"In addition, there are clues that Emperor Yang of the Yang Dynasty also obtained relevant information through the Demon Sect. After the fall of the Yang Dynasty, this information was taken to the outside world by Empress Xiao of the Yang Dynasty, who was then taken in by the Jin Clan's ancestral altar.
“Although Taisu Xian Pavilion and Yue Panlong are unable to confirm whether the Shenzhou Dragon Vein is real or not, these things put together, coupled with the Barbarian Court’s desperate construction of the Grand Canal, can’t help but make people speculate.”
Yue Yaotai frowned: "If the Shenzhou Dragon Vein is real, then Lie Zunyi is leaving the capital this time, is he going to do something to the Shenzhou Dragon Vein?"
Shi Hao said: "Yue Panlong told the master of Xuanfeng altar that the dispute between Taoism and demons is a small matter, but the survival of Shenzhou is a big matter. On the ninth day of the ninth month, the Emperor Lie Zunyi of the Barbarian Court will offer sacrifices to the heavens in Xuzhou, and a large number of Barbarian Court masters will also gather in Xuzhou."
"Yue Panlong and Taisu Xian Pavilion have invited all four parties to fight, and they want to destroy the Barbarian Court's plan at all costs. Of course, Lie Zunyi's specific plan needs further investigation, but he believes that if the Chinese martial arts world does not take action, it will regret it... To be honest, this is also my idea."
Long Niu said: "I have found out that a large number of people in the martial arts world are indeed gathering quietly in Xuzhou, and the movements of the Barbarian Court are also quite worrying."
Yueyaotai asked, "What's going on at Chongxian Sect?"
Long Niu said: "Totally stay out of it! The Barbarian Court used various means to drive the people of Chongxianmen away from Xuzhou. Those martial artists who consider themselves to be 'white' have always hated Chongxianmen and would never contact Chongxianmen."
Shi Hao said: "The Barbarian Court no longer trusts Chongxian Sect, while Baidao regards Chongxian Sect as the lackey of the Barbarian Court. Chongxian Sect is probably also happy to see the Barbarian Court and Baidao fighting each other, preferably both sides lose, and they take the opportunity to act."
"Ha, Chongxian Sect is at least a part of Dao Sect, but Yue Panlong and Taisu Xian Pavilion would rather contact the Demon Sect to fight against the Barbarian Court."
"But from this, it can also be seen that they are indeed short-handed. In Bai Dao's opinion, the Demon Sect is insidious and treacherous. If it weren't for a last resort, they would never be willing to go this far."
Long Niu said, "This is an urgent matter, and it is also of great importance. The Xuanfeng Sect Master dare not make a decision on his own in this matter. Please give us your instructions, Young Master. Should we participate in it, or sit back and watch the fight between the tigers in order to reap the benefits?"
Shi Hao asked, "What is the opinion of Xuanfeng Sect Master?"
Long Niu said, "The leader thinks this is a good opportunity to make a difference. Sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight is good for preserving strength, but it is not conducive to opening up the situation in the martial arts world. The Xielian Sect wants to grow and develop. Taking this opportunity to cooperate with the White Dao and sell a favor to Yue Panlong and Taisu Xian Pavilion may be a good idea."
Shi Hao hesitated for a moment and nodded: "I also agree with Xuanfeng Sect Master's opinion. By the way, has Xuanfeng Sect Master advanced?"
Long Niu said: "The altar master has advanced to the fourth rank."
Shi Hao asked, "The owner of the Shatan Temple is not in Jinghua Lake? Where did she go?"
Long Niu said, "It seems that they were busy with the promotion ceremony of Madam Plum Blossom and Madam Peach Blossom. At that time, only Master Shatan's apprentice sister Zhijinhua was guarding Jinghua Lake. She said that they would be back soon. That was five days ago. They should have returned to Jinghua Lake by now."
Shi Hao said: "You notify Xuanfeng altar master and Sha altar master to meet up, sneak into Xuzhou, and wait and see the situation. If necessary, you can also contact Yue Panlong to meet up. You don't need to bring all the disciples with you. Quality is more important than quantity. I and Yue altar master will make other arrangements.
"I'm afraid both the black and white worlds will be involved in this battle. You should investigate further. If you find anything, report it to me immediately... Also report it to the Xuanfeng altar master and the Sha altar master, so that they can just let go and do it when necessary. Go!"
