The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Even in Yangzhou, after the news of Wang Wen's assassination attempt on the emperor reached the city, panic spread among the people like a highly contagious disease.

For several days in a row, large numbers of people, with their families and belongings, left the city to either return to their hometowns for temporary refuge or seek refuge with distant relatives.

The lines of people queuing to leave the city gates every day stretched from morning till night...

The bustling markets and streets declined at a visible rate.

It's not fair to blame the people for being materialistic; they had received so much kindness from Wang Wen in the past, but abandoned him at the crucial moment.

Rebellion is truly a terrible disaster for any person or any city...

If Wang Wen really rebels in Yangzhou, it would be fine if he wins; at most, Yangzhou will just be thoroughly plundered by him.

But if he loses, the entire city's inhabitants might have to pay with their lives!

It is human nature to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune.

Wang Wen could understand their panic and agreed with their choice.

But he was still unhappy.

I'm very unhappy!

Fortunately, the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, to which he had devoted a great deal of time and effort, did not disappoint him.

Although a strange atmosphere, "better left unsaid," had permeated the General's Mansion, the Demon-Suppressing Guards would exchange knowing glances whenever they met...

But in the end, it was just as he had hoped: training when needed, resting when needed, and going on missions when needed...

Of course he knew that these idiots were all just putting on an act.

Secretly, these hotheads probably already came up with a manifesto for him.

But to be able to remain calm in this situation is already quite impressive...

Days passed by, and Wang Wen continued to do what he was supposed to do. All the projects under his control were progressing normally, with the first phase of the "Jixia Academy," which was the fastest progressing, already entering the countdown to completion.

Aside from Hunkun Zhenren casting a spell on him with his Water Mirror Technique, causing him to complain endlessly about the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Ranking, which put the three of them in a terrible predicament, and only after much persuasion was he able to calm his senior brother down, the two external hurricanes failed to cause any further ripples in his life...

Under his influence, the tension that had been building up throughout the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion gradually eased.

Even the most uneducated man, who wouldn't recognize the character "一" even if a carrying pole fell over, knew that this matter would definitely not be left unresolved.

Everyone is waiting...

The rumors circulating outside the outside world went through several iterations in a very short period of time.

According to the latest version that Wang Wen knows, he was born with his feet on the Seven Stars, and on the day of his birth, the sun and moon shone brightly, purple aura came from the east, and a fortune teller who could predict the future pointed at his front door and shouted "Heaven's mandate is with him" three times before dying.

He listened with great interest, feeling that he was a top celebrity in the Zhou Dynasty, and that his every move would create a nationwide frenzy of gossip!

Time quickly moved into mid-April, and the start of summer was just around the corner.

For more than half a month, Yangzhou did not receive a single drop of rain.

Wang Wen couldn't sit still, so he went out to travel all over the country. Everywhere he looked, there were brownish-yellow, cracked farmlands, and dark, emaciated figures carrying water buckets, numbly and futilely running between rivers and farmlands...

Missing the entire spring planting season means that even with abundant rainfall in the summer, reduced grain production in various regions is already a foregone conclusion!

Wang Wen returned to the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion with a heavy heart and held meetings for several days.

On the one hand, he ordered the supervisory offices of generals' offices in various regions to intensify their supervision of the transportation of grain and fodder in Huainan Circuit and fluctuations in grain prices.

On one hand, he ordered the two major water bureaus to contact local governments in the name of the Demon-Slaying General's Office to repair water conservancy projects and divert water from the Huai River and the Yangtze River to irrigate farmland, based on the drought conditions in various places.

For four or five days in a row, Wang Wendu sat in the main hall of the general's mansion, constantly convening meetings with various groups to do his best to secure stable grain prices.

Even with his unparalleled martial prowess, which was virtually unmatched in the world, he was still overwhelmed by these trivial and numerous tasks, and found it difficult to breathe.

Take, for example, the task of getting the two major water management bureaus to contact local governments in various regions to repair water conservancy projects in response to drought conditions. This task alone was incredibly complex and multifaceted.

His initial idea was simple: have the two major water bureaus, through the supervising offices of the generals' offices in various regions, go to the local officials and ask them what water conservancy projects they urgently needed, or what the two major water bureaus could do to help them.

In the actual operation...

In some places, local officials did not believe in the monsters of the two great water palaces, and no matter how the demon-suppressing guards of the supervisory office tried to persuade them, they refused to meet them.

In some places, local officials were perfunctory, casually finding a river or a location and sending the monsters from the two great water palaces to build dams.

