After leaving Youjiao Bu, the three brothers, acting like thieves, quietly crossed mountains and ridges. Only after distancing themselves from the continuous mountain range did they find mounts and ride away at full speed.
Humans have two legs, horses have four legs, trekking over mountains and wading through rivers…
Kunling Mountain is located in the southern part of the Yin Kingdom. It is a region of magnificent mountains and rivers, with thousands of peaks, endowed with spiritual beauty and ever changing grandeur. Originally named Qianling Mountain, it was later renamed Kunling Mountain to avoid a naming taboo after the Nether Sea Immortal Mansion opened, the Demon Realm instantly became sacred, and the sacred land was called Qianliu Mountain.
After cultivators skilled in spiritual plant cultivation occupied this place to establish a sect, Kunling Mountain became not just a mountain name, but also the name of the sect.
Kunling Mountain has been passed down for a millennium. It is the number one spiritual plant sect in the world, enduring without decline!
The Morning Sun Assembly is held once every twenty years. One hundred and seven assemblies have been held so far, and Kunling Mountain alone has hosted ten of them. The prestige of the number one spiritual plant sect in the world is self evident.
The one hundred and eighth assembly has once again been designated to take place at Kunling Mountain.
With the assembly approaching, which concerns the sect’s reputation, everyone from top to bottom in the sect dares not make any mistakes and has been preparing half a year in advance.
For such a grand event, it is said that even the Emperor of the Yin Kingdom might come to witness the spectacle.
This situation is not unprecedented. Among the Morning Sun Assemblies hosted by Kunling Mountain, six have been attended and supported by successive emperors of the Yin Kingdom. However, since the current Emperor ascended the throne, this is the first time Kunling Mountain is hosting it.
Whether they can invite His Majesty the Emperor to show his support is seen by outsiders, and even by Kunling Mountain’s own people, as an indication of the Yin Kingdom court’s attitude towards Kunling Mountain.
Although a millennium old sect enjoys great prestige, it actually has its own difficulties. The royal family both courts them and, to some extent, continuously suppresses them.
More importantly, the current Emperor’s power is extremely strong, largely because he has a very good relationship with the Commander of the Great Enterprise Department. The Empress plays a role in this, as she is the junior martial sister of that Commander.
Because of this, the Emperor bestowed the title of Earth Master upon that Commander, meaning the Master of the Earth!
Interestingly, the supreme figure in the cultivation world of the Jin Kingdom, who was bestowed the title of Earth Mother by the Jin Kingdom court, is also the junior martial sister of the Earth Master.
In other words, the Earth Master, the Earth Mother, and the Empress of the Yin Kingdom are originally martial siblings from the same sect. It is just that now the regions are clearly divided, and the hostility is obvious.
This means that for this grand event, as long as Kunling Mountain can invite the Emperor, the Empress might come along, and it is even possible that the Earth Master could be invited.
It is said that for this assembly, Kunling Mountain paid a considerable price to secure the hosting rights, and the Sect Master has repeatedly expressed the intention to invite His Majesty the Emperor well in advance.
As for whether the Emperor will travel all this way, the outside world does not know. However, the court’s three hundred thousand strong army has already been deployed around the perimeter of Kunling Mountain to assist with this assembly.
Hearing these chirping discussions from others around them.
The three brothers, Yu Qing and his companions, sitting at a roadside tea stall, slowly drank tea and chewed on snacks while pricking up their ears to listen to various discussions.
They were currently in a small town near Kunling Mountain.
The small town also presented a rare liveliness. Garrison troops and various outsiders gathered, creating a mixed bag of people and a surge in foot traffic. Many resources were also converging here. The town merchants made a fortune, and the townspeople and nearby villagers also enjoyed a brief period of having no worries about food and clothing.
The three brothers had travelled unhurriedly and leisurely all the way here. There was only one month left until the assembly began.
In fact, those who wanted to attend the assembly could already register.
Talents from all over the world were rushing to Kunling Mountain. The distances varied, and it was inevitable that some would arrive early. Allowing registration a month in advance was also a gesture of hospitality. After registration, Kunling Mountain would properly arrange accommodation and meals for the guests.
The three brothers were in no hurry to register. They strolled here slowly precisely to gather more information about the relevant situation. Rushing blindly into the number one sect in the world without any preparation would definitely be inappropriate.
Of course, travelling slowly had another advantage, which was saving a lot of money.
Secondly, they had not yet decided exactly how to sneak into Kunling Mountain.
