After a harrowing four hours, everyone finally arrived at the foot of Mount Emei at noon.
Unlike the sweltering heat of Rongcheng, the temperature at the foot of Mount Emei was pleasant. Clouds and mist coiled around the mountain, and the occasional passage of white cranes added to its mysterious charm.
Xiao Que'er drove the car and stopped at the entrance of the scenic area. She handed a handwritten letter to the duty director at the entrance, who soon came out personally to grant them passage.
Foreign vehicles were originally prohibited from entering the scenic area, and there was still a long way from the entrance to their gathering point for the day. Therefore, Uncle Qiu had made prior arrangements, obtaining this personal letter that allowed their car to drive directly into the scenic area.
As the car entered the scenic area, everything was lush green, with birdsong and fragrant flowers filling the forest. Yan Shouyi also began to appreciate the different scenery.
Is this where Grandma was born and grew up?
He touched the Yin wood in his pocket and asked softly, "Grandma, we've arrived at Mount Emei. Do you want to come out and see?"
Wen Yuxian replied, "I have been watching... But this is only the foot of the mountain, and even I have only been here a few times, so I don't have any particular feelings. Call me again when we get up the mountain."
Grandma was in low spirits and not happy to return to her homeland. However, Yan Shouyi guessed that as long as they reached the true Mount Emei and the Wannian Temple on Mount Emei, Grandma would be moved by the sights and her mood would naturally improve.
If this still didn't work, Yan Shouyi could only pull out his trump card – on the way back, he would make a detour to Longhu Mountain, find his sworn grandfather Zhang Shantong, and have his grandfather coax Grandma.
After driving for about half an hour up the mountain road, the car finally stopped in front of a plaza.
The plaza was about half the size of a football field, with a large rock in the center inscribed with the characters "Tai E," exuding an imposing aura.
Behind the rock was a winding dirt path paved with bluestone slabs, leading upwards as far as the eye could see.
At this moment, about twenty people, both men and women, stood in the plaza. Judging by their attire, they belonged to two major sects.
One group of disciples wore green robes with a novel design, combining new and ancient styles. Unlike the disciples of Longhu Mountain who tied up their long hair, these disciples all had short hair.
The other group of disciples wore clean and neat white training attire. They were generally well-built, standing like pine trees and moving like the wind. Their every move revealed the bearing of martial artists. Outsiders might mistake them for athletes participating in a martial arts competition.
This plaza was already a restricted area for tourists, so there were no outsiders. Otherwise, the scene before them would have undoubtedly attracted a crowd.
Upon the sudden arrival of the business car, both groups in the plaza immediately noticed and stopped their conversations, staring at the business car.
After parking, Xiao Que'er turned to Yan Shouyi and said,
"President, we've arrived. Those outside are the disciples from Qingcheng Mountain and Dianyi Sect who will be going up the mountain with you."
Qingcheng Mountain?
Dianyi Sect?
Yan Shouyi observed Xiao Que'er's expression and noticed something was amiss. He asked, "Why aren't you getting out of the car?"
Xiao Que'er timidly replied, her voice unusually small, "Can I not get out of the car?"
Something unusual must be afoot. Ye Tianyuan glanced outside and whispered, "President, their gazes towards us seem hostile."
Long Feicheng immediately extended his two paws, making a grasping motion, and threatened Xiao Que'er, "Are you hiding something from us? We are very sensitive!"
"Get aside!" Yan Shouyi flicked away Long Feicheng's paws, reminding him that Xiao Que'er was still a young girl.
Xiao Que'er mumbled, "They are hostile towards inheritors of folk sects."
"Oh? Why?"
Seeing that she would have to explain eventually, Xiao Que'er sighed as if organizing her thoughts, and then her words poured out like a flood, speaking incessantly:
"Qingcheng Mountain and Dianyi Sect are both famous sects in Xichuan. Qingcheng Mountain belongs to Taoism, while Dianyi Sect leans more towards Jianghu martial arts. However, due to the influence of Taoism, the disciples of Dianyi Sect also know some Taoist spells."
"Once, Qingcheng Mountain was quite popular and was a top sect in Xichuan. In ancient times, Qingcheng Mountain was known as one of the five great immortal mountains along with Wudang Mountain in Xiangbei, Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi, Qiyun Mountain in Huizhou, and Jingfu Mountain in Sanqin. Legend has it that Zhang Daoling established a hermitage and attained immortality on Qingcheng Mountain."
"Unfortunately, later, Buddhism flourished, and Emei rose. Qingcheng Mountain was affected by warfare during the Ming Dynasty, and its Taoist priests scattered, making it difficult to recover its former glory. Today, it is only a second-rate sect in Xichuan."
"Regarding the collective disappearance on Mount Emei, the current Heavenly Master Yu Luming stepped forward, which led Qingcheng Mountain and Dianyi Sect to send people to investigate. It wasn't that the Heavenly Master intended it, but because the incident on Mount Emei was unusual and there might be dangers on the mountain, other smaller sects would likely be unable to cope. Only Qingcheng Mountain and Dianyi Sect were capable of investigating."
Yan Shouyi interrupted, "Get to the point."
