Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 49 Opening Ceremony

The ceremony was not held in the temple because there were too many guests and the main hall of the original Danxia Gang could not accommodate them, so it was held in the big square.

Shen Tang sat in the main seat, and Lu Xingzhou sat beside him.

The visitors almost died of laughter at first sight. They were talking about lively newcomers, but it turned out that they were two people in wheelchairs, who looked quite a good match.

The new city lord Sheng Yuanyao sat in the first guest seat, which at least made the guests pay attention to their manners. They all hid the sarcasm in their eyes and congratulated him with a laugh as they took their seats.

Shen Tang seemed oblivious to the guests' sarcasm and greeted them with an impeccable smile. Lu Xingzhou was whispering to Sheng Yuanyao, "Did you mess with my ranking?"

Sheng Yuanyao held An Nuo in one hand and rubbed her, looking straight ahead: "What does the General Administration's decision have to do with me, the county commander?"

Lu Xingzhou was also in a daze for a moment, feeling that there should be no such thing as calling people "Sanba" in this world, let alone Women's Day. Could it really be a coincidence?
But seeing this silly girl trying not to laugh at all, it feels so weird... Never mind, the ranking will change after today anyway.

No, it will take half a year to change...

Human statistics are inconvenient. Why not have a real-time list of the best results from heaven, shining with golden light, which would be much more impressive?

Sheng Yuanyao didn't bother to care what he was thinking. She observed the Tianxing Sword Sect, feeling quite relaxed. The Tianxing Sword Sect was in ruins, declining compared to its heyday, but compared to Xiazhou, it was still a place of suppression.

The highest-ranking one, Shen Tang, was a fourth-rank cultivator. There was also the Jianfeng Hall's head, Jin Mingxiu, also an upper-rank fourth-rank sword cultivator, quite formidable. He was leading his men on a separate mission when the incident occurred, escaping the catastrophic disaster and returning to the sect just the day before yesterday. His loyalty was hard to gauge; Lu Xingzhou even suspected he might have been hiding out during the incident because he knew something, but that was unfounded.

Tang Yunzhong and the others weren't originally true high-ranking elders; the upper echelons had essentially all perished. They were merely associates or even idlers who had survived from the various halls, most of whom were fifth-rank cultivators or even sixth-rank cultivators. Shortly after arriving in Xiazhou, eight of them were killed by Little White Hair with a single sword strike, and now their numbers were even lower.

Two fourth-grade, three fifth-grade, and seven sixth-grade warriors—this was the current strength of the Tianxing Sword Sect among the mid-third-grade warriors. The strongest sect in Xiazhou was only fifth-grade, and that wasn't much.

After all, it is just a county town with little spiritual energy.

It seems that nothing unexpected will happen at this ceremony.

But Sheng Yuanyao forgot that Xiazhou's decline did not mean that the surrounding areas were decline. There were many beautiful sacred mountains in the surrounding areas. Although there were no top-level powerful sects, there were indeed many third- and fourth-grade sects and gangs.

The renowned alchemy sect, Fenxianglou, was a third-grade sect, but the number of fourth-grade masters within it was no less than the combined number of third-grade masters on Shen Tang's side. Furthermore, Fenxianglou produced numerous alchemists, who were spread across various major gangs and factions in the prefectures, making it quite influential.

"Elder Bai from Fenxiang Tower has arrived~" The voices of the guarding disciples came from afar, and the large square that was still whispering suddenly became quite quiet.

An old man with white beard and two guards, followed by Bai Chi, walked slowly into the arena.

The white-bearded old man was the grandfather of Bai Jingtian and Bai Chi, elders of Fenxiang Tower. His alchemy skills reached the fourth rank, making him a highly renowned alchemist. His cultivation was not well understood, but it was well known that alchemists who relied heavily on drugs had little practical ability. Therefore, he brought two people with him for protection, both of whom were presumably fourth-rank Taoist practitioners.

Many people knew about Shen Tang's hiring of Bai Chi, and how he was poached shortly after arriving in Xiazhou, even before he'd settled in. Now it seems this poaching was a plot by Fenxianglou to wipe out the Danxia Gang, only for Shen Tang to snatch the Danxia Gang away. The feud between Fenxianglou's Bai family and Shen Tang and Lu Xingzhou was laid bare, and this congratulation could only be malicious.

