Chapter 144: Chapter 143: Internal Troubles and External Threats
Translator: 549690339
“But rest assured, Taoist friend, we stand by your side. Since you’ve trained the Shenxiao Jade Book, you naturally have to be the lord of the Shenxiao Sect,” Taoist Priest Qingxu said to Pei Xuanjing.
Bai Xiaosheng also expressed the same sentiment.
Actually, it’s easy to imagine. Both men have longstanding grudges against the Lord of Shenxiao Gate, so how could they let him grow unchecked?
Even if Pei Xuanjing had not brought it up, they would still have taken the initiative to support Pei Xuanjing in reestablishing the Shenxiao Mountain Gate and inheriting the orthodoxy of the Shenxiao Sect.
Such action not only strikes against the Lord of Shenxiao Gate but also binds the powerful Pei Xuanjing to their camp.
Pei Xuanjing also understood the meaning behind their stance. He was clear about the reasons for the two supporting him, one of which was to use him against the Lord of Shenxiao Gate.
However, for Pei Xuanjing, this was a mutually beneficial situation.
After all, under the current circumstances, he had become a competitor, with both sides standing on opposite sides.
So long as Pei Xuanjing was unwilling to give up the identity of Shenxiao’s orthodoxy, a fight to the death between the two sides was inevitable.
Along the way, Pei Xuanjing inadvertently caused trouble for many forces.
The Great Ming imperial court, the underworld, Mire Sect, ‘Lord of Shenxiao gate,’ any of these four parties would cause quite a stir in the martial world.
The fact that Pei Xuanjing was able to rise to power despite making many enemies naturally drew many admiring glances. This was also a reason why Zhenwu Sect and Bai Xiaosheng were willing to extend olive branches.
Even if Pei Xuanjing wasn’t afraid of those people, he wasn’t so arrogant as to think that he could remain unharmed if those forces joined hands against him one day.
Of course, those forces had many grudges among themselves, and it would be near impossible for them to unite. Even he found the idea laughable.
However, Pei Xuanjing still had to make some preparations.
So, he gladly accepted the goodwill extended by these two sides.
He smiled and asked, “Are you not worried about being questioned by the Great Ming court and provoking the Emperor’s wrath by supporting me in reestablishing the Shenxiao Sect?”
Though he meant it as a joke, Bai Xiaosheng somberly replied, “The Emperor probably won’t have the energy to provoke you for many years to come.”
Hearing this, Pei Xuanjing couldn’t help but remember some events from his life simulation and asked with interest, “It seems the Mister has kept a lot of things from me, hasn’t he?”
Taoist Priest Qingxu turned to look at Bai Xiaosheng with interest.
It should be noted that even if Zhenwu Sect collaborated with the Shenxiao Sect, it couldn’t change its close relationship with the royal family and the Great Ming court.
His previous declaration of support was intended to serve as a middleman, extract Bai Xiaosheng, whitewash Pei Xuanjing’s identity, and sever the connection between him and the Shenxiao Sect.
He aimed to fabricate a story of a genius who had accidentally inherited the Shenxiao Sect’s legacy but was misunderstood by the court and forced to grow into a formidable force through persecution.
This would provide a way for both sides to save face and reinstate the Shenxiao Sect.
However, Bai Xiaosheng’s words indicated that he knew some secrets that were related to the whole Great Ming court and the Emperor.
“Are you implying that there’s a secret behind the Tartar tribe’s recent raid on our borders?” asked Taoist Priest Qingxu.
Bai Xiaosheng nodded, then shook his head.
“That’s just one part of it,” he replied casually.
Pei Xuanjing laughed, “If there’s one part, there must be another part, and maybe even a third part, right?”
Bai Xiaosheng nodded and laughed, “Let’s start with the first part: The Great Ming Empire was established after the founding Emperor drove out the previous dynasty’s foreign tribes, i.e., the ancestors of the Tartar tribe. Then, the second Emperor led an army to sweep across the north and crushed the Tartars, creating an unparalleled feats. It can be said that there’s been constant conflict and a deep hatred between the Great Ming and these barbarians.
The Tartar tribe’s raid, in fact, was a frequent occurrence, given the barrenness of the foreign lands and their reliance on the resources provided by the Great Ming. Moreover, the Tartars live by the water, and naturally resort to looting the borders when they run out of food in winter.
But why has there been such an unprecedented number of Tartar raids this time around, enough to draw the attention of the Great Ming court and the Emperor?”
Pei Xuanjing knew the answer to this, “Because of the Martial Classics?”
“Exactly!” Bai Xiaosheng gave Pei Xuanjing a satisfied expression and continued, “The Emperor’s purpose behind compiling the Martial Classics could not be kept from the discerning. Plus, due to his past actions, almost everyone knows he is biding his time to strike outside the border, just like the second Emperor. Hence, this is undoubtedly the Tartars’ counterattack since they aren’t willing to sit still and wait for death.
Besides, if it were just a counterattack from the Tartars, it would still be just a minor nuisance to the flourishing Great Ming. Even if they dragged it out, they could last till the day their forces were ready.
But given the precedent of the incident at the Tumu Fortress, how many officials in the Great Ming court would want another Emperor who fell from a horse? The civil officials who’ve suppressed the noble officials for many years, would they willingly relinquish their power and let the noble warriors rise again?
Moreover, the spread of the Martial Classics undoubtedly annoyed many powerful forces. Are they willing for more and more martial artists to appear, competing for the benefits that they think are rightfully theirs?”
As he said the last sentence, Bai Xiaosheng looked at Taoist Priest Qingxu with a teasing smile.
Bearing in mind, Zhenwu Sect was also part of those powerful forces.
Taoist Priest Qingxu remained silent, evidently Bai Xiaosheng’s words have hit home.
If he looked at it from the perspective of a pure martial artist, Qingxu, standing at the pinnacle of martial arts, would naturally not care about these issues. He even wished for more and more talents to appear and explore the ultimate realm of martial arts with him.
But if viewed from the standpoint of the leader of Zhenwu Sect, after more than six hundred years of development, the Zhenwu Sect had transformed from being the persecuted to the beneficiaries of unwritten rules.
The dissemination of the Martial Classics and the increasing number of martial artists will inevitably affect the interests of the Zhenwu Sect and encroach on certain aspects they value.
Pei Xuanjing thought for a moment and suddenly asked, “So you mean the recent attack on the
Martial Academy was a joint effort by several forces, and even the Tartars were secretly supporting
In response to Pei Xuanjing’s query, while Qingxu remained silent, Bai Xiaosheng simply laughed and said, “Who knows?”