Chapter 53: Past Memories of the River God

It was the end of the year once more. The commandery city was bustling with lively voices, its streets and alleys flourishing.

The bustling noise of the marketplace filled the air, echoing through thoroughfares and crossing alleys.

This was the first time Tian Mingan had ever visited the commandery city, and it truly opened his eyes.

"What are your impressions of this commandery city?" Jiang Sheng asked with a smile.

Tian Mingan replied, "Replying to Master, this disciple only feels that it is exceptionally lively, and the population is remarkably dense."

"Indeed, with such a dense population comes inevitable strife. In a city with so many inhabitants, how much incense and devotion can it provide to that River God?" Jiang Sheng gazed out at the endless stream of carriages and horses before him.

The power of incense and devotion from a million people every year was undoubtedly a staggering figure.

The entity at the bottom of the Taiping River required such a vast amount of incense power—heaven knows what earth-shattering endeavor it was trying to accomplish.

Retrieving a visiting card from his sleeve, Jiang Sheng handed it to Tian Mingan. "Mingan, go deliver this visiting card for your Master, and state that your Master will pay a visit to the Zhaas tomorrow."

"Understood, Master." Tian Mingan took the visiting card and vanished into the crowd shortly after.

The Zhaa family was the sole Purple Mansion clan in Dongjun Commandery, and thus occupied the finest location within the commandery city.

The Zhaa family estate was situated on the widest street in the southern part of Dongjun Commandery, with a single family claiming an entire street for themselves.

The entire estate was extraordinarily grand, featuring beast-head gates, vermilion buildings with carved railings, and tier upon tier of courtyards and detached pavilions. It was three parts more imposing than the commandery governor's official yamen.

As the most powerful clan in all of Dongjun, the descendants of the Zhaa family naturally possessed a certain innate arrogance. Even the guards at the gates were four family cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

As the ancestral base of the Zhaa family, this street was rarely ever set foot upon by rogue cultivators; visitors were mostly cultivators from other Foundation Establishment clans.

Yet today, a greenhorn with merely the cultivation of the third tier of Qi Refining had come onto this street and headed straight for the main gates of the Zhaa family.

"Where did this brat come from? What are you doing in front of our Zhaa family gates?"

A Zhaa family cultivator stepped forward and demanded.

Faced with a Zhaa family cultivator whose cultivation was clearly superior to his own, Tian Mingan showed no fear. He produced the visiting card and said in a clear, resonant voice, "Tian Mingan, a Qi Refining practitioner of Qingxuan Taoist Temple, has specifically come to deliver a visiting card on behalf of my master. My master will come to pay a visit tomorrow."

"Qingxuan Temple? Qingxuan Temple?!"

The Zhaa family disciple was momentarily stunned. "Could it be the Qingxuan Temple of Qingping Mountain?"

Tian Mingan nodded. "Precisely."

"You men, escort this little Daoist priest to the gatehouse to rest and have some tea. I am going to deliver the message." The Zhaa family disciple in charge dared not be negligent; after giving these instructions, he hurriedly went inside to report.

Before long, the person in charge returned and flashed a smile at Tian Mingan, "Little Daoist priest, please report back to your honored master that the Zhaa family will certainly open the main gates to welcome guests tomorrow."

Opening the main gates to welcome guests—this was an exceptionally high standard of etiquette.

Ordinary guests visiting the Zhaa family were only admitted through the side doors, while rogue cultivators and idle people could not even enter the side doors and were forced to use the small back gate.

Now that Jiang Sheng was coming to visit, the Zhaa family was actually opening their main gates to greet him, which was enough to show how much importance the Zhaa family attached to Jiang Sheng.

At the *chen* hour the following day, the main gates of the Zhaa family swung open, and Zhaa Liangping personally stood at the entrance to welcome Jiang Sheng.

When Jiang Sheng arrived with Tian Mingan, Zhaa Liangping sensed the aura emanating from Jiang Sheng and nearly gasped out loud: How long had it been?

In less than two years, Jiang Sheng had actually opened his Purple Mansion?

Even after perceiving Jiang Sheng's realm, Zhaa Liangping still found it hard to believe. "Daoist Jiang, you..."

"I had a slight fortuitous encounter, nothing worth mentioning," Jiang Sheng said with a smile.

