stonecrandall Chapter 61: Before You
Chapter 61: Before You
In the short-lived world, inside the royal palace of the capital.
After the offering ceremony just ended, an elderly man dressed in a black Taoist robe appeared; he was the high priest of the Wangdu Temple.
At this moment, the old man held a secret report in his hand, which was about the strange changes that had occurred in Changning County and its subordinate Lanzhen and Shuitian Village in the past few days.
Having a general understanding of what had happened, he didn't care about Lan Town and Shuitian Village, but Changning County was also affected, and two guardians of the immortal shrine were missing...
This greatly angered the high priest, who had received the information before the royal family.
The servant beside him immediately reported to the leader:
"According to current intelligence, a magical willow tree, ten zhang tall, has appeared in Shuitian Village and can draw water from Tianlei Lake."
It seems to have enlightened mortals, bestowing upon them the methods of cultivation...
The willow tree that imparts immortal techniques? The priest paced around the hall, releasing a powerful spiritual energy with each step he took.
As a priest of the royal shrine, his cultivation had reached the limit of a short-lived species, which was the Foundation Establishment Perfection.
He had cultivated for nearly a hundred years, yet he had never heard of any immortal willow that could enlighten mortals.
"My lord, should we report this to the royal family?"
The servant who reported this said that, after all, not only were people from the Immortal Temple implicated, but also Bai Donglin, the magistrate of Changning County, whose whereabouts were also unknown.
But the old man waved his hand, "The royal family will receive the news soon."
"To dare kill someone from my ancestral temple is tantamount to defying the immortals, and courts death!"
A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and his aged face gained a touch of majesty.
To know what it is about the ancestral temples of immortals that allows them to stand out from the crowd in the world of short-lived beings, and even surpass the status of royalty.
Isn't it all about saving mortals? If the newborn short-lived species doesn't accept offerings, they will die.
Now, things have gotten really messy. A mysterious immortal willow tree has appeared out of a village, claiming to enlighten mortals and impart immortal techniques...
If the information is true, and mortals who have received the guidance of the immortal willow can all embark on the path of cultivation and successfully break through the Qi Refining stage, then their lifespan can be restored to a hundred years. What would be the point of their ancestral hall then?
This is clearly an attempt to steal people from their ancestral temple!
"Send a purple-robed priest from the ancestral hall to investigate that paddy field village and make sure to do so before the royal family takes action."
The old man gave his servants a final instruction before stepping out of the hall alone.
Gazing at the majestic capital city before him, his gaze seemed to penetrate the buildings in front of him and reach the imperial palace.
Inside the magnificent palace, the monarch was discussing with his ministers the matter of Shuitian Village, which he had just learned of.
They received the news a full half hour later than those at the Royal Ancestral Hall.
The emperor rose angrily and shouted:
"Another case of ancestral hall hijacking? Do these people have no respect for the proper relationship between ruler and subject?!"
The ministers below immediately echoed, "Although the shrine of immortals belongs to that ethereal and illusory realm of immortality, to be honest, who has ever seen a real immortal, and who has ever been to the realm of immortality?"
Apart from the immortal statues in the ancestral hall, everything in this world is mortal, and the king is the greatest!
"What Your Majesty says is very true. The people in this ancestral hall receive the salary of my dynasty, eat the rice grown on the royal land, and wear the cloth of the royal capital."
"For a long time, he has failed to see the situation clearly. In my opinion, his crime deserves to be punished..."
Faced with the ministers' remarks, the king on the high seat seemed to be deep in thought. How could he not understand this principle?
However, there are many ancestral halls throughout the world, and the protectors of these halls are almost all cultivators. Compared to the dynasty's army, which is composed of weak and sick people, he can clearly distinguish which is superior.
"My King, isn't the willow tree in Shuitian Village, said to be able to enlighten mortals, a chance for the royal family to turn the tide?"
Another minister then spoke up, saying that his words were exactly what the king wanted to hear.
"Okay, okay..."
"Immediately dispatch the imperial elite troops to Shuitian Village and seize Xianliu before the ancestral hall!"
