Heirs of the Seven Swords of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 1976: The Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon (Twenty-three)

Going up the mountain road, the brother and sister soon returned to their hometown, their homeland, the former Shushan tribe.

The imperial army cleaned the battlefield very well, leaving almost no material residue, except for the occasional dark brown marks on the ground - probably bloodstains from a long time.

All that remained were the houses of the Shushan tribe.

Some are still relatively intact, while others were destroyed, collapsed, or damaged during the imperial attack.

The ground was littered with dead leaves and branches, and some places were covered with snow. If it were not for the ruins and the rammed roads that had not yet been assimilated by the natural environment, there would be almost no signs of human life.

The Shushan tribe had lived here for thousands of years, but in less than a year, this place seemed to have completely nothing to do with them.

Looking at the desolation before their eyes, brother and sister Yu Ziqi and Shi Lan looked bewildered and felt empty in their hearts, but they couldn't tell how they felt.

After almost a year, they finally returned to the tribe and saw with their own eyes the scene after the tribe was destroyed - they did not experience the battle between the tribe and the empire that day, nor did they know what the tribe looked like that day.

Shi Lan and Yu Ziqi both had imaginations, but when they actually returned to this land, they found that everything was not the same as they had imagined.

It doesn’t seem as…tragic as they imagined?
But the tribe was gone after all, and all the members were gone.

All that was left were ruins, as if no one had lived there for a long time.

They were a little sad, but more confused.

Ever since the tribe's dramatic change, they have always had a goal - first to survive, and then to find the sacred tree.

He experienced all kinds of hardships and dangers along the way, and even lost his life at one point.

But no matter how dangerous it is, they always have goals, motivation and strong will.

Now that I have returned to my hometown, I feel a little overwhelmed.

Yu Ziqi opened his mouth and spoke after a long while, "Everything has changed, but...it seems that nothing has changed."

He was very familiar with each of these rooms. He knew exactly what they were used for and who lived in them.

But before, people in the house would greet him warmly when they saw him, but now there is only desolation and chaos everywhere.

Shi Lan looked up to the top of the mountain - there was nothing there, only the azure blue sky.

In the past, the entire tribe was bathed in the glory of the sacred Fusang tree, and anyone who looked up could see that sacred golden color at the first moment.

Now all that's left is the purest sky.

"Brother, let's... go up and take a look."

Yu Ziqi also looked towards the top of the mountain, and his eyes, which were originally full of confusion, were instantly replaced by anger.

As a guard of Yu Yuan, Yu Ziqi is most loyal to the sacred Fusang tree.

Compared to the tribe that was destroyed in an instant as if in a dream, he felt more direct and clear anger about the taking away of the sacred Fusang tree.

He nodded silently and walked towards the top of the mountain first.

Shi Lan quickly followed him, and the two of them walked quickly through the deserted tribe, all the way to the top of the mountain.

The towering trees that once stood tall on the top of the mountain and reached the clouds are gone, leaving only a deep pit.

It can't even be described as a pit. The people of the empire simply cut off a section of the top of the mountain to move the sacred Fusang tree.

Looking at the scattered soil covered by the unmelted snow, Shi Lan and Yu Ziqi's faces were filled with dejection.

After the initial anger, they felt a surge of powerlessness in their hearts.

In order to regain the sacred tree, they were willing to sacrifice their own lives, but the sad reality was that even if all the survivors of Shushan died, they would not be able to save the sacred tree that they had worshipped for generations.

And the biggest obstacle is not even the powerful enemy, the Empire, but the sacred tree itself.

Given the size of the sacred Fusang tree, even if the empire turned a blind eye, they would not be able to move it from Sanghai back to Shushan.

The brother and sister stood on the broken mountain top in silence for a long time, looked at each other, and turned around and went down together.

On the way down the mountain, Shi Lan said to her brother:
"I learned through some channels that most of the tribe members are not dead, but were captured by the empire and sent to perform hard labor."

"We have to rescue them!"

Yu Ziqi, who was in a depressed mood, suddenly heard the good news, and his face instantly improved a lot. He couldn't wait to reply, "Of course!"

Then he asked curiously, "By the way, how did you know about this?"

Shi Lan was silent for a moment before she replied, "I asked a friend to find out for me."

Upon hearing this, Yu Ziqi didn't ask any more questions.

He knew that his sister had made friends with two people from powerful families in the Central Plains, and he probably got the news from them.

"Then do you know the specific whereabouts of the tribesmen?"

Shi Lan nodded, "We roughly know that they are basically doing hard labor for the empire in the Bashu area. We just need to inquire about the imperial labor camps in Shu, and we should be able to gain something."

"Okay!" With a clear goal, Yu Ziqi immediately became motivated, "Let's get going without delay!"

