Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 496 General and Scholar
Lu Zheng thought that he had never seen a real military procession before, and it seemed like this would be a good opportunity to broaden his horizons.

He then changed his tone and said in a friendly manner, "Please lead the way, everyone."

Seeing Lu Zheng's sudden change in attitude, the soldiers couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

Military camps are places where unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. Once someone, whether unrelated or a suspect, goes there, few are able to come out alive.

They saw that not only Lu Zheng showed no fear, but the two girls also showed no timidity, and the young girl even had a very curious look on her face.

Such an expression and demeanor were something that ordinary spies from the State of Chu could not fake.

To remain so calm and composed, one must either be a highly skilled spy or a genuinely unrelated cultivator.

The burly armored warrior, a thought forming in his mind, spoke leisurely: "It's not that we're deliberately making things difficult for you. Currently, there's constant conflict between our Great Shu and the Chu Kingdom. The Chu army across the river sends several spies across the border every day. Let alone you so-called Anguo people, we've seen all sorts of monsters and demons, from cats and dogs to people from overseas..."

Seeing how cooperative Lu Zheng and the other two were, they really didn't seem like spies, and the leading soldier's tone softened considerably.

Lu Zheng nodded slightly upon hearing this, "I understand."

He didn't think the soldiers had done anything seriously wrong; it was just their duty.

The armored soldier chuckled and said, "Judging from your appearance, young man, you are indeed well-read and understand principles."

The armored soldier paused, then asked, "Speaking of which, how did you, a man from Anguo, get involved with those Chu people?"

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and realized that he couldn't explain it to these soldiers in a short time.

He then said, "Because I am Lu Zheng."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gazes. They didn't know Lu Zheng at all, but Lu Zheng's words and attitude made it seem as if he had a very impressive background.

Lu Zheng added briefly, "Your Shu army should also have its own intelligence department; they should know something about me."

The lead soldier's mind raced; they weren't responsible for interrogating intelligence, so they didn't really know much.

Seeing this, the soldier gave a wink to one of his subordinates.

The soldier understood immediately and strode away first.

Soon, a peculiar sound came from the mountains and quickly echoed.

The group continued their journey to the military camp.

A short while later, several people descended from the sky.

The leader was a middle-aged Taoist priest wearing a Bagua robe, holding a whisk in his hand, exuding an otherworldly and otherworldly air.

Behind the middle-aged Taoist priest were several burly strongmen, each over ten feet tall.

The Taoist priest approached and sized up Lu Zheng. "I am Changping, the Taoist priest of Fuyun Temple in Shu Kingdom. Are you the young man from An Kingdom who recently received a royal decree?"

Lu Zheng thought to himself, "Is it because I received a trace of literary talent from the sage that I was able to spread my fame after doing so much?"

Lu Zheng nodded calmly and took out the official document again.

Seeing this, Chang Ping smiled and said, "Please come with me, everyone. The general still wants to see you."

General… Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered slightly. Could this person be referring to General Wang Meng?
Changping didn't say much, he just waved his whisk.

A gentle breeze then swept by, and everyone felt as if they were riding the wind, moving swiftly on their feet.

After flying over mountains, they soon arrived at the edge of a huge valley.

Within the valley, clusters of camps with high walls could be vaguely seen, where groups of soldiers were training, creating a magnificent atmosphere that soared into the sky.

Outside the valley, hidden sentries kept watch over the movements in all directions. The entrance to the valley was heavily guarded, with each guard wearing heavy armor, strong and powerful, and full of martial arts prowess.

Chang Ping led Lu Zheng and the others into the valley without incident.

The surrounding environment suddenly changed again, and the scene that was originally visible outside disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Zheng and his group arrived outside a military tent.

Is this... a teleportation technique? Lu Zheng had a vague guess.

This military camp is probably set up with various formations, and an outsider like him obviously cannot see the whole picture of this place.

The tent flap was gently lifted, and Chang Ping invited Lu Zheng and the other two inside.

Upon entering the main tent, they found only one person inside, a man dressed in white.

The man looked to be no more than thirty or forty years old. He had a dignified appearance and a slender but not burly build. He didn't look like a military general, but rather like a civil official.

Chang Ping said, "General Wang, the person you want to see..."

Wang Meng turned to look at Lu Zheng, scrutinized him from head to toe, and said with a friendly smile, "Lu Zheng? He's even younger than the portrait I've seen. He's truly a promising young man!"

Wang Meng stepped forward, raised his clean, fair hand, and patted Lu Zheng. "I heard you killed quite a few priests in Chu? That's a great event, we should have a good drink! It's a pity that alcohol is forbidden in my army. Come, come, let me offer you a cup of tea instead of wine!"

Wang Meng excitedly went to get the teapot, wanting to personally pour tea for Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng was a little surprised; this General Wang was nothing like the rumors.

The legendary Wang Meng was a ruthless man, a fierce general who dared to charge into battle and kill enemies. His methods were so ruthless that even the local gods of Chu were terrified of him.

Now that he has met the real person, Lu Zheng has not been able to tell the difference.

However, truly capable people rarely show off, so Lu Zheng wasn't too surprised.

Wang Meng handed the tea to Lu Zheng and the other two, saying, "Come, come, you've come from afar, please have a cup of tea first..."

"Thank you, General Wang."

Lu Zheng and the other two accepted the tea and expressed their gratitude.

Wang Meng chuckled as he looked at Lu Zheng, then said, "I know quite a bit about what you did in Chu; it was truly remarkable. However, I think you weren't ruthless enough; you should have killed more people..."

“Once the Emperor of Chu has spoken, you shouldn’t worry about so much. Some people are like gods; they deserve to die…”

"I had originally sent someone to look for you, hoping to offer some advice, but your whereabouts are unpredictable. Now that you've come all the way here, it seems they still couldn't find you. What a pity."

"Otherwise, you and I can work together to set up..."

Wang Meng still felt some regret, thinking that Lu Zheng hadn't done enough.

If the two of them were to join forces and devise some schemes, they could further weaken the power of the State of Chu.

However, it is unrealistic to expect Lu Zheng to appear here at this time and then return to the State of Chu to make arrangements.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng thought to himself, "Is this person afraid that the State of Chu is not chaotic enough? Does he want something even bigger?"

If someone from Shu had actually contacted him before, asking him to use the Chu emperor's edict to help him deal with more Chu deities and officials, then his interest would have taken a turn for the worse.

Lu Zheng only wanted to give the Chu officials a slight warning, but if he really used the Chu emperor's decree to carry out mass killings, he could easily get himself into trouble. Some things cannot be rushed.

(End of this chapter)