Yinshan Record

Chapter 546 Inquiry into the Source of the Meditation Center (Part 2)
“Master, please come with me.”

Lu Chuan led the way, guiding Su Che to carefully observe the area inside the Zhixin Temple.

"The setup within the temple is somewhat related to the abbot. The array formations and restrictions here were all personally arranged by Master Wei back then. Although there is no manifestation of the power of wind and thunder, the sect's methods are indeed imbued within this world. All of our sect's methods are twice as effective with half the effort. As for external enemies, no matter what kind of Taoist arts and supernatural powers they use, they are like mud oxen entering the sea or water entering an oil pot, unable to show their subtlety."

Su Che nodded slightly. The layout of Zhixin Temple was like a mountain hidden in the clouds and mist. Its momentum was vast and connected to the earth's veins, yet it did not show itself outwardly. It was truly a case of great sound being silent and great form being formless, which secretly conformed to the laws of the Xuanmen.

"There is an Ancestral Hall inside the temple, which contains the tablets of the Supreme Taoist Ancestor and the Five Emperors of the Five Directions from ancient times. According to the rituals of the temple, three sticks of incense must be offered on the first and fifteenth of each month. However, there is no need to trouble the abbot with such a small matter. I can do it for him."

Lu Chuan led Su Che to a quaint little building in front of them. Inside, there was an incense table with no fruits or other offerings, just an incense burner. Behind the table, there were no statues or murals, just a few memorial tablets in the center.

At the very top is the memorial tablet of the Supreme Dao Ancestor, and below it are the names of the five unlucky souls from the ancient Heavenly Court. There is no memorial tablet for the Yellow Heaven Dao Ancestor himself.

This arrangement confirmed a suspicion in Su Che's mind: Huang Tiandao was indeed a remnant of the ancient Heavenly Court; otherwise, why would he need to worship the names of those five?

"Behind the Ancestral Hall is the alchemy room, where elixirs are refined; behind the alchemy room is the training room..."

As Su Che listened to Lu Chuan's introduction, he noticed that this small Zhixin Temple was well-organized and had everything one would expect.

"...The most important thing is this Reception Tower. If there is a decree issued from within the sect, or if fellow disciples descend to the mortal realm, they generally have to go down from this tower."

As the old Taoist priest Lu Chuan spoke, he glanced at Young Master Su.

Clearly, Su Che is outside of this "ordinary".

However, Young Master Su was very composed and seemed oblivious to the old Taoist's implied meaning. He simply exchanged a few jokes and then got straight to the point about his trip.

"There's no time like the present. Actually, there's something important I need you to answer for me."

Young Master Su gazed at the sun on Mount She, where the essence of the sun's fire descended along with the heavenly light, and purple clouds rose and fell from the mountain.

It is indeed a sacred realm of immortals, a secluded paradise.

“Just give the order, Abbot, and Lu Chuan will do his utmost.”

Su Che looked at the old Taoist priest beside him.

This old Taoist priest is a local resident of Jiankang City and has connections with all the major powerful families. If there are any secrets, he should be the one who knows them best.

"Before I became a disciple of my teacher, I was quite a troublemaker in Jiankang City."

“The abbot is naturally free-spirited and does not adhere to worldly etiquette; he is a born Taoist.”

"I was seriously injured back then, and you suffered a lot. However, I still have many questions about what happened back then."

Back then, a turmoil occurred in Jiankang City. The former incarnation of the Third Young Master Su was caught in a fight and crippled. Old Su went to great lengths to save Su Che's life.

Huang Tiandao had intervened during the initial treatment, and as the only disciple of Huang Tiandao at Zhixin Temple at the time, Lu Chuan should obviously be credited for this achievement.

However, Su Che himself was blinded by his own involvement, and when he looked back, he always felt that things were shrouded in mist and he couldn't see many things clearly.

Previously, due to insufficient cultivation and an unstable foundation, he could only grit his teeth and endure this karmic entanglement. Now, as a human being of the Yellow Heaven Path, with multiple forces involved behind him, his cultivation has reached the pivotal stage.

Moreover, the Su family of Duling has already launched an attack, and together with their fellow townsmen, the Wei family of Duling, they are manipulating events at will, changing the landscape of Jiankang City once again.

