Chapter 063: The Way
Wudang has a number of sacred incense paths in and out of the mountains, Xu Fengyen and Yu Dilong left Xiaozhu Peak, walked to the main peak of the road, in the deep ravine Leigongjian happened to meet an acquaintance, the old real Chen Careless is leading a pair of master and servant to the north of the sacred paths, Xu Fengyen went up to the front of the questioning, and realized that the two foreigners admire the incense of Wudang, into the mountains and then forget to go back to the more and more out-of-the-way, so that they completely went off the beaten track. Fortunately, Chen Cao met them, on the way out of the mountain, the old real person and the middle-aged Confucian scholar had a good conversation, fortunately, tonight was the night of the fifteenth full moon, through the clear light of the ground, the night road is still good, Xu Fengyen was not in a hurry to go back to the Elephant Wash Pond, with Chen Cao together with the pair of masters and servants sent to the “one-bar” straight to the Divine Path. The Confucian scholar obviously did not know that Chen Cao was the real person in charge of the law on Wudang Mountain, and only thought that he was an old Taoist from an ordinary poor Taoist temple, but seeing that this old Taoist spoke well, the Confucian scholar who claimed to be from a farming and reading family in Jiangnan Dao also treated him with respect. Xu Fengyen how fiery eyes, a moment to see the clues, the reader is plainly dressed, the book of young people do not show the rich and noble flames, but the young man hanging around the waist of the jade pendant is not ordinary, crouching deer back to the shape of the head, the Yin line outlined, lifelike, is really a thousand years of age of the rare objects, as for the bamboo bookcase also rubbed shiny can be seen, is obviously a generation of things, can afford to cultivate and study the four words of the family. The so-called luxury valves, is reflected in these warm details. The middle-aged Confucian with Chen Carefree on the way to discuss the “Taoist pivot qi true chapter” and “left hole real massage guide know-how” and other scriptures, Xu Fengyen can see that these scriptures, although it is the Taoist cultivation of the introductory canon, but the orthodox and mellow, by successive generations of Taoist gods and goddesses recognized and detailed commentary, especially suitable for busy people’s “busy”, so that the work of health and well-being of the two. It is especially suitable for those who are busy with their work to “take time out of their busy schedules”, so that they can do their work and maintain their health. After Chen Cao sent the master and servant to the main road, both parties left happily, the old man stood side by side with Xu Fengyen, seeing off this Jiangnan Confucian who traveled thousands of miles to Northern Liang, and laughed softly and said, “Can you see anything, Your Highness?”
Xu Fengnian nodded and smiled: “It should be the Luming Song family in Jiangnan Road, the accent is consistent with the word reveals the origin of the family is also similar, although the Song family is at the bottom of the ten great valves in the Spring and Autumn period, but the camel is thinner than the horse is bigger, and because of the family’s roots are located in the north of the Guangling River, but also early adherence to the imperial court, relative to the other families not deeply involved in the present day in the Liyang is considered to be the first class of the high family! Chinese family, when out of a door two husband’s son of the capital Song family, before becoming famous, also had to play the flag of the distant branch of the Luming Song family, to be able to stand firm in the city of Tai’an. I’ve heard that the Luming Song family has a lot of private grievances against the Song family that crossed the river and broke down the bridge.”
Chen Careless twirled his whiskers and laughed, “If poor Taoist did not guess wrong, this person should be the youngest son of Luming Song Ye Ping, Song Dongming, it is rumored that before this son was born, an auspicious white deer ran into the residence, Song Dongming was born in response.”
Xu Fengyen did not expect that it would be Song Dongming who would personally arrive in Northern Liang, frowned and said, “This person is one of the hidden phases in someone’s phase of the court, on the surface, after losing with Yin Maochun in the spring of Yonghui, he has sent his love to the mountains for many years, but in fact, he has always been hibernating to build up his strength. The Song family and these gatekeepers traditionally like to speculate around, but putting such an important figure as Song Dongming in Northern Liang seems to be too much of a risk.”