If they registered normally, they dared not use their real identities. They now had some self awareness, knowing that while their skills were not great, their reputation was already quite large. Using their real identities would immediately get them targeted. Getting entangled in trouble would be a minor issue, they were worried about being killed.
After all, Zheluo Mountain and Kunling Mountain were both in the spiritual plant circle. Who knew if people from Zheluo Mountain had come this time.
If they fabricated an identity to enter, they dared not register too early, fearing that the organisers would have ample time to discover that their identities were problematic.
The situation they had gathered along the way had truly frightened them a bit.
This kind of assembly was far more eye catching than they had imagined. Since even the Emperor might come, the scrutiny of the attendees’ identities was naturally beyond their imagination. With the reach of an empire, no matter where they claimed to be from, they had to perfectly fabricate the lie about their place of origin, otherwise it would be easily discovered.
Therefore, after thinking it over, they still leaned towards sneaking in as menial workers.
It was said that during the assembly, some people were allowed to enter as menial workers. Firstly, the scale of the assembly was too large. No matter how big the sect was, it did not have such abundant manpower and truly needed some external help.
Secondly, there were cultivators who did not register or participate in the competitions but wanted to go in to watch the grand event and the matches.
This was also a convention. After all, there were numerous cultivation sects, big and small, and too many people tried to pull strings with the organisers. Rather than offending too many people by refusing, it was better to establish rules.
For the stable holding of the assembly, those allowed to enter and do menial work were generally disciples of various sects, meaning they had a sect to vouch for them.
There were also non sect disciples who entered, but that required a considerably powerful guarantee.
At this moment, the three brothers sitting by the roadside drinking tea set their sights on a burly, not very tall, bearded man across the street.
They saw the man burp after eating and drinking his fill, wipe his greasy mouth, throw a silver ingot on the table, and shout loudly, “Keep the change.”
Amidst the shopkeeper’s repeated thanks, the man stood up with his bulging, overstuffed belly, put his hands behind his back, and strolled down the small town street humming a tune.
Nan Zhu immediately signalled to Yu Qing about the silver ingot the shopkeeper took, whispering, “See that? He is generous with his money.”
Yu Qing also asked in a low voice, “Who would openly shout on the street that they have connections to get people into the Morning Sun Assembly? Are you sure he is not a scammer?”
The target they were tailing was someone they had discovered by chance, named Cao Wei. They had heard him boasting to others that he had connections to get people into the Morning Sun Assembly, claiming his uncle was the Sect Master of the Zhengyang Sect, and that if he spoke to the Zhengyang Sect to vouch for some people to enter the Morning Sun Assembly to watch the fun, there would definitely be no problem.
Of course, he would not help for free, he would charge money.
Nan Zhu chuckled, “This is where you do not understand. For this kind of thing, if someone acts sneaky and secretive, it is actually more suspicious. Look at where we are. For this kind of thing, who would dare to openly swindle people? They would be tired of living. Fifteenth Brother, speaking of this kind of jianghu experience, to say something you might not like hearing, you really are not as good as me. You are still a bit green.”
Yu Qing naturally did not like hearing this, and his face immediately darkened. “What does experience have to do with it? Suspicious is suspicious.”
Nan Zhu reached out and patted the back of his hand on the table, smiling. “I knew you would not like hearing it. Do not worry, stay calm. What kind of person am I? I am not someone who would easily jump into a pit. I have not been messing around blindly these past few days. I have kept a close eye on him. Guess who he associates with on a daily basis?”
Yu Qing did not respond, waiting quietly, knowing his mouth would voluntarily spill the beans.
Sure enough, Nan Zhu asked and answered himself, “The commander of the garrison camp outside the town. They are very close. I have personally seen him casually enter and exit the garrison camp several times. Could such a person be a scammer? Besides, for those who want to get in like us, I have personally seen him send two groups into Kunling Mountain, and they went in without any obstruction. Furthermore, I have found out that there is indeed a Zhengyang Sect within the Yin Kingdom, and the sect is not small in scale.”
Compared to the first two discoveries, whether there was a Zhengyang Sect or not was actually unimportant. What mattered was achieving their goal.
Yu Qing’s expression softened. He glanced at Cao Wei’s receding figure and tilted his head, signalling to follow.
Leaving the tea money, amidst the shopkeeper’s farewell of “Take care, honoured guests”, the three of them stood up one after another and walked quickly towards the other end of the small town street.
