Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 886 – Does Anyone Object?

Gou Hanshi smiled and said, “Back then, when your senior brothers first entered the capital, they thought the same. Your fourth brother got annoyed with him at first glance and wanted nothing more than to take out his sword and hack him to death. Later on, he understood that though his vulgar mouth was annoying, that didn’t mean he was a bad person, or why would your fourth brother have gone to Wenshui several days ago to save him?”

“I certainly won’t accept his feelings. Next time, if he wants to hack me, we can continue,” Tang Thirty-Six carelessly said.

Gou Hanshi suddenly remembered something and asked, “And what of that fellow?”

Tang Thirty-Six knew that he was talking about Zhexiu and replied, “He went to Mount Li.”

Gou Hanshi was given a shock, but realized after a moment that Tang Thirty-Six was just scaring him. At such a grand event like the closing off of South Stream Temple, Zhexiu was assuredly around Chen Changsheng, presumably hiding in the shadows to defend against some sudden change. He couldn’t possibly have suddenly run off to Mount Li.

“So many years have passed; just when are you going to mature a little?” he helplessly asked Tang Thirty-Six.

Tang Thirty-Six teased, “You think it’s very childish? Then why were you scared just now? Perhaps you also know that your side is in the wrong on this matter.”

Gou Hanshi recalled how his junior sister had gradually turned taciturn over these last few years and sighed. No one dared to break the strict order that their martial granduncle had made before leaving, so how should they deal with this matter?

……

……

Huai Ren spoke very calmly, using her gentle voice and warm tone to describe the history of ‘closing the temple’. Although she did not give the reason for today’s closing of the temple, everyone knew that it was to avoid the war between the Orthodoxy and the Imperial Court. At the same time, she vaguely implied that she and her two martial sisters would not involve themselves in the affairs of the temple. Once the temple was formally closed, they would formally enter secluded cultivation and no longer issue any opinions on temple matters. Moreover, if the Holy Maiden exited her seclusion ahead of time, she could announce at any time she wished that the temple was open again.

Her faint white temple uniform and the somewhat dull light from the sky complemented each other well. This, coupled with her gentle expression and merciful Qi made her very persuasive.

At the start, there were some cultivators who were shocked and confused at this matter of closing the temple and wanted to object, with the fiercest opposition coming from the subordinate sects who were closely related to South Stream Temple. However, they gradually began to feel that this was the best choice for them and South Stream Temple.

Afterward, Daoist Nun Huai Ren began to make plans for what would happen after the temple was closed.

Holy Maiden Peak was a holy land, the ancestral court of the Daoist faith in the south, not something so simple as one mountain and one temple. Nor could the matter be considered done if the several hundred disciples ceased to communicate with the secular world. South Stream Temple managed countless subordinate sects and possessed innumerable businesses and farmland. Plans needed to be arranged for these things so as to avoid a great turmoil.

She first spoke to the Imperial Court’s diplomatic mission. The general idea was that the Imperial Court should prioritize the common people and by no means squander all the careful thought South Stream Temple engaged in before deciding to close the temple. The Prince of Xiang rose and represented the emperor and the Imperial Court in making a solemn promise, saying that they would absolutely do such and such.

She then turned to her fellow Daoists of the south and declared that all of Holy Maiden Peak’s subordinate sects, businesses, farmland, and parks would be administered by the Mount Li Sword Sect. Gou Hanshi was flabbergasted by this, but he still rose and nodded. He did not do anything more, as he knew that this matter would not end so simply.

“For these arrangements, does anyone have any other proposal?”

Huai Ren asked this question to the elder from the Longevity Sect. The Longevity Sect had been waning for many years, and this second-generation elder was one level of seniority below an elder like Huai Ren. However, the Longevity Sect and Holy Maiden Peak were still the ancestral courts for the southern faction of the Daoist faith, so they still needed to be asked for comment, even if it was only superficial.

Of course, nothing unexpected happened. The second-generation elder of the Longevity Sect immediately gave his approval, and even remembered to say a few words of praise.

Gou Hanshi said nothing. Given the exalted status of Holy Maiden Peak and the Longevity Sect in the southern cultivation world, even the Mount Li Sword Sect found it inconvenient to speak.

Finally, Huai Ren looked at Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng was the Pope and nominally represented all of the Orthodoxy, the Daoist faith. The closing of South Stream Temple required him to nominally show his approval.

In the end, though, it was just nominal.

Countless people also looked to Chen Changsheng.

He was the Pope and seated at the highest place.

He appeared high above the crowd, and in reality, was rather lonely. He appeared to wield a great authority, yet he found it very difficult to stop these proceedings.

That is, unless the Orthodoxy wanted to first fight with South Stream Temple before beginning its fight with the Imperial Court.

“I wonder what Chen Chang… no, His Holiness the Pope will say,” Bai Cai nervously said as he watched.

Gou Hanshi said, “In normal circumstances he wouldn’t speak. He’s never said much in front of others, and whenever Tang Tang is there, it’s usually Tang Tang that talks.”

Just as expected, Tang Thirty-Six stood and walked out of the Mount Li Sword Sect’s seating area to face the crowd.

Countless gazes moved from Chen Changsheng to him, but he seemed unaware. He asked Huai Ren, “Your surname?”

Huai Ren calmly replied, “My Daoist name is Huai Ren.”

If Tang Thirty-Six wanted to find a weakness by making her mad, she would not give this junior of the Tang clan a single chance.

She had cultivated in South Stream Temple for a hundred-some years and traveled the world for even longer. Although she had still not managed to break through that threshold, her Dao heart had long since become brightly lit.

She had not expected that Tang Thirty-Six had no plans to anger her, only wanted to use this time to speak his mind.

“So you’re not surnamed Xu. Then you definitely aren’t Xu Yourong’s aunt by blood.”

Tang Thirty-Six looked at her and said, “Of course, even if you were the Holy Maiden’s aunt by blood, everything you said just now was useless. It was all nonsense.”

With these words, the plateau clamored with discussion.

The sentimental, reasonable, and even touching words of Huai Ren were all nonsense in his view?

The three Daoist nuns were extremely senior martial grandaunts of South Stream Temple. Even the Prince of Xiang and the two clan heads had paid them the deepest respect.

No one had expected for Tang Thirty-Six to speak to them so rudely.

“No matter how senior you are, just what right do any of you have to decide South Stream Temple’s future?”

Tang Thirty-Six sneered at her, “This place is Holy Maiden Peak, not Huai Ren Peak. You can hold this absurd meeting again once you become Holy Maiden.”

These were harsh words, difficult to fend off. Huai Ren calmly gazed at him, saying nothing.

Tang Thirty-Six then looked at the Longevity Sect elder and said, “You agree to the closing of the temple? Does the current Longevity Sect have the right to say such words, or is it that you think your own words have the power?”

The elder thought for a moment, then replied, “That’s right, my words truly don’t have the power. Consider my words from before as if I hadn’t said them.”

This reply caused Huai Ren’s gaze to turn grave and for Huai Shu’s and Huai Bi’s expressions to shift.

The Longevity Sect had lost much of its strength, but since it, like Holy Maiden Peak, was one of the ancestral halls of the southern faction, it still had some foundational resources.

Even though Tang Thirty-Six was the eldest grandson of the Tang clan, how could this elder be cowed by just a few words from him?