Lan Yuqing took this secluded and winding mountain road to reach the osmanthus forest, although she did not admit it.

The soil in Zhongnan Mountain is fertile and the climate is humid. The osmanthus trees bloom very early and are fragrant.

Every July, the rainy season, when it rains heavily and the osmanthus trees bloom, the pretty ladies in Luojing would take their baskets to the suburbs, pick osmanthus flowers, make nectar, and use their slender hands to knead them into cakes.

Which man from Zhongnan wouldn’t like to eat this delicious food?

Lan Yuqing passed by the flower forest, bathed in the elegant fragrance, and continued to go up the mountain without looking around. When she reached the vermilion lacquered gate, she stopped in front of it, turned around to look at the deep and lush green forest behind her, then took out the key and opened this side door that she had not been to for a year.

Lan Yuqing, dressed in purple, went straight to the top of the mountain with ease, passing by magnificent palace buildings with carved dragons and painted rafters, ignoring the blue-robed Taoist priests who stopped and bowed to her respectfully.

Halfway through, she stopped at the preaching platform near the top of the mountain.

This ancient platform built on a protruding peak is surrounded by ancient pines and cypresses on all sides, and lush willow forests form a shield in front of the platform.

It will be the venue for the debate between Confucianism and Taoism in the near future. At that time, people all over the city will be able to hear the words of both sides of the debate on the platform at the foot of the mountain. Countless hermits and monks from Zhongnan Kingdom will come here to observe the conversation, and even many monks from the mountains of neighboring countries will come to witness the grand occasion.

Lan Yuqing stopped for a moment, sneered, and continued to walk up the stairs, passing the corridor and reaching the top of the mountain.

There are three temples standing in the shape of a mountain on the top of Mount Taibai. On the roof of the Taoist Temple in the middle is a huge black stone. It is oval in shape, without edges or corners, and has pits and caves on it.

This is the "star" that shines on the top of Taibai Mountain at night, like a pearl left by an immortal.

But at this moment, the daylight was shining on its surface, and the "stars" were dim and inconspicuous.

Lan Yuqing did not enter the main hall in the middle, but turned into the ancestral hall on the right.

There was a Taoist priest on duty outside the temple gate, but she ignored him and walked in directly without anyone stopping her.

The ancestral hall was extremely spacious, with three statues of gods enshrined in the center. In front of the statues, on a cushion sat a yellow and purple Taoist priest.

Chongxu Temple is the lower temple of the Louguan Taoist sect, one of the main branches of Xuanhuangjie Taoism, left in the birthplace of Mount Zhongnan in Cangzhou. These three statues respectively enshrine the three ancestors of the Louguan Taoist sect.

The one standing in the highest position in the middle is Yin Zi, the founder of Louguan Taoist sect, who once heard the Taoist ancestor preach the scriptures.

The two people on the left and right are respectively the first head and deputy head of the Louguan Taoist sect. It was these two people who truly established the Louguan Taoist sect, which is now one of the orthodox Taoist sects in the Xuanhuang cultivation world.

One thing must be noted, Taoism and Taoism are different, the former is a school of Taoism, and the latter is a religious sect.

Taoism was derived from Taoism. It is based on the idea of ​​the Great Way advocated by Taoism. It was established in the Xuanhuang Realm, and many believers were accepted to practice the art of longevity.

Taoism is more noble and pure, focusing on learning. It does not focus on longevity and spiritual practice, but only seeks the great way.

The same is true for the various schools of thought in the Xuanhuang Realm.

But what is worth pondering is that although the various schools of thought did not practice cultivation deliberately, almost all of them had achieved great accomplishments, and the higher their knowledge, the stronger their cultivation.

The statues of gods worshipped by several powerful Taoist sects in the Xuanhuang cultivation world, except for the Taoist ancestor, are all ancient saints and Taoist philosophers from ancient times. They used their great knowledge as the foundation, created methods of cultivation, and pursued immortality.

In short, the various schools of thought practiced Taoism, and the monks in the mountains practiced cultivation.

The former points directly to the origin from the beginning, while the latter climbs the stairs step by step and slowly touches the illusory "Tao".

Strictly speaking, there is no difference in difficulty or quality between the two.

How many monks from hundreds of schools of thought can only follow the old ways and the path of their predecessors, without making any progress in their studies.

How many monks in the mountains are stuck at the level of qualifications, watching those very few geniuses soaring far ahead of the others, while they can only move forward slowly, step by step, and finally become nutrients for the vast world of cultivation and become a member of the vast sea of ​​people.

The Tao is ruthless.

This was an experience that Lan Yuqing would never forget, because she was trampled to pieces by that man for the sake of his own principles.

Lan Yuqing calmed down and walked towards the yellow and purple Taoist priest who was meditating in the center of the hall.

This is a middle-aged Taoist priest, wearing a purple sun scarf on his head and an luxurious and intricate yellow and purple Bagua robe. He has a ruddy complexion and an elegant demeanor. At this moment, he is sitting in meditation with his eyes closed, holding a string of beads in one hand.

This string of beads is quite strange. Each bead has a different color and material, and there is a Tai Chi Bagua diagram engraved on the round surface.

"We have found out that Lin Wenruo has found a very powerful helper named Zhao Ziyu. If the information is correct, he should be a student of the headmaster of Linlu Academy. He happened to pass by Luojing and was found by Lin Wenruo, so he asked him to deal with us."