Only then did Zhaa Liangping snap back to his senses, raising a hand in gesture. "Daoist Jiang, please."

Entering the Zhaa family estate, Jiang Sheng looked upon the pavilions, kiosks, gardens, and fragrant waterside pavilions, and smiled. "The Zhaa family is truly worthy of being Dongjun's premier clan; this foundation is indeed extraordinary."

"Trapped here in Dongjun, the Zhaa family is left with little else. It is not worth mentioning." Although Zhaa Liangping spoke thus, his expression clearly showed that he thoroughly enjoyed the praise.

Guiding Jiang Sheng to the front courtyard, Zhaa Liangcai sensed Jiang Sheng's aura and also came out personally. "I have long heard that an accomplished Daoist master resides in seclusion on Qingping Mountain. Hearing of you a hundred times is not as good as seeing you once; to behold you today is truly extraordinary."

"This poor daoist greets Daoist Zhaa. My abrupt visit today has caused a disturbance," Jiang Sheng said with a smile.

"For the Daoist priest to come brings brilliant splendor to the Zhaa family. How could it be considered a disturbance? Please, take your seat." With that, Zhaa Liangcai invited Jiang Sheng inside to take the seat of honor.

The figures took their seats on either side. After a round of tea, Zhaa Liangcai finally broached the subject, asking, "What brings the Daoist priest here today?"

"This poor daoist has come, naturally, on account of that Taiping River," Jiang Sheng said.

Zhaa Liangcai looked at Jiang Sheng, then glanced at Zhaa Liangping.

Understanding the cue, Zhaa Liangping dismissed the serving servants. Shortly after, Zhaa Liangcai and Jiang Sheng joined hands to cast a barrier of magical power, cutting off any external prying.

Sighing softly, Zhaa Liangcai spoke with a touch of emotion, "I have lived in vain for two hundred and six years, barely entering the late Purple Mansion stage. Yet you, Daoist priest, have only just entered the Purple Mansion stage, and your strength is already no less than mine."

"To open the Purple Mansion in your early twenties means you will surely attain the Golden Core within a sixty-year cycle. Why obsess over the present moment?"

Jiang Sheng fell silent for a moment before saying, "It is nothing more than unwillingness to accept this."

"A formidable enemy stands close at hand. If I were to flee in a panic before a blow was even struck, then this poor daoist's path would end right here for the rest of my life."

Zhaa Liangcai laughed. "I have now witnessed the Daoist priest's strength of character. Using the Purple Mansion to counter and slay a Golden Core is no lighter a task than Foundation Establishment dealing with the Purple Mansion."

Jiang Sheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "This poor daoist is well aware of the gap between the Purple Mansion and the Golden Core. The Golden Core is stepping onto the Great Dao; even a lower-grade Golden Core possesses strength sufficient to shatter mountains and cleave rocks. Yet if this poor daoist does not try, my heart will ultimately remain unreconciled."

Zhaa Liangcai nodded. "Since that is the case, I certainly do not mind discussing that being with the Daoist priest."

"Come to think of it, my acquaintance with him began forty years ago."

Through Zhaa Liangcai's detailed narration, Jiang Sheng gained a deeper understanding of the so-called River God in the Taiping River.

According to Zhaa Liangcai, forty years ago, while accidentally passing by the Taiping River, he sensed something unusual within the waters. Upon investigation, he discovered that a River God had appeared in the river.

Because the River God's aura was difficult to capture and his strength fluctuated unpredictably, Zhaa Liangcai had been unable to confirm the exact cultivation realm of the River God.

However, it was certain that over the years, the River God's strength had been growing increasingly formidable.

Having listened to Zhaa Liangcai's account, Jiang Sheng fell deep into thought.

Earlier, his strength had fluctuated erratically before gradually stabilizing. At that time, the River God's condition must have been extremely poor, and only in recent years had things begun to improve.

This seemed to explain why he had only dispatched an avatar of the early Purple Mansion stage at that time.

Thinking further of the avatars deployed across the thirteen counties of Dongjun and the Grand River God Sacrifice, a flash of insight crossed Jiang Sheng's mind. "Daoist Zhaa, has that River God made any movements in the past two years?"

Zhaa Liangcai shook his head.

