The Hidden Immortal

Chapter 126 Everything is Ready

The "Examination and Summoning" chapter describes the use of magic to forcibly summon immortals and gods.

There is no room for negotiation, nor is it open to discussion.

Unless the immortal's cultivation level is higher than that of the spellcaster, it will be difficult to break free.

A yellowish-brown light suddenly appeared in the forest, and the blurry figure seemed to be lifted up by an invisible hand.

Once he regained his footing, trembling slightly, he uttered a somewhat fearful voice: "What are your orders, Immortal?"

Xiao Shuying looked closely and saw that the so-called mountain god was also a barbarian man wearing animal skin and with a bronze-colored complexion.

He held a wooden staff about the thickness of a thumb, carved with several different shapes of birds, animals, and patterns.

Apart from his face being somewhat blurry, he is not much different from an ordinary person.

"Is this the Mountain God?" Xiao Shuying was somewhat surprised. How come he looked almost like a human? She had thought he would really be like the storyteller described, with a blue face and fangs, tall and mighty.

At this moment, the vengeful spirits rushed up.

Zhang Jingheng waved his hand and swept it away. Under the golden light of merit, the vengeful spirits melted away like snow in spring.

Even a vengeful ghost couldn't hold out for even a second longer.

Only malevolent spirits and evil influences can hold out for a little longer.

Chu Xun ignored the vengeful spirits and came with Zhang Jingheng to reduce such trouble.

With him around, no matter how many vengeful spirits there are, it won't make a difference.

Chu Xun asked, "This place is teeming with vengeful spirits. As the mountain god, why do you ignore them?"

The mountain god who had been forcibly summoned said bitterly, "Immortal, you may not know this, but the incense offerings of the barbarians here have been cut off, and my magical power is gradually weakening. I am no longer able to contend with that ferocious demon."

"Now that the mountains and forests have been incorporated into the territory of the Jing Kingdom, the deity officially appointed is the City God."

"Logically speaking, the City God should be in charge of this."

From the perspective of the mountain god, everything he said made sense.

The territory no longer belonged to the barbarians, and they had neither the obligation nor the ability to concern themselves with it.

But in Chu Xun's opinion, all of this was nonsense.

You received a divine appointment from the barbarians, and now you're saying you're not going to care anymore?

Having enjoyed the benefits, is it time to start talking about obligations when it's time to fulfill responsibilities?

Although I know that these so-called righteous gods have always been only concerned with their own affairs.

But knowing and accepting are two different things.

So many vengeful spirits are feeding on the yin energy from the dragon's bones.

If left unchecked, it will eventually become a major disaster.

The people will suffer, and the Jing Kingdom may even be overthrown due to the chaos caused by ghosts and monsters.

Perhaps this mountain god would prefer that the Jing Kingdom be overthrown and a new dynasty be established, so that he would have a chance to be re-appointed.

Otherwise, without incense offerings, it will eventually disappear.

Until one day, someone's meritorious body was stolen, and they were reborn after impersonating another.

Such a system of incense-based deities is destined to be unable to truly protect humankind.

A single drop of divine water appeared silently on the mountain god's head, like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.

The mountain god, his body emitting green smoke, cried out in alarm, "What are you doing, Immortal? I have been summoned—"

"Those who hold a position but fail to fulfill their duties deserve to die."

Chu Xun didn't waste any words with him; the Heavenly Divine Water Pearl directly annihilated the Mountain God.

Xiao Shuying was astonished. Slaying evil spirits and monsters was understandable, but killing the mountain god was far too shocking.

Although she could understand why Chu Xun did this.

If an official holds a position but does nothing, he will be dismissed by the Ministry of Personnel.

It's not uncommon to see people beheaded and have their homes confiscated when they encounter corrupt officials who embezzle public funds and disregard human life.

But this is the mountain god!

Perhaps it was because she had seen too many gods, immortals, ghosts, and monsters that Xiao Shuying's eyes could no longer bear it, and she experienced unbearable stinging pain.

Immediately covering his eyes and closing them, Chu Xun reached out and summoned the spiritual light back, saying calmly, "Even if you call yourself an immortal or a god, the word 'human' should come first."

"Those who receive offerings from the people should help with injustices in the world; otherwise, what use are they?"

Xiao Shuying felt a surge of shock. Everyone in the world was filled with awe for immortals and gods, and even members of the royal family were no exception.

