Yellow Skinned Taoist Master

Chapter 171: In the Capital, There Is One Skilled in Fishing

The Da Kang Dynasty, the Capital.

Even though the sun and moon had vanished and the world had plunged into darkness.

This place remained brightly illuminated by lanterns and fires.

Those weren't lanterns lit by ordinary commoners, but the divine fires of deities.

The bright divine fires illuminated the four directions.

If someone were to look down from a high vantage point, they would behold an incomparably majestic and massive city. Blue bricks and glazed tiles, with buildings layered upon layers, yet arranged in perfect order without the slightest trace of disorder; possessing an indescribable sense of harmony.

This was exactly the capital of Da Kang.

The design of every single building was incredibly meticulous: symmetrical on the left and right, symmetrical top and bottom, and symmetrical on all four sides.

Cold, solemn, and respectful.

Humans had human paths; rats had rat paths.Even the ants by the roadside had to travel according to ant paths.

The very first thing the current Emperor did after ascending to the throne was to rebuild this rigidly conventional, extremely harmonious, and meticulously strict capital city.

Of course, there were definitively those who opposed it.

Therefore, within the twenty-four years spanning from deciding to rebuild the capital to its completion, an unknown number of noble aristocratic families and imperial court ministers who opposed this Da Kang Emperor were all struggled against and struck down. The entire imperial court was completely reshuffled from top to bottom.

However, the "Five Surnames and Seven Great Houses" were not included within this purge.

Later on, rumors spread amongst the populace, stating the reason His Majesty rebuilt the capital was actually because the Five Surnames and Seven Great Houses were currying favor with His Majesty. After all, prior to ascending the throne, His Majesty had never enjoyed luxury.

How could a perfectly good enlightened monarch suddenly turn into a benighted, fatuous ruler?

It must definitely be the Five Surnames and Seven Great Houses playing dirty tricks behind the scenes.

As for later on, after the spring of the fourth year of the Qingli Era, when Da Kang's taxes surged higher year after year, it must also definitely have been the Five Surnames and Seven Great Houses playing tricks behind the scenes.

After all, His Majesty resided deep within the imperial palace for extended periods.

Blocked by high red walls, nobody could sneak inside to see how many meals His Majesty ate in a day.

Conversely, the Five Surnames and Seven Great Houses all resided in the most prosperous and bustling sectors of the capital.

A single brick in that area was something an ordinary wealthy merchant might labor intensely their entire life for, and still not necessarily be able to afford.

At this very moment.

The capital, Qinghe district.

This was the location of the Song family's grand estate.

Although they were called the Song Family of Qinghe, in reality, this referred to the jurisdictional area along the left and right banks where the capital's Qing River flowed.

Back then, when the Founding Emperor of Da Kang started his rebellion and first rose to power.

The Song Family of Qinghe had already been rooted in this area for an unknown number of years.

Later on, when the Da Kang Dynasty was established, the Song Family Ancestor personally went to seek an audience with that Founding Emperor. Following that, in name, this area was considered to be bestowed upon the Song family as a reward, and they were not ordered to relocate elsewhere.

Song, Li, Meng, Han, Liu, Du.

The Six Great Noble Families of Da Kang; excluding the Du family, the situation was similarly the same.

The Five Surnames and Seven Great Houses also did not include the Du family, because the ancestral land of the Du family was not in the capital. Moreover, their population was sparse, and ordinarily they kept such a low profile that if they didn't make a sound, nobody would even remember they existed.

And right now, calculating the time, it was already dusk.

Within the ancestral hall of the Song family, a multitude of deities sat upright, while seated below them lay the numerous younger generation of the Song family.

The elders of the Song family had all long since achieved godhood on the spot.

As for the younger generation, rarely would any choose to transform into a deity before their eight-hundred-year lifespan was nearing its end.

From top to bottom, everyone in the Song family remained completely silent, seemingly waiting for something.

After a long time passed.

With a whoosh.

An old man wearing a green scholar's robe and a goatee beard, leaning on a walking cane, slowly walked in.

Looking at him, this old man appeared no different from an ordinary mortal.

His entire body lacked even a speck of extraordinary aura, yet his pair of eyes were incredibly bright, unlike the cloudy eyes typifying an old man of this age.

"Ancestor!!"

"Ancestor!!"

All the members of the Song family stood up entirely, respectfully bowing in greeting toward this old man.

This old man was exactly the Ancestor of the Song family.

And also an extremely powerful deity.

He had lived for a very long time, so long that nobody even knew his true name/taboo; they merely referred to him as the Ancestor.

