"Convincing people with reason, does that involve using fists to make them submit?"
Yu Lingzi always felt that this younger uncle’s approach to convincing with reason was somewhat off.
Convincing with reason should be about discussing facts to make people believe, right?
Where does it start with striking first, beating the opponent to the ground, and then calmly discussing things?
The order is completely reversed!
"However, it seems that the younger uncle’s way of convincing is more effective."
He thought to himself, "If one were to just discuss reasons upon arrival here, they would most likely still be arguing endlessly, and they definitely wouldn’t outtalk Fan Kongliu, only to end up infuriating themselves to death."
Fan Kongliu was suppressed under Lanyue Palace and couldn’t get out, but his golden body was strong enough not to be crushed to death.
Qixia Temple’s area isn’t large, comprising several large and small towers, palaces, and residences for some idle Taoists. This place is named Qixia because every morning, there would be a rush of glowing light soaring into the sky, hanging in the heavens. By evening, the light would retract into the mountain.
This spectacle of Qixia Temple is related to a well that always contains water, the water sweet-tasting, with several chains in the well. In the morning, the glowing light would fly out of the well, suspended in the air; by evening, the light would return to the well.
Below this glowing light stands Dawn Palace. Every morning, the palace bathes in the glow, captivating onlookers.
At this moment, it was late morning, and the glow was at its most beautiful. Inside Dawn Palace, many musicians were busy tuning instruments like pipa, zither, guzheng, sheng, and wind instruments. Some women in palace attire were striking chimes, while dancers arranged their clothes, showing off their figures occasionally.
They were arranging the "Heroic Demon Suppression Song" which tells the story of the ancestors of the Thirteen Families following the True King in suppressing demons, praising the deeds of the ancestors.
This dance was to be performed at the Young Master’s twenty-fourth birthday as a gift from Ma Xueqing, Jiang Fangshu, and others.
The Young Master’s twenty-fourth birthday was extremely important. Ma Xueqing and others had started preparing gifts last year. Saintess Xuan went to the imperial capital to retrieve the Youquan Wandering Dragon Sword as a gift for the Young Master, but unfortunately, it was snatched by Chen Shi.
Ma Xueqing and others had prepared other gifts as well, but this dance was equally important.
The True King was the Young Master’s ancestor. The Young Master aspired to ascend to the throne and become the new True King. This dance not only flattered the Young Master but also demonstrated loyalty to him, indicating that the Thirteen Families would follow the Young Master just as their ancestors followed the True King.
Ma Xueqing, Li Tianqian, and others sat quietly, waiting for the music group to start. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"I heard that brother Yu Lingzi went to find Chen Shi yesterday evening."
Ma Xueqing, with a faint smile, said to Jiang Fangshu sitting beside her, "I heard he was defeated by Chen Shi, injured, and Master Mei, who was with him, was severely injured and was sent back to Xianyun Taoist Temple through the air, even his antlers were broken."
Jiang Fangshu said, "Yu Lingzi is warm-hearted and restless. Hearing that Shen Hongniang was in trouble, he rushed over impetuously and ended up heavily injured by Chen Shi. But Chen Shi’s strength was not fully tested by him. If it were me, I surely could have tested Chen Shi’s strength."
Li Tianqian said, "Though both Buddhist and Taoist sectors are holy lands, their background is still much lesser than that of the noble families."
Xia Dingtian asked, "If the fellow Taoists from Yu Lingzi’s sect knew of his severe injury by Chen Shi, would they be furious and seek revenge on behalf of Yu Lingzi?"
Ma Xueqing shook her head, "I fear not. Those Taoists at Xianyun Taoist Temple are really like idle cranes, not meddling in anything. Sent here to Western Capital by Taihua Qing Palace, they act as if nobody should bother them while they pursue immortality, ignoring everything else except for meditation and cultivation."
Yang Sheng laughed, "Yu Lingzi is really unlucky to have those three uncles."
Jiang Fangshu laughed, "As his uncles, not avenging Yu Lingzi, they are worse than us friends."
Ma Xueqing couldn’t help but chuckle, "But it’s mainly because Yu Lingzi is too impulsive."
Everyone joked, laughing, "Everyone just talks about avenging Shen Hongniang and smoothing the path for the Young Master, but no one acted. Only he rushed out."
Gu Yan’er, looking worried, said, "The Young Master, through Chen Shi, eliminated Shen Hongniang, a major thorn in his side, and we of the Thirteen Families should indeed repay him. But Chen Shi’s cultivation and strength are not inferior to ours; how can we repay the Young Master? Do we really have to fight to the death?"
Like Ma Xueqing, she was also one of the Young Master’s suitors, beautiful with a taller stature than Ma Xueqing, but her skin was not as fair, nor her bust as prominent.
The two women often secretly competed. Whenever Ma Xueqing was present, Gu Yan’er always wore shoes with slightly taller soles to highlight her height advantage. In response, Ma Xueqing would wear even lower-cut clothes, her sleeves fluttering, exposing more fair skin.
The Young Master always had many women around him, competing in splendor.
Ma Xueqing laughed, "Yan’er, is your life so cheap? We won’t fight savagely. After the performance, let the elders of our clan warn Chen Shi, telling him to give up competing for the top scorer."
Gu Yan’er, with a smiling face, said, "Sister Xueqing is right. But Sister Xueqing calling Chen Shi a savage, I have to disagree. After all, Chen Shi was once the top Scholar of all fifty provinces. How could he be a savage? Maybe, he is also a handsome and dashing young man, a good match for Sister Xueqing!"
The two women subtly exchanged verbal spars, such jealous quibbles often occurring among them, so the other noble family members didn’t take it seriously.