The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 72: The Way is Higher (Subscription Request)
The question-and-answer session lasted a long time.

The actual result of the discussion was only expressed in a few words.

Zhao Zhiling didn't even ask whether he should go or not, but directly asked, "Who is willing to lead the troops?"

Wang Wen stood up without hesitation: "I'll go!"

Everyone in the hall looked at him in response, hesitating for a moment.

"How about I go?"

Cheng Xian looked up at him and whispered in a voice that everyone in the hall could hear, "You have to keep an eye on this head yourself. Without you here, there are some things that we can't discuss with Gang Leader Huang..."

These are indeed the frank words that only one person would say.

Wang Wen had his reasons for going, and he also had the capital to take on the responsibility, but it was difficult to say these in front of everyone. He could only say, "It's a small matter. I will tell my adoptive father. Let's discuss this matter together."

Seeing his resolute attitude, everyone thought he was just a man who hated evil and said nothing more.

Zhao Zhiling immediately made the decision, ordering him to mobilize a hundred Sitian Guards and to follow Taoist Ji Liang to Mount Huangshan tomorrow...

Wang Wen clasped his fists and accepted the order.

Taoist Ji Liang added, "I heard that during the siege of the evil spirits, several extraordinary individuals assisted... The White Lotus Sect is a mixed bag, and their methods are ruthless and strange. Could we invite those extraordinary individuals along as well?"

Everyone looked at Zhao Zhiling.

Zhao Zhiling looked at Wang Wen.

Wang Wen knew what he was looking at and answered succinctly, "The two martial arts masters who fought that day were my great uncle, Deputy Chief Jiang of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Cao Gang, and Lin Baichuan, the leader of the Beggars' Sect... As for my great uncle, I can try to speak up, but whether my great uncle is willing to go is not something a junior like me can have any say in. As for Lin Baichuan, everyone knows about my feud with the Beggars' Sect. If anyone wants to invite him, either Lord Zhao should go on behalf of the Imperial Observatory, or Taoist Ji should go on behalf of Mount Mao. I'm not qualified to go, and it's difficult for me to speak up!"

Everyone nodded in understanding.

Zhao Zhiling drank his tea tactically, hesitating for a long moment before speaking. "The eminent monk from Hanshan Temple and the wandering Taoist priest who set up the formation to restrain the evil spirit disappeared after we evacuated the city that day. I have already made preliminary contact with Zhang Youming, head of the Zhang family, and Taoist Yuanyang of the Ziyang Sect. I sincerely invite them to join the Imperial Astronomical Observatory as Junior Spring Official and Junior Vice Official, but they haven't responded yet..."

The more he spoke, the lower his voice became, and he kept glancing at Wang Wen, who was sitting last, out of the corner of his eye.

Wang Wen really didn't let him go, and said in a sarcastic tone, "Tsk tsk tsk, it's true that the outsiders are good at chanting. I've risked my life several times, but I still haven't seen the official certificate for the position of Junior Autumn Official. This person just came and started as Junior Spring Official or Junior Lieutenant Official!"

“Fake, fake…”

Zhao Zhiling revealed a mask of pain and explained with a headache as if he was in a big headache: "When they come, it must be fake at first."

Wang Wen sneered, "Hehe."

Zhao Zhiling quickly turned to look at Taoist Ji Liang, trying to change the subject: "Later, I will accompany the Taoist priest to visit the three masters, but whether they are willing to go or not, I cannot guarantee it."

Taoist Ji Liang clasped his fists in gratitude and said, "Your Excellency is so righteous. All of us at Maoshan will remember this and are eternally grateful!"

Zhao Zhiling waved his hand: "It's just my job, I don't deserve your gratitude!"

……

After the meeting, Wang Wen walked around the yamen and then went to the office of Taoist Ji Liang.

In the government office, Taoist Ji Liang was washing up while talking with Zhao Zhiling. Seeing Wang Wen come back, both of them were a little surprised.

Wang Wen didn't expect Zhao Zhiling to be here. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to get straight to the point: "Master, I suspect there's something seriously wrong with Master Shou'an!"

"Oh?"

Taoist Ji Liang looked puzzled.

Zhao Zhiling's expression suddenly darkened. He pointed at the chair opposite him and said, "Sit down and talk slowly!"

Wang Wenyi clasped his fists, sat down across from Zhao Zhiling, and said, "Sir, do you remember that before the incident at the government office, we held a meeting in the lobby to review the search for the White Lotus Sect's altar?"

Zhao Zhiling nodded: "Your adoptive father and your uncle were also present that day."

Wang Wen nodded: "Sir, do you still remember what Master Shou'an said that day?"

"This……"

Zhao Zhiling frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "It seems to be a rough description of the White Lotus Sect's altar."

Wang Wen nodded again, emphasizing his tone. "If I remember correctly, he said that day, 'These evil and unorthodox methods of using living souls for sacrifice mostly imitate orthodox Taoist methods, emphasizing the harmony of time, place, and people. They must correspond to the sun, moon, and stars, connect to the mountain terrain and the earth's veins, and coincide with an auspicious day.'"

