Chapter 30 (1/2)
Chapter 30
Shen Qiao said, “I’ve heard about this genius that Yi bi+chen took in as a disciple in his late years since a long tiy in h and learnt by heart every single script in the Chunyang Daoist Te him to the public, Yi bi+chen sent hiions around the Kunlun MountainsLooking at it now, Yi bi+chen is indeed very forethoughtfulHe has spent ten years polishi+ng this swordOnce it is unsheathed, its splendor is guaranteed to shi+ne!”
Yan Wushi+ asked curiously, “You always like to be the good guyAfter this event, Mount Xuandu ht even lose its title as the ‘Nuave Li Qingyu such high praiseDo you not feel sad for your junior brother’s great loss and the humiliation your sect has suffered?”
Shen Qiao replied, “Yu Ai is rather conceited and tends to be extre if he learns his lesson this ti stays as the top foreverThere are ups and downs for a sect as well as a person”
Yan Wushi+ laughed, “You’re indeed quite lighthearted”
Shen Qiao asked, “Didn’t you say there was good news and bad news? What’s the good news?”
“I already said the good newsLi Qingyu stole Mount Xuandu’s lireatly eood news for you?”
Shen Qiao felt a bit speechless“What about the bad news then?”
“The bad news is that what’s been concerning you has coht actually have a deal with Tujue”
Shen Qiao frowned at his words“How so?”
Yan Wushi+ deliberately paused for a good whileIt wasn’t until Shen Qiao couldn’t help but lean forith an eager expression did he finally explain slowly, “Right after the Jade Terrace Conference, Erfu Khan’s envoy arrived at Mount Xuandu and asked if they could send a preacher to Eastern Tujue”
Shen Qiao knitted his brows even tighter
Yan Wushi+ asked, “You knoho Erfu Khan is?”
Shen Qiao nodded silently
He didn’t spend all this tiy of the Ver an eye on the major events around the world
With Tujue being a powerful country nowadays, even Northern Zhou and Northern Qi had to feign civility when dealing with themBut Tujue’s social and political systeh Taspar Khan was already the highest ruler of Tujue, he also appointed his nephew and younger brother to supervise the Eastern and Western Tujue areas respectively
And this Erfu Khan of the Eastern Tujue was exactly that Taspar Khan’s nephew, Shetu
It was said that he was an extreacity were not any less than his uncle Taspar Khan’s — he was a person destined to rise above the ordinary
Mount Xuandu was thousands of miles away from Tujue and hadn’t been involved in secular affairs for yearsIt naturally stirred up a lot of speculations when Mount Xuandu started establishi+ng a connection with Tujue immediately after it reopened itself to the publicIt at once reminded Shen Qiao of Yu Ai’s scheme with Kunye to make him fall off the cliff
But what benefits could a close relationshi+p with Tujue bring to Mount Xuandu?
Shen Qiao said, “He’s asking a tiger for its skin”
Yan Wushi+ chuckled, “Not necessarilyWith Tujue being so powerful right now, anyone who doesn’t want to start a war has to make a concessionDidn’t the Emperor of Zhou marry his Empress from Tujue as well?”
Shen Qiao shook his head“The Emperor of Zhou seized his power froned for many years since thenHe must have experienced all kinds of difficult situations alreadyI heard that in order to break free fro Lady Ashi+na coldlySo he’s a wise h Yu Ai is also a smart man, Mount Xuandu has secluded itself for too many yearsNot to mention that he is also overly confident about himself that he even wants to cooperate with the Tujue people, I’ harm to himself”
Yan Wushi+ picked up the invitation which he left on the table not too long ago and pressed it against Shen Qiao’s chest“Now you’re but a castaway disciple in the eyes of Mount XuanduWhy even bother with it? Here’s an invitation to a birthday partyI don’t have time for it, but I’m sure you’ll be interested”
The candle light was dim, and Shen Qiao didn’t open his eyes to read itHe took the invitation and felt it with his hands for a whileHis fingers were extremely delicate and smoothFrom the thin layer of ink alone, he had already discerned the two characters on it –Su Wei
He tilted his head and asked puzzledly, “I don’t recognize the name”
“Su Wei, also known as Su Wuwei, is the Duke of Meiyang District, a position which he inherited frohter, a relationshi+p which should have implicated him, but he is rather talentedThe Emperor of Zhou, who always favors talented people, wants to make use of his talentsTherefore, he is able to stay unaffectedHowever, he declined the offer, saying he was too ill for it, and studied at home insteadHis mother’s fiftieth birthday is in two days, and even the Eifts on his behalf”
“However,” he suddenly changed the topic, “Su Wuwei has a brother named Su Qiao who’s actually a martial artistGuess who his master is”
Seeing that the other person was listening attentively, he tried to grab Shen Qiao’s hands to play with once more
But Shen Qiao ell-prepared and decided that he ht as well put his hands behind his backAfter a while, as if he found this action a little childish, he moved them back to the front and hid them inside his sleeves instead
Yan Wushi+ clicked his tongue, “I offered you food and a place to live and provided you with so y that you won’t even let me touch your hand!”
