Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

After Xiao Shuai was placed under house arrest, his army was dismantled and placed under the direct command of the Central Route Army.

However, at the same time, the Chairman also fulfilled his promise and included the joint resistance against the Japanese in the documents when the Fifth Congress was held, which can be considered to have settled the matter.

Meanwhile, the story of "Zhang Mazi's" annihilation finally took hold in Sichuan and Chongqing, causing a huge uproar.

Various versions of the story emerged and circulated in teahouses, taverns, and streets.

A storyteller, with eloquent speech and flying spittle, said that "Zhang Mazi" was the reincarnation of a Liangshan hero, acting on behalf of Heaven. In the end, he was outnumbered and besieged by the army of Liu Mang, the King of Sichuan and Chongqing, at Niutou Mountain, where he fought valiantly to his death in a tragic manner.

There are also rumors that "Zhang Mazi" was originally a demon star descended from heaven, and earthly soldiers and horses could not harm him. It was only after General Liu personally went to Longhu Mountain, bowing every three steps and kneeling every nine steps, that he persuaded the old Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing to come down the mountain and use his supreme thunder magic to subdue and suppress that group of demons.

Some say that it was the leader of the Tiantong Church who wiped out Zhang Mazi.

……

In short, there are various versions of the story, including one that the Little Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain was involved. However, this version was quickly overshadowed by more legendary versions and did not become the mainstream.

The prevailing view is still the first two, and people are only willing to believe the first two.

After all, the Tiantong Church had a good reputation in the Sichuan-Chongqing region. It had established factories, provided jobs for many people, and opened soup kitchens throughout Sichuan and Chongqing year-round to provide relief to disaster victims.

Although the porridge didn't taste good, and contained a lot of bran that was very harsh on the throat and almost impossible to swallow, it was very thick and could really fill one's stomach and save one's life in critical times. Many people survived the most difficult years by eating this coarse porridge.

Therefore, the leader of the Tiantong Sect was highly respected in Sichuan. For a period of time, many people even said that Zhang Mazi was the incarnation of the leader of the Tiantong Sect.

It's emotionally illogical to convince them that this "living bodhisattva" would go and wipe out another "living bodhisattva".

Therefore, the general public is more inclined to believe the two versions: that Liu Sangzi sent a large army to eliminate Zhang Mazi, and that Zhang Tianshi eliminated Zhang Mazi.

After all, the newspaper article was about Zhang Mazi, whom Liu Mangzi had sent troops to annihilate.

However, as the rumors spread, a version emerged that became the most widespread and deeply ingrained in people's minds.

That is, Liu Sangzi went to invite Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain to come down the mountain, and the official road joined forces to finally wipe out this elusive "Zhang Mazi" gang.

This directly ruined the reputation of Zhang Jingqing, the Celestial Master, in the Sichuan-Chongqing region. Countless people said he was blind and aiding and abetting evil, actually killing Zhang Mazi, who was fighting against landlords and working for the people.

Moreover, the rumor intensified and spread widely, even reaching beyond the Sichuan-Chongqing region and reaching Longhu Mountain.

When Zhang Jingqing heard about this, he was reviewing Taoist affairs at the Da Shangqing Palace. He was stunned for a long time. It was truly a case of sitting at home and being caught in the crossfire. He was peacefully staying at Longhu Mountain, handling Taoist affairs, doing nothing wrong, so how did he end up with a ruined reputation, becoming a villain who harmed heroes and aided and abetted evil?!
"You beast! You beast!"

Zhang Jingqing was so angry that he glared and cursed loudly. But he didn't immediately call Zhang Zhiwei over to reprimand him, because... he had already taught him a lesson.

Zhang Zhiwei has been back at Longhu Mountain for some time now.

He recalled that when Zhang Zhiwei first returned to the mountain, he came to report to him what he had done in Chongqing.

At the time, he was very pleased to hear that Zhang Zhiwei had built many air-raid shelters to protect the people during the war, and that he had upgraded and relocated the Tiantong Steel Plant to the air-raid shelters.

However, he opposed Zhang Zhiwei's act of impersonating Zhang Mazi to burn, kill, and plunder the landlords. He told Zhang Zhiwei:

"Worldly matters can only be resolved in the worldly way. Your approach is undoubtedly using violence to combat violence, which is unacceptable. No matter how evil the landlords are, it is still evil within the rules, which is a minor evil. The real evil is this set of rules."

"Admittedly, you can use violence to break these rules, but what's the use? This is just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. As long as these rules remain unchanged, it won't be long before new landlords emerge, and are you going to go and reap the rewards again?"

