vstars Chapter 52 One Step to the Clouds, Nine Heavens Ahead
Chapter 52 One Step to the Clouds, Nine Heavens Ahead
Zhao Yuanlang did not answer immediately after hearing this.
He leaned back in his chair, his fingers gently tracing the edge of the chessboard.
A 50/50 split is indeed a fair deal.
The Huang family provides manpower, effort, and risk; they don't have to do anything themselves. They just need to turn a blind eye and they can get half of the profits.
This deal is very profitable, but the problem isn't the profit-sharing ratio, but its legality.
"Brother Huang," Zhao Yuanlang finally spoke, "Qingyun Mountain is the private property of Qingyun Sect. The land deed that Qingyun Sect signed with Qinghe County back then clearly states in black and white that the area within a radius of thirty li of Qingyun Mountain will forever belong to Qingyun Sect."
"The two parties to the agreement are Daoist Qingyun on one side and the county magistrate of Qinghe who was sent by the Heavenly God Sect back then. This land deed is equivalent to the Heavenly God Sect acknowledging Qingyun Sect's legal right to Qingyun Mountain."
"Without a legitimate reason, I have no right to take back the land deed. If the Huang family seizes it by force, I cannot stand idly by. Moreover, the rules of my Heavenly God Sect will not allow such a thing to happen."
Land title deed.
Huang Yuanji put down his teacup. "I naturally know that the land deed is in the hands of the Qingyun Sect. But under the jurisdiction of the Tianshen Sect, the land deed is only a piece of evidence, not a get-out-of-jail-free card."
"Receipts can be exchanged, altered, or invalidated. Besides, the elder who made the deed two hundred years ago is no longer alive, and the current magistrate of Qinghe County is Lord Zhao. If Lord Zhao is willing to give it up, the land deed will naturally be there. If Lord Zhao is unwilling to give it up, even if the land deed is in Shen Qing's hands, it is nothing but a piece of waste paper."
Zhao Yuanlang neither refuted nor agreed after hearing this.
He picked up his teacup and sipped slowly, then changed the subject: "Since Elder Huang has been so frank, I'll ask you a real question. What are Elder Huang's plans regarding Mo Wentian?"
"If he doesn't come back, there's no need to deal with it. If he does come back, the Huang family will handle it accordingly."
Looking into Huang Yuanji's eyes, Zhao Yuanlang thought that this old fellow not only told good stories, but also had quite a bit of courage.
Mo Wentian, who was suspected to be a Golden Core cultivator, spoke of it as if it were an extremely ordinary matter.
Either the old man was indeed fully prepared, or he simply didn't believe Mo Wentian would return.
Regardless of the reason, Zhao Yuanlang realized that the Huang family was truly determined this time and would not allow anyone to stand in their way.
"I understand what you mean, brother. However, I'm afraid I'm unable to help you with this."
Zhao Yuanlang toyed with the chess pieces in his hand. "I am a member of the Heavenly God Sect, and my master hates his disciples for deceiving their superiors and concealing the truth."
"Brother Dao's suggestion is indeed appealing, but if the sect finds out that I have secretly handed over Qingyun Mountain to someone else, I'm afraid I won't survive the next sect examination."
"What you say, Lord Zhao, reminds me of something else."
Huang Yuanji's voice was calm. "During my three years in Chuzhou, I also made the acquaintance of several fellow Daoists from the Heavenly God Sect. They mentioned something in private: the counties under the Heavenly God Sect are evaluated every five years. Those who fail the evaluation will have their salaries reduced at best, and at worst, be recalled to the sect for solitary confinement."
"Lord Zhao has been busy with his spiritual practice these past few years, so his performance in Qinghe County is probably not very good. Of course, I was just mentioning it casually, so Lord Zhao need not take it to heart."
"However, I would like to ask a question: if the secrets of Qingyun Mountain were to reach the Heavenly God Sect in the future, does Lord Zhao think he can escape responsibility?"
Zhao Yuanlang paused slightly in his teacup. Huang Yuanji's meaning was clear: whether you want it or not, I don't care, but I'm determined to have Qingyun Mountain, and this matter will be reported to the Heavenly God Sect in the future.
At that point, the first person to bear the responsibility would be you, the county magistrate stationed in Qinghe who hasn't submitted anything.
