Chapter Ninety-Four: Endless Worries

  On the Zixiao Temple, the Purple Cloud True Person looked around at each of the sect masters and said: "The first method is to reassign the eight sects directly under the jurisdiction of the Zixiao Temple, integrating the power of the Zixiao Temple and glorifying the name of the Zixiao. The second method is for the ten sects of the Zixiao to each dispatch a high-ranking expert to form an allied army, led by the Purple Sun Sect, to go to Zhongzhou to avenge our blood debt. The Qingping Gate has already trampled on our heads, today they killed my wife, tomorrow they may kill your son, and we must also put an end to the hundred-year grudge with the Qingping Gate."

  At the foot of the mountain, Zhang Tong said calmly: "When I was cultivating, the sect master told me that men and women's emotions, men and women's desires are the knots of cultivation. If you can untie them, it is a blessing; if not, it is fate. Now I find that power and desire are even more terrifying."

  Lin Fan said, "Your sect leader has the heart to strive for strength and also knows that the eight sects are not easy to deal with. The mistake is not on him, but on the previous sect leader. If he was willing to hand over the position of sect leader, there wouldn't be such a situation today. However, the Purple Sun Sect's succession of sect leaders will eventually lead to dissatisfaction among the other sects' leaders. What you said is right, it's all because of power that this disaster has occurred."

  Zhang Tongyuan asked in doubt: "Aren't all cultivators supposed to be clear-minded and few desires? Why are they still fighting for power?"

  "Why are there evil sects?" Lin Fan asked back, and then said: "In a village, everyone lives in harmony. At this time, there is a lazy ghost who doesn't want to work hard but is afraid of starving, so he goes to steal other people's grain. Someone finds out later that this is an effortless way, so they also learn to steal. Hardworking people don't do it anymore, why should their hard-earned grain be stolen by you? So they start to resist, lazy thieves can't steal, so they rob, and hardworking people unite to beat the bad guys. Then this union needs a leader, is the leader selfish? Everyone is selfish, some lightly, some heavily. The leader has power, lets his brother not work hard, plant fields, others put in more effort to guard against thieves. Others see it too, why can your brother not work hard? Everyone feels the benefits of power."

  Lin Fan said, "If you weren't from the Zi Yang Sect, if the Zi Yang Sect wasn't directly under the control of the sect leader, would you be able to freely browse in the library? Would you be able to focus on your cultivation without doing miscellaneous chores? How can you highlight the importance of power? Your sect leaders restrict the other eight sects from browsing the documents and scriptures in the library. Who has the qualifications to browse, who doesn't have the qualifications to browse, it's all up to those in power."

  Zhang Tongyuan said: "The leader can spread justice all over the world, treating everyone equally."

  "Right, your sect leader can do this, but can you be sure that the other eight sect leaders think so? Will they be grateful? Can you guarantee that they won't favor their own sects? Unless, the people of Zixiao Temple are all selfless and desireless. If they are desireless, then there is no struggle, and if there is no struggle, then there is no progress. Zixiao Temple would have fallen long ago, and the evil ones would have easily broken into Zixiao Temple and plundered the Scripture Hall."

  In the past, cultivators were indeed pure of heart and few in desires, not competing with the world. But then a bad person appeared, you don't compete, he wants to rob. Why have sects? It's to have cohesion, to protect the sect, the sect provides everyone with a safe environment. When sects appear, there are leaders, which relates to resource allocation. The world is not completely fair, only relatively fair, those who receive unfair treatment naturally feel dissatisfied. Slowly, everyone discovered the role of power.

  Power and cultivation are unrelated, it is inevitable that there will be more than two people in a situation. The method of Yunqingmen is to make those with power have no influence, and those with influence have no power. The sect leader can command various sects, but there is no direct affiliation with any sect. Each sect has its own influence, but the right belongs to the sect leader, forming mutual restraint. Moreover, the hidden immortal sect's selection of the sect leader and the appointment of the sect master are all done in a rigid and rule-bound manner, Yunqingmen has never had worries about power and influence.

