I glanced at the entrance of the sealed chamber where the Silkens were in seclusion, and then I followed the Qige up to the Upper Pure Hall.
On the way, I asked Qige about his injuries.
Qige gave me a bitter smile and said that he was actually okay. During this period, he had always been restless inside, especially after seeing the performance of the second Elder. He felt more nervous and thus became more vigilant towards the second Elder.
Sure enough, the second Elder made a move. Qige was prepared and, since the second Elder's main target was the twelfth Elder, he didn't suffer any serious injuries. Two of his disciples were injured more severely.
I fell silent for a moment before saying, "Indeed, it's hard to predict."
Qige forced another weak smile and then remained silent, walking ahead with a stunned expression.
I could see the bitterness in Qige's heart. How many disciples like him are there on the Seifaguoshan?
The mountain gate seems orderly, but in reality, there are always some people whose hearts have already drifted apart.
Seifaguoshan cannot withstand major changes. Something must happen to gather people's hearts and cleanse the impurities and bad energies in the mountain gate.
Soon after, we arrived at the entrance of the Upper Pure Hall, and Qige bowed and left after paying respects.
Half of the elders were inside the Upper Pure Hall, and He You Tian had changed into a purple Taoist robe of a true cultivator!
The second Elder caused such a commotion, it was necessary for He You Tian to take over the powers. He hadn't mobilized the entire group; instead, he had changed clothes silently, which actually could better stabilize the hearts of his disciples.
This also serves as a reminder to those who come from various Daoist Observatories that the current Seifaguoshan is completely different after the grand ceremony!
A long table stood beside the altar for offerings, with a statue of the god in the Upper Pure Hall, and two purple-robed Taoists sat across from He You Tian. To their astonishment, they were Mao Si and Mao Su!
Behind them stood four red-robed Taoists, and many elders had also come. The realms of Jiuqu Mountain had assembled, along with quite a few elders.
There was a box on the table that looked quite simple and rustic.
Upon entering the grand hall, I first bowed to He You Tian and addressed him as my elder brother, then I bowed to the other elders as well, and only then did my gaze fall upon Mao Si and Mao Su.
"I am Luo Xian Shen, and I have the honor to pay my respects to the master and the vice-master of the Jiuqu Mountain observance," I said with great reverence, bowing deeply with my hands held together.
"Haha." Mao Si stood up, stroked his beard, and said, "After you returned to Seifaguoshan, your overall condition has improved significantly. Last time you reminded me to spare Jiuqu Mountain from great calamity, I haven't had the chance to thank you yet. You left before I could. Just as a gesture of appreciation, please accept this."
My doubts deepened in my heart.
He You Tian, at just the right time, said, "Xian Shen, since Mao Si Realm Master has given you something, it would be impolite not to accept it. Thank you, Mao Si Realm Master!"
I followed He You Tian's prompt, bowed my hands together, and said something along the lines of gratitude.
Vaguely, I seemed to have grasped a point.
Since the matter of Mao Yi has not been exposed, Seifaguoshan could not keep me from being left behind. They must not want to expose that they tried to force me to stay in their mountain gate publicly.
Giving a gift can be seen as an apology. He You Tian's words signified acceptance of the apology.
Communications between smart people often tend to be implicit like this.
Now that they are giving gifts, once they know about Mao Yi's situation, they might become agitated and angry.
Mao Si no longer looked at me and sat down, continuing to chat with He You Tian. I stood behind He You Tian.
The content of their conversation revolved mostly around the plague ghost, with even more focus on Master Official.
I understood the meaning. Jiuqu Mountain hopes that Master Official's corpse not be destroyed, so it pursues the plague ghost with methods that are mostly banishing. It doesn't want to use strong thunder magic from the four regular mountains. The ancient city of Guangxiang doesn't want to use too much sword magic, while Yunjinshan should provide more assistance.
He You Tian had been stroking his beard, furrowing his brow in deep thought, and had not spoken for a long time.
At this level of conversation, I can't interrupt.
"I can ensure that the four regular mountains don't use thunder magic. Communication can be established with Yunjinshan and Guangxiang, but it would be limited by such constraints, which could cause considerable casualties," He You Tian said with a sigh.
