The Mirror Legacy

Tianlang Zhi's words left Chief Jiang silent for a moment. This envoy from Dayang Mountain seemed rather wary of the Compassion Dao. He looked down to examine the bronze alms bowl in his hand, while Tianlang Zhi pressed his advantage. "Chief, don't you think that makes sense? Did Ch'i Lanyan tacitly permit this, or even support it, because he had any regard for us? He must have harbored such intentions himself. If so, he could cooperate with anyone, so why would he concern himself with us in particular?

"None of the lords can spare their hands right now... With this opportunity before us, however, there is truly no telling which side will be able to act first in the end! So long as you give the order, Chief, I am not afraid of offending anyone..."

Tianlang Zhi narrowed his eyes and said even more quietly, "As for Minghui, Gongsun Bei has expressed some dissatisfaction with him, while Ch'i Lanyan thoroughly dislikes Jinlian. Though he never witnessed the battle himself, he told me twice that [Lotus Temple] was of no use, and that Minghui and his senior brother Mingxiang would not give their all...

"Minghui proved incompetent today, and from what I saw, Mingxiang was also holding back. Since Lotus Temple refuses to exert itself, why should we show them any consideration?"

Chief Jiang pondered for a long while before answering with a faint smile, "Liangli has considered the matter most thoroughly. I will make some inquiries once I return.

"As for Minghui, we now have leverage over him, so we can find another way to put him to use. The next time we attack the south and resist Great Song, we can throw him beneath Yang Ruiyi's wheels. Yang Ruiyi possesses [Banished Essence], so Minghui will have no choice but to fight for his life!

"If they cannot prevail and end up killed or wounded at the hands of the Yang Family, we will have an explanation for Jinlian. If they flee without fighting, that will give us grounds to seize them, and punish them in the name of Dayang Mountain."

The two golden figures in the sky abruptly fell silent, while Minghui's heart sank into the abyss. Chief Jiang had always been at odds with his Virtuous Dao, so how could anything good come of this?

Sure enough, the man in the sky smiled and said, "Minghui, your six senses are impure, and your heart is rife with greed and malice. You ought to be severely punished, but in consideration of the many good deeds performed by your Virtuous Dao, your senior brother's diligence and devotion to his duties, and your master's lofty virtue and great prestige, this transgression shall merely be recorded against you. You and your senior brother are ordered to defend the riverbank..."

His smile faded as he said indifferently, "If you offend again... The mountain will punish you severely."

Had the other party ordered him into boiling oil or a sea of flames, Minghui might even have breathed a sigh of relief. Instead, being let off so lightly filled him with dread, What lofty virtue and great prestige... Who does not know how infamous my master is? They are plotting to take my life!

Five-Eyed sizzled and popped as his body rolled endlessly within the cauldron of boiling oil. Minghui could only begin kowtowing as he cried, "I ruined the lords' plans, and am overwhelmed with remorse. I ask only that you punish me so that I may prove my sincerity!"

Yet how could the two of them let him off? They praised him with a few words and were about to send him on his way when Minghui burst into bitter tears.

He cried out, "Though the two Great Virtuous Ones are willing to pardon me, I cannot indulge myself so. If you allow me to leave this place unharmed, I will cripple my own dharma body to show my gratitude!"

Chief Jiang's eyes turned cold, and he said indifferently, "You have no desire to redeem yourself, and care only about avoiding battle. I ought to escort you to Dayang Mountain and explain the entire matter before all the Buddhist cultivators there. Let us see what you have to say for yourself then."

Under ordinary circumstances, Minghui truly might have gone back with him. No matter what happened, it would still be better than living every moment beneath the shadow of the man's schemes. Yet when he considered that his departure from the riverbank would leave his senior brother Mingxiang liable to make a mistake and deprive him of the chance to demonstrate his loyalty before that lord, he finally stopped his wailing and withdrew resentfully.

The moment he left the great hall, his mood darkened. His senior brother Mingxiang came to meet him at the foot of the steps, and Minghui transmitted solemnly, "The situation has changed. Chief Jiang from Dayang Mountain has arrived... Neither of us can get away, and I fear our lives may be in danger!"

Mingxiang frowned in silence before shaking his head and transmitting, "We should never have agreed to help that fellow from the Great Mahayana Dharma Realm!"