As times change and the world evolves, it's time for this cause and effect to come to a conclusion.

"Regarding the matter of that year that the abbot asked about, I only know a little bit about it."

Lu Chuan briefly recalled the events, then began to recount them in detail. It wasn't exactly new for Bai Lu Dong to use the pretext of a "tyrant's destiny" causing chaos in the world to search for such destinies. Not to mention the major esoteric sects like Xuan Du Palace, Huang Tian Dao, and Tian Shi Dao, there were countless legends circulating even among ordinary people.

Regardless of the Xuanmen's attitude towards Bailudong's actions, the human court naturally offered its full support.

As the saying goes, "It is better to kill the innocent than to let the guilty go free." Naturally, the court was happy to see these "tyrants" who could potentially shake the court emerge from Bailudong to fight.

That's the general structure, but there are quite a few contradictions in the details.

To put it simply, if an ordinary person from the streets were to be targeted by the White Deer Cave gang, that would be one thing. But what if someone supposedly destined for power had a powerful background?
If a member of the royal family happens to be destined to be a hegemon, how would White Deer Cave handle that?

People may face many calamities and misfortunes, but their luck may also turn around. You never know, someone might just be destined to rule from the south.

Or perhaps there is a naturally born hegemon among the powerful clans, and you, Bai Lu Dong, are willing to be the villain and act as a front man, while the court is willing to influence the current political situation for a vague destiny.

Therefore, Bailudong had to be mindful of the proper conduct.

The key point is that although the former Third Young Master Su was indeed burdened with the destiny of the Azure Dragon of the Six Directions, the White Deer Cave should not be touched, and the imperial court completely regarded this Azure Dragon of the Six Directions as fake.

As for the Su family, it's best if the Third Young Master goes free to do as he pleases, indulging in hunting, womanizing, bullying men and women, living a life of debauchery, and engaging in lewd behavior in broad daylight... In short, the Third Young Master Su is better off comfortably being a libertine and not causing trouble for anyone.

If one is so happy that one's legs go weak all day long, then the Six Harmonies Azure Dragon is just a limp little snake, and everyone will just laugh it off.

This was the norm, and a tacit understanding between the Su family, Bailudong, and the imperial court.

But this tacit understanding is ultimately just that—a tacit understanding.

On the day the Third Young Master Su had his accident, the expert sent by the Su family to protect him in secret suddenly ran into trouble on the way and was lured away.

While Su Che was acting recklessly, there just happened to be a group of young heroes from Bailudong nearby.

On this very day, Grand Tutor Yuwen of the Northern Dynasty marched south, and Old Su went north to confront him. On this very day, many demons appeared around Jiankang, and almost all the experts in the Imperial Guard were wiped out.

On the same day, a master from Bailudong happened to be stationed in Jiankang City. He happened to take away the life of the Six Harmonies Azure Dragon of Young Master Su, and also happened to save Young Master Su's life, preventing his three souls from returning to the underworld and his seven spirits from falling into the Yellow Springs.

Such a coincidence is so great that it cannot possibly be a coincidence at all.

Upon hearing this, Su Che couldn't help but want to laugh.

The White Deer Cave gang acted meticulously; no wonder Old Su didn't turn against them back then.

After all, given the circumstances at the time, we should thank them for sparing the life of our predecessor.

Even the Third Young Master Su thought of the lines from the White Deer Cave.

I was the one who hit the person, I was the one who took their fate, but I was also the one who saved them. The one who hit them was a junior member of the sect. Whether you kill them, torture them, or even exterminate their entire clan is up to you. I was wrong in this matter, but your third young master is still alive, and your eldest and second young masters are still alive. Surely you wouldn't turn against us over something like this?

Didn't I already apologize?
The fact that Bailudong was able to survive in the Central Plains for so long shows that they had the resources to establish themselves.

Su Che couldn't help but continue his deductions.

If it weren't for their own takeover, the mysterious Zhongyuan's interference, and Yu Lizi's recruitment into the Huangtiandao sect, where he personally taught them secret techniques... all these coincidences combined to bring about their current turnaround.

This matter will inevitably be left unresolved.

This Bailudong Cave is truly remarkable.

(End of this chapter)