Shen Qiao was not moved by him at all: “There are countless beauties within the residence ould beto come up and serve you if Sect Master Yan lets them”
“Ah-qiao, you’re such a boring person!”
Despite the complaints, he still told Shen Qiao: “Su Qiao studies under the Chunyang Daoist TempleHe’s the senior yu who lost to Yu Ai”
Shen Qiao thought for amartial artistsEven I have heard about hi much about this Su Qiao”
Yan Wushi+ explained, “He was born into an aristocratic fayuSince Su Qiao and Li Qingyu are ht show up to Su Wei’s mother’s birthday party the day after toed all of Mount Xuandu by himself and nearly beat your brother?”
Shen Qiao felt the writing on the invitation with his hand, then nodded slightly“I seeMuch thanks, Sect Master Yan”
Shen Qiao felt the writing on the invitation with his hand, then nodded slightly“I seeMuch thanks, Sect Master Yan”
Yan Wushi+ laughed, “I’ve never dealt with the Su Fah position, they had to send over an invitation for the sake of itIf you decide to go with ift on h civility”
It was strange for someone like him to take notice of the probleht into it: “Alright”
…
Su Wei was born into the Su Family in the capital, a branch of a family that was considered notableHis Father, Su Chuo, was an important official of the Western Wei, and his as the daughter of Yuwen HuSpeaking of it, she was actually the Eh the Emperor of Zhou had sent Yuwen Hu to his death, he didn’t involve the latter’s faood care of this niece of his
At that tie connections with the royal household, and the Su Family was no exceptionIt was Su Wei’s evityHorses and carriages ca a traffic jamThe Su Family had to send out a person to control the traffic so as to not block the other passengers on the road
Shen Qiao cae from the Residence of the Junior Preceptor iuests inside
Yan Wushi+ didn’t hold any actual position that dealt with political affairs in the i Moon SectIt was said that the sect helped a lot in killing Yuwen Hu and successfully seizing the powerSu Wei was a typical scholar-officialHe wasn’t interested in politics, but he didn’t want toan invitation to Yan Wushi+ was but an act of courtesy — he didn’t expect someone from the Residence of the Junior Preceptor to actually show upAfter hearing the news, he iuest himself
The ot down, Su Wei was somewhat taken aback
Despite the few contacts he had with Yan Wushi+, he knew the person in front of his eyes was definitely not him
“May I ask who this is…?”
“I’m Shen QiaoSect Master Yan went to the Palace upon His Majesty’s orderI’ve come over to send wishes on his behalfHopefully, Official Su wouldn’t mind”
With his words, in addition to the carriage of the Residence of the Junior Preceptor he had arrived in, Su Wei was finally relieved and laughed, “I seeMister Shen, this way please”
He had welco deep inside
Yan Wushi+ was fro Moon Sect was regarded as a demonic sect by many people–this he had heard about from his brother Su QiaoBut the person in front of him didn’t seem like aa little sickly, he still looked sage-likeCould he be souished intellectual whom Yan Wushi+ was friends with?