Long Niu said, "Yes!" and bowed and walked away.
Shi Hao looked at Yueyaotai: "When Yue Panlong came to the Evil Lotus Sect, I was in the East China Sea. Xuanfeng Huanzhi couldn't contact me, but she didn't discuss it with Grandma Shuiyue and contacted Yue Panlong without authorization. She wanted to get involved in this dispute, but was worried that I would not agree, so she threatened me with power?"
Yueyaotai said: "Xuanfeng Huanzhi has always been very ambitious. Among the three sects, she is the only one who is most enthusiastic about the integration of the three sects. Before the young master appeared, she kept oppressing us and wanted to integrate the Xielian Sect. Therefore, she had many conflicts with my Yuelian Tower."
"Just look at how she has been training Li Badao, investing in the Huang Tian Army, and secretly developing various forces, and you can see how ambitious she is. She didn't discuss it with Grandma Shuiyue because Sha Lingshan and Grandma Shuiyue have always been low-key and unwilling to get involved in the underworld."
"She is worried about meeting Grandma Shuiyue. Grandma Shuiyue is unwilling to come into contact with the White Path. In her opinion, this will miss the opportunity for the Evil Lotus Sect to develop and expand in the martial arts world."
"Long Niu went to see Sha Lingshan, but she wasn't there. She didn't wait for a while and came out immediately. This must be the reason. It's even possible that she deliberately chose a place where Sha Lingshan wasn't there."
Shi Hao pondered for a moment and nodded.
If it were Sha Lingshan and Grandma Shuiyue, it would indeed be possible that they would put this matter aside and wait for him to come back and then let him make the decision.
If Grandma Shuiyue proposed this, it would be difficult to deal with Xuanfeng Huanzhi, so it would be better not to ask Grandma Shuiyue's opinion.
Yueyaotai continued to analyze, "Xuanfeng Huanzhi has long been involved in the underworld, some of which have never even been handed over to Longniu, so we don't know how many people she has secretly hidden.
“Although Taisu Xian Pavilion and Yue Panlong are the matchmakers this time, there are also many people in the underworld who have deep grudges against the white world. There are quite a few people in the underworld who want to overthrow the Barbarian Court but are unwilling to accept Yue Panlong’s leadership. Xuanfeng Huanzhi must want to use this major event to secretly form alliances and absorb those underworld people into the outer circle of the Black Lotus Realm.”
Shi Hao smiled and said, "I know that I, the 'young master', was sent from heaven, so it's normal for her to distrust me. But what does she mean by this? Did she think that I would sit back and watch the fight and not get involved in this dispute? Or is she testing me?"
Yue Yaotai said: "This... I'm afraid it's mostly a test! Just as the young master said, everyone doesn't know the young master well enough. In her opinion, after the young master unified the three sects, he was too low-key, which was inconsistent with her ambitions."
Shi Hao sat on the big chair, put his arm around her waist, held her close, and said with a smile: "So I'm very low-key? So Sister Yue, do you know me now?"
Yue Yaotai's waist was quite slender, and her back formed a beautiful smooth curve towards him, and when he touched lower, there were more ripples.
Yue Yaotai blushed, she didn’t know if she really understood the young master, but it was obvious... the young master already knew her very well.
Shi Hao looked at her most proud part with a solemn expression: "Sister Yue, I have something for you to do. This matter is of great importance and cannot be ignored."
Yue Yaotai saw that he suddenly became serious again and spoke in a serious voice, so she said softly: "Young Master, just give me your orders, and I will do my best."
Outside the side hall, two female disciples from Yuelian Tower, holding tea and snacks, walked towards the hall door under the leadership of Huan Tingting.
At this moment, Longniu has left. Huan Tingting wants to ask, does the young master have any other instructions
—
They traveled to the East China Sea and returned to Guangling. Today was the second day of September.
The autumn wind is bleak, and the leaves are all yellow. The yellow leaves hang on the trees, refusing to fall, swaying firmly in the autumn wind.
It was already dusk. This courtyard, as the base of Yuelian Tower in Guangling City, was quite secluded and there was no downtown area nearby, so it was extremely quiet at this moment.
