Cyber Daming

An autumn rain, a flower falls.

Heavy snow covers the outline of the distant mountains, and five years have passed in a blink of an eye.

Wudang Mountain is bustling at the end of the year. The masters of the branch temples scattered in the provinces and cities of the empire, who represent the "True Martial Daoyi", return to the mountain with gifts.

On the one hand, it is the end of the year. According to the rules, they have to return to the sect to evaluate the gains and losses of the year, and compare which branch temple has cultivated more good seedlings for the sect this year, which branch temple has received more new believers and accumulated more incense, and how many new branches have been built for the sect, and how much territory has been expanded.

Although the Taoist sect does not eat worldly fireworks, it cannot do without worldly incense.

This business is big, so naturally there must be rules to define the boundaries.

Otherwise, it will not be able to manage such a large Wudang Mountain.

On the other hand, it is also because the festival is approaching, and it is the time to visit relatives and friends and thank the teacher.

The Demon-Subduing Hall located on the hillside of the Tianzhu Peak of Wudang is also very lively today.

As can be seen from the name of the temple, "Demon Suppression Temple", among the Taoist temples of all sizes in Wudang Mountain, is mainly responsible for dealing with people or things that are unfavorable to Wudang.

The Taoist orders in it are almost all the most murderous and murderous people in Wudang Mountain.

In fact, it stands to reason that at such a special time, the departments such as Taihe Palace and Zixiao Palace, which are responsible for assessment and promotion, should be the most popular.

After all, the success or failure of your preaching in the mountain for a year may be discounted because of someone else's words.

But this year's situation is somewhat unexpected.

The temple masters who returned to the mountain almost unanimously regarded the Demon Suppression Temple as the first stop to visit.

The reason for this is actually not complicated.

Because the situation in the empire has not been stable in the past two years, the open and secret struggles between the various sequences have intensified.

The intrigues can be seen from three things.

The first one was in the middle of the year, when the new Taoist order led by Longhu Mountain just announced that the construction of the "Huangliang Dreamland" led by them was completed, and the control center was named "Baiyujing". The three levels of authority of "Heaven, Earth, and Man" would be demarcated, and the new Taoist sects would occupy different seats.

Then there was news that the parties involved in the construction turned against each other because of the issue of authority.

The authority of Huangliang was divided and seized by the royal family and many Taoist, Confucian, and Mohist schools, while the Yin-Yang Order, which also made a lot of efforts, was jointly driven out without any benefits, and clamored to make Longhu Mountain and other Taoist sects pay the price.

The second thing happened at a court meeting at the end of August.

As usual, the seriously ill Emperor Longwu still did not attend.

According to convention, everyone should talk and argue as needed, and then go through the motions and leave it at that.

But just when the court was about to be dismissed, the leader of the Ruxu New Donglin Party, who used to look like a good guy, suddenly proposed that an unknown Bingxu take over the vacant post of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

There was an uproar inside and outside the court.

What is the Ministry of War?

The forbidden food of Wuxu!

Although the rituals of these warriors do not require official positions in the temple, this identity is a symbol of status and power in the Wuxu sect.

If someone in a sect can enter the Ministry of War, then it is the well-deserved leader and the strongest sect in the state where the sect is located.

This has countless benefits in competing for territory and attracting new people.

What's more, the official position in the temple is also a ticket to seize resources using the imperial platform.

If you want to sit at this table and share the feast of all people, you must have an official position.

However, the powerful Emperor Longwu has not died yet, so the various families have restrained themselves for the time being and dare not be too ugly.

Even the overbearing Wuxu only joined forces with Moxu to monopolize the positions of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works.

But now the New Donglin Party's actions are tantamount to reaching into Wuxu's arms and robbing him in front of him.

Moreover, the one who helped the New Donglin Party was Bingxu, who has always been regarded as a coward and a waste by Wuxu.

This is really disgusting.

The result is naturally predictable. If no one stopped him, the leader of the New Donglin Party would probably be sent to see his Master Kong on the spot.

A quarrel of greeting each other's eight generations of ancestors lasted for half a day, but the officials of Wuxu suddenly found that there were surprisingly many people standing on the opposite side of them this time.

