Chapter 176 - 174: The Shrewd and Calculating Wen Cangyuan
Yangshan Mountain was located over ten li east of Yangshan Prefecture.
Its peaks were majestic, standing tall amidst the clouds and mist. The main peak was like a brush pen, piercing straight into the heavens. The Spiritual Qi here was abundant, making it a veritable feng shui treasure land perfect for cultivation.
This was why the founders of the Yang Mountain Four Sects had all chosen Yangshan Mountain to establish their sects long ago.
The Thunder Shock Sect was situated on the eastern foot of Yangshan Mountain. Built into the mountainside, its architecture was grand and extraordinary, presenting an imposing sight.
At this moment, within the great hall of the Thunder Shock Sect, the leaders of the Yang Mountain Four Sects were gathered to discuss matters.
The Yang Mountain Four Sects were led by the Thunder Shock Sect, so they would always come to the Thunder Shock Sect for their discussions.
Reclining on the main seat in the great hall was an old man in a white robe. His hair and beard were completely white, but his complexion was ruddy. He had the youthful face of an old man, with the air of an immortal sage.
This was Wen Cangyuan, the old ancestor of the Thunder Shock Sect. However, he usually just listened during these meetings without offering any suggestions. The discussions were presided over by the Thunder Shock Sect’s Sect Leader, Wen Chong.
"I’m sure you’ve all received the message from Yangshan Prefecture’s Zhenwu Hall," Wen Chong began, a faint smile playing on his lips, a hint of mockery in his eyes as he looked at the others present. "They’re telling us to pay up all our back taxes, to spit out everything we’ve swallowed. What are your thoughts on this matter?"
"Have those bastards at the Yangshan Prefecture Zhenwu Hall been eating too many mushrooms off the mountain? Are they hallucinating? How dare they speak to us in such a tone?"
The speaker was Nong Wentai, Sect Leader of the Mystic Light Sect, a dark-skinned and powerfully built middle-aged man.
He sneered, "Beggars are even having delusions. Does that old coot Yu Yousong not want to survive in Yangshan Prefecture anymore?"
"I say, Old Nong, have you been spending all your time cooing with that new concubine of yours, completely oblivious to the world outside?
Yu Yousong stepped down as the Yangshan Prefecture Inspector some time ago. The current Inspector is a newcomer.
As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean. And the Yang Mountain Four Sects are such a conspicuous target. His intention is clearly to make an example of us to establish his authority.
Ignorance is bliss, I suppose. I say we just give him a small lesson, teach him a thing or two, and let him know who’s really in charge of Yangshan Prefecture.
That old fool Yu Yousong watched us for so long, and while he couldn’t do anything to us, he was still a nuisance. Hopefully, this new Inspector will be more sensible."
This came from Fei Yuanhua, Sect Leader of the Yanxia Sect. He was in his fifties, with the refined and scholarly appearance of a teacher.
He was a more cautious man. Rather than locking horns with the Zhenwu Hall, he preferred to simply let them know how powerful the Yang Mountain Four Sects were so they wouldn’t be provoked.
"Don’t call me Old Nong! What the hell does that damned Yangshan Prefecture Zhenwu Hall have to do with me? You think I’m eager to keep track of whether they’ve changed Inspectors? I don’t have the time for that!"
Nong Wentai was slightly displeased.
He hated it when people called him Old Nong; it made him sound like one of the peasant rabble who tilled the fields.
Du Xiaochen, Sect Leader of the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion, was tall, with a stern and cold expression. He unconsciously exuded a biting, sharp aura.
He was the youngest among them, only forty-five or forty-six, but his cultivation was the highest. He had already reached the Peak of the Condensing Truth Realm.
Upon hearing their exchange, Du Xiaochen said in a low voice, "Everyone, we shouldn’t underestimate this new Inspector.
The new Inspector of Yangshan Prefecture is no nobody. He is Chen Jiutian, the latest rising star of the Zhenwu Hall.
