Yinshan Record

Chapter 554 The Night Battle on the Qinhuai River Reveals Clues (Part 1)
Amidst the swirling incense smoke, the City God sighed softly.

He knew that his cultivation had reached a critical bottleneck.

The path of the gods is so difficult to cultivate, just as the cultivation of the esoteric school emphasizes the struggle between heaven and man. The path of the gods is the same.

The foundation of spiritual practice lies in the incense offerings and vows of believers, and the shackles also originate from these incense offerings and vows.

Simply put, is the deity you create the one you see in your own heart, or the one your believers see in their hearts?

Without the power of incense offerings and vows, it is difficult to attain divinity. However, it is precisely because of these incense offerings and vows that you yourself are constantly being transformed and your spiritual path is changing.

The City God then knew that there was clear evidence in the Buddhist community of the Western Lands: a certain practitioner who vowed to achieve enlightenment through the divine path spent a lot of hard work and finally achieved a golden body.

But this was only the beginning of the ordeal.

That great master vowed to establish a lineage of Buddhism in the Central Plains, to move his temple there, and to lay the foundation for Buddhism in the Central Plains. And then...

His original golden body had three heads and six arms, with an angry appearance, signifying his ability to subdue everything.

However, in order to attract more believers, it was associated with wisdom and wealth, and as a result, it gradually evolved into the appearance of a woman.

In the end, because he also took care of children, he became involved in matters of marriage and relationships, and even left behind many legends of giving away his own body as alms.

Ultimately, his original intentions were incompatible with the divine way, resulting in his death and the dissipation of his spiritual essence, which then gave rise to many other deities.

The City God also had this kind of trouble. In the hearts of countless believers, he was the wise prime minister who founded the Great Liang Dynasty, the strategist who assisted Emperor Taizu in changing the world, and the important minister who later took charge of the court.

In fact, this is not the case at all.

When the emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty rebelled, this city god was just a hero who joined the uprising. He also had the ambition to become the emperor. He was not a strategist or a loyal minister, but a fierce general who owned his own business and could draw a strong bow on horseback and wield an axe to kill enemies on foot.

They were originally all heroes in a chaotic world, but their alliance was due to the circumstances. What talk of a harmonious relationship between ruler and subject?
If given the opportunity, the City God would certainly be happy to send the entire family of the Great Liang Emperor on their way, and then don the yellow robe and become the sovereign.

Later, there were several more power struggles in the imperial court. Although the emperor and his ministers eventually got along well, there was no shortage of underhanded infighting and bloodshed.
But ordinary people in this world are always willing to believe.

I believe the founding emperor must have been brilliant and illustrious, and that his ministers were all proud and noble. In particular, I believe the founding emperor must have been kind, honest, gentle, and respectful, and that he must have had a wise and almost supernatural strategist by his side.

Shit.

This was the City God's dilemma. He knew very well that if he were to abandon these thoughts, the living City God would be nothing more than a puppet shaped by boundless willpower, and would never be the same person he once was.

However, if he continues to persist, he will likely perish soon like that great Buddhist master of yesteryear.

This is the difficulty faced by those who follow the path of the gods.

"Let him be," he sighed softly.

The talisman of Wuwang within the pond slowly dissipated and vanished without a trace.

"It's still there after all."

Su Che sensed something. People in the divine path, influenced by the incense offerings of the human world, often have the problem of being somewhat rigid and inflexible. To put it simply, they tend to think things through less and lack spiritual insight.

The Wuwang Talisman from before was imbued with a faint divine thought of Su Che, and it also had a slight change in the power of the Yuan Magnetic Force.

Indeed, when it comes to drawing talismans, Young Master Su is a complete novice, but no one puts in as much effort as he does to figure out these cunning tricks.

Although the transmitted information was not very clear, Young Master Su was certain that the City God was in the mansion at the moment, and should have accepted his good intentions.

Being kind to others is the true nature of a gentleman.

Shifting his position, Su Che's shadow quickly disappeared into the night of Jiankang.

On the Qinhuai River, ten miles of red bridal processions and thousands of painted boats.

Since the previous dynasty, this place has been a favorite haunt of scholars, merchants, and tycoons.

After all, as the sage said, "Food and sex are human nature."

Food and sex are the greatest human desires. These are the most basic needs of life, and also the areas where we can find the most creative possibilities.

The Qinhuai River winds nine times, and there are countless famous flowers and beautiful trees. However, the most popular troupe recently is the Zhu Hua Troupe, which came from the north to the south. This group of women came from Yecheng in the north and were already famous in the court and among the people during the north. They frequented high-ranking officials and were well-known in the region.