Needless to say, the "black-robed prime minister" and "feathered minister" who were often beaten and kicked by him in the past, it would be strange if they did not sing against him one day.

But even the officials such as the Law Order and the Agricultural Order, who usually have little presence, actually had the courage to stand up and express their opinions this time. This is a rare event that has not been seen for many years.

Although this proposal was not passed in the end, even a few days after the court was dismissed, the unlucky soldier who was pushed to the front was torn into pieces on the street.

But the attitudes of all parties revealed behind this incident are intriguing.

The above two incidents seem to have nothing to do with Wudang Mountain, which is neither Huangliang nor the court.

But the last incident that happened not long ago made the masters of these branch temples feel nervous.

On the day of the "big snow" of the 24 solar terms, the contemporary "Zhang Tianshi" of Longhu Mountain personally walked up Tianzhu Peak to pay a visit to the current "Zhenren" of Wudang Mountain.

This is a great event in the Taoist order of the entire Ming Empire.

You must know that since the method of replacing flesh and blood limbs appeared, the dispute between the "new and old" Taoist traditions has appeared in the Taoist order.

The forces leading the ‘new school’ and the ‘old school’ are none other than Longhu and Wudang, which are known as the ancestral homes of Taoism.

So for a long time, there were constant frictions between Longhu and Wudang, and many disciples died in the hands of the other side.

The blood debt of human life is a messy account that cannot be settled. It is easy to make enemies, but it is harder to untie them than to ascend to heaven.

Moreover, in recent decades, the representative sects of the new school, such as Longhu, Gezao, Maoshan, and Qingcheng, have become increasingly larger, with more and more believers, and the audience's incense is bright day and night.

The new school path that regards "heart qi" as the criterion has already become the mainstream of the Taoism.

And this move of "Zhang Tianshi" is tantamount to bowing to Wudang and bowing to the "old school" that regards "true qi" as the right way.

Therefore, although the outside world does not know the conversation and purpose of the two Taoist giants when they met, this dispute over the Taoism seems to have been settled.

Wudang cheered and jumped for joy, and the limelight was unparalleled.

Then a decree was issued from Chaotian Palace. First, Wudang disciples were not allowed to mention the difference between "new and old".

Second, it required all branches to put aside their past grudges, live in harmony with the local new Taoist temples, and jointly resist any forces that dared to invade the Taoist order.

This decree may not have much impact on the Wudang disciples in the sect. The most serious thing is that they will not insult those "banner ghosts" in person in the future.

In the eyes of Wudang disciples, the so-called "Huangliang Dreamland" is nothing more than a banner of ten thousand souls.

A group of ghosts who have given up their flesh and blood and seven emotions and six desires are ranked in order of seniority, and the name is "Bai Yujing".

But for the masters of these branch temples, the pressure on them is great.

How to resolve the hatred that everyone has accumulated in the past is a very difficult problem. It is impossible to let it go.

More importantly, the enemies of these new people are not small. If the order of "joint resistance" is issued, wouldn't it be troublesome for themselves?

Of course, these complaints and dissatisfactions can only be hidden in the stomach, and no one dares not to obey the decree of Chaotian Palace.

Therefore, under such a background, the status of the Demon-Subduing Hall has risen.

After all, there are more frictions, and the branch temples may encounter some troubles that they cannot solve.

At this time, people from the Demon-Subduing Hall are needed to come down the mountain to help deal with it.

Although it is not certain that the Demon-Subduing Hall will give any special care because of this small gift.

But it is definitely right to make the relationship closer.

This is human nature, and it is also the nature of immortals.

"Daozu bless you, and have a healthy new year!"

"Peace and happiness, and good luck."

While Zhao Yanlong was saying auspicious words, he took the gift handed over by the other party with both hands. With a breath of true energy in his hand, he roughly understood what the object was and how much weight it had, and the arc of the smile at the corner of his mouth changed accordingly.

Smile with pursed lips, this gift is just ordinary.

If the smile is so long that his teeth are exposed, then this senior brother is sincere and should take a seat at the banquet later.

If the corners of his mouth fall, then you should remember the name of the other party's Taoist temple. Whether to stay for dinner depends on what is written on it.

