After the Jiangxing incident, Xu Jiaohe never walked alone with a stranger again.
But that didn't stop her from seeing strange people appear and saying strange things whenever she was alone.
They were either tactful, direct, reluctant to talk, or straight to the point, and fell in Xu Jiaohe's ears. The meaning contained in them can be roughly summarized as follows: I would like to ask this widow who has just lost her husband, is she interested in having multiple lovers or marrying someone else? A new husband.
Xu Jiaohe thought Jiang Xing was an exception, but didn't expect him to become the norm.
In the end, she was forced to have no choice but to follow Elder Bingli every step of the way, changing her previous lazy behavior.
"Mr. Jiaohe, this worship ceremony is about to end. When the time comes, the sect master will call everyone to gather at Qingsi Hall to announce that you have become the new master of Huaiyuan Peak." Mei Lin sent out several small sect cultivators who were saying goodbye. Zhuo Chendian turned around and told Xu Jiaohe the good news.
But what Xu Jiaohe was thinking about was that it turned out that each small cave was independent and isolated from the world, which was also a benefit.
Lu Hua led the maids to remove the soul incense, incense burners and futons from the Zhuochen Hall, and then Xu Jiaohe held Ji Ruotan's spiritual tablet and enshrined it in the Wenying Pavilion, which is dedicated to the successive heads and sages of the Yunxian Sect. This continued The funeral ceremony that lasted for seven days and seven nights was completely over.
Everyone gave the last two complex glances at the spiritual throne of the first person to cultivate immortality in the world. The vermilion door of Wenying Pavilion slowly closed, combining Ji Ruotan's achievements and the story of "the sword sweeps through the clear realm, and the white clothes shake the nine states". Fame is buried together in the dust of the passing years.
This person has passed away, but the living still have to move on.
The Yunxian sect members headed by Elder Bingli and Xu Jiaohe, followed by the remaining disciples and leaders of the friendly immortal cultivating sects, dozens of people like a winding and silent river, after descending from Huaiyuan Peak, headed towards Walking up the hundred steps to the Qingsi Hall.
Xu Jiaohe secretly looked behind her, only to see that Song Chang hadn't left either. He was dressed fiercely in purple and stood out among the crowd.
…
The stairs made of jade are illuminated, and under the majestic eaves and brackets, the sect leader Jingbo Zhenren, who has not been out of seclusion for decades, stands with his hands behind his back, surrounded by orchids and jade trees, with a young and handsome face and a hair that is not stained by dust. Dressed in white, he looks like an immortal ascending the ladder to heaven day and night.
"I've met Zhenbo Jingbo."
Whether he is the master of a sect or a proud man of heaven, he will bow his proud head in front of the leader who leads the sect.
Mingdan didn't enjoy this feeling of looking down on all living beings for too long. His clear pupils flickered slightly, and his aura of calmness and self-importance disappeared immediately.
He cupped his hands and returned the greeting: "All the fellow Taoists have worked tirelessly and come all the way to do the work for Taoist Master Wu Yan. Please come with me to the Qingsi Hall for a simple meal."
Although Ji Ruotan died, Xu Jiaohe and You Wenyu, his wife and disciple, were still alive.
The two sat at the bottom left of Ming Dan, and the two seats directly opposite were occupied by Song Chang and another monk from Bodhi Temple.
"The death of Taoist Wuyan is a great pain to Xiaodongtian."
"But if we want to protect the peace of the world and even the entire Kyushu, we need all the sects to work together."
Ming Dan picked up the wine and motioned to everyone present, "To show my sincerity, I'll do it first as a sign of respect."
He raised his head and drank a full glass of wine. Such a heroic action showed a restrained elegance and dignity.
His Highness was silent for a few moments, and then there was the sound of robes scraping against tables and chairs. Xu Jiaohe looked intently and saw that among the major sects, Tianhai Palace, which was closest to the Yunxian Sect, responded eagerly: "We will follow the Yunxian Sect's lead and jointly safeguard the peace of Jiuzhou."
