Chapter 717: The Young Temple Master |
That severed head appeared right in everyone's line of sight. Countless disciples of the Infatuation Daoist Temple, both high and low, were all deeply shocked at the sight of it.
Though they had already learned that the Chief Enforcer was the one who murdered the Temple Master, who would have thought that the Chief Enforcer, who was already the new temple master, would end up dead at the hands of a young disciple?
Although he was not an ordinary young disciple, but rather a young genius of Daoism, he was still just a youngster...
There was an insurmountable gap between Nepenthe and the End of Nepenthe.
From the moment they saw the head, the young disciples could no longer calm their emotions.
There are some things that, once done, can never be undone.
Earlier, the attitude towards how to deal with the Chief Enforcer was still unclear within the temple. Some elders might have even hoped to protect him, but now?
"Yun Jianyue, you dare!" "You even dare to kill the Temple Master?!"
A voice suddenly rang out. It was a disciple from the Chief Enforcer's faction. Upon seeing the Chief Enforcer's head, he was initially stunned. Only after a moment did his expression turn extremely grim.
According to the temple's rules, indeed, the Chief Enforcer had no reason to live.
"This matter isn't settled yet, there's no guilty verdict. How dare you?!"
Although that daoist knew that he was being unreasonable, he also understood very well that as a trusted confidant of Daoist Yinli, once Daoist Yinli fell, he would definitely not have a good outcome.
Yun Jianyue could not be bothered to pay him any attention. He casually threw the head in his hand aside and said indifferently, "This disciple has already done what I needed to do. If Seniors have something to say or something they want to do to this disciple, now is the time."
After saying that, Yun Jianyue walked into the main hall, lit a stick of incense before the Temple Master's tablet.
When he walked out, an elderly daoist appeared in the distance.
As soon as the old daoist appeared, countless disciples immediately knelt down.
"Greetings, Great Martial Uncle!"
The elderly daoist, with his white hair, held a very high rank within the Infatuation Daoist Temple. Even the former Temple Master had to respectfully address him as "Martial Uncle."
Among the many reclusive daoist elders in the rear mountain, he might not be the highest in seniority, but since he had appeared, it meant he represented the will of those people from the rear mountain.
Now that Temple Master Yinli was dead, the ones whose words carried weight in the temple were these old daoists.
Unfortunately, these old daoists typically focused on quiet cultivation and had never involved themselves much in the temple's decision-making.
Yun Jianyue looked at the elderly daoist and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Great Martial Uncle."
The old daoist smiled slightly. Wrinkles on his aged face rippled like waves on the water as he spoke, "A'Yue, I remember the last time I saw you, you were still just a child. Back then, I told Wuyang that you would have great achievements in the future, and to teach you well. As expected, now you are already a Nepenthe. You're far stronger than me, your Great Martial Uncle, at your age."
The old daoist glanced at the surroundings and sighed softly, "It's been many years since I've seen this place."
Yun Jianyue did not know what to say, so he just quietly looked at the elderly daoist.
The old daoist arrived in front of Yun Jianyue, glanced at the head on the ground, and sighed, "Yinli was also a child with decent talent, but his heart was too small. Compared to Wuyang, he was far lacking. Having this outcome was also something that he brought upon himself."
This casual remark actually set the tone for this matter and also expressed their current stance.
With these words, the daoists, including Daoist Shouyi, no longer dared to speak.
The old daoist represented those seniors from the rear mountain. They rarely expressed their views, but when they did, their words must be respected.
"A'Yue, you know, we old folks don't care much about these worldly matters. Since Yinli is dead, the responsibility of the sect now falls to you."
The old daoist looked at Yun Jianyue, his eyes carrying some deeper meaning.
But at the same time, he was conveying a message: those old daoists from the rear mountain had already made up their minds about Yun Jianyue killing Daoist Yinli. They would not pursue the matter further.
Daoist Yinli was the present of the Infatuation daoist Temple, but Yun Jianyue represented its future. Both were important, but the current situation was that Daoist Yinli was already dead...
