The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 185 Zhengyi Academy
"Your humble servant, Fang Xun, pays his respects to the General."

Master Jingzhen stepped into the study and bowed respectfully.

Wang Wen, who was still writing furiously behind his desk, waved his hand without looking up when he heard the voice, and greeted him naturally: "Nephew, you're here. Find a chair and sit down. I'll be finished soon... In the future, there's no need to be so formal when there are no outsiders."

With a broad smile, the old Taoist priest nodded in agreement, then looked around. He gently moved Xu Wu to the chair opposite the desk and put it back in its original position before lifting his dark blue Taoist robe and sitting down properly.

When Wang Wen finally put down his pen, he looked up and saw the old Taoist priest sitting upright in his chair, his back straight, his hands on his knees, and his eyes fixed straight ahead, just like a kindergarten child sitting attentively in class.

"Are you afraid of me?"

He asked with amusement, "I don't recall ever taking my anger out on you guys, do I?"

Master Jingzhen hurriedly bowed and replied, "It's not that I'm afraid, it's that I respect my master uncle... I respect my master uncle from the bottom of my heart!"

Wang Wenxin quickly reviewed his past interactions with these teachers and nephews in his mind with slight doubt. After confirming that he had not vented his anger on them, he stopped caring about what these teachers and nephews were thinking.

He got straight to the point: "I invited you here for two reasons."

Master Jingzhen said, "I am too kind to ask you, Uncle-Master. Please just give me your instructions!"

Wang Wen smiled and said, "Let me finish... The first thing is that I have decided to reorganize the Logistics Department based on the Imperial Household Department, and this Logistics Department will be temporarily divided into four departments."

"Let's talk about them one by one..."

"I named the first department the Earth Network Hall. Its main function is to collect and analyze intelligence."

"According to my plan, from now on, whether it is a case reported by ordinary people to the yamen or a case of demons and monsters harming people discovered by the subordinates on their own initiative, after the case is filed, it will be transferred to the Earth Net Hall. The elites in the Earth Net Hall will investigate and analyze the case to find out what kind of demon or monster is causing the trouble. They will also conduct a detailed investigation into its background, realm, and combat power to form a complete and accurate case file before handing it over to the Demon Suppression Guards below to carry out the task of capturing and killing it."

"This requires that the elites within the Earth Net Palace be extremely professional!"

"Because even the slightest misjudgment could very likely result in the complete annihilation of the Demon Suppression Guards who were carrying out this mission!"

"It is obvious that the disciples of various sects in our temple are still far from professional enough. Everyone's current understanding of demons and monsters comes entirely from the records of our predecessors, which are neither complete nor perfect..."

"My suggestion is that you take the lead and select a group of high-ranking monks from among the disciples of various schools in our temple who are fond of studying ancient books, have a spirit of dedication, and are cautious and meticulous in their work. We should use them as the foundation to establish the Earth Net Hall!"

"Of course, it would be best to further subdivide into different departments based on different preferences. For example, high-level Taoist priests who are interested in ghosts can focus on studying ghosts and thoroughly understand their various changes and realms. No matter how they change, they can see through their true nature at a glance. For obscure ghosts that others cannot find even a single word about in ancient books, they can tell you their past and present lives in detail with just a simple description!"

"High-ranking sorcerers who are interested in demons also devote themselves to the study of demons, striving to become masters of this art. No matter what kind of demon it is, as long as it is mentioned to them, they can immediately think of a way to subdue it..."

"This is my current concept for the Earth Net Palace. Nephew, do you have anything to add?"

He spoke quickly, but his enunciation was clear and forceful, displaying a decisive and efficient demeanor that was quite different from that of a proper official of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If we were to say that proper officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty were like soft swords that concealed their malice and killed without drawing blood.

Wang Wen's imposing presence was truly like a gleaming nine-ringed broadsword!

This left the old Taoist priest, Jingzhen, completely dumbfounded, his mind a jumbled mess, unable to keep up with his train of thought.

Wang Wen had already taken two sips of tea after speaking, but the old Taoist priest Jingzhen was still standing there in a daze.

He asked in surprise, "What? Was I not clear enough?"

"Clear, clear..."

Master Jingzhen suddenly came to his senses, waving his hands repeatedly in a flustered manner: "Uncle-Master, your explanation was very clear and detailed. It was my dullness that prevented me from grasping your grand ambitions. Please allow me some time to think it over..."

Wang Wen smiled and nodded, saying, "It was my oversight... Someone, bring in some tea and dried fruit for my junior disciple Jingzhen."

His study contained many important documents, and the servants in the backyard were not allowed to step into his study without his summons. Even the cleaning and tidying of the study were done by Wang Wen himself using magic.

As the saying goes, things are accomplished in secrecy and ruined by leaks.

Wang Wen's nature was recklessness, and his weakness was carelessness.

He is learning to restrain his nature and control his shortcomings.

……

Jingzhen, the old Taoist priest, drank his tea and chewed on his snacks, racking his brains for a long time before finally following Wang Wen's train of thought.

