The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Wang Wen only stayed in Yangzhou for one day. After finishing up the many official duties accumulated at the General's Mansion, he returned to Xing'an Town in Jiangxi the next day to act as an intermediary between the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain and the Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan.

His enthusiasm stems not only from the fact that he orchestrated the current state of the matter, leaving him no reason to abandon it halfway, but also from his own keen interest in the identity and motives of the mastermind behind it all.

Judging from the methods used, the mastermind behind the scenes was clearly not a lone wolf, capable of manipulating the powerful local forces of Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion and Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan with ease, and even starting to plan more than ten or twenty years in advance.

At the same time, it is unlikely that the Grand Zhou Astronomical Bureau, a makeshift organization with little foundation, could have carried out a secret plan for more than ten or twenty years without revealing a single word...

Wang Wen had reason to suspect that the mastermind was a sizable and secretive underground force.

However, this underground force is unlikely to be a secret agent of Buddhism.

It wasn't that he believed in the morals of those bald monks...

On the contrary, he was more convinced than anyone that once those bald monks gained power, they would surely reveal their true, despicable nature.

After all, Buddhism only talks about origins, not predestined relationships.

But this is all predicated on those bald monks gaining real power!

They only become arrogant when they truly gain power.

Before they gained power, those bald monks wouldn't have dared to resort to such underhanded tricks that would utterly offend the Taoist sect.

The conflict between Buddhism and Taoism has lasted for thousands of years, with both sides engaging in open and covert struggles, exchanging countless blows.

Buddhism never completely defeated Taoism.

The Taoist sect never defeated the Buddhist sect.

Both sides had long ago reached a tacit understanding to "stop when the iron is hot," so that later, whether Buddhism or Taoism gained power, they would not only not drive out the other, but would also help their opponent when appropriate.

To prevent our enemies from gaining power in the future and annihilating us...

The best example is the White Lotus Rebellion.

Therefore, this highly harmful and insulting incident does not seem to be the work of Buddhism at all.

Without a doubt, after this incident, as long as the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain can catch its breath, it will definitely fight to the death with the mastermind behind it.

In this matter, Maoshan and Gezaoshan will inevitably side with the Celestial Master's Mansion unconditionally.

This is half of the Great Zhou Xuanmen's territory!
Ultimately, no major sect leader can tolerate such a conspiracy—planting spies into other sects and using them to incite conflict between the sect and its enemies—as it seriously threatens the sect's lineage and inheritance!

They've come here with the intention of destroying the sect and wiping out the entire clan. Is there any other solution but to fight to the death?
This explains why, when Zhang Tianshi learned at the Celestial Master's Mansion that the three disciples who died at the Ma family's Gu altar were likely pawns or spies planted by others, he flew into a rage and changed his demeanor dramatically.

Such despicable methods are even more intolerable for a Taoist lineage like the Celestial Master's Mansion, which still continues its bloodline inheritance.

Because if the enemy dares to plant spies this time, they'll dare to switch the prince with a cat next time!

Based on this information, Wang Wen was able to temporarily rule out Buddhism.

And that's precisely what makes this matter so interesting...

That's at least what Wang Wen found most interesting about the matter.

That sense of anticipation is like watching a suspense movie. After a lot of build-up, all the characters and clues are clear, and it's the eve of the revelation of the real culprit's identity.

The immersive, all-around perspective without any viewpoint is so captivating that it immediately heightens the sense of anticipation!

……

On the third day after Wang Wen returned to Xing'an Town, the Zhang family father and son came to the inn where he was staying.

Both father and son looked grim, and the oppressive atmosphere made Wang Wen too embarrassed to even utter a few words of greeting.

"What's wrong?"

He smiled and tried to ease the tension: "Is the sky falling down?"

"Shocking, absolutely shocking!"

The speaker was Zhang Yunxiu. His face was flushed with anger, and he was so excited and forceful in speaking that the veins on his forehead were throbbing.

Upon hearing his words, Wang Wen keenly sensed the impending big surprise and his spirits lifted.

His eyes lit up, and he immediately wanted to ask more questions, but after scanning the "simple" surroundings, he said with a wry smile, "Are you sure you want to talk business in a place like this?"

Zhang Tianshi stroked his beard expressionlessly. Zhang Yunxiu picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and then drank it down in one gulp as if it were wine. He said indignantly, "Where in this world can we still talk about serious matters?"