Chen Carefree shook his head and turned sideways, facing face to face with Xu Fenian, asking, “Does Your Majesty think that once Northern Mang raises his country to the south, Northern Liang will lose more than it will win?”
Xu Fengnian did not hide anything and calmly said, “If the Northern Mang Empress only uses half of the country’s power and invades southward with only the Southern Dynasty’s soldiers and horses, I have full confidence in holding the border of Northern Liang, but if the Northern Mang Empress’s king’s tent comes to the border in person and brings with it all of the Northern Mang’s festival-holding orders and great generals, it would still be impossible for Northern Liang to block the Northern Mang iron hooves even if it already has two lines of defense at this point in time, both internally and externally. Not to hide, if not Chen Zhi Bao sealed the king of western Sichuan, let me Xu family in northern Liang to the western Sichuan South Zhao into the third big line of defense, still have confidence in dragging to death to raise the country south of the northern Mang, in my master Li Yishan’s planning, more than two hundred thousand border troops on the border of the northern Liang, coupled with the three states of Youliangling frontier, and finally is the flow of the state of the western region and the southern Zhao of Western Shu, this pocket, layers and layers of progressive, can be pocketed the millions of northern Mang’s army. Only the court has used the prince Zhao Kai to hold the bottle to the western region and Chen Zhi Bao sealed the king as a vassal, disrupted the situation of the northern Liang painstakingly, otherwise there are Shu Zhao two places as thousands of miles of great depth, even if the border defeat, can still be attacked and can be defended, not to mention the five years, is to give the northern Mang ten years, there is no way to turn into the Central Plains area!”
Xu Fengyen seldom confide in others, especially this kind of military and national affairs, moreover, he will not take the initiative to mention half a sentence to others, only he and Wudang Mountain have always been close to each other, Chen Cao is a respected elder on the mountain, is the old master Wang Chonglou’s younger brother, is also the elder brother of Hong Zaixiang, Xu Fengyen does not have half a bit of wariness. Moreover, a person who has a block in his chest that cannot be quenched by wine, always needs to say a few words. As the moon star was thinning, walking slowly on the mountain return divine path with Chen Cao, Xu Fengyen continued: ”Unfortunately, after master’s death, I was unable to keep any of his established strategies, at that time I defeated Wang Xianzhi, I had two choices, one is to go to western Sichuan nearby, kill Chen Zhibao who spoiled the grand plan of northern Liang, even if I have to bear the rebel name, I still want to pocket western Sichuan which has been easy to defend and difficult to attack from the ancient times. The other one is to go far away to Longhu Mountain and kill my enemy Zhao Huang Chao. Out of selfishness, I still chose the latter, although at that time, I had a sense in the underworld and felt that it was easier to kill Zhao Huang Chao than to kill Chen Zhi Bao, but looking back now, in the end, it was still out of selfishness, and nowadays, every time I think about it, I always feel uneasy with my conscience.”
Xu Fengnian smiled, seemed a bit embarrassed, and said softly, “Of course, the number of times I remembered it is actually not many, together with now, it’s only twice.”
Chen Cao smiled heartily, “Poverty Road’s master once told a few of us that cultivation is not easy to say, not difficult to say, but in fact, it is nothing more than ‘being a person of your own color, speaking from the root of your heart, and doing sentient things.’ In the poor Taoist’s opinion, there is no excuse for cultivating the Way in order to attain the Way. Everyone in the world is cultivating and making trade-offs, hence the saying, ”Those who lose the way have little help, those who gain the way have much help.” Since the king is open and honest, poor road may as well say something from the heart, if there is disrespect …… Well, poor road believe that the king will not be angry at the Wudang Mountain, the king all these years what he did, the chest is still trustworthy. The room of many doors more wind, this is common sense, North Liang is so, the king is sitting in the northwest of the dynasty, and that the eastern line of the Gu Jiantang big big generals face the North Mang iron cavalry, is the king of the different surnames or not, was scolded as the two emperors, this is the Xu family’s eldest son should bear the responsibility, can not be due to who a few words of cynicism and to shift, the Wudang generations are willing to be close to the great general Xu Snapdragon, in addition to great generals to treat the mountain Taoist priests, more or the poor Taoism, the Wudang family is the first time in the world. Masters and brothers, respect the Great General’s commitment. His Majesty as the new head of the Xu family, dynasty new Liang Wang, poor Tao where Wudang Mountain in general, are satisfied, but there is a point, poor Tao really can not see, today not spit, need to let His Majesty know.”