You Wenyu, as the second person to respond, also stood up holding a wine glass.
Xu Jiaohe observed his words and quickly imitated his actions.
Following closely behind were the people from the Yunxian Sect.
Next is the master of Bodhi Temple: "It is inconvenient for the poor monk to drink alcohol, so he drinks tea instead."
Only then did Xu Jiaohe notice that Ming Dan was so attentive and specially changed the vegetarian banquet and tea for the monks.
Everyone stood up, except Zitai's disciples who were still sitting upright.
Song Chang looked around calmly, knowing that Ming Dan was ordering everyone with great righteousness. If he didn't obey at this moment, he would inevitably become the one who stood out.
He handed it over with a look, and the people on the purple platform stood up neatly.
Song Chang held the wine glass and saluted from a distance: "Respect the sect master."
Then the atmosphere surged to its peak, and the inner mountain of Qingsi Hall shouted: "Respect the sect leader!"
The voices of nearly a hundred people gathered together, like the mighty water rushing to the sea, which made Xu Jiaohe's ears buzz.
She drank half a glass of wine and sat down with You Wenyu.
Ming Dan said: "Today I am here to gather you fellow Taoists. In addition to thanking you for your moral sentiments, there are two things I need to tell you."
Xu Jiaohe already knew what one of these two things was.
But that didn't stop her heart from beating like a drum after the tinnitus.
Everyone who was drinking and eating stopped what they were doing and looked up at where Ming Dan was.
Ming Dan, who had just sat down, stood up again: "First thing, Taoist Wuyan is dead, and the border between the sea of desire and the human world must not be left unguarded. I will appoint the law enforcement elder Xue Congjie to go there and keep an eye on the demons." and every move of the demon clan.”
The Sea of Desire is a place where demons and demons gather. It is scorching hot during the day and freezing cold at night. The extreme climate makes even those who cultivate immortals miserable.
The most important thing is that those who guard the sea of desire are not allowed to return to the sect at will. Only during the Great Festival can they get a day or two of rest.
Xu Jiaohe looked happy and applauded Mingdan vigorously in his heart.
It's best if the old man Xue Congjie goes away and never comes back!
She was happily calculating, while Song Chang couldn't wait to ask: "The reason Wuyan Taoist guarded the border of Yuhai was because his realm had reached the Mahayana stage, and he had cultivated an outlaw incarnation, so that he could travel back and forth between the two places at will. .”
"How can Elder Dharma, who is only at the Tongxuan stage of cultivation, be able to guard the border areas and take care of the daily laws of the Yunxian Sect?"
Ming Dan said calmly: "The disciples of Mingjing Hall are still in charge of matters of law and discipline. If things go wrong, Elder Bingli can take charge of them."
The Yunxian Sect has always had strict rules, and few disciples would cause trouble or cause trouble.
Ming Dan can appoint Xue Congjie to go there, so he naturally doesn't worry about the sect's affairs being left unattended.
His plan was comprehensive, but Song Chang didn't buy it: "Even so, the spiritual power of the law enforcement elder is far inferior to that of Wuyan Daojun. I heard that the new Demon Lord of Yuhai has already cultivated demonic skills that are comparable to those of the Mahayana stage. I'm afraid that by then the demon clan If an intruder comes, the law enforcement elder will be unable to support him alone."
In Qingsi Hall, Xue Congjie is still there.
Although what Song Chang said was true, it made him a little embarrassed.
Just when Xue Congjie was about to slam the table and stand up, asking for help boldly, Ming Dan's faint eyes swept over him, restraining the anxiety in his heart.
Mingdan turned to Song Chang: "Then what does Lord Hengming think we should do?"
"It's hard work for the law enforcement elders to travel around. Why don't we, Zitai, send out the governor of the Tongxuan stage to be on duty with the Yunxian Sect."