The female disciples of Yuelian Tower have already adapted to living in a quiet atmosphere all year round.
The light of setting sun covered the eaves, and the ridgebill on both sides of the eaves faced each other in the dim yellow sunlight, and the long main ridge was solid between the pairs of ridgebill.
It was a beautiful evening. Although the autumn wind was chilly, it still made people feel cheerful.
Huan Tingting and the two girls stepped into the palace. Suddenly, they looked at the scene inside the palace and their eyes widened.
There were no lights on in the hall, so it was actually quite dark.
They suddenly stepped over the threshold under the afterglow of the setting sun and felt as if they had arrived in another world. For a moment, they suspected that they were daydreaming.
They never imagined that there would be such a scene in the hall.
Especially the two girls, they were stunned at that moment... They even suspected that after seeing this scene, would they be killed by the young master and the leader of the altar to silence them
Even Huan Tingting wanted to turn around and run away... They saw things they shouldn't have seen.
But these two people were doing this kind of thing openly in this kind of place. Can you blame them
Although Huan Tingting and the two girls knew that they should leave at this time, the scene before them was so shocking that they could not take their eyes away.
Under their gaze, the beautiful altar master blushed and complained in her heart: "Young Master, you are talking about a matter of great importance. Is this what you are referring to?"
But I have to give it my all.
Chapter 253: The Plague God’s Birthday on the Third Day of September
As night falls, the sky darkens, everything ends, and everything is quiet.
Huan Tingting and the two girls fled out in a hurry.
Yue Yaotai stood up with a blushing face. After all, she was a fourth-rank master, but she used her most proud feature to serve a man in front of her subordinates.
She had never dared to even think about such things in the past.
Although she also wanted to inject some new vitality into the lifeless Yuelian Tower, would this kind of beginning be too much
This was really different from what she thought.
What an injustice! she thought to herself.
The moon tonight is a new moon, just a faint crescent.
After taking a bath, Shi Hao strolled in the yard. After a while, he heard Xu Xiaoyan coming back humming a song.
Her singing voice is always pleasant to the ears.
There are several lanterns hanging on the trees in the courtyard.
Her lively figure appeared under the lantern.
Shi Hao smiled and said, "What did you find out from the Lower Nine Streams?"
Xu Xiaoyan glanced at him and said, "This is not good!"
Shi Hao asked doubtfully, "Is something serious going on?"
Xu Xiaoyan asked: "Do you know who the barbarian who killed 'Huainan Sword Hero' Cheng Hailan and 'Blue Moon Flying Rainbow' Fu Qinghua is?"
Shi Hao asked: "Who?"
Xu Xiaoyan said: "The one you saw was the guy called Shi Tuxiong."
Shi Hao was surprised and said, "It's him?" He almost forgot about this person.
Xu Xiaoyan said, "Yes, it's him. I don't know where he learned this mysterious skill from. These days he has been looking for masters to challenge in the martial arts world. Not counting those who came to him for revenge and died under his sword, there are more than ten swordsmen who were killed by him in fair sword fights.
"All of these people are famous swordsmen on both sides of the Changhe River, ranging from sixth-rank to fifth-rank. What's more terrifying is that even fifth-rank masters like Cheng Hailan and Fu Qinghua can't survive more than three strikes under his sword."
Shi Hao's eyes narrowed: "Three swords?"
Xu Xiaoyan said, "That's right, three swords! So far, no one has been able to make him use the fourth sword. Some people have witnessed his swordsmanship on the spot, and those who saw it said that the three swords can only be described as mysterious and unpredictable, and they don't seem to exist in the human world at all."
Shi Hao pondered and said, "The last time I met him, he was only a seventh-rank warrior, and his swordsmanship was slightly inferior to mine."
Xu Xiaoyan said: "Do you know what this means?"
Shi Hao raised his head and looked at the crescent moon in the sky: "Does this mean that he will have an adventure in these days?"
Xu Xiaoyan sighed, "It's okay if it's a chance encounter, but I'm afraid it's a 'devil encounter'. His swordsmanship is most likely acquired from the Demon Realm through an unknown ritual. In addition, there is a rumor that he is related to the 'Sword Demon' Xue Qingfeng."