Hurrying as much as they could, they finally caught up with the strolling Cao Wei.
Nan Zhu quickened his pace first, leaned close to Cao Wei, and whispered a few words to him. Cao Wei immediately looked around, then followed Nan Zhu into a nearby alley. Nan Zhu simultaneously waved to Yu Qing and Mu Aotie, beckoning them into the alley as well.
Cao Wei looked the three of them up and down, put his hands behind his back, and hummed, “It is a good thing to want to enter the Morning Sun Assembly to broaden your horizons, but I wonder if you know the going rate?”
Nan Zhu cupped his hands and smiled ingratiatingly. “It is precisely because we do not know that we are seeking you out. We heard you have a way. Please tell us about the going rate.”
Cao Wei looked down his nose at them. “Thirty thousand taels per person. Pay ten thousand taels as a deposit first, and make up the remaining twenty thousand after being sent in. No bargaining, and absolutely no credit.”
That meant ninety thousand taels in total. The three brothers looked at each other, none of them willing to pay this sum.
“If you cannot bear to part with the money, why are you babbling blindly? You are wasting my time.”
Cao Wei said disdainfully and turned to leave.
“Misunderstanding, it is a misunderstanding.” Nan Zhu quickly grabbed him, and then he and Mu Aotie both looked at Yu Qing. Everyone understood what this meant.
Yu Qing’s face immediately looked unpleasant, but since he was the Sect Master, and it was he who had implicated the two of them in the disaster at the Earth Spring, he ultimately reached into his clothes and pulled out a thirty thousand tael bank note. When Cao Wei reached out, he pulled it back. “What guarantee do you offer? If I give you the money, what if you deny it later?”
Cao Wei’s face immediately darkened. “Are you out of your mind? There is no guarantee for this matter, no receipt will be issued, and no evidence will be left. If it works, it works. If it does not, it is your own fault for taking the risk. Absolutely no refunds. If you trust me, give the money. If not, forget it.”
The other party’s toughness actually made Yu Qing feel a bit more reassured. Coupled with Nan Zhu’s reassuring hint of tugging his sleeve, Yu Qing ultimately gave the money to him.
Having received the money, Cao Wei’s expression improved. He hummed, “Rest assured, we have a bottom line when taking money to get things done. I am going to the garrison camp outside the town right now to smooth things over. The entire perimeter of Kunling Mountain is under martial law by the court’s forces. We have to smooth things over.” He shook the bank note in his hand, hinting at his intention.
He then added, “Let us meet at the southern gate outside the town at dusk. Barring any accidents, I will get you into Kunling Mountain by evening.”
Having said this, he stuffed the money into his sleeve and turned to leave.
That was thirty thousand taels of silver. How could the three brothers feel at ease letting someone just walk away with it? They ultimately followed him secretly.
Fortunately, Cao Wei did not seem to break his word. He indeed went straight to the massive military camp outside the city, where weapons stood like a forest. Just as Nan Zhu had said, he merely exchanged a few words with the guards and went in. It seemed his connections were indeed extraordinary.
Inside the central command tent, the guest and host had switched places. A grey haired eunuch in brocade robes sat in the main seat, drinking tea. His wrinkled face exuded a grim and murderous aura.
The military commander in charge of the area, on the contrary, stood with his hands bound at the lower position.
Following an announcement from outside the tent, Cao Wei, who usually gave off the air of a good for nothing, entered with a completely different demeanour. He glanced at the person sitting above with some surprise. He did not recognise him, but knew he was no ordinary person. He quickly lowered his head, walked up to the commander, presented the bank note with both hands, and reported, “Three more have arrived.”
The commander turned his head and signalled to the deputy general, “You handle it yourselves. Keep it quiet.”
Thus, the deputy general and Cao Wei both withdrew.
The eunuch in the main seat put down his teacup and asked indifferently, “What is the matter?”
The commander hurriedly replied, “Reporting to the Supervisor, in accordance with your orders to clear out those with ill intentions around the perimeter of Kunling Mountain, three more people have walked right into our trap. We are preparing to take them in for severe interrogation.”
The eunuch nodded slightly.
The commander looked up again and tentatively asked, “Could it be that His Majesty will be attending in person?”
The eunuch immediately cast a cold glance at him. “Is this something you are allowed to ask? Regardless of whether he comes or not, the Holy Will has its own decision. All you need to do is try your best to clear the perimeter in preparation.”
“Yes.” The commander bowed to receive the order.