ATPnovel Chapter 76 The Altar of Justice
Chapter 76 The Altar of Justice
The two reached a fork in the road, and Zhang Lin stopped.
"Go back and rest. Tomorrow, an elder will be giving a sermon at the Dharma platform. If you are interested, you can go and listen."
"Although registered disciples cannot enter the preaching platform, they can still learn something by listening outside the door."
Yu Youwei nodded: "Okay."
She turned and walked towards courtyard number 83. After a few steps, she stopped and looked back at Zhang Lin.
"Young Master Zhang."
"Um?"
"I will continue to read that scroll."
Zhang Lin nodded slightly: "See? You've finished looking at it. I have more to say."
A strange look flashed in Yu Youwei's eyes, but she didn't say anything more and turned to leave.
Zhang Lin stood there, watching her figure disappear at the end of the bluestone path.
The morning breeze rustled the branches and leaves of the osmanthus tree.
He withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards his own courtyard.
------
Inner Gate, Crimson Cloud Peak.
Zhou Mingxuan's cave dwelling is located deep in a bamboo forest.
The cave dwelling was small, but exquisite and elegant, with green bricks and gray tiles, flying eaves and upturned corners. Several green bamboos were planted in front of the door, and under the bamboos was a small well with gurgling spring water.
Disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage are considered the backbone of the Danxia Sect. Although the cave dwellings they are assigned are not as good as those of the core inner disciples, they are still far superior to those of the outer disciples.
The cave dwelling was simply furnished.
A rosewood wooden table, a few chairs, and a landscape painting hanging on the wall.
On the table sat a bronze incense burner, with sandalwood burning inside, and wisps of smoke rising from it.
Zhou Mingxuan sat behind the table, holding a scroll of alchemical texts in his hands, engrossed in reading it.
He appeared to be in his late twenties, with a handsome face, striking eyebrows and bright eyes. He wore a white brocade robe, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist, and exuded an extraordinary air.
At the early stage of Foundation Establishment, spiritual power is contained and the aura is calm.
The curtain was lifted, and a young Taoist boy in gray robes walked in, bowing and saying, "Young Master, Young Master Mingyuan has arrived."
Zhou Mingxuan put down the alchemy scripture and said calmly, "Let him in."
A moment later, Zhou Mingyuan walked in.
He changed into a brand new brocade robe, his face was rosy and he looked radiant, completely different from Zhou Mingyuan who had been ashen-faced yesterday.
"Brother," Zhou Mingyuan said respectfully, cupping his hands in greeting.
Zhou Mingxuan glanced at him and pointed to the chair opposite him: "Sit."
Zhou Mingyuan sat down, took out a letter from his sleeve, and presented it with both hands.
"This is what my uncle asked me to bring to my brother."
Zhou Mingxuan took the letter, opened it, and read it carefully.
The letter was short, only a few lines long, but it concisely recounted what had happened in Qingxuan City: Zhang Lin's identity, his victory in the alchemy competition, his killing of the Qi Refining Perfection assassin, his seizure of the Blood Fiend Flag, and the Zhou family's countermeasures.
After reading the letter, Zhou Mingxuan placed it on the table and remained silent for a moment.
"A late-stage Qi Refining expert killing a Qi Refining Perfection expert?" he said calmly. "This person does have some skill."
"Brother, this person should not be underestimated," Zhou Mingyuan said. "Mingxuan said that this person is no ordinary person. If we do not get rid of him as soon as possible, he will become a great threat."
Zhou Mingxuan glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Remove it? How do I remove it?"
Zhou Mingyuan was taken aback and said, "Mingxuan means that your brother has connections in the sect, which makes it difficult for him to move an inch. He's assigned to remote caves, given the worst spiritual herbs, and given the hardest and most tiring tasks..."
"And then what?" Zhou Mingxuan interrupted him. "If he leaves Danxia Sect because of this, will we kill him outside?"
Zhou Mingyuan nodded.
Zhou Mingxuan shook his head, picked up the teacup on the table, and slowly took a sip.
"Mingyuan, you underestimate the Danxia Sect."
He put down his teacup, his gaze calm.
"The Danxia Sect has been established for eight thousand years, with strict rules and regulations, and is far more complex than it appears on the surface."
"Although I am an inner disciple, I dare not openly bully outer disciples. If someone finds a pretext to do so, I will be fined or expelled from the sect."
