The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Wang Wen set a final deadline, and the message was quickly delivered to the heads of the Ma and Tian families, Ma Gu Nai Nai and Tian Lao Si.

After receiving the news, the two leaders met again, but still could not reach an agreement.

"How can I meet him? I've heard a lot about the behavior of that General Huainan who vanquishes demons..."

The head of the Tian family, Tian Laosi, was a thin, dark-skinned middle-aged man with a red and green floral headscarf wrapped around his head. He sat by the fire pit with a furrowed brow and said in a deep voice in a thick Xiangxi accent, "If we can't reach an agreement when we meet, he will definitely throw a tantrum. Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?"

Grandma Ma, the head of the Ma family, sat opposite him. Her silver hair reflected the leaping firelight, and strangely enough, there were few wrinkles and age spots on her face.

Hearing Tian Laosi's words, she said helplessly, "How could I not know his ways? But if I avoid him, will he not get angry? He has achieved success at a young age, holds a high position, and possesses top-notch martial arts skills. He is at an age when he cannot tolerate the slightest disobedience."

"He waited for me in Xing'an Town for more than twenty days, but we all avoided seeing him. If you were in his shoes, wouldn't you also be furious?"

"Furthermore, that kid from Wanjiazhai has already made things very clear. It's not that I can't wait for him, but the premise is that you and I can keep the situation under control in western Hunan."

"Otherwise, once Huangshan, Maoshan, and the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion in Huainan are involved, he will definitely settle both old and new scores... At that time, it won't be a matter of offending them or not."

Old Tian didn't speak, but kept poking at the fire pit with the fire tongs.

He understood the principles that Grandma Magu was talking about.

But how could he be willing to give up the territory and advantages he had finally managed to occupy and return to the desolate mountains and villages to make a living by gathering herbs and driving corpses?

Ultimately, they simply didn't believe that Wang Wen could fairly mediate the conflict between their Xiangxi witchcraft lineage and the Longhushan Celestial Master's Mansion.

In their eyes, Wang Wen was there to take sides!
Oh, you didn't see us when we were being bullied by those despicable old Taoist priests of Longhu Mountain. We just managed to turn the tables, and then you, General Wang, came. Isn't your arrival too timely?
Do you really think we wizards are brainless?

They are even more despicable than those vile old Taoist priests of Longhu Mountain!
If they weren't so unsure of Wang Wen's true strength, they would have beaten him up too!

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Old Tian racked his brains for a long time but couldn't find a solution. Frustrated, he said, "Go see him? What if he wants us to hand over the territory we just acquired and retreat to western Hunan? What if he wants us to continue to be subservient to Longhu Mountain?"

"You were the ones who insisted on fighting back then, and now you're the ones who want to back down. You really know how to read the situation!"

"You go if you want, I can't bear the shame!"

Grandma Ma gave him a deep look and thought to herself, 'This brat is not worth planning for.' 'Just do as you say. I'll set off tonight to hear the brilliant theories of this General Huainan who vanquishes demons.'

Old Tian glanced at her and said irritably, "Be careful, don't get caught off guard. None of these officials are good people."

Grandma Ma nodded and said, "I will be extra careful."

……

Two days later.

Under Wan Li's guidance, Wang Wen finally met Grandma Magu in a remote village sixty miles away from Xing'an Town.

When he met Grandma Magu, she was sitting among a group of village women, skillfully weaving straw sandals. Apart from her appearance not matching her age, her clothes and temperament were perfectly in line with the group of simple village women.

But Wang Wen was not fooled by her seemingly harmless appearance.

Even before he entered the village, he sensed a large number of conspicuous presences both inside and outside the village.

These auras were human, and some were almost demonic...

While Wang Wen was sizing up Grandma Ma, Grandma Ma was also sizing up Wang Wen.

When she first saw the tall young man following behind Wan Li, looking around with light steps, she almost mistook him for a civil official, such as a staff member or clerk from the Huainan Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, who had come ahead to make preparations.

But she quickly dismissed the idea.

As the young man drew closer, she was unable to sense any presence from him.

Apart from footsteps and sight, she couldn't detect the young man's presence using any of her methods...

What was that joke about again?

Good news: The radar didn't detect it.

Bad news: I saw it.

