They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 180 Rumors
Days passed in Li Jing's camp, and the deadline for Li Jing to officially set off to conquer Leopard Head Mountain was drawing ever closer.

Chen Guangrui was trapped in the camp and could not come up with a legitimate reason to descend to the mortal realm to subdue demons.

Leaving this camp is simple, but having a legitimate reason is very important.

In the following days, Chen Guangrui noticed something was amiss. The heavenly soldiers who patrolled past his barracks would quickly avert their eyes when they caught sight of him from afar.

Several lieutenants who would normally nod politely when they met suddenly turned around when they passed each other, loudly discussing trivial military matters with their adjutants, their voices deliberately shrill. In the depths of their gazes, besides aloofness, there seemed to be scrutiny, and even a hint of barely perceptible disdain.

Chen Guangrui's heart sank slightly, assuming it was another instance of Li Jing secretly instructing his subordinates to ostracize and make things difficult for him, and he didn't delve into it further, simply suppressing his annoyance. Until some whispered discussions pierced his ears as he passed by.

"He's the one who instigated it? I never would have guessed."

"People who came from the Tushita Palace actually did such a disloyal thing..."

"Isn't this siding with outsiders? Helping the Buddhist sect..."

"Master Xu is furious and I heard he's going to cause trouble for him."

There were also other terms, such as Leopard Head Mountain, Buddhism, Taoism, and Master Xu, which Chen Guangrui had heard many times. He seemed to have realized that this matter was extraordinary.

"Chen Guangrui!"

At this moment, the two attendants from the Tushita Palace also arrived. The Silver Furnace Attendant was the most impatient. Before he even arrived, his angry shout came over, "Look what you've done!"

The Golden Furnace Boy followed closely behind, his face even more somber than usual, his lips pressed into a straight line. He did not speak immediately, but his heavy aura carried more weight than the Silver Furnace Boy's shouts.

"What is it?" Chen Guangrui stopped and looked at them calmly, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"You're still pretending to be stupid!" The Silver Furnace Boy stomped his foot in anger, his voice becoming several octaves higher.
"It's all over the place. They're saying that you, Chen Guangrui, strongly recommended Li Tianwang to fight the Yellow Lion Demon of Leopard Head Mountain. They're saying that you, a lowly stable boy from the Tushita Palace, actually helped the Buddhist sect to exorcise a demon."

Jinlu Tongzi took a deep breath. "Mr. Chen, the Ancestor is very angry. You, you're siding with outsiders."

"The Ancestor has treated you well!" The Silver Furnace Boy wasn't particularly happy either.
"The Tushita Palace protected you, but you turned around and went to help Buddhism. Now look what's happened. Master Xu has said that he's going to cause you trouble! Many elders in the Taoist sect look very unhappy. They all say that you're not fair and that you're an ungrateful wretch."

Chen Guangrui listened quietly, his face showing no anger or panic at being accused. "Are you saying that I strongly recommended Li Jing to Leopard Head Mountain to help the Buddhist sect subdue demons?"

"That's what everyone's saying, it's absolutely true." The Silver Furnace Boy was so anxious he was jumping up and down. "How could it be false? We came all the way here to ask you, just in case the news got wrong."

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangrui was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly, "He actually believed in Laozi?"

The Golden Furnace Boy's eyes flickered with a complex expression, wondering what Chen Guangrui was laughing at.
"The Ancestor is angry because this matter has spread like wildfire in the Heavenly Court, severely damaging the Daoist sect. As for whether or not to believe it..."

He kept to his duty and dared not and did not dare to presume to guess the ancestor's thoughts, for "the ancestor has never spoken plainly."

The Silver Furnace Boy, however, was more direct, displaying absolute trust in his ancestor.
"Of course the Ancestor is really angry. Those Celestial Masters all said so. If there's more to the story, you should go and explain it to the Ancestor. If it's hard to explain, tell us so we can go back and speak on your behalf."

Chen Guangrui suppressed his smile and said nothing more. "When did Li Jing's camp become Chen's?"

The two boys, of course, had no idea what he was talking about. They stared at each other, unable to figure it out.

They then looked at Tang Sheng, who of course didn't say anything.

The Golden Furnace Boy's brows furrowed deeply. "Mr. Chen, this matter is of utmost importance. Rumors are like poison, once they seep into the bone, they are hard to eradicate. We brothers will certainly do our utmost to speak on your behalf to the Ancestor..."

"No need," Chen Guangrui interrupted him, her tone unusually firm, carrying an undeniable authority.
"The rumor has been spread, and any explanation will only be seen as a guilty conscience by those who spread it. Go back and don't say anything. Laozi knows what's going on."

Knowing what's going on? The two boys had no idea what Chen Guangrui was talking about. Laozi was about to punish you, and you still say you know what's going on?
However, since Chen Guangrui said that, the two brothers didn't know how to ask him, so they just considered it as a reminder to Chen Guangrui.

"Brother Jinlu, are we leaving already?" Yinlu Boy was still a little unwilling, but seeing Jinlu's gesture, he had no choice but to give up.
"That old bastard must be behind this! Mr. Chen, you must be very careful! The patriarch must be really furious!"

He still firmly believed that Laozi was angry, and his little face was full of worry.

They were just a little confused. Why did Chen Guangrui seem to have smiled at the end? Jin Lu and Yin Lu recalled for a moment and realized that they might have been mistaken.

