The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 279 Transfer Order
"But not all the entanglements of this world will have a cause-and-effect cycle. Sometimes, there is a cause but there will not necessarily be an effect."

"If a tree is destined not to bear fruit, no matter how well it is watered, it cannot change the laws of growth. The more beautiful the flowers are when they bloom, the more false it becomes when the flowers fall and there is no harvest. At that time, how should I conduct myself?" Tianpeng's voice was low and melancholy.

Ding Lin listened, feeling a chill run down his spine. He had originally thought that what drove Tianpeng was love, but now it seemed that it was just desire. What one cannot obtain will not only cause restlessness, but if one cannot obtain it for a long time, at some point, patience will run out...

"Jin Lin, I remember you said that if you are in a position of power, and you have a desire, you will stop at nothing to get it, even if it means stealing it..." Tian Peng turned his head and slowly looked at Ding Lin, his voice ethereal.

Ding Lin noticed that Tianpeng's eyes were mostly filled with confusion.

"marshal……"

Ding Lin opened his mouth, but didn't know how to respond. Giving advice might anger Tianpeng, who was too selfish to do such a thing.

And since Tianpeng had indeed treated him well, agreeing with him would be pushing Tianpeng into that dangerous situation, which was something that couldn't be done.

dilemma.

There was nothing more to do but remain silent for a moment.

"Jin Lin," fortunately, Tian Peng did not intend to listen to Ding Lin's answer. He quickly regained his composure and continued, "Besides talking, I have something else to tell you tonight."

“You also spent many years in the Lower Heaven, do you still remember the stable boy?” Tianpeng said.

"You mean, that monkey?" Ding Lin's eyes flashed.

"That's right. In previous years, this monkey was always the troublemaker. After he rammed my naval exercise, he fled in fear of punishment."

"In the mortal realm, the monkey is still incredibly audacious, raising the banner of 'Equal to Heaven.' He has some connections, and recently, the Great Celestial Venerable sent the Elder Taibai to summon him back to Heaven, granting him the honorary title of 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven.'"

“The Queen Mother of the West, mindful of the past, feared that he might cause trouble again if he was idle, so she asked him to temporarily take care of the Peach Garden.”

"Monkeys love to eat peaches, so let's have a monkey guard the peach orchard..."

"In just a few months, several percent of the peaches in the orchard have been lost. The monkey is fine and has not been dismissed. However, the peach orchard has changed managers several times."

"Tiannu suggested to the Empress that it would be better to send a general with a troop of soldiers to assist the monkey. Perhaps this could restrain him and prevent him from being so unscrupulous. I am stationed at the Milky Way, which is the closest to the Heavenly Court, so this task ultimately fell to me."

"Today, when I held court and summoned all the generals for a discussion, Wang Yu suggested that the generals in the army each have their own duties and should not be moved lightly, but the person in charge of the Peach Garden should at least wear a scarlet robe to be worthy of the position," Tianpeng said, looking at Ding Lin. "Wang Yu recommended you."

"Me?" Ding Lin asked.

"Are you willing to go?" Tianpeng looked at Ding Lin, smiled meaningfully, "This is actually a lucrative position."

Some things are better left unsaid than said openly.

The monkeys can eat the peaches, and the general on duty can also secretly make a move, but he must be careful to maintain the right balance.

"Marshal..." Ding Lin's eyes flickered, "This humble general dares to ask what became of those Taoyuan managers before."

"Those below the Golden Immortal level will have their cultivation sealed, be banished to the mortal realm, and be sent to a remote and desolate place to become either a mountain god or a local deity, never to return to heaven, to atone for this sin!" Tianpeng's voice was indifferent and cold, then softened slightly, "Those above the Golden Immortal level will be punished with a salary reduction of ten thousand years and reassigned to a sinecure."

True Immortal, Golden Immortal, Golden Nature Immortal—the difference of just one word is like heaven and earth.

In Wang Yu's eyes, Ding Lin was just a newly promoted Celestial Immortal. This time, his malice in pushing Ding Lin to the top was undisguised. He wanted to use Ding Lin as cannon fodder to fill the position, and he wanted to kill Ding Lin!
A cold glint flashed in Ding Lin's eyes. How could he not understand! But alas, Wang Yu was likely to be disappointed. His cultivation level was now sufficient. This time, as long as he seized the opportunity to accumulate his magical power to perfection while in office and advance to the Golden Immortal realm, he could avoid severe punishment.

At Ding Lin's current rate of increasing magical power, if he only cultivates step by step, it would probably take tens of thousands of years to accumulate enough magical power. Even if he stayed in the Tianpeng Temple to continue to enjoy Tianpeng's fine wine and nectar, it would still take several thousand years.

