The Wheel-Turning Master.

Chapter 276: A Leisurely Journey in the World
Li Wusheng saw clearly that Lin Zhuanlun had obviously noticed him, but he ignored him and just stood on the high platform with an increasingly determined and angry look on his face.

After listening to Lin Zhuanlun talking for a long time, it was nothing more than about the rampant corruption among officials and the miserable lives of the people. He also talked about equal distribution of land and exemption of the capitation tax.

Li Wusheng was not interested in any of this, but the refugees listened very seriously.

"Why do I feel that Lin Zhuanlun is very familiar with these rebellions? It seems that he has been planning it for a long time..."

Li Wusheng was not in a hurry to ask, he just watched from a distance.

After a while, a child came running over, panting, took out a cake from his arms, and handed it forward with both hands, "Eat it, Wusheng Old Mother."

Now Li Wusheng has long accepted the title of "Mother of No Birth". Since she is a mortal and ignorant person, she doesn't care about these things.

The child's parents died of hunger and illness. Li Wusheng helped bury them and also treated the child's illness, so the child has always followed Li Wusheng.

"Where did the cake come from? Have you eaten it?" Li Wusheng asked.

"Gourd King gave it to me! I drank the porridge!" The child was very excited. "The King is a good man. He even touched my head and said that he would never let me go hungry again, nor would he let anyone else go hungry!"

Li Wusheng didn't understand what tricks this junior brother Zhuanlun was playing and just shook his head.

After taking the pancake, Li Wusheng actually started to eat it.

The high platform in the distance was becoming increasingly lively. The refugees, who had just slurped up their rice porridge, had regained their strength. Whenever the Gourd King shouted, they would follow suit.

Countless refugees gathered under the city wall, their breath turned into dragons, and their vigorous energy soared to the sky.

Li Wusheng watched from afar, broke half of the cake and gave it to the child.

The child took the cake and nibbled it carefully, mumbling about the deeds of the Gourd King.

He started out by leading a dozen refugees, but later had thousands of refugees following him. He fought off several attempts by government soldiers to kill him and robbed the granaries of many wealthy families.

Someone went down to the river to catch fish and found a book hidden in the belly of the fish. There was something like "Gourd King" written on it. From then on, he was called "Gourd King".

Later, when they were marching at night, a green fox jumped out, knelt down and kowtowed to the Gourd King, and even knocked its head against the ground.

As a result, the reputation of the Gourd King became more famous, more and more people gathered around him, and he became a big name.

It was almost sunset when the Gourd King finished his story. Li Wusheng was about to go look for him, but saw a burly man running towards him.

"When the king heard that the savior Wusheng Old Mother had arrived, he was so happy that he couldn't eat. He wanted to come to greet her in person, but there were too many things to do in the camp, so he ordered me to come and invite her!" the sturdy man said in a muffled voice.

As a Jindan cultivator, he can reach the destination in one step, but he insisted on asking someone to deliver a message. What a vulgar behavior.

Li Wusheng held his forehead with his hand, feeling a headache.

"This place is full of mortals, without gods, ghosts or strange powers. Lin Zhuanlun does not use supernatural powers, but acts as an ordinary person. It seems that he and I have the same ideas."

After thinking about it for a while, Li Wusheng felt a little more admiration.

She was not a fool. She had asked Mo Yingcheng about the background of this Junior Brother Zhuanlun. She knew that he rose to prominence in Qiaoshan, was deeply loved by the ancestor of the Gu family, and had a past relationship with Fairy Chenyu. He was indeed quite capable.

"I was wondering why the Gu family's ancestor sent an alchemist here for training. It seems that Junior Brother Zhuanlun is indeed perceptive and aware of the situation."

Li Wusheng wanted more and more to have a chat with this Junior Brother Zhuanlun to see what he thought about this trial.

Following the strong man forward, they entered the Hulu Army camp.

Although most of the tents in the camp were in tatters, they were kept quite tidy and clean, and people came and went in an orderly manner.

When they arrived at a tent that was full of people, the strong man pointed and said, "Come in, Wusheng Old Mother!"

"No need to pass on the message?" Li Wusheng knew that there were many secular rules.

"Just go in!" the man said boldly, "The king said that all the poor people in the world are his brothers and sisters. Why would your mother, Wusheng, need to pass on the message to her own brothers?"

