The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 111 Accumulating Merit and Doing Good Deeds (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

That night.

Wang Wen tidied up the leftover mutton from lunch, made a braised mutton and offal soup, warmed up a pot of wine, and invited Huang Xingde over for a late-night snack.

During the meal, the father and son ate the meat in the pot while chatting about some strange and interesting things that had happened in Yangzhou recently.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Wang Wencai said, "Father, I have to go on a long trip tomorrow..."

"You just got back, and you're leaving again?"

Before he could finish speaking, Huang Xingde interrupted him, somewhat losing his guard: "What? Is your lousy Demon Suppression Division out of people? Are you the only one they can boss around, Wang Erhu?"

Wang Wen wanted to explain, but then couldn't help but laugh. He comforted her gently, "I've been back for over a month now, it's not like I just got back... Besides, I didn't stay long last time I went out either, I was back in just half a month."

Huang Xingde also wanted to persuade him not to go far away to take risks, but to stay in Yangzhou and live a stable life. However, reason told him that "a good man should have ambitions in all directions" and "raising a son should not be like raising a pig."

He remained silent and struggled for a long time before finally managing to utter a sentence: "What's the matter this time? Do you need my help? Don't underestimate me just because I'm old. I still have some influence in the Jianghuai region!"

At this point, he finally began to regret sending Wang Wen to the Imperial Observatory. If he had known earlier that the Imperial Observatory was like this, he would have kept Wang Wen in the Qinghe Gang and let him take over his position no matter what!
"It's a serious matter after all. I can't exactly turn it into going out drinking and carousing, can I?"

Wang Wen chuckled and joked with him, "Don't worry, I won't hesitate to help you when I need it. We're like family!"

"so rude!"

Huang Xingde muttered something, hiding his complicated feelings by looking down at his meat: "How long will it take to come back this time?"

Wang Wen replied, "It will take at least a month, or at most two or three months."

Huang Xingde suddenly looked up and exclaimed, "So long?"

"There's no way around it, things are just that complicated."

Wang Wen smiled and brushed it off, then changed the subject, saying, "While your son is away from Yangzhou, please take good care of yourself. Be kind and gentle in all matters, and back down whenever possible. You're not young anymore, and you're an adult, so don't get into fights with those young, uneducated people. If someone is really unreasonable and insists on taking advantage of you, just bear with them for now and deal with them when your son returns..."

Huang Xingde scoffed and said with a laugh, "I've crossed more bridges than you've walked roads, who do you think you are to lecture me?"

Wang Wen didn't refute him, but continued rambling on: "You've made a lot of money over the years, but given your age and ambition, I guess you don't have the desire to climb any higher anymore. You should know when to stop. Money is something you can spend, but if you can't spend it, no matter how much you earn, it belongs to others. The world is not good right now, so why don't we give away some money and accumulate some good deeds? It will be good for you and your son. Wealth dispersed brings people together!"

Although Huang Xingde was somewhat annoyed, he patiently listened to him finish speaking, and after a while, he said slowly, "This doesn't sound like something a kid like you would say!"

“People always grow up…”

Wang Wen smiled, pondered for a moment, and then decided to give the old man a little hint: "You know what kind of business your son is in. These days, your son has come into contact with a lot of mysterious people and things, and has also smoothed things over with... quite a few connections!"

As he spoke, he tapped the table lightly with his index finger to indicate that he was referring to the area below.

Huang Xingde looked at the ground following his index finger, slowly frowned, and said in a deep voice, "You're not drunk, are you? Bewitched?"

Wang Wen pondered how to explain this to him, and after a moment, he simply got up and went out: "Please sit for a moment, wait for me..."

A short while later, he returned carrying a spirit tablet.

Upon seeing the ancestral tablet in his arms, Huang Xingde felt a sense of unease. Just as he was about to speak, he clearly saw the inscription on the tablet: 'The Divine Tablet of Chen Gong, General of Huangshan, whose given name is Sandao.'

The handwriting is fresh; you can tell at a glance that it was just written.

His eyes widened, and he turned to look at Wang Wen: "Are you serious, kid?"

Wang Wen didn't explain. He simply placed the ancestral tablet above the side hall, then lit three sticks of sandalwood incense and softly chanted, "Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, may the divine general of Huangshan manifest his power... Wang Erhu of the Qinghe Gang in Yangzhou invites the divine general Chen to grace us with his presence!"

He placed three sticks of sandalwood in a bowl of rice in front of the ancestral tablet.

