Cultivation: Fortune by Lots

"Be respectful; mind your words."

Yuan Mobai looked at his disciple, shaking his head slightly. "What His Highness Prince Wu relies on, I, too, do not know, but..."

He smiled faintly. "The Chu Clan of Suzhou, or perhaps our friends at Tianlong Temple, might give us an answer."

Lei Jun smiled as well.

Prince Wu's fief is in the South.

And the South's local hegemon is none other than the Chu Clan of Suzhou, one of the Five Clans and Seven Families.

Then there is Tianlong Temple, one of the Buddhist Sect's Four Sacred Grounds.

In the past, Prince Wu, as a representative of the Tang Imperial Court, had closer ties to Tianlong Temple, and his relations with the Chu Clan of Suzhou were relatively strained.

Now, with Prince Wu harboring different intentions, his relationships with the foremost great family and the leading sacred Buddhist Sect in the South might also change.

However, what remains unchanged is that the Chu Clan of Suzhou and Tianlong Temple have an extremely poor relationship.

While their animosity may not reach the heated levels of conflict between the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou and Dragon Tiger Mountain in Xinzhou, to some extent, the Chu Clan of Suzhou and Tianlong Temple could also be considered longtime adversaries.

If Prince Wu could reconcile these two powers and turn them into his support, then Lei Jun would really owe him an apology for underestimating His Highness Prince Wu.

It's not that having the support of the Chu Clan of Suzhou and Tianlong Temple guarantees ascension to the throne.

Rather, if Prince Wu truly possesses such ability, then he might unite even more forces. His support would not be limited to these two powers.

But such hopes were too faint.

Therefore, when the news of Prince Wu and Sheng Yan, the General of the Suppressing Demon Guards, spread to the South, at least one of either the Chu Clan of Suzhou or Tianlong Temple would react.

Is this the scenario YueYao hopes to see?

This would also reveal where the information was leaked, allowing them to determine the origins of Sun, Metal, and Wood.

Of course, Yuan Mobai had his ways of spreading the news through other channels to prevent others from discovering that the message originated from Dragon Tiger Mountain.

As for this potentially causing trouble for His Highness Prince Wu... Lei Jun and his master could hardly wait for such an outcome.

Speaking of which, His Highness Prince Wu repeatedly visited Yuan Mobai at Dragon Tiger Mountain, presenting himself as desperate for wisdom.

Was Yuan Mobai moved? Moved my foot.

People like Li Ziyang within the Celestial Master Mansion were vigorously aligning themselves with Emperor Zhang Qilong and the current Empress Zhang Wantong.

Shangguan Ning, as a representative of the Tang Imperial Court, was also on the same side as the former emperor and current empress, who were siblings.

The Celestial Master Mansion indeed has internal conflicts, but firstly, both sides have still shown restraint, and secondly, no one wished to become further entangled in the disputes of the Tang Imperial Court, which would only exacerbate the division.

What outsiders saw as Prince Wu's "sincere efforts can move metal and stone" was, in Lei Jun's eyes, utterly condemnable. He was creating the illusion that Yuan Mobai, and even those of non-Li surnames within the Celestial Master Mansion, were already on his ship. Truly despicable.

For the Celestial Master Mansion, the best scenario was for the Tang Imperial Court's situation to remain stable and avoid further turmoil.

Without a doubt, this meant they were taking the Empress's side.

Whether of the Li lineage or not, their stance on this matter was actually unified.

"As for Bodhi Temple..." Yuan Mobai pondered. "This matter came quite abruptly. It probably wasn't a prearranged plan by Bodhi Temple."

Lei Jun asked softly, "Master, did an elder from Bodhi Temple really perish in the Northern Border's Youzhou?"

"It happened quite some time ago," Yuan Mobai said. "At least two hundred years have passed. An elder from Bodhi Temple went missing in the Northern Lands of Youzhou during his travels.

"There were many rumors at the time—for instance, that the elder entered a secret realm and never returned, or was killed by a Great Demon.

"In earlier times, Bodhi Temple also sent people to the Northern Border to search on several occasions, but they never found any news, nor were his remains or śarīra ever discovered.

"Thus, our friends at Bodhi Temple still clung to some hope, but as time passed, they increasingly felt it was a slim one."

Lei Jun murmured softly, "The sudden emergence of this news recently does seem quite unusual."

