FVN Chapter 85 Clash
Chapter 85 Clash
"You're too kind, Your Excellency."
Shen Qing sat down calmly in the guest seat opposite the main seat, his movements swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. "It is my presumption to visit so late at night."
Zhao Yuanlang sat down opposite him, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, and pushed it in front of Shen Qing.
The tea soup was clear and yellow, with wisps of steam rising from it.
"Brother Dao, you are mistaken. I was away from the county for two months and had just returned when you arrived right after me. This shows that you are a thoughtful person and not a rash one."
He smiled slightly, "I've already heard about the Huang family's affairs from Xuanji. Your return has caused quite a stir in Qinghe."
These words were spoken in a neutral tone, yet they contained a subtle probing.
Shen Qing understood the unspoken meaning: I know about your murder in the Huang family. I'm already being lenient by not sending people to arrest you immediately.
"I dare not say anything about the tremors."
Shen Qing picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then put it down. "Huang Yuanji killed my senior brother, the Taoist of Fushan, and Huang Dehou has been aiding and abetting evil, coveting Qingyun Mountain for 130 years. I have returned this time only to settle this old debt. Once the debt is cleared, the matter will naturally be settled."
He emphasized the words "old debts" very clearly, implying that Mo killed the Huang family father and son not to seize treasure or fight for land, but to seek revenge.
This is a personal grudge to be settled, not a sect dispute. As a disciple of the Heavenly God Sect, how could you, Zhao Yuanlang, not know the principle of "a life for a life"?
Moreover, Shen Qing only killed Huang Yuanji and his son, without affecting the others.
This is also why Shen Qing, fearing it would give others grounds for criticism, did not completely eliminate the rest of the Huang family.
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Zhao Yuanlang's eyes. He naturally understood the implication of the words. Instead of replying immediately, he took something out of his sleeve and slowly pushed it to the center of the table.
This is a broken stone slab, only about a foot in size, with jagged edges.
Shen Qing glanced at the cultivation method recorded on it and was shocked to find that the Qi cultivation method recorded on it was exactly the same as the ancestral Qi cultivation method of the Qingyun Sect.
Zhao Yuanlang continued, "This stone slab was given to me by Huang Yuanji. According to him, it was obtained by his ancestor Huang Gongwang from Qingyun Mountain, and he wanted to use it to prove that there was indeed a secret treasure in Qingyun Mountain."
"According to Huang Yuanji, the reason why the Huang family coveted Qingyun Mountain, besides their ancestor's foundation-building through hearing the Dao, was this. Zhao promised Huang Yuanji that he would share the secret after the matter was accomplished. To put it bluntly, he was also deceived by the cultivation method on this stone slab."
After a pause, Zhao Yuanlang stared intently at Shen Qing. "However, I have repeatedly searched for this technique on Qingyun Mountain, but to no avail. This matter has greatly puzzled me. Could you please tell me if this technique is related to the Qingyun Sect? Is it that I have misjudged it, or is this item not originally owned by the Qingyun Sect?"
Shen Qing pondered for a moment. Zhao Yuanlang's words, on the surface, seemed to be explaining why he got involved in this matter, but in reality, he was shifting the responsibility to Huang Yuanji.
He took out the stone slab, saying that it was sent by Huang Yuanji, and that he himself had misjudged it, but in reality he was testing whether Qingyun Sect had any secret treasures.
Shen Qing did not take the opportunity he offered. Instead, she suddenly laughed, with a hint of self-mockery and helplessness.
"No, the county magistrate was not mistaken. This item did indeed come from our Qingyun Sect."
Zhao Yuanlang's eyes twitched slightly, clearly not expecting the other party to admit it so readily.
Shen Qing picked up the stone slab and slowly stroked the ancient characters with his fingertips.
This is indeed the first nine levels of the "Qingyun Qi Refining Technique," word for word. Fortunately, the last three most important levels are missing, which gives the situation room to turn around.
Logically speaking, given that the Qingyun Sect has been established for over two hundred years, it is not surprising that some fragments of its cultivation techniques have been lost to the world.
