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Chapter 147 The Grand Plan of the Penglai Sect

When Li Ye heard that there had been someone providing financial aid to the temple on Boji Mountain, he thought the person would be so well-to-do that he could easily ensure sufficient food and clothing supply in the temple. He did not believe that the old master would have to wear his only Taoist robe full of patches. Having seen Cui Keli’s own living conditions, however, Li Ye realized for someone who had been living a secluded life on his own, it was already impressive that he was able to aid the temple aside from being able to afford his own needs.

Li Ye left the desk and sat down on a chair.

Cui Keli sat down as well. He first asked Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhuang about their master and the temple, then Su Emei brought up the reason for their visit.

Cui Keli said, “I’m truly sorry that I had to ask for your help. Just a few days ago, the Penglai sect sent out invitations to many powers in Pinglu to visit Penglai Island. It was said that the Penglai sect has made many new Immortal Pills, so they would like to organize a gathering and spread the Immortal’s Fate they have made. We’re invited as well.”

“Immortal pills and Immortal’s Fate?” thought Li Ye as he laughed deep inside, it seemed Penglai had really regarded themselves as an Immortal’s sect.

“Will you be visiting Penglai Island as well, sir?” asked Su Emei. Since he was just a scholar of Confucianism, why did he need to be involved with Taoist sects?

“This gathering isn’t just as simple as an occasion to hold an auction for the Immortal Pills. I believe there’s a much deeper intention that is hidden,” answered Cui Keli solemnly.

“Which is?” asked Wei Xiaozhuang immediately.

Cui Keli glanced at everyone, then said slowly, “Which is, to unite the entire Jianghu of Pinglu under their influence. They plan to turn the Jianghu of Pinglu into one single power attached to the Penglai sect!”

Everyone was surprised upon hearing that. Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhuang had only had little experience in the Jianghu, so they could not understand the deep meaning behind this. However, Li Ye sensed that something was not right, so he asked, “Penglai is indeed the top Taoist sect in Pinglu, one that is respected by all the powers in the Jianghu. However, if they truly wish to unite and rule the Jianghu of Pinglu, they must also know it’s not an easy feat.”

“It wasn’t easy for them before, but that’s not the case now. Some changes have taken place within their sect that made this goal much easier to attain.” Cui Keli then told them a piece of news with a strict face. “The head of the Penglai sect has just ended his private training a few days ago.”

“They want to hold this gathering once their leader ends his training. Moreover, they wish to use this chance to unite the Jianghu of Pinglu. Could it be that their leader has successfully completed the Foundation-building Stage and reached the Spiritual Master Realm?” That was the only possibility in Li Ye’s mind.

“That is correct.” Cui Keli nodded gently.

Upon hearing his confirmation, Li Ye felt a little troubled inside.

The Penglai sect had always been the biggest obstacle in his plan of ruling Pinglu. Now that the head of the Penglai sect had reached the Spiritual Master Realm, this obstacle had become even harder to overcome!

“Ever since the founding of the Tang Empire, Penglai had never had any intention of seeking the throne. Why do they plan to do that all of a sudden?” asked Li Ye.

Cui Keli looked at Li Ye deeply. He probably found it strange that Li Ye hit the bull’s eye immediately with his question. According to him, he was just a friend of Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhuang, so it did not make much sense to Cui Keli that he was so interested in this matter.

Cui Keli asked Li Ye, “What do you think of Wang Xianzhi and the Huang Chao Uprising?”

Li Ye was suddenly struck by a hint of fear, he said, “I’m afraid that the imperial court won’t be able to calm the situation down so soon.”

“I think so, too. Apparently, that’s what Penglai believes as well.” Suddenly, Cui Keli’s eyes were filled with coldness and fierceness, and he continued, “That means the world is about to be overwhelmed by chaos!”

“When the world is in chaos, it would be the time for the Taoist sects to intervene!” agreed Li Ye.

“Penglai has always been the leader in the Jianghu. Uniting the Jianghu would be their first step toward fighting for the power to rule the world,” said Cui Keli in a deep voice. “Once Penglai achieves their current goal, both their strength and status in Pinglu will increase tremendously!”

Li Ye said coldly, “If that happens, even the commissioners of Pinglu and the Pinglu Army won’t be comparable to Penglai in terms of the strengths of cultivators.”

Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhuang were both deeply impressed by how insightful and fast-paced their conversation was. They could not find an appropriate spot to join in, so they just looked at the two of them. Su Emei’s eyes gradually became brighter as she looked at Li Ye. Both of them were about the same age, yet Li Ye obviously was much more knowledgeable and experienced than her. All ladies admire someone who is strong, as did Su Emei.

“That’s not all!”

Cui Keli continued, “Penglai has invited all four big families of Qing Prefecture to their gathering. As long as the families send their representatives, Penglai will give each family one Golden Spiritual Pill!”

“A Golden Spiritual Pill!” Li Ye took a long, deep breath. “They’re really spending a lot on this gathering.”

He then said in a deep voice as he looked at Cui Keli, “The Penglai sect wouldn’t trade at a loss!”

Cui Keli nodded, now the way he looked at Li Ye had some sense of admiration and recognition. He said, “By inviting the four big families to the gathering, Penglai hopes to have the four families respect them as well! At the very least, when it comes to things involving cultivators, Penglai hopes that the four families will all listen to their command in the future!”

“If they can control the cultivators in the four big families, they will have equally controlled the four families!” Li Ye started to sound cold and fierce. “That’s not the end of it. The two rising families among the four families are the central force in the Penglu Army. In this way, Penglai could even have the Pinglu Army under their control! In other words, the Penglai sect is planning to control all of Pinglu!”

