jdhmnovel Chapter 42 The Spirit Hall's Promise
Chapter 42 The Spirit Hall's Promise
"Xiaohua has heard of this organization. They're very generous... Hmm, Xiaohua, let me think..."
As soon as Fei Xi finished speaking, a childish voice, whose gender was indistinguishable, rang out from the scene.
Huh? Where did this kid come from!
"Luming... Xiaohua remembers! Eight years ago, after the last palace master of Qixia Palace died, neither of her two remaining disciples was willing to inherit her mantle, and both chose to marry. Under the witness of the magistrate of Cangshan County, the original land of Qixia Palace was sold and transferred to 'Luming Hall'. Luming Hall is a branch of the Huainan School of Confucianism. The head of the hall, the Empress, has unique insights into the I Ching, and the establishment of the school was officially approved. Strangely, after the Empress founded Luming Hall, she neither pursued scholarship nor recruited many disciples. Instead, she promoted the slogan 'No one is superior or inferior, all beings are equal, the Empress descends to earth, and loves all people.' Wherever there was a disaster, Luming Hall would set up soup kitchens to provide relief to the victims. Therefore, the Empress of Luming Hall was very popular among the people, and many people regarded her as a living Bodhisattva and enshrined her in their homes."
The child's voice rang out again. Following the sound, Fei Xi discovered that it was the puppet behind Senior Mu, who had been silent and had a cold face since entering the room, speaking.
The puppet was about the size of a four-year-old child, its entire body made of cold, hard steel. If you didn't know the material, it would really look like an ordinary child crawling behind an adult.
The puppet had all four limbs, and its joints moved flexibly with Mu Yin's movements. However, its facial features were stiff and expressionless, and its empty eyes were particularly unsettling.
"Is your sister looking at Xiaohua? Xiaohua will be embarrassed."
After finishing her sentence, the steel puppet buried her head in the cold man's neck, as if she were truly shy.
"Is that you speaking? Your name is Xiaohua?"
Although she had heard of the wonders of Tiangong Fortress, this was the first time Fei Xi had ever seen a puppet that looked like a human, whether in her past life or this one.
Driven by curiosity, she couldn't help but lean closer and gently touch Xiaohua's arm with her finger.
To everyone's surprise, upon being touched, Xiaohua's small, steely body trembled slightly, as if a child had been frightened.
Seeing this, Fei Xi's playful nature was aroused, and she couldn't help but go forward and poke a few more times.
The puppet never imagined that someone would not only be unafraid of it, but also dare to approach and touch its body. For a moment, it was only concerned with dodging the wicked fingers and completely forgot to answer the question.
Master Xuanzhen, who was standing to the side, could not stand it any longer and asked:
“Amitabha! I have also heard of this Deer Cry Pavilion, and so far there seems to be nothing wrong with it. Young benefactor, please feel free to speak freely if you have any discoveries.”
Cough... Like a child caught doing something wrong, Fei Xi guiltily withdrew her hand.
We need to get down to business. We'll find Xiaohua to play with separately later!
The poor little puppet thought it had escaped a disaster and secretly poked its head out from behind Mu Yin, ready to listen to what the girl had discovered.
"Back then, atop Mount Tai, Emperor Hua and the original master made a vow that we martial arts practitioners could occupy the mountain and claim territory, free from the control of the imperial court. However, this vow only applied to the large and small sects that already existed in the martial arts world at that time and were recognized by the original master. Sects that did not receive the original master's recognition or were established afterward were either called demonic sects or relied on other sects to operate in the martial arts world. Very few sects, like Luming Pavilion, 'coincidentally' encountered the Qixia Palace, whose lineage had been severed, and were thus able to take over everything that Qixia Palace originally possessed. But in the past 8 years, such coincidences as Luming Pavilion have occurred 7 times, and the 8th such coincidence is about to occur."
Upon hearing the girl's words, the four were all shocked, and their expressions instantly became serious.
"Um?!"
Qin Lu, with her fiery temper, couldn't contain herself any longer and directly questioned:
"Girl, what do you mean by that?!"
