Chapter 126 - The Accumulated Merit and the City Lord’s Shield
Chapter 126: Chapter 126 - The Accumulated Merit and the City Lord’s Shield
The hall froze.
Every gaze turned toward Radiant Sky Sect.
Some were shocked. Some were curious. Some were thoughtful. And some carried a greed they did not hide well enough.
The heavenly blessing that had descended upon Radiant Sky Sect had not been a small matter.
By now, many forces had already heard about it.
A rain of blessing.
A recovered Lu Canghai.
If those things were unrelated, no one would believe it.
But if they were related, then what had Radiant Sky Sect obtained?
An immortal artifact?
A lost healing treasure?
An ancient inheritance?
A secret capable of turning a damaged sect elder back toward his old path?
The moment such thoughts appeared, they were difficult to kill.
Radiant Sky Sect had not yet arrived in Azure-Jade City when rumors had already begun spreading through tea houses, inns, and private courtyards.
The walls of Azure-Jade City had ears.
The City Lord Mansion’s ears were naturally sharper than most.
Yue Cangyu had heard some of those rumors.
There were already people whispering that Radiant Sky Sect might have found an object capable of producing heavenly blessing. Some said Lu Canghai had recovered through a foundation-healing divine treasure. Some even claimed Radiant Sky Sect had discovered a secret that could turn a sect into a Holy Land.
Rumors were not frightening by themselves.
Greed born from rumors was.
A few factions had already begun moving closer together in private. Their words were careful, but their intent was not difficult to see.
They wanted to know the truth.
And if Radiant Sky Sect refused to tell them, they might seek it through the disciples entering the Fallen-Star Sanctuary.
Yue Cangyu did not want that.
The Fallen-Star Sanctuary was already unstable.
The Ashen-Blood Miasma might be stronger than recorded.
The Spatial Return Threads might not be reliable.
If the younger generation still carried hidden schemes and old greed into the mystic realm, then more people would die than necessary.
That was why he had asked.
It was not carelessness. It was placement.
A hidden rumor could grow teeth in the dark.
A public question forced it beneath the lanterns.
More importantly, once Yue Cangyu asked about it personally, everyone understood one thing.
This matter had entered his sight.
If anyone tried to move too greedily afterward, they would not merely be targeting Radiant Sky Sect.
They would also be ignoring the City Lord Mansion.
At the Radiant Sky Sect table, Lu Canghai wanted to curse.
He understood Yue Cangyu’s intention.
That did not mean he wanted to thank him.
Li Xuanzong, however, remained calm.
As sect master, this question naturally had to be answered by him.
He slowly placed down his cup.
The movement was neither hurried nor stiff.
His expression remained peaceful.
"City Lord Yue’s eyes are sharp."
The hall became quieter.
Li Xuanzong did not deny it immediately.
That alone made many gazes sharpen.
Then he said, "The heavenly blessing did descend upon Radiant Sky Sect. This matter was witnessed by many disciples, so there is no need for this sect master to pretend otherwise."
Several elders exchanged glances.
Li Xuanzong continued evenly, "As for Junior Brother Lu’s recovery, it was indeed related to that blessing."
The hall stirred.
Lu Canghai silently picked up his teacup.
He suddenly felt that tea was very useful.
It gave his hands something to do.
Li Xuanzong’s voice remained calm.
"But not in the way some fellow Daoists may be imagining."
His gaze swept across the hall.
"There was no hidden immortal pill. No ancient treasure. And no secret inheritance taken from a forbidden ruin."
Some people’s expressions changed slightly.
Those three denials struck exactly where many thoughts had gathered.
Li Xuanzong said, "One of my sect’s disciples broke through to the Golden Core Realm."
The younger cultivators looked at one another.
Golden Core?
That was all?
But the elders did not relax.
A breakthrough that could draw heavenly blessing was never ordinary.
Li Xuanzong continued, "During that breakthrough, Radiant Sky Sect stood together to protect him. Elders, disciples, peak masters, and formation masters all did what they should."
His tone did not become proud.
It was plain.
"Perhaps because Radiant Sky Sect has guarded its path with sincerity for many years. Perhaps because that disciple’s breakthrough resonated with the sect’s accumulated merit. Or perhaps because the heavens simply took pity on us for once."
He paused.
"A blessing descended."
No one spoke.
The explanation was simple. So simple that some people felt it was ridiculous.
Yet because it involved Radiant Sky Sect, it also sounded strangely reasonable.
Radiant Sky Sect had always been different from many other forces.
They rarely schemed against other sects.
They recruited disciples strangely, placing character before talent.
They offended fewer people than they could have.
In the cultivation world, such behavior was often mocked as foolish.
But if accumulated merit truly existed, then who here dared say Radiant Sky Sect had none?
Li Xuanzong continued, "It was not something we summoned deliberately."
"It was not something we can repeat at will."
"And it was certainly not something we can take out and trade."
Those words made several hidden thoughts die quietly.
Even if someone doubted it, they could not easily argue.
To argue publicly would be to say that Radiant Sky Sect’s righteousness was false.
No one wanted to be the first person to say that in Azure Hall.
Li Xuanzong looked toward Lu Canghai.