Grandma Ma was shocked, but she smiled and put down the straw sandals in her hand. She stood up and greeted the general, saying, "This old woman, Liao Ma, greets the general."

Her Mandarin was very standard, and you could hardly hear any accent from the western Hunan dialect.

Wang Wen waved his hand with a faint smile: "Old man, there's no need for such formalities. This is not Huainan, and I am not wearing armor. There's no need for such politeness."

Grandma Magu also laughed and said, "What are you talking about? Even if this is not Huainan and the general is not wearing armor, the general is still a top expert in this world. How dare I, an old woman from the mountains, be so rude?"

“The old folks are not some kind of foolish men or women.”

Wang Wen was still laughing: "You are the famous Grandma Magu, you call the shots in half of Jiangxi... no, you almost call the shots in the whole of Jiangxi."

"So, in that sense, shouldn't I be the one bowing to you?"

Grandma Magu: "General, you are too kind to me. What Grandma Magu? It's just a rumor spread by the folks in my hometown. I am just an old woman struggling to make a living for my children and grandchildren. All I think about is making sure they have enough to eat and wear."

Wang Wen: "Is that so? Shouldn't the greatest expectation of mothers and grandmothers be that their children and grandchildren live peacefully and healthily until old age? The old lady's actions are quite different from what people in the old folks say."

Grandma Magu: "General, you don't know this, but if I had a choice, wouldn't I also wish that my children and grandchildren could work from sunrise to sunset, live a peaceful and worry-free life? But my hometown is poor, and if we don't seek food elsewhere, it's hard to even make a living. So I have to swallow my bitterness and tears and force a smile to support them in their efforts to earn a peaceful meal for their children and grandchildren."

Wang Wen: "It's certainly right to think about your children and grandchildren, but I believe there must be a better way than bloodshed. What do you think, sir?"

Grandma Magu: "If I had a choice, I certainly wouldn't want to see rivers of blood flowing, but what can I do when I'm just a nobody with no influence?"

Wang Wen: "That's why I'm here. Although saying this might sound like a petty person getting ahead, I think I'm not insignificant and my words carry some weight... I hope I can help you."

Grandma Magu: "General, you are too modest. You are a first-rate figure in this world, and your word is as good as gold. But... is the General really willing to stand up for us insignificant mountain folk?"

“I would be willing, but does the old man really want me to stand up for you?” Wang Wen smiled again: “Or is it that if I support you continuing to make trouble, it counts as standing up for you; if I don’t support you continuing to make trouble, it doesn’t count as standing up for you?”

"The human heart is a scale..."

Grandma Ma also smiled and said, "Whether the general is truly acting in our best interests is something the general knows in his heart, and we know it in our hearts as well."

Wang Wen nodded: "I hope so!"

Grandma Magu paused for a moment, then suddenly turned to the farmhouse behind her and gestured for them to come in: "General, you have come from afar, and this old woman has not even served you a cup of tea. Please come in and sit down."

Wang Wen nodded, stepped over the wooden gate, and entered the small courtyard.

Grandma Ma followed him slowly, and without turning her head, she waved to the other side. Immediately, several beautiful Miao women dressed in dark blue embroidered clothes and wearing silver ornaments came out carrying small bamboo chairs, tea, snacks, and dried fruits, and quickly set up in the courtyard.

Wan Li followed Granny Ma into the courtyard from a distance, head down and hunched over. When he saw this scene, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into his chest.

He was terrified that the two of them would start fighting the moment they met...

Wang Wenshu sat comfortably on the small bamboo chair, picked up the steaming teacup, took a sip, and praised, "This old tree tea is quite good."

Grandma Ma smiled faintly and said, "These are local specialties from the countryside and are not worth much money. If the general likes them, he may take some back with him."

Wang Wen readily agreed: "That's great... Alright, everyone's busy, let's stop with the preamble and tell me in detail, what exactly happened that your Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan fought with the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain?"

Grandma Ma pondered for a moment, then asked in return, "How much does the general know?"

Wang Wen: "I know quite a lot, but both of you are using euphemisms to describe the crux of the matter."

“Master Zhang told me that three of his disciples died in the Gu altar of your Ma family. Afterwards, your Ma family sent the bodies of those three disciples to the Tian family, who turned them into walking corpses, which led to this large-scale bloodshed.”

