Chapter 63 Countermeasures: Don't always think others are fools.
Xu Qiubai left Kunlun, and from then on, the people of Kunlun never mentioned his name again, as if his existence had been erased by Kunlun.
Perhaps when Wan Qianzhong was driven out of Kunlun, he looked just like this.
When someone leaves, can they truly leave completely and restore everything to its original state?
“Xu Qiubai is gone,” Shen Cangyu suddenly said to Lu Yuan, who was teasing the lizard’s paw.
Lu Yuan paused for a moment, then said casually, "Ah, right, he's gone, but the incense at Xingxiang Hall still won't be back to normal. It might take a while before it gets better."
Shen Cangyu knew that Lu Yuan used to dislike Xu Qiubai, but their relationship improved as they spent more time together.
Lu Yuan didn't see anything wrong with Xu Qiubai's departure; on the contrary, he felt it was only natural.
“He’s offended so many people, it’s normal for them to want to kick him out,” Lu Yuan said.
"Besides the 'affecting the incense offerings' they mentioned, there was another reason he was kicked out: he injured someone in the secret realm years ago, and since then they've considered him a thorn in their side and wanted to get rid of him." Shen Cangyu said, looking at Lu Yuan. They both knew that Lu Yuan had done the same thing during this classroom assessment.
Shen Cangyu said, "They were able to drive Xu Qiubai out this time using this method. I'm afraid their next target will be you."
Xu Qiubai's expulsion from Kunlun was by no means accidental.
At least, Shen Cangyu saw through the novel's plot that after Xu Qiubai left Kunlun, Shen Qingyan's Tongmenghui invited him to a banquet by the artificial mountain and spirit pool in Xiaokunlun, where they celebrated grandly by moonlight and bonfire.
Shen Cangyu guessed that the Tongmenghui was undoubtedly behind the incident of the incense at Xingxiang Hall failing to burn properly.
The Alliance's objective was to target the inner disciples of Kunlun who had grown up there and possessed prestigious family backgrounds. Xu Qiubai was their primary target, and their operation this time was successful.
Judging from their style of doing things, they will probably press their advantage and turn their attention to other inner disciples.
Therefore, it is easy for Lu Yuan, who has done the same thing as him, to become the next target.
Shen Cangyu knew these inside stories, but Lu Yuan did not. Lu Yuan frowned and couldn't help but speak up: "How am I the same as him? Apart from that assessment, I have never hurt anyone else. The other Kunlun disciples always look down on Wen Cangsheng. They bullied us in the past. Now I've just found an opportunity to get revenge, and even that's not allowed?"
Lu Yuan looked at Shen Cangyu with incomprehension: "Why do you sympathize with Xu Qiubai? Isn't his current predicament what he deserved?"
Just a few months ago, Lu Yuan and Xu Qiubai's relationship had begun to improve; at least they could chat and laugh together when they sat down. But now their relationship had fallen back to freezing point. Shen Cangyu couldn't tell whether it was the rumors from the Alliance that had played a role, or whether the will of Heaven had begun to exert its influence.
"If you were the one expelled from Kunlun, what would you do?"
Lu Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "In Wen Cang Sheng's view, the law of the jungle is the natural order. In the secret realm, Xu Qiubai was stronger than the others, and he had ways to eliminate them. Although I was not convinced, I acknowledged his ability. Now, I am eliminating others in the secret realm entirely through my own strength. I feel that I have done nothing wrong, and I have a clear conscience. If one day in the future, someone can drive me out of Kunlun, that is also their ability, and I will accept it."
"If one day I were the one driven out of Kunlun, would you still say the same thing?" Shen Cangyu looked at Lu Yuan.
“You and Xu Qiubai are different from me… You are careful every day, you have never done anything wrong, who would kick you out…” Lu Yuan hugged the lizard tightly.
Shen Cangyu thought to himself, "No, I've also done a lot of bad things, and I have many secrets that I can't reveal to the world."
She initially wanted to go to Kunlun to seek revenge; she wanted to take revenge on everyone. She never imagined she would end up like this.
Since Shen Qingyan took her place as a disciple of Kunlun, she will take his place as the Penglai envoy and enter Kunlun.
At the time, she impersonated the envoy of Penglai in order to gain more leverage for herself, but she never expected that it would become a ticking time bomb that she planted at any moment.
Once Shen Qingyan recalls the original owner's memories and realizes that she is the true Penglai envoy, her imposter identity will be exposed. What other bargaining chips will she have to stay in Kunlun?
Is the Kunlun Sword enough?
Lu Yuan waved his hand at Shen Cangyu and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. It's uncomfortable to hear. Let's talk about something else."
Lu Yuan raised his index finger: "I heard that Shennong's divine hand has appeared again. This time, Shen Qingyan has also transformed into a divine healer and cured Fang Bushou's illness."
*
"This is truly a miraculous medicine!" A disciple of Xingxiang Hall, carrying his medical kit, couldn't help but exclaim as he watched the patient on the sickbed gradually regain his composure.
Shui Linglong looked at the dark pill in her palm, lowered her eyes, and said to her, "You watch over him for now, I'm going out for a bit."
Clutching the pill, she walked through layers of houses to the very back courtyard. She pushed open the door and looked at Elder Xu Mei, who was kneeling in prayer in the hall: "Master."
Elder Xu Mei did not respond to her, but continued to finish reciting the rest of the prayer.
Shui Linglong also knew Elder Xu Mei's style. Every day, she would recite all the scriptures and prayers dozens of times, hoping to provide Tianxiang Niangniang with the power of faith in this way so that she could recover as soon as possible.
