Chapter 617 - 617 2 Returning to the Mountain_2
617: Chapter 2 Returning to the Mountain_2 617: Chapter 2 Returning to the Mountain_2 “Too expensive!”
Another Jianghu wanderer frowned and said, “One hundred copper coins, is your story really worth that much money?”
“Expensive indeed has its reasons,” replied the storyteller.
“Although I’m no master, I ride the carriage to True Hidden Peak at the Sword Palace back and forth every day, I have made dozens of trips.”
The old man raised his eyebrows and said with deep meaning, “Princes and generals, can anyone have such a seed?
Da Sui Sword Palace accepts disciples without questioning their origin or background, as long as they can pass the trials…
they can be allowed entry into the sect.
I heard recently that the examiner for recruiting disciples at True Hidden Peak has been replaced.
The new examiner is a junior brother of Xie Zhen, and with the current tumultuous situation in Jiangning, everyone is denouncing Xie Zhisui, yet no one knows the whereabouts of Xie Zhen.
The entire Da Sui Sword Palace, from top to bottom, is seeking information.
This examiner has announced that anyone who can provide news regarding the departure of the Fan Yin Temple delegation from the Li Kingdom will be considered for entry into the sect.”
Having said this,
the carriage fell into silence.
A few young people looked at each other.
Just as they were conflicately deliberating whether to grit their teeth and spend the money, a young man dressed in black sitting by the window spoke up.
“Just one Silver Tael?”
All eyes turned towards the window seat.
At this moment, everyone remembered that in the midst of the noisy and lively carriage, there had been such a quiet and reticent person present.
The carriage had been traveling for more than ten miles, and this young man seemed to have never spoken before.
Because of his ordinary appearance, no one had paid him any attention.
“One Silver Tael, fair to all,” the old man said with a smile, but his words were cut off before he could finish.
The black-clad young man conjured out a Silver Tael as if by magic and threw it over.
…
…
After returning to Chu Country, Xie Xuanyi communicated his “all is well” message with the Lotus Token.
Knowing that he is safe and sound,
the Law Enforcement has put his mind at ease, and the whole Sword Palace has become much more stable.
Following the docking of the Purple Green Treasure Ship in Jiangning,
Xie Xuanyi did not stay to watch the drama unfold, but left immediately, heading north, returning to Da Sui Sword Palace.
On this journey,
Xie Xuanyi traveled slowly, deliberately using the “All Living Beings” disguise to conceal his face, journeying through his once homeland.
Jiangning remained unchanged, the hometown was the same, but with all familiar faces gone, there was nothing left to long for.
In the end, he chose to board a carriage in a remote small town, leisurely heading towards Da Sui Sword Palace…
And then, there started this casual interest.
Unexpectedly to Xie Xuanyi, after giving out one Silver Tael, he actually heard the tale of his own battle with the Iron Cavalry on Qixia Mountain.
The old man seemed to possess some skill, as he recounted the battle as if he had witnessed it himself, describing it vividly, putting listeners right in the thick of it.
Everyone in the carriage was captivated.
The story came to an end.
The tale worth one Silver Tael stopped at the critical moment when Xie Xuanyi was battling the Iron Cavalry and managed to break through the encirclement.
“What happened next?”
The young man sitting next to Xie Xuanyi, at some point, had taken out a bag of sunflower seeds and had been snacking on them the entire journey.
Now, he eyed the old man eagerly, already preparing to reach into his pocket for some copper coins.
This story was too engaging.
He was willing to give some copper coins to hear the ending.
“There’s no more,” the old man said, spreading his hands honestly.
“No more???”
The others were infuriated.
Just as they were getting to the good part, the story stopped!
“Don’t be upset, my friends.
I’m just passing along what I’ve heard…”
The old man had already pocketed the Silver Tael and now showed an ‘I’m untouchable’ attitude, “That’s all I’ve heard at that time.”
“Then, what happened to Xie Zhen?
Did he die?” the young man asked eagerly.
“Of course he’s alive!”
The old man rolled his eyes and pointed not far off to the Sword Palace gates, “If Xie Zhen died in Da Li, do you think the Sword Palace would still look like this?
The Pure Yang Sect Leader and the Tongtian Law Enforcement would surely have turned Yuan Province upside down!”
“But how did he survive?”
The young man was confused, “With so many Iron Cavalry surrounding him, how did he come back to life?”
“That, I do not know…
If you gentlemen have the chance to be admitted to Da Sui Sword Palace, you might as well go and ask the Little Xie Mountain Master himself,” suggested the old man, smiling and giving a respectful bow.