"Abbot Liaoyuan," Yuan Mobai said, "I'm afraid, is knowingly marching into the tiger's den this time."

Master Liaoyuan was one of the most respected monks in the Buddhist Sect and the current Abbot of Bodhi Temple, one of the Four Sacred Grounds.

"What Abbot Liaoyuan seeks to retrieve is not only the śarīra of that eminent monk," Yuan Mobai stated. "There must also be an important Buddha Treasure involved. Abbot Liaoyuan will only truly set out if there's concrete information regarding it."

Lei Jun nodded thoughtfully.

His master had left the rest unsaid.

Yuan Mobai knew Lei Jun was aware, so he didn't state it openly.

That was, Abbot Liaoyuan of Bodhi Temple was now advanced in years.

It was rumored that his Cultivation Strength had already begun to decline.

Therefore, the predecessor's lost Buddha Treasure held significantly greater importance for Bodhi Temple now.

So, when Mu Yao broached this subject and revealed the news, did they want Bodhi Temple to succeed or to fail?

"Going to the Northern Border's Youzhou inevitably involves dealings with the Youzhou Forest Clan," Lei Jun said.

He suddenly remembered something and looked up at Yuan Mobai.

Yuan Mobai smiled faintly, as if he already knew what Lei Jun was thinking, and then nodded slightly, affirming Lei Jun's suspicion.

Lei Jun spread his hands.

Isn't that why they say that Emperor Zhang Qilong dug an enormous pit for the Great Tang? After his demise, the hidden turmoil in the Great Tang was not just an empty phrase.

In the Northern Border's Youzhou, there was not only the Youzhou Forest Clan, one of the Five Clans and Seven Families, but also Prince Zhao, the most senior prince of the Tang Imperial Court by generation.

He was of the generation of uncles to Emperor Zhang Qilong and the current Empress Zhang Wantong, a descendant of Great Tang's Taizong, and had once been a candidate vying for the position of Crown Prince.

However, he failed to take charge of the Eastern Palace and was thus enfeoffed in the Northern Lands.

Sending Prince Zhao there at that time was like throwing sand into Youzhou's gears.

Now, the young prince had become an old prince.

It had to be said, the old Prince Zhao had done quite well.

Because of him, the Youzhou Forest Clan had always been uneasy.

Still formidable in his old age, he was one of the few top experts in the Tang Imperial Court and ranked among the very pinnacle of Martial Arts Experts in the world.

After Emperor Zhang Qilong's death, there had been voices in the court urging Prince Zhao to return to the capital and take charge of the situation.

Unfortunately, this old prince merely brushed past the supreme throne, unable to transform his Martial Tao into the Emperor's Imperial Tao.

And what Prince Zhao was thinking now, only he himself knew.

"Adding to that the Crown Prince who is waiting to come of age," Lei Jun shook his head. "The late Emperor really left countless time bombs for the current Empress."

Yuan Mobai smiled. "We just do our own thing."

Hmm, so "doing our own thing" means selling out Prince Wu first…

Yuan Mobai, through a circuitous network of contacts, sent news of Prince Wu's interactions with Sheng Yan, the General of the Suppressing Demon Guards, to the South.

Consequently, the South became lively, as did the Suppressing Demon Guards. Lei Jun and his master watched the excitement from Dragon Tiger Mountain.

As some information filtered back, they gained a general understanding of the situation.

For instance, besides immediately submitting a petition to the court pleading his case and proclaiming his innocence, Prince Wu also revisited Tianlong Temple to participate in a Dharma assembly.

It went without saying that he was there to appease Tianlong Temple.

The vehement response from Tianlong Temple left no doubt that they were Prince Wu's primary backers.

As for his secondary, more colorful alliances, they most likely involved the Chu Clan of Suzhou.

"Master, are we disrupting the Chu Clan's plans? After all, we have a decent relationship with them…" Lei Jun said, though his tone was very calm, without a hint of embarrassment.

Yuan Mobai was even more composed, smiling. "It's better to avoid unnecessary complications. The South has enjoyed peace for a long time; it's best not to stir up trouble. I believe our friends from the Chu Clan were also conflicted internally before, and now they might actually be relieved."

Whether they felt relieved or not, Lei Jun had no idea.

But with his Eldest Martial Sister, Xu Yuanzhen, finally back, his last remaining worry could be completely set aside.