Sometime ago, when the Blood God Sect was wreaking havoc in Ning Province, this Chen Jiutian fought them, slew their Saint Heir, and even joined forces with the Vajra Prajna Temple to eliminate one of the Blood God Sect’s Hall Masters.
Furthermore, he is ranked thirtieth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. He just made a name for himself in Ping Province not long ago. He’s not someone an ordinary young talent can compare to."
Wen Chong thought for a moment and said, "If this new Inspector were just another character like Yu Yousong, we naturally wouldn’t need to pay him any mind.
A beggar with such a big mouth is truly preposterous.
But young people are full of vigor, and he is a talent from the Hidden Dragon Rankings. It wouldn’t be good to let things get too hostile.
How about this: we’ll just give them half a year’s worth of taxes so they can report back to their superiors.
However, when we deliver the money, we’ll send a large contingent of men. Let him know the might of our Yang Mountain Four Sects, otherwise he might think we’re easy to bully."
Everyone present nodded in agreement.
Wen Chong’s proposed solution was quite reasonable.
Since this Chen Jiutian had some fame, they couldn’t deal with him the same way they dealt with Yu Yousong.
They would give him some face for now, make a show of their power, and as long as both sides kept to themselves, everything would be fine.
Of course, that was all predicated on the other party being sensible. If he was given an inch and tried to take a mile, well, that would be another matter entirely.
Just then, Wen Cangyuan, who had been dozing off the entire time, suddenly sat up straight.
"Xiaochen, do you know the details about this Chen Jiutian?"
Du Xiaochen quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Replying to the Old Ancestor, my humble son is quite interested in the Hidden Dragon Rankings and buys every new edition to read.
When I learned that Chen Jiutian was from the Zhenwu Hall, I sent people to gather information on him. I can’t say it’s completely detailed, but I know the gist of it."
Wen Cangyuan was not only the ancestor of the Thunder Shock Sect, but the ancestor of the entire Yang Mountain Four Sects. As such, Du Xiaochen was extremely respectful toward him.
In the past, the relationship between the Yang Mountain Four Sects was not as harmonious as it was today, where they shared all fortunes and misfortunes.
On the contrary, they were constantly at each other’s throats, each wanting to completely monopolize Yangshan Mountain for themselves.
After Wen Cangyuan broke through to the Primordial Pill Realm, he became the first person in the history of the Yang Mountain Four Sects to reach the Martial Arts Grandmaster Realm.
Everyone had assumed that Wen Cangyuan would lead the Thunder Shock Sect to expel, or even completely annihilate, the other three sects and claim Yangshan Mountain for his own.
But who would have thought that Wen Cangyuan would instead summon the other three sects and establish a new rule? From that day on, all fighting on Yangshan Mountain was forbidden. The four sects would each occupy one side, not interfere with one another, jointly defend against common enemies, and share all fortunes and misfortunes.
This magnanimity immediately won over the leaders of the other three sects. They all swore an oath to uphold the agreement, recognizing the Thunder Shock Sect as the leader and Wen Cangyuan as the most honored.
In the eighty-odd years that followed, the leaders of the other three sects changed several times over, but Wen Cangyuan alone lived on.
Thus, his status among the Yang Mountain Four Sects was unimaginably high, not just because of his strength, but also because of his vision and contributions.
"Give me the gist of it."
Du Xiaochen organized his thoughts and said in a low voice, "Chen Jiutian’s main achievements within the Zhenwu Hall are related to wiping out the Blood God Sect.
Also, Bo Gudun, the Little Prince of the Chi Shu Tribe from the Western Grassland, died at his hands.
When he went to Ping Province to attend the Furnace Opening Ceremony, he clashed with the Shangguan Family, the Blazing Sect, and the Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion, killing a disciple of the Blazing Sect, Zhu Chengzong, on the spot.
Afterward, the Shangguan Family’s disciple Shangguan Yun joined forces with the Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion’s disciple Duan Mingzhen. They recruited three local Condensing Truth Realm experts from Ping Province to ambush and kill Chen Jiutian, but he ended up killing two of them instead.
In the end, that Shangguan Family disciple, Shangguan Yun, had to use a Divine Artifact Incarnation just to escape.
