The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Just as Wang Wen was having a conversation with Zhang Tianshi at the dinner table.

Wan Li, who had gone ahead, had already found the hiding place of the Ma family in Xing'an Town by following the secret marks.

It was a private residence, with the door located at the end of a dead-end alley, in a very secluded place.

However, the secluded place before him was full of flaws in the eyes of Wan Li, who had traveled all over the country and received formal education from the Imperial Observatory. He muttered to himself, "This is a case of hiding something," and went up to knock on the door.

The knocking was repeated three times. The first and second knocks were two short and two long, but the third knock was three long and one short.

Although there was a door between them, Wan Li was certain that someone inside was listening intently.

And each of these three knocks on the door was significant.

The first two short and two long gestures are a way of showing the people inside that he is one of their own.

The second instance of two short lines and two long lines was meant to show the people inside that he was one of their own from the Gu witchcraft lineage.

The third instance of three long and one short strokes was to indicate to the people inside that he was from a branch of the Ma family.

The code words for opening the door are not complicated, but there are more complex incisions to come.

The same identity can have several different entry points, and the decision of which entry point to use is not in the hands of the person who comes to the door, but in the hands of the person who opens the door.

If you can't answer, you die.

One wrong word, and you're dead.

This identity verification process can greatly reduce the chances of accidental exposure and being betrayed by spies.

After Wan Li knocked on the door, he waited quietly for the person inside to react.

But he waited for a full quarter of an hour and still didn't hear any movement from inside the house.

He knew in his heart that it wasn't that no one was home, but rather that the person inside didn't intend to see him...

After a moment's thought, he looked down and pulled a small green pebble about the size of a thumb from his purse. Then, with a few strokes, he sketched a water buffalo in the lower right corner of the gate, resembling a child's doodle.

Finally, he drew a small moon on the water buffalo's head, and then added three dots under the moon, informing the people in the house that he had important matters concerning the tribe to discuss with the person in charge of the place, and that he would return at three-quarters past midnight.

He finished drawing the rumor with great concentration, then picked up the pebbles and got up to leave.

But just as he got up to stretch his neck, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a dark shadow on the wall at the end of the alley to his right. He was startled and his heart skipped a beat.

He hurriedly turned his head and saw a man in black squatting on the wall, like a wild beast hunting in a tree, silently and intently staring at him.

"What's wrong with you, Niu Zi..."

Wan Li patted his wildly beating heart and muttered a complaint, but in his heart he felt that these mountain products had finally become more flexible and were no longer sticking to the old ways.

Just as he was inwardly praising him, he saw the person on the wall throw down a dirty black cloth and say in a low, hoarse voice, "You know the rules."

Wan Li glanced at the man in black, then bent down to pick up the black cloth with a mixture of surprise and disdain. After shaking off the dust, she put it over her head, muttering to herself, "What? Changed the incision again?"

The man in black remained silent, then jumped down from the wall with a thud.

Immediately, several more chaotic and heavy footsteps came rushing from the direction of the alley entrance. They rushed forward, tied his hands and feet with hemp rope, and then grabbed his hands and feet, lifting Wan Li up and leaping onto the low wall.

Wan Li felt relatively at ease, letting them carry her up and down the stairs. She thought to herself with relief, "Luckily, I didn't eat enough, or I would have thrown up!"

A moment later, the black cloth on Wan Li's head was ripped off, and he felt a sudden brightness before his vision quickly returned.

He looked around and saw that this was a small, ordinary house with seven or eight people sitting inside and outside. Two people were standing on his left and right, sandwiching him in the middle.

These were men and women, all dressed in the brown robes with cross-collars typical of Han Chinese, but by their dark skin and the faint aroma of mixed herbs in the room, he could tell at a glance that they were Miao people.

Moreover, they are all Miao people of the Gu witchcraft lineage!

Just as he was about to reveal his identity, the burly man with thick eyebrows, a bushy beard, and a greasy face sitting in the hall suddenly slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Kneel down!"

Startled by his angry shout, Wan Li instinctively bent his knees, but as his knees sank, he suddenly came to his senses, stopped them from sinking, stood up again, and said in a low voice with great speed: "Elders, please listen to me first. I am Wan Li, a sorcerer from Wan Family Village, Panshan Ridge, Luxi County. My great-grandmother was a woman from the Ma family. Three years ago, she went to the Imperial Observatory in the capital with Ma Family Mountain and Uncle Ma Er. Now she works at the General of Demon Suppression in Huainan."