Now she hears someone say that since immortals and gods have received offerings from humans, they should prioritize humanity.

This statement undoubtedly overturned Xiao Shuying's understanding.

No one had ever taught her like this before.

Are humans really more important than gods and immortals?

The most powerful evil spirit has already been killed by Zhang Jing.

The vengeful spirits finally felt fear, and those on the very edge were already trying to escape.

Unfortunately, by the time they realized they needed to run, it was too late.

The golden light of merit swept over everything, and wherever it went, all the ghosts and monsters were swept away.

Chu Xun followed, and the dense, watery yin energy automatically dissipated.

Then they saw a dragon skeleton, mostly intact, half-buried in the soil.

The broken parts of the bones were charred black, clearly injuries sustained during a lightning strike.

The soil surged, lifting up the dragon's bones.

Several large trees hundreds of feet away appeared to have been severed by an invisible sword, forming a wooden box in mid-air to encase the dragon's bones.

Chu Xun reached out and caught the wooden box. All the surrounding Yin energy was absorbed, leaving behind a large open space corroded by the Yin energy, covering an area of ​​two to three hundred feet.

Zhang Jingheng looked around and said, "Although the Yin energy here has been cleared away, it will be difficult for it to grow again within a hundred years."

"No need for a hundred years," Chu Xun said.

Lift your foot and gently step on the ground, and a small dent appears.

Then a stream of clear water flowed, gradually increasing in volume until it transformed into a clear pool.

The pool water flowed in all directions, gradually erasing the traces of the yin energy's erosion.

Zhang Jingheng exclaimed in admiration, "This is the Five Elements Daoist method? It is indeed incredibly profound."

The golden body of merit is indestructible, but precisely because of this, it is subject to innate limitations.

Although Chu Xun's current cultivation level is not high enough, he has the advantage of being able to cultivate Taoist techniques.

Its various transformations are incredibly mysterious, far surpassing anything that a golden body of merit can achieve.

Moreover, cultivation can continue to improve; unlike the Golden Body of Merit, which is fixed within a framework the moment it appears.

This is also why the ancient incense gods did not attempt to possess other bodies.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't.

The powerful figures behind the imperial court only allowed them to impersonate others and enjoy the blessings of others.

But they cannot change what they were born with.

With the clear spring here, this place will soon be fully restored to life.

Chu Xun and the others then departed.

Not long after, several dirty figures appeared by the pool.

They included both men and women, mostly young people, who covered their genitals and private parts with simple animal skins and leaves.

With wariness and apprehension on their faces, they were barbarians who had escaped the wildfire.

Having hidden in the mountains and forests for a long time, they knew that Dragon Pool was very dangerous.

It is precisely because of the danger that no one comes here to hunt them down; for them, it is the safest place.

Now the Dragon Pool has been completely cleared out, and the harmful things have disappeared.

These barbarians couldn't see the scene of the vengeful spirits being annihilated, but they did see a clear spring appear out of nowhere, and a tall figure carrying a wooden box away.

Several young barbarian men came to the edge of the pool and looked down at the clear water.

Living in the mountains and forests year-round, they are most sensitive to life.

They looked at each other and babbled some unintelligible gibberish.

He then moved a large rock from nearby and took out a not-so-sharp iron tool, which he then used to carve on the rock.

The knife skills weren't great, but as the lines improved, it gradually became clear that it was a figure carrying something.

After the stone statue was carved, several barbarians knelt in front of it, kowtowing and chanting incoherently.

It could be a commemoration or a tribute.

For them, the mountain god is the one who can protect the mountains and forests.

It is not limited to knowing or not knowing.

When Xiao Shuying returned to the vicinity of Songguo Village, her eyes had improved considerably.

I've seen what I needed to see and asked what I needed to ask.

She did not stay.

Princess Yunshu, who longs to be a heroine of the martial world, returns to it once again.

Watching her departing figure, Zhang Jingheng sighed, "If only she were a man."

Chu Xun understood his meaning: every ambitious minister hopes that his country will become stronger and more prosperous.

Expanding territory is an essential process.

The current Emperor Yongxiang has no such ambition.

"Being a woman doesn't necessarily mean you can't be an emperor," Chu Xun said.

Zhang Jingheng chuckled: "How can a woman be an emperor?"

I don't know about other places, but at least in the Jing Kingdom, or the previous dynasties, there was no precedent for this.

