books44 Chapter 191 Observing from the Sidelines, Discussing Cause and Effect (Part 1)
Chapter 191 Observing from the Sidelines, Discussing Cause and Effect (Part 1)
It was another extremely violent blow. The already dilapidated barrier of the Yantian Sect was completely destroyed, and it retired in glory.
The disciples of the Yantian Sect are all fortune tellers who dabble in the I Ching and numerology. They are intelligent but physically weak, and their worst skill is fighting with others.
Li Tingyun stormed into the Yantian Sect as if it were empty. Wherever he went, the group of Taoist priests retreated. They seemed to be blocking his way, but no one dared to make a move. He alone forced at least a thousand cultivators step by step to the foot of the Zhenhai Wenyuan Tower, where they had nowhere to retreat.
These people were dressed uniformly, preferring dark colors, especially indigo, rather than light colors. Almost everyone wore a simple and solemn indigo Taoist robe, and their hair was neatly tied up, crowned, and pinned tightly, revealing their smooth foreheads.
Their hairlines are all incredibly high.
It is impossible to judge age or height based on clothing and appearance.
Li Tingyun raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who is the sect leader?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and some even blushed, seemingly wanting to curse.
The Yantian Sect does not have a sect leader, only a sect leader.
Although it contains the character "宗" (zong) in its name, it is not a clan system, but a sect organization.
There are ten major sects and ten leaders in the cultivation world. Each of them has a prestigious reputation. No one who cultivates the Dao, whether they cultivate the immortal path or the demonic path, knows them.
Being regarded as an enemy by the demonic sect as a righteous person is not terrible; on the contrary, it proves their strength. Human nature is base, and the thousands of praises from fellow practitioners are far less effective than a single moment when the villain breaks down and curses on the spot.
The most terrifying thing is that no one takes them seriously. The big villains and big bad guys don't even remember who they are. Doesn't that mean that these "good guys" have failed miserably? How pitiful.
Of course, there is another situation: it's not that the righteous side is too weak, but that the villains are too powerful, like Li Tingyun, who is arrogant and can't see them. Not only in Yantian Sect, but throughout the world, there are very few people whose names and identities he can remember.
Of the ten major sects, the ones he was most familiar with had all been wiped out by him. Before the annihilation, he was also "a stranger in the land." No problem, he learned as he killed, and after he finished, he had a general impression of them.
"I'll ask you one more time, who is the sect leader?"
Li Tingyun displayed rare patience towards the Yantian Sect.
"me!"
In the crowd, one could only hear his voice but not see him.
"Wait a moment... just a moment, I'll be right there!"
The disciples of Yantian Sect looked left and right, and looked around with their heads down, seemingly searching for their unreliable sect leader.
A moment later, a chubby, short man rolled out of the crowd and shouted, "I am the sect leader! I am the sect leader!"
He was less than half the height of an adult, but weighed twice as much. He was panting heavily as he walked, his hair ornament was a little loose, and his body was covered with footprints. He looked rather disheveled. He held a pair of glass mirrors in his hand, putting one on his nose, and walked forward, extending his hand and saying:
"I'm sorry, it was definitely not my fault for not showing up. As you can see, I'm short. They all backed away, but I was the only one walking forward. Someone knocked my glasses off, and when I bent down to pick them up, someone tripped me and stepped on me several times."
The sect leader bent down to pick up his shoes, slipped his heels in, straightened his clothes, adjusted his hair ornament, squinted his beady eyes, and added a few polite words with a smile:
"Truly an honored guest. The Hall Master of Taiji Hall has come uninvited to grace our humble abode with his presence, bringing great honor to our sect."
"What brings you here, sir? A gentleman uses words, not fists. Why don't we sit down and make peace, and talk things out?"
The two stood facing each other, one extremely tall and the other extremely short. Li Tingyun had to look down at him. After a moment of silence, seemingly lost in thought, she actually replied, "...Okay."
The sect leader adjusted the glass glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Then would you do me the honor of sitting in the reception room at the front?"
"No need, I'm here for two things."
Li Tingyun said frankly, "To be precise, there is one thing I need you to agree to, and another question I need you to answer."
He never speaks politely, but the fact that he was willing to speak up and not make a move is already giving him face.
The sect leader waved his hand and said magnanimously, "Speak freely."
Li Tingyun smiled enigmatically: "I am a person who loves learning and reading. I have heard that your Zhenhai Wenyuanlou has a collection of many good books, and I have long wanted to go in and take a look."
"But I have a habit of reading, which is to read a book over and over again until I wear it out. So it takes me a long time to read a book."
The sect leader felt increasingly uneasy as he listened, and Li Tingyun continued, "I can't stay in the Yantian Sect forever, nor can I come to 'visit' every few days—you probably don't want that either, do you?"
"Just now, I thought of a good idea. Let's use the teleportation array to move the Zhenhai Wenyuan Tower to the Taiji Hall. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, the Yantian Sect erupted in uproar.
What did he say? What is he saying?! Is he even speaking human language?!
Is he going to "move" the Wenyuan Tower in Zhenhai?
Why doesn't he go to Penglai and dig up the Fusang tree too?!
The Wenyuan Tower in Zhenhai is to the Yantian Sect what the Fusang Divine Tree is to Penglai Continent—their sacred ground, their lifeline, their foundation!
That shameless scoundrel casually said that he loves learning and reading, and that he wants to move someone else's library!
He wanted more than just the books; he wanted the building too!
That entire building!
What on earth does he want to do?
Lawless! Shameless! Outrageous!