The carriage stopped.
Ahead was the gate to Da Sui Sword Palace, and the Guiding Envoy from True Hidden Peak was waiting not far away…
Next would be the trials to enter Da Sui Sword Palace.
The young men one by one left the carriage.
The old man, however, did not move an inch.
He leisurely spread his arms, ready to enjoy the spacious carriage on his own.
The next thing he knew, he was set to return to where he came from on this horse-drawn carriage.
“Huh?”
The old man blinked.
In the carriage, everyone else had left, except for this young man in black.
“The story of Xie Zhen is quite well-told.”
Xie Xuanyi threw out a second Silver Tael, calmly stating: “Telling stories is not easy, this is for your effort.”
“Heh, thanks, young master…”
The old man accepted the Silver, bit it with his teeth, thanked the giver, and then asked with surprise: “With the young master being so rich, why squeeze in with us poor souls for?”
The carriage was noisy with people and filled with disagreeable scents.
The old man lifted the carriage curtain and pointed at the white cranes flying by, clucking his tongue in admiration: “Just by spending ten Silver Taels, you can have an Immortal Master from True Hidden Peak come on a white crane to guide you.
Even if the trial fails, they will transport you back home, and with such action, you’ll surely gain prestige throughout the ten-mile radius.”
Xie Xuanyi smiled, “That’s too ostentatious.”
“Ostentatious is not good?”
The old man grinned and said: “How many people long to be ostentatious just once in their lifetime.”
Xie Xuanyi shook his head, not saying much, merely flipping a third Silver Tael.
This time.
The old man didn’t accept it.
“You have money, young master, but you should still be economical.”
Instead of sitting askew, he earnestly scrutinized the young man in front of him, and the air around him gradually changed.
“The Imperial City Department deploys ‘Iron Eyes’ throughout the land, mingling within the marketplace.”
Xie Xuanyi slowly stated: “Naturally, the Book Tower won’t sit by idly.
Before Chen Jingxuan took over, Yan Xin in the Great Chu Four Realms was already sponsoring orphans, nurturing Hidden Guards as informants.
More than half of the Book Tower’s Hidden Guards were recruited from the inconspicuous ones, these illiterate people, in turn, became the most potent force the Book Tower gathered in the worldly society.”
“Your Excellency has quite the discernment.”
The old man became defensive, he released his Divine Thought but couldn’t penetrate the depth of this young man.
Wait a minute…
A thought suddenly rose in his mind.
Without waiting for the old man to continue.
“The punishment for Prince Jiangning has yet to be declared.”
Xie Xuanyi smiled and said: “The quietness of Ren Shou Palace signifies that this turmoil is gradually receding, the Book Tower will not stand by idly.
No matter what, they need to fan the flames, and the best way…
is to publicize the success of the envoy’s mission in exterminating the enemy bandits.
Will this story, perhaps in a few days, become popular throughout Jiangnan?”
The old man’s eyes brightened, and he carefully ventured: “Little Xie Mountain Master, you’ve returned?”
“It’s me.”
Xie Xuanyi said calmly: “Where did you hear this story from?”
“Every Book Tower Investigator has a copy.”
The old man grinned, implying a hint of pride: “You are right, in a few days, this story will spread across the Four Realms, and by then, the heroic achievements of Mountain Master’s battle with the Li Kingdom’s Iron Cavalry…
within the streets and alleys of Da Chu, everyone will know!”
Xie Xuanyi rubbed his eyebrows.
Manifesting divinity before the public.
This matter, while of interest to others.
Having lived a second life, he wasn’t particularly eager…
However, this was indeed what the Book Tower needed to build momentum.
To make Prince Jiangning experience “pain.”
This flame of Jiangning needed to be stoked even higher.
“Oh, right.”
Seeing that Little Xie Mountain Master didn’t seem happy, the old man hurriedly added: “When the Book Tower’s Investigators were handing out the tasks, they mentioned that the story was compiled by a person surnamed ‘Iron’.”
“Surname Iron?”
Xie Xuanyi paused, then a touch of relief appeared in his eyes.
The only ones who could know the details of the battle at Qixia Mountain so clearly were those who had experienced the events firsthand.
That day.
The Yuanzhou Iron Cavalry surrounded Qixia Mountain.
He had fought with all his might, drawing away the Iron Cavalry, dispersing the envoy.
The monks of Fan Yin Temple suffered grievous casualties.
Iron Eyes also disappeared without a trace.
Now that this story had spread, it must mean that Iron Eyes had survived and escaped.