Chapter 40 Seventh Pass

  Lao Wu was speaking without avoiding the crowd, when Baili Kuangfeng heard him and quickly walked over with raised eyebrows and staring eyes, "Lao Wu, what did you say?"

  Lao Wu looked at Mo Wen and nodded before speaking, "Tomorrow, a high-ranking official from the Hu people will come to our Taoist temple and ask our Taoist master to help them fight."

  "Hahaha!" Bai Li Kuangfeng burst out laughing, "The barbarians have invaded our homeland, killed thousands of our people, and yet they still want us Han people to help them fight?"

  The laughter of Baili's crazy wind shocked everyone, and the other five people immediately gathered around to ask about the reason. After asking, they all scolded the barbarian for being shameless.

  "Is it Master Xuan Yangzi who ordered you to cook and entertain?" Mo Xun asked Lao Wu.

  "The master of the dining hall asked us to prepare lunch for the barbarians, presumably it's the teacher's intention." Lao Jiu replied.

  Don't ask, but he secretly frowned. At this time, the Xiongnu and Han people were like fire and water, so how could a Taoist temple accommodate a Xiongnu official?

  "Master, this is a rare opportunity, give me some usable poison and I'll put it in their food." Lao Wu asked for the medicine again.

  Mo didn't ask, raised an eyebrow and looked at Lao Wu, but didn't answer. Instead, Ye Xiao Yao spoke up from the side, "Sleeping lotus stem three coins, grinding powder with half a coin of black hair..."

  "Don't let him get into trouble." Mo Wen interrupted Ye Xiang, who was talking about the medicinal herbs that had caused his diarrhea. The medicine was very potent and would cause diarrhea soon after consumption. He hadn't even finished eating when he started having stomach cramps, and Lao Wu couldn't deny responsibility.

  "Lao Wu, do you know that the Hu people have invited the Taoist priest of Wuliang Mountain to come out and deal with what kind of enemy?" Ah Jiu asked Lao Wu.

  "I don't know." Old Five shook his head.

  "You go back first and be honest with your cooking. Don't create any trouble." Mo asked to send off Lao Wu with a wave of his hand.

  Lao Wu couldn't get the medicine that would harm people, so he left dejectedly. When he reached the door, Baili Kuangfeng caught up with him and whispered something in his ear. Lao Wu nodded repeatedly and left in high spirits.

  "What bad idea have you given Lao Wu?" Mo Wen worried that Lao Wu would get into trouble and quickly walked to the door.

  "Don't worry, nothing will go seriously wrong." Baili Kuangfeng smiled mischievously and didn't respond, pulling Mo Xiang back into the courtyard.

  "I really don't know what Xuan Yangzi is thinking, actually entertaining an official from the Hu people." Baili Kuangfeng's face showed dissatisfaction.

  "He is a man of extraordinary talent, in his eyes there is no distinction between Hu and Han people." Liu Shaoqing followed up, after this person learned martial arts, he became much bolder and was no longer as timid as before.

  "Tian Quanzi's words are wrong, Mount Wu Liang is located within the borders of Zhao Guo, and Xuan Yangzi, as the leader of the sect, cannot refuse to let high-ranking officials enter the mountain." Ah Jiu frowned in refutation.

  "Tian Xuanzi thought it through thoroughly." Qiansui nodded in agreement.

  Don't ask, the atmosphere was not right, and he hastily changed the subject. "The Hu people are fierce and good at fighting, with strong soldiers and horses. What kind of enemy did they encounter that required them to invite a Taoist for assistance?"

  "If it were an ordinary soldier, they would never use a Taoist priest. The opponent must be a demonic beast." Ye Xiangyao interjected.

  "I don't even know which country we're at war with?" said Liu Song.

  Ye Xiangyang heard this and raised his hand to point south, "The Jin Dynasty reveres Buddhism, the Buddhist family is not skilled in this technique, it should not be the Southern Dynasty."

  Turning to the northwest, "The kingdom of Liang is not prosperous in Buddhism and Taoism, its national strength is relatively weak, and it is struggling to survive. I'm sure they won't dare to come and provoke Zhao Guo."