He didn't wait for Ming Dan to answer, and continued, "Resisting the demons and protecting the Nine Provinces is the inevitable responsibility of every immortal cultivator. If this responsibility is taken over by the Yunxian Sect, I think you, the sect master, will inevitably be suspected of being arbitrary. "
Song Chang's tone was neither urgent nor slow, but the meaning behind it was thorny. Even Xu Jiaohe could hear the evil inside.
She used the cover of her sleeves to quietly glance in Song Chang's direction.
I saw that the young man who had beaten Jiang Xing's hand yesterday was slowly moving the spiritual ring on his index finger, as if he was playing with everyone's hearts.
Once Song Chang's move came out, Ming Dan didn't respond immediately.
He stared at the audience with his eyes that had nothing to do with emotion or anger, and seemed not to be affected by the other party's words at all.
Time passed bit by bit, and whispers gradually sounded in the hall.
Xu Jiaohe waited and waited until Mingdan mentioned his matter.
At the moment, what was originally a happy event has a faint tendency to change.
Xu Jiaohe didn't dare to look around for fear of irritating her body. She could only look away and saw that You Wenyu also looked calm and composed.
Under the sandalwood table, she reached out with her toes and lightly kicked You Wenyu.
"What's going on now?"
Xu Jiaohe asked You Wenyu silently.
"No hurry, I'll talk about you soon."
You Wenyu also responded quietly.
The discussion among the people is getting louder and louder, and there are many voices of opposition or agreement.
As if a dish had been cooked to its peak, Mingdan, as the person in charge, slightly raised his voice: "Jun Hengming has a good idea, but since you mentioned that it is the responsibility of all immortal sects to protect Kyushu, I will help you One more thing to add to the proposal.”
"Except for the sect leaders and special positions, those who are at Tongxuan and above will work in pairs and take turns guarding the Sea of Desire, changing every six months."
The total number of Tongxuan and Mahayana practitioners in the world is only two palms. More importantly, they are located in large sects with the right to speak. As long as the conflicts between the large sects are coordinated, the remaining small sects can The sect cannot afford to make too big a splash.
And today, more than half of the people drinking together in the palace are from major sects.
Enjoy the merits together and bear the disasters together.
Ming Dan's proposal was unanimously applauded by everyone.
Although Song Chang achieved what he wanted, he felt as if he had accidentally swallowed a fly and felt nauseated. At that age, Ruotan was famous throughout the world during the second war between humans and demons, and his guardianship of the sea of desire also added value to the sect. Great achievements of glory and virtue.
He originally wanted to get half of the benefits for Zitai, but he didn't want Ming Dan to simply let everyone get a share of the pie.
However, no matter what, he could only suppress his unhappiness and listened to the second thing Ming Dan said after calming down the voices in the palace.
"The second thing is actually just an internal matter of the sect, but in the future when traveling in Jiuzhou, everyone must get to know each other to facilitate things." Ming Dan's eyes turned sideways, and everyone's eyes focused only on Xu Jiaohe. On one person.
He asked Xu Jiaohe to stand up in front of him very gently.
Then he took out the jade plaque in his sleeve, with three big characters "Huaiyuan Order" written on it with flying dragons and phoenixes.
"This is the token to mobilize all the properties in Huaiyuan Peak and Ruotan's name. Please keep it safe, Mr. Jiaohe."
At the banquet held for Ji Ruotan's funeral, Mingdan never showed a smile from beginning to end.
But his sight was like the spring breeze blowing by, making Xu Jiaohe's body and mind calm down.
"From now on, you are the master of Huaiyuan Peak, and everyone should respect you as they respect the Yunxian Sect."
Xu Jiaohe was drowsy by his pleasant voice.
I only understood the most basic meaning, and had no time to understand the symbolic meaning behind this position above ten thousand people and below one person.
She held the token in both hands, tried hard to suppress the smile on her lips, whispered yes, turned around and walked back to her seat to sit down.
Countless eyes were focused on her blank and ignorant face at this moment.
Envy, complexity, disdain, contempt, yearning...
It was so hot that it felt like I had been hungry for three days and finally saw a pack of wolves eating fresh food.