However, with the help of the peaches of immortality, the accumulation can be completed in a few years, or even a few months. Compared to this huge benefit, the punishment of the Heavenly Court for failing to perform its duties is simply insignificant.

"Thank you for your guidance, Marshal."

Ding Lin sincerely said that Wang Yu was unaware of his current situation, but Tian Peng had sensed the fluctuations of law emanating from him.

“I didn’t say anything,” Tianpeng waved his hand, then patted Ding Lin on the shoulder. “I originally didn’t want you to go. If you stayed in this temple, I could sometimes come over and chat with you. But since you’ve been offered this opportunity, I couldn’t very well block your future.”

Ding Lin's eyes flashed, and he bowed deeply to Tianpeng.

Tianpeng was indeed a good leader, at least to him. He not only never mistreated him, but also provided him with a great deal of assistance.

A flash of spiritual light appeared in Tianpeng's palm, revealing a black iron token that shone brightly in the moonlight.

"This is my command order. With this order, you can draw upon a force of a thousand men from the Heavenly River Navy to form a small net of heaven and earth, gathering the magical power of a thousand men within you. In this way, you can be considered to have the combat power of a Golden Immortal, barely worthy of your position."

“By the way,” Tianpeng smiled, somewhat amused, “During the day, I already gave the military order in the tent that these thousand men were drawn from Yinhuan’s unit. Wang Yu wants to kill you, so it’s reasonable for you to take his nephew under your command.”

Nephew?

Ding Lin then realized that Wang Yu and Yin Huan actually had this kind of relationship.

"In that case, besides the fifty men who are your personal guards, you can select another fifty men from the remaining one hundred to make a total of one hundred trusted men. Tonight, that will be considered your report to me. You can go to the Peach Garden to take up your post within three days," Tianpeng added.

"Yes," Ding Lin said, his lips pressed tightly together, a sudden surge of impulse rising within him.

"Marshal, you asked me that question before..." At a certain moment, Ding Lin seemed to have finally made up his mind. He carefully considered his words and slowly said, "Let me put it this way, I am a demon, and the fox I love is also a demon. Demons are different from humans. We grew up in the wilderness since our youth, where the strong prey on the weak and only the fittest survive. Compared to humans, demons admire strength even more. Therefore, I took her by my side and spent every day with her. Through subtle influence, I had a chance to get what I wanted. You can think of it this way. This is one of the methods I used to pursue her."

Ding Lin tried to fix the previous loopholes.

"So that's how it is!" Tianpeng nodded.

"Demons are different from humans, and fox demons in the lower realm cannot be compared to the fairy Chang'e. What I have said, Marshal, you may hear it, but just laugh it off. Do not take it seriously. If this causes the Marshal to..." Ding Lin paused and did not continue.

"I was just confused and misspoke. How could I possibly do such a thing? Jinlin, don't worry," Tianpeng said, not wanting to continue the topic. "You must set off immediately. You don't need to patrol later. Make some preparations, and go to the drill ground to muster the troops first thing tomorrow morning!"

"This humble general takes his leave!" Ding Lin said, giving Tianpeng one last deep look before bowing again.

"Go." Tianpeng waved his hand, watching Ding Lin leave. He then looked up at the moon, the pure white moonlight reflecting in his eyes, and for a moment, he felt somewhat lost.

……

On the same night.

The military tent was brightly lit by candlelight.

Wang Yu sat silently behind his desk. Below him, Yin Huan looked at him with a somewhat inscrutable expression.

"General, it's so late, why have you summoned me here? Is there something urgent you need to tell me?" Yin Huan asked. Wang Yu glanced at Yin Huan.

"Today, an imperial edict was issued, stating that the Great Celestial Venerable and the Empress intend to select a general from our Heavenly River Navy to guard the Peach Garden," Wang Yu said.

"The Peach Garden? Isn't that..." Yin Huan wasn't out of the loop, and he quickly realized, "General, you..."

“That’s right. Today, during the ceremony, an angel came to convey the Emperor’s will, and all the generals remained silent,” Wang Yu said. “I then took the opportunity to recommend Jin Lin to the Marshal.”

"The Marshal agreed?" Yin Huan asked.

Wang Yu nodded.

"All of you generals are the Marshal's right-hand men. Now that you've gone to the Peach Garden, it's destined to be a place of neglect. Indeed, even if Jin Lin is favored by the Marshal, he's still just a Celestial Immortal. How can he compare to you generals? He's only a fifth-rank official, which is barely enough. It's truly wonderful. If Jin Lin goes there, he'll just be filling a vacancy, destined for demotion and exile." Yin Huan's face showed joy.

“My proposal is beneficial to all the generals, so we will naturally agree to it. This is a grand and important matter, and the Marshal will naturally make his own choices. However,” Wang Yu looked at Yin Huan with a complicated expression, “the Marshal also issued another order, to transfer a thousand men to accompany Jin Lin to his post, in order to make up for his lack of cultivation.”

