The songs draw near as boats hug the shore, people open the way as horses cross the bridge.
Leifeng gazes distantly at the tower, Ge Ling plays with the springs from afar.
Leifeng Tower was actually constructed during the ti of the Wu Yue Country, long since destroyed.
In those days, King of Wu and Yue, Qian Jiao, celebrated the birth of a child by his beloved concubine "Huang Family" with joy, hence a thirteen-story high brick tower was built by West Lake, with eighty-four thousand volus of Buddhist scriptures, to pray for the safety of "Huang Family".
At the beginning, Leifeng Tower was indeed nad "Huang Fei Tower".
This magical tower of legends has always been accompanied by beautiful stories, yet because the mountain it stood upon was nad Leifeng, it gradually beca known to later generations as Leifeng Tower.
Later, Wu Yue was annexed, as the Song Country relocated to Hangzhou City under pressure from the Golden Country, making this place part of Song Country’s territory.
Once Song Country was stable, Hangzhou City flourished, the officials indulged in pleasures and luxuries, martial wanderers and scholarly poets lingered. They created a scene of never-ending music and dance by West Lake, during which countless lovely legends were sung, the most fervently related to Leifeng Tower being the poignant myth of Bai Niangzi, Xu Xian, and the monk Fa Hai.
This legend endures to this day, moving countless people with Xu Xian and Bai Niangzi’s unwavering love story, enthralled by this tale of steadfast love under tyranny.
But a legend remains a legend, perhaps touching and inspiring, yet ultimately untruthful. If one day soone claims the legend is true, with Bai Niangzi and Xu Xian genuinely existing, most would likely consider them mad.
"But according to fragnts of ancient texts we’ve unearthed, while this legend may not be true, similarly nad individuals may indeed have existed. Their stories might not be as lovely as recorded in the legend, possibly quite cruel.
Yet perhaps due to human intervention, these stories beca known and gradually transford from cruel tales into beautiful ones.
A beautiful new legend replaces cruel facts, erging into the public’s perception, readily accepted by people."
On the streets within Hangzhou City, a carriage drawn by eight horses rolled slowly along, followed by another carriage drawn by four horses. No need for soldiers to clear the way, passersby willingly stepped aside, watching the departing carriages with eyes of reverence.
The carriage, while exceeding an ordinary carriage in height by a size, was not lavish, but was pulled by eight fine horses.
And other than the present Emperor, only one person had such privilege and authority to ride so grandly with eight horses on the land of Song Country.
Most of Hangzhou City’s citizens knew this person had arrived, so upon seeing such a grand eight-horse carriage parading through the streets, they were not surprised but very excited, calling friends to witness the Champion King’s journey to Leifeng Tower.
Inside the carriage, Jiang Dali glanced out at the enthusiastic and reverent faces through occasionally lifted curtains, observing the bustling scenes of people driven by their own purposes and found himself affected, nodding.
"Such a lively and beautiful place indeed deserves to have such beautiful and captivating legends. However, I also truly appreciate your skeptical spirit, accepting the seemingly absurd content recorded in ancient texts.
For when flowers bloom above ground, it may well coincide with corpses decaying below ground."
"When flowers bloom above ground, it may well coincide with corpses decaying below ground... yes, indeed, this is akin to the mystery of the Fifteenth Life-taking Sword—life turning to death, extending into a deathly sword blow. Why can’t my saber skill follow such a path?"
Heartbroken Little Knife was shaken internally, a trace of deep contemplation appeared in his clean and pure eyes, preparing to enter a self-forgetful state.
Jiang Dali felt helpless yet admired this extrely unconventional martial arts enthusiast among the players.
It’s no wonder that in his past life, he was never able to reach the pinnacle among players; despite possessing Monster Power, he only attained the title "Fierce Sword", the reason being perhaps a lack of purity, obsession, and solitary cultivation as the other.
Without interrupting the other’s deep contemplation in martial arts, Jiang Dali directly took from Heartbroken Little Knife the ancient texts provided by the Yun Family for examination.
A ticulous perusal, line by line.
Jiang Dali gradually realized these texts were rely fragnts, containing many vague explanations, even reading them in sequence seed peculiar.
Yet one certainty was that within Leifeng Tower lay a "Grotto Heaven", which non-family players from the past life hadn’t discovered.
It’s a Grotto Heaven instead of a paradise due to the explanation in the text, indicating the presence of a tomb filled with traps within Leifeng Tower, built by a monk who once resided there.
And that monk was a mber of an ancient powerful entity—God-searching Palace.
As for whose tomb it was.
The answer gleaned from fragnted text suggests the tomb was not soone’s tomb but possibly that of a fierce beast akin to a Fire Qilin.
Combining years of tales regarding West Lake and Leifeng Tower, it becos clear what that fierce beast was.
Though it sounds outlandish, Jiang Dali, considering the power exhibited by a Buddha Artifact within Leifeng Tower yesterday, believes the ancient texts, believing that beautiful stories aren’t necessarily beautiful, possibly tinged with blood and cruelty.
But such outlandish archaeological information is perhaps why most indigenous people don’t believe it.
Because it is indeed too fantastical.
If Jiang Dali hadn’t heard of the fearso forces of God-searching Palace in his past life, he would find it hard to accept upon receiving such information suddenly.
Jiang Dali put down the ancient text, sitting in the carriage, rubbed his chin deep in thought, "Thus, rely from the ancient text information received, the beautiful legend of Bai Niangzi and Xu Xian by Song State Hangzhou West Lake over the years is likely a fabrication by God-searching Palace to hide sothing."