"Then what does the elder brother plan to do?" Zhou Mingyuan asked anxiously.
"No rush," Zhou Mingxuan said calmly. "He's in the open, we're in the shadows. There are plenty of ways to deal with him; I don't need to do it myself."
He looked at the gray-robed Taoist boy standing by the door.
"Ah Fu".
The gray-robed Taoist boy quickly stepped forward: "What are your orders, young master?"
"Go and investigate where that outer disciple named Zhang Lin lives, who he usually associates with, what his hobbies are, what kind of cultivation techniques he practices, and find an opportunity to lure him out and see what kind of techniques he is good at."
"The more detailed the better."
Afu bowed: "I understand."
He turned and left the cave, his steps light and quick, disappearing into the depths of the bamboo forest in the blink of an eye.
Zhou Mingyuan watched Afu's retreating figure, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"Brother, what can a mere novice possibly find out?"
A slight smile appeared on Zhou Mingxuan's lips.
"Although Afu is a novice Daoist, he has extensive connections within the sect. He has acquaintances in the outer sect, inner sect, miscellaneous servants, and novice Daoists. It is not difficult for him to investigate a person's background."
He paused, then added, "Furthermore, there's no need for me to personally deal with an outer disciple; someone else will take care of it for me."
Zhou Mingyuan nodded thoughtfully.
------
The next day, at 3:45 AM.
Zhang Lin left the courtyard, called Yu Youwei to join him, and they walked along the bluestone path toward the Dharma platform.
The Danxia sect has eighteen outer peaks, and the place where he is located is called Cuiping Peak, located on the eastern foot of Danxia Mountain. The peak is gentle and covered with lush trees.
The buildings on the peak are built against the mountain, layer upon layer, arranged in a staggered and orderly manner.
The Fashuotai (Speaking Platform) is located halfway up Cuiping Peak. It is a two-story pavilion with blue bricks and gray tiles. A stone tablet stands in front of the door with the three characters "Fashuotai" written on it. The calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, and it faintly conveys the artistic conception of Daoism.
The outer sect elders preach three times a month, specifically on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of the month.
When Zhang Lin arrived, there were already twenty or thirty people sitting in the hall, all of whom were outer disciples, with cultivation levels ranging from the mid-stage to the peak of Qi Refining.
Some people sat in meditation with their eyes closed, some talked in hushed tones, and some read alchemical texts.
A bronze bell hangs in the hall, its body engraved with runes, but it has not yet been rung.
He found a futon in the back row and sat down, then settled Yu Youwei in the corridor outside the hall. It was the rule that registered disciples were not allowed to enter the hall, but could only listen in from outside the door.
Chen Boyuan entered through the side door, spotted Zhang Lin at a glance, sat down beside him, and whispered, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, you've arrived early."
Zhang Lin nodded slightly: "Good morning to you too."
Yu Youwei found a clean stone step under the porch outside the door, sat cross-legged, and could hear the sermon inside the hall even through the door.
After another incense stick's time, the disciples gradually arrived, numbering about forty.
"clang--"
The bronze bell tolled on its own, its sound like a clear spring striking stones, echoing throughout the hall.
An old man emerged from behind the hall. He was about fifty years old, with a thin face, three long wisps of beard under his chin, and wore a gray Taoist robe with a furnace pattern embroidered on the cuffs.
He walked steadily to the prayer mat in the hall and sat down, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
"My surname is He, and my given name is Chuan," the old man said. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Today I will explain the way of controlling fire with spiritual consciousness after opening the four acupoints and three gates. Please listen carefully."
Zhang Lin's heart tightened, and he sat up straight.
He Chuan extended a finger and pointed it in the air in front of him.
A wisp of azure spiritual light overflowed from his fingertips, like smoke and mist, slowly condensing in the air and transforming into the phantom of a three-legged alchemy furnace.
"In the art of alchemy, the most important thing is to control the fire," he said slowly. "If the fire is slightly off, the quality of the elixir will be a whole grade lower."
"If the heat is not controlled even slightly, the elixir will be ruined at best, and the furnace will explode at worst. Now that you have entered the Danxia Sect, you should know that controlling the fire is the foundation of alchemy. If the foundation is not solid, the earth will shake and the mountains will tremble."
He tapped his finger again, and a ball of crimson flame appeared out of thin air beneath the cyan cauldron phantom.