The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 187 Doing the Best

Two days later, Bai Zimo returned to the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion and presented a human head frozen in ice to the main hall.

Wang Wen glanced at it, then waved for Bai Zimo to take it away and dispose of it, before lowering his head to continue writing furiously: "Was this trip relatively smooth?"

Bai Zimo suppressed his habit of sticking out his tongue and replied respectfully, "Reporting to the general, it went relatively smoothly. After I arrived at the headquarters of the Canal Gang and displayed my flag, although many people came forward to plead for peace, not a single person dared to use force to obstruct my enforcement of the law."

Wang Wen paused, the brush he was waving in his hand, and shook his head dismissively: "I overestimated them!"

He came from the canal gang, so he naturally understood the canal gang.

Compared to legitimate gangs, the advantage of the Canal Gang is its cunning and calculating nature.

The downside is that he's too calculating!

Bai Zimo bowed below the hall, not daring to utter a word.

After writing two more lines of small characters, Wang Wen spoke again in a low voice: "You did a good job on this matter. I will allow you to make one reasonable request of me."

Bai Zimo quickly replied, "It is my greatest honor to be able to share the general's burdens, and I have no other requests!"

Wang Wen: "I can speak human language well, but once I've said something, there's no reason for me to take it back."

Bai Zimo hesitated for a moment, then quietly raised his head and observed his expression out of the corner of his eye.

But from his calm and aloof expression, Bai Zimo revealed no emotion...

He hesitated for a long time, then mustered his courage, knelt down, and kowtowed, saying loudly, "This humble general dares to beg the general to allow me to establish my own government and command post!"

Wang Wen seemed not to have heard anything, focusing intently on finishing the document under his command. Then he put down his pen, picked up the seal of the General Who Subdues Demons of Huainan from his desk, and neatly stamped it on the signature line of the document. Then he waved his hand lightly and said, "Approved!"

With a wave of his hand, the still-wet ink on the document in front of him floated down into the hall and gently landed in front of Bai Ziming.

Bai Ziming subconsciously focused his gaze and looked closely, only to see that the document clearly stated: 'Bai Ziming, commander of the naval camp of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, is hereby appointed as the Lord of the Chaohu Water Mansion…'

He looked at the document in bewilderment, then subconsciously looked up at Wang Wen. When he met Wang Wen's deep gaze, he hurriedly lowered his head again, feeling a chill run down his spine and his face showing signs of snake scales.

'He knows!'

'He knows everything!'

He trembled uncontrollably and cried out in terror.

Wang Wen, sitting in the hall, acted as if he had only done a trivial matter. He casually picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and said indifferently, "You need to be more diligent in your work in the future. Under my supervision, you will be rewarded for your merits and punished for your mistakes."

Bai Zimo kowtowed heavily, shouting hoarsely, "Thank you for your guidance, General! I will dedicate myself to your service until my dying breath!"

"is it?"

Wang Wen chuckled and said, "Then I'll be watching closely."

Bai Ziming stretched his neck and continued to shout hoarsely, "Even if I am shattered to pieces, I would never dare to disappoint the general!"

Wang Wen waved his hand and said, "Go, go set up your Chaohu Water Palace. It just so happens that the registration of mountain spirits and wild monsters in the Chaohu area is a bit behind. Go and explain our Demon-Slaying General's Palace policies to them!"

The snake scales on Bai Zimo's excited face reappeared, and he grinned maliciously, "This subordinate will obey your orders!"

It respectfully folded the documents in front of it, put them into its bosom, then scrambled to its feet, picked up the dead man's head beside it, and bowed as it backed out of the hall.

Wang Wen watched its figure disappear into the hall, gently stirring the teacup in his hand, and muttered to himself, "A combination of kindness and severity, a combination of kindness and severity..."

As the saying goes, one should never stop learning.

In recent days, with the reorganization of the temple, he has become acutely aware of the oversights in his past management.

In the past, the high-ranking Taoist priests of the three sects in the temple were mostly like otherworldly hermits, calm and undisturbed. Although they never resisted the orders and tasks of the General's Mansion, they never took the initiative to participate in any affairs of the General's Mansion.

He hadn't thought much about it before, assuming that these high-ranking Taoist masters had achieved enlightenment and transcended worldly desires, no longer caring about fame and fortune.

It wasn't until this reorganization of the Imperial Academy that he witnessed these high-ranking priests arguing heatedly over trivial matters, and he suddenly realized that it wasn't that these high-ranking priests had such lofty minds, but rather that the affairs of the General's Mansion had never touched their personal interests...

With this in mind, he re-examined the management of the General's Mansion and suddenly realized that his "prestige" was too heavy and his "kindness" was insufficient.

Today's trial run was quite successful!
Of course, his decision to elevate Bai Zimo also stemmed from his desire to divide the Hongze Lake Water Mansion and prevent it from becoming too powerful.