The sect leader of Yantian Sect barely managed to maintain the situation.
He turned to Li Tingyun and said, "That won't do."
His attitude was resolute: "I cannot grant your wish. Either you kill us all today, or the disciples of the Yantian Sect will not yield an inch before the Zhenhai Wenyuan Tower and swear to live and die with you!"
“I knew it would turn out this way, so I came up with a second plan.”
Li Tingyun was extremely patient. "Make a copy of all the books inside and send it to the Taiji Hall. How about that? Isn't this a more 'compromise' approach? And easier for you to accept?"
In comparison, it is indeed... wait a minute! The sect leader of Yantian Sect suddenly realized that copying books was his true intention!
If he had said that from the beginning, the Yantian Sect would definitely have been extremely unhappy. But if he had first made a demand that pushed people to the brink and was unbearable, and then offered a less aggressive alternative...
After weighing the options, Yantian Sect will definitely choose the latter!
They might even secretly feel fortunate.
I'm glad I had a choice.
Isn't this just the same principle as bargaining?!
First, cut the price sharply, then slowly increase it.
How could the Yantian Sect not know this tactic?
They are the most business-savvy and money-making experts in the cultivation world!
But what good does knowing this do? It's an open conspiracy, a perfectly open conspiracy!
The reason why open schemes are unsolvable is that the people given the choice possess far greater strength than they do.
Li Tingyun is fully capable of turning both of his "proposals" into reality.
It all depends on what choice the Yantian Sect makes.
"Please wait a moment, sir."
The sect leader of Yantian Sect stretched out his left hand and started counting on his fingers.
"Let me cast a divination first to see if this matter will bring good fortune, misfortune, or regret."
"……is this necessary?"
Li Tingyun gave a forced smile.
Beside him stood a white marble lion.
He reached out and touched the stone sculpture, seemingly unintentionally.
Your fortune, misfortune, regret, or disgrace are not determined by fate, but by me.
As soon as he finished speaking, the stone lion shattered and crumbled into pieces.
Everyone was startled and quickly drew their own weapons to protect themselves.
All sorts of things were on display, including Bagua compasses, purple-gold gourds, copper coin swords, and exorcism talismans. The Eight Immortals were depicted in various poses as they crossed the sea.
The sect leader, who was standing at the very front, was startled. His fat body trembled three times, and he silently withdrew his hand and tucked it into his sleeve.
Li Tingyun: "Have you ever seen bandits?"
Sect Leader: "...I've never seen this before."
"Then you see it now."
Li Tingyun brazenly declared, "If you don't give it to me, I'll just take it."
"Give it to me... I'll give it to you!"
The sect leader had thought it through and made a decision that went against the ancestral teachings.
"I promise you, I will copy all the books in the Wenyuan Tower and send them to the Taiji Hall."
The disciples behind him shouted, "No!" "Sect Leader, please reconsider!" "How can you do this?" He shut them down with "I have my own reasons," and ordered everyone to remain silent and not say another word.
What were his considerations? Naturally, he chose the lesser of two evils; as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn.
It's better to be sensible and agree to Li Tingyun's unreasonable demands than to end up like Qingliangmen and Penglaizhou.
At least Yantian Sect still has options; Zhenhai Wenyuan Tower can be preserved, and all its disciples can be saved.
This result is not bad.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Li Tingyun turned to another matter, or rather, another problem.
"I've read your Beijing News..."
The sect leader of Yantian Sect was startled.
No, how come he has so much free time?!
In addition to his spiritual practice, he also reads books and newspapers without fail!
He even knows about the Beijing News? He's actually read the Beijing News?!
There are quite a few articles about him published there!
Some expressed their grievances directly, using their pens as swords to hurl insults at him, while others attacked him indirectly, making baseless accusations and slandering his private morality.
The rumor that "the Lord of Taiji Hall is licentious and lustful" originated from the Beijing News of the Yantian Sect.
The word spread quickly, from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, until everyone believed it to be true.
The disciples of the Yantian Sect who were in charge of editing and proofreading the Beijing News were all "little geniuses" with imaginative ideas and the ability to write beautifully. They were truly adept at spreading rumors, creating gossip, and writing storybooks!
From the highest heavens to the deepest hells, gods, demons, immortals, humans, monsters, and ghosts—there's nothing they wouldn't dare to fabricate. When it comes to people and events of today, such as the Taiji Palace and Li Tingyun, they are the subjects of their endless fabrications.
In the Beijing News of the Yantian Sect, the Hall Master of Taiji Hall and the Sect Master of Yunlan Sect were referred to as the two most prominent figures of their time.
One did nothing, while the other did everything, yet their reputations in this area are equally rotten and infamous, both being called "battle-hardened rotten cucumbers" and despised by countless people.
The power of public opinion is terrifying.
Now look what's happened, the person in question has come knocking on our door. How are we going to explain this?
Despite the freezing weather, the sect leader of Yantian Sect was drenched in sweat, which fogged up his glass mirror.
Fortunately.
Fortunately, Li Tingyun didn't mention this.
He only said, "I remember there were many ranking lists in the Beijing News, and I have a question about these lists that I can't figure out."
"Oh, a ranking list, so it's a ranking list... May I ask what your grievances are about it?"
The sect leader of Yantian Sect breathed a sigh of relief. He took off his glass mirror and carefully wiped his sweat, wiping it several times.
Li Tingyun was once a loyal reader of the Beijing News.
That was true in the past.
He even paid spirit stones to see the official original, unlike some righteous people who would sneak a peek at a handwritten copy to save money.