Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 2: Crossover
Chapter 3: Bandits
Chapter 4: Forest
Chapter 5: Emotions
Chapter 6: To Protect
Chapter 7: Peach Blossom Origins
Chapter 8: Wisdom
Chapter 9: Legacy
Chapter 10: Theft
Chapter 11: To Protect
Chapter 12: Capital
Chapter 13: Banquet
Chapter 14: Spiritual Roots
Chapter 15: Examinations
Chapter 16: Quality
Chapter 17: Wretched
Chapter 18: Silver Dragon Temple
Chapter 19: I Surrender
Chapter 20: Three Questions
Chapter 21: Elementary Scholar
Chapter 22: Patrol Officer
Chapter 23: Sacrifice
Chapter 24: Farewell
Chapter 25: Idol
Chapter 26: Banknotes
Chapter 27: Plan
Chapter 28: Kill Them
Chapter 29: Legacy
Chapter 30: Maiden
Chapter 31: Tang Zhen
Chapter 32: Invitation
Chapter 33: Decay
Chapter 34: Chen Yuan
Chapter 35: Han Lin
Chapter 36: Heaven’S Assistance
Chapter 37: Event On The Boat
Chapter 38: A Disgrace To The Educated
Chapter 39: Revoking A Title
Chapter 40: Sailor
Chapter 41: Into The Water
Chapter 42: Solving The Case
Chapter 43: Mistress Cloud
Chapter 44: Crystal Gaze
Chapter 45: Autopsy
Chapter 46: Into The Examination Halls
Chapter 47: Examination
Chapter 48: Night Ship
Chapter 49: Murder
Chapter 50: Judge
Chapter 51: Suspicion
Chapter 52: First Place
Chapter 53: Check Again
Chapter 54: Realization
Chapter 55: Ancestral Temple
Chapter 56: Spiritual Roots
Chapter 57: Night Attack
Chapter 58: Puppet
Chapter 59: Killing An Official
Chapter 60: Today Shall Be The Day You Die
Chapter 61: Counterattack
Chapter 62: Will You Do It
Chapter 63: The Case Of The Coffin Bearers
Chapter 64: Decision
Chapter 65: Broken Tail
Chapter 66: Respects To Teacher
Chapter 67: Payment
Chapter 68: Entering The Sect
Chapter 69: Retrieve
Chapter 70: Rise Above
Chapter 71: Confer A Title
Chapter 72: Samurai Warrior
Chapter 73: Let’S Drink Up
Chapter 74: The Great Learning
Chapter 75: Pirates
Chapter 76: First Book
Chapter 77: Revenge
Chapter 78: Seven Cups And Seven Steps
Chapter 79: Attack
Chapter 80: A Little Higher
Chapter 81: Rejection
Chapter 82: Exterminating The Pirates
Chapter 83: Imperial Edict
Chapter 84: Send The Memorandum
Chapter 85: Unfilial And Unfair
Chapter 86: Turning Misfortune To Fortune
Chapter 87: Relay Station
Chapter 88: Murder
Chapter 89: Desire
Chapter 90: Six Riders
Chapter 91: Dao Amulet
Chapter 92: Fire On Mountain Deity Temple
Chapter 93: Ji Ai Guo
Chapter 94: A Chance Encounter
Chapter 95: To The Capital
Chapter 96: An Idea
Chapter 97: Hidden Gold
Chapter 98: Gold Is Too Heavy
Chapter 99: Dance Of The Dragon And Fish
Chapter 100: Turn Back In Sadness
Chapter 101: Exchange
Chapter 102: Lovesick
Chapter 103: In A Trance
Chapter 104: The Emperor’S Melody