"I am here with my general to return to the Xiangjiang River region to mediate the conflict between the Xiangxi Witch Clan and the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain. I am here on behalf of my general to ask the elders of the clan to convey a message to my aunt and Elder Tian, ​​requesting that the two leaders meet with my general at an opportune time to see if there is any room for reconciliation in this conflict."

There is a saying among the Han people: "When two armies are at war, the messenger shall not be killed!"

"I am not just representing myself now, but also the face of my general. Elders of the clan, you must not do anything to humiliate or harm me. This is not just humiliating or harming Wanli, but offending the might of my general!"

"If any of you have not heard of the great names of my family's Huainan Demon-Slaying Generals Wang Wen and Wang Erhu, feel free to go out and inquire. You will surely find something easily."

“I am also a Miao person, and I am also a Gu witch. To be honest, my Xiangxi witch lineage may be able to offend the current Longhu Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion, but we can never offend the Huainan Demon-Slaying General’s Mansion.”

"My general is known for his unrestrained and ruthless actions, his vindictiveness, his pettiness, and his unparalleled martial prowess. To be his enemy would be a catastrophe that destroys our village and wipes out our clan..."

His little tongue moved like a motor, and the words popped out like firecrackers.

In the previous episode, before the people in the room could even process what was happening, he had already said the third sentence.

Even after he finished his long speech in one breath, panting heavily, everyone in the room was still staring at him in astonishment, their minds like rusty springs, unable to recover for a long time.

"Damn it, what the hell is this all about?"

'Wasn't I in Jiangxi? How did I end up in Huainan?'

'We're not fighting with the Celestial Master's Mansion anymore, so how did we end up clashing with... what General's Mansion?'

Everyone stared at Wan Li with bewildered expressions.

Seeing this, Wan Li felt inexplicably guilty and cautiously asked, "Did I not explain clearly?"

The crowd hesitated, looking left and right...

After a long while, someone finally spoke up: "Are you really working at the General's Mansion in Huainan now?"

His words brought a collective sigh of relief to everyone in the room, and even Wan Li felt as if he had been granted a pardon.

'Thank goodness, at least there's someone who recognizes its value!'

He thought to himself, "My general is currently having dinner with Zhang Tianshi at Liu's Restaurant... Haven't you all found out?"

"Is that old Taoist priest at Liu's Restaurant Zhang Jizu?" "Is that young man at Liu's Restaurant Wang Wen?"

Two people exclaimed in disbelief.

"God?"

Speaking of this, Wan Li felt a sense of pride: "My general said that Zhang Tianshi would come to have dinner with him, and Zhang Tianshi stepped into Liu's restaurant. Can you imagine such an important person sitting in a small restaurant, eating pickled vegetables and stir-fried cured meat?"

At this point, he thought of his little silver bowl again.

It's brand new, he hasn't even used it yet...

Everyone fell silent, their minds going blank once again.

Just then, a burly figure wearing a black robe embroidered with Gesang flowers, with a thick beard and eyebrows, and long hair flowing down his shoulders, slowly walked past Wan Li and waved his hand, saying, "You can go down first!"

The men and women inside the room rose, bowed respectfully to the burly figure, and then withdrew.

The burly figure turned around and sat down in the hall with an imposing air. His eyes were sinister and his aura was fierce, like a giant king cobra. His dangerous presence was enough to make any normal person walk around him from afar.

Looking at the imposing figure, Wan Li felt a sudden realization, but also a strange sense of amusement.

He recognized the man, even though the man didn't recognize him...

Once upon a time, this person was someone he looked up to and revered.

Although they had only met once, for a long time afterward, whenever he thought of this person, he would tremble and exclaim something like, "A true man should be like this."

But now, when he sees this person again, he is not afraid at all; in fact, he feels like laughing.

'It's alright, actually...'

He tried to salvage the image of his former idol in his heart, but what came to mind was the scene at the foot of Huangshan Mountain where Wang Wen used two fingers to block Xu Qian's ultimate move and whispered, "If I told you that this is my ultimate move, 'Lingxi Finger,' would you feel any better?"

When he witnessed that scene, he felt only horror and disbelief.

Looking back now, I realize that Wang Wen back then was so incredibly cool, it was as if the sun was shining on him...

"Your name is Wan Li, right?"

The deep, hoarse voice of the burly figure in the hall pulled Wan Li back from the scenery at the foot of Huangshan Mountain.

He looked at the imposing figure in the hall and respectfully bowed, saying, "Uncle Ma San."