Shi Hao couldn't help but laugh and said, "I see! I was wondering why Xue Xingfeng reminded me that I had a 'big enemy' at that time. I was still wondering who he was talking about. It turned out to be that guy."
Xu Xiaoyan stared at him in surprise: "Xue Qingfeng? You met the Sword Demon? It is said that this person only has the sword in his heart, and there is nothing else besides the sword. How did you meet him?"
Shi Hao said: "It's just a chance encounter in the wilderness."
Xu Xiaoyan sighed again: "That Shi Tuxiong was defeated by your sword before, and I could see at that time that he regarded the sword as his life, and he must be unwilling to accept the defeat, so he took a different path and obtained a sword technique that should not appear in the world.
"If he meets you, he will never let you go."
Shi Hao didn't care: "I have seen many things that shouldn't appear in the human world. It doesn't matter if it's just one or two."
Xu Xiaoyan continued, "In addition, judging from various signs, something big is bound to happen in the Yellow River area in the next few days."
Shi Hao said, "You mean Xuzhou, right? Xuzhou is the confluence of the Yellow River and the Grand Canal. On September 9, the Barbarian Emperor Lie Zunyi will offer sacrifices to the heavens in Xuzhou. Both the black and white worlds are also gathering in Xuzhou. As far as I know, Yue Panlong, who ranks second on the black list, and the fairy named Yun Caiyao from the Taisu Immortal Pavilion will probably appear in Xuzhou by then.
"Xuzhou has been a battleground since ancient times. It is known as the key to the north and the gateway to the south. It is a battleground for military strategists and is also known as the source of Chinese culture."
Xu Xiaoyan said: "It seems that you have also found out a lot of information. But as you said, I know that many people in the White Path have secretly gone north. It is conceivable that there will be a big war next."
Shi Hao said: "In fact, the Xie Lian Sect was also invited to fight."
He told the story of Yue Panlong's contact with the Xie Lian Sect.
Xu Xiaoyan looked up at him: "What is your decision?"
Shi Hao smiled and said, "It may sound a bit self-righteous to say this, but it was me who first made the Dark Thunder Society pay attention to the Grand Canal and linked it to Emperor Yang's forced construction of the Grand Canal at the end of the Yang Dynasty, although I appeared under the name of 'Crazy Blade Hero' at that time."
"I think Taisu Xian Pavilion and Yue Panlong started investigating the Grand Canal because of this news, and found clues about the 'Shenzhou Dragon Vein' in ancient books. Since the incident was caused by me, I naturally can't just let it go at this time."
Xu Xiaoyan curled her lips and said, "Humph, you are forcing yourself to take credit for something. I don't believe that if it weren't for you, the Taisu Immortal Pavilion wouldn't have noticed it."
His eyes turned slightly: "So you plan to cooperate with them?"
Shi Hao shook his head and said, "No, I will let Black Lotus Realm and Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion cooperate with them. As for me, I will still follow my own plan."
He looked at the vast and mysterious night sky: "At this critical moment, the Man Court will definitely notice the movements of Yun Caiyao and Yue Panlong. They are in the light, and I am in the dark. Perhaps I can catch the Man Court off guard."
Xu Xiaoyan tilted her face: "Hmm... That's right! The Grand Canal is the key, and you have Bai Lan here, just in time to catch them by surprise. When do you plan to leave
Shi Hao said: "There is no time to lose, let's start tomorrow morning."
Xu Xiaoyan asked: "We?"
Shi Hao said: "You, me, and Sister Yue!"
Xu Xiaoyan muttered: "Since when did she become a big sister? It feels a bit weird!"
She folded her hands and put them behind her head: "Then rest early."
Shi Hao followed her: "It's still early, why don't you chat more?"
Xu Xiaoyan raised her hand and made a gesture to push him away: "Don't! You are too evil. I want to stay away from you."
How could I, such a decent person, become "evil"
—
September 3rd is the birthday of the God of Plague!
On this day, people in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas would put the boats they built into the big rivers and let them drift away carrying all their past misfortunes, the farther the better.
But in this era, past misfortunes are gone, and more misfortunes are coming.
Although Guangling was still able to maintain peace, other places in the south were already engulfed in war.
Thieves pass by like a comb, and soldiers pass by like a rake! It's just that they are soldiers and thieves. Wherever they pass, it is a disaster for the common people.