Sheng Yuanyao's eyes rolled around as she looked between the two wheelchair users at the main seat and Bai Chi who was walking over.

"If this couple in wheelchairs can succeed, do you think Bai Chi will be credited with the credit?" Sheng Yuanyao asked quietly while pinching An Nuo.

"Forget it." Anuo rubbed her face resentfully. She didn't know when she became the city lord's sister's favorite, even though she had cheated her out of money before.

"Then your master shouldn't have dealt with Bai Chi today. He should have kowtowed to him."

"...You should have told Bai Chi not to mess with my master! They're standing there with sparks in their eyes. Can't you see? Lord City Lord, go and mediate!"

"Your master is still afraid of them? Tsk." Sheng Yuanyao grabbed Anuo's collar as he tried to run away and said, "Don't run. Stay here and eat melon with your sister."

Over there, Bai Jingtian walked up to Shen Tang and bowed with a bit of arrogance: "Fenxianglou wishes great joy on the founding of Tianxing Sword Sect."

Shen Tang smiled faintly: "Thank you, Elder Bai. Speaking of which, when I went to Fenxiang Tower to seek an alchemist, it was Elder Bai who recommended Mr. Bai Chi. I will remember this."

Lu Xingzhou narrowed his eyes slightly.

Judging from Bai Chi's intention to wipe out the Danxia Gang, wasn't their original intention to wipe out Shen Tang's family? It's just that Shen Tang didn't reveal his wealth at first. When Bai Chi arrived in Xiazhou, he discovered that the Danxia Gang was much larger than Shen Tang's family business. It just so happened that he knew Liu Yan'er from childhood, and the moment they hooked up, they immediately became passionate and switched targets.

So Shen Tang said "I've got it in mind" with gritted teeth.

"Chi'er's cultivation is insufficient, I'm sorry to have embarrassed Sect Master Shen." Bai Jingtian said perfunctorily, his eyes falling on Lu Xingzhou: "This is Mr. Lu Xingzhou, ranked 38th on the Alchemist Rookie List?"

Lu Xingzhou ignored him and smiled at Bai Chi: "I originally thought that Brother Bai and I were not much different, and I wanted to continue our fate on the list. I didn't expect that I couldn't find Brother Bai's name on the list. It seems that we are not destined to be together."

"You!" Bai Chi seethed. He was only twenty years old. If he had successfully certified as a seventh-grade Alchemist, he would have definitely made the Rookie Rankings. Unfortunately, Lu Xingzhou sabotaged his progress, and he was stuck at the eighth grade, meaning he couldn't even make it onto any rankings. He had come all the way to a small place like Xiazhou for certification, thinking he could exploit some loopholes, but he didn't expect even his little plan to be thwarted.

However, he now knew that he was no match for Lu Xingzhou. Lu Xingzhou's high ranking of thirty-eighth wasn't solely due to his being a seventh-grade master, but rather a higher-ranked seventh-grade master. The alchemist profession relied heavily on experience, and at Lu Xingzhou's age, he was a true genius, comparable only to the chosen talents of the top sects.

He took a deep breath, but still managed to keep a smile: "I learned a lot from meeting Brother Lu that day. I will ask for your advice again someday if the opportunity arises."

Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, "It's been a while since we last met. Brother Bai's illness has unexpectedly been cured. It seems like he's made some progress."

Bai Chi's face was livid, and he remained silent. Bai Jingtian's expression was as gloomy as water, for he had been the one who had treated him. "This young man is arrogant and rude, relying on his talent. Sect Leader Shen, is this how you manage your subordinates?"

Shen Tang also smiled as he watched Lu Xingzhou messing around, then said, "I only saw that my guest elder was concerned about Brother Bai's health. So is this rude?"

Bai Jingtian snorted coldly and walked into the guest seat with a flick of his sleeves: "I hope you two can keep laughing happily."

After all, the city lord is here and the ceremony hasn't started yet, so it's not the time to cause trouble... We'll deal with it once everyone arrives.

Sheng Yuanyao whispered to An Nuo: "He's making noises, and she's laughing, they're so doting..."

Ah Nuo: "I hope my sister can always smile happily."