Chu Xun did not explain; the concept of destiny was extremely mysterious.

Sometimes what you see may not last.

It's very possible that a single word or a small act can bring about a change.

The best outcome is to let things take their course and observe.

Carrying the wooden box, Chu Xun went directly to Songliu River.

It was already dark, and there were no people lingering nearby.

Guided by Shui Zheng, the three giant pythons had already arrived and were waiting for some time.

This wasn't the first time Zhang Jingheng had seen three giant pythons, but each time he saw them, he found them novel and fascinating.

The blue-white python, in particular, benefited from Chu Xun's condensation of Ren water essence, which increased its speed, growing faster and faster, and its size was already close to eighty zhang.

Being able to witness firsthand the transformation of a python into a dragon is an eye-opening experience, even for someone with a golden body of merit.

Qingbai poked its head out and affectionately flicked its tongue at Chuxun.

The python's head was much larger than before, almost like a small house.

Even with its mouth wide open, tiptoeing, and arms outstretched, it still can't reach its upper or lower jaw.

Eighty zhang in length is astonishing.

Even the slightest movement can unleash enormous, unstoppable waves in this narrow section of a tributary.

Fortunately, thanks to the authority granted by the Water Orthodox, they no longer disturb the fish when they swim.

On the contrary, when you want to eat fish, just by having the thought, a school of fish will gather around you.

Such power of life and death is truly astonishing.

Fishermen upstream and downstream have found their lives much easier.

Chu Xun patted the blue-white python's nose, put down the wooden box, and said, "This time I won't feed you Ren Water Essence; I'll bring you something better."

The wooden box, through the power of water, sealed away the aura.

But the blue-white python still sensed something and came closer, flicking its tongue at the wooden box.

Even the green python and the white python came closer.

Chu Xun didn't linger, letting the blue-white python take the wooden box in its mouth and crush it in one bite.

As wood chips flew, the dragon bones stretched their necks and were swallowed into its belly.

The yin energy of the dragon contained within seemed to sense an aura of shared origin.

Or perhaps it's the instinct of the blue-white python, knowing exactly what to do.

The yin energy surged out rapidly, carrying an overwhelming force.

The passive overflow is much more ferocious than what I saw in Longtan before.

The massive body of the blue-white python suddenly arched.

The massive tail tip, as thick as an ancient tree, slammed into the water, creating white waves tens of feet high.

The head, which had been docile and drooping, suddenly rose, and a pair of cold, vertical pupils suddenly contracted, with two beams of cold light, like cracking gold, bursting from the depths of the pupils.

The dragon bloodline and the foundation of the water-based path, which had been dormant in the bones for thousands of years, were now fully activated.

Like a celestial river bursting its banks, it surged forth wildly through the veins of the body.

Chu Xun flicked a wisp of water with his fingertips, which transformed into a semi-transparent canopy that enveloped the surrounding area.

Neither the waves nor the breath could break through this barrier.

To avoid making too much noise and disturbing the surrounding area.

The blue-white python's scales stood on end, and golden-red blood beads seeped from between the scales, which were then evaporated in an instant.

Each scale underwent rapid transformation under the tempering of the dragon's yin energy, gradually revealing dark patterns.

The patterns meander like rivers, lakes, and seas; they are the natural water-related patterns of the dragon lineage, representing the ability to control water.

The python bones were already soft, but now they were being repeatedly pounded and refined.

Then it gets stretched little by little.

From eighty zhang, to eighty-two zhang, to eighty-five zhang.

Ninety-five zhang, ninety-nine zhang —

This was excruciating pain, like having its bones torn apart and its skin peeled off, causing it to roar violently.

The green python and the white python anxiously flicked their tails, wanting to go forward, but they couldn't do anything.

Instead, the waves, carrying a hint of dragon-like power, made it difficult for them to maintain their balance.

As its length exceeded one hundred feet, the blue-white python's roar gradually faded from a typical python's hiss, gaining instead a more powerful, cloud-piercing dragon's roar.

The fangs inside melt away like ice and snow; this is the process of detoxification and bone transformation.

What grew next were dragon teeth.

The blue scales became even darker, while the white scales became even more conspicuous.

Although it lacks the long neck of a real dragon, it appears somewhat bloated and bulky, and its head is still flat and wide.

But two short whiskers grew from his mouth, and scaly claws grew from his body.

Although it only has three claws, it fully demonstrates that it is fundamentally different from the past.