"Your third brother told my men that those three disciples didn't die at your Ma family's Gu altar at all, and their bodies weren't delivered to the Tian family by your Ma family. This bloodshed was a setup by the Celestial Master's Mansion from beginning to end, deliberately instigating a war between the two sides..."

"Now I want to hear what you have to say!"

Tell the truth!

Grandma Ma glanced at him casually.

Judging from Wang Wen's serious tone, she realized that he seemed to genuinely care about the truth.

How is this possible?
They didn't really care about the truth of the matter...

She pondered for a moment, then slowly explained, "Some of what they said is true."

“Those three disciples of the Celestial Master’s Mansion did indeed die at my Ma family’s Gu altar.”

"However, I still haven't figured out how those three disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion died inside the Gu Altar without alerting any guards, given that the Gu Altar of my Ma family is located in a secluded and heavily guarded area."

"But the bodies of the three disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion were indeed not handed over to the Tian family by my Ma family."

"When the incident occurred, I knew the situation was serious, so I immediately sent someone to notify the people of the Celestial Master's Mansion to come and discuss how to handle the matter."

"Afterwards, two groups of people came to the Celestial Master's Mansion. The first group came to collect the bodies of the three disciples and made it clear that the fault did not lie with the Ma family."

"The first group of people had just left when the second group arrived. They caused a huge disturbance on my Ma family's territory, claiming that my Ma family had harmed their Celestial Master's Mansion disciples and demanding that we pay with our lives."

"Immediately afterwards, the bodies of those three disciples appeared among the walking corpses of the Tian family members, and were discovered by disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion..."

"According to Tian Laosi's investigation, the three corpses came into their hands through their family's normal channels for collecting corpses. Before being identified by the Longhu Mountain disciples, they had no idea that the three corpses were disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion."

"And then, the general should know..."

After listening to her explanation, Wang Wen's doubts were all resolved, and he secretly exclaimed in admiration, "Impressive!"

Just as he had predicted, there was indeed an invisible hand manipulating things behind the scenes, instigating a conflict between the Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan and the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion.

The power of that invisible force lies in its complete control over the mentality of the Xiangxi witchcraft lineage and the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain...

Even though the two leaders of the Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan and Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain had more or less guessed that there might be hidden reasons or strange things going on, they deliberately ignored these strange things and silently followed the plan laid out by that invisible black hand.

Furthermore, all three leaders on both sides reached some kind of tacit agreement with that dark force!

Zhang Tianshi was fearless and confident that no matter how powerful and troublesome the witchcraft sect in western Hunan was, he, Longhu Mountain, could suppress them.

They simply assumed that the actions of that invisible black hand were handing a knife to Longhu Mountain...

The two leaders of the Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan also guessed the mastermind behind this scheme, which was aimed at the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain.

They all tacitly allowed that invisible black hand to stir up trouble behind the scenes, intending to use the power of this mastermind to help them defeat the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain.

As for why Grandma Magu and Old Master Tian were so certain that the mastermind was targeting the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain...

It's not targeting the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain, so it can't be targeting their Xiangxi witchcraft lineage, right?
Since both of them have nothing to lose, what is there to target them for?
Wang Wen dared to guarantee that the two leaders of the Xiangxi witchcraft lineage were probably still secretly praying that the invisible black hand was stronger, so that they would have a chance to defeat Zhang Tianshi's reliance on...

This is why Wang Wen didn't ask Grandma Ma why she and Tian Laosi, knowing there was something fishy or suspicious, didn't step forward and clarify things with the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain.

Because he could guess that Granny Magu and Old Man Tian would definitely reply: 'It's no use!'

In fact, it was indeed useless.

Even Zhang Tianshi himself said, "Now that things have come to this, what's the point of distinguishing right from wrong?"

From the moment the three corpses of the Celestial Master's Mansion disciples appeared before the Celestial Master's Mansion in the form of walking corpses, the matter had already reached a dead end.

Unless powerful figures intervene and forcefully suppress the conflict between the two sides to sit down and negotiate, this will not be possible.

Otherwise, this matter can only end with one side suffering heavy losses and having to retreat!
A conspiracy that wasn't particularly clever or ingenious...

Their grasp of people's hearts was precise to the millimeter! (End of Chapter)