“…” Li Wusheng shook his head helplessly and stepped into the tent.

The tent was also crowded with people. Lin Zhuanlun sat in front of an old man with tears streaming down his face. He held the old man's hand, nodded from time to time, and his face was full of grief and anger.

There were a few young men nearby, also gritting their teeth.

Li Wusheng saw that Lin Zhuanlun didn't even look at him and was still listening to the old man carefully.

"..." Li Wusheng did not disturb him. He listened for a while and realized that the old man was complaining. One moment he said that his son was conscripted to build the city wall and froze to death, and the next moment his daughter was kidnapped by a local bully.

After hesitating for a long time, torches were lit outside the tent. Lin Zhuanlun finally listened to the old man's complaints, comforted him, and then personally sent him out.

"Senior sister, you came just in time!" Lin Bai patted the gourd on his waist, "Let's do something big!" He came forward and whispered, "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different races?"

"..." Li Wusheng held his forehead with his hand and said helplessly: "Brother Zhuanlun, have you forgotten your original intention? This is a place of trial, haven't you woken up yet?"

"Just a joke." Lin Bai smiled.

"Let's talk about what happened here." Li Wusheng had a headache.

"Let's talk while we walk." Lin Bai pulled Li Wusheng out of the tent, nodding gently to the people passing by from time to time, and said to Li Wusheng: "When I first came here, I traveled all over this place. Although there are legends about strange things, there are no cultivators like us, and there are no monsters either."

He pointed to the sky and said, "I don't have any spiritual energy. I feel very bored when walking in the world. How can I practice?"

"This trial ground is indeed only filled with mortals." Li Wusheng sighed slightly, "Except for praying for rain and summoning wind, most of the magical powers are unimpeded."

"That's right!" Lin Bai said with a smile.

"But this is a place of trial, so what are the trial takers?" Li Wusheng asked.

"What do you think, Senior Sister?" Lin Bai asked instead of answering.

Li Wusheng pondered for a long time before saying, "Since we have fallen into the mortal world, you and I should act as mortals and follow our destiny and Dan Lun!"

"Great minds think alike!" Lin Bai's face was filled with admiration and respect. "Before, I thought that Senior Brother Mo was only attracted by Senior Sister's beauty, but I never thought that Senior Sister also had great ambitions and insights, and was beautiful and intelligent! Now it seems that we are really a perfect match!"

"Junior brother, you are quite nice to hear." Li Wusheng finally waved his hands in embarrassment, with a smile on his face, and asked: "Then Junior brother, do you think the same as I do?"

"That's right. With a mortal body, we should follow our destiny and the theory of elixir." Lin Bai said sincerely, "Of course, even though we are walking in the mortal world, we must not forget the heart of seeking the truth."

Li Wusheng nodded and said, "That's exactly what should be done."

"Then Senior Sister, can you help me pacify the four directions and rebuild the world?" Lin Bai said.

"..." Li Wusheng always felt that she was being tricked by this Junior Brother Zhuanlun. She was stunned for a moment and asked, "So you plan to become a mortal emperor?"

"Alas." Lin Bai sighed with his hands behind his back, looking up into the sky. He saw only stars all over the sky, lonely as snow. He said, "Although I have no intention of competing, I know the suffering of the people."

"That's right. Ordinary people are short-sighted and can only see the present moment, not the future." Li Wusheng nodded, "But Junior Brother, is this behavior in line with your state of mind? Is it in line with the theory of alchemy? Is it in line with the meaning of the trial?"

"I heard from Senior Brother Mo that my name was Li Xisheng before I formed the elixir. After forming the elixir, I became your master's disciple and was given the name Wusheng." Lin Bai did not answer, but only looked at Li Wusheng and asked with a smile: "Senior sister, how do you plan to act in accordance with yourself?"

Li Wusheng did not answer, but asked: "What about you?"

"People's hearts are like water, and people's movements are like smoke. The secular torrent is vast and mighty, so naturally I have to be a tide-rider." Lin Bai answered with a smile.

"Great sounds are silent, great images are invisible. The Tao is hidden and nameless." Li Wusheng clapped his hands and smiled, "Then I will just watch and listen to you, and see how you accomplish your goal!"

