Yinshan Record

Chapter 550 What to do when the fish won't bite the bait (Part 1)
As the sun sets in the west and a bright blue moon hangs high in the sky, the night deepens.

The autumn moon shines brightly, and the frost is hidden, making it another cool autumn night.

However, there was a flaw: a strange blue cloud drifted over Jiankang City, drawing away the moonlight and taking most of the moon's radiance away from the world, leaving only a little moonlight to be scattered among the people.

If an ordinary person were to look up at the moon, they wouldn't notice any change in the moonlight. But if a cultivator happened to be in Jiankang City, they would probably be cursing under their breath. And the various government offices of the Great Liang Dynasty would likely have officials rushing forward to question them about their crimes.

It's just a pity that nowadays...

The capital city's gates were tightly shut, the Censorate pretended to be deaf and dumb, and Wei Huaiwen was conducting military drills, which the imperial guards paid no attention to.

There was no one left to meddle in this.

In a secluded garden in Jiankang City, milky white broth simmered in a bronze stove, sliced ​​lamb rolled around in the pot, and several scholars toasted each other, exchanging a few words of ancient Buddhist Zen and discussing the mysteries of the universe for a while, quite relaxed and carefree.

In terms of cultivation level, the most advanced among these individuals has at least mastered the Rejuvenation Pill, while the least advanced has already achieved Qi Refining, all of whom are capable of abstaining from grains.

But the refreshing taste in the cup, the rich and savory flavors in the oven, the fresh river delicacies on the plate, and the delicious taste on the chopsticks are all so irresistible. It is truly easy to attain supernatural powers, but difficult to sever worldly desires.

"This person is showing off his skills so much, he really doesn't care at all about how others perceive him."

Someone put down their wine cup and looked up at the sky above.

"Ok?"

The person sitting at the head of the table is Yu Ze, who is an old acquaintance of Su Che. When Su Che first took office in Shanyin County, Yu Ze was Su Che's superior.

As the maternal uncle of the crown prince, Yu Ze also benefited from this political upheaval, being directly promoted to the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary, becoming a figure in the central government who was in charge of the affairs of the royal family.

In the newly formed power core comprised of the new emperor, Su Shi, and Wei Huaiwen, Yu Ze, who has connections with everyone, plays a crucial role in connecting the dots.

"It's just guiding some moonlight cultivators, what's so special about that?" A scholar-official chimed in, his tone turning sinister. "Do you all know what's being said in Jiankang City these days?"

Before anyone else could ask a question, he spoke directly.

“Wei Su in the south of the city is only five feet from the sky. He is no more than five feet away from the Ninth Heaven. What’s wrong with taking a little of your moonlight?”

The residences of the Su and Wei families are both located in the south of the city, and there's more to that story than meets the eye.

In Jiankang City, the imperial palace is located to the north, and the closer a family's residence is to the imperial palace, the better. However, the residences of the Wei and Su families are both in the south of the city, which precisely indicates that these two families have just risen to prominence and still lack the foundation and influence of the major clans.

One of the elders reached out and slapped the table.

"Newcomer to the household, arrogant and impolite."

Whether this line refers to Su San, who is receiving the moonlight in heaven, or someone else, is something only those of you present can guess.

The atmosphere was a little awkward for a while.

"It's interesting."

Yu Ze put down his wine glass and spoke.

The group of scholars put down their wine cups, but their eyes kept glancing at Yu Ze at the head of the table.

Although these people did not come from prominent clans such as the Langya Wang clan, the Chenjun Xie clan, the Taiyuan Wang clan, the Boling Cui clan, or the Zhaojun Li clan, they were still established aristocratic families, whose members had held high positions and were now the backbone of the court.

"In the past, the Wang and Xie families held immense power, and there was a joke that the Wang and Xie families shared the world. Now, it is said that the Wei and Su families in the south of the city are only five feet away from the sky. It has always been the practice of our dynasty for powerful families to control the court. As the saying goes, the holy emperor can govern the world by doing nothing."

Yu Ze laughed and said, "The Prince of Langya and the Xie of Chenjun, aren't they also newly arrived from humble beginnings? Given time, who knows how far your families might rise from the heavens?"

This statement was well-balanced and effectively brought the topic back on track.

"It's remarkable that this Su Sanlang, despite only being at the Core Formation stage, was able to absorb about 70% of the moonlight over Jiankang City..."

