Chapter 412.1: Clearwater Mountain - Part 1

Chapter 412.1: Clearwater Mountain - Part 1

White Deer Prefecture was one of the nine provinces in the Great Liang Dynasty, known for its scholarly atmosphere. Not only did it boast the White Deer's Xie Clan, a family of scholars with a lineage spanning hundreds of years, but also because for over two hundred years since the founding of the Great Liang, almost every imperial examination held annually by the imperial court had shadows of scholars from White Deer. The accumulation of scholars year after year for two hundred years has led to the saying that half of the scholars in the world came from White Deer. However, even in this province teeming with scholars, the world was still not peaceful. Almost one-fifth of the scholars who tried to travel to the Divine Capital for the imperial examination every year end up losing their lives in the wilderness, becoming food for those demons.

Clearwater Commandery City was located in the northeast of White Deer Prefecture and was relatively peaceful. This was mainly because not far from this city lies a foreign cultivator sect known as Clearwater Mountain as well. Although Clearwater Mountain was said to belong to the Daoist lineage, it had no affiliation with either the Infatuation Daoist Temple or the Myriad Heaven Palace. It was considered a place where random cultivators gathered, and most of the cultivators on the mountain did not practice orthodox Daoist techniques. It could even be regarded as a gathering place for those itinerant cultivators of the wild. There were even rumors that the mountain lord of Clearwater Mountain, Daoist Sage Tianyi, cultivated heretic techniques, but these were unsubstantiated rumors, and no one had ever confirmed them. Moreover, the cultivators of Clearwater Mountain had always avoided provoking cultivators from major sects, so they coexisted peacefully, and no one paid attention to them.

At dusk, a middle-aged man slowly walked past the city gate, carrying a young girl in his arms. But the guards at the city gates turned a blind eye to it. Although they received a salary from the imperial court, they were also very clear that in this city, it was the mountain lord of Clearwater Mountain who held sway, not the magistrate or the warden. As for the so-called laws of the Great Liang, what use were they here? Though the middle-aged man looked unfamiliar, he was immediately recognizable by his azure robe adorned with the embroidered characters "Clearwater" in golden thread at the hem, so the guards would not inquire further. As for how the little girl was being carried by him, and what he intended to do with her, it was none of their concern.

The middle-aged man entered the city and headed straight for a shop.

With Clearwater Mountain nearby, and the business it brought in over the years, Clearwater Commandery had seen an increase in shops run by itinerant cultivators from various surrounding sects. Many items required for cultivation could be purchased here.

Arriving in front of the shop, the middle-aged man got straight to the point, tossing a bag of skygold currency onto the counter. "I want a top-quality medicine cauldron."

The shopkeeper was a thin middle-aged man with a goatee, who deftly caught the bag of coins and glanced at the unconscious little girl in the man's arms before smiling and saying, "Fellow Daoist Ge, have you found another top-quality medicinal fruit?"

The middle-aged cultivator chuckled lightly. "I was pretty lucky. I haven't traveled far from the mountain when I stumbled upon it."

As the shopkeeper instructed his assistants to fetch the medicine cauldron, he smiled fawningly. "First Firmament Ge, you have earned the favor of Daoist Sage Tianyi. I believe after eating this medicinal fruit, your cultivation will make significant progress."

The middle-aged cultivator did not speak. But after he took the medicine cauldron, he tucked it into his bosom, and headed straight for the center of the city. There stood the Clearwater Pavilion, built by cultivators from Clearwater Mountain. It served as a resting place for those going up and down the mountain. With his cultivation realm already showing signs of loosening, this trip down the mountain was meant to seek opportunities. He had not expected to be so lucky, coming across a high-grade medicinal fruit before he had even ventured far.

Arriving at the majestic Clearwater Pavilion, the cultivator at the gate quickly recognized him. "Senior Brother Ge, you just left a few days ago. Why are you back so soon?"

The middle-aged cultivator did not speak and just shook the little girl in his hand.

He was on his way to Yellow Dragon Prefecture to go to Sword Qi Mountain to recast his saber, so he understood Yellow Dragon Prefecture's situation in advance. However, he knew little about this adjacent White Deer Prefecture. After some hesitation, Chen Chao did not go to the Warden's Office, but instead slowly walked into a bookshop.

The bookshop was not large; only able to accommodate a few bookshelves. As Chen Chao stepped inside, the shopkeeper behind a desk smiled and stood up. Looking at this young man in black clothes with a saber, he asked with a smile, "What books does Customer want to buy?"

Chen Chao did not browse the books on the shelves but casually asked, "Are these books mostly about the writings of sages and wise men, or are there some other kinds?"

The shopkeeper replied, "Not only that, there's also some information from the cultivation world and some strange stories."

Chen Chao nodded and suddenly smiled, "This is my first time setting foot in White Deer Prefecture, and I don't know much about the local area. Do you have books similar to introductions like these?"

After the shopkeeper nodded, he went to a bookshelf and pulled out a thin book, handing it to Chen Chao. When Chen Chao looked down, he saw the words "White Deer Knowledge" on the cover.

After asking about the price, Chen Chao promptly paid for the book. After receiving the White Deer Knowledge, he then asked, "Are there many cultivators in the city?"

The shopkeeper had just made a sale, so he was naturally in a good mood. Facing this customer who was obviously an outsider, he said a few more words, "There's Clearwater Mountain outside the city, and the Mountain Lord, Daoist Sage Tianyi, is the strongest within a radius of hundreds of miles. As for this commandery city, it's their Clearwater Mountain's private property. There are many disciples of Clearwater Mountain in the city, as well as some cultivators from other sects and some wandering cultivators who have opened shops here. Naturally, there are quite a few cultivators around. However, as an outsider, you should be careful in the city. Don't provoke the cultivators of Clearwater Mountain, or you might get into trouble."

Chen Chao nodded, but then asked, "Clearwater Mountain sounds like a sect outside of Buddhism and Daoism?"

The shopkeeper laughed heartily, "You're mistaken, sir. Clearwater Mountain belongs to the Daoism lineage. It's just that there's a mix of all kinds of people there. If we really talk about the connection with Daoism, there isn't much of one. It's more like a mishmash of various things stacked together. Their cultivation methods can't be considered orthodox Daoist techniques... If the folks at the Infatuation Daoist Temple knew that Clearwater Mountain claims to be part of Daoism, they might even furrow their brows."

The shopkeeper spoke for a while but seemed to remember something and shut his mouth abruptly.

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