The guard saluted again: "Master Wu of the Cangshan Sword Sect has arrived~"

"Dongjiang Gang Vice Leader Wang has arrived~"

"Master Xuanhe of Lingyun Sect has arrived~"

As these words were sung, the square became quieter and quieter, and Sheng Yuanyao finally stopped laughing.

None of these are forces from Xiazhou, they are all far away. The Dongjiang Gang is the largest gang in Dongjiang County, and the Cangshan Sword Sect and Lingyun Sect are even more powerful sects located in the beautiful fairyland. They have almost no connection with the local area, and each of them is a fourth-grade force.

With these and the Fenxiang Tower, the forces on the field are going to put a lot of pressure on the host. If Sheng Yuanyao had originally believed that the Tianxing Sword Sect could still suppress the forces of Xiazhou and prevent chaos, now she has no confidence at all, and even her own deterrent power as the city lord is not very visible...

Why should the sects outside give face to you, the Lord of Xiazhou?
Shen Tang, however, didn't seem to care. He still greeted the newcomers with a calm and elegant smile. Then he looked at the sky and said to the whole audience, "The auspicious time has arrived. Those who haven't come yet will not be kept here."

"Our sect has unfortunately suffered a great disaster, but fortunately, Heaven has not abandoned us and the Holy Emperor has shown mercy, allowing us to regain our foothold in Xiazhou. It is truly an honor for our Tianxing Sword Sect that you have not bothered by my humbleness and come to celebrate our ceremony. I also hope that you fellow practitioners will continue to provide more assistance in the future. Shen Tang would like to express his gratitude."

Originally, there were going to be some formalities, such as how the Tianxing Sword Sect would give back to the village in the future, and then they would show off the sect's style, with thousands of swords being fired at the same time to boost momentum, and then everyone would eat and drink well. It was just an ordinary ceremony.

Before Shen Tang could even begin his subsequent polite remarks, a discordant voice rang out from the crowd: "Sect Master Shen, there's no need to dwell on these matters. What you villagers want to know more about is the foundation of your sect... Now that you've inherited the original Danxia Gang, will you continue to cultivate and sell medicinal herbs?"

Interrupting someone's opening speech is extremely rude and is equivalent to stomping the faces of Tianxing Sword Sect and Shen Tang into the mud.

Sheng Yuanyao turned around and saw that it was Bai Jingtian, and a surge of anger rose up in her.

Lu Xingzhou didn't do anything, it turned out to be you bastards who wanted to do something!
Shen Tang's warm and elegant smile disappeared, his expression darkened, and his eyes turned fierce.

Thousands of people in the square felt a jolt in their hearts... This woman looked pretty and dignified, but once she frowned, she looked so powerful!

A fourth-rank swordsman is quite capable after all.

Lu Xingzhou beside him spoke slowly, "Growing and selling medicinal herbs is a widespread business among the people of Xiazhou. We in the Tianxing Sword Sect practice swordsmanship, and we are not good at it. Therefore, we are withdrawing from this business and not competing with our fellow practitioners. This can be regarded as our first initiative to cooperate with our neighbors since the establishment of the sect."

This statement made the expressions of most of the Xiazhou forces present at the scene much more favorable. If this statement were true, the establishment of the Tianxing Sword Sect would actually be better for everyone than the original Danxia Gang, as there would be one less competitor with a large medicinal mountain.

Lu Xingzhou continued, "Even the alchemy industry that the former Liu Gang leader tried to get involved in, our sect has largely withdrawn..."

As if finding a loophole in his words, Bai Jingtian sneered: "What do you mean by most?"

"Of course, we won't make those low-grade pills. We also won't compete with our neighbors. Harmony brings wealth..." Lu Xingzhou said calmly, but his tone gradually turned harsher. "But our sect will still make those sixth-grade pills, especially the Melting Snow Returning Origin Pill."

Bai Jingtian was stunned for a moment, and then the whole audience was in an uproar.

Rongxue Guiyuan Pill, a famous elixir of Fenxiang Tower, can restore Qi, blood and spiritual energy at the same time, and can be used for both healing and restoring energy. It is one of the lifebloods of Fenxiang Tower.

The Tianxing Sword Sect showed goodwill to a group of low-ranking neighbors, but declared war on the third-rank sect Fenxiang Tower!

(End of this chapter)