Yu Ze looked at a sprightly old man beside him.

"Master Ge, you are also a Core Formation Realm cultivator, how could you possibly collect the moonlight to such an extent?"

“In the practice of Xuanmen (mystical sects), collecting the essence of the sun and moon is an indispensable step.”

The scholar-official, known as Master Ge, slowly stroked his long beard and said, "To my shame, if I were to collect the moonlight, there are hundreds of moonlight rays over Jiankang, and I would only be able to take five or six at most. Yet this young man from the Su family was able to absorb seventy percent of it, which shows his extraordinary magical power." After he finished speaking, the group of scholars looked at each other in dismay. This Master Ge was an old master of the Xuan Yin lineage who had traveled in the East Sea for many years. Even he praised Su Che in this way, which made the group feel a renewed sense of despair.

Old Su is already making everyone feel inferior; if we add Little Su on top of that, how will they ever get ahead?

"With the bright moon in the sky, let us fireflies seek refuge for now."

Yu Ze remained completely calm and poured himself another cup of wine.

"Gentlemen, there's no need to be discouraged. In terms of lineage, this person is said to be the reincarnation of the ancient Azure Emperor; in terms of discipline, he is a direct descendant of the Yellow Heaven Path..."

Yu Ze then changed the subject again.

"Besides, he is a member of the Xuanmen sect, a deity from beyond the heavens, and sooner or later he will have nothing to do with us. If you ask me, I would rather he be a genius unlike any other in history, so that we can offer incense to him before the Dao Ancestor morning and night, and look forward to his success every day."

"What does the Chamberlain mean by this?" "We old folks can let it go, but if we don't fight him for this, are our younger generations going to be crushed by him?" "Alas, the political situation has changed drastically, now is not the time for jokes."

Looking at the old men who all looked like bitter gourds, Yu Ze cleared his throat.

"Gentlemen, if he were to attain immortality tomorrow, would he still have the time to stay cooped up in Jiankang City?"

"What the Attendant-in-Ordinary means is..."

"The Xie family also has a sword immortal. Did the Xie family borrow someone else's unparalleled sword energy, or were they bullied to a pulp? How many of the old men in the Xie family dare to wander around the East Sea?"

Yu Ze, however, seemed to have come to terms with it: "A genius is like a dragon swimming in the ocean; he will never stay idle in a pond. Guarding the house is a business that we poor, unfortunate people in the middle of nowhere have come up with."

The scholars and officials looked at each other, knowing full well the principle, but finding it difficult to accept at the moment.

There are indeed brilliant geniuses among the various powerful families, but those geniuses are incomparable to the petty scheming and self-serving schemes of their own families.

Ultimately, it was these people—not geniuses, but not mediocre—who managed the family business.

"In that case, I will also offer a few sticks of incense to this young Su."

The scholar-official named Ge looked up at that blue cloud.

"Standing alone in the clouds, laughing proudly in the sky, I yearn for it, but my body cannot reach it."

Another sigh of lamentation followed.

"Mr. Ge, you're being a bit fake."

Yu Ze smiled and drank a cup: "Who doesn't know that you just married a younger woman last year? Work harder to give the younger generation in the clan a few grandfathers so we can go and mooch a share of the wedding feast."

Just as they were joking around, someone below suddenly said something.

"The moonlight is everywhere, why must we come to Jiankang Heaven to gather the moonlight?"

“Demonstration? With Old Su here, and besides, this guy has even killed the king and attempted assassination, why bother with anything else?”

Yu Ze looked down at the group of people below who were deep in thought.

"To my shame, I was once Xiao Su's superior, and I had no dealings with him..."

Yu Ze recalled all the things that had happened to Su San Gongzi in the past.

"In my humble opinion, if this person insists on making a fuss, it's usually not for anything good..."

"Oh?"

"I'm afraid they're hiding some dirty scheme to trick us. Gentlemen, after we finish this drink, please go back and restrain your children. In the current situation, let's be patient for the sake of the country."

"I will follow your orders, Attendant-in-Ordinary." "Don't worry, Lord Yu, I will send all those troublemakers in the gate to the ancestral hall to copy scriptures."

Yu Ze touched the sweat on his forehead.

"Alright, alright, thank you all for your hard work."

(End of this chapter)