A dead man would never be as important as a living one.
In fact, they had already decided to have Yun Jianyue take over as the Temple Master.
"We all know your character, so we old folks want you to take the position of Temple Master. I believe the disciples of the sect won't have any objections."
While the old daoist spoke, he glanced at the disciples present. His words were aimed at them.
The younger disciples said nothing, their eyes even filled with some anticipation. They deeply admired Yun Jianyue, why would they refuse?
As for the older daoists, even if some were displeased in their hearts, how could they dare to speak against the old daoist at this moment?
Yun Jianyue said, "This disciple is inexperienced and still young. I fear I'm not up to the task." "There are other martial uncles in the sect who are highly respected. If they take over, it might be better..."
"What's this talk? When our temple's second-generation ancestor took the position of temple master, he was only in his thirties. At that time, many elders in the temple were still present, but no one objected. Later, the second-generation ancestor managed the Infatuation daoist Temple very well, and his reputation spread far and wide."
The old daoist smiled and said, "You're so young, yet your cultivation is already considerable. In a few years, it will be a natural progression for you to reach the end of Nepenthe. Moreover, you've already achieved such great merit for the sect. As for prestige, this old man dare say even I cannot compare to you."
Yun Jianyue listened to these words and said softly, "This disciple is humbled."
The old daoist said no more, but turned around with a smile, "We old folks are all in favor of A'Yue becoming temple master. I wonder what you young ones think?"
Hearing this, the first to speak up was Zheng Hua.
"This disciple fully agrees with Great Martial Uncle's proposal. Senior Brother Yun is both virtuous and talented, and he has upheld the sect's rules, making great contributions. We're all willing to support Senior Brother Yun in taking the position of temple master. With him leading, the sect's reputation will certainly remain untarnished!"
"We disciples are also willing to support Senior Brother Yun to succeed the position of temple master!"
As Zheng Hua spoke, many of the younger disciples followed suit, all expressing their support for Yun Jianyue taking over as temple master.
If Yun Jianyue had not stepped into Nepenthe yet, becoming the temple master might have seemed inappropriate. But now, he fully had the qualifications to take on this position.
A cultivator at the Nepenthe Realm could be considered a powerhouse in the current age.
As the younger disciples voiced their support, many of the older daoists also spoke up. They had realized the situation; Yun Jianyue had the backing of those elders, and it would be difficult for anyone to snatch the position of temple master from his hands.
Since things had come to this point, it was better to bow one's head than to settle accounts later.
Thus, most of the disciples in the sect had already agreed with the old daoist's proposal.
The old daoist smiled slightly. "Since that's the case, this matter is settled. Let's choose a day for the grand ceremony..."
Suddenly, Daoist Shouyi interrupted, "Martial Uncle, although the Chief Enforcer has committed great crimes, he is still the Temple Master in name after all. Right now, this matter doesn't look good. If we issue invitations widely, wouldn't it just be giving the others a chance to mock us? The temple's reputation..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ye Zhihua said calmly, "This disciple thinks the grand ceremony must be held. We need to tell the world that even if our Infatuation Daoist Temple has strayed from the right path, we are now returning to it. If we don't do this, how can we gain the trust of our fellow daoists, and how can we convince the world?"
Ye Zhihua did not care much about these details. What mattered to her was that without the grand ceremony, her junior brother's position as temple master would seem somewhat improper. So, the grand ceremony had to happen.
The old daoist sighed. He actually supported Daoist Shouyi's viewpoint, but since it had already been decided that Yun Jianyue would take over the sect, what mattered now was Yun Jianyue's feelings. Since Ye Zhihua had already spoken, he smiled and said, "Zhihua makes a good point. Our Infatuation Daoist Temple has led the daoist world for many years. Although this matter has occurred, as long as we correct the mistake in time, others will see our Infatuation Daoist Temple's magnanimity. The grand ceremony will go ahead as planned. Invitations will be sent out to inform the fellow daoists."