“That’s only right,” Silver Ring nodded. “After all, it was a task assigned by the Great Celestial Venerable and the Empress. Even if the Marshal tries to evade it, he will at least make it look good on the surface. It’s just a pity for these thousand comrades. They will inevitably be implicated by these scaly-clad bastards afterward.”

"Do you know which option the marshal chose?" Wang Yu asked softly.

"It's already decided..." The joy and indignation on Yin Huan's face vanished instantly, replaced by surprise and doubt. "General, it's...me?"

Wang Yu nodded.

"The Marshal is giving me a warning and expressing his dissatisfaction," Wang Yu said.

“General… Uncle, we have now completely fallen out of love with that Golden Scale. He is one rank higher than me. If I were to fall under his command, I’m afraid my situation wouldn’t be good.” Yin Huan frowned.

"It's not that bad. Before you leave, I'll replace you with a few more capable centurions. You've already reached the threshold of Golden Immortal. Although your immortal rank is a notch below his, his Heavenly Immortal status is only newly promoted. In terms of accumulation in the immortal realm, he's far inferior to you. Even if I overestimate him, he'll still have a hard time defeating you."

“Your strength is no less than his, and this group of men is full of his trusted confidants. Apart from legitimacy and righteousness, he has nothing. I don’t ask you to suppress or undermine him; just ensure your own safety. If you can still be dealt with by him even after that, then…”

Wang Yu did not continue.

That would be utter waste.

“Normally, if he gives orders within the normal range, you should obey them. It would be best if things could remain peaceful. But if he really becomes insane and it comes to this point, and you have troops and your own strength is not weaker than his, you will not be controlled by him.”

“If he develops any other ulterior motives,” Wang Yu paused, knowing without being too explicit that Yin Huan would understand, “you don’t need to worry about him. Just keep it to yourself. The more he embezzles now, the harsher the punishment will be in the end!”

“I understand, General. Don’t worry, I will keep a close eye on him,” Yin Huan said.

Wang Yu nodded.

"But in the end, you will inevitably be implicated by him and go to the mortal world. I'm afraid I can't recall you immediately. You'll have to wait a few years until things calm down before I can make any changes."

"Actually, it might be good to go down there and hide for a while. I've been feeling uneasy lately..."

Wang Yu held the rank of fourth grade official. Although he didn't know the exact extent of his position, he was certainly aware of the tense atmosphere and looming threat from above.

"Crack!"

The candlelight flickered.

Inside the large tent, light and shadow flickered.

……

At dawn, the rising sun was as red as blood.

On the training ground, Ding Lin, along with his personal guards and the fifty extra heavenly soldiers given to him by Tianpeng, showed Wang Yu the Xuan Tie token.

Their eyes met, but there was no emotion between them.

The subsequent handover also went smoothly.

Wang Yu tacitly agreed, and Yin Huan cooperated.

It seems that the sordid things of the past have vanished into thin air.

As they left the training ground, a white cloud rose up and flew towards the Heavenly Court.

"General!" The head of the personal guards beside him leaned over, wanting to whisper something.

Wang Yu raised his hand to interrupt him, then climbed onto the high platform to gaze into the distance until the white cloud completely disappeared from view.

……

White clouds drift by.

Above the clouds, crowds of people gathered.

Ding Lin observed them calmly. Most of the heavenly soldiers looked annoyed, clearly knowing what this mission meant.

But the fact that they have these emotions also means that Wang Yu and Yin Huan kept the news under wraps in advance, and they didn't know beforehand that they had been chosen.

this is a good news.

The fact that Yin Huan dared not inform them in advance indicates that when it comes to absolute interests, he was not confident that he could completely control the army. At most, this group of heavenly soldiers was only inclined towards Yin Huan, and had not completely sided with him.

The officers above the rank of sergeant mostly remained calm. If nothing unexpected happened, these were the true core of Silver Ring's forces. Appointing trusted subordinates as officers to gain control of the army was a common practice.

Ding Lin had a general idea of ​​what was going on. He then looked at Yin Huan, who was surrounded by three centurions. Each of them had a refined aura and gave Ding Lin the feeling that they were no less powerful than Xin Jia behind him. Their cultivation level was already barely enough to reach the level of a commander.

"General."

Behind him, Xin Jia's voice came softly. He saw Ding Lin's gaze and introduced him.

"Those three centurions are all immortals like me. They joined the army around the same time. The one on the left has always followed Yin Huan and is his old subordinate. The one on the right was originally the head of General Wang Yu's personal guard."

"The one in the middle, although he also served under General Wang Yu, never showed any obvious inclination. I didn't expect that he had been secretly subdued long ago."

(End of this chapter)