409 Forbidding Terrain

The official's face turned so dark that it looked like it was about to rain. If not for the fact that Meng Qi's background couldn't be underestimated, he would have taken action himself.

Zhao Qian's expression changed but he instantly broke into a smile. "It was my mistake to misjudge your strength. One truly can't judge a book by its cover."

His attitude was sincere and his words were humble. He was neither frustrated nor angry at Meng Qi mocking him in his face.

So Zhao Qian did look like a Buddhist... Meng Qi paused for a moment and kept his smugness to himself. He smiled as he said, "Your Highness, we meet when fate allows and part when fate ends. Since our battle is over, we'll be taking our leave."

Zhao Qian smiled and nodded, looking unconcerned about his defeat. "Please."

Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei crossed the pavilion without hesitation and continued their climb upward. Zhao Qian didn't send anyone to stop them. He was a trustworthy man indeed.

Meng Qi turned around after traveling for a while. He saw that Zhao Qian still standing in the pavilion at the halfway point of the mountain. His hands were clasped behind his back as he stared into the distance, looking like he was in a trance for some reason.

"Why would Prince Liang reveal his ambitions so frankly? Isn't he afraid of stirring trouble?" Meng Qi asked, frowning.

One could be a Buddhist or a Taoist—it wouldn't matter to the Crown Prince as long as one didn't overstep boundaries. However, contacting various Buddhist sects and trying to build a new Buddhist country would mean destruction and suffering for the people. It was akin to cutting oneself off from other sects and most aristocratic families. If his plans were exposed, he would make more enemies than friends. It would be nigh impossible for him to ascend the throne.

If he harbored such ambitions, he should keep a low profile and remain vigilant to avoid exposing his true goal. He should slowly gather the sects on his side and oust the ones that weren't. Only when most of his work was done should he display his true might!

Zhao Qian should have such a great secret but chose to be honest. It was as if he didn't mind if the two of them leak the information to others.

Jiang Zhiwei thought for a moment before replying, "Perhaps someone had discovered this a long time ago and it's an open secret to everyone in Luoyang. Otherwise, why would he come to Ying City for no reason..."

"Or he might be fearless..." Meng Qi added.

They didn't dwell on that mystery any longer. In any case, given the disparity in strength, they shouldn't be sticking their noses into the internal fights in the imperial family. It was best to stay as far from their squabbles as possible.

They continued their ascent and soon arrived at the Heart-calming Temple. However, they didn't stop and kept going up. They were aiming for the peak to take a look at the city from above before heading down to the temple for a break.

The Misty Rain Mountain wasn't considered tall. With so many towering mountains and hills in the Huan Province, it was merely a slightly taller mountain. However, its scenery was beautiful. Even in the winter, the mountain wasn't lined with withered trees. Rather, there was greenery dotted with specks of yellow and gently flowing streams. The city, from the view from the peak, resembled a painting. The city was spread out in all directions and densely covered with water bodies. The boats sailing through the waters were mere dots in the distance. Stone bridges formed fine lines and mountain ridges snaked about like dragons with the lakes appearing like their dim, deep eyes.

For some reason, the vista reminded Meng Qi of the phrase 'forbidding terrain'.

Jiang Zhiwei seemed to share the same sentiments. Gently exhaling, she said, "Doesn't it feels like it's only expected for this place to once house the old emperor?"

"Where the old emperor used to live?" Meng Qi stared at her in confusion.

She giggled. "Don't tell me you don't know that this city was once the former capital of the previous dynasty."

Meng Qi's face turned bright red, wanting to confess that he had failed his history class in his old world.

He only looked up parts of history whenever necessary, never systematically studying it. Hence, his knowledge of the ancient times didn't include several of the earlier dynasties.

Jiang Zhiwei knew that he hadn't been in the Shaolin Temple for long. Thus, he had probably only learned Sanskrit at most. He wouldn't have had the chance to grasp a rough understanding of history. She smiled. "Humans had flourished in the River East and the Longtai temple, where the sword of the former Human Sovereign had been cast, was also there. Several dynasties had made the River East their capitals to carry on this fate."

"Kang, the previous dynasty, picked Ying City as their capital. They produced many generations of Dharmakayas, forcing the Wang family in the River East to hide their abilities and bide their time. However, as the wheel of fortune turns, with gains comes loss. Last year, the two generations of emperors from the Han family went against the trend. They made enemies with most of the aristocratic families and engulfed the country in the flames of war."

"Back then, the Zhao family from Luoyang had extensive insider information and many powerful masters. After several bouts of undercurrents, someone finally claimed Dharmakaya and stood out from the rest of the aristocratic families. He then became the chief of the alliance. They later became unwilling to leave their homes and picked Luoyang as their new capital, rendering most of Ying City useless."

"So that's what happened..." Meng Qi finally understood the flow of events. He overlooked the city, feeling as if he had been bathed in the vicissitudes of life.