Minghui answered grimly, "This has nothing to do with him... The matter could never have been settled simply by agreeing or refusing. Given today's situation, even if we had never agreed to Fachang's request, Chief Jiang's arrival would still have forced us to come here. The struggle between north and south has taken an uncertain turn. Ch'i Lanyan has taken the lead in stirring everything up, and the various Daos can no longer restrain their greed for the Li Family!"

Minghui had weathered his fair share of worldly affairs and thus possessed more experience than his senior brother, who spent years cultivating in seclusion and rarely ventured outside. He had quickly come to his own conclusions.

Mingxiang's expression shifted slightly as he gazed at his junior brother and said solemnly, "Our most urgent task is to inform master of this. I must return in person. They will soon order me to depart and take up my post... We cannot delay!"

————

Zhijing Mountain.

Radiance rose to illuminate the mountains. The black-robed man frowned deeply as he glanced at Li Zhouwei and said, "Your highness, you should take the medicine first."

"It is nothing serious."

Li Zhouwei shook his head and invited him to sit nearby. Sima Yuanli had followed them the entire way, his face betraying indescribable embarrassment. He stopped as well, bowed, and sighed. "I... was unbearably foolish and left you trapped in mortal danger... It was truly an unforgivable offense! I deserve to be punished!"

Sima Yuanli had begun regretting his actions long ago. This was no longer the age when the Azure Pond Sect held sway, so what influence did the Sima Family still possess? He dared not hold anything against the Li Family, much less allow Li Zhouwei to harbor a grudge against him!

The White Cicada repays the slightest grievance. The White Qilin may be somewhat better, but he is hardly someone to be trifled with! Even though I failed to rescue him in time today, he still managed to escape. When the great war between north and south begins, if he were to 'fail to rescue me in time', how could I possibly survive?

He did not dare gloss over the matter and instead laid it out plainly. As he hurriedly took out the [Green Grace Profound Gourd] to treat Li Zhouwei's injuries, he said remorsefully, "Your highness must believe me!"

Yet bitterness welled within his heart. Back when Li Ximing had entered seclusion to seek death, Sima Yuanli had occupied the main seat of the Azure Pond Sect. He had spoken of Li Zhouwei with casual amusement, dismissing him as a man at the end of his road with death already written across his face.

Now, however, Sima Yuanli had been reduced to submitting before that very man. Merely because he had hesitated briefly before taking out his treasure, he now had to beg for mercy and address him as 'your highness' with every breath. Times had truly changed.

Tears of sorrow, half genuine and half feigned, appeared in Sima Yuanli's eyes as he sighed. "Our families are bound by marriage. Seeing your highness so gravely wounded fills me with shame."

Li Zhouwei did not blame him and waved his hand. "The [Huai River Map] is precious, and I was at fault for requesting it so abruptly. There is no need for you to dwell on it, Daoist Master!"

Sima Yuanli nodded repeatedly. Yang Ruiyi watched the exchange with interest for a while before musing inwardly, This Daoist Master Sima falls far short of Si Boxiu... I cannot believe Si Boxiu feels comfortable letting him navigate inland affairs. Hah... His only saving grace is his decent innate ability, which puts him a step above Ning Wan.

Seeing that the two had finished their conversation, Yang Ruiyi said, "Chaos has now erupted in the west, while Northern Zhao watches us like a tiger eyeing its prey. After the calamity that befell the lake, the people's hearts are truly unsettled. As for his majesty... I will speak with him and make certain that the Wei King's circumstances are fully reported."

Li Zhouwei thought little of it, though he put on a false smile and replied, "Your timely arrival has already placed the lake in your debt, General. The Buddhist cultivators will not leave Tingzhou alone. This is only the beginning."

Yang Ruiyi shook his head and sighed softly. "As for what happened today... Ch'i Lanyan will not have suffered those injuries for nothing."

He smoothed his sleeve and said, "May I ask where Fellow Daoist Zhaojing is? With your highness injured, I fear Tingzhou cannot do without him."

Li Zhouwei remained perfectly composed as he replied, "My elder is in seclusion attempting a breakthrough, and has reached a critical juncture. There is no telling when he will make progress, so I dare not disturb him for fear of ruining everything he has accomplished."

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