Shi Lan grabbed his arm when she heard this, "Don't worry, brother. I... have something else I want to do."

Yu Ziqi was a little puzzled, "What else is there to do?"

Today, Mount Shu is just a decaying, empty shell. Although it is still their home, it has no value at all for the time being.

No matter what you want to do, you have to wait until your people are rescued, right?

Shi Lan did not answer but turned her head to look towards the back mountain.

It is the forbidden area of ​​the Shushan tribe and also the place where Yu Yuan’s seal is located.

………………

Guanzhong, east of Xianyang, the Taoist gate of Taiyi Mountain.

Gai Nie took the recast Yuanhong and set out on the mountain road to Mount Taiyi.

The sword in his hand was very different from the previous Yuanhong, but Master Xu, who forged the sword, was unwilling to rename it because Canhong was forged by his mother, and insisted that Gai Nie give the new sword a name himself.

But Gai Nie was too lazy to come up with a name.

He really didn't care about such irrelevant issues now. To him, a sword was just a sword, a weapon.

Just make sure the sword is in your hand.

Gai Nie walked up the mountain road and soon arrived at the fork in the gates of the Tianren Sect halfway up the mountain.

The two sect disciples guarding the mountain did not know Gai Nie, but his very reserved, deep and steady temperament made it clear at a glance that he was not an unknown person.

If it were someone else, they might just think that he was an ordinary middle-aged man, but Taoist disciples could best appreciate this unfathomable temperament.

Gai Nie glanced at the two sects' mountain gates, raised his hand in salute, and shouted loudly:

"Gai Nie, a disciple of Guigu Sect, has come to pay a visit to Master Bei Mingzi of the Taoist Tian Sect!" As soon as these words were spoken, the disciples of the Ren Sect immediately became obedient.

It has nothing to do with them...although they actually want to get in touch with Gai Nie.

Sword Saint Gai Nie is a legendary figure second only to the National Master Gu Xun in the martial arts world. He is the undisputed leader among swordsmen in this world dominated by swords and the best swordsman in the world.

Even the indifferent Taoist disciples could not help but yearn for this legendary figure.

Not to mention the Human Sect, even the Heaven Sect disciples had obvious emotional fluctuations.

After Gai Nie reported his homeland and purpose, the Tianzong disciples did not go up the mountain to report, but directly led people up the mountain.

Regardless of whether their old master Bei Mingzi would meet Gai Nie or not, when such an important figure came to visit, they must be received and it was impossible to just turn him away.

Following the mountain road, under the guidance of Tianzong disciples, Gai Nie officially entered the Tianzong sect.

Gai Nie had had contact with Taoist masters before, but this was actually his first time at Taiyi Mountain.

Gai Nie actually lived a very simple life for the first few decades of his life - he learned skills from a teacher when he was a teenager, followed Ying Zheng when he was a young man, and basically stayed in Xianyang since then.

He has met many important people, but he has not been to many places.

As Gai Nie expected, he did not meet Bei Mingzi at the first time.

As the only surviving senior of the Tianzong, or Taoism, Bei Mingzi is not someone who can be seen by everyone.

Taoism is not like Confucianism in that it emphasizes rules, seniority, and status. As an old senior, Bei Mingzi is not nobler than other disciples, but conversely, others are not nobler than him.

Therefore, no one was qualified to agree to meet Gai Nie on his behalf, not even Xiao Meng, the head of the sect - even though Xiao Meng was not his last disciple.

Not to mention Bei Mingzi, even the sect leader Xiao Meng didn't see Gai Nie. Only the Tianzong elder Xu Yanzi came.

"Mr. Gai Nie, I have long heard of your great name." Xu Yanzi was very polite, even saying something flattering, "I am Xu Yanzi of Tianzong."

For the disciples of Tianzong, this is quite rare.

Gai Nie returned the greeting, also very politely, "Gai Nie greets Master Xu Yanzi."

"I heard from the disciples guarding the mountain that Mr. Gai wanted to pay a visit to his uncle-master Bei Mingzi?" Xu Yanzi didn't waste any more words and went straight to the point.

He and Chisongzi, the previous head of Tianzong, are fellow disciples, and both call Beimingzi "Uncle-Master" - all the current elders of Tianzong do the same.

Gai Nie nodded, "I have some very important questions that I would like to ask Master Bei Mingzi of your sect for advice."

"I have arranged for my disciples to ask Uncle Bei Mingzi about your request. If he is willing to see you, there will be no problem." Xu Yanzi replied after hearing this, and then asked another question, "But I would like to ask, what did Mr. Gai ask Uncle Bei Mingzi? And why did he look for him?"

Xu Yanzi's words did not seem like those of a Tianzong disciple, but his direct questions were very Tianzong-like.