The surrounding river water surged uncontrollably, and countless whirlpools appeared out of nowhere on the surface. Endless water vapor transformed into the essence of Ren water, which converged madly towards the blue-white python.

In the past, he only gained some improvement in his water-based talent by being fed by Chu Xun. Now, he has been completely awakened by the residual energy in the dragon bone and is rapidly transforming into a true dragon water master.

Chu Xun did not help the Azure-White Python condense the essence of Ren Water; it was best for it to adapt to this process on its own so that it could better master it.

Trying to force growth will only harm it.

The blue-white python slowly lowered its raised head, and the dragon's roar in its throat transformed into a long, gentle breath.

Its enormous body gradually stretched out, and enveloped by a large amount of Ren water essence, it slowly sank into the river.

The dragon bone brought immense benefits, allowing it to safely pass through the detoxification and bone-renewing process.

For ordinary pythons, this process is not so easy.

One wrong move and you could die and your cultivation vanish in an instant, hundreds of years of practice destroyed.

The main reason is that Chu Xun fed the Azure-White Python too much Ren Water essence in advance, making its foundation much more stable than that of its kind.

If it were any other python, swallowing so many dragon bones would have caused its flesh and bones to dissolve due to the yin energy, leaving it utterly dead.

The transformation of a python into a dragon is incredibly difficult, far exceeding the cultivation of humans.

This is an innate limitation of birds and beasts, and it is difficult to change unless an extraordinary opportunity arises.

Chu Xun was the key to the Azure and White Python's destiny.

But conversely, the blue and white python was also Chu Xun's opportunity.

Only by completing the transformation into a dragon to protect the Dao can Chu Xun advance from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Golden Core stage.

An old turtle, carrying a golden toad on its back, emerged from the water.

It shook its head and then started croaking again.

Chu Xun flicked out a few Heavenly One Divine Water beads and said, "It has only completed the detoxification and bone transformation. It still needs to slumber and digest in order to grow its innate reverse scale."

"You stay here and guard, do not panic."

The green python and the white python are now twenty zhang in size.

The old turtle was also frighteningly large, with mud on its back about a foot thick.

A giant toad, the size of a millstone, squatted nearby, occasionally brushing against it, but it couldn't budge it an inch.

Having understood Chu Xun's words, they opened their mouths and swallowed the Heavenly One Divine Water Pearl.

The essence of Ren water exploded within his body, causing the two giant pythons to gradually calm down.

It takes at least several years for someone to develop their own innate rebellious energy.

At that time, they will face the three tribulations of thunder, wind, and water, as well as the final obstruction from the righteous gods.

Chu Xun is now 80% confident that he can help the Azure and White Python overcome these calamities.

The reason there is still a 20% uncertainty is that it is unclear how powerful the lightning tribulation will be and whether the lightning-avoiding talismans they have will be sufficient.

Secondly, it's unclear whether the righteous deity who came was the City God or some other righteous deity.

However, in Chu Xun's view, even if a righteous god of the level of the City God were to take action, Zhang Jingheng would still be there.

He didn't believe that a python transforming into a dragon could attract a righteous god even more powerful than the City God of the capital.

This mission is practically a sure thing.

The river calmed down, and Chu Xun removed the water curtain.

Zhang Jingheng exclaimed, "I never thought that one day I would be able to see the complete transformation of the dragon. This life has not been in vain."

Chu Xun laughed and said, "We'll see even more scenery in the future, so it's a bit premature to be sentimental now."

Zhang Jingheng laughed heartily: "Absolutely, absolutely."

Go home.

Chu Xun wasn't idle either.

The meteorite iron still needs several more hammerings to reach the goal of 100 hammerings; time is tight and there is no room for delay.

The clanging and tinkling sounds echoed in the courtyard every day.

Aside from blacksmithing, the remaining time was spent condensing the essence of Ren water, drawing lightning-avoiding talismans, and using the essence of metal to build pillars for heaven and earth.

The essence of Ren water has so many benefits.

It has a particularly strong restraining effect on underworld deities.

Although Zhang Jingheng was able to deal with the City God, the City God also had many underworld deities under his command.

Zhang Jingheng alone could not fight against four hands.

Those civil judges, military judges, the Black and White Impermanence, the Shackled General, the Judge of Rewards and Punishments, and so on, all require Chu Xun's personal intervention.

It's never too much to be well-prepared.