It was noon when they finished admiring the view. They began their descent down the mountain and made their way to the quiet and peaceful Heart-calming Temple.

The temple was small, with only three rows of houses in total. Basking in the sunlight, the Taoist at the door was leaning against the wall in a lazy manner. He showed no interest in them even as they approached. He merely watched them as they enter the temple.

"The Taoists here sure are lazy." The people they had met inside and outside the temple were all slacking off due to the warm sunlight on a winter day. Some were sitting down, some lying on the floor, and some even loudly snoring in their sleep! Meng Qi couldn't help mocking them. Not one of them bothered to receive their guests!

All of sudden, the sound of a zither filled the air. It was coming from the side compound, reminiscent of a stream flowing down a mountain. The sound seemed to cleanse one's heart.

The sound struck Meng Qi as familiar but he decided it definitely didn't come from the little glutton. Her skills couldn't have deteriorated that much...

He exchanged glances with Jiang Zhiwei. Perhaps due to the influence of the lazy Taoists, they had an urge to look into it in a leisurely manner and turned to walk toward the side compound. Through the ajar door, they saw a master dressed in white.

He had a delicate, feminine beauty and appeared to be detached from worldly matters. Sitting on a stone stool, he gently plucked at the strings with both hands in a display of his elegance. Behind him was a maid. The moment she spotted Meng Qi, she glared daggers at him and mouthed a warning, "Don't you dare trigger our childe's cough again!"

The man was none other than Master Wang, the Ledgerkeeper of Lives.

The music lingered in the air even after Wang Siyuan stopped and coughed a little. His body appeared stronger but the feeling of Oneness of Heaven and Men in his actions had vanished. He sat there in silence as if he had been forgotten by heaven and earth.

That one percent from complete mastery!

"I heard you'd be taking another two days to get here, but who knew you're already here in the Heart-calming Temple. Your actions are always beyond expectations as usual." Meng Qi didn't have a shred of refinedness in him. He boldly plopped himself down on a seat opposite Wang Siyuan, not treating himself as a guest at all.

Jiang Zhiwei smiled and shook her head, sitting down as well.

A faint smile spread across Wang Siyuan's face. "It's quite the unique experience to watch the undercurrents in Ying City in the tranquility of this temple."

His response was utterly irrelevant.

"Where did the undercurrents come from?" Meng Qi asked as if asking a blind man opposite him to tell his fortune.

Honestly, Meng Qi wanted to thrash people like Wang Siyuan who believed that everything was under their control.

"Didn't you two already met him?" Wang Siyuan answered with a question.

Jiang Zhiwei didn't beat around the bush with Wang Siyuan and went straight to the point. "There was no way that Zhao Qian and Zhao Yi came here just to gather manpower or observe the Party of Happycloud."

"But they have to put on a front of being respectful and gathering manpower. People may not be aware of your background, Su Meng, but it wouldn't be a difficult task for the bigwigs of Luoyang to find out if they want to. That's why they pretend to curry favor with the Su family and show goodwill toward Xuan Bei." Wang Siyuan seemed to be smiling as he looked at Meng Qi.

The Su family? It was the first time Jiang Zhiwei had heard anything about Meng Qi's background. However, she was only mildly surprised and regained her calmness in no time. Her friendship with the little monk had nothing to do with other things.

"Then what exactly are they trying to do?" Meng Qi's mouth twitched a little, having never expected to be able to hide his identity from Wang Siyuan and the others. After all, his Master's goal had been too huge and was widely known. Aristocratic families would certainly have heard about his family matters. Hence, he left that conversation topic hanging and tried to get more information out of Wang Siyuan the fraud instead.

Wang Siyuan cleared his throat and replied in amusement, "If I knew, would I sit here and watch from the sidelines?"

"Whatever they're plotting, it most definitely concerns a power struggle and a fight for the throne. Following this line of thought, if we combine it with hundreds of years of hearsay in Ying City, we'll be able to find some direction—Oh, I smell stone-milled beancurd. Would you two like to join me for lunch?"

He wasn't a mere man just then. He had inherited all the unique characteristics of a semi-psychic fortune teller, speaking in an ambiguous way, piquing curiosity before abruptly stopping!

Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei stared at each other blankly. They knew nothing about the rumors circulating in Ying City.

When they were done having Tie Scented Tea and stone-milled beancurd, Wang Siyuan's coughing worsened. The maid saw them off with a long face.

"Rumors circulating in Ying City... The Mi family would definitely know about them. Since it's still bright, why don't we pay Brother Wang a visit?" Meng Qi asked once they reached the foot of the mountain.

Jiang Zhiwei shook her head and replied using Secret Voice-sending, "The master in charge of the River East might be arriving later on. I have to return to Jian Ge and wait for him."

He nodded, delighted that another powerful aide was arriving. "Then I'll make the visit myself."

