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

Inside the tea stall.

Lin Xuan personally poured Shen Gongbao a cup of tea. This was no ordinary tea; it was brewed from the scraps of the Enlightenment Tea, but it was enough to make Shen Gongbao, an "outer sect" disciple who had never seen anything like it, feel flattered.

"Please have some, Taoist priest."

Shen Gongbao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and felt a surge of refreshing energy rush to his head, causing the bottleneck that had been stuck for many years to loosen slightly.

"Excellent tea!" Shen Gongbao exclaimed, then looked at Lin Xuan warily. "My lord, what did you mean by what you just said? I am doing very well in the Chan Sect."

"So good?" Lin Xuan scoffed. "So good that you'd send a Golden Immortal like yourself to run errands for Jiang Ziya? So good that you still don't even have a decent innate spiritual treasure? So good... would the Primordial Celestial Venerable even give you a second glance?"

Shen Gongbao's face instantly darkened.

Why does this person say such hurtful things? Even though it's all true, it's still so painful!

"Who exactly are you?" Shen Gongbao slammed his teacup down.

"Who I am is unimportant. What matters is that I understand you." Lin Xuan closed his folding fan, leaned forward, and stared into Shen Gongbao's eyes. "You attained enlightenment as a leopard. In the eyes of those self-righteous Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, you're just a beast with fur and horns. No matter how hard you try, no matter how high your cultivation level, in their hearts, you'll never be as good as that sleeping Jiang Ziya. Isn't that right?"

Shen Gongbao's hand trembled, and a few drops of tea spilled out.

This was his deepest pain. He cultivated desperately, tried his best to prove himself, just to show that he was no less capable than those Golden Immortals born of humans. But all he ever got in return was cold stares and ridicule.

"You...you want to sow discord?" Shen Gongbao gritted his teeth.

"Stirring things up? Do I need to stir things up?" Lin Xuan shook his head. "The facts are right in front of us. This Investiture of the Gods calamity, to put it bluntly, is just your master sending those disciples he doesn't like onto the list to fill the pits. Do you think, if a real fight breaks out, you'll be the one being protected, or the one being pushed out to take the hit?"

Shen Gongbao remained silent.

He was a clever man, even much cleverer than Jiang Ziya. He had actually thought about this kind of thing long ago, in the dead of night, but he just didn't dare admit it.

"Then... what do you think I should do?" Shen Gongbao's voice lowered.

Lin Xuan knew that the time was right.

"It's simple. Since they look down on you, you prove them wrong. But not by doing what they want, but... by doing the opposite."

Lin Xuan stood up and pointed to the bustling city of Chaoge.

"Look at this Great Shang Dynasty, where the human race is at its peak. The Jie Sect advocates 'education for all,' and all the immortals come to pay homage. But what about the Chan Sect? They think too highly of themselves and still defy Heaven, insisting that the Great Shang Dynasty is doomed. What is this? This is arrogance! This is prejudice!"

"Master Shen, you are also of demonic origin. Don't you want to create a world where all beings are equal and there is no discrimination? Don't you want your master to see who truly deserves the mandate of heaven?"

Shen Gongbao was thrilled.

All beings are equal! There is no discrimination!

That really resonated with him!

"What should I do?" Shen Gongbao stood up, his eyes burning with fire.

Lin Xuan patted him on the shoulder, as if he were an old comrade-in-arms.

"You don't need to betray your sect. Go back to Kunlun Mountain and continue being a disciple of the Chan Sect. However, you must secretly tell us about the Chan Sect's movements. Also, if the Primordial Celestial Venerable sends people down the mountain to help Zhou conquer Shang, you should go... persuade those rogue cultivators and those experts from the Jie Sect to come and help the Great Shang."

"This is called 'using one's own spear to attack another's shield.' You must become the lone hero who upholds justice in secret."

"A lone warrior..." Shen Gongbao murmured to himself, feeling that the word was too cool.

It turns out I wasn't a traitor; I was a hero lurking in the shadows for the sake of justice!

"This humble Taoist...understands!" Shen Gongbao bowed to Lin Xuanshen. "Hearing your words is worth more than ten years of study. From this day forward, Shen Gongbao will follow your lead without question!"

Lin Xuan nodded in satisfaction, then flipped his hand, revealing a small black bell in his palm.

"This thing is called the Soul-Losing Bell. Although it's a replica, it's still quite powerful. I'm giving it to you for self-defense. Remember, keep a low profile on the mountain and act like nothing happened."

Shen Gongbao took the bell and was so moved he almost cried.

Look at them! They gave me a magic treasure the first time we met, and they're so thoughtful. Then look at our master, all he does is roll his eyes and scold us.

What's the point of choosing?

"Rest assured, my lord! I will return to Kunlun Mountain immediately. I will inform you of any disturbances within the Chan Sect as soon as possible using a communication talisman!"

Shen Gongbao tucked the bell into his robes and strode away with his head held high. He felt that his back must look exceptionally tall and imposing now.

Jiang Ziya stood there, stunned, watching Shen Gongbao's departing figure.

"My lord...you've already...turned him to the enemy?"

"This is called indoctrination," Lin Xuan corrected. "From now on, he will be our eyes and ears in the Chan Sect. With him around, we'll know even what color underwear Yuanshi Tianzun is wearing."

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have successfully tricked Shen Gongbao.]

Shen Gongbao's loyalty is locked at 80% (current status: self-satisfied).

[Reward issued: The Soul-Sinking Bell (Imitation) has been sent.]

Lin Xuan stretched.

"Let's go back to the palace. I heard those three 'female students' have arrived. I need to go see how their onboarding speeches are going."