Upon arriving in Jiankang, they became even more sought after due to their exotic charm. As the saying goes, wildflowers are more fragrant than garden flowers, and this is also true in the world of poultry; these migratory birds from elsewhere are often more popular than resident birds. Among them, the head performer of the Zhu Hua troupe was a courtesan named Zhen Ping'er, a stunning beauty who sold her art but not her body. Her jade flute playing was like that of a celestial being descended to earth. She was a key figure for whom people would pay a fortune for a single smile.

Today, even if Zhu Hua's class possesses unparalleled talent, they must make way for others.

At this moment, the Qinhuai River is brightly lit, and the surrounding area is filled with ordinary people and tourists who have come to watch. There are also wealthy merchants who have hired large boats, and amidst the crisscrossing oars and sails, two people stand holding swords.

The first one had her face veiled by a light veil, and had a slender figure. She held a short sword horizontally in her hand.

The other was wearing a straw raincoat, and a broadsword in his hand gleamed with an eerie light, with a ghostly shadow looming around it.

Is this...is this a sword fight?

Su Che looked at the noisy crowd in front of him; Jiankang City had long since returned to its usual bustling state.

Sword fighting on the Qinhuai River has been a grand spectacle in Jiankang City since the previous dynasty.

Indeed, what could be more suitable for swordsmen to duel than under the emperor's nose? Not to mention the graceful, alluring beauties swaying in the spring breeze over the river.

One night can make one famous throughout the world and win the favor of beautiful women.

What swordsman could refuse? Ten years of honing his skills, all for this moment.
"This sword is called Zhan Ying. It is forged from Arctic cold iron and is one foot and three inches long. Please be careful, esteemed brother."

The woman's voice was clear and melodious, yet it was imbued with magical power.

"Enough with the nonsense, let's get started."

The burly man brandished his broadsword, a layer of black mist rising around him, and headed straight for the woman in green.

What a fierce and powerful swordplay!

Su Che also became interested. The two people in front of him were probably at the initial stage of the sixth rank, which meant they could no longer be considered mediocre in the Central Plains.

Moreover, although the burly man's sword light faintly carried the howls of ghosts, his swordsmanship was quite grand, truly embodying the harmony of yin and yang.

Su Che was a sword enthusiast, and seeing this unusual scene, he stopped to observe carefully.

The surrounding area was teeming with people, mostly residents of Jiankang City who came to see the spectacle.

"Sigh, it seems we're going to lose this time. The Cangmang Sword is so powerful, that girl from Yuyang Mountain has no chance of winning at all."

A wealthy merchant with a beard, his eyes gleaming, waved the document in his hand.

"Sir, Yuyang Mountain is a prestigious sect. We can't just let some rogue cultivator tarnish its reputation, can we?"

"Don't panic. Disciples from prestigious sects have stable auras, but they are generally weaker in combat and lack experience. As long as that little girl adapts to the aggressive attacks of these rogue cultivators, she will definitely have a chance to turn defeat into victory."

As the wealthy merchant explained, his servant nervously looked towards the center of the Qinhuai River.

Since their cultivation level is below the Core Formation stage, the range of influence they can exert is still limited. Although the fight between the man and woman on the Qinhuai River is fierce, the flashing sword light is only about a few dozen feet long, and the sword energy is overflowing everywhere, so it will not affect the safety of the people around them.

Almost everyone was holding a bill, cheering on the two in the middle of the river, clearly having placed a lot of money on this fight.

Su Che became interested and took a few more glances.

The girl claimed to be a disciple of Yuyang Mountain, but her swordsmanship was rather poor. The seemingly disheveled man, however, was quite interesting.

This person's swordsmanship is subtle yet not wicked, subtly conforming to the principles of the Xuanmen (Taoist school). If we only consider cultivation level, he might be roughly equal to the girl, but his swordsmanship far surpasses hers.

I estimate that this girl will be defeated in about ten more rounds.

"Sixth-rank swordsmanship is nothing special no matter what," Su Che thought as he was about to leave when he suddenly heard the wealthy merchant continue.

"Alas, no, Master has miscalculated. This round was organized by His Highness Ning'an. Those rogue cultivators with no connections will probably risk their lives to get ahead,"

Ning'an?

Su Che looked towards the center of the river. It was her again. Su Che had always suspected that the Gu She in the Zhongshan Society was most likely Princess Ning'an, who had devoted herself to Taoism since childhood.

(End of this chapter)