"That's not allowed, because the rules are powerful. If you transgress these rules, you will inevitably suffer the backlash from them. Moreover... our Celestial Master's Mansion is also a beneficiary of these rules."

Zhang Jingqing didn't shy away from this. He continued, "So, while I wouldn't criticize your actions during this trip down the mountain too much, I don't approve of them either. The only thing I'm glad about is that you withdrew in time and didn't continue indefinitely. Otherwise, things would have been much more troublesome."

Zhang Zhiwei's reply was: "Master, you are too far-sighted and think too much. I have no intention of challenging these rules for the time being. What I did this time was not to break or reshape the rules, but simply to abide by them."

"Follow the rules?" Zhang Jingqing said irritably, "That's nonsense. Tell me, what rules have you followed?"

Zhang Zhiwei said, "Landlords wield violence, so they can arbitrarily exploit the weak. I also wield violence, so what's wrong with me choosing to exploit those landlords who exploit the weak?"

“What I did was neither noble nor just. I was just doing what those landlords did to others, an eye for an eye.”

"Because my original intention was not righteous, I cannot openly accept the praise on this 'Zhang Mazi' that I created, so I choose to make him disappear."

“Master, isn’t the Taoist concept of ‘inheritance’ the same as the saying that a family that accumulates good deeds will have abundant blessings, while a family that accumulates evil deeds will have abundant calamities?”

"The actions of those landlords I dealt with this time are truly beyond description by the saying 'good deeds bring good fortune.' So... I am the lingering calamity of those families who accumulated evil."

Zhang Jingqing said, "They will suffer lingering consequences, but that shouldn't be your responsibility."

“Since it’s going to happen sooner or later, why can’t it be me?” Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingqing felt somewhat helpless about Zhang Zhiwei's explanation, and he didn't want to continue arguing with his apprentice about this matter.

After all, Zhang Zhiwei made it clear that his actions were not noble, nor did he have many lofty ideas. He was simply using the methods landlords used against farmers to deal with landlords.

The landlords were despicable and shameless, and he who imitated their actions was also despicable and shameless.

Therefore, he decided to eliminate Zhang Mazi, this despicable and shameless character, at the very end, even at the cost of infamy.

But now...

Recalling that conversation, Zhang Jingqing covered her throbbing forehead and sighed, "I'd be willing to bear the infamy, but the problem now is... you didn't bear it, it's all on my head!"

He felt somewhat helpless, but he didn't intend to clarify anything. As the saying goes, if a child is not taught, it is the father's fault; if the teaching is not strict, it is the teacher's laziness.

He was the master, both teacher and father, so the infamy directed at Zhang Zhiwei was no surprise. But... but why did he feel uneasy and confused?

The thought that her ancestors for eighteen generations had been cursed by the people of Sichuan and Chongqing made it difficult for Zhang Jingqing to find peace.

"Someone on Longhu Mountain is my nemesis!"

"I thought that taking a step back would open up a whole new world, but the more I think about it, the angrier I get. If I don't teach this beast a lesson today, I won't be able to get over it."

With this thought in mind, Zhang Jingqing summoned a young Taoist priest and asked him to call Zhang Zhiwei over to see him.

"Yes, sir!"

The young Taoist priest hurriedly went out and soon found Zhang Zhiwei in the training ground in front of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Zhang Zhiwei is currently teaching on behalf of his master. He had been away from the mountain for a long time due to the Tiantong Steel Plant incident. Now that he has returned, he naturally wants to make up for the lessons his fellow disciples had missed.

Upon hearing that his master had summoned him, Zhang Zhiwei dared not delay and immediately rushed to the Shangqing Palace.

As soon as they stepped into the main hall, they were greeted by their master's furious face and a deafening roar:

"You beast! Don't you know that when entering from the left, you must step in with your left leg first?! Such blatant disregard for the rules, I will teach you a lesson today!"

What Zhang Jingqing just said wasn't just some random excuse; in Taoism, there are indeed certain rules and etiquette for entering the main hall.

Normally, one should enter the main hall from the left or right sides, and not walk in the center, because the center is the passage for the gods to enter and exit, and walking on the sides is to show respect to the gods.

When entering from either side, if you are entering from the left door, you should step in with your left foot first; if you are entering from the right door, you should step in with your right foot first. Also, never step on the threshold, as it is considered the backbone of the Taoist temple, symbolizing the inviolable foundation of faith, and should be stepped over directly.

These are all rules, but of course, generally no one deliberately follows them, nor does anyone deliberately investigate them.

But that's the general case.

Now, Zhang Jingqing wants to get to the bottom of Zhang Zhiwei.