The Song Family Ancestor slowly nodded toward everyone, and then slowly walked to the highest seat of honor in the ancestral hall and slowly sat down.

"The sun will not disappear; it will return tomorrow."

The Song Family Ancestor commenced with a definitive assertion, and then stated: "The sun and moon sharing the sky foreshadows the conclusion of the Heaven and Earth Mutation. That old foggy of the Du family divined that this occurrence will happen a total of nine times. Nine is the extreme limit."

"After nine times, the Heaven and Earth Mutation will completely conclude."

"When that time comes, a new path of cultivation will emerge."

Hearing these words, the expressions of all the Song family members seated below subtly changed.

They all cultivated using human qi.

This was the sole path of cultivation available after the Heaven and Earth Mutation.

And also an incomplete, defective path.

If a new path of cultivation emerged after the Heaven and Earth Mutation ended, would they possess the opportunity to embark upon this path?

The Song Family Ancestor said faintly: "Any cultivator of the Song family, starting from this day forth, is forbidden from transforming into a deity. Unless your lifespan is absolutely nearing its end; otherwise, even if you must forcibly endure, you must endure until that time arrives."

Someone frowned and said: "Ancestor, over these years the West Region Buddha Kingdom has been restless and uneasy, and the younger generation of our Song family all hold official posts in the imperial court. If someone achieves a massive merit, and His Majesty personally issues an edict bestowing a divine throne upon them, what should we do?"

"Therefore, the Song family must lie dormant in hiding."

The Song Family Ancestor said slowly: "The current His Majesty is very extraordinary. This old man has lived for so many years and seen an unknown number of outstanding talents, yet this one's methods are even more formidable than the Founding Emperor's."

"The Du family keeping a respectful distance is correct."

"Hereafter, any younger generation of our Song family who holds a civil post in the imperial court shall seek a transfer out of the capital to the lower reaches, going to the local provinces to act as officials. If they hold a military post, they shall find an opportunity to fake their death and extract themselves. However, do not handle this matter too hastily; take it slowly."

"Ancestor, what exactly is His Majesty intending to do?"

An old man seated to the lower right of the Song Family Ancestor stated in a low, profound voice: "Ever since the spring of the fourth year of the Qingli Era... no, ever since the era name was changed to Qing, His Majesty has resided deep within the Hall of Mental Cultivation, disregarding affairs of state. He sits back and watches the struggles in the imperial court, only occasionally issuing commands to mediate."

"And then there are those Imperial Envoys..."

Although the matter of those Imperial Envoys being evil spirits was a profound secret.

And the number of people who knew of it was extremely small.

The Five Surnames and Seven Great Houses still sensed something, knowing the secret of those Imperial Envoys, and that it was highly likely they were meant to be used to deal with the noble families.

Yet despite so many years passing.

This card in His Majesty's hand had never been played from beginning to end.

It was like a sharp sword suspended directly above the heads of these people; nobody knew when it would fall.

"Unable to clearly see through it; this old man is also unable to clearly see through it."

The Song Family Ancestor closed his eyes tightly, saying slowly: "However, this matter of the sun and moon sharing the sky will definitively occur again. His Majesty won't wait until the very end before making his move. He possesses great patience, but he is not a deity."

Indeed, the current Da Kang Emperor was not a deity.

From ascending the throne until now, it hadn't even been more than three hundred years.

By calculation, he still possessed over four hundred years of lifespan.

After every previous Da Kang Emperor ascended the throne, they would very quickly transform into a deity. Because once a deity sheds its mortal shell, whether it comes to handling governmental affairs or their own personal strength, they could become powerful to the absolute limits.

However, strangely enough, ever since this His Majesty ascended the throne, he never once entertained the thought of transforming into a deity.

One must realize, if this one were to become a deity.

Then the human qi of the entire Da Kang would be bestowed upon him.

Even the City God of Xuzhou City was powerful boundlessly; let alone an Emperor.

"That old undying fossil of the Du family knows a great deal."

The Song Family Ancestor stated: "But he is unwilling to speak much. He merely mentioned a single sentence: the current His Majesty is a gambler, and moreover, his eyes have already gone red from gambling; we must keep a respectful distance. Back then, this old man merely thought it was because His Majesty couldn't stand the sight of the noble families and wanted to institute reforms."

"Thinking about it now, perhaps this matter is not that simple."

"In conclusion, learn from the Du family: keep a respectful distance."

"Furthermore, the Song family should not meddle in the matter of the black sun."

