Chapter 31: White Sheep Cave Eldest Brother
Standing at the door of the wine store, waiting, was the same gray-shirted swordsman from yesterday.
Seeing Ding Ning walking out of the door of the store, the gray-shirted swordsman didn't say anything, just nodded his head in salute and waited for Ding Ning to get into the car, then began to rush on in silence.
Sitting in the carriage, Ding Ning smiled slightly, it was definitely not a coincidence that Wang Taixu had been able to stand for so many years in Changling, just as the choice of this coachman was very much to Ding Ning's liking.
The carriage drove slowly along the straight and level road towards the White Sheep Gorge outside the city, where the White Sheep Cave was located.
In the early Yuanwu years of the Great Qin Dynasty, most of the cultivation sites were not close to the Changling Mausoleum, and these scattered cultivation clans and the territories of some of the sects and nobles outside of the Changling Mausoleum naturally constituted a fortress in addition to the Great Qin Dynasty's military.
With the growing size of the Long Tombs, now is half of the sects have been located directly within the Long Tombs, although these sects still have the privilege, however, the Great Qin Dynasty for the control of these sects is invariably stronger, in many of the history of the Great Qin Dynasty even longer than the current cultivation of the sects, the only benefit is to be more convenient access to some of the cultivation of resources, as well as added some to other sects The only benefit to many cultivation sects with a longer history than the current Qin Dynasty is that they can more conveniently obtain some cultivation resources, as well as add some opportunities to learn from other sects.
As the car crossed the Willow Forest River, Ding Ning in the carriage heard many cries of alarm and many cries.
He didn't open the curtains of the carriage because he knew that there were those sounds, definitely because there were a lot of corpses floating inside that river.
Last night was no different for most of the residents of Changling, and if Ding Ning hadn't experienced it himself, he certainly wouldn't have known that the power of the Changling marketplace and rivers and lakes had had a major change overnight.
The water of the Liu Lin River is only used for irrigation of some farmland, so it is often used by people from the rivers and lakes to dump their bodies.
The only two Jinlin Tang's who had died at the Red Rhyme Building last night were Tang Jiu and Tang Mengchen, but Ding Ning knew very well that more Jinlin Tang's would die in the long dark night, and right now their remains should be floating in this river.
......
The terrain of Changling, was distributed in a stepped pattern from southeast to northwest, the south of the city was crisscrossed by tributaries of the Wei River and Jing River, which were all plains, with the occasional small hill less than a hundred meters.
In the center of Changling, there is a slightly elevated soil ridge, many of which are depressions left by the drying up of much older riverbeds.
The northern part of the Changling, on the other hand, is all plateau and hilly terrain, with a total of thirteen mountain ranges of various sizes, the tallest of which are Shimen Mountain and Lingxu Mountain, and the lowest of which are Beigong Mountain and Zhanma Mountain.
The White Sheep Gorge, where the White Sheep Cave is located, is in the North General Mountain.
Along the mountain road that gradually climbed higher and higher, after half a day of bumps and bruises, the carriage that Ding Ning was in, finally entered the White Sheep Gorge.
Because the terrain of the entire mountain range wasn't high, the gorge was naturally not deep enough to go anywhere, however, for some reason, the inside of the gorge was always locked in water vapor, and there were always several white clouds covering most of the gorge, and in the white clouds' fluttering, there were occasional large swaths of halls revealed, which made it appear to have a spiritual and immortal aura.
Looking at this place of cultivation, the gray-shirted swordsman driving the car finally showed some envy in his eyes.
Although White Sheep Cave could only be considered a second-rate cultivation sect in terms of the entire Great Qin Dynasty, and was about to usher in the grayest of endings and merge into the Green Vine Sword Academy that was just a mountain away, however, even so, this kind of cultivation place still wasn't something that people like him could enter.
He began to worry a little.
Worried for that Sycamore Falls teenager in the carriage behind him.
It wasn't that he was worried about whether or not he would be able to enter this sect, but rather, he was worried about his situation after entering this sect.
The White Sheep Gorge did not have any mountain gate pagodas, only a white stone monument.
On the monument, there were four simple words engraved on it, Imperial Forbidden Land.
