The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Soon, the innkeeper served the remade four dishes and soup to the table.

Whether the innkeeper was frightened by what had just happened or was simply more attentive because he had received too much reward money from Wang Wen, the four dishes and soup he had prepared looked much better than the previous meal.

Wang Wen glanced at the food on the table and smiled, "Brother Dao, your family has been wealthy for generations, so you must have a rule of 'not speaking while eating or sleeping'?"

Zhang Tianshi stroked his white beard and said slowly with a smile, "Not only that, but my Tianshi Mansion still eats separately. However, isn't Fellow Daoist Hunshi the host today? This old Daoist should follow the host's lead."

"Brother Dao is truly a remarkable person."

Wang Wen smiled and extended his hand: "Brother Dao, please!"

Master Zhang picked up his chopsticks: "Please!"

The two ate and chatted.

Zhang Tianshi: "Fellow Daoist, what brings you here? Why didn't you mention this to me beforehand?"

Wang Wen: "It's a long story. I'm currently serving in the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion in Yangzhou. To deal with the increasingly severe situation of demons and monsters causing trouble, my Demon-Slaying General's Mansion plans to establish the Zhengyi Academy..."

He explained to Zhang Tianshi in detail his idea of ​​establishing the Zhengyi Academy, as well as the benefits of establishing the Zhengyi Academy for the current situation and for the three schools of talismans.

Then he said, "I originally entrusted this matter to my senior brother, asking him to discuss it with Daoist Brother and Daoist Brother Jinping. However, my senior brother heard that your residence has been disturbed by the Xiangxi magic lineage recently, and he was ashamed to speak up."

"Upon hearing of this matter, I thought I would come to see if I could do my part to help your family; secondly, I would like to see if I could meet with you, fellow Daoist, and discuss this matter with you in person."

"I never imagined that I would have such a misunderstanding with your esteemed son so soon after arriving in Xing'an Town, before I even had a chance to settle in..."

“What a shame!”

He believed that his thoughts and ideas were not shameful, and therefore there was no need for euphemism or embellishment.

He even openly admitted that his trip to Longhu Mountain was solely to curry favor with the locals...

Anyway, he has said what he meant and shown his sincerity. Whatever the outcome, it is all within his plan.

The worst-case scenario would be that both Longhu Mountain and Gezao Mountain sects disagree with the matter, and Zhengyi Academy would be renamed Maoshan Academy.

Is this a bad thing?

Master Hunkun would probably be laughing in his sleep!
Zhang Tianshi couldn't help but chuckle to himself, thinking to himself that young people are indeed straightforward.

“If fellow Daoists are all ashamed, then this old Daoist will have no face to see anyone.”

Master Zhang smiled calmly and said, "As the saying goes, 'Family members don't exchange more than two words.' Fellow Daoist is also the teacher of the disciples of my Celestial Master's Mansion. If you encounter any unworthy disciples in the future who misbehave in the name of my Celestial Master's Mansion, you need not have any concerns. Punish them as they should be, and clean up the house as they should be. I have complete faith in your virtue."

Upon hearing this, Wang Wen's smile deepened, and he casually picked up his small silver bowl: "Although I know that what you said was just polite talk, even if it was just polite talk, it warmed my heart... I'll offer you a bowl of rice instead of wine!"

Zhang Tianshi picked up his rice bowl with a strange expression and clinked it against his: "Fellow Daoist... you really are a man of character."

"It's not just pure temperament."

Wang Wen replied with a smile, "It's just that there aren't many people or things in this world that can annoy me but that I can't get rid of, so most of the time I just speak and act based on my own likes and dislikes without thinking."

Zhang Tianshi was both amused and exasperated, yet speechless.

Wang Wen picked up his bowl and shoveled a large mouthful of rice into his mouth. Leaning back away from the table, he mumbled, "Speaking of which, what caused this conflict between your family and the Xiangxi witchcraft clan? Is there any solution?"

Master Zhang asked with great interest, "Fellow Daoist, do you really want to act as a mediator between my Celestial Master's Mansion and the Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan?"

Wang Wen: "Am I not worthy?"

Zhang Tianshi: "Fellow Daoist is certainly qualified, but the feud between my Tianshi Mansion and the Xiangxi Witch Clan has a long history, and it will not be easy to reconcile them."

Wang Wen: "Your family is unwilling?"

Zhang Tianshi: "It's not a matter of willingness or unwillingness. Based on the old Taoist principles, it's fine to resolve it or not. No matter how poor my Tianshi Mansion is, it's not something a bunch of country bumpkins can bully us."

He had gradually adapted to Wang Wen's way of speaking and rhythm; he neither beat around the bush nor spoke in riddles, but rather spoke frankly and frankly.

Wang Wen: "Then I'll give it a try. If we can reach a truce, that would be best. If we can't, please don't blame me for being ignorant and presumptuous."

Zhang Tianshi: "Not at all. Fellow Daoist, how could I not appreciate your kind intentions?"

