Chapter 293 — Why Must We Have Met Before We Meet?

Above the altar on the sacred mountain of the Western Land, flowing radiance surged and rippled. After a moment, Jing Yan's and Yu Liu's eyes lit up: a youth crowned with jade stepped out from the streaming light. His face was somewhat cold, but when his gaze turned and settled on the two girls, their young hearts secretly fluttered with shy sweetness. "Young Master Xu, Lord Qiao of the Stars commanded us four sisters to assist you in doing away with the new Human Emperor. Yaohua and Qingying have already gone ahead to the Golden Palace of Loulan to gather news of him.

" Yu Liu said softly, "Young Master, shall we go now and join them. . .

" Xu Shenghua nodded slightly.

"Let this matter be finished quickly. I still must return to the Upper Heaven. This mortal world, with all its red dust and its clamor, is no place to linger.

" Jing Yan laughed. "Young Master, there are still extraordinary men and strange talents in this mortal world, not to be made light of. And the Human Emperor is an enemy of the Upper Heaven; he has stood against us for so many years. He will not be so easily removed.

" Xu Shenghua, in robes of white that took no stain of dust, walked down the mountain. "The mortal world has its wonders. Little Jade Capital, Great Leiyin, the Daoist Sect, the Heavenly Sage Sect, even these so-called holy places of the Central Plains have masters among them, no weaker than the Western Land. I make light of none of them, nor of the Human Emperor. I would like to see the places in this world that make those beings wary. It is only that the red dust does not suit my nature. So: go swiftly, and return swiftly. " The two girls hurried after him.

"Since we have come down, we should pay our respects at each of the Central Plains' holy places.

" Xu Shenghua said, "I want to see how far their divine powers and dharma arts have come. And the reforms of the Kingdom of Jingping are in full blaze; that too is worth a look.

My master, Lord Yu, was ordered to bring down calamity upon Jingping, yet he was wounded by that so-called sage who appears once in five hundred years. I would very much like to see what this once-in-five-hundred-years sage looks like. " The two girls exchanged a glance, and there was worry in it. In Hezhou city, an official said hurriedly, "When His Highness the Crown Prince learned that Sect Master Shen was in no danger, he went on ahead to deal with affairs in the other prefectures and commanderies. " Ling Yuxiu asked, "Which prefecture did he go to? " The official said, "His Highness was bound for Sizhou at first, but he left some days ago now; which prefecture he has reached exactly, this humble official does not know.

" Shen Mu nodded.

"I will have the sect's disciples make inquiries. We should know soon enough where they have gone. " They rested briefly in Hezhou and ate a little to fill their stomachs.

Before long, a disciple of the Nether Demon Cult came to report: "His Highness has reached Quzhou.

" Shen Mu unrolled a map of Jingping and glanced over it. "Then the Crown Prince's next destination will be Ningzhou, beside Quzhou. He moves quickly indeed.

" Ling Yushu had first gone south to Jiangling, then followed the Jin River westward, most likely to see to the waterworks along the way. Though Ling Yushu lacked Emperor Yanfeng's bold, sweeping spirit, he was a fine hand at water conservancy and roads; with men of the Ministry of Works to assist him, he moved fast.

And unlike the former Crown Prince Ling Yuxia, he did not grasp at power, a fact that put Emperor Yanfeng very much at ease. With Fan Yunxiao's help, Ling Yushu moved faster still. By the time Shen Mu caught up with them, bringing the two girls, more than half a month had passed; Ling Yushu had long since left Ningzhou and reached Fangzhou in the west.

Fangzhou was not far from the Great Tingming Temple; a thousand li or more west of Fangzhou lay the temple itself. When they reached Fangzhou, Ling Yuxiu finally saw her brother, and could not keep her eyes from reddening. Clearly these days had been a great strain on Ling Yushu; he had grown much thinner.

Ling Yushu quietly asked her, "Shen the Beast has not done anything to you, has he? " Ling Yuxiu was both embarrassed and angry.

Puffing out her cheeks, she said, "Brother, what are you thinking? The Holy Maiden Xiang is still with us! " Ling Yushu gave a dry laugh. "I was only worried about your safety. Shen the Beast.

. . " Ling Yuxiu glared at him. "He is the Holy Sect Master of the Nether Demon Cult.

He killed the crown prince before you, and that is how you came to your position. You call him a beast, and mind he does not hear it and kill you too, and then I shall be crown prince.

" Ling Yushu said, rather put out, "Not even married in yet, and already guarding your own. You scold even your brother. By the way, the Great Tingming Temple lies just ahead.

I gave the order to take the temple's lands into state ownership.

We are very close to the temple here, so we must be careful; these past days, eminent monks keep coming to beg alms of me. " Ling Yuxiu's eyes flickered.

"They mean to ask for those lands back? " Ling Yushu nodded.

"The lands of the Great Tingming Temple are the finest fields for miles around. The temple rebelled and stirred up chaos, tried to kill Father and set up another emperor. I only took their lands; I did not put them to the sword. Now they come again and again to beg alms, hey.

. . I came out this time to see to the waterworks and the people's livelihood. Everywhere else, I finish the work and go. Only here must I linger a while. " Even as he spoke, a voice outside rang out clearly: "This poor monk has come to beg alms!

" Ling Yushu did not know whether to laugh or cry.

He went out, and Shen Mu went out with him. There sat a tall, thin monk with a sallow face, holding a demon-subduing alms bowl in his hands. Several soldiers stepped up and tried to carry him off, but could not move him at all. "This poor monk begs only one bowl of earth. I beseech the Crown Prince to bestow it," the monk said, lowering his gaze when he saw the Crown Prince come out. "That bowl of yours is the demon-subduing bowl of the Great Tingming Temple's former Tathagata, is it not? " Ling Yushu said coldly, "In any other sect it would be a treasure to guard the faith. One bowl of earth, I fear, overturned, would cover exactly the lands of your Great Tingming Temple, several hundred li of them.

Monk, you are no ordinary monk either, or you could not carry a treasure of that rank. " The monk was about to speak when he suddenly caught sight of Shen Mu, and his brows rose.

"The Nether Demon Cult Master! " Shen Mu smiled and inclined his head. The monk's face turned somewhat ugly. In the battle at the Heaven's Altar in the imperial city, the masters of the Great Tingming Temple and the Daoist Sect had suffered grievous losses; nearly half of their top masters had been cut down by the Nether Demon Cult.

Many eminent monks and old Daoists of the Divine Bridge realm had met their end at the cult's hands, and so the temple's vitality was gravely wounded. Were it not so, how would Ling Yushu have dared take back the lands of the Great Tingming Temple?

The sallow-faced monk said no more and hurried away.

Ling Yushu looked at Shen Mu and said in a low voice, "That monk has gone, and he has stopped begging alms too. Most likely he has gone back to fetch men to make trouble for you. Be careful. " Shen Mu shook his head. "Rest easy.

The Tathagata will not pay him any mind. " The sallow-faced monk rode the wind like lightning and hurried back to the Great Tingming Temple.