Chapter 548: The Broken Dragon and the Defeat of the Elephant
Weichu Prefecture, Ailao Mountains.

Dali was destroyed, the Duan family was ruined, and Longxiang Mountain lost its greatest support.

Dali had just experienced a war, and now it was a bleak time with all industries in ruins and people's livelihood in decline. Longxiang Mountain, which was at the center of the vortex, was also affected.

To this day, there are still tens of thousands of Mongolian soldiers stationed in Dali, eyeing the remaining forces covetously. Longxiang Mountain is a big tree that attracts the wind, so the country is trembling with fear and anxiety.

After Yun Zhuiyue returned to Longxiang Mountain, he sent people to pay tribute to the Mongolian commander Wulianghetai five times, hoping to curry favor with the powerful and find a new backer for Longxiang Mountain.

However, despite Yun Zhuiyue's attempts to show his goodwill, Wulianghetai remained unmoved. Not only did he return the gifts he had sent, he also refused to let the disciple who had sent him the gift in.

Wulianghetai's attitude towards Longxiang Mountain was very strange. He neither led troops to attack it nor got close to it. This state of being close yet distant, as well as his inhuman indifference, made Yun Zhuiyue very anxious.

Yun Zhuiyue had been in the martial arts world for many years and claimed to have met countless people, but this was the first time he had encountered such an elusive figure as Wulianghetai.

On the first day of October, early in the morning, all the disciples gathered at Damaoyan to hold a sacrificial ceremony, but Yun Zhuiyue knelt alone in the Longxiang Temple to reflect on his mistakes.

An hour later, Si Wudao came to the Longxiang Temple. Looking at Yun Zhuiyue, who was kneeling on the ground like a clay sculpture, he couldn't help but let out a silent sigh.

Si Wudao did not disturb him, but just stood silently by the side, waiting for Yun Zhuiyue to wake up from his thoughts.

"Cough cough!"

After a long silence, Yun Zhuiyue suddenly coughed a few times. Then, his body trembled slightly, and he slowly stood up, burning incense and worshiping with a focused expression. Then he slowly turned around, pulling at his robe with both hands, and asked nonchalantly, "Back again?"

Hearing this, Si Wudao couldn't help but look embarrassed, and said with a wry smile: "Wulian Hetai is not willing to listen to any soft or hard words. I have already told him the relationship between Longxiang Mountain and Chifeng Mountain, but he... still ignores us."

"Two possibilities." Yun Zhuiyue walked to the door, looked up at the sun with layers of halos, and said quietly, "First, this person is arrogant and disdains to associate with us. Second, he already knew about the Huashan incident, so he deliberately ignored us to vent the anger of Sui Zuo and even the Mongolian court. In other words, he wants to show us a warning."

Si Wudao frowned slightly and said thoughtfully: "If he just wants to intimidate us, it doesn't matter. But if he has ulterior motives, Longxiang Mountain will be in danger. If Wulianghetai is happy, he can let us go. If he is not happy, then..."

Having said this, Si Wudao didn't dare to continue.

"I have checked Wulianghetai's background. He is far from being comparable to Sui Zuo and his ilk. He is the descendant of a meritorious official and a son of a general. His father Subutai was a founding hero and one of Genghis Khan's "Four Mastiffs". He was in a high position of power in Mongolia and was unrivalled." Yun Zhuiyue sighed, "For a person like him, let alone wiping out a small Longxiang Mountain, even if he killed the entire Duan family in Dali without asking for permission, the Mongolian Khan would at most complain and would never punish him too much."

Si Wudao suddenly realized: "This person is so powerful? No wonder the Holy Lord has repeatedly wanted to make friends with him."

"If we can rely on the big tree of Wulianghetai, Longxiang Mountain will definitely have a bright future."

"It's a pity that the falling flowers have feelings, but the flowing water is ruthless." Si Wudao's eyes were full of disappointment, and he suggested, "In my humble opinion, we should leave Dali as soon as possible and go to the Central Plains to find another Feng Shui treasure land to rebuild Longxiang Mountain."