Chapter 105: Audience
Chapter 106: Heavenly Disposition
Chapter 107: Completion
Chapter 108: Leaving A Memory
Chapter 109: Receiving The Edict
Chapter 110: Sword Fight
Chapter 111: Query In The Night
Chapter 112: Reason
Chapter 113: Divination
Chapter 114: Metal Anchor
Chapter 115: Justice Is Served
Chapter 116: Fairy On The Magpie Bridge
Chapter 117: News
Chapter 118: The Tiger And The Lion Converges
Chapter 119: Avoid The Rain
Chapter 120: Southern Kingdom
Chapter 121: Young Chieftain
Chapter 122: Fisherman
Chapter 123: The Tomb
Chapter 124: Evil Survivors
Chapter 125: Attacking The City
Chapter 126: Controlling Snakes
Chapter 127: Interrogation
Chapter 128: Black Wolf
Chapter 129: Young Master Xie
Chapter 130: Burning The Stronghold
Chapter 131: Assassin
Chapter 132: Urgent Return
Chapter 133: Feelings
Chapter 134: Dragon Tiger Temple
Chapter 135: Shen Wan Lin
Chapter 136: Marriage Upheaval
Chapter 137: Obstruction
Chapter 138: Upholding The Laws Of The Household
Chapter 139: It Doesn’T Matter
Chapter 140: If Only We Met Once In This Life
Chapter 141: Alliance
Chapter 142: Mission Incomplete
Chapter 143: Suspecting Your Neighbor Of Stealing
Chapter 144: Absurdity
Chapter 145: Competition
Chapter 146: Refusal
Chapter 147: Collaboration
Chapter 148: Harmonizing Flute Lullabies
Chapter 149: Forever Gone Are The Old Times
Chapter 150: Retrieving The Pill
Chapter 151: Be Good And Accept Death
Chapter 152: Exposure
Chapter 153: Emergency
Chapter 154: Poison Gas
Chapter 155: Secret Basement
Chapter 156: Breaking Through The Gates Of Heaven
Chapter 157: Kill Them All
Chapter 158: Core Disciple
Chapter 159: Offended
Chapter 160: A Glimmer Of Hope
Chapter 161: Surprise
Chapter 162: Bestowing A Title
Chapter 163: Explosion
Chapter 164: Official
Chapter 165: Network
Chapter 166: Arrest
Chapter 167: Retribution
Chapter 168: Insignia
Chapter 169: The Chase
Chapter 170: Return To The City
Chapter 171: Prestige
Chapter 172: Enchantments
Chapter 173: Kill A Man, Leave A Poem
Chapter 174: Major Incident
Chapter 175: Meeting
Chapter 176: Sin
Chapter 177: A Full Account
Chapter 178: Cracks
Chapter 179: I Won’T Meet
Chapter 180: Peace And Prosperity
Chapter 181: Untitled
Chapter 182: A Truthful Misrepresentation
Chapter 183: Do Some Good
Chapter 184: Obtaining An Imperial Tile
Chapter 185: Leaving The Prince’S Mansion
Chapter 186: Virtuous
Chapter 187: Punished Only Because You’Re Capable
Chapter 188: Spy
Chapter 189: Fate Lantern
Chapter 190: Jade Pendant
Chapter 191: Floating Sphere
Chapter 192: Jian An
Chapter 193: Words From The Heart
Chapter 194: Counter Attack
Chapter 195: Cursed
Chapter 196: All Of You, Die!