As for lightning protection charms, they are too difficult to obtain quickly.

According to Chu Xun's estimate, by the time the Azure-White Python transforms into a Dragon, he will have accumulated about twelve replica lightning-avoiding talismans.

With the "authentic" version left by the old Taoist priest, even if it can't withstand the lightning tribulation, it shouldn't be too far off.

Time passed day by day.

Liao Xingbang came once, and he has recently gained some insights, so he wants to challenge Xiao Shuying again.

Holding the Dragon-Slaying Saber, he confidently declared that he would definitely win this time.

Chu Xun had seen his life force and destiny; it was still very strong, and his luck wasn't bad either.

The pursuit in the martial arts world did not cause Liao Xingbang much trouble; on the contrary, it spurred this man, whose talent was not particularly high, to make rapid progress.

Under such pressure, perhaps one day he will be able to truly understand his own methods from weapons, just like Xie Ji.

The third year of Yongxiang.

Many people, all surnamed Zhang, gradually arrived in Songguo Village.

Before his death, Zhang Jingheng instructed that after the border soldiers were appeased, all members of the Zhang family should resign from their official posts and return to their hometowns.

Zhang Shaoheng initially couldn't quite understand, but when he saw that many military officers who had made great contributions in the army were transferred to local prefectures by Emperor Yongxiang under the guise of rewards, he suddenly realized the truth.

Without hesitation, he, as the head of the family, ordered his clansmen to resign from their official posts.

If someone is unwilling, they will not be forced.

You become an official, but you are expelled from the Zhang family genealogy and have no further connection with them!

This point has been met with incomprehension by many young people.

Although they could guess why he resigned and retired, they felt it was making a mountain out of a molehill.

The old prime minister was a veteran of five reigns, and he also had the legacy left by the Duke of Wei to support each other. Emperor Yongxiang was a benevolent man, so how could he do something like "killing the dogs after the birds are gone"?

There were indeed a few members of the Zhang family who couldn't bear to give up their official positions and wealth, and even if they were expelled from the family genealogy, they would still stay and continue to serve as officials.

They said they were only trying to benefit the local people, but only they knew the real reason.

Zhang Shaoheng did not insist and reported these people and events to Emperor Yongxiang.

Emperor Yongxiang naturally tried his best to persuade them to stay. "If the old prime minister leaves, and you all leave too, wouldn't people say that I, the emperor, am not ethical?"

It took them a year and three separate requests to resign before Emperor Yongxiang finally allowed them to leave.

The Zhang family is large, and their arrival has left Songguo Village with nowhere to live.

The county government was quite accommodating, allocating a plot of land on the outskirts of Songguo Village for the Zhang family to manage and live in as they saw fit.

Although it was somewhat irregular, we still had to give face to the old prime minister.

The matter was reported to the Ministry of Revenue and filed with the Ministry of Rites, and no one said anything more about it.

The fourth year of Yongxiang.

Zhang Shaoheng arrived at Chu Xun's residence. As soon as he entered, he heard a constant clanging sound.

The meteorite iron has undergone a hundred hammering processes, and Chu is currently shaping and leveling it.

He did this process very meticulously.

He used to be able to wield a golden sword every day without a problem.

But it took nearly three months just to shape this sword.

They make revisions back and forth until they are completely satisfied before moving on to the next step.

There was another person in the courtyard, sitting on a stool, holding a carving knife, carving on a wooden plaque.

Zhang Shaoheng went over and greeted him: "Old Kui, you're here to collect memorial tablets again."

Lao Kui, of course, is Huang Qi.

He looked up at Zhang Shaoheng, nodded, and that was it.

I learned from Chu Xun that in the many places the refugee army passed through back then, the people suffered terribly.

He then gave the land to others to cultivate and bought a large pile of planks, which he cut into equal sizes.

Then, with a carving knife, he carved each name one by one.

He made a special trip to Tonghu City and Xiangnan Prefecture to inquire about the name from locals and officials.

Nearly ten thousand civilians died during the war.

In addition, many people were killed or injured in the Battle of Fenggu City.

Adding them all together, there are tens of thousands of names.

He had never done this before, and it would take a very long time to carve all the names.

Perhaps I'll never finish it before I die.

But Huang Qi persevered, carving stroke after stroke.

Occasionally, when Chu Xun got tired of blacksmithing, he would sit next to him and carve with a carving knife.