I’m not trying to praise others at our own expense, but this Chen Jiutian is indeed different from the other Zhenwu Hall Inspectors. We need to treat him with caution."
The list of achievements Du Xiaochen recited included the slain Zhu Chengzong and Duan Mingzhen, who was just a bystander dragged into the mess, but there was no mention of Zuo Feiyu.
One could only say that Zuo Feiyu’s death was rather unjust; he had died at Chen Yuan’s hands before he could even make a name for himself in the Jianghu.
His death was even quite frustrating. Though he was clearly Chen Yuan’s main target, from the perspective of most Jianghu People, it seemed Chen Yuan was going after Shangguan Yun and Duan Mingzhen.
Zuo Feiyu, a Martial Artist who had never even made it onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings and didn’t come from a Noble Sect, didn’t even qualify to be listed as one of Chen Yuan’s achievements on the rankings.
Wen Cangyuan mulled this over for a moment, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair. Suddenly, he said, "Give them ten years’ worth of taxes in one go."
Everyone present stared at each other in bewilderment.
Wen Chong couldn’t help but protest, "Old Ancestor! Do we really need to give Chen Jiutian that much face? That’s ten years of taxes! Are we really going to spit out what we’ve already swallowed?"
"Because he is worth ten years!"
Wen Cangyuan’s voice was low and serious. "You people have spent your whole lives puttering around Ning Province. You’ve never set foot in the Central Plains Jianghu, never witnessed what a true prodigy is like!
For that Chen Jiutian to make a name for himself on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, and even break into the top thirty, means he is by no means a mediocre person.
When an ordinary Inspector comes, fobbing them off with half a year or a year’s taxes is acceptable. But for a talent from the Hidden Dragon Rankings like him, it’s not good to just dismiss him so easily.
Based on his record of achievements alone, he is worth these ten years of taxes.
These ten years of taxes also represent the attitude of our Yang Mountain Four Sects.
If Chen Jiutian is smart, he will naturally come to pay me a visit after receiving the payment.
At that time, I can offer him some encouragement and guidance. A senior and a junior getting along harmoniously—it would make for a fine story to tell.
You people need to broaden your horizons. Don’t just stare at the immediate benefits in front of you.
It’s not like we have to be at loggerheads with the Zhenwu Hall. What’s wrong with giving up some benefits in exchange for a young friend?"
The others were stunned for a moment. They had never considered that things could be handled this way.
"The Old Ancestor is truly magnanimous!"
"Our vision certainly can’t compare to yours, Old Ancestor. If it weren’t for you, the Yang Mountain Four Sects would still be fighting endlessly amongst ourselves."
"That Chen Jiutian is certainly getting a good deal. He’s actually going to receive your guidance, Old Ancestor. I bet that stingy fellow Feng Wushang, the Hall Master of the White Tiger Hall, has never even given him any pointers."
Wen Cangyuan stood up and waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, that’s enough brown-nosing.
I’m old. With age comes a lack of energy. I’m going to go catch up on some sleep. You all get to it."
With his hands clasped behind his back, Wen Cangyuan walked toward the rear of the great hall.
He was rather looking forward to the moment Chen Jiutian would come up Yangshan Mountain to pay his respects.
At his age, he had long since grown indifferent to things like gold, silver, and jewelry, or power and women.
He had already handed over the position of Sect Leader more than a decade ago.
But there was one thing Wen Cangyuan still valued greatly: the ’name’—his reputation.
This Chen Jiutian was currently ranked thirtieth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings; in the future, it was naturally possible for him to climb even higher.
If he showed goodwill today, offering encouragement and guidance, then in the future when Chen Jiutian rose higher on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, his own name would surely be mentioned in the annals of the young man’s life.
"You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours." This had been the way of the Jianghu since ancient times.
Sometimes, when one encountered a talented junior and offered some guidance, it wasn’t for any tangible reward. It was simply for the sake of one’s reputation.
His, Wen Cangyuan’s, lifespan was nearing its end. He didn’t have many years left. All he sought now was a legacy to leave behind.