The first two words represented the Great Qin Dynasty's reward for the sect's achievements, and the last two words represented the sect's privileges.
It was midday, it should be the time for normal people to eat, near this stone monument representing the entrance to the mountain gate, it was reasonable that White Sheep Cave couldn't have put a lot of people who received the introduction of the clan, however, when the carriage stopped on the mountain path not far from the stone monument, the gray-shirted swordsman couldn't help but shrink his pupils slightly.
Behind the stone monument, on the mountain path that sloped downwards, there were unexpectedly dozens of young students standing quietly.
Wrapped in an eerie atmosphere, these students wearing burlap robes with white sheep markings on the cuffs looked at this stopped carriage in silence.
"About is not specially here to welcome me into the White Sheep Cave."
A lowered voice sounded behind the gray-shirted swordsman.
The gray-shirted swordsman was slightly startled, and in the rest of his eyes, he only saw that Ding Ning had calmly disembarked from the carriage before walking towards the stone monument.
His calm walk forward, however, was like a stone thrown into a pond, instantly stirring up a layer of ripples.
A student who looked to be at least five or six years older than Ding Ning's age had a somewhat difficult face as he came forward to meet Ding Ning.
When he stopped, he stood in a very skillful position, right flush with the stone monument.
In this way, Ding Ning, who stood opposite him, was not able to actually step through the mountain gate.
Instead, he owed a slight bow to Ding Ning and said in a clear voice, "Again, Ye Ming, I have been ordered by the cave master to come and welcome you into the mountain gate."
Ding Ning smiled faintly as he returned the salute, "In that case, thank you."
Right at this moment, amongst those dozens of students wrapped in the eerie atmosphere on the mountain path at the back, there was an angry sneer that came out, "Since when is it that our White Sheep Cave is something that anyone can enter, and anyone who wants to enter can enter?"
Ye Ming's eyebrows jumped slightly, but the expression on his face did not change much.
He had originally known that this would happen, in fact, if it wasn't for the fact that orders were hard to disobey, otherwise he wouldn't be standing here, and would have been one of the students on the path behind him.
Ding Ning looked up, he saw that the one who had spoken out angrily was a teenager of a similar age to him, his hair was cut short, his body was thin, but he stood straight, and at his waist he had a two-foot-long short sword, the hilt of which was a kind of old, dark-yellow wood that had a wave pattern, and on it there were also fine runes carved into it.
It was just that his gaze didn't stay on the teenager's body for a long time.
He just calmly looked at Ye Ming and didn't say anything.
Because he knew that this matter would naturally be resolved by someone, and there was no point in saying anything himself.
Ye Ming did not expect Ding Ning to be so calm, his brows furrowed, only to feel that his hand had inexplicably gained a hot potato, and for a while, he did not know how he should deal with it.
......
There were white clouds in the White Sheep Gorge.
Below one of the white clouds, there was a lone Taoist temple.
On the platform of the Taoist temple, one could clearly see what was happening in front of the mountain gate at the moment.
On the platform, there were two people standing.
One of them was the white-haired old man who had changed the fate of Jinlin Tang and the two-story building with a single sword last night, Du Qingjiao.
His name had appeared on the Empress's lips, and his identity in the White Sheep Cave was that of the White Sheep Cave Master's senior brother.
"Senior brother, you were too impulsive in last night's events, including this matter today."
At this moment, an old man beside him dressed as a Taoist priest, with a face like white jade, a white brocade robe with yellow trim, and wearing a small white jade sword that symbolized the identity of the White Sheep Cave's Master, was naturally the White Sheep Cave's Cave Master, Xue Forgetfulness.
"You also understand that it is because the Empress has some dissatisfaction with us that has led to this change, you made a move last night and so many people died, I am worried that again, she will find some excuse to deal with you."
Looking at the senior brother beside him who was momentarily speechless, Xue Forgetfulness couldn't help but sigh with worry even more.
"It was precisely because it was the Empress that I took action last night." The white-haired Du Qingjiao heard his sigh before he turned his head and said with a slight smile.
Xue Forgetfulness was even more sorrowful, "Why should senior brother be angry."