Shui Linglong didn't accompany her because she had too many things to do. Since Xu Qiubai left Kunlun, Elder Xu Mei felt she was no longer capable of disciplining the younger generation, so she announced her abdication. The affairs of Xingxiang Hall are now gradually being taken over by Shui Linglong. After all, she already held a high position in Xingxiang Hall and had considerable influence. Many disciples were already working under her, and there was no difference between then and now.
The only difference is probably among the pilgrims outside.
The trust everyone had in Xingxiang Hall was originally built upon Elder Xu Mei's profound understanding of the Dao and its mysteries. Elder Xu Mei's cultivation was among the best of the Kunlun elders, so everyone felt at ease.
Now that the person in charge of Xingxiang Hall has suddenly changed from Elder Xu Mei to a young girl who hasn't been married for many years, their doubts have grown louder.
They didn't know much about Shui Linglong and wondered how someone so young could manage Xingxiang Hall.
But they seem to have forgotten that Shui Linglong single-handedly built up Xingxiangtang's medical clinic, and many of her disciples were taught by her. Although she is young, she has many years of experience in managing affairs.
If she were simply in charge of things, she would be more than capable.
However, if we're talking about aura and cultivation level, there are indeed many people who are better than her.
"Shen Qingyan provided the clinic with a lot of medicine. These medicines don't have much spiritual energy, but the ingredients are bold and the effects are remarkable, curing many patients. Now the patients at the clinic are more at ease, and they are willing to return to Xingxiang Hall to continue the incense offerings, which is a good thing."
After Elder Xu Mei finished reciting the last prayer, she finally raised her head and looked at Shui Linglong: "Linglong, thank you for your hard work."
“It’s not hard work,” Shui Linglong replied politely, and continued, “Shen Qingyan’s medicine is indeed very effective, but I have observed that he is not skilled in medicine and cannot understand the patients’ conditions, but the medicine he makes is precisely targeted at the patients’ conditions and can cure their illnesses.”
"You mean..."
“This medicine doesn’t seem to be his doing,” Shui Linglong said. “He is skilled in planting, a master like Shennong, I don’t deny that. But planting and medicine are two completely different disciplines. He knows planting, but he doesn’t have all the basic knowledge of being a doctor. I can guarantee that he didn’t make this medicine. There must be a master behind him guiding him and making these medicines for him. I want to contact him, find that master behind him, and make him work for me.”
"This..." Elder Xu Mei hesitated for a moment, "But you must know that the people in Kunlun all have their own Daoist methods. That person may not be willing to give up his own Daoist methods to come to our Xingxiang Hall. Moreover, Xingxiang Hall is facing decline and is not as good as before. There are far more people who want to leave than people who want to come. If you want to win him over at this time, it will undoubtedly be like dragging him into a sea of fire."
Elder Xu Mei is indecisive and always considers others' feelings, but Shui Linglong is different from her.
“Master has been chanting scriptures for so long, but he still hasn’t been able to bring back the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess. Now that we can try another method to restore the reputation of Xingxiang Hall, why not? As for the expert behind Shen Qingyan, I will handle that. Whatever he wants, I will give him. Restoring the incense offerings of Xingxiang Hall is the most important thing right now; everything else can wait,” Shui Linglong said calmly.
"You're working too hard," Elder Xu Mei sighed. She had previously treated Shui Linglong as just an ordinary disciple, paying little attention to her and rarely showing her any favoritism. Elder Xu Mei hadn't expected that now that Xingxiang Hall had collapsed, Shui Linglong would be able to single-handedly revive it.
Looking back now, Elder Xu Mei realizes that she owes her children far more than she imagined.
“Since I’ve chosen this position, I should bear these responsibilities,” Shui Linglong said without adding much after hearing Elder Xu Mei’s reflections. She was always a calm person, quite different from Elder Xu Mei’s emotional nature. She was adept at calmly observing everything and digging out the key behind it all.
At a tense moment when Xingxiangtang was facing a crisis of trust, Shen Qingyan suddenly stepped forward and provided Xingxiangtang with a good remedy, which garnered people's attention and a lot of praise.
While Shen Qingyan was still working at the Xingxiang Hall's spiritual fields, he didn't display his alchemy talent, nor did he show it during classes. Even in the early stages of the Xingxiang Hall's troubles, he remained inactive. It wasn't until Xu Qiubai was expelled from Kunlun, Elder Xu Mei stepped down, and she tried to maintain the Xingxiang Hall for a while without success, that Shen Qingyan suddenly revealed his alchemy talent.
It seems that everything was waiting for this moment, waiting to take advantage of the situation when their position was shaken.
Shui Linglong believed that most coincidences were manipulated. Although she remained silent, she gradually uncovered the other party's weaknesses.
Sure enough, more and more people praised Shen Qingyan, and more and more people associated him with Xingxiangtang.
Some people want to elevate him to a high position in Xingxiang Hall, want him to take over Xingxiang Hall, want future generations to think of Shen Qingyan when they mention Xingxiang Hall, and want him to replace Shui Linglong's position.
Shen Qingyan was nothing more than a puppet of those people, a pawn they used in the open.
This was a scheme orchestrated for Xingxiangtang.
Those people wanted to use these methods to take over Xingxiangtang, make it their new tool, and consolidate their position within Xingxiangtang.
However, the other party was too arrogant, as if he thought that no one could understand his plan, and seemed to regard everyone as fools, assuming that everyone would follow the path he had planned.
“Master, there are very few people nowadays who can disregard external things and focus on cultivating immortality. No one can remain untainted.”
Shui Linglong placed the pill in her palm on the table. The pill was already soaked with sweat, and its outer membrane had melted, leaving a black stain on the table.
Some people want to take over Xingxiang Hall and her current position; similarly, she also wants the alchemy genius hidden behind those people.
Let's see who wins this game.
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