socalfunplaces Page 531
Page 531
With a gentle wave of his right hand, Li Chang'an sent the flying sword piercing the ground, leaving only the hilt sticking out.
"Miaozhen's magical power has improved again. If it were a little over a year ago, this sword would have taken my life."
Li Miaozhen retrieved her flying sword, took two steps to stand in front of Li Chang'an, took the hand he had just used to hold the sword, and ran her long, slender, fair fingers over Li Chang'an's fingers, unable to help but exclaim in surprise.
"That's incredible! You actually caught a fourth-rank Taoist's flying sword with your bare hands. Have you cultivated to the second rank?"
Li Chang'an took the opportunity to firmly grasp Li Miaozhen's small hand, then put his arm around her shoulder and sat down.
"It's only a third-rank, but it's not necessarily incapable of fighting against a second-rank."
Li Miaozhen blushed, but Li Chang'an, as always, quietly pulled her into his arms without any hesitation.
“What decent man would break into a woman’s room at night? Li Lang has been in the capital for over a year and has become quite bad.”
Li Chang'an denied it, saying, "What's the point of the capital if Miaozhen isn't here?"
Li Miaozhen chuckled softly, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she pouted, saying, "If not Li Miaozhen, then there's Xu Lingyue, the two princesses, and the delicate courtesan."
“Sigh… Miaozhen is irreplaceable,” Li Chang’an said earnestly.
"I came to Yunzhou this time to bring Miaozhen to the capital."
Li Miaozhen shook her head and said with a smile, "The old Li Lang would never lie. You must be here because of the Yunzhou arms case."
She thought to herself, "I have a little mirror, and I know a lot of the secrets in the capital."
"Miaozhen, those were just things that came easily. The most important thing is still you."
Li Miaozhen felt Li Chang'an getting closer and closer, and before she could react, he kissed her lips.
The two hadn't reached this point when they parted ways, and Li Miaozhen's eyes widened in shock.
"As expected... I've learned quite a bit."
Li Miaozhen's heart was filled with excitement, and her longing for Li Chang'an was somewhat relieved. However, the thought of Li Chang'an and other women inevitably caused her distress.
Moreover, she is the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect, and she cultivates the Supreme Way of Forgetfulness.
Thinking about all this made her feelings even more complicated.
"Miaozhen, you have cultivated the Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotions. When you attain enlightenment in the future, will you have to abandon the emotions in your heart?"
Li Miaozhen frowned and said, "That's how it should be, but perhaps there are other ways..."
Li Chang'an could tell that Li Miaozhen lacked confidence.
He laughed dismissively, “Miaozhen, you’re too attached to appearances. All things follow their own course and lead to the same goal. There are countless paths to enlightenment in Taoism.”
"The mere path of transcending emotions is just one of many, and it's not particularly profound. I don't see any need to continue it."
Li Chang'an turned his face and stared into Li Miaozhen's bright eyes, saying, "Miaozhen, don't forget your feelings, switch jobs."
Chapter 323 Xu Qi'an: Boss! You forcibly took another man's wife?
"Change jobs?"
Li Miaozhen's beautiful face was full of questions.
However, she soon understood the meaning of the word, which meant that she should switch to the cultivation methods of other sects and abandon the Heavenly Sect.
Li Miaozhen did not disbelieve Li Chang'an's statement, because Li Chang'an's own Dao incorporated the teachings of the Earth Sect and the Human Sect.
The so-called Heavenly Sect, Earthly Sect, and Human Sect are all artificial divisions. There are countless paths to enlightenment, and that is certainly true.
However, getting her to betray her sect was very difficult for Li Miaozhen, who was bursting with a sense of justice.
“Miaozhen, if you follow your path of detachment from worldly affairs, you cannot help those in distress or uphold justice. If you are detached from worldly affairs, what do the joys and sorrows of the world have to do with you?”
Li Miaozhen fell silent, because the Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotions of the Heavenly Sect was indeed such a doctrine.
After she descended the mountain, she was swept up in the mortal world, becoming both a female knight-errant and a bandit-suppressing leader, which was indeed contrary to the sect's teachings.
“Li Lang… I am deeply indebted to my master.”
Li Chang'an knew that Li Miaozhen couldn't let go of her sect yet, but she would understand in the future. Right now, it was just planting a seed in her heart.
“Miaozhen, if one goes against one’s true nature in cultivating the Dao, how can one attain the Great Dao? One can also attain the Dao by acting chivalrously, upholding justice, and valuing loyalty and righteousness.”
Li Miaozhen said with a serious expression, "Li Lang, give me time to think about it, okay?"
Li Chang'an said, "Take your time to think it over. Perhaps you'll be able to make a decision once the banditry in Yunzhou is quelled."
"Even the imperial court can't do anything about the rebels in Yunzhou, so I can only do my best. Completely eradicating them is easier said than done," Li Miaozhen said with a bitter smile.
"The imperial court has received information that Yang Chuannan is harboring bandits and is a supporter of the mountain bandits. The imperial court has already sent people here." Li Chang'an also took the opportunity to change the subject.
Li Miaozhen said, "Although Yang Chuannan is a member of the Qi faction, he shouldn't be the kind of person who harbors bandits to enhance his own power. I'm good at judging people; he's not that kind of person."
The Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect pursed her lips, appearing very confident.
Li Chang'an sighed, "I don't trust him, but I trust you. I came here secretly this time, and I have nowhere to stay..."
