The world is like a prison, my body is holy

After finishing their business, Zhang Tianshi warmly invited Wang Wen to stay at Longhu Mountain for a while. Wang Wen declined repeatedly, but after much persuasion, he finally stayed in Xing'an Town.

The situation was still unclear, and he didn't want to do something wrong with his good intentions and end up being put on the spot...

Wan Li returned just before nightfall.

Wang Wen did not tell Wan Li which inn he was staying at.

But Wan Li accurately located his guest room and knocked on his door.

Wang Wen said softly and calmly, "Come in, the door isn't locked."

Wan Li pushed open the door and entered. He glanced at Wang Wen, who was sitting by the window, reading leisurely under the glow of the sunset and a solitary lamp. He then bowed respectfully with his hands clasped and said, "General, your subordinate has returned."

Wang Wen gave a soft "hmm," and asked knowingly, "Was the trip relatively smooth?"

Wan Li replied with an honest and straightforward expression, "Your Majesty, the trip went smoothly. The head of the Ma family here has promised to convey your message to Granny Ma and Master Tian as soon as possible, and ask them to come and pay their respects to you..."

Wang Wen picked at his ear, confused, and asked, "Did your third uncle say that? But I remember him asking me who I am and what right I have to interfere with the Ma family. Am I just imagining things?"

Wan Li: ? ? ?
Wan Li: ...

"Your Excellency, are you very free?"

He asked quietly.

Wang Wen sneered without even looking up, "Don't be ungrateful!"

Wan Li was puzzled for a few moments, but soon realized what was going on. Feeling warm inside, he respectfully clasped his hands and bowed deeply.

Wang Wen: "Did your third uncle mention to you what the conflict between the Xiangxi Wumai and Longhushan started?"

Wan Li glanced at him suspiciously.

Wang Wen seemed to have heard what he was thinking, and glanced at him disdainfully: "Do you really think I'm that idle?"

He only heard the beginning of the conversation between Wan Li and the third son of the Ma family. After confirming that the third son of the Ma family would not harm Wan Li, he withdrew his divine sense.

After all, Zhang Tianshi was right in front of him at the time, and it was inevitable that he would lose focus if he tried to do four things at once, which would make them, the disciples of Maoshan, seem very impolite...

Wan Li: "I asked him, and he said that this was a deliberate frame-up by Longhu Mountain to incite conflict between the two factions. They were forced to fight back because they had no other choice!"

"Oh?"

Wang Wen became interested, closed the copy of the "South China Classic" that the previous Zhang Tianshi had personally annotated, which was a gift from Zhang Tianshi, and asked with great interest, "How exactly was this deliberate framing? Were the three disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion not killed when the Ma family's Gu altar went out of control? Or were the bodies of those three disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion not handed over to the Tian family by the Ma family?"

Wan Li stared at him blankly: "Your Excellency, don't you know everything?"

Wang Wen placed the copy of "The Classic of Southern China" on the tea table beside him with surprise and asked with great interest, "Did your third uncle really tell you that?"

Wan Li quickly explained, "Your Majesty, he is not my third uncle, but according to seniority, I should call him third uncle... This is only the second time I have seen him today."

Wang Wen waved his hand dismissively: "That's not important, let's get down to business!"

Wan Li could only reply, "He chatted with his subordinates quite a bit this afternoon, both openly and subtly, but the meaning was exactly what Your Excellency was referring to."

'interesting. ’

Wang Wen stroked his slightly prickly short beard and fell into thought.

He received two completely different answers to the same question.

The Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain says that the person died at the hands of the Ma family, and the corpse was also handed over to the Tian family by the Ma family. It is said that the Ma family and the Tian family deliberately provoked trouble.

The Ma family, however, claimed that they did not kill the person, nor did they hand over the corpse to the Tian family; they said that the Celestial Master's Mansion had framed them.

Such a large difference cannot be due to a difference in angle.

So, there's only one truth... and that's someone lying!
Before Wang Wen could begin to analyze who was exaggerating, Wan Li continued.

"However, I believe that we should not completely trust what the third son of the Ma family says. That old fellow has always been one who thrives on chaos."

"Years ago, when I was just a sorcerer's apprentice, I heard many times that the old man was making a ruckus in the clan, trying to drive the Celestial Master's Mansion out of the Xiangjiang area. Uncle Ma, who refused to cause trouble, was forced to leave for the capital by him back then..."

"Given his character, regardless of whether the Celestial Master's Mansion deliberately provoked the conflict or not, he will definitely insist that it was the Celestial Master's Mansion that framed him!"

After listening, Wang Wen clicked his tongue and quipped, "A high-level game!"

None of these guys are honest.

Zhang Tianshi was pretending to be confused when he knew the truth, and going with the flow.

