Chapter 786 The Great Horror in the Cloud Dream Order

A hundred miles away, twin peaks rise.

White mist swirled around, and within the mist, military formations could be faintly seen gathering.

Not only is the main grotto on the north bank heavily guarded, but the south bank is also under strict security, with thousands of White Tiger Guards in uniform, their iron armor gleaming, patrolling back and forth.

These were the elite men originally assigned to Duan Quanwu, to follow Rong Zhen and Ouyang Rong to behead the master of Butterfly Love Flower.

They were all ready to go, but they were never used. Not only did Duan Quanwu die, but Ouyang Rong also slipped away unscathed.

They have just received orders from a palace-dressed girl inside the main grotto on the north bank to patrol the south bank of the Twin Peaks on the outskirts and provide early warning to the main grotto as soon as the rebels from the Southern Rivers and Lakes approach.

However, these strictly patrolling White Tiger Armored Warriors on the south bank subconsciously avoided a certain spot on South Peak where the "official painter" was stationed...

At this moment, two painters, one new and one old, are standing on the edge of a cliff atop Nanfeng Mountain.

The afternoon sunlight that had finally managed to peek through and fall on them was once again obscured by the white mist, blocking the view of the twin peaks.

This is the aftershock of the mysterious, clear blue sword energy belonging to the true swordsman that cleaved the river not long ago.

It not only caused the river water below to boil, but also made the white mist on the river much thinner. Whether this was due to the escape of Wei Mi, who originally presided over the White Mist Formation, is unknown, but a lot of warm midday sun did leak in on both sides of Shuangfengjian.

"Mr. Wu, what happened down there? What 'Great Lady's lover'?"

Yuan Huaimin, who was lost in thought, saw Wu Daozi finish the drawing and put down his brush. He couldn't wait to ask.

Clearly, Yuan Huaimin was still reeling from the shock of someone's "splitting the river mist with a single sword" not long ago.

After what had just happened, Wu Daozi was somewhat amazed and moved, and then continued to concentrate on the painting in front of him.

Strange piano music started playing midway through, but the smiling old man ignored it and continued painting... There was no sign of any beam of light appearing on his body.

At this moment, the painting of the Twin Peaks is complete, with every detail meticulously rendered.

Wu Daozi withdrew his gaze, turned back, and stroked his beard, saying:

"Just now, a legitimate swordsman summoned the Cauldron Sword and attacked the Great Buddha. I don't know what the result was. He is very likely one of our kind. However, I don't know much about Yunmeng. I wonder if it's a hidden trick they have... We can ask that Great Queen later."

Wu Daozi squinted again and said:

"This person should be the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower, who was wanted by the pseudo-Zhou court. Xiao Huaimin, you work in the Jiangzhou government, so you should have heard of him."

"I have always been curious about this person's true identity. The traditional swordsman not only has strict entry requirements, but also needs to be exactly at the ninth rank, have a sword manual, and also have a [Ding Sword] by his side... In short, it is very difficult to be born."

"Therefore, every legitimate swordsman is blessed with great fortune, a once-in-a-century occurrence. At the same time, they are the envy of the people on the mountain, and even the Heavenly Dao is jealous of them."

"Especially the wielder of the new Ding Sword is even more hated by gods and men. If someone can be the first to break the killing power of the Ding Sword, then that person can be called the Sword Breaker. They will also be able to inherit a great fortune, and their legendary status will not be much less than that of the legendary Sword Wielder. Every Sword Breaker in history was a leader in the martial arts world of that era, a legendary figure. For example, the second generation of the Grand Master of Fate of the Daqian Observatory, the predecessor of the Da Zhou Observatory, was a Sword Breaker."

"The swordsman... the sword-breaker..."

Yuan Huaimin murmured for a moment, then looked up and said:

"It seems that Lady Rongzhen has a personal grudge against this Butterfly Love Flower Master. She was determined to capture him before, and Brother Lianghan also helped devise a plan... Wait, this person suddenly drew his sword. Will Lianghan and the others be in danger?"

Yuan Huaimin became anxious.

Wu Daozi glanced at him and asked with a smile:

"So concerned about your colleague? It's alright, I'll ask the Empress for you later."

"Ask the Great Queen?"

Wu Daozi stroked his beard with one hand, and said with a half-smile:

"Rumors in the Tiannan Jianghu say that the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower and the Great Lady of Yunmeng have some connection. Some even say that they might be enemies and lovers. Otherwise, why would the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower take action to remedy the situation after the first ambush by Jianze failed at Xingzi Lake Buddha, destroying the Buddha and killing people?"

Yuan Huaimin thought for a moment:

"Is it to win a smile from a beauty? These experts really know how to play games. But who exactly is this 'Great Empress' that Mr. Wu is talking about, that she can make heroes bow down?"

Wu Daozi said, "Little Huaimin will find out for himself in a moment."

Yuan Huaimin was taken aback: "Me? See for yourself?"

"Isn't Xiao Huaimin curious about the other two Xuanhuang earth dragon roots?"

