Chapter 1584: Dawn

"The Witchcraft Sect?" Zu An suddenly recalled someone. During an assassination attempt on him in the capital, one of the assassins was a woman named Jasily. She hailed from Southern Xinjiang, seemed skilled in psychic attacks, and had even given him a unique token at the time.

Afterward, he had checked the Embroidered Uniform Guard's database, and it appeared she was indeed from the Witchcraft Sect.

However, the Witchcraft Sect had always operated secretly, with few of its members appearing in the martial world, so he hadn't immediately made the connection.

To keep Xie Daoyun from getting entangled in these affairs, Zu An changed the subject and chatted with her about other topics. Xie Daoyun, feeling she could prove her value to him, was in high spirits and shared everything she knew.

Zu An asked curiously, "I heard you're going to Mount Zi on this trip to inspect array formations? I recall the Grand Tutor is also there."

Since he was going to Mount Zi for a mission, he had naturally investigated the situation there beforehand.

Xie Daoyun hesitated slightly, but remembering that Zu An was different from others, she replied, "My teacher might be somewhat worried about the Grand Tutor..."

Upon hearing her words, Zu An was instantly shocked. He had never considered that possibility before. After all, the Grand Tutor had reached the pinnacle of his position; even if dynasties changed, he would at most remain a Grand Tutor. He surely couldn't become emperor, could he?

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

Zu An hummed in acknowledgment. "By the way, I heard the Grand Tutor is also a member of the Daoist Sects. Are you familiar with the Nine Daoist Sects?"

After the Great Zhou Dynasty was established, most of the Nine Daoist Sects, except for the Grand Tutor's Zheng Yang Sect, had retreated from the world. Ordinary people knew very little about them.

Previously, Zu An had thought these matters were unrelated to him and hadn't paid them much attention. But now that they involved the situation at Mount Zi, he felt it best to learn about them beforehand.

Xie Daoyun, having trained at the National Academy, indeed knew more secret information than most people. "The Nine Daoist Sects were certainly very formidable several hundred years ago," she said. "However, after the Great Zhou Dynasty was established, most of them retreated into the mountains and forests, losing their former glory."

"In fact, it's not just the Daoist Sects; the Demonic Cult, Buddhist sects, Witchcraft Sect, and other major sects are all the same," she continued. "The imperial court promoted talent above all else, so talented individuals all went to serve as officials. Few were willing to endure hardship in the sects. Thus, after several hundred years, these major sects faced a lack of new talent. Their influence naturally declined, and many even vanished into the annals of history."

"I only learned about the Nine Daoist Sects by chance when my teacher mentioned them; otherwise, I probably wouldn't know all this," Xie Daoyun explained as she recalled. "The Grand Tutor's Zheng Yang Sect was reportedly only a mid-tier sect among the Nine Daoist Sects. However, after it contributed to the founding of the dynasty and its master became the Grand Tutor, the Zheng Yang Sect's standing rose dramatically. It is now the most influential sect; to most common people, it's even believed that the Zheng Yang Sect is the only Daoist sect that still exists."

"Besides the Zheng Yang Sect, the most renowned Daoist sect is Bai Yu Jing," she continued. "The past generations of celestial maidens from Bai Yu Jing are renowned throughout the land. With such beautiful and kind-hearted figures as their representatives, their reputation, both official and popular, has always been excellent."

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

"Aside from these two sects, other branches of the Daoist Sects are not commonly known," Xie Daoyun continued. "However, their strength may not be inferior to Bai Yu Jing. For instance, Biyue Palace is actually just as renowned as Bai Yu Jing within the Daoist community."

Zu An's eyes lit up at this. Big Manman had mentioned that her sect was Biyue Palace, hadn't she? He hadn't expected it to be one of the Nine Daoist Sects.

"Then there's Li Hen Tian," she continued. "Legend says there are thirty-three heavens, with Li Hen Tian being the highest. Several hundred years ago, Li Hen Tian was undoubtedly the foremost among the Daoist Sects. However, several centuries ago, there was reportedly a major upheaval. Li Hen Tian suffered greatly and was severely weakened, causing its strength to decline significantly, and it relinquished its position as the leader. Still, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse; it retains a mid-tier strength among the Nine Daoist Sects."

