Chapter 120 — The Trial at the Ancestral Court

Shen Mu asked with misgivings, "Does the Patriarch not have such a thought?

" The young Patriarch was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I do.

Keep your head on your shoulders for now, and go on. " Shen Mu continued, "As I observe the conduct of Emperor Yanfeng of Jingping, some of it agrees with our Sect's teachings. It all follows the Way of the Sage and is applied to the common people. If our Sect were to attach itself to the state of Jingping, instead of declining like the other sects, it could thrive and grow strong.

That is the first point. " He paused, then went on, "There are defects in Emperor Yanfeng's primary schools, grand academies, and the Grand Academy--grave defects. They may not show themselves in a short time, but in two or three hundred years they are certain to reveal themselves.

" The young Patriarch looked curious.

"What defects?

" Shen Mu said, "May I ask the Patriarch, how many of the students in the Grand Academy come from poor families?

" The young Patriarch smiled, clearly knowing what he was about to say.

"One in ten. " Shen Mu asked again, "In recent years, how many of Jingping's young officials have come from the Grand Academy?

" The young Patriarch said, "Seven or eight in ten came from the Grand Academy; the other old officials came from the various great sects, and some climbed up step by step. " "By my estimate, two hundred years from now, all officials under heaven will come from the Grand Academy, and among the Grand Academy's students, not one in a hundred will be of humble origin!

" Shen Mu saw the float sink, but did not hurry to raise the rod; he waited a while, then said, "Two hundred years from now, the poor will still be poor all their lives, and the rich will still be rich all their lives. Popular resentment will accumulate and inevitably erupt. The wealthy clans will seize the opportunity to rise up and overthrow the court. That will be the time for our Sect to unite all under heaven--a mighty tide that no one can resist, no one can stop. " He lifted his rod; a huge fish had taken the hook, but it had tremendous strength. With a snap, the line broke, and the huge fish plunged into the water and vanished.

The young Patriarch sneered, "You want to rebel and plunge our Sect into disloyalty. I'll have your head cut off!

" Shen Mu was silent for a moment, then said, "Patriarch, don't be silly.

" The young Patriarch was at a loss for words.

He too had a fish on the hook, but it was a small one, which he landed with a single flick of his rod. "All right, let's talk business. Two hundred years from now, you turn the Sect into another Jingping. Then what? A great war scours away the original great houses; then, two hundred years later, new great houses arise, and someone else will come to overthrow our Sect's rule. How do you break that cycle?

" Shen Mu was taken aback and shook his head. "I have not considered the affairs beyond two hundred years.

I ask the Patriarch for instruction. " The young Patriarch snapped off a willow branch, threaded the fish through it, and rose. "I too cannot see what lies two hundred years from now. Young Sect Master, for one so young to see two hundred years ahead already makes you a qualified Sect Master. You have passed.

My way of thinking is different from yours: I think about the doctrine of our Sect.

" Shen Mu's heart shook, and he looked at the old man with the face of youth. The young Patriarch said serenely, "The Way of the Sage is nothing other than the daily needs of the common people; whatever differs from this is heterodoxy! To act by following one's nature, purely and naturally, is called the Way. When Emperor Yanfeng of Jingping rose in power, I sensed his grand ambition. He came to ask me about the Way, and I gave him this saying from the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture.

What he is doing now is this very saying. " Shen Mu's mind was profoundly stirred, and he said in admiration, "The Patriarch is sage and wise--already a sage. You want to work imperceptibly and make Jingping into the Sect.

If Jingping truly attains the Way of the Sage, then Jingping will be the Heavenly Holy Sect! " The young Patriarch shook his head. "Neither Jingping nor Emperor Yanfeng can attain the Way of the Sage, and I cannot either. As you said, in two hundred years power and resources will be held in the hands of the great clans; the poor will be poorer, the rich richer. This is not the Way of the Sage of our Heavenly Holy Sect. I wanted to influence Emperor Yanfeng, and through him Jingping, but now I see that I have failed. I am old; this burden I hand to you.

All I can do for you is to hold the position for a few years. " He carried the fish, his rod on his back, and Shen Mu followed him. The old man found a hollow in the hills, and there--on the highest holy ground in the hearts of all Jingping's people--he set up a pot, filled it with water, lit a fire, scaled the fish, cleaned out its entrails, and threw it into the pot. The young Patriarch watched the water in the pot, then took out some seasonings from his sleeve and sprinkled them in.

"In a few months, I shall resign the office of Grand Libationer. I am old, and in these final years I want to travel. There are many places in this world I have never visited. The Sect I leave to you. After I resign, I will preside over an enthronement ceremony, and I will see with my own eyes you become the Sect Master of the Sect. " Shen Mu was a little troubled.

"I am still in the Five Luminary Realm. Is it too early for me to take over the Sect now?

Would it be hard to win everyone's acceptance? " The young Patriarch motioned for him to sit down, and Shen Mu sat cross-legged before the pot like him, breathing in the fragrance of the fish soup.

Something stirred in Shen Mu's heart, and he probed, "Emperor Yanfeng must want to control our Sect, doesn't he?

" "Of course he does.

But you can set his mind at ease. " The young Patriarch tasted the soup, found it not yet at the right point, and continued feeding the fire. "You must understand, you are young and your cultivation is shallow; he will not regard you as worth his notice. He will think he can control you. If he can attain the Way of the Sage, then let him control you and let him control the Sect--there is no harm in it.

If he cannot, then you supplant him. " He spoke as if it were a trivial matter, yet this very matter was the great affair of changing a dynasty!

Shen Mu tasted the fish soup, found its flavor exquisite and refreshing, and could not help but praise it.

Suddenly he remembered something and asked urgently, "Patriarch, is the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture missing a technique? In my days of study and meditation, I have not found in the scripture a technique capable of uniting all its methods. " The young Patriarch reached a hand into the air and somehow fetched two bowls and a ladle.

Shen Mu took them and began to serve the soup. That gesture just now--the young Patriarch reaching into the air--was a magic recorded in the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture, called the Five Ghosts Transport Art, which can steal objects from afar without anyone's knowledge.

"The Great Unification technique of the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture is transmitted only to the Sect Master, passed down from one Holy Sect Master to the next. " The young Patriarch took a sip of the fish soup, let out a breath, and said, "Everything in the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture may be transmitted, but only the Sect Master may cultivate the Great Unification technique. When you are enthroned as the Holy Sect Master, Fan Xuanshu will pass it to you.

" Shen Mu was stunned.

Hadn't the former Sect Master Fan Xuanshu already died? But from the young Patriarch's tone, Fan Xuanshu seemed still to be alive. He drank the fish soup, and the more he drank, the more refreshing it tasted.

He asked quickly, "Patriarch, what kind of fish is this?