This doesn't mean he doesn't trust Ao Qing.

On the contrary, with the Heavenly Oath as a guarantee, he trusted Ao Qing completely.

A single dominant player would not be in the interest of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion.

To be precise... if his subordinates don't get involved, how can this landlord harvest the韭菜 (a metaphor for exploiting people)?
After resting for a while, Wang Wen took out another blank sheet of Xuan paper, laid it on the table, smoothed it with a paperweight, and picked up his pen to continue writing the next plan.

As he was writing, he suddenly remembered something else. Without even looking up, he casually used the Water Mirror Technique to ask for alms. A moment later, the voice of Master Hunkun came from the Water Mirror Technique: "Hey, hey, junior brother, can you hear me?"

While writing the project proposal, Wang Wen greeted him with a smile, "I can hear you, senior brother, what are you busy with?"

Master Hunkun chuckled and replied, "Doing homework, what else could I be doing?"

Wang Wen glanced up at him unintentionally and suddenly noticed that Hunkun Zhenren's long, white hair had turned black. He exclaimed, "Oh, Senior Brother, you went to get your hair styled?"

Master Hunkun asked in bewilderment, "What kind of oil?"

Wang Wen stared at him, scrutinizing him closely. He discovered that not only had the old Taoist's hair and beard turned black, but most of the wrinkles and age spots on his face had also disappeared. If someone didn't know him, they would probably think he was only in his early forties at first glance.

"Congratulations, senior brother!"

He put down his pen, smiled broadly, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "To become a Celestial Master is to regain youth!"

Master Hunkun grinned, smugly smoothing his long, black hair: "Hey, did I embarrass you, senior brother?"

Wang Wen chuckled and said, "Don't mention it. You've always been my biggest support."

But in reality, he felt a sudden sense of relief.

Cultivating the Tao is difficult, as difficult as ascending to heaven!
Even for those with sound limbs and vigorous spirit, reaching the highest realm of Celestial Master is extremely difficult.

The Hunkun Master is already quite old, but he has lost a forearm and his vital energy is declining, making it even more difficult for him to reach the highest level of the Celestial Master realm.

During the great battle at Huangshan, the three sect leaders were headed by Zhang Tianshi of the Tianshi Mansion at Longhu Mountain, followed by Hunkun Zhenren, and then Jinping Zhenren of Gezao Mountain. However, even Jinping Zhenren, who was initially at the bottom, successfully entered the realm of Tianshi by the middle of the year, while Hunkun Zhenren remained silent.

Wang Wen had been quite worried about the old Taoist priest these past few days, and had secretly prepared several positions for him as earth deities and ghosts...

Now that the old Taoist priest has finally reached the level of Celestial Master, a huge weight has been lifted from his heart.

After exchanging a few pleasantries as usual, Wang Wen got down to business: "Senior brother, what's the latest on the matter I asked you about last time?"

He was referring to the Zhengyi Academy.

Master Hunkun asked in surprise, "Are you in such a hurry over there?"

Wang Wen laughed and said, "It's not that we're in a rush, but since we haven't heard from you, it's not appropriate for me to start preparations ahead of time. As you know, it won't be done in less than a year or two."

Master Hunkun pondered for a moment, then said with some helplessness, "Junior brother, you've come at a bit of bad time. There's been some trouble at Longhu Mountain, so it's not a good time for us to discuss this with Master Zhang."

"As you know, whether this matter succeeds or not depends on the Celestial Master's Mansion. It's easy to talk to Maoshan and Gezaoshan, but as for the academy you mentioned, it also depends on the affinity between the master and disciple and their character and temperament. I don't think Master Jinping has much to say about it."

"But it's a different story with the Celestial Master's Mansion. They're a family business, and they don't even teach real skills to the disciples from other families on Mount Longhu who have been with them for decades, let alone recruit disciples and spread their teachings..."

Wang Wen nodded. He naturally knew the key to this matter was at the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain.

It's not just because the Celestial Master's Mansion is a family heirloom, and its secret skills are never passed on to outsiders; it's also because the Celestial Master's Mansion is the head of the Zhengyi sect. Without the Celestial Master's Mansion's approval, the so-called Zhengyi Academy is nothing but a pipe dream.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked curiously, "Senior brother, what trouble have you encountered at Longhu Mountain?"

Without hesitation, Master Hunkun replied, “Speaking of which, the Celestial Master’s Mansion has also been having a run of bad luck. At the beginning of the year, didn’t our three sects suffer a major setback in Sichuan? After the news spread, several heretical lineages in western Hunan became quite restless, openly and secretly provoking the Celestial Master’s Mansion in various ways. Before long, things escalated into a real conflict, and I heard that the Celestial Master’s Mansion has lost quite a few disciples these days… They’ve lost people, and now we’re rushing over there to discuss this with them. Don’t you think that’s inappropriate?”

"Western Hunan?"

