The carriage was exceptionally quiet.
Because Sun Jiang was there, everyone was resting with their eyes closed or thinking about something, and no one was talking casually.
The headquarters of Lingxiao Sect is located on the peak of Lingxiao Mountain, only tens of kilometers away from Kyoto, and across the river from the Yunwu Mountains.
However, the area is mountainous and rugged with complex terrain, so carriages certainly cannot enter.
So when they arrived at the horse farm outside Shili Pavilion, Sun Jiang took a few people out of the carriage and rented a horse for each of them.
Luo Qingzhou was leading the rented horse, and he missed the Lu BMW he had ridden last time.
That horse is the real BMW.
However, the horse was snatched back by Princess Nangong the next day after it was delivered to Sister Dao's home.
“Da da da da!”
Several people got on their horses and, led by Sun Jiang, ran on the official road.
An hour later.
We got off the official road and turned into a small road.
As they got closer and closer to the Yunwu Mountains, Luo Qingzhou remembered the last time he killed He Yang and the other two.
If Princess Nangong had not taken the initiative to take the blame for him at that time, it is estimated that the matter would not have been resolved so easily.
Thinking about the help Princess Nangong had given to the Qin family and how she had helped him to gather information during this period, he became more and more conflicted.
Another hour later.
A few people walked through a forest and the view ahead suddenly became clear.
A cool breeze blew, bringing with it a damp scent.
After turning a hillside, a huge river with a wide surface and turbulent waves suddenly appeared in front of us.
The two banks of the river were about a thousand meters apart, and the water surface was misty and sparkling.
There are small boats sailing on both sides of the river and on the river.
Not far away on the other side of the river, there are several large mountains. One of them is particularly majestic and steep, with its peak hidden in the clouds and no end can be seen. It is Lingxiao Peak, which is across the river from the Yunwu Mountain Range.
Lingxiao Sect is located on the top of a mountain, surrounded by mist all year round, like a fairyland.
There is a pub by the river.
You can eat and drink in the tavern, as well as store horses and rent boats to cross the river.
At this time, a group of people had already saved their horses and crossed the river.
Sun Jiang looked toward the river and found that he didn't know the person, so he took a few people and walked towards the tavern.
Today is the day when Ling Xiao Sect holds its annual preliminary examination. In addition to the disciples of Ling Xiao Sect from branches all over Da Yan who have come here, many guests have also been invited to visit.
Other sects and other cultivation families have all been invited.
Of course, there are also people crossing the river to other places.
So today's ferry is obviously very busy. As soon as it passes by, it has to hurriedly return to continue picking up passengers.
Sun Jiang led the horse and brought a few people to the tavern. He asked the waiter to lead the horse to the stable, then found a table to sit down, and asked the boss to serve several large plates of beef and buns, as well as a large pot of tea.
The group set out before daybreak, so naturally they didn't have breakfast. They had been traveling all the way and were already starving.
When the beef and buns came, everyone started eating without any hesitation.
After each of them ate a few buns and a plate of beef, they stopped to rest.
After Sun Jiang drank a few cups of tea, he wiped his mouth and warned, "We will be at the foot of the sect mountain soon. Remember, don't say anything careless and don't offend anyone at will. There may be an elder of the sect waiting for you at the foot of the mountain. Other guests should not be offended at will. After all, they are visiting our Lingxiao Sect. Don't let others laugh at us, and don't lose face for your teacher."
Several people quickly said, "Yes, Master."
Sun Jiang poured another cup of tea, and seeing that there was no one else around, he said, "Those who came back to the sect to participate in the competition this time should all be confident. I calculated that, including our Kyoto branch, there are probably about thirty teams. The results of the competition are not only divided according to each individual, but also according to each team. If your team ranks high, in addition to the individual rewards, the team can also receive additional rewards. Your master does not ask you to rank in the top ten, but you must not fall below the 20th place. After all, we are from the Kyoto branch. If we can't even make it into the top 20, it would be too embarrassing. Do you have confidence?"
Chu Xiaoxiao immediately said in a sonorous voice: "Master, rest assured, we will work hard to enter the top ten and win glory for you!"
Sun Jiang smiled, picked up the teacup and took a sip, saying, "Don't count on the top ten, after all, we are few in number. If you can get into the top 20, your master will give each of you an extra 100,000 gold coins and three bottles of potion."
After hearing this, everyone was very excited.
Nie Yunrong joked, "Master, if we enter the top ten, will the reward be doubled?"
Sun Jiang smiled and said, "If you can really enter the top ten, or if your individual ranking can enter the top ten, the reward will be more than doubled. At that time, your master can also give each of you an extra small magic weapon. Of course, if your individual ranking can enter the top ten, you will definitely be noticed by the sect's top leaders. If you are accepted into the inner sect and become an elite disciple, the cultivation resources you get will definitely be beyond your imagination."