"No, it's too risky!" Yun Zhuiyue shook his head. "Right now, we and the Mongols seem to be at peace, but as long as there is a slight disturbance, we will most likely be met with powerful bows and crossbows, iron cavalry and curved swords. Besides, Longxiang Mountain's century-old foundation is all in Ailao Mountain. How easy is it to move our family?"

"Then...what should we do?"

"For now, we can only wait."

"What are you waiting for?"

"Wulianhetai doesn't take us seriously at all." Yun Zhuiyue said, "That's great. The more he despises us, the safer we are. Now, the Mongolian court did not massacre the Duan family. Instead, it released Duan Xingzhi back to Dali and continued to lead his old subordinates. This is definitely a good thing for us."

"Saint Lord, what you mean is... with Duan Xingzhi's protection, Longxiang Mountain can be safe?"

"Our relationship with the Duan family is far more reliable than that with the Mongols." Yun Zhuiyue pondered, "Since the Mongolian Khan has shown special favor to Duan Xingzhi, it is enough to show that he is implementing a 'soft' policy towards Dali. In this case, Wulianghetai should not stay for too long, and may... return north soon. Even if he does not leave, with Duan Xingzhi as a guarantor, I think Wulianghetai will not make things difficult for us."

"With the support of the Mongolian Khan, Duan Xingzhi is getting more and more free and at ease, even more relaxed and comfortable than when he was the 'Emperor of Dali' in the past." Si Wudao said with a smile, "To this day, there are still many tribes in Dali who are unwilling to submit. Duan Xingzhi was ordered to suppress the rebellion, and he will definitely ask us for help. So he doesn't dare to break up with us." "Forget it!" Yun Zhuiyue seemed very tired, and waved his hands lazily, "As outsiders, we are not convenient to interfere in the affairs of the court and the public, and we cannot interfere, so let's talk about the present! How are you doing with the two things I asked you to do?"

"Reporting to the Holy Lord, the new Dragon Elephant Ranking has been released, but we are not sure about some of the rankings, and still need the Holy Lord to make a decision." Si Wudao replied in an orderly manner, "Secondly, regarding Luo Tianjin's request for the population list, Tang Xuan has followed the Holy Lord's instructions and made a half-truthful copy and sent it to the Xianwang Mansion."

"Just send it." Yun Zhuiyue murmured, "If I insist on not sending it, I'm afraid that Chief Teng and Rou'er will not forgive me. After all, Chief Teng has vouched for me in front of the world. My every move is related to the reputation of the Teng clan, so there are some things that I have to tolerate temporarily."

"The Holy Lord has always been kind and righteous, but the people of the world have always misunderstood you."

"I don't care what the world thinks. I only care about..." Yun Zhuiyue hesitated, sighed, and then asked, "How are the new rankings?"

"The top three are still Wu Shuang, Su He, and Lu Tingxiang." Si Wudao didn't dare to ask more questions and answered truthfully, "But starting from the fourth place... we have some differences. Especially the rankings of Liu Xunyi, Tang Afu, and Qin Ku, it's really..."

"Qin Ku is ranked fourth, Liu Xunyi is ranked fifth." Yun Zhuiyue said without hesitation, "I still remember clearly the scene where Qin Ku cut the 'Cripple Swordsman' into pieces at the martial arts conference. Although Liu Xunyi was able to defeat you, it is still slightly inferior to the battle where Qin Ku slaughtered Qin Tianjiu. As for Tang Afu, he has become very low-key in the past two years, so let's rank him seventh!"

"Seventh?" Si Wudao asked in surprise, "If 'Ruthless Swordsman' is ranked seventh, who can be ranked sixth?"

"The Twenty-four Cities of Mobei, Long Yu!" Yun Zhuiyue sneered, "This man is a madman, he eats raw meat and drinks blood, and he is bloodthirsty by nature. He has been traveling outside the Great Wall before, and only in the past two years has he made his mark in the Central Plains."