Once this matter was settled, the old daoist glanced at Yun Jianyue, patted his shoulder, said nothing more, transformed into a streak of light and vanished.
After the old daoist left, Zheng Hua suddenly knelt down. "This disciple, Zheng Hua, greets the Senior Brother Temple Master!"
"This disciple greets the temple master!"
The voices rang out, and countless disciples of the temple knelt down in unison.
Even Daoist Shouyi quickly knelt down, even if he was unwilling.
Yun Jianyue looked at this group of disciples and stayed silent for a long time.
After a while, he took out the seal and hung it at his waist.
......
......
At the edge of the cliff.
The setting sun dipped westward.
Yun Jianyue looked at the disciples of the temple disappearing into the distance, they were going to deliver the invitations.
After a moment of silence, he withdrew his gaze and looked at Yu Lu beside him.
He had previously been imprisoned in the Soul Locking Prison, but Yun Jianyue had released him by now.
“Congratulations, Sage Yun. To rise to such a high position at such a young age.”
Yu Lu smiled slightly and cupped his hands, but he did not call him temple master.
Yun Jianyue said, “Chen Chao became your Lord Warden Commander long before me.”
Yu Lu smiled and said, “Both Sage Yun and the Lord Warden Commander are young and capable. I imagine you will both leave behind a great reputation in the world.”
Yun Jianyue merely smiled and said, “You really don't want to stay?”
Yu Lu replied with a smile, “There's only the Great Liang in my heart. Even if I stayed in the temple, I would only be loyal to Great Liang. If one day something were to happen between the Great Liang and the Infatuation Daoist Temple, I'd be caught in the middle. That would be difficult for you, Sage.”
Yun Jianyue nodded and did not try to persuade him further. He only said, “There are still other spies in the temple. Take them with you when you leave the mountain. I don't want to know who they are. But if they remain in the temple and continue working for Great Liang, I won't be so polite.”
He said this to Yu Lu, but it was also meant for Chen Chao.
Yu Lu smiled and said, “Of course. The Lord Warden Commander has already given the order for us to descend the mountain. The fact that Sage won't make it difficult for us shows your grace.”
Yun Jianyue shook his head. Looking at Yu Lu before him, he asked with curiosity, “Are there really some things that never change?”
Yu Lu nodded and said, “My parents were Liang people, and those before them were Liang people too. I was born a Liang person. If I ever have children in the future, they will only be Liang people as well." "That can't be changed. And since we are Liang people, how could we not love Great Liang?”
He paused and said with some emotion, “Actually, I don't understand it either. Like all the daoists on this mountain, many of them were Liang people when they were young. But somehow, after staying on the mountain for a while, they stopped seeing themselves as Liang people. Some even turned around to bully their own compatriots. Why is that?”
Yun Jianyue said, “Perhaps the world below the mountain and the world on it are two different worlds?”
Yu Lu thought about it and said softly, “Someone once told me that the stronger a person becomes, the more thoughts they'll have that they never used to. But from what I see now, that's not quite right. It's a matter of guidance. The people on the mountain tell those who've just arrived that they are no longer ordinary, that they shouldn't be with ordinary people. Generation after generation, everyone comes to take that for granted, but what's really different? Maybe they even had the same ancestor many years ago, why must it be like this?"
Listening to Yu Lu's words, Yun Jianyue suddenly understood something. He said sincerely, “You have a fine Dao root. You're actually very suited to cultivating the Dao.”
Yu Lu grinned. “It's not that I dislike cultivating. I'm just afraid that as I cultivate, I'll forget who I am one day."
Yun Jianyue understood.
He did not speak.
Yu Lu took his leave.
Yun Jianyue quietly watched the distant sunset.
Ye Zhihua walked over.
She brought a new daoist robe, one far more luxurious than the one Yun Jianyue wore.
Yun Jianyue turned around and shook his head.
Ye Zhihua said, “You’re the Temple Master now. Things have to be different.”
Yun Jianyue shook his head. “I'm afraid that one day I'll change too.”