Xiao Que'er softly said "Oh," coughed twice, and continued:
"The current sect leader of Qingcheng Mountain is Daoist Master Jin Bi, the abbot of Changdao Temple on Qingcheng Mountain. The sect leader of Dianyi Sect is named Huang Qingcang. Both of their families hold a deep hatred for the inheritors of folk sects. Under their influence, the disciples of Qingcheng Mountain and Dianyi Sect also follow suit in resenting the inheritors of folk sects. Uncle Qiu and I never associate with them..."
"It is said that over thirty years ago, there was a severe drought in Xichuan, followed by famine. Daoist Master Jin Bi, the sect leader of Qingcheng Mountain, was rescuing disaster victims at the foot of the mountain when he encountered a shadow puppet troupe. This group of people was on the verge of death from starvation. Daoist Master Jin Bi took pity on them and brought them back to Changdao Temple to take shelter temporarily and provide them with food and drink."
"As a result, after this group of shadow puppet inheritors were full and satisfied, they repaid kindness with enmity. Seeing that Daoist Master Jin Bi's daughter was beautiful and kind-hearted, they took advantage of Daoist Master Jin Bi's absence on a disaster relief mission to secretly defile his daughter, and then they fled. His daughter, ashamed of losing her purity, jumped off a cliff and committed suicide."
"When Daoist Master Jin Bi rushed back, he only found his daughter's corpse, but the shadow puppet inheritors were nowhere to be found, nor could their whereabouts be traced. For decades, he was unable to avenge her... As a result, Daoist Master Jin Bi now hates the inheritors of folk sects bitterly, especially those of shadow puppetry."
"It is said that Daoist Master Jin Bi is still unable to let go and refuses to bury his daughter's body, insisting on finding those scoundrels to be buried with his daughter."
At this point, Xiao Que'er glanced at Ye Tianyuan.
Ye Tianyuan shivered and thought, President, I suddenly have an upset stomach, can I not get out of the car?
However, to leave a good impression on Yan Shouyi, Ye Tianyuan could only brace himself and keep his thoughts to himself.
Yan Shouyi coughed twice and asked, "Setting aside Daoist Master Jin Bi for now, why does Sect Leader Huang Qingcang also resent folk sects?"
Xiao Que'er sighed and slowly said:
"Sect Leader Huang Qingcang was not a direct disciple of Dianyi Sect. He was born in an ordinary mountain village at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain. His parents, unable to afford to raise him, reluctantly sent him to Dianyi Sect to learn martial arts. Dianyi Sect had strict rules, requiring disciples to sever all contact with their families while on the mountain, and they could only visit home after graduating."
"Sect Leader Huang stayed on the mountain for a full ten years. When he finished his studies and graduated, he returned home only to learn that his parents and younger brother had all died five years ago. According to the villagers, that year, a person claiming to be an inheritor of ancient medicine came to the village, stating that Sect Leader Huang had been bitten by a tiger in the mountains and was in critical condition, and only by sacrificing the lives of his blood relatives to refine a medicinal pill could he be saved."
"Upon hearing this, Sect Leader Huang's parents cried for three days, and finally, with tears in their eyes, they took their younger brother and jumped into the river to die. The ancient medicine practitioner then took their souls to refine the pill, claiming it was sent to Dianyi Sect to save him. However, Sect Leader Huang knew that the story of being bitten by a tiger was a complete fabrication by the ancient medicine practitioner, whose sole purpose was to obtain a few souls willing to be refined into a pill."
"If Sect Leader Huang had not returned, the villagers would have remained in the dark. Unfortunately, three years had already passed, his loved ones were long reduced to ashes and their souls gone, and the ancient medicine practitioner had disappeared without a trace. No matter how hard Sect Leader Huang searched, he could not find his enemy's whereabouts. Therefore, Sect Leader Huang also hated folk sects bitterly, and by extension, Dianyi Sect..."
At this point, Xiao Que'er sighed, saying somewhat dejectedly:
"In fact, people in Xichuan are not very friendly towards folk sects. Apart from Mount Emei, other reputable sects are suppressing folk sects. There is a mask-changing master who possesses extraordinary skills but can only perform in hot pot restaurants."
Yan Shouyi also fell silent for a while. He realized that the road ahead to vindicate folk sects and make them flourish was still very long.
In times of war and chaos, when people struggled to find enough to eat, human nature was constantly tested. Folk sect inheritors inherently lacked restraint, and some would undoubtedly use their extraordinary skills for evil.
These were merely a few rotten apples spoiling the barrel.
These individuals had a significant impact on the image of folk sects. Yan Shouyi did not deny or avoid their existence, but it was important to remember that a portion of folk sect inheritors also maintained their integrity and dedicated themselves to helping the common people.
Yan Shouyi still wished for peaceful coexistence, but...
"The road is long and arduous!"
He said leisurely, "No matter what, we have to face it first. Let's go, everyone get out of the car and meet our friends from Qingcheng Mountain and Dianyi Sect."
Having mentally prepared themselves in the car, everyone followed Yan Shouyi out.
The plaza was silent, all eyes fixed on Yan Shouyi and his entourage. Even Long Feicheng felt uneasy under their gaze.
Not to mention the socially anxious shut-in Zhuge Ji, who felt ants crawling all over him and wished he could dig a hole and bury his head in it, avoiding their unfriendly stares.