The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 179 Why is this happening? (3k)

After nodding slightly, Du Yuan looked at Wang Pingzhang and said:

"This humble Taoist priest intends to speak with Young Master Wang alone. Would the general be so kind as to do so?"

Wang Pingzhang quickly cupped his hands and said:

"This subordinate will depart immediately!"

After saying that, he hurriedly ran away to find a place to spit out the mud he had eaten.

My nephew is good in every way, but for some reason, I always feel that he is deliberately preventing me from having the time to spit out the mud I've swallowed.

I don't think I've offended my nephew.

Am I overthinking it?

Looking at the senior who wanted to talk to him alone, the elegantly dressed young man kept muttering to himself.

I hope it's nothing troublesome.

As a result, fearing nothing, he directly heard this senior ask:
"Does Your Excellency know how many people are hiding in the Southwest?"

The elegantly dressed young man felt a chill run down his spine.

Senior, how dare I ask such a question?
But if I don't speak up, I'll offend you.
Seeing that he was unwilling to speak, Du Yuan asked:

"But what difficulties are there?"

The elegantly dressed young man's smile immediately looked more like a grimace.

What difficulties are there?
Let's not even talk about how many people this will offend or how much karma it will bring.

What if you suddenly become murderous and start killing the people I gave you one by one, which would attract the attention of the Confucian Temple? You are a Taoist, and you can return to the Thirty-Six Heavens, but what am I supposed to do?
So the elegantly dressed young man still braced himself and said:

"So that you may know, senior, the karma here is immense, and I dare not get involved!"

Upon hearing this, Du Yuan did not press the matter further:

"Since that's the case, I won't ask any further."

The elegantly dressed young man breathed a sigh of relief. Then he saw Du Yuan cupping his hands in greeting and saying:
"Farewell!"

This prompted him to quickly bow in return.

"Senior, walk slowly!"

Oh dear, thankfully the senior is not only reasonable, but also plans to leave now so that I won't get involved in any more karma.

The elegantly dressed young man was overjoyed.

But his joy was short-lived, as he saw his senior suddenly stop and turn around to look him up and down.

This sent chills down his spine.

"Senior, who are you?"

Please don't cause me any major trouble!

I'm timid and weak; I can't handle it!

Fortunately, Du Yuan simply asked him:
"You've found yourself a marriage partner?"

The elegantly dressed young man felt a mix of emotions, but mostly relief. So that was all there was to it!
"In reply to your question, senior, this junior has indeed crossed a red line!"

Du Yuan frowned slightly and said:
"Huh? Could it be an accident? If so, perhaps this humble Taoist can help you break it off!"

A marriage is a lifelong commitment and should not be taken lightly! Recalling the lesson she almost learned by mistake in front of the melon patch, Du Yuan was particularly concerned about this.

Unexpectedly, the elegantly dressed young man shook his head and said:

"I appreciate your kindness, senior, but this is a karmic debt that I must repay, so I do not intend to sever this red thread."

After saying that, he glanced at Kyoto again and said:

"And if she really resists, then this red thread cannot be drawn. After all, I, the junior, have neither the ability to force a red thread nor the ability to do so now."

The red thread of fate is mysterious and profound.

Those who could forcefully matchmake and arbitrarily pair up lovers were extremely rare even in their great world.

Most of the time, it's just going with the flow.

Du Yuan nodded slightly, but still asked one more question:
"Do you really think you and her are a good match?"

Upon hearing this, the elegantly dressed young man raised his hand, silently calculated for a moment, then his brows relaxed, and he smiled:

"I was worried that I would let this young lady down, but I never expected that she would be so interested in me! No wonder I got involved with her just by mentioning her!"

Since both of them are willing, there's no need for me to say anything more.

Du Yuan immediately cupped his hands and smiled:

"Since that's the case, then I'll offer my congratulations on your marriage in advance!"

The elegantly dressed young man sighed inwardly: A happy marriage? Who would have thought I'd have a day like this, getting married?
A wry smile appeared on his lips, then he straightened his posture, bowed respectfully, and returned the greeting.
"Thank you for your kind words, senior!"

As he stood up, the elegantly dressed young man couldn't help but touch his neck.

Why does it feel so tight?
But it doesn't feel strange to the touch.

"Farewell!"

Du Yuan did not leave immediately, her gaze lingering on his neck for a moment longer.

Why is that red thread wrapped around the neck? And the intensity of its red glow and the thickness of its shape are unlike ordinary red threads; it looks more like…
Feeling that it might be something else, Du Yuan thought for a moment and then swallowed her words.

After all, it's not a pleasant thing to say, especially when someone is overjoyed.

Perhaps I'm just overreacting?

Suspicious, Du Yuan strode away.

However, the people living on and around Cold Pine Mountain always seem to only think of important matters when they are about to leave.

After confirming several times that there was nothing around his neck, the richly dressed young man finally called out to Du Yuan:

"Senior, stay!"

Du Yuan turned around:

"What's the matter?"

The elegantly dressed young man stepped forward and said:
"I almost forgot something. Senior, are you planning to continue westward to avert the severe drought in the southwest?" Du Yuan nodded.

"Yes."

The elegantly dressed young man solemnly said:
"If that's the case, senior, you must be extremely cautious! I spent a long time making calculations in the southwest recently, but the secrets of that day remain shrouded in mist, completely unclear!"

After fleeing from the Buddha and arriving in the southwest, the first thing he did was to calculate a safe hiding place, and then hide there to deduce what exactly had happened in the southwest.

It's good to plan ahead.

But no matter how much I calculated, I still couldn't figure it out.