Chapter 197: Breaking Through Paradise
Chapter 198: Rushing In
Chapter 199: Assistance
Chapter 200: It Doesn'T Matter
Chapter 201: You’Ve Grown Up
Chapter 202: Battle Conclusion
Chapter 203: Overwhelmed
Chapter 204: Position
Chapter 205: Alliance
Chapter 206: County Magistrate
Chapter 207: Hesitation
Chapter 208: Refusal To Meet
Chapter 209: Eyes And Mouth Wide Open
Chapter 210: Asking For Help For A Title
Chapter 211: Ignorance
Chapter 212: The Plan
Chapter 213: Zhao Kuo
Chapter 214: Executed
Chapter 215: Increase In Morale
Chapter 216: Sentry Island
Chapter 217: Breaking The Enemy
Chapter 218: The Day Of The Counterattack
Chapter 219: To Retrieve
Chapter 220: Attacking The Stronghold
Chapter 221: Stability
Chapter 222: Ashore
Chapter 223: Attack
Chapter 224: Defeat
Chapter 225: Urgent Report
Chapter 226: Persuasion
Chapter 227: Invitation
Chapter 228: Cleanly
Chapter 229: Becoming A Dao Master
Chapter 230: To The Capital City
Chapter 231: Recruiting
Chapter 232: Affair
Chapter 233: A Bag Of Pills
Chapter 234: Virtue Of The Crown Prince
Chapter 235: Divergence
Chapter 236: Ambush
Chapter 237: Snow People
Chapter 238: Luring The Snake Out Of A Cave
Chapter 239: Love Never Lasts
Chapter 240: Shameless
Chapter 241: Assassins On Sky Road
Chapter 242: Resolution
Chapter 243: Observation
Chapter 244: Demotion
Chapter 245: Shocking News
Chapter 246: Farewell
Chapter 247: An Audience
Chapter 248: Advisor
Chapter 249: Business
Chapter 250: Suspicion
Chapter 251: Golden Cats
Chapter 252: Killing Officials
Chapter 253: River Deity’S Daoist Field
Chapter 254: Long Arms Of Justice
Chapter 255: Ironclad Case
Chapter 256: Removing The Official Hat
Chapter 257: Rebuilding
Chapter 258: Execution
Chapter 259: Stale Fish
Chapter 260: Records
Chapter 261: Reinstatement
Chapter 262: Wei Family Village
Chapter 263: Map Of The Dragon Veins
Chapter 264: Deep Wisdom
Chapter 265: Wedding
Categories Genre: Action, Adventure, All, Historical, Martial Arts, Ongoing, Romance, Supernatural, Xianxia Status: Ongoing Alternative names: Dao Tian Xian Tu, Path to Immortality: Marauding the Heavens, 盗天仙途, ______
Total Chapters in book: 265
Estimated words: 772462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3862(@200wpm)___ 3090(@250wpm)___ 2575(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 772462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3862(@200wpm)___ 3090(@250wpm)___ 2575(@300wpm)
______
LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 265 Page No. 264 Page No. 263 Page No. 262 Page No. 261 Page No. 260 Page No. 259 Page No. 258 Page No. 257 Page No. 256 Page No. 255 Chapter 80: A Little Higher
Chapter 80: A Little Higher
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: - -
Within thirty minutes, Navy Admiral Chen Ping hurried over. The minute he saw the Governor he admitted his negligence.
The magistrate of the prefecture came as well, along with his constable. The minute he boarded the boat, his expression became one of fear. There were many blood trails visible the moment he stepped onto the boat. When he walked further in, he caught a glimpse of the official’s corpse along with the bodies of several scholars. The minute he saw the corpses, the hair on his body stood. For the pirates to be daring enough to commit such atrocity, was indeed scary.
The Governor glanced at the magistrate, "These assailants even recruited a dancer. Check this out. You have to get to the bottom of it.”
Seeing that the Governor’s expression was extremely unkind, the magistrate hurriedly replied, “Yes your excellency. I shall take some men to dig into the bottom of this. We shall discover who roped the pirates into attacking you.”
Chen Ping knelt down as well, "Governor, we have to investigate with all our available resources and get to the bottom of this matter.”
The Governor sat on the bench, his face showed a look of extreme anger. He didn't speak. After sometime he said, “There's no need for formality here General Chen. These pirates are outrageous. Who would've thought that just a few days ago, they terrorized Wealth County and now they've attacked me. This was not something that anyone could've anticipated. You do not have to blame yourself.”
As he spoke, several soldiers marched in along with their officer. The military officer knelt down and paid his respects to the Governor. Seeing his fallen brothers, lifeless on the floor, his eyes started to turn red. He stood up and started dividing his troops to start protecting the Governor.
These soldiers were sent to ensure the safety and security of the Governor and were sent by the imperial court, and came under the charge of the Governor himself. He then sighed, “For those who died defending me, I have to give them a lavish funeral.”
The military officer and soldiers knelt in unison before shouting, “Thank you, your excellency!”