In some places, local officials claimed to know nothing when asked about drought. They responded, "What drought? Where is the drought? I haven't heard of it!"

In some cases, the local government was capable, but when it came to constructing water conservancy projects, a group of troublesome people who had no shortage of water caused a huge disturbance because of land issues...

Every day, all sorts of bizarre and troublesome things piled up on Wang Wen's desk, infuriating his three spirits to the point that they would rage several times a day, and he had countless thoughts of going straight over and twisting off the heads of those bastards to kick like footballs!

But after each outburst of rage, he still had to control his anger, calm down and think of solutions to deal with and resolve each issue one by one.

It was during this time that he gradually realized that there are many things in the world that cannot be solved by force...

He was so busy that Xu Wu was also kept on his toes. At first, Xu Wu worked hard without complaint, but after a few days, he couldn't help but complain.

"Brother, do you think we're just bored and have nothing better to do than meddle in these trivial matters?"

He slumped heavily into the chair, downed the tea Jin Jiu had just brought him in one gulp, and, rubbing his aching back, angrily said, "Whether it rains or the fields are dry, do you think we'll starve?"

Wang Wen looked up from the mountain of documents, glanced at him, and smiled, "What's wrong? Have you heard any more rumors?"

Xu Wu: "It's nothing, I just can't figure it out!"

Wang Wen: "Just answer my question!"

Xu Wu glanced at him, pursed his lips in resentment, and felt wronged for his elder brother: "People outside are saying that you're trying to win people over!"

Wang Wen smiled dismissively: "What do you think?"

Xu Wu cursed loudly, "What a load of bull!"

It was precisely because he knew what his elder brother was thinking that he felt wronged on his behalf.

"Don't you understand perfectly well?"

Wang Wen laughed and said, "Why are you still angry?"

Xu Wu looked at him incredulously: "Aren't you angry?"

Holy crap, is this really the same older brother he knows?
At this moment, shouldn't he be slamming his fist on the table, demanding to know who the hell was gossiping behind his back, then immediately dragging that bastard out, beating him up in the street, and parading him through the throng? Who is this amiable, handsome guy in front of him?
When did he possess his elder brother's body?

"I was angry at first too..."

Wang Wen chuckled calmly, "I figured it out later."

His divine sense would wander around the city whenever he had free time, and no one knew better than him how his spirit was being spread outside.

Xu Wu: "What have you figured out?"

Wang Wen lowered his head and continued writing the official document in his hand: "This trivial matter is not something anyone asked me to handle. It is something I mainly handle myself. What I think and what I do are my own business and have nothing to do with others. How they view me is also none of my business!"

Xu Wu's face scrunched up. He could understand every single word his older brother said, but when they were put together, he couldn't understand anything at all.

He stood up and strode over to the table, reaching out to touch the man's forehead, muttering in confusion, "It's not hot? Why are you talking nonsense?"

Wang Wen slapped the dog's paw away: "This is the lobby, watch your step!"

Xu Wu: "Then tell me, you were clearly in charge of their lives, so how come in the end it's none of their business? You haven't had a full night's sleep these past few days, have you?"

"And what about those heartless bastards who are enjoying your benefits while whispering that you're winning people's hearts? How is that none of your business?"

"Brother, if you're really feeling pent up, let's go to a brothel..."

Wang Wen: "Get lost! You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth!"

Xu Wu retorted indignantly, "I'll find a pair of ivory tusks and stick them in my mouth!"

Having no other choice, Wang Wen put down his pen, pondered for a moment, and then said softly, "Er Gou, there's a saying in Buddhism called 'Do one good deed every day.'"

Xu Wu looked at him in shock: "Aren't you the one who hates those bald monks the most? Why are you getting into Buddhist scriptures?"

Wang Wen ignored him and slowly continued, "Doing one good deed a day refers to monks begging for alms. When monks beg for alms, it seems like they are asking passersby for charity, but in their eyes, they are giving passersby an opportunity to do good. That's why they call it doing one good deed a day."

Xu Wu: "Holy crap? You can even argue like that?"

Wang Wen said leisurely, "What I disagree with is the conduct of those monks. I still agree with the essence of Buddhism that guides people to goodness."

The Diamond Sutra states: "Our inherent nature is self-sufficient and requires no external seeking. We should abide nowhere, and thus give rise to the mind."

"It refers to the human heart, which already has enough power. As long as you cultivate your own heart, you don't need to seek external power to fill the emptiness within."

