Chapter 042: Welcoming Guests and Seeing Them Off

On the nineteenth day of the first month in the seventeenth year of Jiading, at the mountain gate of Mount Zhongnan, the unmelted snow already adorned this renowned scenic spot of Zhongnan and this blessed Taoist sanctuary.

Looking at the mountain gate of the Chongyang Palace on Mount Zhongnan, Qiu Chuji thought of his distant hometown in Shandong and his late master, now separated from him by the realm of the living and the dead. Having now established his own lineage and founded a sect, he could not help but sigh with emotion: "My hometown is at the edge of the horizon, and there are no famous scholars upon the seas. Having chanced upon the immortals of the Zhongnan realm, they brought me here to wander..."

With that, leading disciples such as Li Zhichang, he bowed respectfully to Ma Yu and the others, and said, "May the transmission endure forever, and the Taoist qi persist through time!"

Everyone returned the bow: "May the transmission endure forever, and the Taoist qi persist through time!"

Most carefree of all, Qiu Chuji turned, laughed heartily, and strode away. After lingering a moment longer to gaze at the mountain gate, the others also departed with their respective disciples! Once they had left, Ma Yu clasped Qiu Zhiqing's hands in both of his.

With earnest and heartfelt gravity, he said, "The grand trends of the world sweep forward mightily. For us people of the transcendent realm to maintain a foothold amidst this secular torrent is already no easy feat! Since those outer disciples have chosen to descend the mountain, it means they have no further affinity with our Quanzhen Dao; let them go as they will!"

Seeing the almost imploring look in Ma Yu's eyes, Qiu Zhiqing nodded solemnly in agreement. He never possessed the ambition or the capability to foster anyone; he merely wished to lend those people a fraction of assistance, giving them one more choice when they faced crisis...

Seeing Qiu Zhiqing's firm nod, Ma Yu smiled with relief: "Once we old fellows have settled into our new place, we will return to Mount Zhongnan—shortly within a year or two, or at most three to five years!"

"If you lads cannot wait, this old Taoist shall set down a rule here and now: the Chongyang Palace need no longer adhere to the regulation of opening the mountain gates once every three years! Any outer disciple who feels confident may proceed independently to the Taoist Registry Pavilion for evaluation. Given three chances, they need only pass to be accepted into the inner gate, with no time limit..."

Gazing afar as their teachers departed with a large retinue of senior and junior fellow apprentices, Yin Zhiping could not help but recite a line of poetry by Li Bai: "I entrust my sorrowful heart to the bright moon, and with the wind it travels straight to the west of Yelang..."

Feeling somewhat disgruntled, Zhao Zhijing could not resist letting out a jeer: "If Junior Brother Yin is so reluctant to part with them, you are entirely welcome to give chase and follow Master Uncle Qiu!"

Speechless, Qiu Zhiqing sometimes truly wished to spirit Zhao Zhijing away. How could someone he once felt quite favorably toward grow increasingly repulsive the older he got? What on earth was happening here, and could someone please step forward and explain?

To ease the atmosphere, Shen Zhiyan, the master of the Apricot Grove Hall, smiled and said, "Fellow apprentices, let us all speak our minds. Li Taibai wrote so many famous poems throughout his life; do you think Li Taibai himself could remember every single one of them?"

Zhao Zhijing replied with an arrogant and proud smile, "Such masterworks passed down through the ages bring supreme glory with every casual verse. How could Li Taibai himself fail to keep them engraved in his heart?"

Regarding this, his junior brother and immediate superior, Cui Zhifang, master of the Integrity Hall, held a different opinion:

"In this junior brother's view, perhaps not? What manner of man was the Poetry Immortal Li Taibai? An untrammeled guest of the mortal red dust, a carefree immortal among wine! Although such poems are timeless masterpieces, he likely forgot them the moment he lifted his brush. What we truly cannot let go of or forget are merely us mortal beings!"

