words. You claim to worship Liansheng Bodhisattva and follow me in rebellion, but in reality, you don’t believe in Liansheng Bodhisattva at all, nor do you believe the doctrines I taught you. Therefore, no matter how much you study, you will never learn the true techniques of my White Lotus Sect.”

“Doctrines...?”

The crowd looked at one another in dismay. Liansheng Bodhisattva? That ‘Vacuum Hometown’ rhetoric? Everyone thought it was just nonsense to fool outsiders. Master, were you actually being serious?

“Isn’t that just a title?”

The believers didn’t understand. Similar things could be found everywhere across Great Shun, but almost no one took them seriously, treating them solely as a reason and excuse for rebellion.

“Which is why I said you wouldn’t understand.”

Shouchong sighed, then abruptly changed the subject. “Enough of that. Let’s talk about the situation at hand... Do you think this might be Chen Haoyan’s trap?”

Shouchong’s gaze pierced the curtain of rain, quickly spotting the carriage slowly rolling out from the County Yamen. He could sense his lifebound weapon, the Lotus Blade, resting inside it, yet he could not detect Chen Haoyan’s aura. This bizarre sight left even him a bit puzzled.

“Willingly sending the item out, yet not escorting it himself.”

“What is he trying to do?”

Shouchong soon got his answer, because the carriage’s destination wasn’t concealed in the slightest. It was on the main road, heading straight toward Youren Temple.

“So that’s how it is...”

Realizing this turn of events, Shouchong’s expression drastically shifted. “What kind of bargaining chip did he use to actually make the extraordinary person of Youren Temple willing to make a move?”

“Master, this is the yamen’s open scheme!”

Beside him, someone said softly, “If the Lotus Blade enters that Youren Temple, it will never come back out. He is forcing your hand, Master.”

“That’s not right.”

A believer shook his head, saying, “If that were truly the case, Chen Haoyan should be escorting it himself. But the person inside that carriage isn’t him.”

“After all, although those extraordinary alchemists of the imperial court are powerful, they almost never leave their respective strongholds. As long as we intercept it halfway, the extraordinary person in Youren Temple most likely won’t intervene. Wouldn’t that so-called open scheme then become a joke, completely meaningless?”

“If you ask me, this is a bait-and-switch!”

A believer clapped his hands and said with utmost certainty, “The Lotus Blade in the carriage must be fake! It’s a smokescreen to cover the real blade’s whereabouts.”

“That makes sense...”

For a time, the courtyard buzzed with discussion as various speculations were raised, until Shouchong lifted his eyelids and said in a deep voice, “Enough. Your master has his own plans.”

Only then did the clamor die down.

Following that, Shouchong stared intently at the carriage heading for Youren Temple, then turned to glance back in the direction of the County Yamen.

“Could it be... he had the same idea as me?”

...

Inside the carriage.

Wang Ping sat cross-legged, the Black Hornless Dragon Bow to his right and the Oxtail Saber to his left. The Lotus Blade and its hollow stand were placed right in front of him. His eyes narrowed slightly.

‘A life-and-death crisis...’

The spot between his eyebrows twitched. His strong spiritual sense was constantly flashing warnings, indicating that within a hundred paces, there was at least one existence capable of killing him in an instant.

Shouchong? Chen Haoyan?

Whatever, it didn’t matter who it was. From the moment he sat in this carriage, he was as good as dead. The carriage itself was his coffin.

However, that didn’t matter; Wang Ping had already prepared to start over. In truth, he could have committed suicide the moment he obtained the Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Bow. He didn’t have to wade into these muddy waters. The main reason he ended up getting into the carriage was that he had spotted an opportunity.

Thinking of this, Wang Ping lifted his gaze, looking straight ahead.

‘The Lotus Blade. That old bastard Shouchong’s weapon really used the best materials. The otherworldly iron, Emperor’s Flowing Nectar. Its quality surpasses even Hundred-Refined Primordial Copper.’

‘This is truly fantastic!’

In Wang Ping’s eyes, the so-called Lotus Blade was actually just a massive, excellent chunk of high-grade otherworldly iron. Such a precious material was perfectly suited to be sacrificed and refined into the Taiping Sutra!

‘Not to mention the unexpected surprise.’

Although he didn’t know what Chen Haoyan meant to achieve by hiding the Longxing County Seal in the hollow blade stand, since it was already here, he’d gladly accept a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

In addition to that, there were the Black Hornless Dragon Bow and the Oxtail Saber. He couldn’t take them with him anyway, so he might as well sacrifice them all to the Taiping Sutra, leaving absolutely nothing for Chen Haoyan!

Wang Ping had no interest in all this fighting and killing.

However, making an extra fortune before he died—that was something he was more than happy to do!

That being said, Wang Ping didn’t make a move right away. There were surely many people staring at him inside the carriage at this moment, making the risk of taking action quite high.

Moreover, unless absolutely necessary, Wang Ping didn’t want to display the miraculous nature of the Taiping Sutra in broad daylight.

After all, his rebirth wasn’t starting entirely from scratch; he couldn’t rewind time. If he were exposed, his future steps in this world would become incredibly difficult.

‘Looking at it from this angle, the value of the Taiping Sutra still isn’t high enough!’

‘Sigh, if only my cheat could not only rewind time and start over, but also bring the items in my hands back with me.’

Wang Ping sighed in his heart, though he wasn’t anxious. Instead, he grew even more patient.

‘The arrow is notched on the bowstring; sooner or later, they will start fighting.’

‘When that time comes, that will be my opportunity.’

Wang Ping pondered with calm composure, yet right at this moment, his spiritual sense blared a sudden warning, causing him to instinctively turn his head to look in a certain direction.

It was the side of the carriage.

At this moment, the carriage was just passing by a small alley. The window faced the mouth of the alley, and through it, Wang Ping could faintly make out a figure amidst the curtain of rain.

It was a man wearing a bamboo hat, walking out from the heavy downpour. His movements seemed slow, yet his speed was incredibly fast. One second he was deep in the alley, and the next he had arrived at its mouth, as if the ground beneath his feet were actively shrinking. Even though he carried no umbrella, not a single drop of water touched his body.

“I never expected that it was you who killed Xie Shi.”

The bamboo-hat-wearing man’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it inexplicably drowned out the sound of the rain, ringing clearly in Wang Ping’s ears: “My good disciple, to think you are actually still alive.”

Boom!

In a flash of lightning and thunder, the bamboo-hat-wearing man looked up.

With just one glance, Wang Ping recognized his appearance. That youthful face with crane-white hair, possessing the ethereal bearing of a Daoist immortal, belonged to none other than the master of the White Lotus Sect, Shouchong!

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