Five years have not left too many marks on Zhao Yanlong.

His height is still the same as five years ago, not a bit longer, but his body is getting stronger.

The well-cut Taoist robe is wrapped around his body, but his belly is round and undulating, with a round face that seems to be smiling at any time, which does not look like the Taoist order in the Demon-Subduing Hall at all.

On the contrary, Chen Qisheng, who is standing behind him, can be regarded as the standard template of the martial arts Taoist order.

The Taoist robe is loose, but you can still see the muscle outline of his arms at a glance, with sword eyebrows and cold eyes, straight waist and back, upright posture, and a sharp sword standing there.

But today's occasion is not about exorcising demons.

In the entire Demon-Subduing Hall, only Zhao Yanlong, an outlier, had the ability to grasp the scale and measure.

So the important task of welcoming and seeing off guests in the mountain road square naturally fell on his shoulders.

After a busy period, there were no more guests on the mountain road in front of the hall.

Zhao Yanlong also relaxed, wiped the white foam from the corners of his mouth, pretended to knock on his waist, and instructed the Taoist boy who was helping him.

"So and so, go and bring me a chair, and bring me a pot of tea to moisten my mouth. You are all standing here without any vision. What should I do if the Demon-Subduing Hall is separated from me?"

Zhao Yanlong, who was proud of his own power, turned around and waved to Chen Qisheng.

"Brother, do you see that? Just based on this lively momentum, after this year, who among the palaces on the mountain will dare to look down on our Demon Subduing Hall? Maybe we should move to the top of Tianzhu Peak."

Unlike Zhao Yanlong who was full of joy, Chen Qisheng frowned and said, "This is not a good thing."

"Brother, I understand, but how bad can it be?"

Zhao Yanlong waved his hand indifferently: "It's nothing more than that our burden is heavier and we have more tasks to deal with in the future. Our Wudang is now a veritable Taoist ancestral home, and it is right to help other brother sects share the burden."

"Besides, there are more benefits than disadvantages here."

Zhao Yanlong looked around cautiously, and then said in a low voice: "Do you know what the 'Zhang Tianshi' of Longhu Mountain promised to our 'Zhenren' after he went up the mountain?"

"I don't know." Chen Qisheng replied casually.

In fact, the protagonist of this dream reincarnation is Zhao Yanlong, and Chen Qisheng forcibly intervened through the "back door", so Chen Qisheng's own memory has not been erased.

So he actually knows this history.

Although most of the truth had been lost over the years as Wudang was destroyed, Chen Qisheng could still roughly guess what happened from some remaining details.

But as a dreamer, he always kept Zou Sijiu's reminder in mind.

You must not interfere with the current dream process with the identity and memory of people in future generations.

Otherwise, after losing the role of the character, at least it will cause you to "come out of the dream", and at worst, it will cause the collapse of the dream.

Therefore, during this long period of dreaming, Chen Qisheng always regarded himself as an ordinary Wudang Mountain Taoist priest.

Don't touch any words or things that are inconsistent with your current identity.

"Needless to say, I no longer try to compete with us for the luck of the 'Tao Sect Ancestral Court'. I heard that the new sects will also give us a basic territory as large as a province!"

"In addition, there are massive resources covering all aspects of the 'Wealth Law Couple' Land, including a batch of Dao Ancestor magic weapons called 'Tiangui Stars'."

Zhao Yanlong pointed to the top of his head, widened his eyes and said: "It is said that this thing is one of the core results of the Huangliang Dream. It hangs above our heads on weekdays and cannot be seen with the eyes, but as long as you summon it with your spiritual mind, it will be there immediately. It will bring down a powerful thunder calamity, and the threshold for using it is very low, even a disciple like me can use it. From now on, who can be our opponent when we go out for a walk?"

The threshold for using Sky Orbit Stars is authority, not divine thoughts.

Longhushan obviously didn't tell the truth.

Chen Qisheng understood clearly, but he asked: "Is it really so powerful that Longhu Mountain is willing to give it to us?"

"Of course they are reluctant to part with it, but they have no choice."

