“It’s different,” Mei Qing exclaimed in surprise, asking, “Master, what exactly do you mean by ‘different’?”
Ning Gu slowly shook his head and said, “I can’t quite explain it either. But I know you are different from all of us. It seems… you are not from this world. Your life seems to have come from somewhere else.”
Mei Qing was deeply startled, staring at Ning Gu, unable to speak for a moment. The others, hearing Ning Gu’s seemingly absurd words, also looked at Mei Qing in astonishment.
Ning Gu spoke gently, “Young Master Mei, I’ve shared all my experiences with you. As for any insights you may have, there’s no rush to discuss them now. I shall wait here. When you recall anything, please come and tell me. However, I fear my time is limited, so I hope you won’t let an old man wait in vain for the rest of his life.”
Having spoken, Ning Gu quietly stepped aside, gently inserting the wooden stick he held into the ground before him. He then closed his eyes, sat cross-legged on the ground, and remained silent.
That man, still not speaking, glared hatefully at Mei Qing, glanced at the others, and followed Ning Gu to one side, squatting behind his master.
“Haha…” Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from the side.
Following everyone’s gaze, Tao Zhongwen reappeared before the group.
“It’s different,” Tao Zhongwen nodded, looking at Mei Qing, “Yes, different. This young man, Mei Qing, is truly someone not to be underestimated.”
Tao Zhongwen looked at Mei Qing with a mixture of admiration, hatred, and helplessness, then turned to Lu Bing, Zhang Jingding, and others, saying, “Originally, this was a matter within our sect, but unexpectedly it has drawn the attention of Minister Lu and all the esteemed Daoist friends here. Better to meet than to invite. Although it’s an internal matter of our sect, unfortunately, my younger brother here has somehow been misled by wicked people. Today, with the presence of all of you to bear witness to this internal affair, it’s actually a fortunate occurrence.”
Liu Xing, hearing this, angrily said, “Second Senior Brother, don’t try to pass this off as an internal sect matter. What exactly do you mean by that? And what do you mean by saying my younger brother has been misled by wicked people? Today you’ve gone to such great lengths, inviting the two elders from Shangqing and Lingbao Sects, and even the Mongolian Shaman Great Wizard, just to bring outsiders into our sect’s affairs and accuse me?”
Tao Zhongwen shook his head repeatedly and said, “Where did you get such an idea? Matters within the sect should naturally be handled according to the sect’s rules. As long as my younger brother is willing to heed my advice and abandon his stubbornness, where is the question of accusation?”
Liu Xing snorted and said, “Senior Brother, you keep saying this is for the sake of the sect, but Mei Qing, this young man, although having some connection with our sect, has nothing to do with it, right? Don’t tell me you came here not for Mei Qing!”
Tao Zhongwen burst into laughter and said, “Younger Brother, you are still so confused! Do you really think Mei Qing has absolutely nothing to do with our sect?”
Just then, suddenly a hoarse voice shouted, “You old Taoist priest! What nonsense are you spouting? How did my apprentice get involved with your sect?”
With this voice, a patch of rosy clouds suddenly appeared in the eastern sky.
As the clouds gradually approached, they became increasingly radiant with auspicious light and brilliant colors.
When they drew closer, everyone discovered that it was actually a magical artifact resembling a cluster of auspicious clouds. As it neared the group, Mei Qing faintly sensed that it was composed of a formation of spells. The artifact radiated a continuous flow of spiritual energy outward, clearly serving as a means of travel and protection.
In the blink of an eye, the auspicious clouds arrived in front of Liu Mansion and suddenly vanished, revealing several figures at the scene.
Leading them was a figure dressed in tattered old Daoist robes, holding a large gourd of wine, and pointing at Tao Zhongwen, shouting, “You old Taoist priest, you don’t have an apprentice, so you come to steal someone else’s? My disciple, Mei Qing, is my legitimate apprentice, having completed the拜师ceremony and offered the traditional wine; no one can deny this! How come, when you arrive, you try to claim my apprentice as part of your sect?”
Among the crowd, aside from Mei Qing, only Lu Bing knew of the existence of Zhang Shisan, and thus, upon seeing his appearance and manner of speaking, immediately recognized him. The others, however, had no idea where this strange person had come from.
Just now, hearing Zhang Shisan repeatedly call him a “Taoist priest,” many of the people present, being Daoists themselves, were not pleased with his words. But upon taking a closer look, they saw that he too wore Daoist robes, albeit tattered, so they could only remain silent. Although Zhang Shisan’s appearance was unremarkable, the others could faintly sense his high level of cultivation. A few top experts among them, like Tao Zhongwen and Zhuo Wanchun, felt that his cultivation level was strangely familiar, suggesting he might be from a renowned sect. Observing the people behind him, many of whom were well-known figures and even leaders of their respective sects, they dared not treat this strange man lightly.
“This Daoist friend…” Liu Xing, being the host of the gathering, naturally had to step forward first to greet any newcomers, whether friend or foe. Thus, he stepped forward, bowed to Zhang Shisan, and asked, “My name is Liu Xing, and I am honored to be the host here. May I ask for your honorable name and from which sect you come, and what brings you here?”
