Chapter 90: Proud Bones!
One of the nine major sects in China, the Tiancheng Sword Sect, opens its mountain gate to recruit disciples every three years, and its influence is not limited to the Yan Yun state.
As the native orthodox sect of Yan Yun, Tian Cheng Jian Zong recruits disciples who are mostly from Yan Yun, with more than three-quarters coming from prominent families or major powers.
It is precisely by relying on and intertwining with local forces that the Tiancheng Sword Sect has a stable position in Yanyun Prefecture, standing firm for thousands of years without wavering.
The requirements for recruiting disciples in the Tiancheng Sword Sect are extremely strict, and the quota is limited. In a big city like Qianchao, only 60 or 70 disciples can be recruited at a time, most of whom are divided among the four major families, while some weaker and smaller family forces can barely get a share.
Everything has its pros and cons, the strategy of the Tiancheng Sword Sect is indeed beneficial in many ways, but precisely because of the complex background and power dynamics among its disciples, it is inevitable that open and secret struggles will arise.
For example, in this fleet departing from Qianchao City, it can be divided into more than a dozen branches according to family forces, among which there are no lack of enemies and foes, such as the Qin and Wu families who have never been able to see eye to eye.
However, with two Jianzong envoys in charge, everyone got along peacefully. Although they traveled together, they were clearly divided, and when they set up camp at night to rest, they would never gather around the same bonfire to drink soup and eat meat.
Even within the same family, there are differences in closeness and distance. The Qin family has eleven children, plus Qin Xiaoyue, making a total of twelve people, who can be divided into at least three small groups.
Qin Yun was not in any of these groups, in other words, he was excluded by all the disciples.
In the eyes of those legitimate sons, Qin Yun was just a lucky dog, and in terms of strength, power or status, he couldn't be compared to them.
If Qin Yun was willing to be their subordinate, calling the shots at will, like Qin Suifeng who voluntarily surrendered, perhaps he might have been accepted.
But Qin Yun is not that kind of person!
No matter what attitude others have towards him, Qin Yun will never humble himself to please or flatter them. Those young masters who don't get along with him are happy to be alone and free from disturbance.
"Big bad egg!"
What Qin Yun didn't expect was that he wanted to be quiet but couldn't calm down.
Looking at the beautiful girl in front of him, Qin Yun was stunned: "Fang Zilu, how did you end up here?"
The girl wrinkled her cute little nose and hummed: "Why can't I be here? I also want to join the Tiancheng Sword Sect, and from now on you'll have to call me Shifu Jie!"
Sister, you're so big?
Qin Yun couldn't help but touch his nose, only to find that he had just picked up a piece of charcoal and accidentally smeared black ash on it.
Fang Zilin burst out laughing, her beautiful and lovely face like a flower blooming in the cold night, bewildering the young men beside her who were all enchanted.
"Hurry up and wipe your face clean, come with me, my sister wants to see you!"
"Your sister?" Qin Yun furrowed his brow: "Fang Ruobing?"
It's not surprising that these two sisters joined the Tiancheng Sword Sect at the same time. Although the Qianchao Fang family may seem weaker on the surface compared to the Qin and Wu families, they hold military power and have the backing of the imperial court, making them a force not to be underestimated.
Qin Yun didn't understand why Fang Ruoxi wanted to find him, he was very clear that this "fiancée" of his didn't like him.
He was hesitant, while the other Qin family members were extremely jealous, especially Qin Xiao Yue, whose eyes were blazing with anger and couldn't wait to get up and slap Qin Yun to death.
Noticing the unusual glances from all around, Qin Yun thought for a moment and still stood up to follow Fang Zihuang to the Fang clan's camp.
The Fang clan's camp was majestic, with over a dozen tents surrounding the large white tent in the center. Outside stood several burly warriors and lovely maidens.
Fang Ziling took Qin Yun directly into the large tent.
Inside the big tent, it was decorated with a luxurious atmosphere. The ground was covered with fine woolen carpets, and there were tables, beds and other furniture. The silk lanterns hanging around emitted soft and bright light, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance of sandalwood, which smelled very good.
Fang Ruo Bing was sitting by the wooden table tasting tea when she saw Qin Yun come in and only gave him a faint glance without standing up.
This was the first time they had met since Old Lady Fang's birthday, and Fang Ruoyan was still wearing a plain white dress, her pale face calm and icy, as if nothing could stir her emotions.
The other party's attitude made Qin Yun feel somewhat displeased in his heart, no matter how broad-minded he was.
He simply sat down opposite her and asked straightforwardly: "What can I do for you?"
Fang Ruobing put down the teacup in her hand and looked at Qin Yun, saying slowly: "Since you asked, I'll be straightforward. This time I joined the Tiancheng Sword Sect was arranged by Old Ancestor."
"Although I don't like this marriage, I won't go against Grandma's wishes. I also hope you can study hard and cultivate diligently in the Tiancheng Sword Sect, and not bring shame to our Fang and Qin families."
She took out a red wooden box from under the case and placed it in front of Qin Yun.