Wu Daozi smiled, glanced at the sky, noticed something, and seemed to mutter, "It's already past 11:30."

He spread the completed painting out in the air, where it floated, and then casually tossed a brush in his hand.

Yuan Huaimin saw the brush fly out and slowly fall through the air like a feather.

Just as it was about to touch the ground, it hovered motionless, as if it had been grabbed by an unseen giant hand and drawn a circle on the ground.

In the next instant, a yellowish-brown halo appeared around the circled area.

The light was so bright that Yuan Huaimin closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw three figures standing in the circled area.

The three appeared out of thin air and walked out.

One woman and two men.

Walking in the very center was a tall, blonde Orangutan woman, carrying two longswords. One was a snow-white sword on her back, and the other was a bronze sword held in her hand, with snake-like creatures faintly visible on its surface.

The man on the left is a dull-witted young man, holding a bloodstained bronze dagger in his hand.

Yuan Huaimin recognized the bronze short sword; it was the Yunmeng Order, which had been wanted by the Jiangzhou government. The length and style were exactly the same, but the one in the hands of the dull young man seemed a bit special, with more bloodstains.

The man on the right is a middle-aged scholar with a refined smile, but he looks sickly and occasionally raises his hand to cover his mouth to cough.

Wu Daozi smiled and watched from the sidelines with his hands behind his back.

Yuan Huaimin only paused for a moment before recognizing the middle-aged scholar and the taciturn young man.

"Brother Huaimin, it's been a long time."

After leaving the yellowish-brown halo and getting a clear look at his surroundings, Wei Shaoqi greeted Yuan Huaimin.

Du Shuqing, the silent man next to Yuan Huaimin, nodded to him as a greeting, then shifted his gaze to observe the surrounding environment.

Xue Zhongzhu walked over with a frosty expression, carrying a sword on his back and another sword in his hand, which belonged to a junior sister. He passed by Wu Daozi.

"Mr. Wu, you've worked hard."

She uttered a single sentence softly, walked to the edge of the cliff, and gazed down at the entire north bank of the Twin Peaks with her emerald eyes.

In the distance, amidst the white mist, a gleaming golden Buddha head caught the eye.

The white mist over the river obscured the view, and Xuezhongzhu turned his head to look at the Donglin Buddha in the painting.

She, Wei, Du, and the others showed no surprise at the completed Buddha statue.

Wu Daozi nodded: "The Great Queen just made a truly grand gesture."

Xuezhongzhu asked, somewhat puzzled, "Just now?"

A strange smile appeared on the face of the thin, old man.

Yuan Huaimin stood at the very back, his gaze fixed on the slowly dimming halo on the ground. At that moment, he suddenly realized something and touched the root of a mysterious yellow earth dragon in his bosom.

He swallowed hard. Today, the Jianghu of Tiannan had indeed made its appearance, using Mr. Wu and him as the breakthrough point!

Now that everyone's here, we're not here for a leisurely stroll; it's time to get to work.

However, it seems that not everyone has arrived yet.

Yuan Huaimin waited anxiously for a while for the yellowish-brown halo to appear, but found that no new figures appeared even as the halo dimmed.

He turned around with a puzzled look and found four people, including the tall blonde woman and Mr. Wu, making a strange gesture on the edge of the cliff behind him.

They all looked up.

Watch quietly.

Strange, what are they all looking at? Is it raining?

Yuan Huaimin looked up with curiosity, craning his neck to look at the sky.

A dark shadow swept across the sky a thousand feet high.

Soon, Yuan Huaimin, standing atop the North Peak, witnessed a scene he would never forget.

I couldn't take my eyes off it.

It is terrifying.

...

Fang Family Manor, in the open space in front of the inner library.

Everyone remained silent, waiting for any movement inside the small building.

Just now, a man with a sword walked in, but remained silent for a long time, which aroused the curiosity of the people in the open space.

At this moment, in the empty warm pavilion, Ouyang Rong served tea and strolled around the giant sand table.

Such a detailed map of Xunyang is something even his governor's office doesn't have. Judging from the mapmaking style, it's the work of a military person, not something that could be made by a simple rebel from the Jianghu in the south.

The fact that Xue Zhongzhu and the others were not in the building contradicts previous intelligence.

However, the intelligence may not be wrong. Xue Zhongzhu and the others should have been in this warm pavilion not long ago, but for some reason they were moved away.

But no matter how they moved, their destination today is the same: Xunyang Grottoes.

You're sure to find them there.

However, Ouyang Rong did not know whether Yu Nianyuan and Xiu Niang were there or whether they had accompanied him.

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes, holding a cup of tea that he had only taken a sip of, and paced around the sand table before leaving the warm pavilion. Just in case, he also circled the other floors of the library, but still found nothing, before going downstairs again.

[Craftsmanship] has already taken a step ahead and returned to the sword box in the pavilion.

Those outside saw Ouyang Rong carrying a cup of tea as he walked out of the small building and returned to the pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, Zen Master Yizhi still looked up at the sky, as if he had fallen into some mysterious state, seemingly unresponsive to any movement or sound from the outside world.