Xu Yanzi could understand that he wanted to ask Bei Mingzi some questions.

As the only remaining super senior in the entire Taoist school, and even in the entire martial arts world, there are indeed not many people who are more knowledgeable than Bei Mingzi.

If you have any questions that cannot be solved, you can always go to Bei Mingzi.

But few people really seek help from Bei Mingzi to solve their doubts.

It's not just because he's hard to see, but also because there are actually very few things that really require Bei Mingzi to answer.

As a master of the Tian Sect, he is certainly knowledgeable, but he does not know many secrets that others may be interested in - after all, it is Taoism, and it is the Tian Sect, and they are often not interested in what others are interested in.

Xu Yanzi found it difficult to figure out, and was very curious, what could the Sword Saint Gai Nie ask his uncle?

If you want to know, then ask - this is a disciple of Tianzong.

After a moment of silence, Gai Nie revealed part of the truth, "I went to see Master Bei Mingzi because of some issues involving Yin-Yang spells."

"Yin Yang spell?" Xu Yanzi stroked his white beard, "This... can you explain it in detail?"

Regarding matters concerning Yin-Yang spells, it would be professionally appropriate to find a Taoist master, but... is it necessary to go directly to his uncle-master Bei Mingzi in one go?
There's nothing wrong with choosing the best doctor, but you also have to consider the difficulty, right?

Since Gai Nie came to Tianzong, he could have first sought help from the elders or the sect leader instead of going directly to Bei Mingzi.

Gai Nie didn't have to answer Xu Yanzi's question, because whether he could meet Bei Mingzi depended on his own attitude, which Xu Yanzi could not influence.

But considering that he came to Tianzong to seek advice, he tried to be as polite as possible and replied:
"It involves the Six Souls Curse and the Sealing Curse at the same time. I have previously sought help from Mr. Xiaoyaozi of the Human Sect, but he had no solution and suggested that I seek help from Master Beimingzi."

"Junior Brother Xiaoyaozi...so that's how it is." Xu Yanzi nodded, indicating that he understood.

Although Xiaoyaozi's practice of magic may not be the strongest among their generation, it is not bad either. If he is helpless, he will really have to ask Uncle Master Bei Mingzi to come in person.

Not to mention that Gai Nie directly mentioned the Six Souls Terror Curse and the Sealing Spell.

At the same time, it involves the forbidden spells in the Eight Yin Meridians and the Eight Yang Meridians. To be honest, Xu Yanzi feels that it is difficult for his own uncle to have a solution.

"For this matter, I can only ask Uncle Bei Mingzi for help."

As they were talking, a clear male voice sounded outside the room where the two were meeting:

"Uncle Master Xuyanzi, Uncle Master Beimingzi is willing to meet Mr. Gai."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yanzi immediately stood up and waved to Gai Nie, "Then please go in, Mr. Gai. The disciples outside will take you to see Uncle Bei Mingzi."

"Thank you." Gai Nie nodded, said thank you and went out.

Outside, Xiao Ling, with her conspicuous short sea-blue hair, was waiting for him.

Seeing Xiao Ling, Gai Nie was a little surprised, "It's you?"

"Mr. Gai, you can just call me Xiao Ling." Xiao Ling smiled at him and pointed the way, "Please follow me."

Gai Nie didn't ask any more questions and followed Xiao Ling to the place where Bei Mingzi practiced meditation in the back mountain of Taiyi Mountain.

On the way, Xiao Ling took the initiative to ask, "Mr. Gai, how are Tianming Shaoyu and the others doing recently?"

"They..." When asked about this topic, even Gai Nie paused before answering, "They went to pursue their own future."

The words were very literary and didn't sound like a serious answer.

But there was nothing Gai Nie could do.

He couldn't tell Xiao Ling that Tianming's life was in danger and he had to go out to sea with the Yin-Yang family to seek a glimmer of survival.

As for Shao Yu, although he does not seem as dangerous as Tian Ming, in Gai Nie's opinion, his future is also uncertain and his life and death are hard to predict.

Gai Nie's attitude towards the Mohist school and the Xiang clan is different.

He did not dislike or reject the Xiang clan, but she knew very well that the Xiang clan was different from the Mohists who had ideals, ambitions and their own ideas. They were just a group of old aristocrats seeking to rise again.

Whether the Mohist ideals are real or illusory is not the point, but they are definitely different from those of the Xiang family, which has no ideals.

Gai Nie would not worry about the survival of Mohism, because in the pursuit of ideals and adherence to ideas, what is important is the process, while success or failure are just results.

If you are too concerned about the results, you should go down this path.

Maybe Mo Jia and Gai Nie don’t have the same idea, but Gai Nie doesn’t care - it’s just a view.