Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 965: Internal Peace and External Defense

Seeing that the opinion of accepting the imperial decree was gaining the upper hand, the members of Yin Zhiping’s faction grew anxious. Li Zhichang quickly stood up and said, “Senior brother, your words are erroneous!”

Zhang Zhiguang glared at him: “Senior brother is virtuous and respected; how can there be any error in that?” His words were clearly insincere; the white-haired daoist priest was merely the oldest, and everyone was just giving him face on the surface. In reality, everyone knew he was hopelessly outdated, and no one took him seriously.

Li Zhichang naturally understood that Zhang Zhiguang was using him as a tool for his own purposes, but at this point, he could only argue based on reason, even if it meant offending his senior brother: “Senior brother speaks of the compassion of those in the monastic life, that saving even one commoner contributes to the virtue of life bestowed by heaven, and I agree with that. However, when senior brother mentions that if we accept the imperial decree from the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, we could persuade the Jin officials and soldiers to refrain from indiscriminate killings, I cannot agree at all.”

“Oh? Junior brother… what do you… have to teach?” the white-haired daoist priest stammered, showing no sign of anger, as he was quite good-tempered.

Li Zhichang continued, “Everyone knows that the current emperor of the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan, has a temper that is unpredictable. He often bestows death upon nobles and ministers, and in the past two years, dozens of high-ranking officials have been executed without cause. An emperor who does not care for the lives of the Jurchen nobility would certainly not care for the lives of ordinary commoners just because of our few words of persuasion!”

The crowd, all practitioners of the dao, were mostly unaware of the court’s situation. Upon hearing his words, they immediately began to discuss among themselves.

Li Zhichang continued, “Moreover, regarding what Senior Brother Zhang just mentioned about the Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty ceasing hostilities, I have a different opinion.”

Zhang Zhiguang, who had just been countered, was caught off guard and felt the situation was turning unfavorable. He asked in a deep voice, “Is there any doubt that the Jin Dynasty has ceased hostilities with the Song Dynasty?”

“The reason the Jin Dynasty ceased hostilities with the Song Dynasty is because they were previously pressured by the Mongols. Now that the main Mongol forces are on a western expedition, the Jin Dynasty has gained a breather and may not necessarily continue the truce,” Li Zhichang explained. “The Jin people have been frightened by the Mongols. In their eyes, the Song Dynasty is an easier target for conquest. Taking advantage of the Mongol expedition, rumors say they plan to march south to seize land from the Song Dynasty to compensate for the losses incurred during the war with the Mongols.”

Zhang Zhiguang sneered, “This is merely a rumor and not worth believing.”

“Is that so?” Li Zhichang seemed to have anticipated his reaction and replied, “Just recently, Guo Jing and Huang Rong were ambushed by the Jin people in Kaifeng. They are the pillars of Xiangyang City; as long as they are eliminated, capturing Xiangyang would be much easier. The Jin people’s wolfish ambitions are evident!”

Zhang Zhiguang shook his head, saying, “In the end, this is just your personal speculation; why spread alarmist rhetoric here?”

Li Zhichang shouted, “Ah, so you are acting as a spy under the orders of the Jin emperor!”

Zhang Zhiguang was taken aback, then became furious, shouting, “What are you saying?”

Li Zhichang replied, “Anyone who speaks for the Jin people is a traitor.”

Zhang Zhiguang suddenly leaped up and struck down with a palm towards Li Zhichang’s head. At that moment, two of Qiu Chuji’s other disciples intervened, one of whom was Qi Zhicheng, blocking Zhang Zhiguang’s attack.

Zhang Zhiguang’s anger flared even more as he shouted, “Good! There are many disciples under Master Qiu; are you trying to bully me with numbers?”

As the commotion escalated, Yin Zhiping clapped his hands and said, “Everyone, please take your seats and listen to me for a moment.” The leader of the Quanzhen Sect held great authority, and the daoists immediately sat down, no longer daring to argue.

The white-bearded daoist added, “Yes, let us heed the instructions of the True Immortal. He says if we accept the decree, we accept it; if we do not, we do not. The decree is for him, not for you or me, so what is there to argue about?”

Although Zhang Zhiguang felt displeased, the neutral faction had spoken, and he could not offend the collective anger. He had to wait and see what Yin Zhiping would say.

Li Zhichang, Wang Zhitang, and others knew that Yin Zhiping was loyal and righteous by nature. They thought that with his word, there was indeed no need for further disputes, so they all looked at Yin Zhiping, waiting for his decision.

Yin Zhiping slowly said, “I am unworthy and incompetent, yet I have taken on the heavy responsibility of being the leader. I did not expect to encounter such a major issue on the first day.” He raised his head, lost in thought. The sixteen senior disciples all focused their gazes on him, and the courtyard fell silent.

After a long while, Yin Zhiping slowly continued, “Our sect was founded by the Patriarch Chongyang and has been carried forward by Masters Ma, Liu, and Qiu. As the new leader, how can I dare to deviate from the teachings of the four masters? Brothers, at this moment, the Mongol army is attacking Xiangyang, invading our territory and killing our people. If these four predecessors were here, would they accept this decree or not?”

Hearing this, the daoists reflected on the actions of the Patriarch Chongyang, Ma Yü, Liu Chuxuan, and Qiu Chuji: Wang Chongyang had long passed away, and the third-generation disciples had never seen him; Ma Yü was humble and kind, aiming for tranquility in his dealings; Liu Chuxuan was deep and inscrutable, making it difficult for the disciples to guess his intentions; but Qiu Chuji was fiery in temperament and exceptionally loyal.

As everyone thought of him, they spontaneously exclaimed, “Master Qiu would definitely not accept it!”

Zhang Zhiguang frowned and said loudly, “Right now, the leader is you, not Master Qiu.”

Yin Zhiping replied, “I am lacking in knowledge and dare not go against the teachings of my masters. Moreover, I am deeply guilty and deserving of death.”

At this point, he lowered his head and fell silent. Now that Zhao Zhijing was dead, the daoists did not understand the implication of his words. They thought he was merely being modest, unaware that he was actually consumed with guilt over his despicable act of drugging the Little Dragon Girl and had long since lost hope. They felt that his words about being ‘deeply guilty and deserving of death’ were too heavy and somewhat inappropriate.

Zhang Zhiguang snorted and stood up, saying, “So, are you saying that the leader has decided not to accept it? But has the leader considered what will happen to the three thousand Jin soldiers at the foot of the mountain?”

Yin Zhiping replied sadly, “My insignificant life is not worth mourning, but the reputation of our sect cannot suffer any damage.”

His tone gradually grew passionate as he continued, “At this moment, heroes are uniting to resist foreign aggression. The Quanzhen Sect is known for its martial arts legitimacy; if we submit to the Jin Dynasty, how can we face the heroes of the world again?”

The crowd erupted in cheers, with Li Zhichang, Wang Zhitang, Qi Zhicheng, and others loudly agreeing, “The leader’s words are reasonable.”

Zhang Zhiguang and his group suddenly felt humiliated. However, with Yin Zhiping as the leader and the influence of Qiu Chuji’s faction being strong, they had gained the support of the neutral faction. They found themselves powerless to oppose.

Yin Zhiping stood in the center, commanding his trusted disciples to guard by his side, then sent someone to fetch weapons in case of emergencies, before finally saying, “Please invite the Jin envoy.”

Song Qingshu and his group were in the side hall, with the two women at odds, causing him a headache. Upon hearing the daoist’s message, he couldn’t help but feel delighted and hurriedly brought everyone to the Hall of the Three Pure Ones: “You all have discussed for so long; I presume you have reached a conclusion?”