The reigning monarch immediately rose and gazed at the palace gate, his eyes meeting those of the immortal shrine not far away.
"..."
In contrast, Ye Xuan, after returning to his own position, was completely unaware of what had happened in the capital.
He stood at the entrance of the ancestral hall in Lanzhen, muttering to himself, "Changning County."
Gathering his thoughts, he followed the route he remembered, leaving Lan Town and rushing towards Changning County.
With his cultivation at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, the journey of several dozen miles was far from arduous; he would arrive in less than half an hour.
Standing beneath the city gate, Ye Xuan's senses instantly enveloped the entire Changning County. He first noticed the county government, which was currently leaderless.
Since Bai Donglin and the ancestral hall's two-year mission to protect the temple failed, a sense of panic has gripped the county town. Moreover, in recent days, various rumors have been circulating in Lan Town.
The locals are terrified of the man-eating willow tree, and the streets are quite deserted at midday.
Ye Xuan bypassed the guards at the city gate and walked along the bustling streets, eventually arriving at a teahouse.
After entering, he ordered a pot of tea, a plate of stir-fried beef, and a bowl of rice. He then sat down in the shop and observed the people coming and going.
"Alas, the county magistrate and the guardians of the ancestral hall went to cut down that willow tree, but they all met a tragic end."
Do you think that man-eating willow tree will come back to take revenge on Changning County someday?
A merchant's eyes were filled with worry. He had a shipment of goods that was about to be sent to Lan Town, but due to this sudden change, it had to be canceled.
A man sitting next to him simply said, "It's hard to say..."
"Who knows if this rumor is true or false? There's another version of the story."
It is said that the celestial willow can enlighten mortals, a blessing bestowed upon the world.
Someone immediately retorted:
"What blessing? Didn't they say that this method of enlightenment comes at the cost of human lives?"
The discussion in the teahouse grew increasingly heated. Faced with this situation, which was not conducive to carrying out his plans, Ye Xuan did not linger in the teahouse for long.
After finishing his meal in peace, he threw down the money and headed straight for the county government.
"The county government office is not open to anyone other than officials and their families!"
A guard with a knife stopped Ye Xuan, looked the young man in front of him up and down, but found that he did not look like a local.
The young man was handsome and full of energy, with an air of detachment that made people hesitant to approach him.
The guard was immediately flustered, fearing he had offended some important figure, but he still had to perform his duties and prevented Ye Xuan from entering the county government.
Ye Xuan had no choice but to point out with one finger, accurately piercing a pressure point on the guard, causing him to faint instantly.
He released his senses to investigate the entire county government, where there were more than a dozen guards, all of whom were at the first or second level of Qi Refining.
Using his senses, he accurately navigated around various obstacles until he arrived at the temple.
At this moment, someone is temporarily replacing Bai Donglin as the county magistrate and is handling various affairs in the county.
Ye Xuan could tell that this person had no cultivation, so he swaggered up to the temporary magistrate.
Who are you?
Ye Xuan did not answer, but instead condensed a point of white light at his fingertips.
The white light was translucent, but what it contained remained a mystery to everyone…
The county magistrate, observing the unusual phenomenon occurring in Ye Xuan's hand, immediately realized that this person was a cultivator and exclaimed:
"Guards! Drag this arrogant brat out and behead him!"
In an instant, a group of soldiers in full armor rushed into the hall, shouting, "Who dares to trespass on government property?"
Just as the leader was speaking, the white light that had been drifting towards the magistrate suddenly turned and flew straight towards him.
"Um?"
Taking advantage of his momentary confusion, the white light instantly entered the leader's body.
His eyes gradually lost their luster, his pupils began to be replaced by that white light, and his body fell backward to the ground.
The people around him were immediately too frightened to move. They watched as a gash exploded in the leader's chest, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.
A vibrant green seed emerged from his open chest. The seed took root in his flesh and blood, quickly sprouted, and grew into a willow sapling half a meter tall in the blink of an eye!
"The fairy willow that you speak of appeared in Shuitian Village."
Of course... you may also call me, the Celestial Venerable of the Heavenly Dao.