"What's wrong with Master?" Zhang Zhiwei looked at Zhang Jingqing with some confusion.

Immediately, Zhang Jingqing drew the Seven Star Magic Sword hanging from the pillar in the hall, and swept her finger across the blade, causing the magic sword to emit a blazing divine light.

He affixed a "Flying Sword Demon-Slaying Talisman," chanted a spell rapidly, and the magic sword suddenly rose into the air with a "clang," transforming into a streak of light that swept up Zhang Zhiwei, who hadn't even had time to react, and flew directly out of the main hall's window!
Zhang Zhiwei: "…………"

"What did I do to offend Master?"

In the air, Zhang Zhiwei hung on the flying sword, looking puzzled. With his current abilities, he could naturally disarm the flying sword, and he could even catch it when his master released it.

But he didn't do that. He could tell that his master was very angry. In this situation, the best way to deal with it was to let his master vent his anger. If he caught the flying sword, wouldn't his master be even angrier, and wouldn't he be in even more trouble?
"Go and find out what's wrong with Master later."

As he passively sped through the air, he still had the leisure to mutter to himself:
“Master always says that I corrupted the atmosphere of Longhu Mountain. At most, I just use people as hidden weapons, but he goes and directly ties his own disciple to a flying sword and sends him away... How can that be the same? Old ginger is spicier. If you ask me, the source of the corruption should be him.”

After circling in the air for a long time, Zhang Zhiwei reached out and grabbed the flying sword that was shining brightly, and it hovered steadily in mid-air.

He held his master's Seven Star Sword, casually twirled it, and looked towards the direction of the Great Shangqing Palace. He was about to raise his arm and throw the sword back into his master's hilt, but after thinking about it, he decided to return it himself to avoid incurring his master's wrath again.

To be honest, Zhang Zhiwei quite likes this kind of atmosphere.

Over the years, as his strength has grown, the attitudes of those around him have changed a lot. Whether they are seniors within or outside the Celestial Master's Mansion, they all have more respect for him and are no longer the same as before. Only his master remains unchanged.

Holding the sword with both hands, he entered the Shangqing Palace again with the utmost respect and courtesy.

This time, Zhang Jingqing didn't make any more trouble; she simply sat upright in the main seat with her eyes closed.

"Master, your magic sword!"

Zhang Zhiwei respectfully presented the sword.

Zhang Jingqing slowly opened her eyes and calmly said, "Put it back!"

Zhang Zhiwei walked to the pillar next to him, gently inserted the magic sword into the hilt hanging on it, and then cautiously asked, "Master, why... are you angry?"

"Look for yourself!" Zhang Jingqing threw a newspaper at him.

Zhang Zhiwei took the newspaper and scanned the pages. He discovered that this was not a common tabloid, but a Jianghu newsletter published by the "Jianghu Xiaozhan," an intelligence agency for people with supernatural abilities. It mainly recorded the movements and secrets of the supernatural world.

Most of the newspapers were filled with trivial matters of the martial arts world: young talents from a certain place competing against each other, a rising star performing chivalrous deeds, a senior member of a certain sect celebrating his birthday, and even a talented young man getting married, etc.

Zhang Zhiwei glanced at these news items, his gaze landing on a particularly eye-catching column that prominently featured the "Zhang Mazi" incident, which had been the subject of much discussion in Sichuan and Chongqing recently. The report stated:
"The banditry in Sichuan and Chongqing has finally come to an end, the identity of 'Zhang Mazi' remains a mystery, and the name of the Celestial Master has been tarnished."

The report details how the "Zhang Mazi" gang wreaked havoc in Sichuan and Chongqing, and how they were annihilated by a single, swift strike from the Little Celestial Master.

The article is written vividly and skillfully, employing the most elaborate and evocative language.

However, the latter half of the report shifted its focus, delving into the massive public outcry this incident had sparked:
"...However, things did not go as planned. Although 'Zhang Mazi' was killed, his reputation as a 'heroic bandit' had already taken root in people's hearts. The people of Sichuan and Chongqing not only did not appreciate the merit of suppressing the bandits, but instead pointed their spears directly at Longhu Mountain."

"Even worse, some people spread rumors and attributed all the 'bad reputation' of the bandit suppression to Zhang Jingqing, the Celestial Master."

"In an instant, rumors spread that 'the Celestial Master aided and abetted evil' and 'the Taoist sect could not distinguish between good and evil,' tarnishing the Celestial Master's reputation..."

Upon seeing this, Zhang Zhiwei's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and he immediately understood the source of his master's anger. (End of Chapter)