Chapter 205: Gathering At Mount Longhu
Translator: AstralGhost Editor: Kurisu
A black sedan cruised down the road silently and without any fanfare. Including the driver, there were only three people inside.
The car looked extremely ordinary apart from the police license plates on its front and back. In actuality, it was actually a super machine built with bulletproof materials!
A middle-aged man sat in the backseat with his eyes closed. Even doing nothing, he emanated an air of authority. Beside him was a 50-something-year-old elderly man.
What nobody knew was that within this seemingly ordinary sedan was the Province Governor of Jiangbei, Governor Ming Shi Li!
Fortunately, the license plate laws were more flexible nowadays. Otherwise, the car would be easily recognized with a single glance. In that case, they would be easy targets for people with sinister intentions.
Although he was maintaining a stern expression right now, Ming Shi Li was feeling rather happy in his heart. He would finally be able to see his son again soon.
He was usually buried in work all year long, and would at most get to see this cute son of his about two, three times a year.
His wife had passed away early and Ming Ze was also born with a weak and sickly constitution. Fortunately, a Daoist master from Mount Longhu who was passing by helped to treat Ming Ze. Otherwise, the boy would have probably passed away long ago.
'The reason Ming Ze's was born with congenital blood and Qi deficiency was because his mother died while she was still pregnant with him. At that time, everyone was estimating that the boy would not live past his eighth birthday. However, he was still snatched from the jaws of death by the Daoist master.'
Ming Shi Li pondered silently. It was true that Ming Ze's mother had died even before he was born.
Ming Ze was removed from his mother's body through an emergency caesarean delivery.
The ten months pregnancy period was not completed, but the child was already taken out. Although he managed to survive, he inevitably suffered from congenital blood and Qi deficiency and low immune system. [1]
Thinking to this point, Ming Shi Li clenched his fists tightly until his fingers turned white.
"Calm down."
A plain voice sounded out in his ear, sweeping away the savage look on Ming Shi Li's face. Finally, his body began to relax gradually until he slumped weakly against the seat.
"Did you think of that matter again?" the elderly man seated beside him opened his eyes and asked. His wrinkly eyes carried a kind of calmness as though they had seen through the vicissitudes of life.
"Those scumbag drug dealers... as long as I'm alive, I will never stop going after them!" Ming Shi Li said with gritted teeth. Ten years ago, he became the target of revenge after he took down a drug base. By rights, he should have been dead long ago... but his wife had taken the bullet for him, allowing him to live until now.
Only at times like these would the normally calm and gentle Province Governor display such a side to him.
"Ai, the past is already in the past. If it were not for me staying by your side all these years, you'd have already died countless times. Ming Ze is also coming back in two years' time. Do you really want to drag such a kind child into this mess as well? You've already done enough all these years... it's time to let it go."
The elderly man shook his head lightly. As long as there were humans living together, the underground world would exist. It was impossible to completely eradicate evil.
"Father, I will put down this burden one day, but it's not now."
Ming Shi Li was very resolute with his decision. After saying that, he refused to continue the topic.
"They're here!"
"To have the esteemed governor come here personally, this humble city is truly honored by your presence!"
Seeing an old man and a middle-aged walking over, Su Lin hurriedly ran up and greeted them.
To say that Su Lin was a local official was not a false statement.
"En, I've troubled Mayor Su and caused you to wait; come, let's go in."
Ming Shi Li smiled amiably. There was no sign of arrogance on his face at all, and there was no way to tell that he was the same person who was in the car a moment ago.
After having their identities verified, the group of five proceeded up the mountain under the lead of an Evolved Jing master from Mount Longhu.
***
Bei Feng was wrecking his brains, thinking about what sort of gift he should present for this occasion to thank Mount Longhu for being such great hosts. The vibes he got from Mount Longhu were pretty not bad, but as to what gifts to present for such an occasion was not an easy choice.
Gifting some Dark Jade Snowy Dragon King meat was out of the question, and the Dragon Scale and other treasures were all in his villa at the moment.
"I got it!"
Bei Feng's eyes lit up as he retrieved a jade box from his spatial ring. Just the box alone had an extraordinary value. Within it was a stalk of Grade 2 Natural Treasure, the Mutated Thousand Year Ginseng!
