Longzang

Chapter 1211 Major Section
Wei Yuan carefully examined the official before him. Although this body was merely an avatar, with only the initial stage of Dharma Aspect cultivation, it contained a wisp of Wei Yuan's divine sense, making its rank far superior to that of ordinary Imperial Realm cultivators. A single glance was enough to discern most of the world's hidden secrets.

This official's Dao power was mixed and impure, and his Dao foundation was of a low grade, somewhere between the Human and Earth ranks. He likely came from a minor sect, and his path in Dao had ended there; at most, he could barely break through to the Dharma Aspect stage. He possessed some pure energy, but not much, and it was not systematic. It was probably acquired through his own study of scriptures, rather than being a direct inheritance from the Four Saints Academy.

Apart from that, there was no light or Buddhist power, only a faint scent of incense, probably from recently listening to sutras.

Seeing that there were no signs of Buddhist practice on this person, Wei Yuan's anger subsided somewhat. He then flashed his waist token and said in a deep voice, "Since you know the law, do you recognize this waist token? Why can't I sit in this position?"

The magistrate said, “There are proper etiquettes and laws governing authority. If Your Excellency is coming to inspect, you should first send official documents stating your identity and the purpose of your visit. I do not recognize Your Excellency, and what if this badge is fake?”

Wei Yuan's suppressed anger surged back, and he said coldly, "Does this lord mean that no matter who comes today, without official documents, they can't command you?"

The magistrate proudly replied, "That's right! It should be so according to the law. If Your Excellency is unaware of this, then I think Your Excellency is morally deficient and is probably unworthy of your current position."

Wei Yuan had completely lost his patience and had no intention of playing word games with this stubborn and argumentative guy. He simply shouted, "Kneel down!"

Despite his strong resistance, the magistrate's knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

Wei Yuan coldly said, "Do you know your crime?!"

"What crime have I committed? It is you, of unknown origin, who has been bullying others just because of your little bit of cultivation. Your crimes are already unforgivable!"

Wei Yuan remained expressionless and said, "Let me ask you, what is the current state of the county's primary school? Is it still teaching and educating students?"

The magistrate tried several times to stand up, but his body felt as heavy as a mountain, and each struggle only resulted in a series of cracking sounds from his bones. He knelt on the ground, his face flushed red, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I am an official appointed by the imperial court. Your humiliation of me is an insult to the imperial court! Even if you wield immense power, can you escape the condemnation of history?"

Wei Yuan said calmly, "I'm asking you, what is the current state of the Enlightenment Academy? If you don't answer, I'll strip you of your clothes and have you flogged in the middle of the street!"

The magistrate's expression changed slightly; clearly, being subjected to naked torture in the marketplace was worse than death for him. He could only say, "The Enlightenment Academy is temporarily lent to Master Xingfang for his use in expounding profound truths. Master Xingfang has been bestowed with divinely inspired profound scriptures and wondrous methods; I have already spoken with him, and they are indeed supreme and wondrous texts."

The monk had no temple, so I approved the establishment of an elementary school for him, so that he could help more people in the world be enlightened.

Wei Yuan's face darkened, and he said, "So it was you who orchestrated this! The imperial court has repeatedly issued orders that the academy must not be used for other purposes. Didn't you know that?"

The magistrate retorted, "Laws are rigid, but the times are flexible! Now a Dharma Master has come with scriptures to help sentient beings attain salvation, resolve their sins, cultivate compassion, and experience great joy. This is a fundamental opportunity! Teaching a mere hundred ordinary people to recognize a few words is a small gain. How can we sacrifice our principles for a small gain?"

Wei Yuan's face grew increasingly grim. He said, "Who decided on the grand principles, and who decided on the petty benefits? You? Are you an official of the Western Jin Dynasty, or an official of the Qingming Dynasty?"

“I, Chi Fangyi, was appointed by Qingming to take up my post. I am an official of the Western Jin Dynasty, whether you call me an official of the Western Jin or an official of Qingming.”

"Since you know you are an official of Qingming, why do you disobey Qingming's laws and arbitrarily change the purpose of the academy!" Wei Yuan's voice was not loud, but it was like thunder, echoing repeatedly in the hall.

The county magistrate, surnamed Chi, showed no fear and declared loudly, "I came here on the orders of Qingming, but now that I am here, I must consider the well-being of the people. Since taking office, I have always put the people's welfare first, and I am deeply loved and respected. So you ask me whose official I am? I am the official of Tuchuan County, elected by the people of the entire county! No one but the people of Tuchuan can remove me from office!"

Wei Yuan's expression finally turned completely cold. He said, "So that's how it is. Lord Chi is not an official of the common people, but an official of the Pure Land. If it weren't for your unyielding integrity, I would have almost misjudged you! Guards, remove his clothes, give him eighty strokes of the cane, and imprison him to await further punishment!"