Regardless of the shock of the four people in front of her, Fei Xi remained calm and composed, replying:
"I'm not afraid of being laughed at by my seniors, but I've been frail and sickly since childhood, making it difficult for me to practice martial arts. While my junior brothers and sisters practice diligently, sweating profusely, I can only lazily lie in bed, passing the time by reading the martial arts gazette. Compiling the gazette's information has become my unique hobby. It was through the gazette that I was surprised to discover that the seven major martial arts sects—Qixia Palace, Liuan Sect, Qinghe Gang, Furong Palace, Shuangqing Sect, Tianling Sect, and Yunzhou Gang—have all changed hands. Among them, the territories of Qixia Palace, Qinghe Gang, and Yunzhou Gang have been taken over by Luming Hall, and although the other four have their own names, I secretly suspect that the real mastermind behind them is probably that 'Empress'!"
Seeing everyone fall into deep thought because of her words, Fei Xi then added a strong dose of medicine:
"Perhaps it is fate. I was just curious about it and didn't think much of it. Until now, my Qingcheng Sect disciple was suddenly framed for accidentally killing someone. In order to investigate the true cause of death of the deceased Yan Gongsheng, I investigated and found that the prefect of Nanxuan City, Lord Jia Shidao, was also involved. It was from Lord Jia that I found this letter in which Lord Jia conspired with the 'Empress' to attack the Linchuan Sect."
Fei Xi respectfully presented the letter, and Master Xuanzhen solemnly accepted it, slowly opening it under everyone's watchful eyes.
In a short while, all four had finished reading the letter. Qin Lu's face was filled with shock, and she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
"What a vicious scheme! These small sects are already struggling to survive. If they encounter difficulties from the government, their women are controlled, and their leaders and elders die one after another, they will become like dough in someone else's hands, to be kneaded at will!"
"Amitabha, I'm afraid this 'Empress of Heaven' is after more than just the territory of these small sects."
The seasoned Master Xuanzhen already had some idea of the true identity of this so-called "Empress of Heaven." Since ancient times, the practice of discarding the bow after the birds are gone, or cooking the dog after the rabbit is dead, has never ceased.
After much deliberation, Master Xuanzhen turned his gaze to the only "outsider" present, who was neither friend nor foe.
"Lord Cui, although you are currently serving in the imperial court, you also come from one of our martial arts sects. This matter is of great importance, so we, the Spirit Hall, will take over. Please convey a message to His Majesty on our behalf: 'We are interdependent; if one is gone, the other will be gone.'"
From the discovery of the letter on Jia Shidao's body to now, only one night has passed, yet the young girl before him has managed to grasp the key point and devise the most ingenious response in such a short time. Such courage and wisdom have truly broadened Cui Chou's horizons. Now that the play has ended, Cui Chou is by no means a stingy person; he should certainly offer a share of the ticket money.
"I will report what needs to be reported. The imperial court will not interfere in the affairs of your martial arts world. Little girl, don't trust people too much. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Some people may not be grateful to your Qingcheng Sect."
"Hmph, we don't need your lackey to worry about the affairs of the martial world. If anyone dares to cause trouble for the Qingcheng Sect because of this matter, my Taibai Sect will be the first to object!"
Hearing the pointed remark, Master Xuanzhen couldn't help but recall the events of that year. The Qingcheng Sect... It's rare that the Qingcheng Sect now has successors. At this grand gathering of the three religions, he naturally saw a new generation of talented individuals emerging from the Qingcheng Sect.
So be it; they all owed the Qingcheng Sect a debt of gratitude back then. Master Xuanzhen clasped his hands together and made a promise as well:
"Amitabha Buddha, it is truly a blessing for the martial arts world to have such a kind and righteous junior as Benefactor Youfei. The Spirit Hall will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. The Spirit Hall will not let go of any conspirator who attempts to disrupt the peace of the martial arts world, nor will it mistreat any chivalrous person who dares to stand up to maintain the peace of the martial arts world."