Zhao Zhiling frowned and looked at him doubtfully, as if he was still wondering what was wrong with what Master Shouan said.
However, Taoist Ji Liang was furious: "You bald thief, how dare you confuse right and wrong and frame my Taoist sect!"

Zhao Zhiling turned to look at him in confusion.

Wang Wen explained at the right time: "My Lord, have you forgotten? The White Lotus Sect is the Buddhist Dharma lineage!"

Zhao Zhiling slapped his forehead and suddenly realized, "How could I have forgotten this?"

Taoist Ji Liang angrily said, "That's right. The White Lotus Sect is clearly his evil followers. How dare they smear the reputation of our sect!"

Wang Wen raised a finger. "That's one of the reasons. Without any clues, they used the Taoist formation theory to mislead us, trying to make us divert our limited manpower and resources to find a place that would resonate with the right time, place, and people, and buy time for the White Lotus Sect."

"Second..."

When he said this, he suddenly paused for a moment.

Zhao Zhiling asked in confusion, "Go on, it's already this late, are you still going to keep us in suspense?"

Taoist Ji Liang suddenly remembered something, glanced at Zhao Zhiling out of the corner of his eye, nodded kindly and said, "If it's inconvenient to say it out loud, you don't have to say it for now."

Wang Wen pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "There's nothing to be ashamed of. If they dared to do it, why shouldn't I dare to say it... I found the altar of the White Lotus Sect, and I also released the evil spirit in the government office with my own hands!"

"what?"

Zhao Zhiling suddenly stood up and asked in shock, "When did it happen?"

As soon as he said it, he knew he had asked a stupid question.

Wang Wen ignored him and recounted what he saw and heard when he sneaked into the government office to look for the White Lotus altar after the meeting that night. He then emphasized, "The two door gods at the door at that time were monks... Well, the prison of the government office was built with bluestone slabs, and the White Lotus altar was set up on the second floor of the prison. It should still be intact. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to check it out later." At this point, he suddenly remembered that the miniature palace at the waist of the pyramid-shaped altar, which was similar in shape to the Golden Throne Hall, could it be the magic weapon for refining the City God's Dharma Domain?

The so-called City God's Domain is the blessed land where the City God builds the underworld government office in the world of the living and shelters the wandering ghosts under his jurisdiction. Its nature and function are very similar to the cave heaven opened up by the powerful.

The City God's Domain is built based on the City God Temple. Those wandering ghosts who cannot be reincarnated can live like living people in the City God's Domain until their life span ends, without having to hide like a stray dog, gradually losing their minds due to resentment and becoming evil ghosts that harm people.

If the incense offerings at the City God Temple are strong enough, not only will the City God's domain have the potential to grow into a cave heaven, but the ghosts living there will even be able to cultivate and prolong their lives...

All the knowledge related to being a City God, including the method of refining the magic weapon that carries the City God's domain, was taught to Wang Wen by the "Taiyi Jiuku Husbandry Scripture".

He only took a glance at it at first, and was dazzled by the variety of materials and complicated refining methods. He turned around and put it aside, ignoring it.

At that time, he was still wondering whether he could still find those rare and exotic materials in this world. It was a big problem. Even if he could find them, it would take at least three to five years to gather them together!
But if I could pick one up ready-made...

Wang Wen's eyes began to light up.

Zhao Zhiling, who had calmed down, exchanged glances with Ji Liang, then slowly said, "Now that you've said that, we have a theory we can share with you..."

Wang Wen: "What inference?"

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Zhiling said softly, "That evil spirit in the government office... is most likely Zhao Yiming, the prefect of Yangzhou."

"What?"

This time it was Wang Wen's turn to speak up. "Zhao Yiming? Why would he choose to be a good person and become a ghost? What's his purpose? Also, before the government and the Cao Gang jointly enforced the law, didn't you go to the government office to meet Zhao Yiming?"

"I didn't see Zhao Yiming when I went there that time. The person who came forward to discuss the search of the White Lotus Sect's altar with me was Mr. Mei Huaiyu, the co-magistrate."

Zhao Zhiling shook his head and said slowly, "After I had this suspicion, I sent people to inspect all the medical clinics in the city overnight yesterday. I learned that Dr. Meng Kang, the famous doctor from Bao'an Hall, had been frequently visiting the government office six months ago to treat Zhao Yiming's chronic illness...Four months ago, Dr. Meng slipped and fell into the canal and drowned."

He was also an official, so he certainly knew how serious a crime Zhao Yiming had committed. If the evidence was conclusive, the government would kill all nine generations of his family without blinking an eye!
As the saying goes, high risk means high return. Apart from this return, he really couldn't think of any other return that could attract a fourth-rank official like Zhao Yiming to risk the world's condemnation and do something risky!
Taoist Ji Liang also spoke up, "Zhao Yiming is the prefect of Yangzhou, holding the seal of a fourth-rank official and blessed with the dynasty's good fortune. Even in a world where the Heavenly Law hangs high above the Nine Heavens, he would most likely be granted the title of Underworld Official a hundred years from now. Now that the immortals and gods have departed and there is no one in charge of the Heavenly Dao, with the power of the altar ritual, he has a great chance of directly taking over the position of City God!"

