Chapter 257 Autumn Limited: The Battle is Approaching
"What the princess said is true. The Emperor Taizu was a man of extraordinary talent. Back then, he not only brought the two factions to their knees, but also forced most of the world to surrender."
The old man in a plain robe driving the car looked respectful and sighed:
"Unfortunately, things are no longer the same as they used to be. Just talking about the Buddhist-Taoist battle, the royal family hasn't participated in it for many years. Instead, the Qingshan lineage is eager to make a move."
When Xu Junling heard the word "Qingshan", his expression changed slightly and he said softly:
"Master Lu is saying that Chai... is going to challenge the winner of the two factions?"
The person she was talking about was someone the group met by chance on their way to Beijing a few days ago.
He is the only supremely powerful person in the world today who has entered the realm of "heaven and man" purely through "martial arts", and one of Wu Xiankui's direct disciples.
His name is "Chai Keqiao".
The old man in white robes recognized the other party's identity and became extremely alert at that time.
But the warrior named Chai was quite polite. Since both parties were going to Beijing, Xu Junling politely invited him to go with him.
But the man refused and said he wanted to go on foot.
As a result, several days passed.
The convoy of people from the Huainan Palace, riding in carriages, were unable to shake off the young warrior.
Even the old man in plain robes was quite envious of such leg strength.
"Haha, it's hard to say. But the disciples of the Qingshan lineage have always had a tradition of traveling around the world, looking for strong people to learn from. This is called 'traveling'.
"This person's arrival in the capital at this time, even if his purpose isn't a Buddhist-Taoist duel, is bound to cause trouble," said Master Lu.
Xu Junling, who has a sweet face and the temperament of a lady from a noble family, nodded slightly.
Although she was curious about the struggles among practitioners, that was all she cared about and she didn't care much.
This trip to Beijing has another purpose.
At this moment, Xu Junling unfolded the scroll in his hand. Written on this so-called scroll was information worthy of attention in the capital.
"Zhao Duan... Well, in all the intelligence my father has prepared for me, this person's name appears very frequently, and his relationship with the Emperor's sister is unclear...
However, given the Emperor's sister's personality, I'm afraid the rumors about her being a 'face-to-face mistress' are simply deliberate lies."
Xu Junling analyzed softly:
"But even if it's fake, to be valued by the Imperial Sister, he must be no ordinary person. I didn't expect that this person has such a bad reputation."
Beside her, the maid Lu Shui whispered:
"How many powerful and domineering young men have a good reputation? In my opinion, this Zhao guy is a hen's nest..."
Xu Junling interrupted the maid and said sternly:
"Don't underestimate anyone. If what this intelligence says is true, how could someone with such skills not be able to control his temper?
I'm afraid this so-called notorious reputation is all deliberately tarnished by this person...
He lay dormant for a year, but suddenly rose to prominence. This kind of mentality is rarely matched by any of the young talents in the Huai River Road."
After a pause, she looked worried and said:
"Unfortunately, this person and the Jiangnan faction controlled by the Prime Minister are at odds with each other. Their stance is different from that of the Huainan Palace, which may become an obstacle...
However, if, on the other hand, the Imperial Sister could truly secure the throne, this person would be worth making friends with, but one would also have to consider Li Yinglong’s attitude…”
As she spoke, she had already imagined a long series of future scenes.
The maid whispered:
"My Lady, you're overthinking it again. How can you tell what kind of person this person is based solely on words on paper? Perhaps he's just a puppet sent by His Majesty."
Xu Junling laughed at himself:
"I'm overthinking it. Hearing is believing, seeing is believing. We can only wait until we get to Beijing to see for ourselves."
The princess closed the book and rested her eyes.
In the autumn wind, the carriage rolled over the ruts and gradually approached the distant capital.
And on the other side of the rut.
Behind the convoy, there was a warrior walking on foot from a distance.
He was about twenty years old, with messy hair.
He was wearing a linen shirt, straw sandals, a bag slung across his shoulder, and a gourd filled with water hanging from his waist.
He had no sword or other weapons in his hands, only a hemp rope belt that was worn by his hands around his waist. At the other end of the belt, there was a fairly good-looking axe stuffed randomly into the gap between the waist and ribs.
He didn't have the air of a strong man at all, and looked more like a woodcutter chopping wood in the mountains.
The woodcutter strode forward, his muddy toes stretching his straw sandals so much that they seemed about to split.
Although the pace seems slow, he is able to follow the convoy steadily.
No matter whether the carriage was fast or slow, the distance between them neither got closer nor farther away.
Chai Keqiao, whose face was red and black from the sun, raised his head, put up a small "tent" with his right hand in front of his eyebrows, and his vision seemed to cross the mountains and seas.
Looking expectantly, "Martial God, what's this scene?"
The carriage was in front and the warriors were behind.
One reads thousands of books, the other travels thousands of miles.
This autumn, all the cultivators from the nine sects and eighteen prefectures of Dayu were attracted by the once-in-a-century Buddhist-Taoist showdown.
Zhao Duan, who was lazy at home, sneezed inexplicably, rubbed his nose, and muttered:
"Who's talking about me?"
…
…
In the next few days, the entire court was digesting the aftermath of Wang Heng's downfall.
One secret letter after another was sent to various places in Dayu, naturally including the Prince Jing's Mansion, which paid a heavy price.
Unfortunately, no one knows what expression the "Prince Jing", who occupies Jiancheng Road and is the first of the Eight Princes, has.
In the court, all officials were trembling with fear, waiting for the empress's brutal reckoning.
But to everyone's surprise, the empress ordered that only the confirmed traitors should be punished, without any further involvement.
The subsequent "amnesty" brought about a subtle change in the wavering atmosphere in the temple.
No one knows what the pros and cons of this move are.
But Wu Ling, a member of the Kuangfu Society stationed at the Bafang Theater, felt the chill of autumn.
When he met with his companion again, he only said two words:
"Hibernation."
The Kuangfu Society and the royal spies were hit hard one after another, and the subsequent battle between Buddhism and Taoism was like a "ceasefire" signal, causing all parties to pause their actions.
Even if they are rebels, they don't want to cause any trouble in the capital at this critical juncture and offend the gods of the two major sects at the same time.
Only the aftereffects of some events linger slowly in the lake of the capital.
For example, the "young master" who was stripped of his official robes quietly returned to the Shenji Camp, as if he had become a different person.
For example, the criticisms of Zhao Duan in the army gradually disappeared, and under the guidance of the Privy Council, many voices of admiration gradually emerged.
For example, one day, Chen Huoshen, the chief officer of the Firearms Bureau, received the design ideas about the "flintlock rifle" from Zhao Duan.
He was so ecstatic and excited that he couldn't sleep all night. It is said that he slept with the simple blueprint in his arms.
For example, Jin Jian and Gongshu Tianyuan appeared less and less frequently, and the bell in Tianshi Mansion rang later and later.
The same is true for Shenlong Temple.
As the days passed, the number of unfamiliar faces in the capital increased day by day. Many of them were practitioners who came from all over the place to join in the fun and watch the battle.
Who wouldn’t want to see such a once-in-a-century excitement?
However, unlike the streets and alleys, there are more and more discussions about the battle between Buddhism and Taoism.
Zhao Duan just wanted to sleep.
"What a nice autumn with cool weather..."
Early that morning, Zhao Duan woke up wrapped in a quilt and sighed sleepily.
(End of this chapter)
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