Then, wisps of blue smoke rose up and lingered, like a cloud hovering above the ancestral tablet.

Before long, a golden light appeared in the green smoke, and a three-inch-tall golden armored figure slowly took shape.

The phantom had barely taken on a human form when Chen Sandao's boisterous voice came from within the green smoke: "Big brother, what's up... Oh, Grandpa's here too?"

Huang Xingde was shocked and stood up abruptly, so much so that the movement even overturned the chair behind him.

Upon seeing this, Chen Sandao quickly bowed and said, "Grandpa, don't be afraid. I am Chen Sandao. Don't you recognize me?"

Huang Xingde looked at Wang Wen, then at the golden-armored figure in the blue smoke, and was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a moment.

"Alright, you can go back now. I'll call you if I need anything!"

Wang Wen abruptly waved his hand, interrupting the Maoshan invocation. The three-inch golden-armored figure in the green smoke instantly turned into a blur and slowly dissipated into the smoke.

"You saw it..."

Wang Wen walked behind Huang Xingde and helped the fallen chair up: "Even that good-for-nothing Chen Sandao, I was able to elevate him to the position of Huangshan God General. If you are willing to accumulate virtue, after you pass away, I will guarantee you the position of City God!"

He returned to his seat and sat down, speaking with a serious expression.

Huang Xingde stared at him intently, his mouth dry, and asked, "How...how did you do that?"

He murmured to himself, 'Are you really my good-for-nothing adopted son?'

"It's a long story..."

Wang Wen responded half-jokingly, "You know about the Battle of Huangshan. In that battle, I inadvertently helped the God of Huangshan and formed a deep bond with Him. Now I can say that I am doing things for Him. He usually won't refuse my requests that aren't too unreasonable. It is precisely because of this relationship that I was able to join the Shangqing Sect of Maoshan."

“Oh right, those Huangshan specialties were brought back from every nook and cranny of Huangshan by Chen Sandao with the divine power of the Huangshan God General. Otherwise, who could find so many aged local specialties in such a short time? Even a hundred or eighty herb gatherers couldn't get them.” Huang Xingde pondered for a long time without saying a word, then suddenly said, “How about I ask a matchmaker to find you a wife later?”

"What are you talking about? I'm here to talk about serious matters!"

Wang Wen scratched his head vigorously, feeling the fear of being pressured to get married by his elders once again: "Don't worry about this for the next two years, I don't have time to think about it!"

Huang Xingde stared intently at him: "So what do you have time for?"

After thinking it over, Wang Wen felt that there was nothing he couldn't say, so he simply told the truth: "Well, I'll just tell you straight, I've been practicing a very masculine and vigorous virginity-cultivating technique. I have to preserve my yang energy and not lose my virginity again, otherwise, this technique will be ruined... Otherwise, I would have been drinking and carousing with Er Gou and the others long ago, instead of being stuck at home for so long?"

"Tongzigong?"

Huang Xingde immediately became interested, adopting a rather persistent and inquisitive attitude: "What kind of virginity training?"

Wang Wen didn't speak, but simply spread out his right hand, from which a three-foot-high golden thunderbolt shot out, crackling loudly.

As Huang Xingde stared at him with dazed, shocked eyes, he said smugly, "This thing is called Crimson Palace Thunder. It is an extremely powerful and yang thunder technique that can suppress all yin and evil energy. No matter what kind of demons or monsters they are, they will have to kneel down and kowtow when they see this thunder, shouting 'Grandpa, spare my life!'"

Hearing that familiar, smug tone, Huang Xingde finally felt relieved: "I see..."

Then, a strange light shone in his eyes: "So, does that Huangshan God you mentioned really appreciate you so much? Can he really guarantee that we'll become the City God after we die?"

Wang Wen retorted, "Would I lie to you?"

Huang Xingde's heart raced, and he quickly picked up the teacup beside him and drank it all in one gulp, but he still felt parched: "Let's not talk about such superstitious things, besides accumulating good deeds... is there any other way?"

He gave Wang Wen a knowing look.

Wang Wen was completely bewildered: "What method?"

Huang Xingde gave him a disdainful look and said in a low voice, "For example, building a few temples and ancestral halls for his hometown... Have you forgotten what kind of business our family is in?"

Wang Wen paused for a few seconds, then suddenly realized: "You mean those nunneries? Is that... alright?"

Huang Xingde crossed his arms and said domineeringly in a calm voice, "We can't speak for other places, but in Yangzhou, this little corner of the world, if I say it's good, then it's good!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, if you haven't been drinking, you're from the Canal Gang; if you have been drinking, then the Canal Gang is yours, right?"

