Perhaps you are all wondering who the late Master’s close companion was, the one who dared to commit such a treacherous act against him,” Tao Zhongwen said, his voice quickening with emotion. “Actually, we ourselves didn’t know much about him.”
As he spoke, Tao Zhongwen turned his gaze toward Liu Xing and sighed. “People often refer to the ‘Six Plums’ of Mei Hua Zhenren’s disciples, assuming that we are his six apprentices. But that’s incorrect. We are actually only five siblings in total. Our eldest brother was the former national master Shao Yuanjie, I am second, the third brother is the lord of this estate, Liu Shuxing. Then there is the fourth brother, Duan Jiyong, and the youngest, Mei Wuduo. Just the five of us. The other person was actually a servant who followed the Master closely, known as Anu.”
“It was precisely this Anu—who was not technically a disciple, yet had been with the Master the longest, receiving his teachings and care—who ended up killing our Master!”
After Tao Zhongwen spoke, the crowd’s expressions grew even more puzzled. According to Tao’s account, Anu was not a formal disciple of Mei Hua Fan Wentai, yet had followed him for a long time, learning from him. But earlier, Tao had also mentioned that even the disciples themselves didn’t know much about Anu. So who exactly was this Anu? And what connection did he have with Mei Qing, who had clearly been targeted earlier?
Liu Xing looked directly at Tao Zhongwen and asked, “Second Senior Brother, these are all secrets of our sect. Perhaps there’s no need to reveal them to the fellow cultivators here?”
Tao Zhongwen shook his head. “Third Senior Brother, there’s nothing that cannot be spoken of openly. These are not shameful things. Besides, now that the Master has passed away, the eldest brother and the youngest sister have also died. If we still cling to old sect traditions and keep things half-hidden, how can we gain the trust of the cultivation community? Today, I have decided to reveal the Mei Hua Sect to the entire cultivation world, to preserve the Master’s reputation and establish our sect’s rightful place.”
At this moment, the Wuding Zhenren, Li Daoding, spoke again, asking, “Master Dian, you keep saying that this Anu killed your Master, yet you also say you didn’t know much about him. So how exactly did the incident happen back then? How did your Master die, and what does it have to do with the previous Celestial Master Zhang Yuchong?”
Tao Zhongwen bowed respectfully to Li Daoding and sighed. “Wuding Zhenren, you may not know this, but the Master was very strict with us apprentices, so many matters were not for us to question. Later, the Master withdrew into seclusion in the mountains for a period of time, and the eldest brother and I left the mountains to travel. It happened that the emperor valued Daoism and met us brothers by chance, greatly praising the eldest brother. Thus, the eldest brother entered the imperial court to teach the emperor about alchemy, which led to him being named National Master. I remained by my brother’s side, also receiving the emperor’s favor, which kept me entangled in worldly affairs for several years.”
Upon hearing this, some in the crowd showed disdain, others wariness—reactions varied.
Since ancient times, cultivators have often acted contrary to ordinary people, frequently relying on worldly power, especially the strength of the nation’s fortune, which is considered most important. A recent example is how Zhang Liusun of the previous dynasty used the Yuan Empire’s might to suppress southern Daoist sects, forcing Mount Mao and Gezao schools under the Celestial Masters.
However, while gaining power through national fortune brings rapid rise, its decline is equally swift once the nation’s fortune wanes. Thus, those who rely on state power inevitably tie their fate to the nation’s rise and fall. Yet no dynasty lasts forever. Daoist sects typically endure for centuries, even millennia, far outlasting dynastic changes. Therefore, most prominent sects usually avoid such risks.
But Zhang Liusun’s actions often defied expectations. He used Yuan power to prosper the Celestial Masters, yet separately established the Xuan sect, becoming its leader and making it the state religion. At that time, the Celestial Masters resided in Longhushan, while the Xuan sect leader resided in the capital, making them sister sects. When the Yuan dynasty fell, the Xuan sect sacrificed itself to protect the Celestial Masters, ending in one generation.
This way, the national fortune passed to the Celestial Masters, but when the Yuan fell, the Xuan sect took the fall. This clever substitution surprised all Daoist sects. Looking back, they could only admire Zhang Liusun’s cunning and foresight.
Now, hearing Tao Zhongwen reveal that Shao Yuanjie and himself were both from the Mei Hua Sect, serving as two generations of national masters, and that they now clearly intended to establish the Mei Hua Sect within the Daoist community, naturally caused great concern among the crowd.