The Governor then ordered, “Secure the perimeters. Ensure that nobody enters or leaves until the officials from the prefecture have arrived to conduct their investigations.”
He then turned to Pei Zi Yun, “It’s been hard on Top Scorer Pei, you should head back to rest!”
The Governor then turned around to leave as well, as he made his way back to his mansion. When the servants saw him arriving, they ran up to receive him. He waved his hand and ordered, “The tea can wait. Now I need you to pull out the file regarding Pei Zi Yun.”
He then continued, “Call all the advisors here now.”
When everyone has left the room, the Governor sat back in his chair and dipped his feet into the bowl of warm water. Feeling slightly more relaxed, he sighed as color returned to his cheeks. Having been subjected to such attack, with his life hanging in the balance, his entire shirt was wet from the perspiration from earlier. Only after being back in the heavily guarded Governor’s mansion did he finally relax.
The sky was getting darker, as candles were being ignited. He had a piping hot bowl of soup and felt re-energized.
“There's no evidence!”
After such a tragedy had befallen, the prime suspect to the Governor was clearly Ji Bei Hou. The Governor had been chosen by the imperial court to repossess Ji Bei Hou’s authority. Who would've thought that Ji Bei Hou would resort to such underhand methods. The Governor was very suspicious of him, and yet had no evidence.
“Ji Bei Hou owned the title of Marquis and thus is hard to act against.” He heard movement outside before the door burst open. A group of advisors swarmed in like a pack of fishes, and sat before the Governor.
The Governor’s expression was one of unhappiness. With a stoic expression he said, “I’ve gathered all of you here because of the incident with the pirates. What opinions do you have? Spill.”
The advisors were all stumped that they were asked to expressed their views. An elder man, who looked to be slightly older than fifty, stepped forward, “Your excellency, I shall hold my thoughts until we get further details. Could you describe it to us?”
“And, where is his excellency Chen?”
His excellency Chen was the most senior advisor to the Governor, and amongst all the advisors, he was the only who received the recommendation from the Governor to become an official. Hence, he was being addressed as his excellency.
The man who spoke, was surnamed Suo and was a High Scholar. Among the senior advisors, he was one of the most high regarded as well. Hence the Governor often gave him face and some level of respect.
“Ai!” The Governor sighed deeply and told the story from top to bottom. He mentioned how Mister Chen had sacrificed his life in order to save him, as tears started welling up in his eyes. Mister Chen was his right hand man. For him to be killed by the pirates in such a fashion, the Governor was unable to control his emotions.
“What? The pirates have the audacity to attack the Governor? Damn wretched pirates.” These advisors were all surprised and yet were secretly rejoicing. Mister Chen was the chief planner among the advisors, which meant that the rest of the advisors were constantly being overshadowed by him. Now that he’s dead, they have another chance to step up to the vacant role and was secretly overjoyed, but they feigned sadness and showed loyalty.
“Your excellency, I suspect this has something to do with Hou Mansion. He wishes to get rid of the needle in his eye.” An advisor stepped up to say.
“I disagree, your excellency. I think there’s an informant or a spy within the city. The minute your excellency hosted a banquet, the pirates were aware and was able to attack at such a precise timing.”
“Your excellency, I feel that these aren’t important. What’s important are the effects of this attack. As of today, the pirates have entered An Prefecture and could kill and plunder whenever they wish. If this could happen, what about the rest of the counties? The impact could be devastating. I urge your excellency to write to the imperial court, demand for some soldiers so we can wipe these pirates out.”
“Your excellency, I suggest we restrict movement along the river. At the same time, we should station the navy by the mouth of the river to prevent the pirates from going through. For if they manage to launch an attack near the city, the consequences would be dire.”
There were many differing ideas and opinions that even included having discussions with Ji Bei Hou and determining how best to deal with the pirates. All the advisors were unable to agree on a common solution, and were all mocking the ideas that weren’t theirs.
Hearing the discussion on the floor, the Governor shielded his eyes from the sun and said, “Mister Suo, I want you to handle this situation and give me a detailed run-down by tomorrow. I'm feeling slightly tired.”