"Similar to Li Hen Tian is Kunlun Xu," she added. "Its strength also plummeted due to a catastrophe several hundred years ago, and it, too, became a mid-tier sect like Li Hen Tian."

"What exactly was this catastrophe that happened several hundred years ago?" Zu An asked curiously.

Xie Daoyun shook her head, furrowing her brow. "I don't know about that," she said. "It's a secret within their sects, and the Academy doesn't seem to have any records of it either. Probably only some elders within their own sects know what truly happened back then."

Zu An nodded in understanding. Xie Daoyun continued to explain, "The five I just mentioned are considered the 'Upper Five Sects' of the Nine Daoist Sects. They are quite powerful, both in terms of foundation and strength. There are also four other sects, which are comparatively much weaker: Luofu Mountain, Qingxu Manor, Kongming Island, and Taixuan Cave. Few of their successors appear in the world. Privately, at the Academy, there's speculation that they might have already vanished into the annals of history."

Zu An secretly made a mental note of all this. He couldn't help but exclaim, "This time, I really owe it to you, Sister Daoyun. Otherwise, I truly wouldn't have known so many secrets."

"I'm glad I could help you, Brother Zu," Xie Daoyun replied, her face flushing slightly at his thanks, clearly delighted.

Just then, Zhang Zijiang's respectful voice sounded from outside the tent: "Lord Zu, should we rest for another day here, or..."

He was concerned Zu An might be sleeping or cultivating, so he dared not mention setting off.

As if afraid of disturbing them, his voice was barely a whisper.

Zu An directly pushed aside the tent flap and stepped out. "Let's go. Don't delay the schedule." "Yes, sir!" Zhang Zijiang had just let out a sigh of relief when he suddenly saw Xie Daoyun emerge from the tent as well. His face immediately turned a sickly green; he was filled with utter regret.

"Oh no, it's over!" he thought. "I've ruined Lord Zu's good time. 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 flushed crimson with embarrassment.

She opened her mouth to explain, but found that she couldn't very well explain such a matter.

While she hesitated, Zhang Zijiang, feeling guilty, had already scurried away, leaving her there feeling both embarrassed and flustered.

Subsequently, the Feathered Forest Imperial Guard set off. Xie Daoyun naturally dared not ride the same horse as Zu An again like she did yesterday. But even so, she noticed the soldiers around her looking at her strangely, and their attitudes towards her became even more respectful.

Xie Daoyun bit her lip, her face so red it seemed it might bleed. But for some reason, she found that she wasn't repulsed by this at all. Instead, she felt a strange sense of anticipation.

Thus, the day quickly passed, and by night, they had set up camp again. Xie Daoyun felt restless in her tent, wondering, "If Brother Zu comes to find me later, should I let him in or not?"

Lost in these anxious thoughts, she eventually drifted into a hazy sleep without anyone coming in.

Meanwhile, Zu An, covered in dust from his journey, had already arrived in Yi County. Xiao Jianren and Zhang Zitong seemed to be discussing something together when he deliberately cleared his throat.

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

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

"We've investigated the mission Miss Zhang performed that night, and she was indeed telling the truth," Xiao Jianren replied. "Additionally, we're still investigating the women the Seven Lords had contact with before their deaths. We have a few leads now, but it will take a few more days to reach a conclusion."

Zu An nodded in acknowledgment. Then he looked at Zhang Zitong. "Are there any Witchcraft Sect masters here in Yi County?"

"Witchcraft Sect masters?" Zhang Zitong was taken aback. Ordinary cultivators might not even know about the Witchcraft Sect. Fortunately, she was a Silver Embroidered Guard and quickly responded, "The Witchcraft Sect has very few members. To my knowledge, the only one in Yi County who could be considered a master is the guest elder of the Yan King's Mansion."