Shulong Daojun

Jiang Heng understood, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Please rest assured, my lord."

He then stepped to the side and walked up to the prefect, whispering a few words.

The prefect's expression immediately changed several times. He wanted to refuse, but then he suddenly remembered that he was already in a situation he could not control, and finally sighed and agreed.

Half an hour later.

After having breakfast with Jiang Heng and a group of Pingjiang City officials, Lin Shu bid farewell to everyone and headed straight for Qingwu City.

The necessary tasks have been completed, the necessary paths have been paved, and Jiang Heng has established a solid foundation; he is ready to launch his uprising.

That concludes the matter here.

From now on, the governance of Pingjiang City and its subordinate counties and townships, as well as the recruitment and training of soldiers, will be handled by him and Beichen, and he will not need to worry about it anymore.

All you need to do is send Qingmin here to help ripen the rice and wheat.

From now on, you should focus your attention on two things: the development of the Four Seasons Dragon Embryo, and the movements on Lu Qianbian's side.

After returning to Qingwu City, Lin Shu reviewed the reports from Qi Yannian and others while waiting for the right opportunity.

On the day of Grain Rain, he set off for Zhang Ziling, asking him to bring back the Qi of the solar term to replenish the false elixir in his dantian, and then personally harmonize and circulate it.

After half a month, a mysterious change had occurred within the fake elixir, as if something was being conceived.

The latter, while awaiting the arrival of the Beginning of Summer solar term, was handling his affairs as usual when he suddenly received a message from Beichen:

"Brother Lin, according to the message from the Dharma lineage disciples, several vassal kings have already stockpiled grain and prepared armor and weapons."

Meanwhile, three cities also experienced upheavals, with the inhabitants who had sought refuge outside the cities seizing control and establishing their own kingdoms, declaring themselves kings or emperors.

The message ends with a list of place names.

Lin Shu memorized everything. After inquiring with the officials of Qingwu City, he pondered for a moment and suddenly realized what had caused his sudden impulse more than a month ago.

This is because a small portion of these places where the chaos arose were adjacent to the Yan territory, while the majority were distributed around them.

To outsiders, it would seem as if Yan was unlucky, surrounded by a band of rebels.

However, Lin Shu remembered the clam spirit's innate supernatural power. Looking at it now, he could vaguely see a surrounding force, like stars surrounding the moon.

"Using spirits and monsters to bewitch people and instigate incidents in various places, what a masterful Lu Qianbian! He's truly remarkable!"

Lin Shu's eyes sharpened, and he exhaled a long breath, his heart filled with a mix of emotions.

In fact, Lu Qianbian's success was also related to himself.

Without my intervention, Lu Qianbian would never have been able to subdue that clam spirit, let alone use it to cause trouble later.

As Lin Shu thought of this, he suddenly felt a heavy weight on his heart, as if a mountain was pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe and making it difficult for him to calm down.

From capturing Chuxian to occupying Pingjiang City, everything he said and did was aimed at preventing casualties among the people. Although it was not perfect, he deserved the title of "saving the world and cultivating the Tao," and was worthy of being a Taoist disciple.

However, this thought crumbled in an instant.

How many civilians died in the city-wide upheaval?

Although I have not killed a single person, countless lives have been lost because of me...

Although Lin Shu knew that there were no perfect solutions, when things really came to this, he still couldn't calm down.

But is all of this really true?

His thoughts shifted, and he suddenly realized: Now that the trouble in Yan has already occurred, and Lu Qianbian is there, given his nature and methods, it is only a matter of time before he does something strange and bewitching.

Even without him, someone like Wang Shu or Li Shu would appear to take down the clam spirit for Lu Qianbian.

Therefore, the root of the trouble lies with Lu Qianbian, not with himself.

Thinking about it this way, I realize I was being a bit too attached to appearances.

In the future, when Jiang Heng conquers cities and territories and establishes a new dynasty, there will be soldiers who die or are wounded, but he will also be able to protect the millions of people and make them happy, which is enough to cover up his losses.

You don't know how difficult something is until you experience it.

Lin Shu remained silent for a long time, his mind gradually calming down.