Wang Wen understood; this was definitely a major problem within the Celestial Master's Mansion!
So much so that the father and son subconsciously no longer wanted to discuss serious matters at the Celestial Master's Mansion, and instead came down the mountain together to find him.

"Would it be convenient for you to tell me about it?"

He eagerly picked up the teapot and poured Zhang Yunxiu a bowl of hot tea. Although his heart was filled with curiosity, like a cat's claws scratching at him, he still said insincerely, "If it's inconvenient, then forget it."

"Is there any inconvenience?"

Without hesitation, Zhang Yunxiu replied, "If my father and I treated our martial uncle as an outsider, why would we have come here?"

Wang Wen nodded, agreeing with his statement: "Then tell me, I'm listening."

Zhang Yunxiu glanced at Zhang Tianshi: "Father, shall we speak, or shall I?"

"Just tell me..."

Zhang Tianshi suddenly sighed, stroked his beard, and said in a low voice with a complicated and tired expression, "Tell the truth, there's no need to hide anything."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded, then took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "The day my martial uncle took the old hag from the Ma family up the mountain, didn't he ask us to investigate all those in the manor who were in key positions in this matter, and those who, despite their instincts to prevent the situation from escalating, openly or secretly exacerbated it?"

Wang Wen nodded; it was indeed he who said those words: "You have results?"

Zhang Yunxiu opened his mouth, wanting to answer, but seemed somewhat ashamed to speak. He lowered his eyelids, avoiding Wang Wen's gaze: "We have been investigating all registered disciples and members for several days. There are 37 people who are highly suspected. From the elders of my Zhang family and the elders of the manor to the outer disciples who have only been in the sect for four or five years, there are people involved."

"So many? How did you even investigate? Could you have made a mistake?" Wang Wenxin exclaimed, "Good heavens!" How many people does the Celestial Master's Mansion actually have? So many undercover agents? Are you some kind of spies transporting twin lions across the earth?

Zhang Tianshi was expressionless, his face so gloomy it looked like a storm was about to break.

Upon hearing his question, Zhang Yunxiu angrily gritted his teeth, saying slowly and deliberately, "I also hope I'm mistaken, but these people either have serious problems with their identities and origins, or they've been secretly buying large amounts of land elsewhere in the past two years... what else could they be but traitors within the family?"

"You mean..."

Wang Wen frowned and said, "Did you first find out that these people behaved strangely in this incident, and then trace their backgrounds, hometowns, and recent behavior, and then corroborate each other to get the exact number of thirty-seven people?"

Neither the father nor the son spoke.

But Wang Wen could tell that both father and son wanted to kill someone.

No wonder the father and son came here to tell him all this; it turns out they were afraid that their small act of impatience would ruin their grand plan.

Wang Wen frowned and pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhang Tianshi: "Brother Zhang, would you mind if I told my senior brother about this?"

Zhang Tianshi looked at him with puzzlement, but quickly understood what he wanted to do, and nodded slightly, saying, "Of course it's possible."

Wang Wen nodded, and in front of the father and son, he drew a circle with one hand while muttering incantations.

A moment later, Master Hunkun's cheerful voice rang out in the room: "Junior brother, what have you been busy with lately? It's been a while since you've chatted with your senior brother."

"Senior brother, I'm at the foot of Longhu Mountain. Look who this is!"

Worried that the old man might let something slip or say the wrong thing, Wang Wen hurriedly pointed the water mirror at Zhang Tianshi to show that Zhang Tianshi was also present.

Hunkun Zhenren looked at Zhang Tianshi with surprise, then smiled and bowed, saying, "May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings. How have you been lately, Daoist brother? Has my mischievous junior brother caused you any trouble?"

Zhang Tianshi forced a smile, bowed in return, and said, "To be honest, if it weren't for you teaching such a good junior brother, I'm afraid my Tianshi would have faced another great calamity. We, the entire Tianshi Mansion, will forever remember your kindness and be grateful for it."

Master Hunkun grinned slightly and said with a reserved smile, "Brother Dao, please don't praise this mischievous monkey. This mischievous monkey is just a bit righteous and kind-hearted..."

"Alright, alright, senior brother, thank you. Please don't praise me anymore..."

Upon hearing the phrase "warm-hearted and kind-hearted," Wang Wen felt inexplicably uncomfortable and hurriedly interrupted him, saying, "Let's get down to business first."