The truth should be... a powerful fierce creature, a white snake akin to Fire Qilin wreaking havoc upon the world, led to God-searching Palace dispatching a monk holding a highly potent Buddha Artifact Alms Bowl to subdue the serpent.
Yet the process was not smooth, involving a Xu surnad man, who had earlier favor upon the white snake, delivering a fatal blow to the white snake, thus subduing it.
Afterwards, the monk utilized the Alms Bowl’s power to suppress the snake’s corpse within the tomb under Leifeng Tower, strengthening fortune by warding off evil...
Later, God-searching Palace felt the battle was too deceptive and disgraceful, tarnishing its prestige and reputation, for using human favor to subdue a fierce beast proved the beast held conscience, rendering their so-called evil-exterminating thods ignoble, unworthy."
"So you made up a beautiful legend to cover up the ugly truth of the past?"
With this analysis in mind, Jiang Dali felt that the origins of the Buddha Artifact in Leifeng Tower and the related stories beca completely clear. No wonder Dongfang Bubai told him that the Orochi Poison Blood inside him often resonated with the location of Leifeng Tower, as if sothing inside the tower was attracting it.
If there really exists the burial of the fierce beast White Snake from years ago within the tower, it would be normal for Orochi, as a serpent-like fierce beast, to resonate with its bloodline.
The only thing unclear is whether the God-searching Palace still exists after all these years.
Why hasn’t any expert from Song Country noticed the anomaly inside Leifeng Tower?
Or perhaps, just like the Heavenly Monk and Earthly Nuns, soone might indeed be aware of the complexity within Leifeng Tower but is intimidated by the majestic presence of the Buddha Artifact and thus dares not act recklessly?
This doubt flashed across Jiang Dali’s mind, but he did not dwell on it deeply.
Because regarding this issue, he had already sent a letter yesterday, along with the designs of Jingyan Palace, to the Song Kingdom Palace, requesting Huang Shang and the Imperial Family form an investigation team, to provide him with a series of docunted materials to find clues. Otherwise, he would personally dismantle Leifeng Tower to seek answers himself.
...
Monts later, the carriage and horses arrived near Leifeng Mountain.
By this ti, there were already two squads of soldiers waiting along the road nearby.
The ground surrounded by soldiers was covered with straw mats, with white cloth over them. From afar, a wet burning sll, like coal doused with water, perated the air. Many locals and players gathered around, pointing and discussing the white cloth from a distance.
Jiang Dali ordered the carriage to slow down.
A soldier imdiately stepped forward briskly, and reported softly through the carriage curtain, "Prince, all the assassins’ bodies have been salvaged and are here."
Jiang Dali lifted the curtain and looked outside, noticing that the bodies under the white cloth totaled five, all neatly arranged, not one missing.
He nodded slightly, recalling Feixuan’s final kind words, and said solemnly, "Give them a dignified burial."
Just as he was about to instruct the carriage to continue, Wan Wan’s figure flashed out from the carriage behind, and she directly leapt into the surrounded area, waving her palm.
The white cloth was lifted.
Five bodies lined up on the ground, charred beyond recognition.
Imdiate chaos erupted among the crowd.
Wan Wan stared at one of the burnt corpses, her expression complex, her lips lightly bitten, finally sighing softly, and with a flick of her sleeve, the white cloth was swiftly re-covered.
Jiang Dali, witnessing such a scene, pondered more about how Di Ni was at this mont.
If he was not dead, Jiang Dali would certainly make sure Di Ni, the instigator, died as well because he never liked owing anything to anyone, as owing a debt may be more humiliating than being owed. This was a feeling he seldomly experienced.
Anyone who has offended him, he would rember and repay twice over.
But anyone who has helped him, especially those who have risked their lives to do so, even if the intent wasn’t to help him specifically but to fulfill a greater cause, would leave him feeling indebted.
Such individuals, even if enemies, are worthy of respect.
Because understanding how to kill isn’t difficult; knowing how to use one’s life to save others is the real challenge.
He couldn’t do it, but respect!
The dead are gone, and the living continue forward.
The carriage proceeded on, slowly reaching the base of Leifeng Tower.
The tower is on the mountain, the mountain by the lake, the lake in everyone’s hearts, containing the centuries-old beautiful legends.
An ancient, tall elm tree with a gnarled trunk stood under the tower in an old courtyard, like a hunchbacked old man, watching over the ancient temple day and night.
Jiang Dali ignored Heartbroken Little Knife, who was still imrsed in the insights of Martial Arts, and got off the carriage to look at the imposing ancient tower standing high on the steps, crossing his arms, gaze deep and spirit focused, his Spiritual Sense spreading out to explore inside Leifeng Tower.
However, at the very mont his Spiritual Sense erged, Leifeng Tower suddenly emitted a dangerous enemy-like crimson glow in front of him, a chilling premonition instantly forming within his spirit, as if being locked in by a pair of eyes full of malice and resentnt.
"Hmm?"
Jiang Dali’s hair stood on end, his eyebrows furrowed, and he imdiately stopped his Spiritual Sense from extending towards Leifeng Tower.
Simultaneously, a grand, harmonious power, the sa as before, suddenly spread from within Leifeng Tower, full of suppression. Instantly, it felt as if all life was being stifled, with the sounds of birds and insects vanishing.
Suddenly, the red glow from the tower was quickly retracted and disappeared, leaving only a suppressed and terrifying atmosphere to prove the prior abnormality...
...
...
(Requesting monthly tickets! The version of the story about White Snake here, exists in Feng Yun, but it’s a conspiracy version, related to God-searching Palace! No cultivation involved)
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