"Good!" Lin Bai was very happy and said, "Then Senior Sister is still Silent Mother, specializing in pharmacology and medicine. Although she can help me, it is not great. It is in line with the saying of observing the scenery and listening to the sound."

Li Wusheng thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement.

The two men had made their decision and said no more.

Three years passed quickly, and the refugees gathered to form an army, and the drought-stricken land finally welcomed the rain. Because the Hulu Army had strict military discipline and never harmed the people, it had an excellent reputation. It took only three days to capture the capital and trample on the officials.

"I, Lin Xianhu, am a sensible man. I will not be an emperor." In the imperial city, in front of the Golden Throne Hall, Lin Bai, wearing armor, refused to become emperor.

Two old men in Confucian robes stepped forward and tried to persuade him to accept the throne. They spoke incessantly, quoted from classics, and kept shouting the word "God's will".

A group of generals who followed Lin Bai also stepped forward to persuade him.

"Now the world is unsettled, war is raging everywhere, heroes from the north and south all have hidden ambitions, and they are all salivating over the throne! Besides, what virtue and ability do I, Lin Xianhu, have to dare to occupy the throne?" Lin Bai's face was serious, and he kept saying no.

Many subordinates tried to persuade him to come forward but to no avail. In desperation, they surrounded Li Wusheng and complained, "Old Mother Wusheng, you are someone the king respects. You must persuade the king!"

Li Wusheng's ears hurt from the noise from the crowd, and he whispered some instructions to them.

Soon, a group of people were in an uproar. They came forward, took off Lin Bai's armor, put on the dragon robe, carried it up and went to the dragon throne.

"What are you going to do? How outrageous! Do you want to rebel?" Lin Bai was forced onto the dragon throne by everyone with no other options.

Then everyone knelt down and shouted "Long live the emperor".

"You guys really made me suffer! You really made me suffer!" Lin Bai gestured at the dragon robe and found that it fit him quite well. His helpless look slowly turned into a smile.

Li Wusheng watched from the side and couldn't help but hold his forehead, thinking that Junior Brother Zhuanlun was getting more and more into the role.

From then on, the country was named Dahulu and the reign title was Hulu.

Just one year later, he pacified the remaining forces in the country. After five years of recuperation, he launched an expedition to the north, personally leading the army and sweeping away the foreign tribes.

Then, with the power of great victory, he was determined to innovate.

The Gourd Emperor was not interested in beautiful women, did not build palaces, and did not covet delicacies. He was only focused on state affairs, worked hard to govern the country, repaired rivers, changed the civil service system, and reduced corvee labor. From then on, the Great Gourd Era of Prosperity began.

Forty years later, Lin Bai was already very old. "There are five Grand Secretaries in the current dynasty..."

Lin Bai made all the ministers kneel down and walked out of the hall. Li Wusheng walked forward amidst the vast expanse of white snow.

"I see changes in the celestial phenomena, and there seem to be signs of instability here. Has the trial been completed?" Li Wusheng asked.

"Perhaps." Lin Bai sighed with his hands behind his back, "The worldly affairs have worn away my ambition. I... I have seen people coming and going, and I deeply feel that people's hearts are fickle. Many of my old friends who followed me have long forgotten their original intentions, and now they have completely turned into termites, and their descendants are even worse. I am afraid that the Great Gourd Kingdom I built will not last far."

"Then did you gain anything?" Li Wusheng asked again.

Lin Bai remained silent. This time he entered the world to compete for supremacy. Standing on the top of the mountain, he watched the changes of dynasties and the changes in people's hearts.

The changes here are like the long river of time. Although it is just a scoop, how can we see it clearly? When you look from the side, you see a mountain range and a peak. When you are in the mountain, even if you climb to the top, it is difficult to see the whole picture.

Lin Bai shook his head slightly, looked at the snow and wind, and asked, "Senior Sister, did you get anything?"

"The greatest sound is the one that is silent. I want to watch you accomplish something, so I can listen to the silent sound. If you can't succeed, how can I succeed?" Li Wusheng actually complained.

"I actually learned something, which is that even if you are in a long river, you should not go with the flow."

Lin Bai, who was originally pale, regained his youthful appearance and said with a smile, "I have grown from a young man to an old man, and have traveled thousands of miles across mountains and rivers, but it always feels like it's not enough."

As soon as he finished saying this, the north wind stopped, the snow on the ground flew up to the sky, the earth trembled, and the sky collapsed.