  Zhang Tongyuan said: "The Transmission of Merit Elder suggested to the leader, adding the Lihuo Sect and the Ziyang Sect to the eight sects. The ten sects are united in appearance but divided in spirit. It's better to let go now and turn the ten sects into ten factions. The Ziyang Sect will be renamed the Ziyang Faction. Without internal strife, we can strive for strength and still be the number one Orthodox Grand Faction after a hundred years."

  Lin Fan nodded: "The Transmission Elder is indeed insightful, but your Sect Leader will not agree. When dividing the sect, you must first divide the assets. How can you divide the Purple Mist Mountain? How can you divide the Hidden Book Pavilion? If you divide too much, your Sect Leader won't agree, and if you divide too little, others won't agree either. You're right, this Purple Bamboo Pavilion is indeed in a precarious situation."

  Zhang Tongyuan said, "If the Purple Bamboo Pavilion falls, the Demon Sect will have no direct aid troops. Moreover, with the Evil Emperor's rebirth... From a broader perspective, I think the proposal of the Transmission Elder is a good idea. Even if it's just the Purple Sun Sect, we can still stand tall in the Twelve Continents."

  Lin Fanxiao said, "Zhang Tongyuan, these are not for you to decide. If Dongzhou and Xiaodongzhou go to war, the common people will be busy fleeing, that's all. You can tell the imperial court not to fight, but they won't care about your life or death."

  "Haha, but it's also true that there were disputes between the Central Plains and the Southern Continent. A commoner stood outside the imperial palace until he starved to death. After his death, his letter was finally delivered to the emperor's hands. The emperor was moved by the bloody letter and ordered the withdrawal of troops."

  Lin Fan knew this story and asked: "Are you going to be a commoner?"

  "I've spoken to the leader several times, but it's been useless. The other four major factions of the Righteous Devil Cult are about to send envoys to the Purple Bamboo Temple, and they're going to expel the Qingping Gate from the alliance. I think I'll give it a try."

  Lin Fan shook his head: "You ingrate, your sect leader has been good to you, yet you want to ruin his reputation."

  Zhang Tongyuan said, "But if we combine the battle with Qingping Gate and kill 1,000 enemies while losing 800 of our own, although it will weaken the Eight Sects, it will also provoke their dissatisfaction. At that time, it won't be a division of the family, but an internal struggle instead. But as you said, the sect leader has been very good to me... so I can only feel anxious and depressed."

  Lin Fan smiled and patted Zhang Tongyuan's shoulder: "Do what you want to do, don't be afraid of the wolf in front or the tiger behind." This is a life-or-death enlightenment, every decision has its gains and losses.

  Zhang Tongyuan didn't want to discuss the internal affairs of Zixiao Hall in front of Lin Fan anymore, so he changed the subject: "What about General Ximen? After the last time at Cangmang Ridge, there was no news from that kid."

  "I also have no news." It's strange, after two years of separation in the vast wilderness, Ximen Shuai suddenly changed and became a drifter, his troublesome personality was unexpectedly quiet for two years. Not mentioning it is fine, but once mentioned, Lin Fan actually misses him a bit.

  "Tomorrow I won't send you off." The meeting that follows is the Alliance Meeting, which isn't something that small fry like you can attend.

  Lin Fan left, he felt Zhang Tongyuan's suffocating frustration. He was originally a straightforward person, with a bold and unrestrained personality, not bound by trivial matters. However, due to his reliance on the sect and his position as the leader, he lost that bit of carefree and unreasonable elegance. From today's conversation, it seems that Zhang Tongyuan is more like a court official who worries about the country and its people, rather than a cultivator.

  A yellow paper floated down, Zhang Tongyuan stretched out his hand to catch it, and saw that on it was written: Today there is wine, today I get drunk, tomorrow there is no wine, but I still sleep soundly. Ask you, how many worries do you have? It's just like a river of spring water flowing eastward. Zhang Tongyuan laughed loudly, this was originally his own temperament, he had been thinking too much. To do or not to do, it's just a decision, why bother weighing the pros and cons?