The Supervisor's Summoning, First Meeting with Kong You

After Dong Jiajia and Liu Yu'er hurriedly left to find a place to stay, Jiang Chao looked at Bai Su Niang, who appeared to be watering flowers not far away, and asked:

"Su Niang, you... don't like them?"

Bai Su Niang shook her head and said softly, "No, they are the young master's friends, how could I not like them? It's just..."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "But Sister Jin Yu said that Young Master's good fortune is almost gone. If they move in, he will deplete his good fortune, so..."

Seeing her apologetic expression, Jiang Chao naturally couldn't bear to blame her. He hadn't intended to blame her anyway; he just wanted to ask why.

He knew about the two maids his mother had assigned to serve him. On the surface, they were obedient to him and called him "Young Master" all the time, but in reality, they each had their own ideas.

His safety must be put first, and no one should be allowed to harm him.

They were hiding somewhere, and even with his senses, he couldn't detect their presence.

In short, it must be not far away.

Seeing that Jiang Chao remained silent for a long time, Bai Su Niang thought he was angry and was about to apologize when Jiang Chao raised his hand to interrupt her and smiled:

"You don't need to blame yourself. I'm not angry or blaming you. If you feel bored at home, you can go out for some fresh air at night and wander around the capital."

Bai Su Niang was not assigned any tasks by him. On the one hand, the situation in the capital was relatively stable, so there was no need for her to go and gather information. On the other hand, the Yin energy in her body was severely depleted when she saved him that time, and she had not fully recovered even after resting for so many days.

Jiang Chao was afraid that something might happen to her if she went out, so he kept her at home to recuperate.

Bai Su Niang nodded upon hearing this, then sat cross-legged on the stone bench by the well and began to absorb the cold, yin energy overflowing from the well.

At this moment, Jiang Chao's feet moved, and the muffled voice of the little stone figure came from underground:

"Brother Chao, let Little God out! Little God knows he was wrong and will never dare to say such things again!"

Jiang Chao snorted, then moved his right foot away.

Then the little stone figure pushed aside the blue bricks pressing down on it and, with a "poof," pulled itself out of the ground.

Patting the dirt off its body, the little stone figure said with a pitiful expression:

"Brother Chao, what I said before was the truth, why are you...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Chao interrupted him, "You've met so many people in the martial arts world, don't you know whether some things should be said or not?"

Upon hearing this, the little stone man immediately shut his mouth and dared not speak again.

Jiang Chao nodded in satisfaction.

"Don't wander around lately. Just stay in my house. If you get really bored, try to add some life to my house and make the flowers and plants grow more vigorously."

The little stone man gave a sullen reply, then vanished in a flash.

Jiang Chao shook his head, preparing to find a place to rest properly.

He was quite exhausted from all the things that had happened in the past two days.

The main reason was that the sparring session with the Empress that night was too intense and consumed too much of his energy. In addition, the incident with Liu Chen later made him even more physically and mentally exhausted.

However, just as Jiang Chao lay down, another announcement came from outside the door.

The Imperial Observatory sent someone, but it wasn't one of Zuo Xiaoqian's subordinates; it was Zuo Xiaoqian herself.

"The teacher wants to see you."

The first words that Lord Zuo, dressed in his official robes and looking travel-worn, said to Jiang Chao were just that.

Jiang Chao was slightly taken aback. "The Supervisor?"

Why did he suddenly want to see me? Did he explain why?

Zuo Xiaoqian shook her head and said, "I don't know. The teacher only said she wanted to see you, but didn't mention anything else."

"Let's hurry up, the teacher doesn't like waiting, let's get there quickly," Zuo Xiaoqian urged.

Jiang Chao had never met the supervisor, and did not even know whether the supervisor was male or female.

He didn't want to ask Zuo Xiaoqian, as it was rather offensive.

When the Empress ascended the throne, the elusive Director of the Imperial Observatory did not appear. Instead, the Deputy Director of the Imperial Observatory, a kind-looking old man, made his appearance.

Jiang Chao thought for a moment and nodded:

"Then let's go."

The Director of the Imperial Observatory was nominally the highest-ranking official of the Imperial Observatory, but in reality, he did not participate in the daily affairs of the Imperial Observatory. Everything was handled by the Deputy Director and his subordinates. The Director of the Imperial Observatory was only responsible for occasionally observing celestial phenomena and pointing out errors in the calendar so that the Deputy Director could lead people to make corrections.

This is no secret, at least not to the powerful and wealthy in the capital.

Very few people have ever seen the true face of that supervisor.

The office of the Imperial Observatory was located on the Observatory Terrace north of the Imperial City. It was very close to the Imperial Palace, but its geographical location was very high. Standing on the top of the mountain where the Observatory Terrace was located, one could overlook the layout of the entire Imperial Palace.

The mountain where the Astronomical Observatory is located is said to have been built a thousand years ago by a master using sorcery, rather than being formed naturally. It has simply existed for so long that it appears as a mountain from the outside.

Jiang Chao and his group arrived at the foot of the mountain and looked towards the summit. They saw that the road leading to the summit was heavily guarded with numerous checkpoints.

It is said that apart from the emperor, even members of the imperial family are not allowed to set foot in the Astronomical Observatory unless it is for an important matter.

The Imperial Observatory was responsible for guarding the imperial dragon veins, in addition to observing celestial phenomena, deducing the fate of the nation, predicting good and bad fortune, and revising the calendar.