  Finally, he pointed northeast, "Most likely it should be the state of Yan in the northeast, many Xianbei tribes have produced witches and are skilled at driving beasts and summoning monsters."

  "How did you know so clearly?" asked Baili Kuangfeng in confusion.

  "I've been away from home for five years, how could I not know through hearsay?" Yan Xiao Yao smiled and replied.

  "It's also unknown whether Mount Wuliang will send someone to assist." Liu Song spoke again.

  "Absolutely not! We are Han people, how can we help the Hu people?" Ba Li Kuang Feng said loudly.

  "It's hard to say, when one is under another's roof, how can one not lower their head?" Ye Xiao Yao shook his head and said.

  Everyone sighed upon hearing this. Mount Wu Lao was located within the borders of Zhao, and due to geographical constraints, it really couldn't be used as a frontline defense against the Hu people.

  They talked for a while without any results and then dispersed, by this time everyone had stopped gathering together to practice martial arts frequently, when to practice what kind of skill was up to individual arrangement.

  The next morning, the sound of horses' neighing came from under Mount Wulao. Mo Wuji had already gotten up and went out to take a look when he heard the noise. He found that it was a group of cavalrymen from the Hu people's official army, numbering around 200-300 people. These cavalrymen left their horses at the foot of the mountain and marched up in formation. The Taoist priests on Mount Wulao might have known about the arrival of these officials beforehand, so they didn't panic when they saw the Hu people arrive. Instead, they sent some servants to lead the officials up the mountain.

  These government troops arrived at the Wuliang Mountain with a fairly respectful attitude, not being arrogant or loud, but only inspecting the Taoist temple and then standing guard on both sides of the road and in various parts of the temple.

  "What kind of official is this with such a big fanfare?" Baili Kuangfeng arrived afterwards, frowning as he looked at the Huren scattered all over the mountain.

  Mo Wen heard the words and slowly shook his head. He was not a native of Zhao, and he was not familiar with the ranks of Zhao officials or the specifications of their ceremonial equipment. However, judging from the situation, the person who came must not be an ordinary provincial official.

  "With such a tight guard, let alone urinating into the pot, even spitting out saliva is not possible." Baili Kuangfeng raised his hand and pointed at the officials and soldiers surrounding the cafeteria.

  Mo Wen heard the words and frowned, looking at Bai Li Kuangfeng with a glance. This guy had been stealing for three days without being caught, and it turned out that yesterday he was the one who had urinated in Lao Wu's porridge.

  Then he saw Xuan Yangzi, the leader of the Taoist priests, leading Gu Yangzi and Qing Yangzi, as well as many other Taoists, coming down the mountain to greet them. They were all dressed in formal ceremonial robes, very solemn and dignified.

  Mo Wen and others became even more perplexed, looking at each other in anticipation, quietly waiting for the host to appear.

  At the second watch of Chen, dozens of riders reappeared at the foot of the mountain. These people were not wearing Hu attire, but rather Han clothing. The first to dismount was a man and woman who had been riding in front. The man was robust, wearing a dark yellow long gown, about 40 or 50 years old, with high cheekbones, a large nose, and a long beard, looking truly majestic, likely a high-ranking military general.

  The woman in black beside the man suddenly furrowed her brow after gazing intently at his appearance, and then was shocked, "This person may be the Emperor of Zhao."

  "What?" Everyone was shocked upon hearing this.

  "The woman next to the man I had seen before, she is Princess Hei of Zhao." Mo Wu said, previously when he and Lao Wu first entered the borders of Zhao Guo, they saw this black-robed princess at the imperial hunting grounds. A year has passed since then, her appearance has changed a bit, but it's still possible to tell that it's her.

  "Who would have thought that a barbarian woman could be so beautiful?" Ye Xiao Yao exclaimed in surprise.

  Everyone who heard the words was deeply dissatisfied with Ye Xiang's words, but no one spoke out to refute him. The princess in black was indeed very beautiful, and her mother might not be a barbarian, so her nose was not as big as that of ordinary Hu women. Her facial features were delicate and exquisitely carved.