When they heard this, they all became excited.
Luo Qingzhou was even more excited.
If he could enter the inner city and become an inner disciple of Lingxiao Sect, not only would his treatment be much better, his status would also be much higher, which would help him delay time to take revenge and resolve problems.
By then, even if he has no household registration and cannot explain his origins, the Jinyiwei would not dare to do anything to him, right
"Master, what kind of rewards will the top three martial arts students and martial arts masters get?"
Sister Dao asked curiously.
Sun Jiang smiled and said, "The rewards for the top three will naturally be more generous. If you are really talented and are noticed by a certain peak master, he may even accept you as his personal disciple. Your status, position, and cultivation resources will be incomparable to other disciples..."
Several people listened with fascination.
When Sister Dao was about to ask more questions, Sun Jiang suddenly looked not far away and narrowed his eyes.
At this moment, a loud laugh was heard.
Then, a short and fat old man with fluttering sleeves strode over with eight young men and women.
"Brother Sun, long time no see, how are you?"
The short and fat old man had not arrived yet, but his hoarse voice came first.
Sun Jiang stood up, bowed with a smile on his face and said, "Junior Brother Jin, it's been a long time."
Sister Dao frowned when she saw the person coming and whispered, "This person is called Jin Song. I met him once in Mo City last year. He and Master seemed to have a deep conflict. Master said that they had a big fight over a disciple and even reported it to the Sect Master..."
The old man named Jin Song strode over, glanced at the people in front of the table, and said with a smile: "Brother Sun, is this the only disciple you have? This is Kyoto, where there are so many talented people. You have only accepted six disciples in total. This is too unreasonable."
Sun Jiang smiled calmly and said, "Why do you want to recruit so many disciples? There are only so many resources, can they be distributed?"
Jin Song smiled and said, "Senior Brother Sun, you can't say that. This is the capital of the Great Yan Kingdom. So many of us brothers and sisters were vying to come here, but you got there first. I thought you could recruit a few more good disciples to repay the sect, but you only have these few. You are not as good as me, a person from a remote village."
Sun Jiang sat down, picked up the teacup, and said calmly: "Of course I am not as good as you, Junior Brother Jin."
Jin Song chuckled and said, "Senior Brother Sun, don't underestimate yourself. The sect sent you to Kyoto to recruit disciples, so naturally they have high hopes for you. By the way, Senior Brother Sun, I heard that among the new disciples recruited by the sect from all over the country this year, there are three disciples who are in the late stage of martial arts, and they are all very talented. Could one of them be from Senior Brother Sun's hands? After all, Senior Brother Sun used to say that it's not the quantity of disciples that counts, but the quality of them. Senior Brother Sun occupies such a good position in Kyoto, but he only accepted six disciples. There must be one disciple who is in the late stage of martial arts, right?"
Sun Jiang did not answer. He glanced at the people at the table and said calmly, "This is your Uncle Jin. Why don't you greet him?"
The six Dao sisters quickly bowed their heads and said, "Greetings, Uncle Master Jin."
Jin Song said with a smile on his face: "You're welcome, you're welcome, we are all family."
Then he turned around and shouted coldly, "What are you all daydreaming about? Didn't you see that your Master Sun's face has become gloomy? You don't even know how to greet your elders. Where is your manners?"
The disciples behind him all bowed their heads and said in unison, "Greetings, Master Sun."
The muscles on Sun Jiang's face twitched, and he raised his hand and said, "You're welcome."
Jin Song pointed at a woman behind him with a smile on his face and said, "Brother Sun, this is my disciple I just accepted two months ago. She is a talented girl from Jiangnan, who is good at both literature and martial arts. This girl just broke through to the late stage of martial arts last month. Hehe, Brother Sun, guess how long it took her to go from the early stage of martial arts to the late stage?"
Sun Jiang's face froze. He looked at the slender girl behind him without saying a word.
Jin Song immediately said to the person behind him: "Wanrou, tell Master Sun."
The Jiangnan woman named Yun Wanrou, holding a sword in her hand, bowed her head and said respectfully: "It took me nearly a year to go from the early stage of martial arts to the late stage of martial arts."
Jin Song laughed and said, "It's only ten months. Senior Brother Sun, this girl has an extraordinary physique, and her understanding of the sword is extremely talented. If nothing unexpected happens, she will probably be accepted as a direct disciple by Senior Sister Linghu of Jianfeng when she goes up the mountain this time."
Sun Jiang said calmly: "Junior Brother Jin, congratulations, your contribution is not small."