"Brother Lu’s old injury had troubled him for many years. The blessing rain nourished many people in the sect. He merely happened to be the one whose old wound responded most clearly."
Lu Canghai stroked his beard and sighed.
"This old man suffered for many years. Is it strange that heaven finally remembered to compensate me?"
The hall went silent for half a breath.
Then several people nearly coughed.
Li Xuanzong glanced at him.
Lu Canghai immediately looked serious again.
The seriousness lasted for about two breaths.
Then he added, "Of course, if fellow Daoists wish to test whether this method is true, you may try it yourselves."
Several gazes moved toward him.
Lu Canghai smiled kindly.
"Be good for decades. Avoid meaningless sect rivalry. Protect mortals when needed. Recruit disciples by character before talent. Let Shen Youran supervise your conduct day and night."
The hall became strangely cold.
Several younger cultivators instinctively straightened.
Even people who had never met Shen Youran felt an inexplicable pressure from the name.
Lu Canghai continued sincerely, "Do all that, and perhaps another heavenly blessing may descend."
No one answered.
For a moment, some people truly imagined it.
A whole sect living like Radiant Sky Sect.
The image was terrifying.
Compared to stealing treasures, being good for decades seemed far more difficult.
Su Bai looked at Lu Canghai with faint admiration.
His master had done something clever.
He had made the explanation sound both noble and unbearable to imitate.
Li Xuanzong turned back to Yue Cangyu.
"That is all there is to it. Radiant Sky Sect was fortunate once. Nothing more."
Yue Cangyu looked at him for a moment.
Then he nodded slowly.
"Accumulated merit drawing heavenly response..."
His gaze softened slightly.
"If it is Radiant Sky Sect, that explanation is not impossible."
The hall remained quiet.
No one could easily refute those words.
Yue Cangyu had spoken.
That mattered.
He was not merely agreeing with Li Xuanzong. He was placing weight behind the explanation.
From this moment onward, anyone who continued digging into Radiant Sky Sect’s blessing too aggressively would would look greedy.
And in Azure-Jade City, greed aimed at a matter Yue Cangyu had already acknowledged was not a wise appearance.
Yue Cangyu smiled faintly.
"I once met an old monk who could calculate his own merit. He used his remaining life to draw a blessing for three villages during a plague."
The hall grew quieter.
"Merit is not empty talk," Yue Cangyu said. "It is merely difficult to accumulate and easier to waste."
Some elders lowered their eyes.
Some juniors seemed thoughtful.
Yue Cangyu looked back at Radiant Sky Sect.
"If a whole sect has truly preserved its path for many years, then receiving one heavenly response is not undeserved."
Those words settled the matter.
At least on the surface.
The greedy gazes did not disappear completely, but they became more restrained.
The calculative gazes became more careful.
The curious gazes became less sharp.
Li Xuanzong cupped his hands.
"City Lord Yue overpraises us. Radiant Sky Sect only does what it believes should be done."
Yue Cangyu nodded.
"That is already rare."
Then his gaze swept across the younger generation.
"Since Radiant Sky Sect carries such merit, I hope its disciples will also remember to help others where they can after entering the Fallen-Star Sanctuary."
Several people looked toward Su Bai and the others.
Yue Cangyu continued, "Ashen-Blood Miasma corrodes flesh, Qi, and spirit. But merit, righteous intent, and a steady heart can sometimes help one endure what pills alone cannot."
He paused.
"Of course, do not mistake my words. Merit is not a substitute for Immaculate Lotus-Heart Pills."
Several elders who had just begun thinking too far immediately stiffened.
Yue Cangyu’s tone remained calm.
"If you enter the miasma relying only on virtue, the miasma will not praise you before eating you."
A few younger cultivators nearly laughed.
The heavy atmosphere loosened slightly.
Yue Cangyu said, "Prepare pills. Prepare formations. Prepare allies. Prepare your heart. All four are needed."
Then he looked at the hall again.
"The banquet will continue. Those of the younger generation may speak with one another. If you can form friendship tonight, good. If not, at least remember each other’s faces."
His gaze became sharper.
"So that once inside the sanctuary, you know who you are saving."
After saying this, Yue Cangyu stepped back.
The music slowly resumed.
The servants continued pouring wine and tea.
Conversation returned little by little.
But the atmosphere had changed.
The matter of the heavenly blessing had not vanished.
It had merely been given a shape.
A shape difficult to bite.
Su Bai sat quietly. His empty plate remained before him.
His stomach was still hungry. But his thoughts were no longer on food.
He looked at Yue Cangyu.
At first, he had thought the City Lord’s question was troublesome.
Now, he understood.
Yue Cangyu was not foolish.
He had given Radiant Sky Sect a chance to speak publicly before the rumors sharpened into knives.
He had placed the matter beneath his own gaze.
He had turned greed into something that now had to wear a polite face.
Su Bai lowered his eyes.
Such people still existed outside Radiant Sky Sect.
That realization made him feel unexpectedly warm.
In this cultivation world, where greed often wore Daoist robes and called itself opportunity, a city lord who still tried to protect the younger generation was rare.
Perhaps Yue Cangyu did not believe everyone would listen.
Perhaps he already knew many would still scheme.
But he still said what should be said.