He briefly recounted the events that had befallen the Celestial Master's Mansion to Master Hunkun, and then said, "Senior brother, you should also investigate whether Maoshan has any such problems, especially the disciples and followers who have come up the mountain in the last two years. Go through them all, and list out anyone whose identity is even slightly suspicious, and send people to investigate and verify their identities."

He paused, then said seriously, "I suspect that the conflict between the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Xiangxi Witchcraft Clan is just the prelude. The real big move is aimed at our Zhengyi Sect, and even the entire Great Zhou Xuanmen Sect!"

As he expected, before he could even finish speaking, Hunkun Zhenren's expression was already the same as Zhang Tianshi's, with anger and shock mixed in his eyes.

"The world is going to the dogs! The world is going to the dogs!"

He slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage: "Investigate! I will investigate this thoroughly! Junior brother, you must put in more effort and find that audacious scoundrel. Be sure to inform your brother, and I will make sure he knows just how many eyes Emperor Huaguang has!"

Wang Wen nodded and gave him a few perfunctory replies before quickly hanging up... The gloomy aura emanating from the father and son beside him was so intense it was almost unbearable.

"Uncle-Master, what should we do now?"

As soon as he dispelled the Water Mirror Technique, Zhang Yunxiu couldn't wait to ask, "Wouldn't wiping them all out now alert the enemy?"

Wang Wendu could hear the cracking sound of his fists clenching, but meeting Zhang Yunxiu's expectant gaze, he still nodded cruelly: "That's inevitable. If we take action against those suspicious moles now, it's tantamount to telling the mastermind behind the scenes that we've discovered their conspiracy!"

"There are only two possible outcomes. The first is that it will force him to launch his countermeasures prematurely and give us a hard time."

"The second method is for them to immediately detach their tails like a gecko, clean up all traces, and disappear without a trace..."

Which one would you like to choose?

Zhang Yunxiu roared angrily, "So, are we just supposed to watch these spies put on a show right in front of us?"

Zhang Tianshi also said, "Dragging this out any longer is not a solution. We must think of a way to lure them out..."

Wang Wen didn't rush to reply. Instead, he frowned and analyzed the situation from various angles, initiating a brainstorming session that directly overloaded his computing power.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke, "We do have a certain advantage right now, namely that the person behind the scenes doesn't know that we already know about their existence. If we play the long game, we might have a chance to lure the person behind the scenes out. Setting up a trap right now... is too hasty!"

He paused for a moment, then continued, “From this perspective, my earlier decision to force Granny Magu to confront my fellow Daoist on Longhu Mountain has probably alerted the enemy. Given the scheming nature of the person behind the scenes, who can spend over a decade planning this scheme, he will likely remain silent and observe for a while. During this time, any unusual news will completely scare away this big fish.”

He paused, then continued, "Of course, my assumption is based on the premise that the person behind the scenes has no pressure on their shoulders and that they have absolute control over the overall plan."

He was not some brilliant, balding, and infallible genius.

He always knew that he was just an ordinary person whose perspective and way of thinking were slightly different from those of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

However, precisely because he considers himself an ordinary person, he never hesitates to make the worst-case scenario plan.

What is the worst-case scenario?

That is, he believed that if he, Wang Wen, could think of something, others could also think of it.

He can anticipate others' plans, and others can anticipate his plans; no one can insult anyone else's intelligence...

In short, he doesn't belittle himself, but he also respects the intelligence of others.

Zhang Tianshi understood what he said before, but he didn't quite understand the last sentence. He asked in confusion, "Fellow Daoist said that the person behind the scenes can watch and escape, provided that he has no pressure on his shoulders and has absolute control over the overall plan... What does that mean?"

"It's easy!"

Wang Wen: "If the person behind the scenes is an independent organization, such as the Buddhist sect, a ruthless group with no one above them, then when they know that their conspiracy may be exposed, they can choose to continue or stop."

"But if the person behind it isn't an independent organization, like the White Lotus Sect, then even if they were to stop after learning that their conspiracy might be exposed, they would still have to ask the Buddhist sect's opinion first, to see if the Buddhist sect would allow them to stop..."

“If the Buddhist community does not allow them to stop, then even if they know that their conspiracy may be exposed, they will have no choice but to grit their teeth and continue.”

This time, Zhang Tianshi understood: "Fellow Daoist suspects... that the person behind the scenes is a pawn of some powerful force?"

Wang Wen shook his head: "All I know is that the person behind this has put in so much effort and set up such a grand scheme; their ambitions are far greater!" (End of Chapter)