Zhao Yanlong smiled and said: "I heard that they are in dire straits now. On the one hand, it is because of the dirty things in the court that Wu Xu is becoming more and more hostile to them. On the other hand, it is because of the uneven distribution of the spoils. The preface to Yin and Yang makes it clear To cause trouble for them.”

"At this time, they don't have the ability to fight with us anymore. Not only that, if they don't hold on to our thighs, they may be turned off by others at any time."

Chen Qisheng shook his head: "That's what I said, but I always feel that they have bad intentions."

"It doesn't matter that he has so many things, isn't it enough just to get the things? And I also heard what people said. Who knows whether it is true or false?" Zhao Yanlong shrugged: "But, I did hear something said by our palace master."

Zhao Yanlong coughed twice and imitated the tone and expression of Wang Changzhen, the master of the Demon-Conquering Palace.

"All Taoist sects in the world are all brothers and sisters who are closely related to each other. We and Longhushan are the two oldest brothers. Although we have differences on how to manage this family, we can never separate the family no matter how much trouble we make. , let alone allow one’s brothers and sisters to be bullied.”

"Thousands of sects, one Taoist family."

Zhao Yanlong's shoulders were hunched and his voice was hoarse, but it was very resounding.

At this moment, a grand bell suddenly rang in the Taoist temple behind the two people, and the crowd suddenly became loud.

A smile suddenly appeared on Zhao Yanlong's face. He ignored the Taoist boy who had just brought chairs and tea, grabbed Chen Qisheng and ran into the temple.

At the end of every year, the Demon-Conquering Hall commends the disciples who have performed well in their tasks this year and bestows them with various elixirs, techniques, and Taoist weapons.

Zhao Yanlong has been in the mountains for many years and is still stuck at the level of Xu Ba, so naturally there is no chance.

But Chen Qisheng was different. He had already been promoted to the Seventh Order of the Dharma Protector. He was a well-deserved leader among the brothers who entered the mountain at the same time, and he performed outstandingly in performing his tasks.

To put it bluntly, Chen Qisheng had killed enough followers of other sequences.

Zhao Yanlong had inquired through his connections early in the morning, and found out that the name of his junior brother Chen Qisheng was among the commendations.

A senior brother who comes out of the branch view is equivalent to a child born from a mother.

Chen Qisheng became famous by giving me Zhao Yanlong face.

How could you be absent from such a big event?

Zhao Yanlong dragged Chen Qisheng and ran all the way. When he rushed back to the temple, the bell hadn't even finished ringing.

On the altar with colorful ribbons intertwined, the guests who came to watch the ceremony had not yet taken their seats. It was still early.

But Zhao Yanlong had an anxious look on his face and was hurriedly arranging Chen Qisheng's robe, pulling the pleats here and straightening his hair there.

He was still complaining about Chen Qisheng's slovenliness. He had obviously made several new Taoist robes for him, but the brat didn't wear any of them, which made all his efforts in vain.

After Chen Qisheng finally persuaded him to stop, Zhao Yanlong began to dislike that the presiding mage on the stage talked too much and had too little ink.

The New Year is coming every year. How many times have you said these auspicious words over and over again? Who is interested in listening to you talking here?

He didn't realize that there were far more thoughts in his mouth than the people on the stage.

Finally, when the tedious process of offering sacrifices to heaven and Taoism was completed, Wang Changzhen, the master of the palace, had just appeared. Zhao Yanlong couldn't wait to rush forward, not caring that there were all the spectators sitting around him, let alone the surrounding people. The disdainful look came, and I looked forward to it eagerly.

When he heard the palace master Wang Changzhen holding the decree and chanting Chen Qisheng's name, he personally gave him a sharp flying sword with a cold light.

Zhao Yanlong smacked his lips in satisfaction and buried his head to rub his red eyes.

Tsk tsk, this flying sword is really powerful.

Just looking at it makes people's eyes hurt.

The New Year has to be celebrated every year, and this year is really extra interesting.

"Good job!"

Zhao Yanlong, who used to be the most cunning person, seemed to have forgotten the etiquette of respect and inferiority today, and clapped loudly under the platform.

He held his head high and looked around as if the thousands of people present today were all guests from afar, and he was the only one who was here.