Huang Yuanji did not continue the topic. He reached into his sleeve, took out something, and placed it on the side of the chessboard.
It was a broken stone slab with jagged edges.
"This is a cultivation method that my ancestor obtained when he was a hunter at the foot of Qingyun Mountain. Unfortunately, it is incomplete. Generations of Huang family members have copied this rubbing to learn the method. I have also studied it for decades. I feel that although this thing cannot compare with the exquisite mental methods of the major sects, it has the advantage of a solid foundation."
"I'll bring this to Lord Zhao tonight so he can see it and perhaps it can serve as a confirmation. Regardless of whether the cooperation succeeds or not, I'll leave this here for now as a small token of my appreciation."
Zhao Yuanlang took the stone slab and looked down at it. The characters carved on the stone slab were vigorous and powerful, penetrating the stone deeply. Judging from the strokes, it did not seem to be a recent copy, but rather at least a hundred years old.
He read on, line by line, his expression initially calm, but then his expression tightened.
"The twelve-story tower conceals the profound mystery, where one can condense one's energy and exhale to shed worldly ties."
"Having broken through each and every barrier, one can ascend to the highest heavens in a single step."
"Such arrogance."
Zhao Yuanlang said something in a low voice, then turned the stone slab over to examine the marks at the break carefully. He confirmed that it was not recently broken, but rather that it had broken naturally over the years due to wear and tear. Only then did he turn his attention back to the text.
The more he looked at it, the more engrossed he became. This technique itself was indeed not a superior mental cultivation method.
From the perspective of a disciple of the Heavenly God Sect, the Qi circulation route was conventional, lacking both extraordinary features and ingenious transformation.
But it has one special feature that cannot be ignored: stability.
Every Qi circulation node was extremely solid, and each level of cultivation advancement had ample room for stability. The layers were progressive and interlocking, and he couldn't see a single flaw.
Based on this word "stability," Zhao Yuanlang's evaluation of this incomplete method improved even further.
He followed the formula and deduced the steps, but suddenly his brows furrowed.
After reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining, the Qi circulation path of this technique did not stop; instead, it continued to extend forward.
The stone slab broke at this point, with only a few illegible characters remaining at the crack.
Zhao Yuanlang felt as if he had been scratched by a cat's claw; he deduced that this technique was definitely more than just this.
Zhao Yuanlang repeatedly analyzed the direction of the brushstrokes at the broken point, trying to piece together even a single meaning from the fragmented characters and broken strokes, but the characters at the broken point were completely destroyed.
He withdrew his hand and remained silent for a long time.
Zhao Yuanlang looked up at Huang Yuanji and said carefully, "I understand what Elder Huang means. Tomorrow I will go through the county government's archives and find that two-hundred-year-old red contract. As for the rest..."
He stretched out his hand, and the spiritual light of the Oath of Dao Heart flashed briefly at his fingertips before disappearing.
Huang Yuanji also stretched out his hand, and the same inspiration ignited from his fingertips.
The two beams of light separated upon contact and dissipated into the air. This is the most common form of contract used by cultivators in Chuzhou. There is no need for complicated formalities, because if the oath of the Dao Heart is violated, it will be the Dao Foundation itself that will be damaged.
Neither of them said anything more.
Huang Yuanji got up to say goodbye, but stopped at the door without looking back.
"Lord Zhao, if I may add one more thing, Fu Shan died on the battlefield of Chuzhou, which can be considered as fulfilling his loyalty to the Heavenly God Sect. If his good-for-nothing disciple also died under your jurisdiction, it would not sound good."
"I understand," Zhao Yuanlang replied without looking up.
Huang Yuanji pushed open the door and went out, his footsteps gradually fading into the distance.
The quiet room fell silent again. Zhao Yuanlang finished his cold tea in one gulp and then picked up the stone slab again.
In the dead of night, the backyard of the county government office was so quiet that only the occasional crackling of the lamplight could be heard. He repeatedly pondered the incantations written on the stone slab.
After reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining, the path of this technique is clearly not yet complete.
He pieced together the broken characters in his mind countless times. Looking at the sentence on the stone slab, "One step to the clouds and soar to the heavens," he muttered to himself.
"Qingyun Mountain".