Chapter 1589: Dawn

"Witchcraft Sect?" Zu An suddenly remembered someone. When he was assassinated in the capital, one of the female assassins was named Giselle. She was from the Southern Border, and her methods seemed to involve mental attacks. He also remembered her giving him a special token at the time.

Later, he checked the Embroidered Uniform Guard's database and found that she seemed to be from the Witchcraft Sect. However, the Witchcraft Sect had always been secretive, and its members rarely appeared in the pugilistic world, so he hadn't immediately connected the dots.

To prevent Xie Daoyun from getting involved in these matters, Zu An steered the conversation to other topics. Xie Daoyun, feeling she could prove her worth to him, was quite enthusiastic and told him everything she knew.

Zu An asked curiously, "I heard you're going to Purple Mountain to inspect the formations? I remember the Grand Tutor is also there."

Since he was going to Purple Mountain for a mission, he had naturally investigated the situation there beforehand. Xie Daoyun hesitated for a moment but then, realizing Zu An was different from others, replied, "My teacher might be a bit concerned about the Grand Tutor..."

Upon hearing her words, Zu An was stunned. He had never considered that possibility before. After all, the Grand Tutor had already reached the pinnacle of power; even if dynasties changed, he would still only be a Grand Tutor. It was unlikely he would become emperor.

"This is just a precaution. The possibility of the Grand Tutor being problematic is still very low," Xie Daoyun explained.

Zu An hummed in acknowledgment. "By the way, I heard the Grand Tutor is also a Daoist. Do you know much about the Nine Orthodoxies of Daoism?"

After the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Nine Orthodoxies of Daoism, apart from the Grand Tutor's True Yang Sect, mostly retreated from the world, and ordinary people knew very little about them. Previously, Zu An thought these matters were irrelevant to him and hadn't paid much attention. But now that it involved the situation at Purple Mountain, he felt it would be best to understand the relevant information in advance.

Xie Daoyun, having studied at the National Academy, indeed knew more about these secret matters than most people. "The Nine Orthodoxies of Daoism were indeed very prestigious centuries ago. However, after the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, most of them retreated into the mountains and forests, losing their former glory."

"In fact, it's not just Daoism; the Demonic Cult, Buddhism, the Witchcraft Sect, and other major sects have all faced similar fates. The imperial court appointed officials based on merit, so talented individuals went to serve in the government, and few were willing to endure hardships within the sects. Therefore, over the centuries, these major sects have faced a decline in talent, their influence naturally waned, and many even vanished into the river of history."

"I only happened to hear my teacher mention the Nine Orthodoxies of Daoism by chance; otherwise, I probably wouldn't know all this," Xie Daoyun explained, recalling as she spoke. "The True Yang Sect, where the Grand Tutor belongs, was reportedly only a mid-tier sect among the Nine Orthodoxies before. However, after assisting the founding emperor and the Grand Tutor's appointment, the True Yang Sect rose in prominence. It is now the most influential, so much so that most common people in the realm believe it's the only Daoist sect."

"Apart from the True Yang Sect, the most renowned Daoist sect is White Jade Capital. Its successive generations of 'immortal maidens' are famous throughout the land. With their beauty and kindness as their reputation, they have always maintained an excellent standing, both officially and among the populace."

Zu An's mind conjured the peerless beauty of Xue Hen and his wife Chu Yan, thinking that if their sect were to debut a girl group, it would surely be immensely popular.

"Besides these two sects, other branches of Daoism are not commonly known, but their strength might not be inferior to White Jade Capital. For example, the Azure Abyss Palace is actually on par with White Jade Capital within Daoism," Xie Daoyun continued.

Zu An's eyes lit up. He recalled that Big Manman had mentioned joining the Azure Abyss Palace. He hadn't realized it was one of the Nine Orthodoxies of Daoism.

"Then there's the Lihantian, said to have thirty-three heavens, with Lihantian being the highest. Centuries ago, Lihantian was the undisputed leader of Daoism. However, a major upheaval supposedly occurred centuries ago, causing Lihantian to suffer heavy losses, significantly reducing its strength and forcing it to yield its top position. Nevertheless, a starved camel is still larger than a horse; it retains the strength of a mid-tier sect among the Nine Orthodoxies."