Ignoring Zhao Zhijing's glare of wrath, the other apprentices clapped and praised in turn: "What a splendid phrase: 'An untrammeled guest of the mortal red dust, a carefree immortal among wine!' Away, away! Since we mortal folk lack that untrammeled and carefree spirit, we ought to uphold integrity, maintain righteousness, and wholeheartedly cultivate the Tao..."

With that, they laughed heartily and returned up the mountain, with Qiu Zhiqing escorted into the Chongyang Palace in their midst! Only Zhao Zhijing remained alone in the chilling wind, his expression shifting uncertainly like the changing faces in Sichuan face-changing opera! How was this any different from cursing him by name?

He could not make sense of it! Once upon a time, he had been the very first to take a master, and the first to receive the master's command to lead the disciples within the sect in practicing martial arts and studying the Tao! He had also been in charge of teaching the outer disciples! He had even served as the head senior brother for a time!

How was it that after this sickly little junior brother went out for three years, the moment he returned, everything changed? He himself had fallen from third-generation head senior brother to some trifling master of the Integrity Hall, and then this same fellow had found an excuse to demote him to deputy hall master!

Now even his fellow disciple under the same master dared to openly contend with him? How had things come to this...

No matter how much resentment Zhao Zhijing harbored in his heart, he could no longer alter this established fact!

...

The Quanzhen Sect had already set onto the right track. Although the senior elders had taken away the majority of the sect's inner disciples, counting the seven of them, the entire sect still numbered only around twenty to thirty people in total.

This meant that the Quanzhen Dao of Mount Zhongnan had suddenly lost more than half of its strength. Although there remained a large number of outer disciples, it did not detract from the bustling and lively scene within the Chongyang Palace!

Yet with these teachers and elders departing thus, it was inevitable that some petty and villainous characters would imagine they could seize the opportunity to intrude...

Teacher Zhao Zhongxiang once said: "Spring is a season for animals to mate!"

Qiu Zhiqing did not know whether the animals in Mount Zhongnan were engaged in their proper seasonal activities! But the person before him certainly was not, otherwise how could he possess such boundless energy to come and cause trouble on Mount Zhongnan?

Looking at the row of young Taoist priests seated above, Qiu Qianren was extremely pleased! With that mob of old scruffy-bearded ones gone, you little Taoist pups are simply balls of clay for this sect leader to knead however I please, aren't you?

Seeing Qiu Qianren's arrogant and overbearing demeanor, Yin Zhiping was the first who could no longer contain himself. Pointing at Qiu Qianren, he rebuked, "Old villain, previously you spread the falsehood that my Grand Master Uncle Zhou died at the hands of the island master of Peach Blossom Island! That caused us deep enmity, and yet you still dare to come and run wild in our Chongyang Palace!"

Now it was Qiu Qianren's turn to be momentarily stunned; he did not recall any such matter. But upon second thought, he understood—if it wasn't him, then it must have been his good elder brother who had perished at the hands of Guo Jing and Huang Rong!

Yet none of that mattered! Having arrived here today, wasn't he here precisely to pick a fight? What harm was there in admitting it openly and straightforwardly?

"That was simply because you lot were utterly foolish and parroted whatever others said—who else is there to blame? Enough idle chatter; I have come today to deliver a letter. Examine it yourselves!"

With that, he drew a letter from his bosom and flicked it toward Qiu Zhiqing, who sat squarely in the center. Seeing the envelope hurtle through the air like a hidden weapon, everyone's expressions changed slightly. Fang Zhiqi, seated to his left, made to stand and intercept it.

He was stopped by a slight flick of Qiu Zhiqing's horsetail whisk! In an instant, the envelope arrived right before Qiu Zhiqing, suddenly losing its momentum as it drifted downward to land gently in Qiu Zhiqing's left hand, enveloped by an inner force...

This display startled his fellow apprentices. Although they knew his martial arts might not be inferior to Qiu Chuji's, this single maneuver firmly cemented their intention to seek more guidance from this head senior brother in the future!