However, Chu Xun didn't need his name engraved; he made a wood carving.

People I know, sights I've seen, and even food I've eaten.

In fact, according to the Five Elements Taoist method, these can be easily accomplished with just a thought.

But Chu Xun did not take any shortcuts; instead, he carved it with his own hands, stroke by stroke.

Every time Zhang Shaoheng saw the two of them sitting there, carving so earnestly, he felt a little envious.

Having served as an official his entire life, he simply couldn't stay idle.

Now that he's in Songguo Village, although he's no longer an official, he still enjoys wandering around.

Look around here and ask around there.

The original villagers of Songguo Village were most familiar with him.

The former Minister of State was humble even after resigning from his post.

Occasionally, when I encounter some difficulties, I can ask him for help.

What ordinary person wouldn't like someone like that?

The main reason Zhang Shaoheng liked coming to Chu Xun's house was that he always felt a special warmth and familiarity there.

Even if Chu Xun doesn't speak, just sitting there by himself, he feels as if he has family with him.

This feeling made him come over and sit for a while every day as soon as he opened his eyes.

As soon as he entered the yard, a weasel quickly pushed a stool over and stared at him expectantly.

Zhang Shaoheng chuckled and said, "Thank you."

The weasel then ran back to Huang Qi's side, where many books were placed.

Several weasels gathered around Huang Qi, reading the book. When they encountered a word they didn't understand, they would look up.

Huang Qi glanced at them and then told them how to pronounce it.

Sometimes, they would use a carving knife to carve strokes on the wooden board.

Teaching a weasel to read and write is a truly amazing thing, whether you listen to it or see it.

These weasels, however, love to learn, and they learn very quickly.

Huang Qi carved five hundred memorial tablets, and they learned to write fifty characters.

As for the characters he knows, there are even more; two or three hundred would be no problem.

Simply recognizing and writing characters is completely different from understanding the meaning of words and sentences.

Weasels are good at imitating, but their comprehension is not so good.

Perhaps it's because they are animals, and their way of thinking is different from that of humans.

They find it hard to understand just the simple rule that you can't eat someone else's chicken.

Why not?

Chickens are meant to be eaten, aren't they?

If you don't feed them, what's the point of raising chickens?

Someone else's chickens?

The chickens in the mountains aren't raised by us, so why can we eat them?

When they wrote these questions crookedly on the ground, Huang Qi was stunned and didn't know how to answer them for a moment.

Teaching the weasel to read was an unintentional act at first.

But these questions gradually piqued his interest.

Even Wei Youyou was sitting in a chair with a small table in front of her.

She was a transformed fairy, sat upright, and had more tools at her disposal than a weasel.

And over the years, I have learned to read and write quite a bit.

Now, like a student, he is practicing the sentences he just learned.

Zhang Shaoheng walked over and took a look: "The bright moon startles the magpies on the branches, the gentle breeze awakens the cicadas in the middle of the night. The fragrance of rice blossoms speaks of a bountiful year, accompanied by a chorus of frogs."

"Not bad, not bad, whose poem is this?"

Without looking up, Wei Youyou said, "Xin Qiji."

Zhang Shaoheng thought for a long time but still couldn't figure out who Xin Qiji was.

Huang Qi said, "Mr. Chu knows him, but he is not from the State of Jing."

Zhang Shaoheng said "Oh," indicating that he understood.

He stood there for a while, then bent down and said, "The character '茅' doesn't look good written like this. It should be written like this—"

Wei Youyou watched very attentively, picking up a calligraphy brush and following along.

Zhang Shaoheng taught very seriously. Four weasels ran over, grabbed Wei Youyou's legs and climbed up, peeking out at her.

The claws making famous gestures in the air are so funny that viewers can't help but laugh.

Chu Xun glanced over and thought the scene looked quite nice.

Zhang Jingheng, who was standing to the side, said, "I wonder what he would think if he knew that he was teaching a fairy to write."

Chu Xun said, "How about we tell him and see?"

Elders often enjoy scaring younger generations for fun; it's a rather perverse sense of humor.

Zhang Jingheng chuckled and said, "Let's forget it. He's not young anymore, and we might scare him into something bad."

Zhang Shaoheng is now approaching sixty years old, with white hair, and is indeed not young.

Although Zhang Jingheng is already deceased, he now exists in the world only through his meritorious deeds and golden statue.

But what's wrong with my son living a little longer?