When he finally understood his uncle's intentions, he was both amazed by his uncle's ingenious idea and worried about the heavy responsibility that was about to fall on his shoulders.

Based on his understanding of this concept, this Earth Net Palace is absolutely the most important part of the entire Demon Suppression General's Mansion, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it directly controls the life and death of two or three thousand Demon Suppression Guards...

He was no longer young; his beard was already turning gray.

Faced with such a heavy responsibility, he couldn't help but ask himself: 'Are you capable of shouldering such a burden?'

The patriarch can attest that he really was just a Taoist priest...

After much hesitation, he finally told his uncle the truth: "Uncle, please forgive my shallow knowledge. I am only amazed by your grand plans and strategies, and I cannot offer any useful insights. Also... I am deeply grateful for your trust in us, and I would never betray your trust even if it meant sacrificing my life. But I am also filled with trepidation about your expectations of us, for I am afraid that my limited knowledge will hinder your important matters and endanger the lives of the brave men in your household."

Hearing his hesitant tone, Wang Wen smiled and said gently, "I'm glad you realize the responsibility involved. To be honest, I'm not afraid of anyone lacking ability or failing to do their best. I'm only afraid of people who are arrogant and eager for quick success!"

"Don't be afraid! We're all feeling our way across the river. You have no experience, and neither do I. We'll just discuss it and figure it out together."

"If you are willing to do something, you've already accomplished half of it; if you back down because you're afraid of not doing it well, you'll never get it done."

"Perfect timing, we still have the time and space to explore slowly..."

Jingzhen felt somewhat relieved after hearing this, and after thinking about it carefully, he realized that these things seemed to be within the scope of a Taoist's duties.

The first precept of Maoshan: Good and evil are opposed and fought against each other for life!
How can you kill an enemy if you don't understand them?

Wang Wen took a sip of tea and continued, "The second department, which I call the Heavenly Crafts Hall, is mainly responsible for crafting various talismans, magical artifacts, and even weapons with the power to ward off evil spirits and demons."

"The Gongshangin has been working on this for a while now, but I think the current approach of the Gongshangin is still too general and not making the most of its resources."

"According to my idea, this department can also be divided into a talisman-making section and a ritual implements section, bringing together highly skilled sorcerers who are equally adept at drawing talismans and crafting ritual implements, allowing them to learn from each other's strengths and make progress together." "I even think it can be done like this: for example, among highly skilled sorcerers who are good at drawing talismans, some are better at making talismans and some are better at drawing talismans. We can let those who are good at making talismans focus on researching how to produce the most and strongest talisman paper with the least amount of materials; while the highly skilled sorcerers who are good at drawing talismans can also break free from the tedious process of making talismans and focus on researching how to draw talismans faster and with greater power!"

"The process of refining artifacts is more complicated than that of talismans. We can also break down these processes and let the mages who are better at refining rare and precious treasures be in charge of refining rare and precious treasures; let the mages who are better at refining magical artifacts be in charge of refining magical artifacts."

"As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. I believe that as long as you all focus on studying a single craft, you will be able to greatly increase the production and power of talismans and magical artifacts. At the same time, you will be able to learn more skills in the shortest amount of time and achieve greater success in the art of talismans and artifact crafting..."

The duties of the Heavenly Palace were not complicated, and this time, the old Taoist Jingzhen followed his train of thought very smoothly.

“Uncle-Master, this matter may be a bit difficult. Although our three talisman sects are closely connected, they are not the same sect after all. Moreover, each of the three sects has its own secret talisman and weapon-refining methods. It may not be easy to get the three sects to abandon their sectarian differences... Of course, our Shangqing Sect will definitely follow Uncle-Master's lead, but it's hard to say about the Celestial Master's Mansion and Gezao Mountain!”

"I'll handle the sectarianism. You just need to operate according to my plan... We don't have much time left. We must seize every second to strengthen ourselves and deal with more and more crises!"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Jingzhen didn't think much of it and nodded in agreement.

Wang Wen continued, "The third part, which I call the Medicine King Hall, is, as the name suggests, primarily responsible for refining various elixirs, such as elixirs to enhance magical power, elixirs to enhance martial arts skills, as well as healing elixirs, wound medicines, detoxifying elixirs, miasma-avoiding elixirs, and so on..."

"This part continues my previous approach and can be divided into many departments. For example, mages who are skilled at pre-processing medicinal materials are specifically responsible for pre-processing medicinal materials; mages who are skilled at refining pills that enhance magical power are specifically responsible for refining pills that enhance magical power!"

"I will still handle the sectarian differences, including sending people to collect some elixir formulas that the Great Zhou has but the three talisman sects do not."

"Just follow my instructions and assign the personnel accordingly."

"The fourth part, which I call the Mountain and River Hall, is mainly responsible for researching formations. This is Gezao Mountain's specialty, so I don't need to say more about it."

"These four main halls will jointly support the logistics of our entire General's Mansion, arm all the Demon Suppression Guards, eliminate their worries, and allow them to focus solely on improving their combat power and eliminating demons."

"Of course, talking about work without discussing compensation is just being dishonest!"

