Chapter 254 – Good Fortune Arrives in Pairs, the Unrivaled Temple Master - Part 2

Night fell.

Deep within the winding corridors of the Liu estate, Liu Luzi sat quietly in a secluded courtyard. The moonlight was bright. Out of the darkness of a nearby alley, a figure suddenly appeared—a gaunt man whose skin clung to his bones, eye sockets hollow, cheeks sunken, and hardly any flesh on his body. He looked like a walking skeleton.

This was Liu Sang, the undying husk operative in charge of infiltrating the Holy Tree Temple. Previously, Duan Yangsheng and Liang Ku were his subordinates. No one could have guessed that a hidden passage from the ancient ghost street led straight into the heart of the Liu estate.

“By seniority, I should call you Great Aunt,” Liu Sang said, glancing at Liu Luzi. “A hundred years ago, we were one clan. A hundred years later, we still are.”

Liu Luzi eyed this undying husk. “I did as you suggested. As long as we plant the seed of suspicion in their hearts, they may never actually arrest Li Yuan, but he’ll sense the danger. Eventually, he’ll turn to us.”

Liu Sang nodded. “We need someone like him on our side. His mastery of weaponsmithing and beast taming is far more valuable than the fact he’s reached sixth rank. I want him to commit himself fully to us. But tell me, Great Aunt, do you think there’s really a secret treasure in his possession?”

“If he hasn’t slipped up, then no,” Liu Luzi replied. “But if he does slip up, that’s on him. This sort of thing can only be done, never admitted. If we do it, we keep quiet about it. If we speak of it, we never go too far. Or else, the seeds of discord we sow will return to haunt us. It’s a pity that Jing Banfeng is such a fool, despite his age. He hasn’t a clue how to play this game properly.”

An unpleasantly cold laugh slipped from Liu Sang’s lips. “What an idiot.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

“What an idiot!” A figure dressed in spotless white stood at a window in the Jing estate, hands clasped behind his back, glaring at his junior. “You’re the clan head now, yet you’re still so foolish!”

This pair was Jing Baikou and Jing Banfeng.

“How could you echo such words from that treacherous mind of Liu Luzi?” Jing Baikou demanded. “She might be twisted by her cultivation technique, but you...what are you trying to accomplish? Investigate Li Yuan? Destroy him? Or spark a civil war within the Holy Tree Temple?”

Jing Banfeng argued, “Patriarch, with the Guo Clan gone from our side, shouldn’t we take the chance to weaken the opposing faction? Otherwise—”

“Otherwise what?” Jing Baikou snapped. “With enemies outside our walls, you want us to fight among ourselves?”

Visibly frustrated, Jing Banfeng replied, “Isn’t this exactly what you once taught me? That cunning trumps merit. Winning battles in wartime matters less than who stands strongest when the dust settles. As long as you’ve got the power, you can exploit your allies instead of fighting your real foes.”

Jing Baikou’s voice trembled in anger. “Yes, I taught you that once. But was there a Black Lotus Cult back then? Was the threat of the undying husks looming?”

Jing Banfeng had grown confident enough to hold firm, even under his patriarch’s wrath. “Conflicts outside are still just outside. Our Holy Tree Temple stands as solid as ever, with all those fifth rank experts, plus you, Gu Xuejian, and the temple master himself. Yes, the storm’s strong, but in the end, it’ll pass. Our real enemy right now is the Gu Clan and the three clans that side with them. This is the perfect chance to undercut them. Li Yuan is the key. I don’t care if he has some secret treasure or not; if we let him run free, the Gu Clan’s influence will skyrocket. Where would that leave the Jing Clan?”

“Then what if,” Jing Baikou countered, “this time, our entire Holy Tree Temple stands on the brink of annihilation?”

The moment Jing Baifeng heard those words, he sprang to his feet in alarm. “How could that be possible, Patriarch? You must be joking.”

Jing Baikou shook his head. “If the deaths of those two from the Guo Clan were purely Zhu Ban’s doing, then Mu Chen’s death was entirely the enemy’s use of terrain.”

“Terrain? Don’t we have the advantage in that as well?” Jing Baifeng retorted.