Li Miaozhen thought to herself that Li Chang'an had become much worse since he went to the capital.
Back when the two were in Jianzhou, Li Chang'an was serious and didn't talk much.
It must be those women in the capital who caused this!
……
On the official road, a procession of more than a hundred people was hurrying along, the sound of horses' hooves and the rumble of wheels.
"At the beginning of the Yuanjing era, Yunzhou had a population of five million. Every thirty years thereafter, a register was made, and the population gradually decreased. Six years ago, in the thirtieth year of the Yuanjing era, Yunzhou had a population of three and a half million. Now, I don't know how many people are left in Yunzhou."
Governor Zhang lifted the curtain, filled with emotion. The population had decreased by 1.5 million in thirty years, and the actual number of people lost was probably even greater.
Yunzhou has fertile land, infrequent natural disasters, and rarely suffers from famine. Under normal circumstances, its population should still have considerable room for growth.
This is not the era when Xu Qi'an came from, when young people dared not get married and have children, the population had reached a critical point, and the birth rate had plummeted.
Governor Zhang continued, "Of the population lost, half were due to excessive taxes. They abandoned their fields and became vagrants, or sought other ways to make a living, or became outlaws. These people were not included in the Yellow Register."
"Furthermore, the problem of bandits was severe, with constant burning, killing, and looting. Bandits would also plunder large numbers of people, which was also a major reason for the population decline."
Xu Qi'an did some mental calculations and realized that Yunzhou's rapid decline and worsening situation in the past twenty years began precisely when Emperor Yuanjing began his cultivation of Taoism.
Xu Qi'an analyzed in his mind that Emperor Yuanjing was obsessed with cultivating Taoism, and the Witch God Sect felt that there was an opportunity to take advantage of it. Therefore, the Great Feng Dynasty and the countries under the command of the Witch God Sect were bound to have a war.
Half a day later, a cloud of dust suddenly billowed up in front of the procession, indicating that someone was chasing them.
"All personnel on alert!" Jiang Luzhong gave the order, and all the night watchmen and Tiger Guards drew their swords and removed their crossbows.
Xu Qi'an shaded his eyes with his hand and looked into the distance. He saw a fast horse galloping towards the caravan, followed by dozens of spirited horses, with shouts of battle echoing from the pursuing crowd.
Moreover, those people also carried powerful crossbows, and arrows were constantly being fired at them.
"Bandits are killing people! Please, sir, save my life!" A man's voice came from afar on the back of the fast horse being chased.
Li Chang'an could see clearly that on the horse was a man in tight-fitting clothes holding a steel knife, and in front of him was a graceful woman wrapped in a cloak, whose face could not be seen.
At first glance, one might mistake it for a man abducting a woman, with her family chasing after him.
However, because Xu Qi'an knew the man being chased, he felt that things were not simple.
"Boss!"
Xu Qi'an, Zhu Guangxiao, and Song Tingfeng exclaimed in surprise at the same time.
It turned out that the person who carried the woman to safety was Li Yuchun, who refused to return to the night watchman's office and came to Yunzhou alone to suppress the bandits.
"Hiss! Boss's gotten bolder, daring to abduct another man's wife now!" Song Tingfeng gasped, raising his long sword and rushing forward.
"Boss, let me help you!"
Jiang Luzhong also saw Li Yuchun's face and knew that this matter was by no means simple. He immediately ordered everyone to support Li Yuchun.
The bandits chasing Li Yuchun were clearly not expecting that a group of officials would suddenly appear on the official road and come straight at them with fierce expressions.
"Third Master, what should we do?"
"They look like government troops, let's retreat!"
The leader of the bandits was a short, stocky man with a knife handle on his face. He immediately started cursing when he heard his men were afraid.
"What's there to be afraid of! I've killed government troops before. Our stronghold has been wiped out three times and we're still unscathed. Government troops are all cowards, let's kill them all!"
The third leader was not a reckless man, but this assassination mission could not be failed. If he failed, not only would his position be in jeopardy, but his life would also be in danger.
After speaking, the bandit leader, along with several skilled men, approached Li Yuchun.
As Li Yuchun deflected the arrows, he swung his sword to defend himself. Just then, the government troops rushed up to him.
In the blink of an eye, the Tiger Guards and the night watchmen rushed up, and the two sides clashed.
When the two sides clashed, they both took the other by surprise. The government troops were shocked that these bandits also had powerful crossbows, while the bandits were shocked by how strong the government soldiers were.
Those guys who tied gongs to their chests, in particular, looked fierce and menacing.
Xu Qi'an achieved some success in his visualization technique and mastered the Six Gods Technique. He could smash a bandit's head with a single punch in the middle of a crowd, and the dust on the official road was obscured by smoke. The afterimages of Xu Qi'an's fist and palm shocked Jiang Luzhong.
"Hiss... This kid is only an eighth-rank, how did he display the power of a fourth or fifth-rank? What kind of amazing martial arts is this? No wonder he is Li Chang'an's disciple, he is indeed extraordinary."
But just as he was feeling sentimental, he suddenly saw Li Yuchun leap into the air from his horse, still holding the terrified, screaming woman in his arms.
Li Yuchun kicked out from mid-air, instantly creating several hurricanes that swept up the ground like wild beasts. The hurricanes were incredibly powerful, instantly knocking down five bandits who were sent flying several feet away, spitting blood.