The two of them split up after crossing the Tianxiu River. Meng Qi had just reached the Mi family manor when he saw Mi Zijing, Bai Wenyuan, and Wang Zai exit the door together.

Wang Zai seemed a little frustrated. With a rigid expression, he appeared rather reluctant. On the other hand, Mi Zijing and Bai Wenyuan looked elated and eager.

"Where are you guys going?" Meng Qi cheekily asked.

Mi Zijing's composed and careful nature was nowhere to be seen as he raised his eyebrows and purposely dropped his voice into a whisper. Using Secret Voice-sending, he answered, "The Moon-Embroidering Pavilion."

"The Moon-Embroidering Pavilion?" Meng Qi was confused.

"Haha! I didn't think Su Meng, the Killing Blade, would still be an innocent boy! I can't believe you don't even know what the Moon-Embroidering Pavilion is." A smirk spread across Bai Wenyuan's rough-looking face.

"What the hell... so it was a brothel..." Meng Qi thought. He knew what a brothel was even if he had never been to one. He could tell the moment he saw their expressions.

Mi Zijing chuckled. "It's all thanks to our brother Wang Zai and his extremely strict demands on himself. My father only allowed us to go because he's accompanying us. Master Su, would you like to join us? The Moon-Embroidering Pavilion is the best in the Tianxiu River. The ladies there are good at everything, from playing the zither, chess, literature, to paintings. I guarantee you'll be captivated and overcome with lust."

Meng Qi had to hide his disdain. It was as if he hadn't seen any exotic beauties in his life! Though he somewhat looked down on brothels, he needed to ask them about the rumors in Ying City. So he accepted the invitation and prepared a perfunctory performance. Who would fancy women from some rotten brothel?

"Brother Su!" Wang Zai sighed, speaking to Meng Qi through Secret Voice-sending. "I really didn't have a choice. If word gets out, I won't be able to face anyone anymore."

"If you can go there and remain untainted, it's praiseworthy instead," Meng Qi replied, trying to comfort him.

Mi Zijing and Bai Wenyuan were in high spirits. They walked at an accelerated pace and arrived at the Tianxiu River in no time. Together, they boarded the junk where the Moon-Embroidering Pavilion was.

The second the brothel madam caught sight of masters of the Mi and Bai family, she burst into a smile so wide that wrinkles appeared all over her face like a blooming chrysanthemum. "Oh my, what a rare visit from you two gentlemen. Hurry, call Nianfeng, Nianxue, and their sisters down!"

She brought them to a VIP room on the third floor of the junk.

"How should we address the two of you?" the madam asked, noticing that Meng Qi and Wang Zai didn't have the disposition of the average man.

Wang Zai was instantly at a loss for words, his face flushing all the way till the tips of his ears. He was too ashamed and angry to leave his name behind in a place like this.

Mi Zijing laughed out loud and waved his tunic. Trying to help Wang Zai out of his predicament, he exclaimed, "What's with all the questions? Quickly call the ladies over!"

Since the master of the Mi family had spoken, the madam didn't dare ask any further. She immediately went out to rush the ladies in.

"The most famous courtesan of the pavilion is Nianxue. Though she isn't the prettiest, she's elegant and refined. She's also well-educated and good at the zither and painting, just like a lady of an aristocratic family. She doesn't even look at ordinary people." Though the beauty herself had yet to arrive, Bai Wenyuan already seemed enamored with her.

Meng Qi felt uncomfortable being in a brothel but felt a sense of schadenfreude when he saw Wang Zai experiencing even greater discomfort. It made him forget his own awkwardness.

After a brief chat, Meng Qi hadn't even had the chance to ask his questions when four courtesans entered their room. Each of them was attractive in their own way—one was as elegant as a painting, one delicate and charming, one refined and scholarly, and one a gorgeous beauty.

Mi Zijing smiled. "If we chose who we wanted, it'd be easy to get into an argument and ruin our friendship. Why don't you ladies make the choice instead?"

Just as he finished asking his question, the gentle and refined Nianxue walked forward. She made her way over to Meng Qi's side and said, "I'll be in your care, sir."

"Oh! The ladies like them handsome indeed!" Bai Wenyuan winked at Meng Qi. They all seemed to have grown closer due to their shared brothel experience.

Meng Qi felt somewhat pleased with himself but that was his usual sense of pride talking. He watched Nianxue take a seat and gave a low chuckle. "Why did Miss Nianxue choose me?"

She merely smiled and leaned in close to him. His entire body tensed in case she was scheming against him.

She whispered sweetly in his ear as she came close.

"Daddy!"

Meng Qi's expression dulled. He was downright dumbfounded.

She giggled. "There was a young lady who told me to say that. She had me tell you her exact words."

Damn that Gu Xiaosang! Fortunately, he wasn't aroused! Otherwise, who knew if he would end up traumatized for life?