At the foot of the mountain where the Astronomical Observatory is located, there is the largest dragon vein in the world. This dragon vein stretches for nearly ten thousand miles, running through the north and south, nourishing the countless living beings in the land where the Great Liang is located, and protecting the Great Liang's country and society from foreign invasion.

However, in the past century, the fortunes of the Great Liang Dynasty have gradually declined, and natural and man-made disasters have occurred one after another. As a result, this dragon vein has been affected, becoming increasingly unstable, and even showing signs of breaking.

In order to preserve the fate of the Great Liang Dynasty, the late emperor spared no effort in his youth, secretly dispatching dragon-seeking officers to search for the locations of other dragon veins, attempting to find a new dragon vein to connect with this main dragon vein in order to restore the fate of the Great Liang Dynasty.

However, they overlooked what an emperor should truly do.

That is to be diligent in governing and loving the people, to be considerate of their feelings, to improve their lives, and to enable them to live and work in peace and contentment.

This was also the root cause of the subsequent decline of the Great Liang Dynasty. The emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty was only concerned with finding the dragon vein, but ignored the suffering of the people, which led to widespread resentment among the people. Local officials were corrupt and the people's livelihood was impoverished. In order to survive, many people had no choice but to wander the world, and eventually they could not control their greed, became outlaws, and embarked on a path of no return.

These messages are actually not hard to find; they are widely circulated in the martial arts world, and you can find out about them with a little attention.

With this information in mind, Jiang Chao followed Zuo Xiaoqian up the steps. Under the cold gaze of the heavily armored soldiers holding halberds, they stepped onto the high platform square and went straight to the gate of the Imperial Observatory.

The Imperial Observatory is a magnificent building with seven floors. Its overall style is solemn and dignified. From a distance, it looks like a huge palace, and its overall color is milky white.

Both the walls and the roof tiles are white, giving a sense of purity and holiness.

In front of the towering main hall, a plaque hangs, next to which is an instrument that resembles a sundial, but is not exactly the same. It is engraved with some strange symbols and patterns. Jiang Chao glanced at it and then looked away.

The ring within a ring, resembling the eye of some giant being, gave him a strange feeling and made him feel uneasy.

Fortunately, this strange feeling did not last long, because as the two approached the steps in front of the main hall, a middle-aged man dressed in black robes came out to greet them.

The main hall of the Imperial Observatory was white, but the officials inside all wore black robes, making them stand out starkly.

The man stood before the steps, bowed to the river below, and said:

"Lord Jiang, His Excellency the Superintendent has been waiting in the hall for quite some time. Please follow me."

Jiang Chao nodded and went up the steps. At this moment, Zuo Xiaoqian said, "Brother Jiang, I won't go in. Let Dr. Kong accompany you in."

Is his surname Kong? Or is he a PhD?

It turns out that this ordinary-looking man, who gave off an impression of mediocrity, was none other than Kong Yoo.

Jiang Chao couldn't help but raise his head and take a few more glances at the middle-aged man.

Facing Jiang Chao's gaze, the middle-aged man named Kong You smiled slightly and said in a gentle tone, "Greetings, Lord Jiang. I am Kong You, and I have long admired your name."

Jiang Chao quickly returned the greeting, "You flatter me, Lord Kong, you're too kind."

Jiang Chao had long heard of Kong You.

He was the most learned person below the Director of the Imperial Observatory, and was not only erudite and proficient in astronomy and geography, but also an extremely powerful Taoist alchemist.

It is said that this person came from the Xuanmen Sansheng Sect and was one of the three saints of the previous generation of the Sansheng Sect. His cultivation was unfathomable and his methods were beyond the comprehension of gods and ghosts.

Later, this person met the Director of the Imperial Observatory who was traveling around. The two played a game of chess, and afterwards, this master of metaphysics followed the Director to the Imperial Observatory and became a Doctor of Stargazing.

Now, the Three Saints Sect was one of the seven great sects that participated in the martial arts tournament held at the foot of Yunmeng Mountain a few months ago.

The Three Saints Sect is located in Luzhou, southwest of Daliang. Luzhou has a very special geographical location, with not only high mountains and dense forests, but also a great river that has nurtured countless lives flowing through it, making the terrain treacherous.

However, this place is a land of outstanding people and abundant resources. Not only have the Xuanmen (Taoist sects) taken root here, but many Jianghu (martial arts world) forces have also gathered in this area.

This area is mountainous and rainy, making it suitable for growing tea trees and producing a variety of fine teas, hence it is also known as the holy land of tea.

The Three Saints Sect is located on Jing Mountain in Luzhou. Legend has it that Jing Mountain was originally a sacred mountain, where immortals would sit and discuss the Dao and preach the Dharma on its summit year-round. Many martial arts practitioners who had been there returned with certainty that they had seen immortals at the foot of the mountain.

As for why they didn't climb the mountain to seek the immortals' teachings, it was because the mountain walls were too steep for ordinary people to climb, leaving them only to sigh in despair.

An ordinary person standing at the foot of the mountain, looking up at the summit, is at least several hundred feet away, yet can clearly see the people on the summit. This is the magic of Jing Mountain.

However, the truth of the matter is probably only known to the members of the Three Saints Sect, whose sect is located halfway up the mountain.

Jiang Chao had only read about the legend of Jing Mountain in an ancient book that recorded strange tales. It was only when he met Kong You from the Three Saints Sect that he came to know about this legend.