Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 235 Good Servant

The night was lonely and desolate.

Only the moon shines in the sky, with a few scattered stars on the horizon.

A campfire was burning brightly in the wild, and several tents stood within the range illuminated by the firelight.

Horses were grazing, people were cleaning their guns, and dozens of people, some standing and some sitting, all exuded a shrewd and capable air.

Of the three closest to the fire, only Zhang Yi's demeanor resembled that of the brothers on the outer perimeter.

The other two men, one a man in his thirties, was wearing sunglasses, a silk long gown, and a white button-down coat, and was fiddling with a golden pistol late at night.

Another elderly man, dressed in a gray Taoist robe, with yellowish hair tied in a topknot, had a ruddy complexion, kind eyes, and was chanting incantations as if performing a routine prayer.

Zhang Yi took the heated dry food biscuits off the thick wire, cut them open, scooped out the meat from the can with a dagger, stuffed it inside, and handed it to the man in sunglasses.

"Young Marshal, it's time to eat."

The man in sunglasses took the pancake, took a bite, and shook his head, looking quite satisfied. But after taking a second bite, he casually tossed the pancake into the fire.

"Is this all you're going to give me to eat?"

The man in sunglasses grinned, "You won't eat it yourself, yet you're giving it to me?"

This is the way the man in sunglasses said he wanted to try at noon today.

But Zhang Yi was already used to this man's fickle nature. He simply picked up another dry food biscuit without adding any meat and took a bite.

Now, Cao Bokun is the leader in the north, and his fourth brother Cao Rui and seventh brother Cao Ying have both gained power.

The man in sunglasses is Cao Ying's son, Cao Shaolin.

After joining the army, Zhang Yi served under Cao Ying. Relying on his martial arts skills, he was promoted quickly, and Cao Bokun also had a good impression of him.

In just a few years, he went from a new recruit with no connections or backing to the rank of colonel, just one step away from becoming a general.

In the past six months or so, he has received the power of the original text, and Cao Ying has mentioned several times that he wants to promote him.

Cao Ying said that sending him out to do an important task was a good excuse to promote him.

If he succeeds, he will have made a contribution; if he fails, he will have put in the effort. In any case, he will definitely be promoted.

However, not far from the capital, Zhang Yi and his men encountered Cao Shaolin, a spoiled brat.

Traveling together along the way forced Zhang Yi to become even more taciturn.

The sound of horses' hooves came from not far away. Zhang Yi's adjutant dismounted and hurriedly approached.

Zhang Yi's spirits lifted: "Have you ordered the intelligence department to intensify their efforts to find out Chen Xuewen's exact whereabouts after his retirement? Have you found out?"

Deputy Yang's expression was grim: "It's no use finding out now. A few days ago, a group of people with Sichuan accents appeared in Hanoi County and took Chen Xuewen away."

Zhang Yi suddenly stood up: "What?!"

"I think they are most likely Liu Yanqi's men."

Lieutenant Yang said, "The Sichuan accent is easy to recognize. There's no other family that would dare to leave such blatant traces and oppose us like this."

This is of course a lie.

The people sent by the Han government to find Chen Xuewen would not have any obvious accents.

But Yang, the adjutant who was lying, knew very well that since the Han government headquarters had made such an arrangement, even if Zhang Yi went to Hanoi to investigate and verify it.

The information that is verified will only be consistent with this lie.

"Once we leave the capital, we'll travel non-stop..."

Zhang Yi's breathing became slightly rough, and he subconsciously glanced at Cao Shaolin.

Cao Shaolin, however, was quite astute at this moment, shrugging his shoulders and saying, "This has nothing to do with me, does it?"

"Along the way, you always led your men to live in the wilderness, and when you were gathering information, you only sent your adjutant to contact people in the towns."

"Isn't it just that you're worried I'll go to town and take up your time?"

Cao Shaolin has always been a troublemaker, and he's never quiet in the capital. When he's outside, he's even more unruly.

Zhang Yi did indeed deliberately stay in the wild along the way to avoid any unexpected complications, but it still caused some delays.

"Young Marshal, you've misunderstood."

Zhang Yi said, "I just blame myself for being too lazy."

Cao Shaolin nodded: "You really should blame yourself."

"Look, you haven't gotten your business done, and I haven't had any fun either. When I get back, I'm going to complain to my dad."

"If you make me happy, even if nothing gets done, I'll put in a good word for you when we get back and help you get promoted."

Cao Shaolin stood up, walked up to Zhang Yi, put his hands on Zhang Yi's shoulders, and sighed.

"Sigh, tell me, are you regretting it now?"

Zhang Yi remained expressionless, only saying, "I regret it now."

"Ever since you obtained that original text, you haven't been as obedient as before. You've even dared to boss me around along the way."

Cao Shaolin then said in a reasonable tone, "Shouldn't you apologize to me? Show some sincerity, kneel down and kowtow a few times."

Zhang Yi stared at him.

The movements of the brothers around them had stopped at some point, but they dared not make a sound.

"We should kowtow to the young marshal a few times."

Zhang Yi suddenly smiled, reached out and lifted the hem of his long robe, preparing to kneel.

Cao Shaolin quickly helped him up, turned up his collar, and straightened his clothes.

"Hahaha, I was just kidding."

Cao Shaolin laughed very loudly.

"With your current skills, if you were to actually bang your head on the ground, wouldn't you knock down all these tents and dismantle the place where I'm sleeping tonight?"

Zhang Yi said, "I wouldn't dare."

"Alright, if you want to apologize, come with me somewhere else to have some fun," Cao Shaolin said. "Isn't there a particularly lively place in Yuzhou, called... called..."