When things have been deduced to this point, the thread has become clear at a glance.

"it means……"

Wang Wen concluded, "It's very likely that Zhao Yiming was diagnosed with a terminal illness six months ago, and the White Lotus Cult took advantage of this situation, offering him the position of City God to lure him into joining their group and participating in the 'Ten Perfect Heaven-Repairing Formation' plan, right?"

That way, everything makes sense.

Zhao Zhiling and Taoist Ji Liang nodded in unison.

"Master Ji Liang and I both have doubts..."

Zhao Zhiling whispered, "The altars that the White Lotus Cult has set up in various places are all built using this method. Otherwise, the Astronomical Observatory in various places wouldn't have spent so much time searching only to uncover one altar!"

Wang Wen frowned: "Are there so many loopholes for them to exploit?"

"Solutions are invented by people..."

Zhao Zhiling sighed and said, "You don't have to be the head of a prefecture. As long as you are willing to work hard, you can be a deputy governor or a magistrate in a prefecture and you can also cover the sky with one hand."

Taoist Ji Liang sighed softly, "Besides, the illnesses of these high-ranking officials might not be real illnesses. A cult like the White Lotus could easily target a few ordinary officials without any weapons. In the face of a life-or-death crisis, how many people can truly maintain their integrity?"

‘Fuck! ’

Wang Wen thought this was truly terrifying. "So, if that's the case, then Jiangnan is like a sieve. The White Lotus Cult can just go wherever they want. They could even have a few more altars as backup. We'll copy one, and they'll use the next one. Master Ji, when did all these weird things come about? How long has the White Lotus Cult been preparing?"

Taoist Ji Liang looked thoughtful. "As for when these demons and monsters appeared, I can't say for sure. I can only confirm that I cultivated the first trace of magic power after the Jingzhe Festival in the 22nd year of Hongtai."

Wang Wen: “Two and a half years ago?”

Zhao Zhiling echoed, "The earliest record of demonic incidents in the Imperial Astronomical Observatory also occurred around the time of Jingzhe in the 22nd year of Hongtai."

"That is to say, if we prepare for the worst..."

Wang Wen muttered to himself, "That's none of my business. I only arrived here a little over four months ago." He responded verbally, "So, this is it? The White Lotus Cult has been planning this for two and a half years. And we have to disrupt their two-and-a-half-year plan before their 'Ten Perfect Heaven-Mending Formation' ritual is completed?"

Taoist Ji Liang and Zhao Zhiling both nodded solemnly.

Wang Wen: "How much time do we have left?"

Ji Liang said, "According to the calculations of our Maoshan Sect Master, Master Hunyuan, this formation will draw upon the first ray of Yin energy born between heaven and earth after the Double Ninth Festival to transform into the underworld. Today is the third day of the ninth month, so there are still six days left!"

Wang Wen: "Then how many people are we?"

Elder Ji Liang said, "My three talisman sects have already issued a decree inviting all righteous people from across the world to come to Mount Huangshan. Add to that the manpower and resources of the various prefectures in Jiangnan, and the chances of success are still very high."

Wang Wen rolled his eyes and thought to himself, "Destroy it, quickly!"

Zhao Zhiling, who had been deep in thought for a long time, suddenly said, "Erhu, you just said that Master Shouan had a serious problem. Do you have any other evidence?"

Wang Wen understood what he meant. After all, the current situation was already precarious, and the attitude of Master Shouan might, in a sense, represent the attitude of Buddhism.

He replied, "Yes, for example, when we were fighting that evil spirit the night before last, even an unrelated folk cultivator like Paper Man Zhang came to contribute his strength, but he, the great monk Shou'an, was nowhere to be seen... Doesn't this prove that there's something wrong with him?"

Zhao Zhiling's face was gloomy, but he still said, "This evidence may be a bit far-fetched... It was indeed me who ordered Master Shou'an to stay behind to guard Anmin Hall that day."

Wang Wen said with a forced smile, "Hehe," "As long as you're happy!"

Taoist Ji Liang pondered for a moment and sighed softly, "Look at it from a positive perspective. That bald thief might just be taking advantage of the situation. After all, the White Lotus Sect is his Buddhist lineage. If the White Lotus Sect can successfully evolve the underworld, it will only benefit his Buddhist sect, not harm it."

Wang Wen listened to the old Taoist priest's murderous and heartbreaking remarks, and muttered to himself, "You're not even thinking positively."

"What about thinking the worst?"

he asked.

Taoist Ji Liang glanced at him and said softly, "I heard that your Cao Gang benefited from the current Emperor Taizu's policy of transferring grain from the south to the north..."

Wang Wen and Zhao Zhiling were stunned and shocked.

(End of this chapter)