Wei Youyou looked up and pouted at Zhang Jingheng.

She didn't really like the term "fairy," feeling it separated her from the master.

Zhang Jingheng noticed her displeasure, so he turned to look at the stove fire and pretended to give a critique.

"Why are you looking around so much while reading?" Zhang Shaoheng said.

Wei Youyou then turned back and continued practicing calligraphy.

In recent years, her figure has changed a bit, and she looks like an eight or nine-year-old girl.

It was purely to appease the villagers, so they wouldn't be surprised to see that the girl wasn't growing tall.

In reality, when the night is deep and quiet, Wei Youyou will still revert to her original little girl appearance.

I'm used to it, and it feels the most comfortable this way.

After a while, Zhang Shaoheng got tired of teaching characters and came over to sit down again.

He looked at Chu Xun, who was using a small hammer to level the blade of a sword, and said, "I've heard that some noble families in the capital are plotting something bad again. Several former colleagues have been dismissed from their posts for trivial matters."

"Sigh, why can't those people just live in peace?"

In recent years, without the old prime minister's influence in the court, the Zhang family has all retired.

The once-suppressed aristocratic families have now stood tall.

One suggestion after another, another suggestion after yet another.

On the surface, they all seem reasonable, but upon closer inspection, they all have loopholes.

Unfortunately, Emperor Yongxiang was a soft-hearted person who listened to everyone's opinions and implemented them if he thought they made sense.

Some discerning ministers saw through the ambitions of the powerful and influential families and naturally opposed them vehemently.

Ultimately, they may be caught red-handed or targeted.

At best, they might be demoted or dismissed; at worst, they might be beheaded.

Many people wrote letters hoping that Zhang Shaoheng could return to the capital to take charge of the overall situation.

But Zhang Shaoheng had already realized that, given Emperor Yongxiang's temperament, even if he went back, there was nothing he could do.

This emperor could not possibly trust and support the old prime minister as unconditionally as Emperor Changning did.

Although he wasn't as paranoid as Emperor Chongming, who listened to only half and doubted the other half.

But if you listen to everyone's opinions, then there's not much difference.

Having seen through all this, he became too lazy to go back.

This kind of officialdom is really meaningless.

She was getting annoyed by the sheer volume of letters she received, so she could only confide in Chu Xun and pour out her heart.

"The world, after a long period of division, will unite; after a long period of unity, will divide again. This is an unchanging principle throughout the ages," Chu Xun said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shaoheng quickly said, "You can't say things like that."

Such treasonous behavior is so outrageous that if anyone hears it, they will be reported to the authorities and face severe consequences.

Chu Xun didn't care, Zhang Shaoheng didn't know, but he and Zhang Jingheng knew very well.

Resigning from an official post and returning home to farm sounds easy, but it's actually very difficult.

Tang Shijun and Zhang Jingheng have threatened the interests of so many people; a lot of people want the Zhang family wiped out.

In recent years, many strangers have come to the vicinity of Songguo Village, and some have even sneaked in at night with ill intentions.

The result was unsurprising: they were all buried alive by Chu Xun.

Otherwise, the Zhang family wouldn't have been able to live in peace until now.

Even the Tang family isn't doing so well these days.

He was ostracized by the powerful families and had fallen to the bottom. His highest rank was only a third-grade official, and he was transferred to a sinecure a few months ago.

Hearing his son say this, Zhang Jingheng couldn't help but sigh.

He had anticipated this, but there was nothing he could do about it.

The Golden Body of Merit is incredibly powerful against the gods and immortals of the underworld, but it cannot interfere in matters of the mortal realm.

Chu Xun is capable, but what can he do?

If the emperor doesn't listen, then kill him and replace him?

If a subject disobeys, just kill him and replace him with a new one?

Wouldn't that make him a scoundrel?

Even if Chu Xun wasn't like that, Zhang Jingheng still wouldn't be willing to do it.

If the emperor is not doing a good job, you can offer advice, but you cannot kill him.

Otherwise, where would the fundamental principles and ethics be?

Huang Qi glanced at Zhang Shaoheng and said, "If you're not tough enough, you'll naturally be bullied."

Zhang Shaoheng looked at him and said, "You should continue carving memorial tablets. You don't understand the affairs of the imperial court."

Huang Qi remained silent; there were some things he truly didn't understand.

There's only one principle I understand: if your fists are strong enough, you don't need to talk about many other things.

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