The sun moves across the window, casting shadows; a day passes in a flash.

The next day.

Lin Shu arrived at a ley line beneath the city as usual, quietly observing the changes in the flow of clear and turbid energy within it, comprehending the principles of turbid energy, and refining his skills in reversing the five elements.

This was his daily practice after returning to Qingwu City and finishing his duties as a righteous god.

However, not long after, a communication jade talisman on his body suddenly hummed.

Lin Shu came to his senses, flipped his hand and took out the jade talisman, placing it in his palm—the very one Gao Chengyun had given him.

Immediately, he probed with his divine sense and received a message: "The Prince of Yan will lead his troops to quell the rebellion in three days. He specially invites Fellow Daoist Lin to come and observe the troops. If you have free time, you may come to the drill ground south of Yan City."

The location of Ping was not disclosed, but this was undoubtedly a good opportunity to spy on the strength and appearance of the Yan King's troops, so Lin Shu decisively agreed.

After finishing his cultivation, he pondered for a moment, then instructed Qi Yannian and the others to investigate the lives of the people in the two cities. He also gave a few more instructions to keep an eye on the growth of the medicinal herbs in the five medicinal fields before hurrying off to Yan.

Upon arriving at the drill ground south of the city, they saw Li Chengqian already clad in fish-scale armor, with a crimson brocade robe over it, standing on the command platform, his eyes like lightning, exuding an imposing and dignified aura.

Below the stage, tens of thousands of soldiers stood in silence, divided into five divisions according to the five armies, with commanders forming squares. Captains held up registers and called out names, while cavalrymen led their horses in rows on both sides. For a moment, there was complete silence, exuding a solemn atmosphere.

Not far away, Lu Qianbian and Gao Chengyun stood with their hands behind their backs, looking pleased. They would nod slightly from time to time and whisper a few words to each other.

Beside them, seven other Taoist priests listened intently.

At this moment, Lu Qianbian seemed to sense something, raised an eyebrow, looked up and chuckled, "Brother Lin has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu materialized, nodded, then glanced at everyone, cupped his hands slightly, and said, "Greetings, fellow Daoists."

Gao Chengyun and the others smiled and returned the greeting.

Then, Lu Qianbian raised his hand and gestured towards the soldiers below the stage, and slowly said: "This time, the Prince of Yan requested permission from the Emperor of Dayu to mobilize 30,000 elite troops. With the addition of the existing 30,000 troops, there should be no doubt that we will take down the rebel city."

I invited Brother Lin to come here, firstly to witness the magnificent victory, and secondly to prove that by joining forces with my Tai Shi lineage, three hundred achievements are within our grasp.

That way, Brother Lin will be aware of the situation.

Lin Shu looked slightly puzzled and asked, "What is it that Brother Lu is referring to?"

Lu Qianbian did not answer, but smiled mysteriously and said, "We will see the outcome in a few days."

Lin Shu smiled slightly, then raised his eyes and looked towards the command platform, examining it carefully.

Although he was somewhat curious about what Lu Qianbian said, he also knew the priorities. At this moment, he should focus on observing the troops and finding out the strength and weakness of the Prince of Yan's forces in order to make it easier to deal with them in the future.

Seeing this, Lu Qianbian remained calm on the surface, but secretly gritted his teeth inwardly.

In the next few days.

As predicted, the capture of the rebel city was achieved effortlessly by the King of Yan.

One reason is that the army was well-trained and had ample supplies.

Secondly, the rebel leader had slightly red eyes and seemed somewhat deranged. He kept saying "I am alone" and could not stand being provoked. At the slightest provocation, he would open the city gates and personally lead his so-called "personal troops" into battle.

However, in the next instant, he was slashed down from his horse by a burly man beside Li Chengqian.

With the leader dead, the remaining rebels are just a mob.

Moreover, they were originally a mixture of guards and commoners, with fewer former and more latter.

Therefore, Li Chengqian shouted, "Those who surrender will not be killed," and everyone threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

Seeing this, Lin Shu remained silent. After the great victory, he followed Lu Qianbian and the others towards Li Chengqian.

There are important matters to discuss.