Jin Song smiled and said, "Brother Sun, please don't misunderstand me. This disciple of mine just broke through to the late martial artist stage last month and is not one of the three disciples that were previously passed on. So the question I asked Brother Sun just now did not have any other intentions."
Sun Jiang's eyelids twitched, and he said, "So, this year's preliminary examination will have four martial arts disciples in the late stage fighting. It looks like it will be much more exciting than before."
Jin Song smiled and said, "That's right, but maybe some of the other brothers have disciples who have recently broken through to the late martial arts master stage. Brother Sun, among your disciples, do you have any disciples who are at the late martial arts master stage? Introduce them to me."
Sun Jiang said expressionlessly: "No."
Jin Song chuckled, "What a pity! I was planning to let Wanrou compete with my senior brother's disciples. I remember last year's preliminary exam, my senior brother's eldest disciple suppressed my disciples so much that they didn't even dare to step onto the stage."
Sun Jiang stood up and said, "Junior Brother Jin, you guys eat first. When the boat comes, we will go over first."
Jin Song smiled and bowed, saying, "Okay, Senior Brother Sun, take care, and see you at the sect later."
Sun Jiang didn't say anything else. He turned and walked towards the river, his face suddenly becoming gloomy.
Sister Dao and the others followed behind him, not daring to say a word.
The boat stopped at the shore, and the boatman held the bamboo pole and said loudly: "The wind and waves are too strong today, and only four people can come up at a time. Please don't blame the guests."
Sister Dao immediately said, "Master, you guys go up first."
Luo Qingzhou, Zhou Boyao and others were all humble.
Sun Jiang was not in the mood to talk, nor did he want to stay here any longer, so he got on the boat with a gloomy face.
The few of them looked at each other, and Zhang Yuanshan, as the eldest senior brother, did not hesitate to get on the boat.
Then Sister Dao pushed Chu Xiaoxiao and Nie Yunrong up.
The boatman reminded everyone to sit tight, and immediately paddled away from the shore, saying to the three people on the shore: "Please wait, the other boat will be here soon."
As Luo Qingzhou and the other two were standing on the shore and talking in low voices, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind them: "Three of you, what a coincidence."
The three of them turned around and their expressions suddenly changed.
Luo Changtian, dressed in a Qilin robe, came up from behind with four men wearing Jinyiwei Feiyu uniforms, looking at the three people with a smile on his face.
None of the three spoke.
Luo Changtian bowed his hands and said with a smile: "Don't be nervous, the three of you. Today we are also ordered to come to Lingxiao Sect to watch the new disciples compete. The emperor is young and promising, and he loves talents very much. If there are new disciples with good talents and willing to serve the emperor, we will discuss with your sect and take them away to train them. The training resources we provide are definitely not less than what your sect provides. I believe the three of you also know that over the years, your sect has provided a lot of talents for our Great Yan. We are all Great Yan warriors. It is our honor and our duty to serve the country. In the interests of the country, there is naturally no distinction between sects and forces."
Sister Dao said coldly: "You don't need to tell us about these things. Commander Luo can go to the sect and tell them."
Luo Changtian smiled, looked at the young man on her left, and said: "Brother Chu, I am looking forward to your competition this time. I hope that Brother Chu can get a good ranking this time and win glory for our Kyoto warriors."
Luo Qingzhou said calmly: "Thank you."
The two looked at each other, neither looking away.
"The ship is here, we're leaving first."
Sister Dao nudged the person next to her and turned to get on the boat.
Luo Qingzhou and Zhou Boyao also jumped up.
The boatman looked toward the shore and said, "One more person can come up."
Luo Changtian smiled and said, "No need, let's wait for the next one."
The boatman said nothing more and rowed the boat away.
Luo Changtian stood on the shore, looking at the three figures on the boat, and the smile on his face gradually faded.
A guard behind him whispered, "Sir, we still haven't found his address or his family. Every time he goes to or leaves the martial arts gym, he is very alert and walks around every street and alley. Our people lose him every time."
Luo Changtian looked at the figure on the boat and said, "How big can the inner city be? There are so many people, but none of them could catch up. This means that he can see you clearly. A mid-stage martial artist doesn't have this ability."
The guard said solemnly: "Your Excellency means..."
Luo Changtian's eyes flashed, and he said: "Perhaps someone helped him, or he could hide in the alley and use another method to clearly see you..."
On the river.
Luo Qingzhou sat in the cabin of the boat, facing the cold river breeze, turned his head and looked towards the shore.
The figure was still standing there, looking at him.
Sister Dao also followed his gaze and whispered, "What does he want to do?"
Luo Qingzhou did not answer. The Danhai in his body was restless and lightning seemed to be flashing in the acupoints.
It seemed as if lightning flashed through his eyes.
His body seemed to be craving for some kind of energy in order to break through the final barrier.