The advisors were all stumped, and their conversations started to die down. The leader amongst them now, Chen Ping, sighed. He knew that whatever they had discussed today didn't settle well with the Governor and he wasn't in a mood to entertain their squabbling any longer.
After everyone had left the hall, the Governor threw a teacup onto the ground in anger, watching it smash into smithereens. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed, “Something like that has happened, how should I explain this to the imperial court?”
“The Emperor is wise and is capable of impressive martial arts, but he’s not in the best health now. I wish to level all these pirates for the crown prince, for how long will he watch me sit around idly before replacing me?”
“Husband!”
The Governor paused for sometime, as he heard a familiar voice ring out behind him. A pair of soft and gentle hands rested on his shoulders, before they started squeezing his shoulders gently, "Husband, I heard our subordinates talking. They were saying General Han was covered in blood when he led my husband back. When I came in, I realized all the soldiers who had left with you have yet to return. I then saw you call all your advisors in. Did something untoward happen?”
As the Governor’s wife spoke, her voice was quivering in fear.
The Governor had just came under attack by the pirates, and was still recovering from shock. However, he would not allow his wife to see him weak. He then smiled and said, “My wife, do not worry. It’s just a botched assassination attempt by the pirates. In the blink of an eye, they were all dealt with. I am fine, and have sent some men out to investigate this matter.”
The governor looked up, before casting his glance downward. He saw the fragments of teacup on the ground, as well as a pool of tea on the floor.
“Ah? Pirates.” The Governor’s wife exclaimed loudly. She would never have been able to guess that pirates would dare to attack this close to the city.
After she involuntarily exclaimed, she realized that she had been too loud and lowered his voice, "Husband, the river here is a part of the inner waters and is far away from the sea. And yet there were pirates attacks here. Does this mean the pirates have infiltrated past the outer boundaries?”
Hearing his wife’s words, the Governor waved his hands, "That’s impossible. The pirates are weak. The reason for them attacking Wealth County was to plunder and rob. How can they actually penetrate the defenses of the outer boundaries?”
“And in the midst of the attack, the guards from within the city rushed to our aid. Seeing this happen, the pirates all fell back. It's clear that they're limited in strength, if not they would've continued fighting.”
“However, in order to conduct an attack like this within the inner rivers, I suspect someone with authority has been helping them.”
The Governor’s wife extended her hand and massaged her husband’s shoulders once more, "I've been telling you not to run for Governor. You should've been happy being a regular official in the capital. Why would you want to be involved in such a mess.”
“Mistress Du, although my Guo family was renowned across the nation, we were only a family of low ranking officials. In fact, my three brothers were all officials as well. If I didn’t take it upon myself to serve the Emperor personally, how would I be as successful as I am today and become a third ranked official?”
“But now your life's in danger. And even Mister Chen didn't return with you. This is dangerous.” Mistress Du said softly. The Governor sighed and placed his hands to his shoulder and grabbed her hands who were still massaging his shoulders, "My wife….”
The Governor didn't complete his sentence as the both of them stayed that way in silence for some time. Each pondering over different thoughts.”
“Your excellency, I've brought the materials here just as instructed.” A secretary knocked as he spoke.
“Come in.” The Governor sat up straight in his chair as his wife walked away. The secretary then handed a file over to him.
The file had a red stamp transfixed onto the center of it. And a note was attached to the file as well. Only after handing the file over did the secretary back away and headed for the door.
The Governor opened the file and gazed intently at the numerous and dense words all over the documents within. After reading for some time, his expression became soft, "I thought that this person was very close to the third master of Hou Mansion. Thus I was led to believe that he was abetting Ji Bei Hou. Although that seems rather unlikely after reading the file.”
The Governor’s wife came out from behind the screen and asked, “Husband, who were you speaking of?”
The Governor smiled, “I’m talking about our new Top Scorer Pei Zi Yun. He attended the banquet on board the boat and defended me. If it weren't for him, I'm afraid your husband would not be standing here before you.”
