The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 119 Demon-Slaying General
"Squeak."

The door closed, and Li Heng slowly walked back down to the hall, saying softly, "Sir, Xu Wu is outside making arrangements to invite the members of the Canal Gang to go out for drinks and entertainment tonight, saying that Wang Erhu is hosting..."

In the hall, Zhao Zhiling sat on the armchair, his fingers clasped together, holding his lower abdomen, silently staring at the edict placed on the table.

This official document was only delivered to the Demon Suppression Division in Yangzhou today. The content of it is a commendation from the Demon Suppression Division of the capital city for Wang Wen's performance in the battle of Yangzhou Prefecture and the decisive battle of Huangshan. Wang Wen is promoted to the rank of General of the Huainan Circuit, a fourth-rank official, and is specially granted the privilege of establishing his own government and commanding troops.

The official document was issued by the Kyoto Town Demon Division.

However, the seal affixed to it not only bears the seal of the Demon Suppression Bureau, but also eight ancient seal characters: "By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous."

In his eyes, this official document was full of flaws!
The biggest point of contention is why the Demon Suppression Bureau issued the official document but affixed the imperial seal—that's something we won't even go into...

He simply won't admit that he's envious!
In the battle report he sent to the capital, although he did not deliberately downplay Wang Wen's achievements in that battle, he remembered that Wang Wen clearly stated that the battle at the prefectural government office was a success under Zhao Zhiling's "calm and composed command, and fortunately no one in Yangzhou was harmed."

How come he, the high-ranking official, got nothing, while Wang Wen, the subordinate, received a great reward from the Jingzhen Demon Division?
Does this even respect the rules of officialdom?

Also, which family's good person gets promoted, rising five ranks at once, directly from a sixth-rank junior official to a fourth-rank demon-slaying general?
What? Is the Great Zhou surnamed Wang? Even if it's a prince getting a gilded diploma, this isn't the way to do it!

In this way, from now on, he, as a fifth-rank demon-slaying envoy, will have to call that scoundrel Wang Erhu "sir".
But these are not the things that puzzled him the most.

What he found most incomprehensible was the timing of the official document being delivered to Yangzhou.

Five days ago, the document regarding the reorganization of the Imperial Observatory into the Demon Suppression Bureau was delivered to Yangzhou, and this official document arrived shortly after. Judging from the different transmission speeds of different documents, the document regarding the reorganization of the Imperial Observatory into the Demon Suppression Bureau and this official document were delivered to the capital almost simultaneously.

What does this mean? It means that the process for Wang Wen's promotion had already been initiated in the court, but it was delayed until now because of the reform of the Imperial Observatory into the Demon Suppression Bureau.

This extraordinary ability is truly terrifying to contemplate!
After a long pause, Zhao Zhiling said softly, "So, the big case in Hangzhou was undoubtedly committed by... Lord Wang?"

Li Heng hadn't yet seen the official document in the courtroom. When he heard Zhao Zhiling address Wang Wen as "Sir," he looked up at Zhao Zhiling in surprise before confidently replying, "Judging from Xu Wu and the others' attempts to cover up their deception, there's no mistake!"

After he finished speaking, there was another long silence in the hall.

When the two heard the news from Hangzhou earlier, they felt that Zhang Mazi's fearless and arrogant manner was somewhat familiar.

Later, when they heard that "Zhang the Pockmarked" wielded a twelve-foot-long spear, both of them thought to themselves in unison, "Could it be such a coincidence?"

Xu Wu's current words and actions in the yamen undoubtedly confirm the two men's suspicions...

All I can say is that Huang Xingde and Xu Wu underestimated the profound impression Wang Wen left on Zhao Zhiling and the others!
Even now that Zhao Zhiling and Li Heng are certain that Wang Wen was responsible for the major case in Hangzhou, they still feel absurd, confused, and ashamed in the face of this result!
They also considered Wang Wen a troublemaker and were putting all their effort into outsmarting and outmaneuvering him!

Wang Wen has already plunged his spear into the backyards of both Buddhism and the Ming Cult...

Even they couldn't help but laugh at themselves: 'What kind of person am I? Do you think I'm even worthy of fighting that guy?'

After a long silence, Zhao Zhiling finally spoke: "Arrange the ceremonial guard, muster the troops, and go to Qinghe to offer our congratulations!"

Li Heng looked up, completely bewildered, and asked, "Huh? My lord, what congratulations are we offering from the Qinghe Gang?"

Exhausted, Zhao Zhiling gestured with his chin toward the official document on the table, indicating that he should come and see for himself.

Li Heng, completely bewildered, approached the desk and tilted his head to examine the scroll, which was bound in brocade and presented as silk. At first glance, he was startled by the bright red seal that read "By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous." He shrank back, took a step back, bent over, stood on tiptoe, and strained to read the words one by one.

Zhao Zhiling felt increasingly exhausted looking at him, so he simply stretched out his hands and turned the document around to face Li Heng.