He paused, then smiled and said in a half-joking, half-serious tone, “To be honest, fellow Daoist, in the past everyone called Longhu Mountain the ancestral home of the Zhengyi School and the Celestial Masters School. Every Taoist priest in the world was proud to have a connection with Longhu Mountain. But now Longhu Mountain has fallen to such a state, having fought with the Xiangxi Witch Clan for a long time and suffered heavy casualties. Yet only you, fellow Daoist, have come from afar to lend a helping hand to Longhu Mountain.”

As Confucius said, "Only when the year grows cold do we know that the pine and cypress are the last to wither."

"I wholeheartedly agree!"

Wang Wenzhi knew that the "downfall" he was referring to was the decisive battle at Huangshan last year and the calamity at Heizhugou in Sichuan earlier this year.

Especially during the calamity at Heizhugou in Bashu at the beginning of this year, the Tianshi Mansion of Longhu Mountain, as the initiator and person in charge of the trip of the three talisman sects to Bashu, took the lead in standing in front of Maoshan and Gezaoshan during the crisis, and suffered the most casualties.

Otherwise, the Xiangxi witchcraft clan might not have dared to wage a full-scale war against the Celestial Master's Mansion...

"Brother, you've overstated."

Wang Wen replied, "I don't know about others, but my senior brother is indeed hesitant to interfere without your permission, as this is a family matter of your esteemed family."

"I only dared to come here rashly because I am young and inexperienced, and I thought that even if I did something wrong or said something wrong, I would not hold it against you, fellow Daoist..."

Zhang Tianshi didn't say anything more, but just nodded with a smile and replied, "Fellow Daoist is right. It was this old Daoist who was narrow-minded!"

Seeing his attitude, Wang Wen didn't say anything more, but instead said, "Brother Dao, you still haven't told me what caused this conflict between your family and the Xiangxi witchcraft lineage? Even if it's a long-standing grudge, there must be some trigger, right?"

Zhang Tianshi asked in surprise, "Shouldn't you, fellow Daoist, first discuss the matter of the Zhengyi Academy?"

Wang Wen: "Do you need it?"

Zhang Tianshi: "Don't you need it?"

Wang Wen smiled and said, "Brother Dao, have you ever heard the saying, 'Do good deeds and don't worry about the future'?" Zhang Tianshi stared at him in surprise for a few seconds, then stroked his beard and sighed, "The younger generation is truly formidable. Fellow Daoist, you are so young yet you have reached such a high level. Compared to you, I have been cultivating for sixty years, yet it seems as if I have never heard of the scriptures or met a master!"

Wang Wen put down the small silver bowl, clenched his fist and bowed, saying, "Brother Dao, you flatter me. I simply have confidence in your character and the integrity of your family."

Master Zhang smiled and nodded: "Fellow Daoist, I accept your kind offer on behalf of the Celestial Master's Mansion. Regardless of whether you can resolve the feud between the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Xiangxi Witch Clan, your establishment of the 'Zhengyi Academy' is a great merit in spreading the Dao and the Dharma. The Celestial Master's Mansion has no reason not to give you its full support!"

Wang Wen clapped his hands and said with a smug smile, "See? I told you this didn't require much explanation, didn't I?"

Zhang Tianshi also smiled with his eyes narrowed.

Wang Wen: "Brother, please don't change the subject. What exactly caused this conflict between your family and the Xiangxi witchcraft clan? Is there some unspeakable secret?"

Master Zhang stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before sighing softly, “Fellow Daoist, this matter is not something to be ashamed of, but it is somewhat embarrassing… A month ago, three young disciples of my Celestial Master’s Mansion went to Chenzhou to collect herbs. They accidentally entered the Ma family’s Gu altar, which caused the Gu worms to go out of control, resulting in the three of them dying on the spot.”

"Upon hearing the news, the elders of the manor went to Chenzhou to question Magu. A quarrel ensued, which led to a fight, and several elders were seriously injured and had to leave Chenzhou."

"Later, those three unfortunate disciples were turned into walking corpses by the Tian family of the Corpse Sect, and the great war began, which quickly spiraled out of control..."

Wang Wen's brows furrowed into a deep frown after just a few words... There were so many things to complain about that he didn't know where to begin.

"Brother Dao, please forgive my rudeness... Don't your three young disciples know that Chenzhou is the territory of the Ma family? What kind of medicine must be gathered in the Ma family's territory?"

"Furthermore, do your elders know that those three young disciples accidentally entered the Ma family's Gu altar, causing the Gu worms to go out of control and die? If you say that you didn't even understand the matter before coming to question them, that would be too reckless; but if you say that you understood the matter before you set off, then isn't it a bit unreasonable for you to come and question them?"

Although Zhang Tianshi glossed over the matter of those elders from the Celestial Master's Mansion coming to question Granny Ma, Wang Wen could easily imagine how rude those elders had been.

Even clay figurines require a certain level of skill to achieve, let alone Granny Ma, who is a prominent figure in the spiritual realm. Do you think she would tolerate such an injustice from you?

Do you think your Celestial Master's Mansion still has the support of the Ancestral Celestial Master Zhang Daoling?
Faced with Wang Wen's question, Zhang Tianshi could only smile wryly.

Wang Wen sorted out his thoughts and continued to ask, "Also, were the corpses of your three disciples really delivered to the Tian family by Granny Ma? Did the Tian family know that the three corpses were your disciples when they were refining the corpses?"