"I have heard a little bit about this person. It is said that he and Liu Xunyi once fought at the Tianlong Inn..."

"After seventy rounds, Liu Xunyi and Qin Ku were unable to defeat him." Yun Zhuiyue added, "What's more interesting is that Long Yu is accompanied by a monster. That guy is huge and powerful. It is said that on that day at the Tianlong Inn, Liu Xunyi, Qin Ku, and Murong Bai attacked together, but were still forced back by the monster with two huge axes. This monster is inseparable from Long Yu. If the two are regarded as one person, one attacking and one defending, one static and one dynamic, one virtual and one real, I'm afraid even the position of the top of the Dragon Elephant List will have to be reconsidered. Therefore, ranking Long Yu in sixth place... can only be lower, not higher."

"In this case, the eighth one is the Shaolin monk Wuchan." Si Wudao continued, "The ninth one is Ding Qinghong, and as for the tenth one..."

"The tenth place on the Dragon Elephant Ranking is reserved for Li Haitang." Yun Zhuiyue said quietly, "He is Tang Xuan's disciple and has been with Tang Xuan all these years, so outsiders know very little about him. During this trip to Huashan, I discovered that his understanding of hidden weapons has surpassed Tang Xuan. Especially his attainments in archery are rare in the martial arts world and unparalleled in the world."

"Although Li Haitang is an excellent archer, if he fights head-on with someone, I'm afraid..."

"As long as you can defeat the enemy, archery is no different from boxing, palm, sword, and spearmanship." Yun Zhuiyue shook his head and said, "Killing people thousands of miles away, without a trace or form. It is far better than killing one thousand enemies and injuring eight hundred of your own. Wu Chan can be ranked eighth because of his strong internal strength, and Li Haitang can also be ranked tenth on the Dragon Elephant Ranking with his profound archery skills."

"Yes."

Yun Zhuiyue's words made sense. Si Wudao thought about it for a moment and gladly accepted the order.

"There is one more thing." Yun Zhuiyue's eyes sparkled, and she said thoughtfully, "Ping'er became a disciple of Jueqing Valley. I believe Rou'er is already clear about their relationship. And at the martial arts conference, Liu Xunyi seemed to have a sense of acquaintance with Ping'er. This... is not a good thing."

"The Holy Lord is worried that Master Xiao and Liu Xunyi will recognize each other?"

"I'm not trying to stop them from recognizing each other, it's just... the time has not come yet." Yun Zhuiyue said in a veiled manner, "If they recognize each other too early, my plan that I've been brewing for many years will be completely ruined."

"The Holy Lord means..."

"Once Liu Xunyi knows the true relationship between him and Luo Tianjin, do you think he can still be cruel to Luo Tianjin?" Yun Zhuiyue asked, "Liu Xunyi is a spy planted by the court next to Luo Tianjin. Now that the Mongolian army is about to march south, the court will have to confront Luo Tianjin as soon as possible. By then, Liu Xunyi, as a spy, will inevitably be at odds with Luo Tianjin. And I... just want to watch them turn against each other. Only in this way can I relieve my hatred. Moreover, Liu Xunyi marrying Luo Ningyu, a half-sister getting married, is even more against the moral principles, enough to make Luo Tianjin regret it and ruin his reputation."

"If we want this to happen, we must not let Liu Xunyi and Valley Master Xiao recognize each other." Si Wudao said firmly, "Otherwise, given Valley Master Xiao's character, even if she hates Luo Tianjin, she will definitely not let her son make such a huge mistake."

"Liu Xunyi and Luo Ningyu are getting married soon. At this critical moment, we must not be negligent at all." Yun Zhuiyue said grimly, "In order to avoid any more trouble, I decided to go to the Central Plains in person to prevent Liu Xunyi from having any contact with Jueqing Valley again."

……

(End of this chapter)