Tao Zhongwen continued, “Regarding the previous Celestial Master Zhang Yuchong, although I was at court at the time, I didn’t interact with him much. But the eldest brother often spoke highly of him, praising his profound cultivation. However, once, I was in deep meditation for a crucial stage, so I hadn’t gone out for quite some time. When I finally emerged, having gained some progress, I suddenly saw the eldest brother appear, looking anxious. He said that Zhang Yuchong had failed to bring rain and was stripped of his title by the emperor. Rumors spread that the failure was due to Mei Hua Fan Wentai interfering behind the scenes. Enraged, Zhang Yuchong investigated the Master’s whereabouts and set out to confront him…”
As he spoke, the expressions of the cultivators gathered became unusually calm, as if hearing something very familiar.
Mei Qing looked around at the crowd and easily noticed how forced their calmness was. Recalling their earlier analysis, the failure to bring rain likely involved many participants. Although the actual culprits remained unknown, those present today surely had at least heard rumors. Their current overly calm reactions, showing no objection to Tao Zhongwen’s account, were quite abnormal—clearly revealing their nervousness.
Realizing this, Mei Qing glanced toward Zhang Shisan. He knew Zhang was originally from the Celestial Master sect and might have some connection with Zhang Yuchong. He wondered if Zhang would object upon hearing this. But to his surprise, Zhang merely drank heartily from his gourd, seemingly not even listening to Tao Zhongwen’s words.
“At that time, we were all very anxious but didn’t know the Master’s current situation. My brother and I quickly sent word to the third brother and immediately set out to return.” Tao Zhongwen shook his head regretfully as he continued, “We were too naive back then, thinking that perhaps Zhang Yuchong just wanted to confront the Master for an explanation. We never imagined, never imagined… sigh—”
Liu Xing listened to Tao Zhongwen’s words, frowning slightly, but after glancing at him a few times, he remained silent.
After a pause, Tao Zhongwen continued, “When we returned to the sect, we found the Master wasn’t in the mountains. Even the fourth brother, who usually served him, was absent without any message. We tried contacting the Master through spiritual senses and telepathy but got no response. Only then did we begin to grow anxious. The third brother was also delayed, so eventually, my brother and I decided to search separately.”
“At that time, my brother went south, and I went north. Driven by urgency, we both rushed forward without regard for stealth. I was heading north deep into the mountains when suddenly I received my brother’s telepathic message. There was a surge of spiritual energy at a cliff by the river in the south, seemingly from the Master. Upon hearing that he had already rushed there, I quickly sped up my flight. But along the way, I received no further reply from my brother, and a sense of foreboding grew in my heart.”
“I hurried as fast as I could and reached the riverside, only to be shocked.”
“The place was called Yumu Terrace, originally a lush hillside. But when I arrived, the entire hill had been completely leveled. There, two figures were locked in aerial combat!”
“These two were none other than the eldest brother and Anu!”
As Tao Zhongwen said the name “Anu,” although his expression remained calm, his voice clearly carried deep anger and hatred. Evidently, even after all these years, the resentment had not diminished.
“At that moment, I was shocked and immediately asked, ‘Eldest Brother, Anu, what’s going on? Where is the Master?'”
“The eldest brother cried out, ‘Second Brother, hurry! This ungrateful traitor has killed the Master!'”
“My mind went blank, and I froze completely. Only after the eldest brother called me twice did I regain my senses. Seeing Anu attacking viciously, clearly aiming to kill, and wielding two unknown magical artifacts exuding sinister energy, while the eldest brother was barely holding his ground, I quickly rushed forward to help. Unexpectedly, Anu was extremely fierce. Although the two of us fought together, the eldest brother had already been wounded by a sneak attack earlier, so we couldn’t gain the upper hand.”
“But Anu’s attacks grew increasingly sinister. Finally, the eldest brother, desperate, activated a secret technique, sacrificing his cultivation base and risking his soul, managing to injure Anu and destroy his artifacts. Seeing the situation turn against him, Anu had no choice but to flee. My brother and I chased after him, and only then did I ask my brother what had happened.”
“It turned out that the eldest brother had been searching southward and, when nearing that location, sensed an unusual spiritual fluctuation that felt familiar. While sending me a message, he hurriedly rushed over. When nearing the area, he discovered that the Master was actually engaged in battle with someone—none other than Zhang Yuchong, who had recently lost his title as Celestial Master.”
“The eldest brother observed from afar, seeing that the Master was clearly gaining the upper hand. Anu was watching nearby. Before the eldest brother could approach, he saw the Master use a forbidden sect technique to break through Zhang Yuchong’s protective talisman, subduing him on the spot.”
At this point, the crowd’s expressions shifted—some showed doubt, others admiration. Although Zhang Yuchong, as a Celestial Master, might not have been the most powerful cultivator in the world, having held his title for so many years, he was certainly no ordinary figure. If Mei Hua Zhenren had defeated him, it wouldn’t be surprising. But to break through his defenses and subdue him directly—this level of cultivation clearly surpassed Zhang Yuchong by a significant margin.
“However, just at that moment, an unexpected catastrophe occurred.”
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