The burly figure chuckled in surprise, "You recognize me? Ah, right, you accompanied my second brother to the capital. You must have seen me the night before we entered the capital, right?"

Wan Li nodded: "I did see my third uncle that night in Chenzhou."

The burly figure nodded briefly, then asked in a nonchalant tone, "You just mentioned Wang Erhu, what brings him to the Xiangjiang River?"

At this point, he suddenly let out a cryptic sneer: "Coming to mediate the conflict between my Miao people and those Taoist priests from the Celestial Master's Mansion? Who do you think he is? A Han emperor?"

Wan Li's eyes widened suddenly, staring at him in shock: "You're so brave, does your mother even know?"

Immediately, he composed himself and said seriously, "Third Uncle, please forgive my rudeness, but Third Uncle, you should show some respect to my general. Ordinary people may find it hard to imagine the power of a great figure like him. Although I am speaking to you on behalf of my general, there may be spies watching us."

"My general isn't exactly magnanimous!"

Others may not know Wang Wen's other identity, but surely he does?

How dare you speak ill of a deity behind someone's back?
You've probably never died before!
Uncle Ma was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and then a hint of panic flashed in his sinister eyes. But then he raised his eyebrows defiantly and said in a sinister tone, "Your words to your general can hardly be considered respectful!"

"That's different..."

Wan Li shook his head vigorously: "I am my general's subordinate. If he doesn't like me, he can at most hang me up and beat me up. But you have nothing to do with my general. If he doesn't like you, he will just fly over in a flash, casually pluck your head off, and kick it away like a football for miles."

"My lady's reputation might frighten others, but it certainly won't intimidate my general. He's not one to be intimidated by such things!"

Uncle Ma: ? ? ?

Is this... really that cruel?
So... is it too late for me to apologize now?
And how come you make double standards sound so natural and self-righteous?

Meanwhile, someone secretly observing with their divine sense heard Wan Li's idea, their eyes lit up, and they thought to themselves, "I'll do that next time..."

Wan Li noticed his panic and helplessness, and considerately took the initiative to clear things up: "We still don't know why Uncle San personally went to this dangerous place."

Uncle Ma quickly composed himself, his face grim as he shook his head and said, "This is not something you should concern yourself with. Let's get back to your Demon-Slaying General. Did he really come here to mediate the conflict between my Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan and the Celestial Master's Mansion? If I remember correctly, my Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan has never provoked his Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, has it? What is he after?"

The fact that he could call out the name "Wang Erhu" clearly meant that he had heard of some of Wang Wen's deeds.

In fact, the influence of the title "General Wang Wen, the Demon Slayer of Huainan" outside Huainan Province was far greater than Wang Wen himself had anticipated!

Especially in the realm of the supernatural and the mystical.

Almost every person in the supernatural world who has suffered overt or covert losses at the hands of demons and monsters will think of Wang Wen, the Demon-Slaying General who single-handedly suppressed a demon and monster.

People always like to compare.

"Third Uncle thinks too highly of me."

Wan Li replied, "Why my general would suddenly come here to mediate the conflict between the Xiangxi witchcraft lineage and the Celestial Master's Mansion is a matter I am not qualified to concern myself with..."

He hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "However, based on my understanding of him, now that he has come, he has no reason to turn back easily. In my opinion, regardless of whether Grandmother and Master Tian are willing to make peace with the Celestial Master's Mansion, it would be best if they came to see my general."

"Going to see him may not bring any benefit, but it will certainly not bring any harm; not going to see him may not bring any harm, but it will certainly not bring any benefit at all."

“If I weren’t a Miao person, and not a member of the Gu witchcraft lineage, I would never have said these words…”

"Please, Uncle, take into consideration my sincere intentions and be sure to report my suggestion to Grandmother and Master Tian."

"My general is busy with official duties and doesn't have much patience... Whether or not you and Mr. Tian want to meet with him, it's best to make a decision sooner rather than later, and not wait until he comes to our door in person!"

"I guarantee that if we drag this out until he comes to our door in person, the Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan will be utterly disgraced!"

Looking at his sincere yet somewhat worried expression, Uncle Ma pondered for a moment before nodding expressionlessly and saying, "I will report your suggestion to my mother and Old Master Tian... I also trouble you to put in a good word for your family with your general. Our war with Longhu Mountain is not what we wanted. It is because Longhu Mountain is aggressive and unforgiving. We have no choice but to fight!"

Wan Li nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, Third Uncle, I am also a Miao Gu witch." (End of this chapter)