Ma Laosan turned a blind eye and used the opportunity to his advantage.

Both sides were eager to seize this opportunity to overthrow their old rival and dominate the Xiangjiang River region.

Don't say that Ma Laosan doesn't represent the Xiangxi witchcraft lineage. The fact that he, a hawk who fears nothing more than a peaceful world, would appear in Xing'an Town at the foot of Longhu Mountain is enough to say a lot!
It seems that Longhu Mountain's repeated setbacks and heavy losses in its struggle against the Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan have indeed given rise to many inappropriate thoughts among the Ma and Tian families...

Wang Wen was somewhat confused. Longhu Mountain was so resolute because it was waiting for a rescue operation, while Xiangxi Wumai was so resolute because it was waiting for something else.
Could it be that they really think Longhu Mountain has become a destitute place without the cross-border support of the Ancestral Celestial Master Zhang Daoling?
No way?
It's a major sect in the supernatural world with a history of thousands of years, surely they wouldn't be so naive?

Things seem to be getting more interesting...

He thought to himself with amusement, vaguely feeling that... his meddling this time might actually have been the right thing to do!

This matter is definitely not as simple as he hears it now!
This could very well be another major event involving the entire Xuanmen sect of the Great Zhou Dynasty!
His speculation was by no means unfounded.

Because Longhu Mountain is already planning to request support from Maoshan and Gezao Mountain, and Maoshan and Gezao Mountain certainly cannot stand idly by and watch the ancestral home of Zhengyi, Longhu Mountain, be trampled by the Xiangxi witchcraft lineage...

If he doesn't come, it's a foregone conclusion that Maoshan and Gezaoshan will join the fray.

He was also preoccupied with worldly affairs and couldn't possibly keep track of the situation of the three sects of talismans at all times...

One wrong move and it could lead to another tragedy like the one at Heizhugou.

The Great Zhou Xuanmen at present is like a sapling of a redwood tree. They have the potential to grow into a towering tree, but they cannot hide the fact that they are currently "weak and vulnerable".

Having a general idea in mind, Wang Wen waved for him to leave: "I understand the situation. Go and rest. Keep an eye on the Ma family's response and report back to me if anything happens. Otherwise, you can do whatever you want. Don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary."

Wan Li stole a glance at him, wanting to discuss the current situation in Jiangxi with him in more depth, but firstly, the current situation was not optimistic, and secondly, his identity was somewhat sensitive. After much deliberation, he suppressed his desire to show his loyalty and excused himself. After he left the room, Wang Wen once again picked up the "Hua Nan Jing" on the tea table and began to read it, focusing intently on the annotations and studying this Taoist classic.

Growth always happens unexpectedly...

Wang Wen, once an ordinary truck driver under the Blue Star Red Flag, has gradually transformed into the Great Zhou Huangshan God and the Third-Rank General of Huainan, with the title of Chengtian Jianguo Simin Shengfu Mingling King and the Taoist name Hunshi Zhenren.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!

……

Wang Wen was enjoying this rare moment of peace and tranquility.

He decisively and completely abandoned the heavy affairs of the General's Mansion and Huangshan Temple, spending his days chanting scriptures, drinking tea, and sitting in a thatched teahouse by the roadside with a large coin and a bowl of coarse tea, watching people come and go and seeing the suffering of all living beings.

Sometimes, when things get too quiet, I'll take my black ox and leisurely walk out of Xing'an Town. I'll find a quiet place at random, smell the unique, cold scent of grass and trees in the winter, and watch the fog gather and disperse, and the clouds roll and unroll. I can sit there for most of the day.

The river of time seems to slow down here.

He felt a long-lost sense of peace.

The feeling was like a prisoner who had been confined for many, many years in a low, narrow, pitch-black room, finally stepping out of the cage and once again feeling the stretch in his limbs, once again seeing the pure, bright golden light of the sky, and once again feeling the gentle breeze on his cheek...

It's as if my mouth, which has long been accustomed to the slightly bitter taste of tea, suddenly tastes the flavor of honey.

He finally stopped being anxious.

Even he himself couldn't explain what he was anxious about.

Master Zhang and his son came to see him every day.

Most of the time, it was Zhang Yunxiu who came to accompany Wang Wen to drink tea, play chess, chat, and also led him to visit the famous mountains and scenic spots around Longhu Mountain.

Over time, Wang Wen and he became acquainted.

He felt that Zhang Yunxiu was a decent person, except for his overtly arrogant demeanor, which often made people uncomfortable—a flaw he wasn't sure if it was even a problem.

Perhaps it was the mentality of a petty bourgeois that was at play; Wang Wen liked to show off, but he didn't like to show off all the time, and he hated it even more when others showed off in front of him.