“Are you still thinking of mountains and rivers?” Jing Baikou snapped. “I’m talking about the ghost domains that have merged into our world! In this new era, the true terrain are the ghost domains. Anyone who masters the rules of a given ghost domain wields the real advantage. Only undying husk truly controls that advantage; they used it to kill Mu Chen. Don’t you get it?

“This time is unlike all the others. We both know how warfare works. Timing, terrain, and unity of the people...these three factors decide victory. But depending on circumstances, one of them often matters more than the rest.

“Right now, the timing is the emergence and empowering of the ghost domains. The terrain is the different ghost domains themselves. And unity is the troops and alliances. While we might have plenty of manpower, our enemy controls the timing and terrain. Unless we find a way to counter that, we’ll lose for sure. This is no time to bicker among ourselves.

“You speak of scheming against your allies? Hah! Back when I was practicing those methods, you weren’t even born. Don’t let your new position blind you to the bigger picture.”

Jing Baifeng stared at his patriarch in stunned silence. At length, he lowered his head. “I was wrong.”

“It’s not entirely your fault,” Jing Baikou said, his voice softening. “You just haven’t adjusted to the current situation. But if you really understand now, do you know what you need to do first?”

“I do,” Jing Baifeng said.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A few days later.

Li Yuan found himself holding a bright-red wedding invitation, delivered with great deference by a messenger from the Jing Clan.

“My clan’s patriarch is marrying off his granddaughter,” the messenger explained, bowing repeatedly. “Her groom is one of the Cui Clan’s own young men.”

After the messenger left, Li Yuan went to the Cui estate for more details. As it turned out, the groom was merely an eighth rank junior in the Cui Clan, a small figure of no real importance.Meanwhile, this supposed granddaughter of the Jing patriarch was likewise unknown; most likely the clan had simply promoted her status for the occasion.

Cui Heng, the current head of the Cui Clan, was just as puzzled. Seeing Li Yuan, whom he already treated as his equal, he asked, “Will you be going to the banquet?”

Li Yuan shook his head. “I’d prefer not to. I hate dealing with complicated social events when the undercurrents in the Holy Tree Temple are as turbulent as they are. Could you let them know I’m too busy forging weapons?”

Cui Heng nodded. “Certainly. I’ll prepare a suitable wedding gift in your name.”

“Much appreciated,” Li Yuan said, bowing.

Cui Heng laughed. “No need for thanks between us.”

Ever since Li Yuan openly revealed his abilities as a beastmaster, even those who had once acted superior or addressed him condescendingly had shifted to treating him as a true peer. It was a sign that his influence had risen, which also meant he was more deeply entangled in their affairs. But if it kept the Black Lotus Cult and undying husks at bay, maybe it was worth it.

Just as he turned to leave, a jovial voice came from behind them. “Master Li, you have to attend this wedding! Without you, the banquet simply wouldn’t be complete!”

Li Yuan and Cui Heng turned around to see a handsome man waving a folding fan. It was Cui Wuji, the Cui Clan’s patriarch, approaching with a broad grin. Both of them bowed in greeting.

Li Yuan asked curiously, “Patriarch, it’s not my wedding. Why does my presence matter?”

Still grinning, Cui Wuji said, “You must come. The temple master has specifically named you as a guest.”

Li Yuan’s eyes flickered. Cui Wuji continued, “No need to worry. It’s good news.” Then, as if recalling something, he smiled again and said, “Let’s walk and talk.”

They strolled along while Cui Wuji explained the situation. Li Yuan could only marvel at the old foxes’ ways. A looming internal rift in Holy Tree Temple had somehow, after a series of back-and-forth maneuvers, turned into a push for unity.

In short, the Jing Clan wanted to use the wedding to make a public show of solidarity. From now on, the seven great clans of the temple would stand as one against outside threats, with no more backstabbing. And Li Yuan was somehow at the center of this plan.

Jing Banfeng had wasted no time reporting to the temple master the moment he emerged from seclusion, and the temple master had evidently given his blessing.

As for why Li Yuan was the key to all this, Cui Wuji kept his reasons to himself. Li Yuan wasn’t sure what to think. If he’d known how much this unexpected twist had steered him away from a path of being targeted and onto a route of sudden favor, he would have been astonished.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

In Li Yuan’s mind, even with war raging outside, it was only natural for the Holy Tree Temple’s superiors to remain locked in their own internal strife. Yet the Jing Clan had drastically changed its stance.