He was not the only person onderingThe guests, seeing that the host had gone out to greet a blind man personally, were just as curious
In Northern Zhou, Yan Wushi+ was a name that could strike people’s ears like the roar of thunder, but only a few had actually ht Shen Qiao was the Sect Master of the Cleansing Moon Sect when they saw hi next to Su WeiWhen they saw that even Princess Qingdu, as known to be rather serious and reserved, went over to talk to hirew even more curious
Because of Su Qiao, not all guests present were officers from powerful families — there were some martial artists as well
The leader of the Chunyang Daoist Temple didn’t coyu had created a great sensation a few days ago at the Jade Terrace Daoist Conference on Mount XuanduThere was not one person who hadn’t heard of his na the potential of replacing Mount Xuandu, everyone wanted to seize the opportunity to hty, so a lot of people had gathered around him as well
Su Qiao and Li Qingyu had quite a close relationshi+pWhile the foryu to et to present his ilists
Shen Qiao politely declined Princess Qingdu’s invite to sit closer and rened him
Since he represented Yan Wushi+, his seat surely wasn’t badThe guest next to hi that Shen Qiao had a probleirl to ht-hand side on Shen Qiao’s table so he could eat more easily
Shen Qiao appreciated his kindness, “Thank you so muchI’m Shen QiaoMay I know your name?”
The other person laughed, “You’re very welco favor from meAll I did was throw in a few sentencesI’m from the Puliuru ClanMy name is Jian”
Puliuru Jian was sitting next to Shen Qiao, but he didn’t ask Shen Qiao for his status or background, nor did he show any curiosity or concern over Shen Qiao’s eyesHe only talked about the host, Su Wei, saying that he was a talented and renowned man as also an expert in poetry and lawThere was a lot of admiration and respect in his words
Since they were talking about literature, they could not really avoid touching upon topics regarding the different schools of thoughtsNorthern Zhou was heavily influenced by Buddhis was even given the position of the Great PreceptorNoith Yuwen Yong on the throne, despite his efforts of trying to clear Yuwen Hu’s influence, the people’s bias toward Buddhis that could be eliminated within a short amount of timePuliuru Jian was a Buddhist hiainst itHe was obviously surprised by Shen Qiao’s profound insight on DaoismAfter they chatted for a while, he already felt like he was in sync with the person
After they had becoain sent sohout the entire capital, only a few can et to know theine how many people will be jealous of you if they knew about this”
Shen Qiao said, “I must have amused Brother Puliuru”
Puliuru Jian continued, “I heard that Su Wei’s brother, Su Qiao, is fro Daoist TempleThat must be the reason why so many martial artists have shown up here today”
Shen Qiao asked, “Brother Puliuru knows them all?”
Puliuru Jian replied, “I used to ad a life free of constraints, and I even spent a few years loafing about on horses trying to be like thenize a few faces”
Shen Qiao asked, “Then could Brother Puliluru introduce them to me?”
Puliuru Jian replied briskly, “No problem!”
He then started pointing people out to Shen Qiao, “Su Qiao you already know, and next to hiether they are referred to as the Two Jades of Qingcheng, although in terhtly more famousYou must have heard about his ioThe one talking to thenan SectThe Zhongnan Sect is but a s is also the descendent of a noble faainst himAs for the person in yellow next to him, his name is Dou Yanshan”
Shen Qiao let out a surprised gasp, “The chairman of the Six Harmonies association?”
“Exactly”
“Exactly”
That night in the Beyond Clouds Monastery, et their hands on the Book of Free Will of The Strategy of the VerHowever, what the Six Harmonies association had taken pains to escort was smashed to powder just like that by Yan Wushi+It was true that Yun Fuyi and the others also heard what Shen Qiao had read aloud, but after they returned, how could they guarantee there was no mistake in what they had written down? Yan Wushi+’s action had successfully put people’s trust to trial ー Dou Yanshan must have hated him to the bones
Seeing that it was not Yan Wushi+ but Shen Qiao who had walked in, he only cast a glance at Shen Qiao and re over to exchange courtesies
Puliuru Jian continued, “Zen Master Xueting was once granted the position as the Great Preceptor by Yuwen HuBecause of this, even though Yuwen Hu is already dead, there is still a deep connection between him and the Su FamilySo to say, he should have come today, but so a disciple over, which is rather strange”
“And the man and the woman over there should be from the Jade Cloud Sect of Mount Tai and the Glass Palace of Fangzhang IslandThose two sects have a good relationshi+p with the Chunyang Temple, and they probably showed up because of it”
“The rest are nothing re them wouldn’t help you much, so I won’t waste my breath on them”
Actually, a the people he didn’t mention were also a lot of experts ere quite famous in the circle, but they all becaoverns” — this rule in the pugilistic world was expressed to its fullest at this ht be like a duck in water on their own small pieces of land, but the people Puliuru Jian dealt with on a daily basis were all experts from the top class of the Zhou, so it was natural for hi of those