Equally slightly astonished was Qiu Qianren. To him, this trick might not amount to much, and he was confident he could do it as well! Yet for this to happen to a third-generation Quanzhen disciple gave him food for thought.

He had a premonition that things might not go as smoothly today as he had wished...

Little rascal! Did he really think that during those three years in the imperial palace, Daoist me only spent time studying? Why else would I have gone there so early, lingering to cadge a meal even after finishing my studies? Wasn't it because I craved the medicinal diet specially prepared for me by Uncle-Master Cuixu? What medicinal ingredients were lacking in the imperial palace? What ingredients could Uncle-Master Cuixu's status not procure?

Flickering the envelope open, he revealed the letter inside. There was no unusual odor, so the probability of poison was low! Still, he cautiously wrapped the letter in his inner force before safely drawing it out for inspection.

Inside was Wanyan Honglie's summons, which simply put, required the Quanzhen Dao to dispatch a few martial arts experts to act in concert with Qiu Qianren. The specific details of the operation were not written in the letter, but any endeavor requiring a multitude of martial artists could amount to nothing more than the usual business of assassinating monarchs and regicide...

After putting the letter back in its place, Qiu Zhiqing initially intended to refuse outright. Upon second thought, however, if he were to palm off Zhao Zhijing onto this fellow, wouldn't it kill two birds with one stone? Keeping this man in the Chongyang Palace damaged both unity and morale...

However, he could not do this openly—at least not overtly. Since Qiu Chuji had mentioned that after settling the Dragon Gate Sect, he might travel to the Gobi Desert later this year to meet Temüjin, it would not do for news of Quanzhen disciples assassinating high-ranking Mongol officials to break out at this juncture. Even if such a thing were to happen, it had to be a matter for a later time.

If Qiu Zhiqing remembered correctly, Qiu Chuji's upcoming journey to the Gobi would yield considerable results! Therefore, there was no need to rush; he could simply stall and let the situation develop at its own pace!

Thinking to this point, Qiu Zhiqing said, "Allow us a few days to consider. Since our teachers and elders are absent, this poor priest must confer with my fellow apprentices before making a decision. The Chongyang Palace offers only plain tea and simple fare, so we cannot afford to entertain you properly. I must ask Guild Master Qiu to return another day!"

With that, he said to Fang Zhiqi, "Junior Brother Fang, I must trouble you to see Guild Master Qiu out!" The reason he chose Fang Zhiqi was firstly because his kung fu was excellent, and secondly because he trusted that Fang Zhiqi could not be bought off...

Cowed by the deterrent display Qiu Zhiqing had just demonstrated, Qiu Qianren decided to swallow his anger for the moment...

After the evening meditation, Qiu Zhiqing sat cross-legged in his room, as was his usual routine, conducting an inner inspection of his body and regulating his cultivation. After an unknown length of time, his ears suddenly twitched, and his expression turned displeased...

With the silent opening and closing of doors and windows, Qiu Zhiqing vaulted into the air like a wild goose soaring across the sky, landing squarely upon the roof of the eastern side hall to block the path of a figure clad in black and masked in cloth!

Frowning slightly, he found the physique remarkably familiar. What was the meaning of this?

"Coming in the spring breeze under the cover of night, an esteemed guest attired thusly surely compromises one's dignity! Why not remove your mask and speak your mind plainly?"

Yet the intruder clearly cared nothing for this approach, lashing out with a kick that sent a roof tile hurtling straight toward Qiu Zhiqing's face while turning and fleeing toward the mountain gate.

Anticipating this, Qiu Zhiqing swept his horsetail whisk in an arc and flicked it forward, sending the tile whistling straight after the black-clad figure's back. Feeling a sudden rush of wind behind him, the fleeing intruder executed a plummeting weight technique and dropped straight down into the plaza before the gate of the Chongyang Palace...