Lan Yuqing's tone was calm and casual. He did not show any fear or awe towards the most powerful imperial teacher in Zhongnan Kingdom.

Qing Jingzi nodded slightly when he heard this, especially after hearing the word "headmaster", he slowly opened his eyes and looked at his daughter, who seemed like a different person since the incident on the Spring Festival.

"Tell me more about it."

"The man who informed us was named Li Shiqian. On that day, he and a famous scholar in the city named Mr. Qingxi were playing outside the city. At noon, they took shelter in the Zuiweng Pavilion, ten miles north of the city, and met Zhao Ziyu and his two companions who were resting in the pavilion... Li Shiqian overheard their conversation... In the end, the three of them slipped out when Lin Wenruo wasn't paying attention."

"It's very strange." Qing Jingzi's expression was indifferent. "Even if Lin Wenruo arrived late and didn't know that Li Shiqian had overheard the identity of Zhao Ziyu, so he didn't pursue the three of them later, this reason makes sense, but it still doesn't make sense."

Lan Yuqing nodded, "I think so too, so I went to verify some things these days."

"Among the three people present at the time, there was a peripheral Taoist priest from our temple named Chen Hongyuan. His story was the same as Li Shiqian's except for some minor differences. In addition, I checked this Chen Hongyuan and found that he had a clean background and had entered the temple to become a Taoist priest a long time ago. The reason why he passed by the Drunken Old Man Pavilion that day was also normal. He came back to do the monthly duty."

"The only person worth noting is another famous scholar named Mr. Qingxi. Not long after he returned from Zuiweng Pavilion, he died at a party. The cause of death was excessive indulgence and physical overdraft. Oh, I forgot to mention that he had a homosexual fetish and died from a male prostitute."

Lan Yuqing finished speaking, curled his lips, and continued: "Because the timing of his death was wrong, I checked carefully, but I didn't find any signs of human intervention in his death."

Qing Jingzi suddenly spoke up, "There is no trace of Lanxi Lin's in this whole thing?"

Lan Yuqing thought for a moment and said truthfully, "No... Wait, if you really want to make a connection, there is one. The male prostitute who caused his sudden death once participated in a literary gathering held by the Lanxi Lin family in Dongshan, north of the city, ten days ago. But other than that, there is no connection."

Qing Jingzi frowned slightly when he heard the previous sentence, but after hearing Lan Yuqing's restatement, his brows relaxed.

If Mr. Qingxi's death has nothing to do with the Lanxi Lin family, and no connection can be found at all, then there must be something fishy going on. After all, the Lanxi Lin family is very powerful and has many entanglements with the circle of celebrities in Luojing City.

Lan Yuqing continued: "My daughter thinks that Zhao Ziyu's identity should be beyond doubt."

"Why are you so sure?"

"I still have some contact with Lin Wenruo's brother Lin Qingxuan. He knows this Zhao Ziyu and there is some conflict between them... According to him, Zhao Ziyu once casually wrote two poems, one about falling flowers and one about climbing a building."

"The location is Longquandu in the Great Chu Dynasty in the southern part of Wangquezhou."

"I later looked up the pass records of travelers passing through the South Gate that day at the City Defense Office, and Zhao Ziyu was indeed holding a pass from the Great Chu Dynasty."

Qing Jingzi narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly, "Is there any way to do something to him... Well, we just need to know the limits and stop him from participating in the Confucian-Taoist debate."

Lan Yuqing shook his head. "It's not easy. The Lanxi Lin Clan is now loose on the outside but tight on the inside. After that incident, all the people we planted in the manor were cleared out. Moreover, we don't know what Zhao Ziyu looks like. All I know is that he has a thin face, bright eyes, and is dressed like a scholar. The rest of him is ordinary and has no characteristics. We might even pass by him on the street... It's hard to identify him as a target."

Upon hearing this, Qingjingzi nodded and closed his eyes without saying anything.

The hall fell silent for a moment, and neither of them spoke.

After an unknown amount of time, Qing Jingzi closed his eyes and spoke softly, "In this case, the previous plan may be a little unstable."

Then, he emphasized, "I don't need to repeat how important the debate between Confucianism and Taoism is. We must make sure that nothing goes wrong!"

Lan Yuqing lowered her eyelids, "My daughter understands."

Then he turned and left.

The woman returned along the same path and came to the side door that few people went to again. She pushed it open and went down the mountain.

But when she passed by the osmanthus forest again, she suddenly stopped, was silent for a while, and walked sideways into the forest.

She stood still under a tree with a red rope tied to its branch.

The purple dress doesn't fit in with the pure white flowers in the forest.

Lin Wenruo, I want you to kneel at my feet.

I will ask you why in person before I send you away.

rest assured.

I will catch up with you soon, and I will not let you go even if you become a ghost.

…

In a flower forest in Lanxi, north of the city.

A tall and handsome man in a wide-sleeved robe strolled to an osmanthus tree, slowly squatted down, dug out a jar of aged osmanthus wine from the bottom of the tree, and turned and left.

Carrying this jar of wine that was buried by someone unknown, I don't know where to go or who to look for.

Behind him, a dull red rope was tied alone on a branch, and no one could untie it.