This herb was something he'd obtained back at the underground cavern. He hadn't consumed it at that time, and it was thus left until now.
As such, this herb was just right as a favor done at little cost. Even so, the value of this gift was not low at all.
This stalk of ginseng had endured a millennium of wind and frost, causing its medicinal energy to be extremely stable. It was most suited to be consumed before or after breaking through to a higher cultivation realm as it could help to solidify one's cultivation very quickly.
It was about 11 a.m, and Mount Longhu was already filled with people. The grand feast was laid all through the entire Daoist Master Halls.
Bei Feng was personally escorted to a a grand hall nearby to sit.
As he expected, the incoming abbot was Nan Yang.
If they were living in the warring days of the past, the Temple would definitely have chosen Qian Jun as the abbot.
The entire process of passing the abbot position was complicated and boring, but the solemnity of the ceremony was such that there was no sound at all among the crowd. Even Bei Feng was fully engrossed in the whole thing.
The ceremony retained its solemn and sacred customs from more than a thousand year ago. When Danxia Zi passed the Vast Sun Disk formally to Nan Yang, it signified that Nan Yang had become the 41st Abot of Mount Longhu!
The reason why he was not referred to as Heavenly Master was because unless one possessed the strength to break through the heavens, they were unworthy to be called a Master!
Throughout the nearly 2,000 years of Mount Longhu's history, those who earned the title Heavenly Master were less than the number of fingers on one's hands!
For this ceremony, those who were eligible to come and watch were at least of the Peak Evolved Jing realm. There were even a few among the crowd whose cultivation was unfathomable. Those were definitely Xiantian Lords!
Bei Feng's gift had already been passed over long ago, causing Danxia Zi to gasp aloud. This gift was simply too valuable!
With the thinning of Heaven and Earth Ling Qi, many of the usual precious spirit herbs had dried up and died. Right now, this stalk of thousand year old spirit ginseng was worth several cities in value!
Bei Feng did not seem to mind at all. To the current him, the spirit ginseng was the equivalent of chicken ribs. It was not useful to him all!
By the time all the nitty gritty details were settled, it was already 1 p.m.
"Dong! Dong!"
The weather-exposed thousand-year-old ancient bell atop the mountain rang deeply, causing all who heard it to feel their heart and spirit calming down.
After the tolling of the bell, numerous dishes of nutritious herbal food were brought over. At the same time, the intoxicating aroma of well-aged wine wafted out.
Although Mount Longhu was a Daoist Sect, they did not prohibit the consumption of wine and meat. Martial Practitioners required large amounts of energy for their cultivation, and most of that energy came from food. If they still stuck to a vegetarian diet, there was no way to satisfy the amount of energy needed by their bodies. In that case, there's no point in talking about cultivation!
They couldn't possibly eat spirit herbs and precious ginseng for every meal, right? Where would the Temple find enough money to sustain such a crazy expenditure?
The place Bei Feng was sitting at did not have many people. There were only a few tens of short tables and mats. Everyone was sitting cross-legged beside their table.
One thing worthy of mention was that Ming Shi Li was among those few people sharing Bei Feng's hall. Beside him was Ming Shi Li's father-in-law, a person known as Mixed Yuan Palm's Kong Yuan Quan!
Almost everyone at this ceremony were peak Evolved Jing masters. These people were all the overlords of their respective regions. If these people came together, they had enough power to take over the entire Jiangbei region! Any random kicks of theirs could cause an earthquake!
Very quickly, numerous bowls of amber-colored wine were brought in, causing the air to smell exceptionally fragrant. The food that followed next was all made with carefully balanced tonic bases which were very beneficial to even Evolved Jing masters.
Most of the people in the hall knew each other, and they would join up with each other for a chat. Very soon, Bei Feng was left sitting all by his lonesome self again.
[1]: ED/N: The ten months part is some expression called 十月怀胎 or 10 months of gestation, but I don't rly know anything about it. I know that 10-month pregnancy is possible if very rare, at least for the Caucasian race... in this case, it is also perhaps possible that the pregnancy was lengthened as a medical process to heal the kid in the womb.