Only then did Li Heng see the handwriting clearly. He read it line by line, his face gradually stiffening.

Let him sort things out. When he accompanied Lord Zhao to Yangzhou to take up his post as the Junior Winter Official of the Yangzhou Astronomical Bureau, Wang Wen was just a small-time gang leader on the streets.

Later...

He served as the Junior Winter Official, while Wang Wen served as the Spirit Terrace Attendant.

He also served as the Junior Winter Official, and Wang Wen acted as the Junior Autumn Official.

He remained a junior official in the winter, and Wang Wen also became a junior official in the autumn.

He is still the Junior Winter Official, while King Wen is already the Demon-Slaying General!
'Hehe, it's fake, it's definitely fake. I must not be fully awake, yes, I must be dreaming…'

Li Heng laughed maniacally, but forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Lord Wang, you are truly a hero!"

However, Zhao Zhiling had worked with him for many years, so how could he not see what he was thinking?
Zhao Zhiling took a deep breath and said calmly, "Zhong He, don't make things difficult for yourself. Lord Wang is no ordinary man; he was born to stir up trouble... Can you handle things in Hangzhou? I certainly can't!"

Li Heng's throat tightened. He wanted to be stubborn, but faced with this situation, he really couldn't be stubborn... Damn it, he really couldn't!

This has nothing to do with the strength of martial arts or the power of authority, but rather that he would not do something so foolish as to offend Buddhism to the death, which would not benefit him at all!
Or rather, no normal person would do such a stupid thing!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but wonder... what was Wang Wen trying to achieve by doing such a stupid thing?
After much thought, he finally came to an answer he himself was unwilling to admit: 'That fellow did those things probably just to keep his actions clean in the short term and in his heart!'

He himself found it amusing that someone who used to frequent brothels and seemed like a lump of mud had become one of the few bright spots in this decadent world...

Li Heng, filled with emotion, clasped his hands in a deep fist salute: "Your Excellency's teachings are truly wise, I...I am completely convinced!"

Zhao Zhiling waved his hand: "Go do your work. Cooperate with Xu Wu to put on a good opera performance so that Lord Wang has no worries."

Li Heng responded, turned around, strode to push open the door, and stepped over the threshold.

……

Wang Wen stepped across the temple threshold.

He raised his head and gazed intently at the magnificent, smoke-shrouded hall at the far end of his vision.

Around him were a bustling crowd of pilgrims, as if they were at a market. Most of the pilgrims were either one adult and one child, or two adults and one child.

"Mother, I want to go home!"

"Son, listen to me. After we pray to Master Nianqing, you'll get better and won't get sick anymore..."

“Madam, Master Nianqing said that our child will definitely get through this calamity safely.”

"If the child survives this ordeal, you must come back to fulfill your vow..."

Wang Wen shook his head blankly, glancing at the worshippers. Looking at their compassionate faces, a mixture of joy and sorrow, if it weren't for his eyes occasionally piercing through illusions and revealing blood-stained, tragically beautiful wronged ghosts and vengeful spirits, he would have almost forgotten... that these people were no longer alive.

But whether it was the illusion of these wronged spirits and vengeful ghosts, or the real bodies of these wronged spirits and vengeful ghosts that he saw through the illusion with his eyes of the gods, their eyes... never changed.

No matter how tragic or bloody their vengeful spirits may be, the look in their eyes when they look at their children remains one of bittersweet loving affection. They seem to still be living on the day the Ten Perfections Formation was activated!
He lived forever in that day...

Wang Wen stood inside the gate, his expression uncertain, hesitating for a long time before suddenly turning around and walking away.

"Amitabha."

Just then, a gentle, aged voice chanting Buddhist prayers stopped Wang Wen: "Now that you've come, why are you leaving?"

As soon as the chanting of Buddhist prayers began, the surrounding noise and chatter ceased abruptly.

The endless stream of pilgrims seemed to have been frozen in time, everyone standing still, staring blankly at Wang Wen.

Wang Wen's body trembled slightly, and he stopped in his tracks.

He lowered his head, gripping the steel spear tightly, and said in a low voice, "Can I pretend I was never here?"

His voice was very soft, yet terribly hoarse.

The old monk asked, "Since you have come, why did you not come before?"

"even though……"

Wang Wen said in a low voice with difficulty, "Even if this is just a dream, could you at least keep them from waking up?"

His words seemed to break the old monk's guard. After a long silence, the monk sighed softly, "You have the heart of a Bodhisattva, which I deeply admire. However, I am shallow in virtue and heavy in sin, and I am unable to save these 68,274 believers from the sea of ​​suffering. I beg you to have great compassion... Roar!"

A chilling, malevolent roar interrupted the old monk's sorrowful and grief-stricken voice.

Wang Wen turned around abruptly and saw a black mist soar into the sky, swirling and flying towards the grand hall at the edge of his vision.

