Martial Cultivator

Stepping into the courtyard, Chen Chao set down the wine jars in his hands. Staring at Zhou Gouqi, he frowned and said, "Auntie is in the Divine Capital, in an unfamiliar land where she doesn't know anyone. She's already uneasy, what are you scaring her for?"

Zhou Gouqi remained indifferent. "The Divine Capital isn't just any ordinary place. Here, every five steps, there's an official, and every ten steps, a noble scion. If she doesn't tread carefully and ends up offending someone, how will she survive?"

"Aren't you here? As a Confucian Saint, is there anyone in the Divine Capital who dares to provoke you?"

Chen Chao stared at Zhou Gouqi, clearly displeased with his way of doing things.

Zhou Gouqi glanced at Chen Chao and said calmly, "How long do you think I have left to live?"

Chen Chao raised an eyebrow. "What’s that supposed to mean?

Zhou Gouqi did not answer and just said, "If I'm gone, will the academy protect her? I don't want to owe Teacher any more favors."

Chen Chao said irritably, "What nonsense are you saying? If you're really gone, I'll protect Auntie myself. As long as I'm around, I'd like to see who in this Divine Capital dares to find trouble with her!"

Zhou Gouqi clicked his tongue. "Impressive. Becoming Lord Warden Commander really has made you different, hasn't it?"

Zhou Gouqi waved his hand dismissively. He had originally intended to pick a fight with this guy in front of him, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he found it meaningless. Might as well not bother.

So he did not.

Fetching back a jar of wine, Zhou Gouqi said calmly, "You already know most of what happened with the fall of the Wei Family, but there's one thing I never told you. Aren't you curious?"

Chen Chao smiled. "I came here for this exact reason."

Zhou Gouqi looked at Chen Chao with a grin.

Chen Chao said, "I've read nearly all of the Wei Family's records these past few days, along with everything you mentioned before. But there's one inconsistency, something you haven't told me, and something I haven't found in the records either."

Zhou Gouqi got straight to the point. "Why did the Wei Family breach the embankment and cause the great flood of Wei Prefecture?"

Chen Chao nodded.

There was cause and effect behind everything that had happened before, except for this.

But no matter what, a spy like the Wei Family would never act recklessly. If they did something, there had to be a reason for it.

Zhou Gouqi said, "I deliberately avoided mentioning it, but I figured it'd be hard to keep it from you. The Wei Family was under the Infatuation Daoist Temple's control, and everything they did was at its command. As for the great flood of Wei Prefecture, you could say this matter falls on the Infatuation Daoist Temple, but it has nothing to do with Daoist Wuying. It was the doing of the current temple master, Yinli." ŘАＮ𝐨ᛒĘ𐌔

Chen Chao said, "From my guess, breaching the embankment and flooding half of Wei Prefecture must have been to cover something up. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to go to such lengths."

Zhou Gouqi nodded and said, "Before Yinli became the temple master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple, he technically shouldn't have been involved in the Wei Family's affairs. But since he gave the orders, the Wei Family naturally wouldn't dare to disobey. So, the flood of Wei Prefecture that year was indeed his doing."

Chen Chao asked curiously, "But what was it for?"

Zhou Gouqi replied, "The flood was naturally meant to conceal something. That disaster affected nearly half of Wei Prefecture's population, but in reality, the number of people who died to cultivators far exceeded those who drowned in the flood. The reason behind triggering the great flood..."

Chen Chao took over, "Was because the foreign lands needed a massive number of commoners, so the flood was staged as a cover-up."

Zhou Gouqi nodded. That was more or less the truth.

Chen Chao quickly brought up the most crucial question - what did they need all those people for?

A large number of commoners, this was not a matter of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of people. It was not just tens of thousands either, it was hundreds of thousands.

With so many commoners abducted, and so many commoners harmed, it was clear that the conspiracy behind this was immense.

Zhou Gouqi said, "Many years ago, Yinli had already set his sights on usurping the position of temple master. So, he secretly reached out to many forces."

Chen Chao said, "So, these commoners' lives were the benefits this current Infatuation Daoist Temple Master used to gain favor?"

Zhou Gouqi was not in a hurry to answer. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Do you know why Yinli became famous in the world back then?"

"He once fought an overlord of the heretic path, slew him in battle, and became renowned throughout the world. But in reality, that heretical sect was never destroyed. Instead, he took them under his wing, reshaped them, and turned them into a daoist sect called Glaze Temple."

Chen Chao raised an eyebrow.

"Although it was renamed Glaze Temple, this sect still practices heretical cultivation methods, using people as cauldrons and medicinal ingredients. They are no different from the Clearwater Mountain you destroyed before. However, they are even worse, they don't just target so-called virgin boys and girls."

Zhou Gouqi spoke calmly, "Back then, Yin'i was willing to take the risk of having the Wei Family trigger the great flood of Wei Prefecture because a powerful figure within Glaze Temple sought to reach the end of Nepenthe. Countless living beings were required for this, so they orchestrated the great flood to cover their tracks, allowing them to take hundreds of thousands of commoners into Glaze Temple for cultivation purposes."

Chen Chao frowned. "Hundreds of thousands of commoners, all for the sake of producing a single cultivator at the end of Nepenthe?"

Zhou Gouqi nodded. "In the eyes of foreign cultivators, a single cultivator at the end of Nepenthe is worth far more than hundreds of thousands of commoners."

Chen Chao was silent.

In the eyes of foreign cultivators, commoners were no different from livestock. If they needed them, they would likely even take the risk to abduct a million commoners, let alone hundreds of thousands.

"But in truth, it wasn't just to supply for a single person, it was for Glaze Temple's ten years of cultivation. Still, no matter how you put it, it's not right."

Zhou Gouqi said, "They are people of our Great Liang. How can we allow them to be harmed like this?"

Chen Chao said, "Then this Glaze Temple must be eradicated."

He did not waste words. With a sect like that, there was only one course of action - that was extermination. No discussion, no negotiation.

Zhou Gouqi said, "I’m already prepared to go up the mountain and take a look."

Chen Chao frowned and said, "I'll go with you."

Zhou Gouqi looked at him and did not speak for some time.@@novelbin@@

"I'm already prepared. I should be able to handle this alone."

Zhou Gouqi smiled. "Once Glaze Temple is destroyed, the next should be the Infatuation Daoist Temple, and that Daoist Yinli."

Chen Chao said, "I already have plans for the Infatuation Daoist Temple."

Zhou Gouqi looked at Chen Chao, asking curiously. "Are you confident?"

Chen Chao nodded. "Seventy percent."

Zhou Gouqi nodded with a smile. "Then I'll leave the Infatuation Daoist Temple to you, but don't fight me over the Glaze Temple."

Chen Chao asked, "Why?"

Zhou Gouqi sighed. "I've lived in Wei Prefecture for many years. There's some attachment."

Chen Chao said, "I lived by the Wei River for many years."

That great flood was deeply connected to Chen Chao - he had nearly died in it. No matter how one looked at it, this was his battle.

Zhou Gouqi looked at him for a long time without speaking.