Chen Guangrui watched the two boys ride away on the clouds, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

Laozi is angry? This old silver coin is probably laughing so hard his stomach is cramping. Li Jing may not know what's going on with Leopard Head Mountain, but he certainly does.
The only reason he was angry was that he added fuel to the fire.

Chen Guangrui knew that he was about to leave Li Jing's camp.

Tang Sheng sensed something was wrong and tugged at Chen Guangrui's sleeve. "Dad, things have gotten out of hand. We look like traitors now, everyone's calling us 'traitors'."

Chen Guangrui didn't say anything, but pulled Tang Sheng up and walked towards the outer edge of the camp, showing no sign of panic.

The rumors spread like wildfire, penetrating to the bone. Some celestial officials close to the Daoist sect, upon seeing Chen Guangrui from afar, turned away with icy eyes, their disgust undisguised, as if they had seen something filthy. Some mid-level celestial generals, who had previously held a hint of barely perceptible admiration for his taming of the celestial horse, now looked at him with complex and unreadable expressions, ignoring him completely.

"Treasonous and disloyal."

"For the sake of their future, they even abandoned their family background."

"The Tushita Palace raised a thankless wretch, causing us all..."

"Pah, traitor!"

Upon hearing these malicious rumors, Chen Guangrui's anger flared. He suppressed his rage and paced around the camp, trying to find the source of the rumors.

He stopped a heavenly soldier who was whispering with his companion and asked in a deep voice, "Who spread these messages in the camp?"

The soldier felt a shiver run down his spine under that sharp gaze, and hurriedly waved his hand, his voice tinged with fear.

"Vice Commander Chen, please calm down. I only heard about it from casual conversations. I really don't know who started it. It's all hearsay and can't be taken seriously."

He then sought out the lieutenant who still held some admiration for his horse-training skills. Upon seeing him approach, the lieutenant immediately adopted a stern expression, speaking loudly and deliberately to his adjutant about tomorrow's drill formations, his eyes fixed straight ahead. Chen Guangrui stepped forward and directly questioned him, forcing the lieutenant to turn around, forcing a businesslike expression on his face.

"Deputy Commander, please understand. This humble general was also just following rumors in the camp. With so many conflicting accounts, it's difficult to trace the source. Perhaps it's just a misunderstanding?"

"Misunderstanding?" Chen Guangrui's voice turned cold, his gaze sweeping across the lieutenant's face like a knife.

"Rumors defaming someone's innocence have spread throughout the camp. Do you think you can just brush it all off with a misunderstanding?"

The man was intimidated by his imposing manner and subconsciously took a half step back, but remembering Li Jing's attitude, he straightened his back and retorted defiantly.
"What makes you say that, Vice Commander? This humble general truly does not know the details. If you have solid evidence, you can go and confront the person who spread the rumors. Why make things difficult for us here?"

Seeing the other party's indifferent expression, Chen Guangrui could no longer suppress the anger that had been building up inside him for so long.

He took a sudden step forward and, before the other party could react, grabbed the lieutenant's collar armor.

"Ah, what are you doing?"

The lieutenant was both shocked and furious, his face turning red. He wanted to fight back but dared not. The surrounding soldiers were all stunned and dared not step forward.

"What am I doing?" Chen Guangrui's voice was terrifyingly low, his eyes burning with rage.

“I, Chen Guangrui, have acted with integrity before Heaven and Earth. Now that I've been stabbed in the back, you people are still gossiping behind my back. Tell me, who spread these rumors?”

He slammed the lieutenant to the ground with a dull thud. The lieutenant was utterly humiliated, both ashamed and furious, but when he met Chen Guangrui's eyes, which seemed to devour him, all his words of explanation choked in his throat, leaving only terror.

"Chen Guangrui, how dare you beat up a colleague in the army?"

Several of Li Jing's trusted generals immediately surrounded him, their hands on their weapons, shouting sternly, but their eyes held a hint of barely perceptible smugness. The more you lose your composure, the more guilty you seem!

Chen Guangrui turned around abruptly, his icy gaze sweeping over the generals.

"Damn it, what did you call me when we were on duty? I'm the deputy commander of this camp. So many people in this camp are fabricating facts. Did you all eat the shit that Mara ate a few days ago?"

"Why should I verify the truth or falsehood of your statements, one by one, without any real evidence?"

His vehement reaction and public confrontation were like sparks thrown into a frying pan. What had started as whispered gossip instantly escalated into a wildfire, spreading far and wide, becoming increasingly intense and offensive.

"See? He's gotten angry and embarrassed."

"He must have had his sore spot exposed to cause him to lose his composure like that."

"Beating up a general, what a display of official power! He must have done something wrong."

All those disdainful, disgusted, and gloating gazes were cast upon him. Chen Guangrui stood in the open space of the camp, suppressing his surging blood and straightening his back, his eyes sweeping over those faces that were either evasive or provocative.

Tang Sheng gripped his clothes tightly, her little face tense, watching the unfriendly eyes around her warily. Although she was afraid, she didn't leave his side for even a moment.

The news spread throughout the camp, but no one came forward to verify Chen Guangrui's innocence, and the rumors only grew more and more outrageous.

Until this day, Nezha arrived.

"Hey, Chen Guangrui, it doesn't feel good to be smeared and labeled a traitor, does it?"

There was a hint of smugness in his words.
"I know who spread the rumor."

(End of this chapter)