What he needs to do now is not to investigate how the stone slab was lost, but to use this stone slab to completely remove the matter of "Dao Yin" from Qingyun Mountain.
Shen Qing placed the stone slab back on the table and slowly spoke.
"My grandmaster, Han Yan Dao Ren, once took in a junior brother named Dong Shan. Uncle Dong Shan was extremely talented, but he was extreme in his temperament and often clashed with my master on cultivation philosophies."
"After an argument, my Uncle Dongshan stormed down the mountain and was never heard from again. According to my senior brother, our grandmaster often mentioned this incident in his later years, considering it a lifelong regret."
After a pause, Shen Qing continued, "When Uncle Dongshan went down the mountain, he stole the original copy of my Qingyun Sect's ancestral Qi cultivation method, which is this very item."
"As for the missing part, it is the unique supernatural power and secret technique of my Qingyun Sect, the Sword Control Technique."
Shen Qing paused for a moment, feigning curiosity before saying, "As for how this item ended up in the hands of the Huang family, I don't know. In just two hundred years, nearly ten lifetimes have passed. It's not surprising that a mere hunter would stumble upon a fragment in the mountains and use it to build his foundation."
"But that ungrateful Huang family member is already incredibly fortunate to have successfully established his foundation with my Qingyun Technique, yet he still believes that there must be some amazing secret hidden on Qingyun Mountain."
At this point, Shen Qing's tone turned colder, "To put it bluntly, Huang Gongwang relied on his own innate talent and luck when he established his foundation, not on any secret manuals or immortal abodes."
"On the contrary, the Huang family, for generations, has treasured a fragment of the manuscript and has been obsessed with it for 130 years. They are nothing but fools."
After he finished speaking, the hall remained quiet for a long time.
Zhao Yuanlang looked down at the stone slab on the table, and after a long while, slowly nodded.
"When Huang Yuanji came to me in the past, he spoke in glowing terms, about things like the 'profound sound of the Great Dao' and the 'secret treasure of the Azure Clouds.' I had some doubts at the time."
"If there were such a treasure in Qingyun Mountain, how could it have remained unknown for two hundred years? And how could the Qingyun Sect have only had one person reach the Foundation Establishment stage in each generation? It was just that at the time, due to his persistence and the fact that the cultivation method on the stone slab did have merit, we went along with it."
He raised his head, his tone suddenly becoming quite sincere, "Looking back now, it was Zhao's oversight. He almost harmed your family by only listening to one side of the story."
That's a very eloquent statement.
Shen Qing mentally assessed Zhao Yuanlang, thinking that he was indeed a capable county magistrate who had been able to remain in his position in Qinghe County for more than ten years, and his ability to adapt to changing circumstances was truly remarkable.
It was clearly a conspiracy between him and Huang Yuanji, but now it's been changed to "only because of Huang Yuanji's persistence"; it was clearly also someone who coveted Qingyun Mountain, but now it's been changed to "going with the flow and agreeing".
Shen Qing didn't expose him; he needed a way out, and Zhao Yuanlang also needed a way out. Both of them needed the other to give them face.
By scapegoating the already deceased Huang Yuanji and characterizing the whole incident as "the Huang family's insatiable greed and the county magistrate being deceived," both sides would benefit.
"You flatter me, Your Excellency."
Shen Qingdao said, "The Huang family has been plotting against Qingyun Mountain for 130 years, using all sorts of methods. It's understandable that they were deceived because they can't possibly oversee all the affairs of Qinghe."
"Moreover, this matter is ultimately a conflict between the Qingyun Sect and the Huang family. Huang Yuanji killed my senior brother, and I killed Huang Yuanji. This is a personal vendetta."
"The Huang family occupied my Qingyun Mountain for two months, and now that it has been returned to its rightful owner, the old debts have been settled and the personal grudges have been resolved. My intention is to leave it at that."
At this point, Shen Qing looked up at Zhao Yuanlang, his tone suddenly softening, "Of course, I am also very grateful to the county magistrate in this matter."
Zhao Yuanlang raised an eyebrow slightly but did not reply.