"What I can offer you are official positions, salaries, spiritual medicines, cave dwellings, and even merit and the position of a spirit!"

"In short, as long as everyone works together to do the work I assign, we will take whatever is available in Huainan Province; and if Huainan Province doesn't have it, I will do my best to get it for everyone."

Jingzhen, the old Taoist priest, waited with shining eyes until he finished speaking. As soon as he finished, he couldn't wait to ask, "Uncle-Master, the Yin Spirit position you mentioned, is it...?"

Wang Wen laughed and said, "You should all have heard more or less about my relationship with Wu Zunshen of Huangshan. Now I want to tell you that my connection with Wu Zunshen is even closer than you can imagine. I can decide the position of any Yin God under his command with a single word."

"I have a certain degree of decision-making power over the positions of mountain gods and local deities throughout Huainan Province, as well as the positions of city gods and judges at all levels."

"As long as he fulfills the assigned tasks and possesses sufficient virtue, I, Wang Wen, guarantee him a good place to escape the cycle of reincarnation after his death!"

Master Jingzhen's beard trembled with excitement: "Uncle-Master, please don't tease your nephew!"

Wang Wen glanced at his excited expression, which showed both a desire for it to be true and a fear that it was fake. Without saying much, he raised his sword finger to his chest and chanted an incantation. Then he pointed at the empty space in the study and said, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

A flash of rich golden light appeared, and a figure with thick eyebrows and big eyes, wearing a long-winged black gauze hat and a parrot-green official robe, holding a pen in one hand and a book in the other, appeared in the study looking completely bewildered. He and the equally bewildered Taoist priest Jingzhen stared at each other in confusion.

The two of them stared wide-eyed.

"Junior Brother Jingzhen?"

"You are...you are...Senior Brother Jingxu!!!"

Ignoring the two brothers' excitement at their long-awaited reunion, Wang Wen used the Water Mirror Technique to ask for alms.

Before long, the teasing voice of Master Hunkun, like that of an old child, came from the Water Mirror Technique: "Junior brother, are you bored out of your mind again?"

The image from the Water Mirror Technique became clear, and the massive face of Master Hunkun, pressed against the water mirror, appeared before the three people in the room: "Hey, Jingzhen's here too? And this other one... he looks kind of familiar."

After Ji Liang was deified, his appearance changed from that of an old man to that of a man in his prime. For Hunkun Zhenren, this was a memory from decades ago.

If Ji Liang hadn't spoken first, the old Taoist Jingzhen might not have recognized him.

Wang Wenqiang suppressed a laugh and seriously changed Hunkun Zhenren's train of thought: "Senior brother, I have something to discuss with you."

Master Hunkun wasn't fooled. He kept staring intently at Ji Liang, finding him increasingly familiar: "What's the matter?"

Wang Wen clearly stated, "I intend to establish the Zhengyi Dao Academy in Yangzhou!"

Master Hunkun instantly turned his gaze and stared at him: "Academy? Or the Righteous Path?"

Wang Wen nodded: "That's right. I intend to establish the Zhengyi Dao Academy and enroll all eligible teenagers from Huainan Dao to study Daoist arts. I request the three sects of Talisman and Seal to appoint high-ranking Daoist masters to reside at the Zhengyi Dao Academy, teach basic Daoist arts, and select the best candidates!"

Master Hunkun scratched his messy forehead without any regard for his image, and said in a low voice with some difficulty, "Junior brother, as you know, our orthodox Xuanmen sect values ​​both the master-disciple relationship and the character and morality of its disciples. It is not very suitable for the Confucian approach, and it may also be taboo for the imperial court."

Wang Wen: "So what I'm saying is that I'm teaching basic Taoist methods and selecting the best candidates."

"Senior brother, the world has changed. The situation will only become more and more severe in the future. Moreover, the cultivation speed of our orthodox Xuanmen is notoriously slow and arduous. If we do not make plans as soon as possible, it will be too late to regret it when the Dao declines and the demons rise."

"Moreover, from another perspective, by recruiting eligible young people into the palace to learn Taoist arts, aren't we also teaching them how to deal with the resurgence of demons? With so many seeds sown, how many righteous warriors will we reap in the future? This is a great act of merit with immeasurable virtue!"

"As for the imperial court, I'll take care of that!"

Master Hunkun scratched his forehead again, looking somewhat flustered, and said, "Junior brother, I was completely unprepared for this when you suddenly brought it up... Please allow me two days while I discuss it with Master Zhang and Master Jinping."

Wang Wenzi was not in a hurry and immediately nodded in agreement.

Master Hunkun turned his gaze back to Old Daoist Ji Liang: "May I ask your esteemed name, sir? Have I seen you somewhere before? Why do you look so familiar?"

Ji Liang felt a chill run down his spine from being addressed as "Master," and dared not remain tense any longer. He immediately bowed and said, "Disciple Jingxu greets Master Uncle!"

"Are you Jingxu?"

Hun Kunzhen's eyes widened suddenly, and he abruptly turned to look at Wang Wen.

Wang Wen squinted, smiling like a fox who had stolen a chicken.

(End of this chapter)