After the gift exchange, the Human Sect and the Mohists, having amicably outmaneuvered the Yin-Yang School, sealed their alliance with a ceremonial handshake between Sect Leader Xiaoyaozi and the Mohist Giant, Six-Fingered Black Hero, captured for posterity. The Mohist delegation then took their leave, though not without whispers they might ambush Lord Dong of the Yin-Yang School en route. This time, the Human Sect won't take the blame, Xiaoyaozi thought.
Meanwhile, Lord Dong faced a stern rebuke from Elder Baiyunzi. He promised to convey the Human Sect's warning to Donghuang Taiyi, ensuring the Yin-Yang School would cease troubling the Daoists. He emphasized their respect for the Daoist Sect and their commitment to the five principles of peaceful coexistence: mutual respect, non-interference, equality, mutual benefit, and cooperative progress. With that, the meeting between the Yin-Yang School and the Human Sect concluded harmoniously, and Baiyunzi personally escorted Lord Dong's party out of Daoist territory.
"What did the Yin-Yang School bring?" Xiaoyaozi asked Baiyunzi as soon as the guests departed.
"The Book of Songs twin swords, Jianjia and Bailu, plus a list of their spies within our sect," Baiyunzi said gravely.
"Who?" Xiaoyaozi's eyes narrowed, sensing the gravity of the revelation.
"Elder Mu Xuzi, guardian of the Treasure Pavilion," Baiyunzi replied solemnly. Had Lord Dong not believed their plot was exposed—thinking Lord and Lady Xiang had betrayed the plan and deeming Mu Xuzi expendable—the Human Sect would still be in the dark.
The Yin-Yang School's scheme was insidious: collude with Mu Xuzi to stage an attack on the Treasure Pavilion by Moon God and the Greater and Lesser Simings while Xiaoyaozi was away, stealing a secret treasure. Then, under Xiaoyaozi's name, assassinate Xiaomeng, the Heaven Sect's next leader, to spark conflict between the two sects. But Wuchenzi's emergence disrupted Mu Xuzi's loyalty, making him ignore the Yin-Yang School's orders, prompting Lord Dong to expose him.
That night, Xiaoyaozi, Baiyunzi, the other four elders, and a tag-along Wuchenzi launched a surprise operation, subduing Mu Xuzi and the Treasure Pavilion disciples.
"Junior Brother Mu Xuzi, have you anything to say?" Xiaoyaozi sighed, looking at the elder bound by a Daoist sealing technique that locked his cultivation.
Mu Xuzi glanced at the group before speaking slowly. "I never intended to betray the Daoist Sect or the Human Sect. But, Senior Brother, have you forgotten our stance? The Human Sect practices worldly engagement, but unlike Guigu's strategists, we, like the Confucians, remain impartial. We aid no nation, seeking only to temper our hearts in the mortal world. Yet what are you doing?"
He continued, "You may not know, but our Sect Leader is from Wei. He's never forgotten that identity. With Wei now a morsel before Qin's jaws, ever since Prince Zheng ascended, you've been scheming—allying with Wei's Iron Armor Sect, Yan's Mohists, and Qi's Farmers to resist Qin, dragging our sect into ruin. When the Yin-Yang School approached me to sow discord between the Heaven and Human Sects, I initially agreed. The plan was to steal a sect treasure, frame the Heaven Sect, and assassinate Xiaomeng to pin it on us. But then I realized there was no need for infighting. If you were gone and Wuchenzi became Sect Leader, your schemes would vanish. Wuchenzi is well-liked in both sects, so our goal became singular: eliminate you. That's why we ignored the Yin-Yang School."
"Me?" Wuchenzi—Li Haimo—pointed at himself, stunned.
"Yes," Mu Xuzi said earnestly. "We tested you, urging you to leave the mountain to gauge your stance on the states. You refused, like the Heaven Sect, so we trusted you to lead the sect's future. The Human Sect's century-long legacy must not be destroyed."
Li Haimo paused, then spoke. "Honestly, I favor Qin. The six states are decayed. Against a state's machinery, the Hundred Schools are powerless." As a time-traveler familiar with Qin Moon's history, he knew Xiaoyaozi's anti-Qin crusade with the Mohists led to the Heaven Sect sealing itself for a century, allowing Buddhism's incursion and the loss of countless Daoist texts, weakening native Daoism. "I stayed on the mountain because I fear death. As a child, following my beggar grandfather, I saw too much displacement, too many wars. As long as the six states persist, war will never cease. Only unification can end it, letting the people live in peace."
"But is a tyrannical Qin truly fit to unify?" Xiaoyaozi challenged.
"Whether it is or isn't, the people decide, not you, me, or him," Li Haimo replied. "Daoism teaches non-action. I choose to observe, not interfere. If Qin is tyrannical, the people will rise. If it's a golden age, they'll thrive."
"See, Senior Brother?" Mu Xuzi said, tears streaming down his face.
"Senior Brother, are you sure you contacted the Mohist Giant and not someone with ulterior motives?" Li Haimo asked suddenly.
"What are you implying?" Xiaoyaozi frowned.
"I met the Giant today," Li Haimo said. "He embodies Yan and Zhao's chivalrous spirit, not a reckless brawler. He's a true hero, one who acts for the nation and its people. I doubt he'd agree to an anti-Qin alliance, at least not now."
"Then who contacted me?" Xiaoyaozi asked.
"Prince Yan Dan," Li Haimo said, recalling a tragic yet unsympathetic figure. Yan Dan sacrificed allies for a fleeting dream, sending a revered hero to die, then abandoned his family to cling to a lost cause. Had he faced death honorably when his state fell, he'd be worthy of respect. But he didn't.
"Yan Dan?" Baiyunzi's eyes lit up. "You know him?"
"We met once," he replied. "He's skilled at winning hearts, with an emperor's aura but no staying power. He lacks the bearing of a true ruler, is cold to kin, and will meet a bad end."
The others gasped. Baiyunzi was the Daoist Sect's—and perhaps the world's—foremost diviner. His prediction matched Yan Dan's fate with eerie precision, as Li Haimo knew from history.
"Senior Brother, stop now while there's time," Mu Xuzi urged. "Recall all disciples and seal the mountain."
Xiaoyaozi looked at the elders, then at Li Haimo, silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke. "On Wuchenzi's wedding day, he will assume the Human Sect's leadership. I will seal myself in the forbidden grounds."
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