"Where is the anger." Du Qingjiao shook his head, "Senior brother, your cultivation and insights are above me, and your heart that doesn't emphasize false names is also above me, but for the Empress's understanding, you are not as good as me."
Xue Forgetfulness was stunned.
Du Qingjiao said blandly, "Although the Empress acts decisively and ruthlessly, she is more measured and prudent than the two ministers, and since His Holiness has already decreed, she will not allow any more accidents to happen to my return to my old age. She and His Holiness must be close to each other, even if it is a trivial matter. That way she and His Holiness will be the strongest, and our Great Qin Dynasty will be the strongest. Furthermore, although I am an old bone, at least I still have some friends in Changling over the years. It doesn't matter if I collect the White Sheep Cave, if even my returning old man has some accidents, then everyone will always have some ideas."
"It's just some favors and old feelings from the two floors, I'm not so bad as to stand up for them last night. It's because I knew that Jinlin Tang originally had some relationship with the Empress's family, so I did it on purpose. If she didn't let me feel pain, I didn't let her feel too much pain when I left Changling."
Xue Forgetfulness was speechless for a while.
This was still not anger?
"Each step back, the sea is wide open. Since I have already said nothing and returned to my old age at ease, she will also take a step back." Du Qingjiao faintly added another sentence.
Xue Forgetfulness took a deep breath and let out another long sigh.
......
In front of this highest Taoist temple in White Sheep Cave, the conversation between these two people with the most seniority in White Sheep Cave was cordial, only worrying each other a bit about their respective paths ahead, however, in front of the White Sheep Cave's mountain gate, it was still in a stalemate.
Ye Ming's face became more and more stiff, he finally took half a step back and reluctantly voiced out, "This is the order of the Cave Master..."
"I don't believe this is the order of the Cave Lord."
However, his words were directly interrupted by the teenager who stepped forward, frostiness all over his tender face, "This is simply something that is not in accordance with the rules, to directly allow him to enter without taking part in the introductory trial, this is not only an injustice to us, but also an injustice to all the people who have been eliminated in front of this mountain gate over the past several hundred years. I don't believe that our wise cave master would make such a decision."
Ye Ming was speechless and bitterly smiled, it seemed that he could only be consumed here for a while.
Is it possible to go and ask the Cave Lord for evidence?
"Eldest Brother, Eldest Brother is here!"
Just at this moment, the mountain path was a clamor that sounded like water boiling.
Ye Ming suddenly let out a sigh of relief and turned around, only to see the figure of a long-bodied young man appear in the thin mountain mist.
This was a handsome and instrumental young man, between his clear face there was a valor that ordinary young people did not have, only at this moment, there was also a strong sense of sadness on his face.
Looking at all the students gathered here, he unhappily whispered, "Stop making a scene, all go back."
There was an abrupt silence among the mountain path.
"Go back to what!"
The face of the young tender boy who had stepped out was all crimson as he exclaimed, "Eldest Senior Brother, do you think this is fair!"
"Fair?"
Eldest Senior Brother Zhang Yi, who was usually deeply loved by these junior siblings, at this moment was shaking his head and softly said, "Where in the world is there any absolute fairness, if there was true fairness, our White Sheep Cave wouldn't have been forced to return to the Green Vine Sword Academy."
"Eldest Senior Brother!"
These young students around them had not expected Zhang Yi to say this at all, and for a moment, many of them let out a cry of sorrow, and their eyes even glistened with tears.
The eyes of the young tender boy who had stepped forward were red as he snapped, "Eldest Senior Brother, if others don't give fairness, are we not going to fight for it? If we don't care about ourselves, White Sheep Cave will really be finished."
"Senior Brother Shen Bai, I understand everything you said." Zhang Yi still said in a soft voice, "But you can't doubt the Cave Master's decision, you should know that the Cave Master has his reasons no matter what he does, I've heard that I'd rather bend than break, but I've also heard that those who know what's right is right."
Zhang Yi's voice was soft, just like the spring breeze, carrying an air that warmed people.
Ding Ning was originally just calmly looking at the white clouds in the gorge, like a pure spectator who had absolutely nothing to do with his own business, yet Zhang Yi's aura and words were a bit of a surprise to him.
He began to curiously re-survey this White Sheep Cave Senior Brother.