Zhang Tianshi, who had been smiling wryly, couldn't help but glance at him upon hearing this, and asked in surprise, "Isn't this as obvious as a louse on a bald monk's head? What's the difference between true and false?"

Wang Wen shook his head repeatedly: "I don't think this is right. As long as Grandma Ma and Old Master Tian are not out of their minds, they will understand the seriousness of this matter. Just because of a few words, they recklessly pushed the situation to a point of no return. This is definitely not what a person in charge should do!"

To make his speculation more convincing, he even used himself as an example: "Even someone as reckless as me wouldn't do something so stupid that brings no benefit whatsoever!"

Zhang Tianshi shook his head: "It's hard to say. These are just country folk, ignorant men and women, uneducated and uneducated. They act on impulse without any rhyme or reason. Besides, the feud between my Tianshi Mansion and the Xiangxi witchcraft lineage has a long history. It's hard to say whether they are taking this opportunity to cause trouble or kick us when we're down."

Wang Wen had a headache and thought to himself, 'That damned arrogance and prejudice!'

He said earnestly, “Brother Dao, although I am young, I know that belittling one’s opponent does not highlight one’s own wisdom. On the contrary, respecting and valuing one’s opponent is the way to achieve lasting victory… To be frank, please don’t be angry, but if the Ma family and the Tian family were truly as impulsive, reckless, and ignorant as you say, how could they have fought so fiercely against your family, even gaining the upper hand and approaching your home?”

Zhang Tianshi frowned slightly, stroked his beard, and remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Fellow Daoist, it's not that this old Daoist is old-fashioned or unreasonable, but now that things have come to this, what's the point of distinguishing right from wrong?"

"Regardless of the circumstances, the Ma family and the Tian family have harmed and desecrated the bodies of my Celestial Master's Mansion disciples—these are undeniable facts!"

"Even if the battle leads to the destruction of our lineage and the loss of our entire family, the thousand-year-old reputation and prestige of my Celestial Master's Mansion must never be tarnished by this old Taoist!"

He spoke slowly and deliberately, each word spoken with unwavering conviction.

Wang Wen understood; the old man knew everything perfectly well, but he was just pretending not to.

As for the destruction of the orthodox tradition and the complete loss of the entire family... just listen to it!

To be precise, it should be said that the Celestial Master's Mansion wanted to eradicate the Xiangxi witchcraft lineage and wanted to completely annihilate it!
Don't be fooled by the current dire situation of the Celestial Master's Mansion into thinking that it's truly a starved camel.

This old man is up to no good, waiting for his ultimate move to cool down!
Let's think about it...

Could Maoshan and Gezaoshan just stand by and watch the Celestial Master's Mansion be destroyed?
Could the entire Daoist sect of the Great Zhou Dynasty simply stand by and watch the Celestial Master's Mansion be destroyed?
The more dire the current situation of the Celestial Master's Mansion, the more brutal the future counterattack of the Great Zhou Taoist sect against the Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan will be!
It seems only children distinguish between right and wrong; adults only consider advantages and disadvantages...

It was at this moment that Wang Wencai suddenly realized that Zhang Tianshi's seemingly nonsensical complaints were meant for him, as well as for Maoshan and Gezaoshan.

Tsk, they want help from Maoshan and Gezaoshan, but they stubbornly refuse to say so, expecting Maoshan and Gezaoshan to offer their assistance voluntarily...

'Old fox!'

Wang Wen cursed inwardly, but said solemnly, "Brother Dao, from the perspective of the three sects of talismans being of one mind and helping each other, I should definitely stand on your side unconditionally. Even if your family is really wrong, I should pretend not to see it."

"But if it's based on my own conscience, I still want to distinguish right from wrong!"

"I know that my approach to things is somewhat naive, immature, and even a bit unfair to the three clans..."

"But if I, Wang Wenruo, hadn't had this will to hold me up, I wouldn't be where I am today!"

"If you're willing to trust me this once, why not let me give it a try?"

"If it is indeed the Ma family who handed over the bodies of your three disciples to the Tian family, and the Tian family knowingly turned those three bodies into walking corpses even though they were your disciples..."

"Wang Wen is willing to be the vanguard of the Celestial Master's Mansion. He will go wherever Brother Dao points!"

"If there is any misunderstanding in this matter, or if there are villains stirring things up behind the scenes, deliberately provoking your family to fight against the Xiangxi witchcraft sect..."

"Please, fellow Daoist, give me face and let's sit down and discuss things face to face, so as to maintain harmony."

"Of course, if you find me, Wang Wen, to be in your way..."

"Then let's leave it at that. I'll head back to Yangzhou right now!"

He really wanted to do the Celestial Master's Mansion a favor in order to gain their support for his Demon-Slaying General's Mansion.

However, if the Celestial Master's Mansion supports his Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, it will come at the cost of his principles.

He would rather not have it!
Zhang Tianshi stroked his beard expressionlessly, gazing at him for a long time.

Suddenly he laughed and said, "Truly, a great reputation is well-deserved!" (End of Chapter)