“Me?” Zhang Shisan pointed to his red nose and said, “My name is Zhang Shisan. As for why I’m here—” he glanced at Mei Qing and continued, “someone is trying to steal my apprentice, so naturally, I’ve come to settle the score!”
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and appeared ready to fight at the slightest provocation.
Seeing this, everyone began to laugh. Tao Zhongwen’s smile vanished, and he couldn’t help but show his anger, saying, “Who exactly are you? Coming here pretending to be mad and causing trouble! I, the True Person, have important matters concerning my sect to discuss with the friends of the Daoist world. I won’t tolerate such nonsense!”
“Important matters?” Zhang Shisan blinked his eyes and said, “Friends of the Daoist world? Are we not part of this world? Are we not considered Daoists?”
As he spoke, Zhang Shisan turned to Mei Qing and said, “Apprentice, come quickly. Today, your master has brought all the uncles and elders of the Daoist world for you to meet. In the past, when I took an apprentice, they never had the chance to meet, so today you can get to know them. Hmm, if you want any welcome gifts, you’d better ask now.”
Everyone could only smile bitterly. Mei Qing hurried over as Zhang Shisan introduced each person behind him. After the introductions, Mei Qing realized that his master’s words were indeed true; these people were indeed of great importance.
As mentioned earlier, during the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Liuxun unified the Daoist world, and the Celestial Masters’ sect became the leader of all Daoist sects. However, although the various sects followed the Celestial Masters’ leadership, they were not disbanded. The people present today were all leaders of these sects.
Zhang Shisan introduced them one by one, and among them were representatives from the Tianxin, Qingwei, Donghua, Taiyi, Jingming, and other sects. Although these sects were not as prominent as the Three Mountains, they were all authentic sects that had been famous in their regions for hundreds of years. Finally, two individuals were introduced: one was Wu Ding Zhenren Li Daoding from the Louguan Sect, and the other was Zhao Xin Deng, the leader of the Southern School of the Golden Elixir Sect.
Mei Qing quickly stepped forward to greet them one by one. Although Zhang Shisan’s earlier words about “welcome gifts” were meant as a joke, each of these people actually presented him with a gift solemnly. Fortunately, Mei Qing had a composed demeanor; he accepted each gift calmly, showing no sign of embarrassment.
“Alright, everyone has met my apprentice now. Let’s hear how this Master Dian is going to talk about my apprentice.” After Mei Qing finished receiving the gifts, Zhang Shisan coughed and shifted his gaze toward Tao Zhongwen.
Tao Zhongwen forced a smile on his face but was secretly cursing. Although he had heard that Mei Qing had some kind of master-disciple relationship, he was unaware of the exact details and had not taken it too seriously. Today, seeing this strange old Daoist priest, aside from being alarmed by his profound cultivation, he was even more shocked by the power represented by the people behind him.
Tao Zhongwen was from the Plum Blossom Sect, but for the convenience of his activities in the imperial court, he had not publicly revealed this identity. After all, many people knew about the Plum Blossom Sect’s challenges to various sects in the past. Moreover, the Plum Blossom Sect had only emerged since the time of Plum Blossom Daoist, and was not considered a top-tier sect. In the Daoist world, where lineage and background were highly valued, it was not worth boasting about.
Therefore, although Tao Zhongwen was honored as the National Teacher, the Daoist community did not hold him in high esteem. Even though the imperial court had revoked the title of Celestial Master more than a decade earlier and granted Tao Zhongwen numerous other titles, the Daoist community still did not regard this Dian Zhenren (Perfect of the Hall) as highly esteemed.
Today, this old Daoist priest had brought a group of Daoist figures to challenge him, clearly showing no respect for the National Teacher. How could Tao Zhongwen not be angry? However, this old Daoist priest was not well-known, yet he had managed to gather so many sect leaders at once. Mei Qing had such powerful backing, how could Tao Zhongwen not be alarmed?
“Apprentice?” Although Tao Zhongwen was taken aback, his expression remained calm as he turned toward the various sects and said, “Esteemed Daoist cultivator friends, I am Tao Zhongwen, the Imperially Bestowed Dian Zhenren, and the current National Teacher of the dynasty. I have come today concerning an internal matter of our sect. Daoist Friend Zhang Shisan repeatedly insists that Mei Qing is his disciple…”
“Amitabha, Excuse me, Master…” Suddenly, a distant Buddhist chant came from afar. Everyone was startled and turned their gaze to the west.
After a while, a red cloud slowly rose from the west. The cloud seemed slow but was actually fast, and soon arrived in front of Liu Mansion, the smoke dissipating to reveal several bald-headed monks.
Leading them was none other than Master Ku. Glaring angrily at Zhang Shisan, he said, “Old goat, trying to monopolize the apprentice while I’m away? Not a chance!”
Then, he raised one hand in a Buddhist salute and bowed to everyone, saying, “I’m afraid you all have been amused. This old monk is Hua Yan Ku Toutuo, and I have come for my unworthy disciple, Mei Qing.”
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