A smile finally appeared on Jiang Sheng's lips. "Setting up the incense grand sacrifice across thirteen counties, continuing uninterrupted for fifty years—evidently, that entity must have suffered severe injuries back then, which is why his aura fluctuated so erratically."

"And these fifty years of incense grand sacrifices should be a method of altering his fate for that entity."

"What kind of injury could force a Golden Core entity to languish here for fifty years, remaining completely dormant until now?"

Zhaa Liangcai mused, "I have also entertained these thoughts."

"Come to think of it, over the years, I too have deeply sensed that entity's strength growing steadily stronger, so I probed him a few times, but unfortunately gained nothing."

"However, I did manage to unearth some intelligence."

Jiang Sheng looked at Zhaa Liangcai. "Daoist Zhaa made additional discoveries?"

Zhaa Liangcai said softly, "That entity suddenly appeared in the Taiping River fifty years ago."

"According to various informants I dispatched, that entity seems to have come from the south."

"South of Qingzhou? In the direction of the Qingyun Sect?" Zhaa Liangping asked in surprise.

Zhaa Liangcai cast a complex look at Jiang Sheng. "Daoist Jiang may not be aware that fifty years ago, the former master of the Qingyun Sect, True Person Qingming, Sun Chang, encountered danger outside and returned to the Qingyun Sect on the verge of death, handing the sect over to the current sect master."

Jiang Sheng's expression finally shifted. "Daoist Zhaa means to say?"

Zhaa Liangcai dropped a statement that startled them both: "If the information I gathered is correct, it was shortly after that entity suddenly landed in the Taiping River that the Qingyun Sect announced the ascension of True Person Qingming."

Jiang Sheng nodded. "If things are truly as you say, then the situation becomes even more complicated."

Matters could not withstand association; two seemingly unrelated events, when pondered together, revealed a tangled web of connections too intricate to untangle.

Zhaa Liangcai offered Jiang Sheng a word of caution, "Although I do not know just how terrifying a Golden Core entity is, I imagine that anything capable of keeping a Golden Core entity mired in ruin for half a century must be an unhealable, severe trauma, perhaps even damaging their very foundation."

"Now that the entity has still not shown himself, it is possible his strength has yet to recover to its peak—after all, he did lose an avatar as well."

Jiang Sheng said thoughtfully, "That being the case, could it be that this poor daoist cutting down one of his avatars forced him to spend even more time recovering?"

Zhaa Liangcai replied, "That possibility cannot be ruled out. It is also possible that he has long since recovered and is simply biding his time."

"Regardless, the Daoist priest might as well go to the Qingyun Sect to probe for news. If the Qingyun Sect is too conspicuous a target, the Daoist priest could also go ask the Lanyue Sect."

Upon stepping out of the Zhaa family estate, far from feeling the relief of having unraveled a mystery, Jiang Sheng's expression grew another layer heavier.

Following the revelations spilled by the Zhaa family, the affair of the River God seemed increasingly bizarre.

Originally, Jiang Sheng had merely assumed it was some Golden Core expert hiding in the Taiping River to practice arts and heal injuries.

Now, it even involved the Qingyun Sect, one of the three major sects of Qingzhou.

The Qingyun Sect was no ordinary entity.

Occupying a third of Qingzhou's territory, even though it experienced the turbulence of a sect master succession fifty years ago, its current strength remained incomparably mighty.

The contemporary sect master, True Person Qingyu Sun煜, was a genuine Golden Core realm expert.

Furthermore, the Qingyun Sect boasted a full five elders in the Purple Mansion realm.

If he were to go to the Qingyun Sect to investigate any news, and actually managed to pry into some hidden secrets, Jiang Sheng estimated that he would likely be detained by the Qingyun Sect permanently.

After pondering for a while, Jiang Sheng decided to first visit an acquaintance in the Lanyue Sect to inquire about the news.

"Master, does the River God really involve the Qingyun Sect?" Tian Mingan asked.

Jiang Sheng glanced at Tian Mingan. "What if it does? What if it doesn't?"

"The enmity has already been forged; pondering so much is useless."

"Master, is there truly no way to reconcile with the other party?" Tian Mingan asked.

Jiang Sheng couldn't help but laugh. "Reconcile? Why would one reconcile with him?"

"Do you know how high a price reconciliation requires?"

"Fortuitous encounters and the Great Dao are never something won through reconciliation."