Wang Wen joked, but in his heart he was pondering the implications of what was happening.

After a long pause, he frowned and said in a deep voice, "In my opinion, this cannot be done... at least not at the moment!"

“My son had previously discussed with the Maoshan sect leader, Master Hunkun, about seeking an official title from the imperial court for the Huangshan deity. Before the court has made a decision on this matter, it would be best if we did not act rashly to avoid bringing trouble upon ourselves.”

"Furthermore, during the Battle of Huangshan, the God of Huangshan dealt with the White Lotus Sect and the Ming Cult. They may not have the courage to retaliate against the God of Huangshan, but they may have the courage to purge the followers of the God of Huangshan. Yangzhou is too far from Huangshan, and the God of Huangshan cannot reach it. It would be better if we two didn't become the first to stick our necks out!"

"Besides that, you also need to consider the perception of the headquarters. After all, the nunneries are the foundation of the Canal Gang, and engaging in these superstitious activities in these nunneries is bound to arouse taboos..."

He was certainly not afraid of these troubles, but he had to consider Huang Xingde's situation.

Huang Xingde naturally understood the meaning behind his words, and was greatly pleased.

However, he completely disagreed with Wang Wen's view: "Young people should have the spirit of youth. How can they achieve great things if they are hesitant and indecisive? If we follow your advice and wait for the court to define the nature of the Huangshan deity before taking action, will it still be our turn to fawn over the Huangshan deity by then? Erhu, it's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow!"

After hearing what he said, Wang Wencai suddenly remembered that when this old man was young, he was a ruthless man who would wield two watermelon knives and hack his way from one end of the street to the other. Although he was old now, he was still as ruthless as ever.

He slowed his speech, speaking in a tone as if coaxing a child, "You don't understand, my son has a deep connection with the God of Huangshan..."

Huang Xingde: "You're the one who doesn't understand! Don't you know that the more you use a relationship, the thinner it becomes? Your connection with the Venerable God of Huangshan is a blessing that your Wang family has accumulated over generations. That's why you should seize this opportunity while it's hot, instead of relying on the Venerable God of Huangshan's favor to act recklessly and without knowing when to advance or retreat!"

Seeing that the old man's tone was getting more and more serious, and that he was so stubborn that even nine oxen couldn't pull him back, Wang Wen simply said bluntly, "Even if you strike while the iron is hot, you still need to be tough enough, right? With your current physique, if any few ruthless characters from the White Lotus Sect or the Ming Cult came, you would be knocked down on the spot... What, do you think life is too short and want to take a shortcut?"

Huang Xingde frowned, his face thoughtful, and said in a deep voice, "Nothing is ever smooth sailing or achieved overnight. As long as we don't give up, there will always be a way to deal with it!"

Seeing that the old man hadn't given up even after he'd said all that, Wang Wen realized he had seriously underestimated the old man's attraction to the underworld official.

That makes sense, after all, the end of the universe is the underworld!
He wasn't going to try to persuade him anymore. He had already laid out the problems, and the old man wasn't a reckless fool who didn't know what was good for him. He didn't need to say anything more.

When it comes to brains, even he himself wouldn't dare say he's definitely smarter than this old man.

This old man started from scratch and managed to remain the leader of the Qinghe Gang for nearly twenty years without any setbacks. He is definitely a first-rate shrewd person!
Even in his previous life, this old man would definitely be a capable earthmoving worker...

"Alright, as long as you know your limits!"

Wang Wen pointed to Chen Sandao's ancestral tablet: "Chen Sandao has already used this ancestral tablet once. A trace of his divine will remains on it. You can regard it as Chen Sandao's consecrated statue. Keep it in your hand and burn incense morning and evening to maintain that trace of divine will. When necessary, you can contact the God of Huangshan through Chen Sandao. With his son's influence, He will lend you a hand!"

Huang Xingde looked at Chen Sandao's ancestral tablet and nodded, saying, "Okay."

……

The following morning, Wang Wen led Hei Erniu on a canal boat, heading south to Hangzhou.

Three days later, he arrived in Hangzhou safely, found a familiar member of the Canal Gang to be his guide, and then went to Kuaiji.

Before he even left Hangzhou, he saw countless homeless people whose eyes were devoid of any life, begging for food along the streets like walking corpses.

Upon inquiry, it was confirmed that these refugees were indeed people from Kuaiji.

miserable……

It's unbearable to look at!
(End of this chapter)