"I'm getting involved in this mess because I want to. I'm following the good intentions in my heart, and I'm cultivating my own good deeds and reaping the rewards, not for the approval and praise of others, or for their returns to me!"

"So what I do is none of their business; how they see me is also none of my business!"

It is said that a hundred words from a person are useless, but a single act of teaching can truly touch one's heart.

He was able to understand these principles because he had also felt extremely angry about the rumors from the outside world, and even had the idea of ​​giving up and simply starving those bastards who made sarcastic remarks!

Just as Xu Wu said, even if it doesn't rain or the land is dry, how can they starve?
Even if the farmland is so dry that there is no harvest, he still has countless ways to ensure that the people around him are well-fed and clothed...

But after the anger subsided, he asked himself: 'Isn't this something you wanted to get involved in? Did anyone beg you to meddle in this mess? What's with your anger?'

Then I gradually came to understand these principles, and my tormented heart was suddenly liberated, gaining unprecedented peace. Even the conflicting forces within me suddenly became much more harmonious.

He felt that this might be the way to temper one's heart in the mortal world...

Xu Wu stared at him blankly for a long time before finally giving him a thumbs up in admiration: "High level, high level, I can't do it, I'll just continue to be an ordinary person!"

Wang Wen smiled and nodded, saying, "You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish!"

Xu Wu replied sincerely, "Brother, although I am not well-educated, I can still understand you are insulting me!"

"I'm praising you!"

Wang Wen was both amused and exasperated: "I mean, I'm not you, so naturally I can't understand your happiness."

Xu Wu winked and said, "That's true. I just made plans with Shi Tou and the others to go to the Lichun Brothel for drinks tonight!"

Wang Wen's face darkened...

He suddenly realized that he was living more and more like a monk!
But what could he do? He had already lost his vital essence and had also cultivated the path of the Ghost Immortal. If he did not restrain himself, it would be a pipe dream for him to achieve yin-yang balance, unity of spirit and flesh, and to cultivate the path of physical sainthood in the future!
'This situation of being forced to become a eunuch... doesn't it give me a sense of déjà vu, like a third-rate online novel's male protagonist being cast out of his body due to rampant censorship?'

He felt a strange chill run down his spine, thinking to himself, 'Could there be some bespectacled, fat, third-rate online novelist sitting in front of his computer, lecherously spying on my life?'

"what……"

He shuddered in disgust and forcibly suppressed the vain thought.

The world is like a virtual universe, and all living beings are NPCs.

As long as he can open his eyes and see the bright sunlight, smell the pleasant fragrance of flowers, taste delicious food, do what he wants to do, and gather with his family and friends...

Therefore, falsehood is also truth!
If everything goes against the grain, even the truth becomes falsehood!
Suddenly, he realized: 'All things are phenomena, like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, and lightning; thus should they be viewed…'

Since all conditioned phenomena are like dreams and illusions.

So……

He focused his introspection, observing the distinct and conflicting forces within his body, and wondered: 'What conflict is there?'

With a firm thought, a radiant golden wheel of merit suddenly appeared behind his head, as bright as the sun, casting a faint golden light on his tall figure, just like a golden Buddha statue.

The several distinct and conflicting forces within him, illuminated by the boundless, pure, and immaculate golden light of merit, gradually merged into one, like rivers of different colors converging, each containing the other...

At the same time, lines of text, "[Merit -100]", flashed rapidly across his vision like a screen being refreshed.

The golden wheel of merit behind his head also changed from real to illusory, from bright to dark, until it disappeared completely.

A moment later, Wang Wen opened his eyes, feeling the immense power within him, a fusion of martial arts true energy and ghostly magic, flowing through his meridians like a mighty river. He suddenly realized, "Oh, so this is the unity of spirit and body!"

He has found the path to physical sanctification.

What's lacking is simply a massive amount of merit...

Xu Wu, sitting below the platform, moved silently like a fish leaping ashore, a muffled sound escaping from deep within his throat: "God, god, god, god... immortal!"

Seeing his horrified look, Wang Wen, with a mischievous glint in his eye, said in a serious tone, "You've got it all wrong! That was martial arts!"

Xu Wu: ? ? ?
I have little education, don't lie to me!
Just as Wang Wenzheng was about to tease him again, a Demon Suppression Guard rushed in, clasped his hands, and said, "Reporting to the General, a group of eunuchs have arrived outside and request an audience with you."

Wang Wen's expression turned serious, and he nodded firmly, saying, "Please come in." (End of Chapter)