  "Don't ask, how did you know her?" Ah Jiu pointed to the mountain below. At this time, Xuan Yangzi and others had come forward to greet them, and both sides were seeing each other off with courtesy. Daoist priests would bow their heads to anyone they met, even if it was the emperor.

  "We met by chance at the hunting ground on our way north." Mo Xun replied.

  "It seems that Zhao Guo has really gotten into big trouble this time, even the Emperor himself has come out to ask for rescue troops." Ba Li Kuang Feng's tone was not without a hint of schadenfreude.

  Mo Wen and the others didn't catch up with Bai Li Kuang Feng's words, at this time both sides had finished their greetings. The Taoist from Wu Liang Mountain led the way in front, Xuan Yang Zi and that middle-aged man walked side by side. Although the black-robed princess was beautiful, she was only 15 or 16 years old, with a hint of childishness still on her face, being pulled along by the middle-aged man as they ascended the stairs together. Finally, there were dozens of followers carrying gifts.

  "When in need, they bribe with gifts and money; normally, they rob and plunder. Their faces change quickly." Baili Fengchuan coldly snorted again. Everyone disliked the Hu people, but those who hated them the most were Mo Xiang and Baili Fengchuan. However, Mo Xiang hid his hatred deep within his heart, rarely revealing it outwardly. On the other hand, Baili Fengchuan openly displayed his hatred, cursing at the mere thought of them.

  "That trunk was carried by four people and still felt heavy when it touched the ground. It must be filled with gold." Liu Shaoying said, nodding his head.

  "Don't ask, will Xuan Yangzi and others take the gold out of the mountain to help the Hu people?" Baili Kuangfeng patted Mo Wen's shoulder with his hand.

  "They had no choice." Mo Xun shook his head and said, The Emperor of Zhao personally came, with courtesy in front, heavy gifts behind, and imperial power on the side. No one could refuse, nor dare to refuse.

  "If they come out to help, it's just helping the wicked and harming the innocent, being a traitor to the Upper Clarity Sect. Ba Li Kuang Feng has grown one year older, not only his beard is longer, but also his temper."

  Don't ask, he glanced at the hundred-mile wind with a crazy eye, and Ye Xiao took over the conversation, "On Mount Wu Lian, out of 100 people, only 20% know Taoist magic, the rest have no defensive skills. Xuan Yangzi has worries about his back, how dare he disobey? If we become artists and leave the mountain, we must not establish a sect or school, come and go alone, who can't do anything to us."

  Everyone nodded in agreement, for when one has worries about the future, they will be hesitant and indecisive in whatever they do.

  Xuanyangzi and others invited the man in yellow into the main hall to converse, but after a long time, they had not come out. The crowd was unable to approach, nor did they know whether Xuanyangzi had agreed to the other party's request.

  Just as everyone was gazing at the main hall in the west, a faint sound of breaking wind came from behind. Everyone turned their heads to see that Yu Linglong, who had been missing for many days, appeared quietly, dusty and disheveled, with a tired look on her face.

  "Boundless Heaven Venerable, I have seen the True Person." The crowd knelt down to welcome him.

  "Fusheng Wuliang Tianzun, you all follow me into the hall." Yulingong returned the courtesy and turned to enter the hall, and everyone heard the words and hurriedly followed.

  Yu Linglong handed over a roll of paper to Mo Wen after entering the hall, "You have already learned the Qi Huang technique, now it's time for the seventh test. Here are seven different symptoms, each take one sheet and go deal with them, you must not be late."

  Mo Wen took over the volume of paper, and found that there were seven pieces of paper, each with a description of the symptoms and the location of the patient's state and county. At the bottom, it was also specified to return within a certain time. It turned out that Yu Linglong had gone missing during this period to find difficult diseases in various places.

  Don't ask about the random distribution, at the same time, hold your breath and look closely at the county where the patient is located. The first few patients are not far from here, and the limited time is only two to three days. This is undoubtedly a deliberate act by Yuling, in order to let everyone avoid hardship.

  When it was divided into five parts, he saw the two words "Ye City" that made his heart beat faster. Exactly five days...