However, when Ouyang Rong passed by with tea, it was an exception. Zen Master Yizhi did not forget to put his nine fingers together and bow to Ouyang Rong again.

Juzhi noticed a detail: his own master, a high-ranking monk, was actually showing Ouyang Rong the respect due to a disciple. However, he had seen too many unbelievable things today, so this little surprise seemed insignificant.

Ouyang Rong did not go to see the respectful Master Yizhi.

In fact, this middle-aged Zen master did have some Zen knowledge; at least he had good wisdom and comprehension. However, he had previously tried to use a finger to represent the Tao, hoping to enlighten his worldly patrons. Little did he know that by raising the finger, he had become attached to form. Ouyang Rong cut off the finger, which was actually helping him break free from this attachment! He was telling him that the Tao cannot be expressed by words, scriptures, or fingers. The Tao is simply the Tao, empty, and contains nothing.

True Zen Buddhism does not rely on written words or make annotations.

With his knowledge of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism from his previous life, Ouyang Rong's level of Zen practice was higher than that of the middle-aged Zen master by the standards of this era.

The brief exchange of words and rebukes in the pavilion just now has already clearly shown who is superior.

This is something only true experts understand. Often, a fight can be decided in an instant. Whether the opponent is unfathomable or just a dabbler can be seen in a flash.

Although Master Yizhi couldn't understand how Ouyang Rong, a young Confucian scholar, could possess such profound Chan teachings—at least according to the standards of the Chan school Master Yizhi belonged to, they were profound Chan teachings.

However, this did not prevent him from respecting Ouyang Rong, because Ouyang Rong truly enlightened him, like a sudden awakening.

The tea in Ouyang Rong's hand had gone cold, but he didn't put it down. Thinking of something, he turned to the One-Finger Zen Master, who was respectfully bowing, and asked:

"Where did Yu Nianyuan go? Where was Xiu Niang taken?"

Zen Master Yizhi shook his head sincerely:

"Your Excellency, this humble monk truly does not know, but I did see the Second Lady bring back a carriage, and the Embroiderer should be inside."

"However, before leaving, the two ladies asked this humble monk for a Soul-Stabilizing Pill."

Ouyang Rong asked seriously, "Soul-stabilizing pill? What's it for?"

Zen Master Yizhi sighed:

"This pill is used to stabilize the soul. It is a treasure of the Zen sect. I only have one. It was passed down by my master. When the Zen practice of this sect reaches a certain level, one may become too absorbed in Zen and easily 'see' something terrifying. In such cases, the pill is needed to stabilize the soul and prevent one from 'losing one's soul' and becoming a walking corpse. However, I have not yet reached such a dangerous level. It belongs to the upper level of Buddhism."

Ouyang Rong pursed his lips.

Thank you.

He calmly turned around, walked out of the pavilion, ignoring Fang Yiwu and his wife who were kowtowing and confessing their sins, and headed outside.

Fang Shengnan lowered her head deeply, while Fang Juxiu stared blankly at Ouyang Rong's tall and slender back, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Li Yu followed with a look of awe.

“Ouyang Lianghan, where are you going?”

It was Fang Juxiu's voice that came. This time, it was no longer the somewhat cold and admonitory tone from before, but rather... a gentle tone that was hard to describe.

Ouyang Rong did not answer and continued to leave with Yan Liulang and the constables.

Before stepping out the door, Ouyang Rong prepared to board the carriage:

"Go to Xunyang Grottoes."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Just as the carriage was about to depart, two footsteps emerged from inside the mansion. Yan Liulang whispered his report:

"Magistrate, the Fang sisters have come along. Should we take them with us?"

Ouyang Rong remained silent, then waved his hand, indicating that he would ignore them.

Fang Juxiu and the two women suddenly stepped forward and took out a bronze short sword:

“Ouyang Lianghan, there’s something I need to tell you about this Yunmeng Order.”

"What's the meaning?"

"Jianze's issuance of the Yunmeng Token was not actually to send us to the Xunyang Grottoes, but rather to instruct us that no matter where we are, at a specific time, we must infuse spiritual energy into it."

"What specific moment?"

"The second quarter of the hour of Wei (1-3 PM) today."

Ouyang Rong glanced at the sky; it was about 2:30 PM, which was a quarter past noon. It wasn't time yet, but it would be soon.

"Infuse with spiritual energy?"

“That’s right! The holder of the token must infuse it with all the spiritual energy. Just now, Master Yizhi was holding the Yunmeng Token, preparing to infuse it with spiritual energy.”

After glancing at the serious-looking Fang sisters, Ouyang Rong suddenly took the Yunmeng Token and stared at it intently.

He first tried to infuse some spiritual energy, but it vanished like a stone thrown into the ocean. After a while, he discovered that the Cloud Dream Token was faintly attracting energy, as if it were craving more spiritual energy...

Ouyang Rong turned his head and looked at the Xunyang Grottoes in the distance.

(End of this chapter)