Xu Fengnian laughed: “Real people but say no harm. Good words will go into your ears, bad words will not be remembered.”
Chen Cao looked at the pleasant young feudal king and said in a serious manner, “Your twilight is too heavy for you, Your Highness!”
How could Xu Fengnian not expect such a statement, for a while he was speechless, crying and laughing.
Elderly Taoist exasperatedly said, “In the end, the king is only a young man in his early twenties, and is the top of the rivers and lakes, it should be the most spirited time, how come such a twilight, than the poor Tao which has lived for more than eighty years of the old man is still vicissitudes of the mind? Hey, not to say that the poor Tao in the king of this age, even the head teacher brother, also not the same ambition proud gas surplus, then first Longhu Mountain Zhao Xiyi Zhao Xituan brothers two up the mountain ‘ask’ and ‘ask the sword’, brother Wang scolded people have no temper not to mention, but also behind the back of the master alone under the Wudang sword far away, climbed the Longhu Mountain, return the color, first of all, out of their own heart that breath out of the cool, back to the mountain after the master was grounded in seclusion and think about it so what? Our master ah, in front of the face of the eldest brother, angry, until his elder brother locked up, immediately to us a few smiles, that mouth, but a few days can not close, see who all smile. But after master left, senior brother Wang’s mind got heavier, and it wasn’t until he led the youngest senior brother up the mountain that he got better.”
Xu Fengyen folded his hands in his sleeves, silent, but with some warmth in his heart.
Chen Cao suddenly laughed: “Poor Taoist is slightly versed in prophecy and weft, and has two good news to say, as a thank you to the king for returning the gift of the Great Yellow Court.”
Xu Fengnian half-joked, “If it’s really good news, I will promise to make Xiaozhu Peak’s incense not lose to Wudang’s main peak three years from now, and even if the Northern Mang really intrudes into the territory of Beiliang, I’ll still preserve the Xiaozhu Peak lineage.”
Chen Careless glared, “Forget the good news for now, there is one thing that Your Highness must keep in mind, the more sincere a person is, the more careful they should be with their words! Have you not heard of a prophecy? When the ancient sages created words, the heavens wept, and there is a great deal to be said here. Now that the Zhao Dynasty has chosen Yu as its official language, it is even more intentional. This all involves extremely complex numerology qi!”
Xu Fengnian nodded, not arguing.
Chen Carefree’s expression eased for a few moments and smiled, “One good news is that there is a stream of White Jiao Qi, which is the main benevolence and virtue, that has traveled northward from the South China Sea to Liang. The second good news is that there is a stream of Black Jiao Qi, which is the master of killing and destroying, traveling from east to west into Northern Liang.”
Xu Fengnian thought about it and said doubtfully, “The former should be the Qi Practitioners of the South Sea Guanyin Sect. The latter?”
Chen Careless had an old-fashioned look on his face and did not divulge the truth.
Xu Fengyen was a bit incredulous and muttered to himself, “Could it really be here?”
Chen Cao smiled, “Together with that Confucian Song Dongming, Northern Liang can be said to be gradually ‘gaining the way’. Your Highness still thinks that Northern Liang will definitely lose at this point? This world’s qi has a fixed number, this is the other side, Liyang court first suicidal its deer, followed by Tai’an City after a succession of several people quietly left, in terms of the Zhao room, is not a good omen. But for Beiliang for the king, it is a once-in-a-lifetime situation, it is imperative not to miss it!”
Yu Di Long looked at his master.
The aura was lofty.
A python raised its head behind him.
The qi rushed to the bull.