The box was opened, and inside it was filled with a box of sheep's fat white jade, which shone with soft and delicate luster under the lamp light.
These aren't ordinary white jade, but precious spiritual jade!
The same Lingyu Qin Yun also had three pieces, which were gifts from the Qin family to each of the disciples who joined the Sword Sect.
A box of Lingyu like this is worth enough for an ordinary person to live a life of wealth and luxury!
Qin Yun asked in a low voice: "What does this mean?"
"I'll join the Sword Sect, and I must pay respects to the master...". Fang Ruoyan said calmly: "Take this box of spiritual jade and use it."
"Thank you!"
Qin Yun could no longer suppress the anger in his heart, and suddenly stood up saying: "Miss Fang, although Qin is from a poor background, he also knows what is called propriety, righteousness, and shame!"
"If you think I'm after the wealth and glory of the Fang family, then you're wrong. I don't think I can climb up to the Fang family's level either. Goodbye!"
A person can be without arrogance but cannot be without pride. Qin Yun appears humble on the surface, and in his actions, he is low-key as much as possible.
But this does not mean he has no temper.
In other people's eyes, being able to marry into the Fang family and also having such a stunning beauty as a wife is undoubtedly a wonderful thing that one dreams of.
Ke Qin Yun really doesn't like it.
So even if Fang Ruo Bing was acting out of kindness, such condescending behavior was still unbearable for him.
As he turned to walk to the entrance of the tent, Qin Yun stopped in his tracks and said without turning back: "And you can rest assured that within the Tiancheng Sword Sect, I will not acknowledge any relationship between us. As for what others say, I don't care!"
After finishing speaking, he strode out of the tent.
Fang Ruobing raised her head to look at the still swaying curtain, and a hint of confusion flashed in her clear eyes, as if she was thinking about something.
Fang Ziling, who had been silent all along, hummed and said: "This big rascal is really ungrateful, Ice sister, next time I meet him, I will definitely give him a good lesson!"
Fang Ruo Bing shook her head and let out a soft sigh.
The night passed quietly.
The next morning, the convoy continued its journey.
After a ten-day long journey, the caravan from Qianchao finally entered the western foot of Manglong Mountain Range.
The vast plains gradually disappeared from view, and the continuous rolling mountains and towering peaks that pierced the clouds became the most common scenery on both sides of the road.
The western foot of the Mangyong Mountains is vast, with countless mountains, rivers, forests, great rivers, lakes, swamps and canyons, including some of the most notorious treacherous terrain on the Korean Peninsula.
However, this is also where the mountain gate of Tiancheng Sword Sect is located. The establishment of Tiancheng Sword Sect for thousands of years has made the western foot of Manglong Mountain a holy place that Yan Yun Wujia yearns for.
The road to the depths of the Great Mountain is all paved with hard stone slabs, and the mountain is opened up and bridges are built over the water, so the convoy advances at a steady pace without any slowdown. I don't know how much manpower and material resources were spent on building it back then.
And on the mountain path, it's not just one team that's walking, people coming and going, knights and merchant teams are endless, lively comparable to the road leading to Qianchao City.
However, there are still checkpoints on the road, and the convoy can only continue after obtaining permission.
Interestingly, Qin Yun found that on both sides of the road before the checkpoint, a group of people were kneeling in a dense and dark manner.
They were all young boys and girls, some in tattered clothes, while others were clearly from wealthy families. They basically all carried weapons and luggage, as if they had rushed here from a very distant place.
As for why these people were kneeling here, Qin Yun couldn't understand it.
The family samurai who accompanied him dispelled his doubts.
It turned out that these young men were all from the famous Sword Sect of Mutian City, who had traveled thousands of miles to come and seek to be accepted as disciples.
However, Tiānchéng Jiàn Zōng has a strict set of rules for recruiting disciples and would never accept those who come uninvited with unclear backgrounds.
Most of the disciples of Tiānchéng Jiàn Zōng come from recommendations by various families and forces, while some are people who have gone out to practice and travel in the clouds, and after repeated observation and examination, they will be accepted as apprentices.
But these people don't understand, thinking they are very talented or very persistent.
As a result, they were stopped by the guards at the outer gate and did not see the mountain gate. Some people refused to give up and knelt on the side of the road, thinking that this would move the Tiancheng Sword Sect, and even fantasized about getting the favor of the high-ranking officials and rising to fame from then on.
In fact, even if they knelt to death here, the warriors guarding the pass would not have a bit of sympathy or compromise, let alone a high-ranking member of the Sword Sect passing by to take a look at them.
If attempting to bypass the checkpoints and sneak into the Jianzong Mountain Gate, once discovered, lightly beaten and expelled, heavily beheaded on the spot, absolutely no tolerance.
The major sects of the religious world are strict and severe, with a cold and ruthless side that these naive young men and women cannot imagine!
Having understood the reason behind it, Qin Yun truly appreciated the old ancestor's kindness towards him. Without the old ancestor's recommendation, he might have ended up like those young men, kneeling and begging until death without achieving anything.
Qin Yun's heart became even more determined to learn the Supreme Sword Dao!