"What happened?" Li Wusheng wanted to protect himself, but all his magical powers were suppressed and he couldn't use any strength at all.

In a daze, it seemed as if I had stepped into the door to the secret realm of trial again.

When he opened his eyes, Li Wusheng found himself in the fields. It was his first time here.

Soon, she saw Lin Zhuanlun falling in front of her.

"It feels like I've come back again, just like when you and I first came here." Lin Bai said.

"It seems that the trial is not over yet." Li Wusheng sighed and asked helplessly: "What are you going to do this time?"

Lin Bai thought for a moment and said, "In my last life, I rose from a commoner to an emperor, which was not very interesting. This time, I plan to go to the imperial court and save the collapsing empire!"

"Are you not going to help the refugees anymore?" Li Wusheng asked.

"I won't help you anymore." Lin Bai shook his head.

"In your previous life, you led countless refugees in an uprising, saying that you were acting on behalf of heaven and bringing justice to the world. But now you want to suppress the refugees. Aren't you upholding justice?" Li Wusheng asked.

"Senior Sister." Lin Bai chuckled, "Whichever side I stand on is justice."

Li Wusheng laughed when he heard this, "No wonder Junior Brother is favored by the Gu Family's ancestor."

This was an insult to someone who was thick-skinned, but Lin Bai pretended not to understand.

The two chatted for a few more words and then went their separate ways.

Taking advantage of the momentum gained from pacifying the disaster victims, Lin Xianhu entered the court, rose step by step based on his military achievements, formed cliques and factions, and eliminated dissidents.

In just ten years, he gained power over the government and the country.

"Now that I am in a high position in the government, I feel that it is so difficult to get anything done because of the torrent of worldly affairs!" Late at night, when Lin Bai saw Li Wusheng coming to visit him, he sighed repeatedly.

"Tired too." Li Wusheng shook his head.

"Senior sister, let me not say any more. You and I are mortals, and we need to sleep to be in line with the meaning of the trial." Lin Bai said seriously.

"That's exactly what we should do." Li Wusheng waved his sleeves and flew away.

Lin Bai also went back to sleep.

After a while, there was chaos outside.

"Father, I rely on you to deal with the invasion of foreign races!" A young man rushed to the bed and knelt down with tears in his eyes.

Lin Bai climbed up from the dragon bed, helped up the young man in dragon robe, and said: I am a commoner, but the late emperor did not abandon me and raised me from the grassroots. How dare I not fight to the death for you?

After saying this, he took the little emperor two steps outside, then turned back to look at the dragon couch and said, "Queen Dowager, please have a good rest. I will be back soon."

After pacifying the foreign tribes, Lin Bai became more powerful. People in the world only knew Lin Xian Hulu, but not Shaodi.

Another five years passed, and the emperor became strong.

Li Wusheng watched helplessly as his junior brother Zhuanlun, who was so complacent, was actually robbed of his military power by an inside and outside collusion. Then he was stripped of a series of titles such as Prime Minister and Grand Tutor, and then demoted again and again, until he finally became a gatekeeper.

“When one is in a high position in government, one worries about the people; when one is far away in the world, one worries about the ruler.” Lin Bai stood at the city gate with a spear in his hand. When he saw Li Wusheng coming to visit again, he sighed helplessly.

Li Wusheng shook his head and laughed, "I thought you were thinking about the Queen Mother!"

In his third life, Lin Bai became a nobleman, enjoying all the splendor and wealth, but then his family fell into decline and he became a beggar.

"Senior sister, you can accompany an emperor of a country, or a beggar in a busy city. What can you gain?"

It was raining at night in a dilapidated temple. Lin Bai sat in front of a remaining fire, took a sip of wine from the gourd, and then asked with a smile.

"It's just a handful of yellow soil." Li Wusheng shook his head slightly, and then said helplessly: "How can I pass the trial here? Junior brother, do you have any idea?"

"I realized I took the wrong path earlier." Lin Bai took another sip of wine and poured another for Li Wusheng. "Being in the long river does not mean I have to become a drop or a scoop of water. Instead, I am the long river itself, or a fish swimming in the vast galaxy."

"I would like to listen to the voice of my junior brother Changhe." Li Wusheng said more seriously.

(End of this chapter)