"But we also cannot leave without sending people, otherwise the other noble families will naturally detect something. As for the specific arrangements, you all will make the decisions yourselves. This old man is old, and will not rely on seniority to dictate terms."

Saying so, the figure of the Song Family Ancestor slowly faded away.

...

Meanwhile, inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the capital.

Today, the Da Kang Emperor was wearing a set of blue Daoist robes. A purple-gold crown adorned his head, and he held a scroll of Daoist scripture in his hands. He looked nothing like an emperor, but rather resembled a Daoist.

Just at this moment, from the faint shadows in the corner of this Hall of Mental Cultivation, a man entirely wrapped in a black robe and wearing a mask stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, the Song Family Ancestor went to see someone."

The Da Kang Emperor, who was intently reading the Daoist scripture, waved his hand, signaling him to be quiet.

Therefore, this Hall of Mental Cultivation fell silent.

Only the rustling sound of pages flipping echoed.

After a long time passed.

Only then did the Da Kang Emperor close the Daoist scripture, saying faintly: "Was the one he met Du Rugui or Du Shenwei?"

"Du Rugui."

"Hmm, exactly as We expected."

The Da Kang Emperor commented with a smile: "These two brothers, one chases the sun, the other chases the moon. Now that the sun and moon have vanished, it actually forced them to descend to the mortal realm. What a pity the one who came down wasn't that Du Shenwei."

"Are there any movements from the Song family's side?"

"The Song Family Ancestor wishes to learn from the Du family and extract themselves. They also no longer care about the matter of the black sun. It seems they have detected something regarding what Your Majesty intends to do."

"He lacks that capability."

The Da Kang Emperor stated disdainfully: "If he possessed that capability, the Da Kang Dynasty would have taken the surname Song a long time ago. He knows We possess the likes of you all serving as Our left and right hands, yet he does not know exactly what grand matter We intend to accomplish."

"We have gambled the destiny of the nation upon it; We have gambled everything upon it."

"That Du Shenwei is very clever. He guessed the matter We intend to do, merely that he is indeed a clever person—a gentleman does not stand below a collapsing wall—so he won't allow the Du family to involve themselves in this matter."

"Conversely, it is this Song Family Ancestor. This person possesses a bit of petty cleverness, but it is insufficient. He doesn't want to extract himself; rather, he wants to fish."

"Chen One (辰一), do you know how to fish?"

That man named Chen One thought for a moment, shaking his head as he stated: "Your Majesty, this minister does not know how to fish, and also does not know how one should fish."

The Da Kang Emperor's eyes brightened, and he stood up, saying: "We shall tell you. This fishing is truly one of the greatest joys in the world! First of all, one must learn how to judge whether there are fish in the river, what kind of fish there are, and whether it is easy to fish."

"The clearer the river water, the harder the fish are to catch."

"The deeper the river water, the larger the fish."

"One must also scatter bait to build a nest, and lower the bait on the hook. The fishing rod in one's hand must be sturdy enough, and one must possess patience; only like this can one hook a massive fish."

Speaking up to here, the Da Kang Emperor spoke as if he were addicted: "However, the joy of fishing entirely lies within the struggle and contest the moment a fish is hooked!"

Hearing this, Chen One said thoughtfully: "The Song Family Ancestor conceitedly believes he has judged there are fish in the river, so he used the other noble families as scattered bait to build a nest, intending to use this to fish. Merely, what is his bait on the hook?"

"Naturally, it is the Song family. He possesses petty cleverness; he knows We have planted people inside the Song family. Therefore, he deliberately used your mouth to transmit his words directly to Us here."

"He wishes to see whether We, this fish, will take the bait."

Chen One said in a low, profound voice: "The Song Family Ancestor is far too impudent and unbridled."

"Let him be."

The Da Kang Emperor laughed: "The bait on the hook is too meager, while the appetite of Us, this fish, is far too massive. We merely won't eat it, that's all."

That Chen One nodded, and then slowly withdrew.

It was just that before leaving, a sudden thought abruptly struck him.

Although he had never fished, His Majesty resided within the palace year-round, so it seemed he hadn't ever fished either.

Why did he possess such profound understanding regarding the matter of fishing?

Could it be that when the Late Emperor was on the throne, he taught by personal example as well as verbal instruction? Or perhaps he was innately skilled in this Dao right from birth?

With this thought, after Chen One left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he walked into a gloomy corner. After verifying there was nobody around, only then did he knock three times 'thump thump thump' against the wall.

From behind that wall, a voice similarly responded.

Chen One's original surname, was Song.