“Exactly. This is the true meaning behind the intervention of the Taoist sects!”

Cui Keli’s eyes became much brighter now. “In the past, when the world fell into chaos, the Taoist sects would usually assist a feudal prince and fight for power against Confucianism, Buddhism, and militarism. That way, they could strengthen their status in the world as well. Different Taoist sects would assist different feudal princes at the same time to ensure everything went under their control. The east had the Penglai sect, the west had the Shushan sect, the north had the Xuelu sect, the south had the Dongting sect, and the middle had the Zhongnan sect. They would ensure their control over respective regions!”

Looking at Li Ye, Cui Keli continued, “This time, however, the Taoist sects’ mindset has changed. Instead of being satisfied with assisting feudal princes, they wish to gain control over them! That means they are only going to assist a puppet who’s going to be under their control anyway! Once the power assisted by the Taoist sects can rule the world, the Taoist sects would no longer be under the control of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. On the contrary, even the imperial court would be under their control! When that happens, the Taoist sects would represent a power that overrules over the empire!”

Li Ye kept silent.

Among Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and militarism, Taoism had the greatest power. If anyone was going to achieve the aforementioned future, it would be the Taoist sects.

Li Ye laughed after a while and said, “As the world is about to become chaotic, all powers are busy preparing for their plans, regardless of the four traditional powers or the lesser-known ones. At the end of the day, however, plans are just plans, the world still hasn’t fallen into chaos and respective powers haven’t been established clearly. Who could have thought that this Penglai sect was already executing their grand plan!”

Cui Keli said firmly, “That’s because a great opportunity has emerged in Pinglu!”

“As the new commissioner is about to take over from the previous one, he hasn’t gained the people’s trust.” Li Ye revealed the answer.

“Exactly! You surely have great insights over current affairs!” acknowledged Cui Keli. “While the new commissioner hasn’t yet fully gained control over Pinglu, the Penglai sect hopes to take this opportunity to unite all the cultivators in Pinglu and have them under their own control. In this way, Penglai would be able to rule over the commissioner of Pinglu! Even when the new commissioner takes over, he would only be a puppet under Penglai’s control!”

“The head of the Penglai sect has surely planned out every step he’s going to take!” said Li Ye. His eyes were filled with eagerness and excitement.

“And his plans are very likely going to come true!” said Cui Keli seriously. “Even if the commissioner has arrived, he won’t be able to do anything to Penglai, especially when they already have a master of the Spiritual Master Realm!”

Li Ye glanced at Cui Keli, showing no comment on what he just said. He asked, “Why does the Cui family not wish to be attached to the Penglai sect? Since Penglai is a Taoist sect established in Pinglu, isn’t it better for the four families to all follow the Penglai sect instead of a regional commissioner?”

“How can a Taoist sect rule over the empire?” Cui Keli sounded furious all of a sudden. “Have you ever seen it happen in history? How can a Taoist sect be qualified to rule an empire?”

At that moment, Cui Keli seemed extremely confident and proud!

That was the sense of responsibility and mission of a scholar only when he had developed a sense of justice, the skills to manage an empire, and the heart for the people!

Undoubtedly, his confidence and pride impressed Li Ye completely.

So he asked, “Is that how the rest of the family feel as well?”

Cui Keli suddenly looked a little awkward.

Judging from his reaction, everyone could tell that the rest of the Cui family disagreed with Cui Keli.

That was not surprising anyway. For a noble family like theirs, there would always be more benefits than harm to be attached to the Penglai sect.

Li Ye then asked, “What did the master say?”

Cui Keli gained back his composure and said, “The master has agreed to visit Penglai Island and attend the gathering, but the representative of the family hasn’t been chosen.”

Sounding a little upset, Li Ye said, “Since it’s a family matter, I suppose we can’t help in any way.”

Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhaung had traveled all this way for Cui Keli, yet judging from the current situation, it seemed that they could not help him very much.

However, Cui Keli shook his head and said, “It’s quite the opposite. As a scholar of Confucianism, I’ll have no significance in a gathering filled with Taoist sects, yet I believe things will be different if I can have Taoist Su and Taoist Wei accompany me as followers.”

Seeing that Cui Keli was not very assertive when he said that, Li Ye supposed there had to be some other difficulties troubling him, so he asked, “Is there any other problem?”

Cui Keli glanced at Li Ye and sighed. “The master is getting old and barely steps out of his own room nowadays, so there has been a discussion going on about the selection of the next master within the family. This visit to Penglai is of extreme significance to the family, so the representative will most likely be the next master... However, I’m just a scholar who originally had no interest in becoming the master. Moreover, my cultivation isn’t outstanding and I have no followers, so I won’t stand a chance fighting for the position either.”

After he said that, everyone immediately understood where he was coming from.

Li Ye waved at him and said, “I understand. There’s one more question, though. If you insist on going to Penglai Island, what will the rest of the family say?”

Li Ye got straight to the point, and Cui Keli was not too closed-minded to understand him either. So he looked Li Ye in the eyes and said, “According to the family rules, if two are to fight for the position of the master, each side must bring their followers to compete for three rounds in both knowledge and kung fu. The winner shall be the next master.”

“I’m sure the knowledge test would be a piece of cake for you, so the three of us just need to take care of the kung fu test.”

“Since Taoist sects are very established in Pinglu, our family’s rule states that if both rounds of the kung fu test are to be taken by one’s followers, one of them must be a Taoist.”