Many children, many blessings; the twelve ancestral witches forced marriages throughout the primordi

Wilderness, tea shed.

The wind whipped up yellow sand, carrying a touch of desolation.

Jiang Ziya tightened his tattered Taoist robe and looked at the noble-looking young master in front of him, feeling a little uneasy.

Where would a teahouse come from in this desolate wilderness?

Moreover, this young master was far too handsome, possessing a more refined air than any of his fellow disciples. His clothes, shimmering and dazzling, were clearly the work of a magical artifact.

"What? Afraid I'm poisonous?"

Lin Xuan smiled and pushed the teacup forward.

"This is the Enlightenment Tea; others would beg for it if they could."

When Jiang Ziya heard the words "Enlightenment Tea," his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

He had spent forty years in the Kunlun Mountains. Although his cultivation was lacking, he still possessed keen insight. Enlightenment Tea? That was a legendary, top-grade innate spiritual treasure! Even his master might not be willing to offer it to guests.

"This... fellow Daoist, I have nothing of value and I'm afraid I can't afford the tea," Jiang Ziya said honestly.

"Talking about money is so vulgar." Lin Xuan waved his hand. "Meeting is fate. I see that you have a dark aura... no, I mean extraordinary bone structure. You are a rare and capable minister, one in a million. That's why I've been waiting for you here."

Jiang Ziya was stunned.

A capable minister in times of peace?

I?

Jiang Shang, who was considered clumsy even when he was trying to start a fire on the mountain?

"Fellow Daoist, please don't joke with me." Jiang Ziya gave a wry smile and plopped down on a bench. "I was just kicked off the mountain by my master and I was worried about where to eat. He said that destiny was set and that I should go and assist a wise ruler, but I don't even know where that wise ruler is."

Lin Xuan poured himself a cup of tea and said slowly:

"A wise ruler is both far away and right before our eyes."

Jiang Ziya looked up at the sky, then at Lin Xuan.

"Fellow Daoist, are you referring to... yourself?"

"I'm not a wise ruler, I'm just a nobody." Lin Xuan shook his head. "But I know who the wise ruler is. And I know why your master wanted to send you down the mountain."

"Why?" Jiang Ziya asked instinctively.

"Because you're the scapegoat."

Lin Xuan's words were astonishing.

"Take the blame...take the blame?" Jiang Ziya was dumbfounded.

"Think about it, this Investiture of the Gods is a battle between immortals. If you die, you'll be listed on the list, and once you're on the list, you'll lose your freedom. Would your master really let his precious Golden Immortal disciples do this kind of work that offends people? Of course not. So, he found someone like you, who has no background, no cultivation, and is an obedient and honest person."

Lin Xuan's words were like a knife, piercing straight to Jiang Ziya's heart.

Although he had a vague feeling about this while he was on the mountain, he never dared to think about it too deeply. Now that it had been laid bare, Jiang Ziya's face turned deathly pale.

"This...this is impossible! My master said I have the appearance of a flying bear..."

"What's wrong with the Flying Bear's appearance? Does the Flying Bear have to be cannon fodder?"

Lin Xuan seized the opportunity and began unleashing a barrage of attacks.

"Look at you, you went up the mountain at forty and came down at eighty. Besides learning how to carry water to water the pine trees, what have you learned? You haven't even given us a decent magic weapon, have you?"

Jiang Ziya touched his empty waist and lowered his head in shame.

Indeed, he had nothing but tattered clothes.

"Look at those Golden Immortals, aren't they all equipped with top-grade spiritual treasures? When they get into trouble, their masters protect them; when they gain something, their masters think of them. And you? As soon as you leave the mountain, you're sent to your death."

"This is called favoritism! This is called workplace bullying!"

Lin Xuan slammed his fist on the table, filled with righteous indignation.

Jiang Ziya's eyes welled up with tears from what he said.

Yes!

This is outrageous!

I've worked hard on the mountain for forty years, I deserve some credit for my efforts, right? And this is how you just dismiss me?

"Then... then fellow Daoist, what do you think I should do?" Jiang Ziya asked as if he had grasped at a straw.

Lin Xuan smiled slightly; the fish had taken the bait.

"It's simple. Since they're ruthless, don't blame you for being ruthless too."

Lin Xuan waved his hand, and a set of glittering gold equipment appeared on the table.

A top-grade acquired spiritual treasure-level battle armor, a sword that can cut through iron like mud, and a thick book—"Postpartum Care of Sows"... no, it's "Strategies for Governing the Country and Ensuring Peace (Lin Xuan Revised Edition)".

"Work with me."

Lin Xuan looked into Jiang Ziya's eyes.

"While I cannot make you a saint, I can ensure that you live like a human being in this great eon. You won't have to depend on anyone or be anyone's pawn."

"What we need to do is not to submit to fate, but... to rewrite fate."

Jiang Ziya looked at the things on the table, and then at Lin Xuan's confident eyes.

His heart, which had been dormant for eighty years, suddenly began to beat violently.

"May I ask... your esteemed name, fellow Daoist?"

Lin Xuan stood up, and the cloak behind him moved without wind.

"The Witch Clan, Lin Xuan."

Upon hearing this name, Jiang Ziya shuddered.

Lin Xuan!

That legendary thirteenth Ancestral Witch? That ruthless person who beat the Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect to a pulp?

If someone else had said this, Jiang Ziya would have thought they were a fraud.

But if it's Lin Xuan...

Jiang Ziya took a deep breath, suddenly pushed aside the golden mountain and the jade pillar, and knelt on the ground.

"Jiang Shang is willing to obey your orders, sir!"

Lin Xuan nodded in satisfaction and reached out to help Jiang Ziya up.

"Good! From today onwards, you will be a senior advisor to my witch clan... no, to my human clan."

"Come on, I'll take you to a nice place."

"Where to?"

"Chaoge. I heard it's been quite lively there lately. Let's go teach that King Zhou a lesson."

Lin Xuan looked in the direction of Chao Ge, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

Meanwhile, on Mount Kunlun, the Primordial Celestial Venerable suddenly sneezed, and a strange sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.

"What happened? Could something have happened to Ziya?"

He tried to calculate with his fingers, but found that the secrets of heaven were in complete chaos, and he could not calculate anything.

"Hmph, under the great calamity, the secrets of heaven are obscured. It seems that Jiang Shang has already arrived in Xiqi."

Yuanshi Tianzun comforted himself.

Little did he know, his good disciple was sitting on Lin Xuan's cloud, eating the fruit of the five-needle pine and drinking the Enlightenment Tea, and was flying off in the opposite direction.