A faint light flashed in the hall, and several constables lost their expressions and rushed forward like wolves and tigers. Their strength was terrifying. They directly pinned down Chi Fangyi, who was at the Foundation Establishment stage, stripped him of all his clothes, and then swung a round wooden stick, hitting his snow-white buttocks with it. Blood immediately appeared!
*Crack! Crack! Crack!* The sound of the stick echoed, but the magistrate surnamed Chi didn't utter a single scream. He just stared at Wei Yuan, his face full of stubbornness and ferocity. Wei Yuan knew perfectly well that he would never submit unless he was beaten to death.

In the blink of an eye, eighty blows were delivered, and Chi Fangyi's buttocks were a bloody mess. Although he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could not withstand the blows. In the end, he roared, "You have acted perversely! Even if you are a Realm Lord, you must put yourself out of the sight of all people!"

After saying this, he fainted. Wei Yuan ordered his men to drag him away and throw him into the death row. Then he sent men into the backyard to arrest all the magistrate's family members, while the monk who had been preaching secretly tried to escape using his magic. But under Wei Yuan's watchful eye, all his spells were rendered useless, and he was unable to use his supernatural powers. Like an ordinary person, he was shackled and imprisoned.

By this point, Wei Yuan could clearly see that Chi Fangyi had indeed been converted, but the conversion was extremely sophisticated, so much so that even Wei Yuan couldn't detect any trace of it. Moreover, the conversion itself only accounted for 30%, with about 70% being his own thoughts, which were stimulated and solidified into beliefs. Chi Fangyi was also willing to die for his beliefs, which led to the current situation.

Wei Yuan also possessed similar methods of conversion; with a mere thought, he commanded the yamen runners who had clearly already been converted to obey his orders. However, compared to these methods, the Pure Land approach was significantly more sophisticated and powerful. Furthermore, the high monk's sacrifice of his own life to perform the ritual made the conversion effect extremely domineering and almost irresistible.

Tuchuan County is located precisely at the intersection of the earth's energy veins, making its transformative effects particularly pronounced. There are dozens of similar counties, each with three county seats; the situation is quite predictable, almost all of them are like this.

At this moment, Chi Fangyi was dragged away, leaving a long trail of blood on the hall floor. Wei Yuan stared at the bloodstain, a murderous intent surging within him: Daring to convert my Azure Netherworld Official…

Wei Yuan remained seated, and the expressions on the faces of the constables returned—some were astonished, some were terrified, and some trembled. Wei Yuan had withdrawn his divine sense, and they regained their composure. However, a few constables glared angrily at Wei Yuan, as if they might pounce on him at any moment.

From this point of view alone, Wei Yuan's methods of conversion are indeed far inferior to those of the Pure Land. The moment he withdrew his divine sense, the Pure Land gained the upper hand.

Wei Yuan sat for a while, and then a monk walked in from outside the main hall. He still had a lot of stubble on his head. It was the same monk that Wei Yuan had seen in the academy.

Wei Yuan remained seated, coldly asking, "Which master is it this time?"

The monk's face glowed slightly as he said, "It's just a physical body; who you are isn't important. What matters is what you do."

This monk was no longer the illiterate man he had been moments before. If others had seen him, they would have praised him for his extraordinary abilities and myriad forms.

But Wei Yuan knew that the monk from before had really not read much, while the one in front of him was a true high monk. The monk from the academy had been replaced, and this was not the appearance of a high monk.

The monk chanted a Buddhist prayer and asked, "This humble monk wishes to know the current state of Master Jingru's golden body?"

"Let me check..." Wei Yuan paused for a few moments before saying, "It's all done. The organs have all been removed, and some of the muscle tissue has been divided into fingertip-sized particles. More than four hundred of them have been cut out, numbered, and are ready to be used for different experiments."

Anger flashed in the monk's eyes as he said, "Master Jingru sacrificed himself to bring bliss to countless beings, his merits are boundless! How can you bear to destroy his golden body and dishonor his Dharma body?"

Wei Yuan said calmly, "You convert my Azure Netherworld Official, where does that leave my dignity?"

"Is the ultimate bliss of all beings more important, or the dignity of the realm lord?"

Wei Yuan replied without hesitation, “Of course, my reputation is more important! If you dare to convert Qingming Mingguan again, not only will Master Jingru’s golden body be dissected and studied, but your Dharma body will be the same.”

The monk clearly hadn't expected Wei Yuan to be so vehement, and sighed, "How is the Realm Lord any different from a demon in his actions?"

Wei Yuan said, "Regardless of what I have done, in my eyes, nothing is more important than your so-called bliss. Bliss, bliss, that is your bliss. If the people obtain your bliss, they will only become a bunch of laughing puppets."

The monk sighed, "Lord of the Realm, you are mistaken! Even if they are puppets, it is their own choice, and it is the will of the people. Lord of the Realm has always claimed to be acting in the interests of all people, so how can you be so perverse today?"

Wei Yuan sneered: "If the people are enlightened, they can make their own choices; if the people are not enlightened, this is deception!"
So before I enlighten the people, no matter how eloquently you speak, it's useless! If you dare to convert them, I will send your spiritual bodies into a laboratory for mortals to study.

P.S.: I ended the New Year's Eve chapter in the previous one, fearing that everyone's Dao heart might not be fully clear. Wishing everyone a happy Year of the Horse and instant success!
(End of this chapter)