In his mind, the real thrill comes from showing off to people of equal or even greater status and strength than himself.

Showing off to those who are much weaker than oneself, besides feeling a slight sense of guilt for bullying others, also gives off the impression of a petty person who becomes arrogant after gaining power.

Therefore, he instinctively disliked this kind of arrogant, aristocratic type of person.

Although he could understand that others weren't deliberately showing off, it was just that their upbringing and environment had shaped their perceptions and ways of doing things.

It's like a billionaire heir casually mentioning that he picked up a Lamborghini yesterday; to a struggling office worker, it would sound like he's showing off...

He understands, but he still doesn't like it.

Respecting other people's lifestyles doesn't mean you should force yourself to agree with them.

In this life, there are perhaps two major hurdles to overcome.

The first hurdle is that I am not important.

The first hurdle is that it doesn't matter who you ask.

The sun will rise as usual, no matter who leaves.

Every few days, Zhang Tianshi would come to see him and sit down to discuss the Dao and analyze the general trend of the world. At first, Wang Wen talked more and Zhang Tianshi talked less, but later, it gradually became Zhang Tianshi talking more and Wang Wen talking less. Both of them felt that they had gained a lot.

This kind of exchange of knowledge and perspectives doesn't involve much about personality or emotions, which is why even though Zhang Tianshi came seven or eight times, Wang Wen still couldn't figure him out.

But this is actually not quite normal. Wang Wen, who was also an old man, had only met Hunkun Zhenren two or three times, but he already had a general impression of Hunkun Zhenren's character.

Having encountered him seven or eight times without developing any reliable sensory connections, it can only mean that Zhang Tianshi was very wary of him.

Only with precautions can we prevent any leaks.

After meeting him seven or eight times, he only knew that Zhang Tianshi was indeed very knowledgeable. He was not only well-versed in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, but also had a clear understanding of the world situation. His analysis and analysis were insightful. Coupled with his unparalleled cultivation as a Celestial Master, he could be called a top figure in the world!

While Wang Wen was content to lie down and do nothing in Xing'an Town, Wan Li, who had "returned home in glory," was already using his name to roam freely all over the Xiangjiang River region.

To be precise, he would go wherever there was a war between people from the Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan and people from the Celestial Master's Mansion.

He stepped forward, waved Wang Wen's banner, and ordered both sides to stop fighting. If they dared not obey him, he would threaten to report them to Wang Wen!
Because of his activities, the entire Jiangxi paranormal community now knows that Wang Wen from the Huainan Demon-Slaying General's Mansion has come to Jiangxi to mediate the conflict between the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan...

Most people, intimidated by Wang Wen's formidable presence, gave Wan Li face.

He kept his word and complained to Wang Wen about every single one of the few stubborn kids who didn't listen to him.

Especially the people from the Celestial Master's Mansion, he would complain to Wang Wen in front of Zhang Yunxiu every time, making Zhang Yunxiu feel embarrassed and helpless. He would then have to drag those Celestial Master's Mansion disciples who had disgraced Lord Wan Li to him and apologize to Wan Li in front of Wang Wen.

Wang Wen was too lazy to bother with these trivial matters until the Ma family gave him an answer.

But Wan Li was happy to get involved in these trivial matters, so there was no reason for him to dampen Wan Li's enthusiasm...

Therefore, at the Celestial Master's Mansion, he would always pretend to be helpless, saying that he had "failed to manage his subordinates and made his junior brother Zhang laugh at him," and silently allow Wan Li to make trouble for Zhang Yunxiu.

As for the Ma and Tian families, he was too lazy to do anything, so he simply sent Hei Erniu to back up Wan Li and settle accounts with those fools who dared to disrespect Lord Wan Li.

Black Ox's bloodline has been traced back to its original form as a Black Qilin, and its strength is already considerable. With its scales that are impervious to blades and spears and difficult to be harmed by any magic, combined with the Qilin Fire which has the attributes of breaking magic and exorcising evil, if a real fight breaks out, no matter what kind of geomancer, sorcerer, innate master, or great demon and ghost, they are only fit to give it a scraping.

Unfortunately, this fellow remained stubborn and fearful of fighting, wasting its indestructible body.

This is a good opportunity to let Hei Erniu go out and gain some experience, and to build its confidence as a divine beast.

As Wang Wen had predicted, the Black Ox's intervention had the desired effect. No matter how unruly the opponent was, as soon as it revealed its true form as a Black Qilin, the opponent immediately learned to speak properly.

For a time, the rumor that Wang Wen, the Demon-Slaying General of Huainan, rode a divine beast, the Mo Qilin, spread widely in the Xiangjiang region.

Time flies, and more than half a month has passed... (End of Chapter)