He immediately gripped his fine steel spear and leaped up, chasing after the black mist towards the grand hall at the edge of his vision.

As he rapidly approached the grand hall, the clear, bright sunlight quickly dimmed and darkened, and the vibrant surroundings, like ancient murals unearthed a thousand years ago, gradually lost their color. The lifelike worshippers also slowly shed their former appearances, reverting to their ghastly and bloody true forms...

For a time, demons ran rampant inside the temple.

"Boom."

Wang Wen smashed through the dilapidated gate and rushed into the main hall.

The golden statue of the Buddha, which should have faced the worshippers above the main hall, had been moved and was now facing away from the entrance. The gold paint on the statue was also mottled and worn, reflecting a dark reddish-brown color of dried blood in the gloomy light.

The statues of Bodhisattvas and Arhats enshrined on both sides of the main hall were either collapsed and broken or cracked in the middle... Wang Wen glanced around and found that, apart from the faded golden statue of the World Honored One facing away from the main gate, he could not find a single complete Buddha statue in the entire magnificent hall.

In the center of this great hall, a figure, radiating both pale golden Buddhist light and billowing black energy like a yin-yang symbol, sat cross-legged amidst a pile of dried monk corpses.

The figure, half of which still retained the form of a monk, was draped in a patchwork robe, with a kind face and radiating Buddhist light. However, his body was so transparent that one could see right through the scenery behind him.

The other half of his body was no different from a demon, with a head of bright red hair, covered in a hideous black armor with dense blood patterns, hands and feet like beast claws but covered in scales, and a face with red eyes, blue face and fangs, extremely ugly!
Through his eyes of the spirits, he could clearly see countless resentful energies, like thousands of spider webs, surging in from all directions and disappearing into the half-demon form...

Looking at this scene, Wang Wen suddenly understood everything.

"donor."

The half-old monk figure looked at Wang Wen, struggling to force a smile that was more like a grimace: "This old monk has made a grave mistake, and I deeply regret it. I am willing to descend to the eighteenth level of hell to repent for countless eons..."

"Don't say that."

Wang Wen said softly, "You're destined for the eighteenth level of hell, but you're not worthy of being imprisoned for countless eons. You're not qualified... Is there any hope for you?"

Upon hearing his words, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the cloudy eyes of the half-old monk. He grinned, his lips stretching all the way to his ears, revealing half a mouthful of fangs: "This old monk's three lifetimes of golden body have been destroyed, and I will never be reborn!"

Wang Wen stared at the half of the demonic figure that seemed to be stirring and gleaming with ferocity, tightened his grip on the steel spear, and asked, "How much longer can you hold out?"

The half-old monk in human form tried hard to close his mouth, spitting out each word with difficulty: "It will take at most half a day, and at least three hours."

Wang Wen nodded: "Then you try your best to hold on, I'll hurry up!"

He dragged his steel spear and rushed into the main hall.

The old monk, who had been in human form for half a year, nodded laboriously and said, "Okay!"

Wang Wen rushed to the foot of the Buddha's golden statue, looked up at the huge statue, which was more than ten feet tall and had its back to the gate, and said softly in his heart, "If you can't do it, then I will."

After saying that, he stuck the steel spear into the floor, jumped onto the stone Buddha niche, opened his arms and hugged the golden statue of the Buddha, and tried to exert force. He thought to himself, "It's just a clay sculpture."

"rise!"

With a sudden burst of strength, he lifted the golden statue of the World Honored One and tossed it into the air, sending the tens of thousands of pounds of the statue flying more than ten feet into the air.

Wang Wen spread his arms and stepped forward, first exhaling a burst of true energy to deflect the force of the falling golden statue of the World Honored One, then steadily caught the statue, hoisted it onto his shoulder, jumped down from the shrine, and walked step by step towards the outside of the main hall.

Upon seeing this, the half of the demonic form sitting in the center of the hall suddenly opened its mouth full of fangs and let out a strange "hehehe" laugh, causing the resentment in the hall to surge in response.

The half-old monk, who had been trying to suppress his resentment by keeping his mouth shut, spoke up at the opportune moment: "Two hours!"

"Boom."

Wang Wen quickly quickened his pace, using all his strength to carry the golden statue of the World Honored One to the outside of the main hall, and placed it on one side of the gate with a "thud".

Unexpectedly, the force of the landing was too great, and the Buddha's golden body shattered into two halves.

Half-old monk in human form: ...

Half-demon form: "Hehehe..."

Wang Wen turned his head, his face flushed, and said, "Fuck you, just wait and see how I deal with you later!"

Having said that, he rolled up his sleeves and strode back to the foot of the Buddha shrine, making a hand seal and silently chanting, "Heaven and Earth are boundless, Huangshan borrows the power... Arise!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a heroic statue draped in civil and military robes slowly rose from the bottom of the stone niche.

(End of this chapter)