The Governor was joking. The nature of their conversation had been dark and grim. He wanted to lighten it up by adding some humor.
“Since he helped to rescue and defend you, why are you investigating him?” The Governor’s wife thought it was rather peculiar a thing to do.
The Governor gave a cold harrumph, "Maybe he was sent by someone? A person wearing a black mask and a person wearing a white mask have come to earn my trust. Furthermore this person is highly skilled in martial arts. There’s no harm looking into his background.”
(TN: A black mask was used to describe someone highly skilled and morally upright. A white mask was used to describe someone who was evil and had ill intent.)
“Oh, I remember now. He’s the person who had composed , the poem that everyone has been talking about the past few days. In fact, the wives of several officials had dropped by to visit me, and we’ve spoken about this person as well. In fact, I’ve heard that several single ladies have been copying his poems all over the place, and wished to marry him. Who would’ve thought this was the same person to save your life.” Mistress Du said in surprise.
“This person is indeed gifted in literature. In fact, last night he composed a poem that was of the same quality of . Just as I was about to ask for the title of the poem, we came under attack. These damn bandits are really vile.”
The Governor picked up the file and continued reading. Most of the information about Pei Zi Yun before he became an Elementary Scholar were just rumors. The information that can be substantials were all after he became an Elementary Scholar. The information about him were rather detailed, and even included the fact that his name had been included in the Dao sect’s registry.
The Governor raised his eyebrows. This person had even written a book.
That book was delivered by High Scholar Fu to the book merchants to be published. The author of that book was Pei Zi Yun.
The Governor picked up the book that was included in the file and flipped it open. Looking at the first few paragraphs, he was astounded. After pausing for sometime, he sighed, “The book Pei Zi Yun had written is fantastic. In fact, its quality was so good, scholars should use these materials to prepare for their examinations.”
He then said, “At fifteen he became a Top Scholar, wrote a book, composed . The days after would be filled with talks of his name as he rocks the entire kingdom under the heavens.”
“It’s a pity that he’s joined a Dao sect.”
The Governor’s wife then replied, “Husband, isn’t this a good thing? If he didn’t join a Dao sect, you would have a hard time trying to get him to serve you, for he would be carving a career on his own. Now, you can get him to become an advisor of yours.”
“Advisor? Why should I employ him as an advisor? Could it be that my wife has heard rumors that he’s well versed in battle strategies as well?” The Governor said hesitantly.
“Husband, this person is such a gifted man, and he’s so young. If you would take him as an advisor, you would find many uses for him. Taking a step back, my husband was so enraged by his current advisors that he smashed the teacup all over the floor. I’m afraid that goes to show how you disagree with their opinions. You should give him a shot, and even if he doesn’t live up to expectations, he is still a very talented young man with a bright future that you can find some use for.”
Hearing Mistress Du’s words, the Governor sank deep into thought. After sometime, he reached out for his wife’s hands enthusiastically, "How should I get him to become an advisor of mine then?”
“For someone like this, he would not be willing to become a military advisor. Instead I would ask him to become a Teacher to teach our Pan’er during his free time. He would not be able to reject being a mentor to the Governor’s daughter.”
This time, it was Mistress Du who was shocked, “You want him to teach Pan’er? Husband, even if you’re grateful to him for saving your life and wish to repay him, isn’t this slightly overdoing it?”
“Yes, you’re right. But after reading his book and seeing how brilliant it is, even if he doesn’t produce any other works, he will become a respected scholar that people look to for guidance. In asking him to become our household’s teacher, he will be honoured, and our children and even grand-children will gain benefits from this. In fact, I will benefit the most from his presence if he’s able to offer military advice.”
Hearing her husband's words, Mistress Du paused, before reaching an understanding, "Husband, you are really scheming.”
“Haha.”
Total Chapters in book: 265
Estimated words: 772462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3862(@200wpm)___ 3090(@250wpm)___ 2575(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 772462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3862(@200wpm)___ 3090(@250wpm)___ 2575(@300wpm)
______