"Hmm, Seifaguoshan will dispatch a larger number of disciples. Mostly, it is because Master Official is in a death-like coma due to the death mimicry, and it is still unclear whether his soul has been devoured by the plague ghost or compressed somewhere within his body. If we can preserve his body, if Master Official can come to his senses from the death-like coma, Seifaguoshan will gain another realm master, which will be of great significance to us." Mao Si's eyes shone with bright light.
Mao Su nodded, his tone just as solemn: "This is a blessing for Seifaguoshan. The peak number of realm masters in each of our Daowang (schools of Taoism) is three, and the chance to break through to four realm masters is a significant event for Taoism. If Master Official truly wakes up, Seifaguoshan will pass on the experience of death mimicry to the four regular mountains, Yunjinshan, and Guangxiang. After all, in these many years, there has hardly been any realm master who has woken up from death mimicry."
This conversation made my heart beat even faster.
They thought there would be four, but in reality, even if Master Official can wake up, there will be only three left.
It seems they don't believe what my father said at that time.
Or is there something else that has happened, aside from the fact that Mao Yi's fate token was not completely shattered?
But I can confirm that Mao Yi has died beyond any possibility of death.
Once Seifaguoshan has another realm master, it would be a tremendous pressure on the Four Regular Mountains.
"Hmm, since Seifaguoshan has made up its mind, I will consent temporarily. We can discuss it together with Guangxiang and Yunjinshan later," He You Tian nodded.
He must not dare to refuse on such an issue, or he will surely be criticized by Seifaguoshan.
Moreover, he couldn't possibly voice any doubts about Mao Yi's fate.
"Ha ha ha! Alright! He Realm Master is indeed quick-witted!" Mao Si nodded, with a bright and unrestrained smile.
"I, in fact, also have something to say," He You Tian suddenly said.
"You may speak freely!" Mao Si nodded.
He You Tian then directly explained the events of the Black City Temple, as well as the heavy losses that Seifaguoshan had suffered these past few days.
Mao Si and Mao Su suddenly fell into an abrupt silence upon hearing this. The red-robed Taoists behind them all showed signs of shock in their eyes.
"This... it's rather strange and curious. The Lamas in the Rebei Tibetan region are quite mysterious, and they rarely venture out of their territory. I didn't expect that there would be a place similar to the Tian Shou Taoist Temple." Mao Su muttered to himself.
"Hmm, if the Black City Temple dares to invade, Seifaguoshan will be the first to resist. You can rest assured, He Realm Master." Mao Si made a decisive statement with a firm tone.
He You Tian nodded and his face relaxed considerably.
He You Tian still had some details he hadn't mentioned, such as the second Elder's defection. He mostly spoke of the trouble caused by the Lamas, as family secrets should not be aired outside.
"Haha, the discussions have gone well. He Realm Master, my master and my disciples would like to take a walk and explore around Seifaguoshan. Can we ask you to accompany us as our guide?" Mao Si once again opened the topic.
My heart tightened instantly.
"Mao Si Realm Master's request is naturally a chance for Luo Xian Shen. You go, Luo Xian Shen," He You Tian glanced at me.
I bowed my hands together and said, "I shall be honored to serve."
Mao Si and Mao Su stood up at the same time, smiling and walking out of the Upper Pure Hall. I bowed my head and walked behind them as they went out.
The sunlight was exceptionally blinding, casting their shadows unusually long. Yet, my doubts in my heart multiplied even more.
After leaving the Upper Pure Hall, Mao Si and Mao Su both paused and looked at me expectantly, as if asking me to lead the way.
So I silently continued to lead the way.
At this moment, I realized clearly that they wanted to take a walk and see around. Let them; they haven't shown any signs on the surface, so it's unlikely they would resort to attacking me elsewhere. Aside from this matter, there's nothing else to worry about.
If Mao Si and Mao Su have any other ulterior motives, they should let them be revealed by themselves, rather than me inquiring about it.
After walking around, it had been nearly three to four hours within the Taoist observatory, during which I had visited most of the Taoist halls. The only place we hadn't been to was the Leishen Cliff.
Finally, Mao Si coughed twice and his mouth twitched slightly, as if he thought I was deviating from the usual routine and made things a bit difficult for him and Mao Su.