Wang Wen, recalling the Gu Master named Wan Li whom he had previously recruited in Huangshan, became even more curious and pressed further, asking, "Gu Master? Corpse-driving sect?"

Master Hunkun nodded: "They are all from the same lineage of witchcraft."

Wang Wen: "Didn't the Celestial Master's Mansion ask Maoshan and Gezaoshan for help?"

Hunkun Zhenren: "Zhang Tianshi is a respectable man. How could he possibly ask our two families for help in something like this..."

Wang Wen pondered for a moment, then asked, "Senior brother, do you know why their conflict started?"

Master Hunkun: "I have heard about it... but why are you asking about this?"

Wang Wen: "Who is right and who is wrong?"

Master Hunkun: "This... if we brothers talk behind closed doors, then we are all at fault. But if we talk to outsiders, then we can only say that they are all at fault, and that it is all the fault of those heretical lineages."

Wang Wen chuckled and said, "Senior brother, you know that your perspective is determined by your position."

Master Hunkun feigned anger and said, "You have no manners! Slap yourself!"

Wang Wen slapped his own mouth lightly as if coaxing a child, and then laughed, "That's right, anyway, I've heard plenty of stories about the Zhang family's bad deeds of bullying and oppressing people in the area."

When Hunkun Zhenren heard him say this, he slowly put away his playful mood and said seriously, "Senior brother is not speaking for the Celestial Master's Mansion. Logically speaking, it is true that merits should not outweigh demerits, but the Celestial Master's Mansion has indeed made more merits than demerits to the Taoist sect!"

Wang Wen, too lazy to argue with the old Taoist priest about this issue, changed the subject and said, "Senior brother, do you think the Celestial Master's Mansion will remember my favor if I mediate the conflict between the Celestial Master's Mansion and those heretical lineages in Xiangxi?"

Master Hunkun frowned slightly and earnestly advised, "Junior brother, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down first."

Wang Wen: "I don't want to be a stick-out. Didn't you just say that the Celestial Master's Mansion is unlikely to agree to the Zhengyi Academy matter? If I don't express my sincerity in advance, am I supposed to wait until the Celestial Master's Mansion shakes its head before arguing with them?"

Master Hunkun looked at him seriously, then slowly shook his head and said earnestly, "Junior brother, don't force things."

Wang Wen: "I'm not trying to force it, but as the saying goes, do your best and leave the rest to fate. If you don't even do your best, what right do you have to leave the rest to fate?"

Master Hunkun wanted to persuade him further, but he swallowed the words back.

Having lived to his age, he naturally understands that everyone has their own way of living and their own destiny, and he also understands the principle that what is licorice to one may be poison to another.

Therefore, he would not impose his own ideas on Wang Wen.

Furthermore, Wang Wenzheng was in his prime; how could he be as old and frail as him?

He pondered for a long time before saying, "Based on my understanding of Zhang Tianshi, if you can mediate this matter, Zhang Tianshi may not verbally approve of your actions, but he should remember your favor in his heart. After all, the Tianshi Mansion is currently in a dilemma, caught between a rock and a hard place."

Wang Wen snapped his fingers: "Understood. Then I'll go to western Hunan tomorrow to see the methods of those heretical lineages."

Master Hunkun: "I know I can't stop you, but if you insist on going, you must be extremely careful... It's hard to say how powerful those heretical sects are, but they are certainly all incredibly cunning!"

Wang Wen smiled and nodded: "You can rest assured that I'll handle things."

He wanted to make this trip not just to curry favor with the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Also, because Huangshan is so close to western Hunan, it's good to go there in advance to see the unorthodox lineages in western Hunan, so it's better to be prepared than not.

Furthermore, he had long heard that the Xiangxi Corpse-Driving School was famous for its corpse-refining techniques.

If he tries his methods now, he'll have a better chance of success if the legendary diver from Taihu Lake comes to his aid later.

Get more in one fell swoop.

After the two brothers had finished using the Water Mirror technique, Wang Wen picked up his teacup, pondering whether to go in his main body or have Huangshan God distract himself and go check nearby.

On the main side, I am indeed somewhat tied up right now.

If a divine spirit from Huangshan were sent over, it might be more effective in communicating with the Celestial Master's Mansion.

But considering the weak combat power of a distracted spirit, there's a worry that if the distracted spirit encounters a tough opponent, it will be beaten back to its original form...

After thinking for a moment, he finally decided to make a trip to western Hunan.

Just then, Jin Jiu strode into the hall, crossed his arms, and said, "Brother Hu, the master sent someone to deliver a message that the ship carrying Hall Master Yan Jiang is about to dock."

"Just right!"

Wang Wen put down his teacup and got up to leave. He had just stepped out of the hall when he suddenly looked down at his purple official robe and hurriedly said to Jin Jiu, "Quickly, go and get me a less conspicuous set of clothes..."

(End of this chapter)