"Similarly, Kunlun Void also experienced a drastic drop in strength due to a catastrophe centuries ago, falling to a mid-tier position like Lihantian."

Zu An asked curiously, "What exactly was that catastrophe centuries ago?"

Xie Daoyun shook her head, furrowing her brows. "I don't know about that. It's a secret of their own sects, and there seem to be no related records in the academy. Perhaps only some of their elderly members know what truly happened back then."

Zu An nodded in understanding. Xie Daoyun continued, "The five I just mentioned are considered the 'Upper Five Sects' of the Nine Orthodoxies of Daoism; they are quite powerful in terms of foundation and strength. There are also four other sects, which are comparatively much weaker: Luofu Mountain, Qingxu Mansion, Kongming Island, and Taixuan Cave. Very few of their disciples appear in the world. Privately, within the academy, there's speculation that they might have already vanished into the river of history."

Zu An secretly noted all this down and couldn't help but exclaim, "I owe you a great deal, Sister Daoyun; otherwise, I wouldn't have known so many secrets."

"I'm glad I could help, Brother Zu." Hearing his thanks, Xie Daoyun's face flushed slightly, clearly very pleased.

Just then, Zhang Zijian's respectful voice sounded from outside the tent: "Lord Zu, shall we rest here for another day, or..." He was worried Zu An might be sleeping or cultivating and didn't dare mention continuing the march. He seemed afraid of disturbing them, so his voice wasn't very loud.

Zu An directly lifted the tent flap and stepped out. "Let's set off; don't delay the schedule."

"Yes!" Zhang Zijian had just let out a sigh of relief when he suddenly saw Xie Daoyun also emerge from the tent. His face instantly turned a livid shade of purple, and he was filled with intense regret. "Oh no, oh no, I've ruined Lord Zu's good deed. Will he hold a grudge against me later? I'm definitely going to lose to that scoundrel Wang Bolin in the future."

Seeing his ambiguous gaze and reaction, Xie Daoyun realized he had misunderstood, and her face immediately turned crimson with embarrassment. She opened her mouth to explain but found that such a matter was difficult to clarify. As she hesitated, Zhang Zijian, feeling guilty, quickly scurried away, leaving her there feeling both shy and flustered.

As the Imperial Forest Army set off, Xie Daoyun naturally didn't dare to share a horse with Zu An again as she had the previous day. Yet, even so, she noticed that the surrounding soldiers looked at her with strange expressions, and their attitude towards her became increasingly respectful. Xie Daoyun bit her lip, her face so red it seemed it could drip blood. But for some reason, she found that she didn't feel any aversion to this situation at all; instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation.

Thus, the day passed quickly. In the evening, they set up camp again. Xie Daoyun felt restless in her tent, wondering, "If Brother Zu comes looking for me later, should I let him in?" Caught between hope and apprehension, she eventually drifted off to sleep in a daze, without him ever coming.

At this time, Zu An had already arrived in Yi County, covered in dust from his journey. Xiao Jianren and Zhang Zitong seemed to be discussing something together. He deliberately coughed once.

"Lord Eleven!" Xiao Jianren was already accustomed to his sudden appearances, but Zhang Zitong was startled.

Zu An immediately asked, "Are there any results from the previous investigation?"

Xiao Jianren replied, "We've already investigated Miss Zhang's mission that night; she indeed didn't lie. Additionally, we're still looking into the women Lord Qi had contact with before his death. We have a few leads now, but it will take a few more days to reach a conclusion."

Zu An nodded, indicating he understood, then looked at Zhang Zitong. "Are there any Witchcraft Sect experts here in Yi County?"

"Witchcraft Sect experts?" Zhang Zitong was momentarily stunned. Ordinary cultivators might not even know about the Witchcraft Sect. Fortunately, she was a Silver Uniform Guard and quickly reacted. "The Witchcraft Sect has very few members. To my knowledge, the only person who could be considered an expert in Yi County would probably be the guest elder of the Yan King's Residence."