The old Taoist priest with yellow hair had finished his homework and then smiled and said, "Call it Luoyang."

"Ah, yes, that's it."

Cao Shaolin said, "Let's go to Luoyang for a visit."

Anyway, things can't be done now.

It's impossible for Zhang Yi to chase them all the way to Sichuan with such a small number of people.

Given Cao Ying's personality, he certainly wouldn't object to spending some time with his son first, rather than returning directly to the capital to report.

Zhang Yi immediately agreed.

Cao Shaolin turned to look at the fire, pulled off his sunglasses, and smiled broadly.

The firelight illuminated his sallow face.

The scene of burning firewood was vividly reflected in his eyes, and he kept laughing, lost in thought.

The flames were intense, but ultimately not as bright as the sun the next day.

Cao Shaolin sat on horseback, looking up at the sky.

The sunlight created a bright spot on his sunglasses.

When he lowered his gaze, what appeared in his sunglasses was a magnificent temple in front of him.

They set off before dawn and, now nearing afternoon, have arrived at "Guanlin".

Guanlin is located south of Luoyang.

Legend has it that this is the place where Cao Cao buried Guan Yu's head with the honors due to a king and built a temple to worship him during the Three Kingdoms period.

Among the hundreds of Guan temples in the country, this place is uniquely called "Lin" (Forest), making it the only place in the country that combines the three worships of tomb, temple, and forest into one.

In the 20th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Guanlin Temple was expanded on the original site of the Han Dynasty Guan Temple.

It covers an area of ​​over 200 acres and has more than 150 halls, pavilions, and corridors.

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, this place has undergone several periods of damage and restoration.

During the Qianlong era, the main gate wall, originally a vermilion gate with red walls, has now faded.

But the ancient trees inside still stand tall and majestic, with lush foliage.

Even when you're still outside the door, you can see the glossy green color of the tree canopy and leaves.

Zhang Yi and the old Taoist priest with yellow hair were a little behind on their horses.

"Mr. Yuan Li."

Zhang Yi showed great respect for the old Taoist priest with yellow hair. "Did you intend to come to Luoyang from the very beginning?"

Yuan Ligong laughed and said, "It seems that since we set off today, our goal has been too clear, and the colonel has seen through it."

Zhang Yi looked at the temple ahead: "Yuanli Gong's cultivation is unfathomable, which is why you made a special trip to Luoyang, and you came to a place like Guanlin. Could it be related to the original text?"

Yuan Li nodded slightly.

Zhang Yi gritted his teeth and said, "If that's the case, does Lord Yuanli know that Chen Xuewen, whom we were originally ordered to find, is the owner of Sima Yi's original text?"

"that's not important."

Yuan Ligong said softly, "Judging from the current situation, the successor of Sima Yi's original work must not have fully integrated with it. Even if you capture him, you will not kill him. Otherwise, it will only force Sima Yi's original work to find another successor."

"But if we don't kill him, we'll have already brought him under the control of the Cao family, attracting the attention of the dragon vein. In the dark, this will greatly harm the Cao family."

"I advised Cao Cao on this matter, but he was suspicious and had a strong desire for control, so he ultimately decided to send you out to test you."

Zhang Yi asked in bewilderment, "Can't Yuan Li Gong's magic solve this kind of problem? If not, what are you doing here at the temple?"

Since we've come to this place, we must be after Guan Yu's original texts.

Zhang Yi had also vaguely heard that this Yuan Li Gong seemed to have a great deal of knowledge about the original texts on dragon veins.

"Guan Yu was a military general who charged into battle, broke through cities, and flooded the seven armies. He was extremely murderous and died by decapitation. After his death, his evil spirit was confused and wandered to Yuquan Mountain. He only regained his senses for a while after someone called out his real name."

Yuan Ligong recounted the story in detail.

"His original texts not only contain his deeds during his lifetime, but also contain many true and false stories about his wandering soul before the dragon vein broke away. The stories are a mixture of Yin and Yang, and are ever-changing."

"The method I practice is actually the world's arrangement and interpretation of the ancients, involving a great deal of Guan Yu. Taking his original text is actually the easiest one."

"Placing the original Guan Yu text on someone who should never have been chosen is the first anomaly I created."

"When these changes accumulate step by step and exceed the influence of the dragon vein, it will be irrelevant to arrest Sima Yi's successor, imprison him, kill him, or strip him of his title."

Zhang Yi knew little about magic or similar things.

But he picked up on a key point.

Cao Shaolin!
According to Yuan Ligong, this old man wanted Cao Shaolin to obtain Guan Yu's original text.

Zhang Yi looked at the spoiled brat ahead and tightened his grip on the reins.

Does someone like this deserve such benefits?

But... well, what can you do when someone is born into a good family?
Zhang Yi's hands relaxed slightly, but his eyes became even more ferocious.

So be it. Even if Cao Shaolin gets Guan Yu's original text, with his foundation, how much mastery can he achieve in the true interpretation?
Zhang Yi thought to himself: My true understanding is already fully developed.

If Yuanli Gong and his group's plan succeeds, and the influence of the dragon vein is broken, then I will also have the opportunity to go further.

Yuan Ligong appeared calm and collected, yet he was acutely aware of the subtle expressions of those around him.

It has a fierce spirit, but it's just the kind of fierceness that comes from a dog that doesn't care about right or wrong. It wants to break through and surpass others, but it's unwilling to take the lead and try.

Yes, this kind of person is very suitable to be recruited into the teaching force as a core member.

Lackey, lackey, even a lackey must have talent.

This man is a very capable and good servant!

(End of this chapter)