Chapter 191 The History of the Zhong Family
"The Zhong family?"
Youqing rested her chin on her hand, her brows slightly furrowed.
After a moment's thought, she said, "The Zhong family is indeed a legitimate branch of the Xuanmen sect, renowned for exorcising evil spirits. As far as I know, several of their ancestors were Celestial Masters who guarded the region..."
At this point, she shook her head in confusion: "How could such a distinguished family be associated with the 'Book of Earthly Fiends'? It's really puzzling."
Seeing Lu Yao's solemn expression, You Qing immediately pulled her to her feet: "Grand Preceptor, let's go to the Scripture Pavilion to check."
The Lingxiao Sect's headquarters, the Sutra Repository, is located inside the mountain, with its ancient bronze gate engraved with talismans to ward off evil.
Youqing made a hand seal to unseal the seal, and the heavy door slid open silently, revealing a vast collection of ancient texts inside.
"The records of the Zhong family should be in this area..."
Youqing led Luyao through layers of bookshelves, the unique, aged scent of ancient books lingering in the air.
She took down a yellowed copy of "Records of the Families of Xuanmen" from the top.
The two sat side by side at the long table, carefully turning the pages of the book.
You Qing frowned in thought, her fingertips lightly tapping the yellowed pages of the ancient book: "The Zhong family's ancestral home is a fishing village on an island in the East China Sea, where they have made their living by fishing for generations. According to records, a hundred years ago, Japanese pirates were rampant, and the villagers suffered greatly..."
Lu Yao's gaze suddenly froze on the next paragraph.
The book records that in the midsummer of a certain year, a goddess in red suddenly appeared riding the waves, her hand wielding a crimson light like lightning, and wherever she passed, the Japanese pirates were routed.
The villagers knelt and bowed in gratitude, cautiously looking up at each other.
They saw the goddess standing on the reef, her robes fluttering like flames.
"this……"
Just as You Qing was about to turn the page, Lu Yao grabbed her wrist.
The subsequent record states: Although the woman left, she stayed in the village and instructed the young men in martial arts to strengthen their bodies.
He even enlightened several destined individuals, teaching them the art of breathing exercises.
The one with the most talent and wisdom was the ancestor of the Zhong family.
Lu Yao's fingertips trembled slightly.
Although not explicitly stated in the book, the description of the crimson light like lightning, and the silhouette of someone riding the waves away...
She closed her eyes, and it seemed as if she could see her master standing at the bow of the ship, wielding a whip.
You Qing murmured, "It says here that the goddess left and returned, leaving behind an item to ward off evil..."
She lowered her voice: "Could it be..."
Lu Yao took out three copper coins from her bosom.
She held the copper coin in her palm, closed her eyes, and silently asked, "May I ask if the person who enlightened the Zhong family back then was my master, Chu Xuanji?"
The copper coin fell to the ground, clinking and clanging on the jade table.
All three are facing upwards, forming a sharp triangle.
"As expected." Lu Yao's lips curled into a cold smile.
She slowly rose to her feet: "Tomorrow I will pay a proper visit to the Zhong family."
“In the name of the deceased’s disciple.” Lu Yao put away the copper coins, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. “Ask them carefully how they kept the talisman left by their master.”
...
The Zhong family of today has long since shed its original identity as a family of Taoist masters and has transformed into an official spokesperson for metaphysics.
In this degenerate age of spiritual depletion, the elders of the Zhong family wisely chose to abandon Taoism and enter politics, putting aside their ancestral metaphysical texts and instead delving into the art of power.
Inside the council chamber, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
Several white-haired elders sat around a table, with Zhong Zhengming, who had a gloomy expression, standing in the center.
“Zhengming,” the head elder tapped his teacup lightly, “now that you have taken up the position of director of the Supernatural Affairs Bureau, why are you still so fixated on cultivation?”
The old man shook his head and sighed, "The mystical arts are declining now, and spiritual energy is scarce. I heard that you have been acquiring secret treasures and searching for golden pills lately, spending half your life's savings, but you have only barely broken through to the Nascent Soul stage. The world is not what it used to be. You should focus on politics."
Zhong Zhengming's knuckles turned white as he suppressed his emotions and said, "Elder, you may not know this, but recently a 'millennium-old internet user' has emerged as a metaphysical streamer who has reached the Integration Realm in just a few months."
A hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes, "This must be a sign of the revival of spiritual energy!"
"What? The Integration Stage?" Several clan elders changed color simultaneously.
The teacup in the elder's hand cracked with a fine line: "That little girl who livestreams ghost-catching on the internet? Although I haven't seen her in person, I've heard that her abilities are not to be underestimated."
“It is indeed this person.” Zhong Zhengming’s voice was tense, and the veins on his forehead throbbed faintly. “The elders often say that I am the person with the best aptitude in the Zhong family in the past hundred years. Now that the opportunity is about to arrive, please do not hinder it.”
"Enough." The Grand Elder waved his hand, then coughed violently. "The young man has ambition... cough cough... good..."
Just as Zhong Zhengming was about to bow and take his leave, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door.
A servant rushed to report: "Reporting to the elders, a guest requests an audience with the steward! He claims to be a disciple of an old friend."
"Old friend?"
The elders looked at each other, their cloudy old eyes filled with doubt.
Zhong Zhengming also frowned, clearly clueless about this unexpected visitor.
The servant lowered his voice unconsciously: "That Taoist priest asked me to pass on a message... asking if everyone still remembers 'a crimson light like lightning, riding the waves away'..."
"What nonsense!" The Third Elder waved his hand impatiently. "Could it be some charlatan..."
"Snap!"
A crisp sound interrupted the Third Elder's words.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the celadon teacup in the elder's hand had shattered, and scalding tea had splashed onto the back of his hand, but he seemed not to notice.
"Big brother?" the second elder called out in surprise and doubt.
The Grand Elder looked shocked.
After a moment of silence, his fingers tapped lightly on the table, the sound particularly clear in the quiet hall.
His cloudy gaze slowly swept over everyone present, finally landing on the Third Elder.
"Third brother, do you still remember how the clan history records the beginning of the Zhong family's rise to prominence?"
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