This made him quite wary.

As he spoke, he pointed to the northwest and said:
"Perhaps with your cultivation level, Senior, you could see it clearly if you continued to observe. But I have been deducing for a long time, and I think I can save you an hour or two. That is, the most chaotic place in the heavenly secrets is due west, but if my deduction is correct, the real key should be in the northwest!"

Du Yuan then looked in the northwest direction and said:
"I know."

Upon hearing this, the elegantly dressed young man chuckled, then bowed respectfully, looking embarrassed, and said:

"Please excuse my poor performance, senior!"

No, I actually don't know, but since you've called me "senior," I'm really embarrassed to say I don't know.

Du Yuan smiled inwardly, but showed no sign of it on her face. She simply nodded slightly and then turned to leave.

Instead of heading due west, they went northwest, following the directions given by the elegantly dressed young man.

Coincidentally, according to the military intelligence provided by the old general, the chaotic army camp was also located in the northwest.

This trip is a good opportunity to first meet that foreign version of the "Heavenly General," and then take steps to resolve the drought in the southwest.

But what could it be?

Could this severe drought be caused by a drought demon?
If it really is a drought demon, then what level would it be?
In his memory, the difference between the drought demons and other similar creatures was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth.

The one above her could be the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor, possessing great supernatural powers, even the Wind God and Rain Master would find it difficult to withstand her.

Those below them are nothing more than insignificant evil spirits, which a few bold mortals can easily deal with.

What exactly is this being here?
And if we're talking about severe drought, the Golden Crow might also be a possibility?
The most famous things associated with severe droughts are drought demons and ten suns in the sky.

But if the Golden Crow were to appear in the world, that would be far too terrifying!

Du Yuan, lost in thought, moved slowly forward, but with each step, the landscape transformed instantly; the ability to shrink distances was truly useful.

After walking for a long time, Du Yuan suddenly stopped, looked up at the sky, and sighed:

"Logically speaking, after the commotion at Cold Pine Mountain, the cultivation of my Taoist lineage should have greatly increased! But why do I still feel that we are far behind the Buddhist lineage?"

This is precisely Du Yuan's biggest dilemma right now.

'Upon closer reflection, my status as a Buddhist monk is far less illustrious and dazzling than that of a Taoist priest!'

'How could it give rise to a feeling of powerlessness, where the more you try to catch up, the greater the gap seems to widen?'

Still unable to grasp the technique, Du Yuan sighed and continued walking forward. The small seal at his waist fluttered with his movements, as if dancing lightly.
-
On Cold Pine Mountain, many generals looked at the scroll of gold and jade with great reverence.

This is a genuine celestial treasure, and the very source of the previous extraordinary phenomena in the heavens and earth!

They can't even bear to touch it anymore; just looking at it makes them feel like they've lived a long and healthy life!
The old general was also captivated by it, stroking it repeatedly for a long time before finally giving the order with reluctance:

"Zhang Wei!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Upon hearing this, Zhang Wei immediately stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting.

The old general then handed him the Golden Jade Disc Manual and said:
"Quickly dispatch eight hundred elite troops and rush back to the capital to deliver this treasure to His Majesty! Remember, you must hand it over to His Majesty personally!"

"I will definitely fulfill your mission!"

After nodding, Zhang Wei accepted the Golden Jade Disc Manual.

A guard brought over a warhorse, and Zhang Wei suppressed his excitement, mounted the horse, only to find that the horse, which was usually very obedient, was now completely still!

No matter how hard he squeezed the horse's belly or whipped it, it was the same!

"this?"

The generals looked at each other, puzzled.

One of the generals, who didn't believe in such things, stepped forward and said, "Old Zhang, dismount and let me try!"

Zhang Wei dismounted as instructed. The general mounted his horse and pulled on the reins—the horse, which had just been so disobedient, snorted obediently and moved with its hooves as nimbly as ever.

Zhang Wei tried again, but the warhorse remained motionless!
Finally, after watching for a while, a general suddenly said:

"It's a pill formula, the immortal's pill formula!"

Everyone immediately understood and tried again.

Sure enough, as long as the prescription was carried, the horse would not move.

This made everyone look at the golden jade disc with even greater amazement.

But how are we going to deliver it? Should we walk all the way back to Kyoto?
Zhang Wei suddenly said:

"Young Master Wang seems to possess some extraordinary skill; perhaps he knows about it?"

The old general's eyes lit up and he said:

"Please!"

Soon, the elegantly dressed young man was invited over, and after just one glance, he said:

"This is a local treasure, and it's even been touched by the Heavenly Dao, so it can't be separated from the earth. If you want to send it back to the capital, you'll have to find a poor man to walk all the way back."

Everyone was shocked. Were we really going to walk all the way back?
Well, we'll have to walk all the way back from the southwest.
Seeing the astonished faces of the crowd, the elegantly dressed young man patted Zhang Wei on the shoulder and said:
"General Zhang, rest assured, this might actually be a good thing!"

Zhang Wei nodded:

"Indeed, this is the only way His Majesty can see, cough cough, this is the only way the Immortal Master can see our sincere hearts!"

Zhang Wei, who almost said that he could let His Majesty see his hard work, quickly changed his words.

The elegantly dressed young man offered no explanation.

He glanced at the direction of Kyoto with pity.

Kyoto is the most likely place to hide what everyone is looking for, so it's likely that no one has dared to make a move in Kyoto so far.

In such a situation, the emperor would probably be spending his days in the capital, where no supernatural phenomena were observed, watching reports of miracles and divine intervention spread throughout the country, and becoming increasingly suspicious.
(End of this chapter)