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

Chapter 236 My Uncle Has Ruined Me! (3k)

After placing the seal on the official documents, Du Yuan carefully examined them. Only after confirming there were no problems did she hand them to the old man.

"Sir, please keep this safe."

The old man almost immediately stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly as he took the document. His voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement as he looked at it.
"I have lived for so many years, experienced quite a few things, and met quite a few people, but I never dared to hope that I would have such an opportunity today!"

Having said that, he bowed deeply to Du Yuan, saying:
"Thank you so much for your guidance, Immortal Master!"

Du Yuan shook her head and helped the old man up, saying:

"This is what you deserve, there's no need for that. It's just that I'll be leaving soon, so sir, do you have any other questions?"

The old man nodded slightly, then pointed curiously to the seal on the document and said:

"I'm just a little curious, what exactly is engraved on this seal of yours?"

He considered himself to have read a few books, but the words on this stamp were completely unfamiliar to him.

I just found it exceptionally beautiful, and inexplicably heavy.

It should be a mark lighter than paper, yet it exudes a weight that covers heaven and earth.

Fortunately, this was for him, and apart from this feeling of dullness, there was nothing else to feel.

Upon hearing this, Du Yuan understood. It seemed that they couldn't understand what was written just by looking at it like she could.

Therefore, Du Yuan smiled and said:
"The seal bears only the four characters 'Qin Cheng Qian Gang' and is used exclusively for matters related to sealing and rectifying water bodies. This seal does not belong to me; it was a gift from a good friend. Today, I am merely offering it to you to fulfill your good deed."

"I see, I see!" The old man nodded repeatedly, all the doubts on his face disappearing.

Wang Pingzhang, standing to the side, kept tiptoeing and peering in, his eyes filled with barely suppressed curiosity.

He had imagined countless scenes in his mind beforehand: whether it was a rosy glow overhead, or thunder shaking the earth, or at the very least, auspicious clouds gathering and dispersing—but right now, from beginning to end, it was nothing more than stamping, handing over books, and saying a few words, so bland it was unbelievable.

This stark contrast made him feel like he had a tickling cat inside him, an unbearable itch.

But he dared not say much, after all, he had never seen what a “celestial conferment of official rank” should look like, and those strange phenomena were probably just something he had made up out of thin air.

No sooner had this thought settled in his mind than Du Yuan suddenly turned around and said to him with a knowing look that seemed to see right through him:

"Your nephew must have given you this advice to come here today, right?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Pingzhang hurriedly bowed, his tone tinged with unease yet also revealing an undisguised sense of relief:
"To be honest, Immortal Master, it was indeed my nephew who persuaded me to come. At first, I only thought that I could accumulate more good karma for my Wang family. I never expected that I would be able to meet your esteemed face here!"
My nephew said that the world will inevitably change drastically in the future, and if his Wang family lineage wants to prosper for a long time, it must accumulate more good deeds.

Doing good deeds is necessary, cultivating oneself is necessary, and naturally, building good relationships everywhere is also necessary!

After hearing this, and since it happened that the disaster victims came to request the sealing of the city, he vigorously promoted the matter.

I came here today specifically to put this good deed into practice.

Du Yuan nodded:

"I knew it was him who suggested it!"

Wang Pingzhang felt uneasy.
"Immortal Master, you don't mean to blame us, do you?"

Du Yuan smiled:

"There's nothing to blame or blame about this; it's just human nature."

Within the rules, I'm doing you a favor; please remember my kindness. What's wrong with that?

Wang Pingzhang felt a weight lift from his shoulders; the anxiety that had been hanging over him for so long finally subsided, and he said with a sigh of relief:
"That's good! That's good! I was just worried that the immortal would say that our 'forming good ties' was too deliberate and that we were being opportunistic!"

Du Yuan shook her head and said:
"Whether it was intentional or unintentional, as long as it's not a bad thing, who can say it's wrong?"

After saying that, Du Yuan asked again:

"Is Young Master Wang still at Cold Pine Mountain?"

"Here I am!"

Wang Pingzhang nodded hurriedly, then raised his hand and pointed vaguely in the direction he had come from. When discussing military affairs, his tone became more serious.

"Although the southwest has been blessed by the immortal and the disaster has been quelled, we still need manpower for the subsequent work of comforting the victims and suppressing small groups of bandits. Moreover—" He paused, a hint of caution characteristic of noblemen flashing across his brow, "If the army is mobilized without the emperor's order, who can tell whether it is a triumphant return to the capital or a repeat of the chaos in the southwest in the past? That would be a matter of losing one's head!"

"So the general simply set up camp at the foot of Cold Pine Mountain, firstly to facilitate handling subsequent affairs, and secondly to absorb your immortal aura and find peace."

When he mentioned 'absorbing immortal energy,' his tense expression relaxed a little, and he couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile:
“My nephew came to the southwest to make a name for himself for his father, so naturally he stayed here with the army and didn’t dare to leave without permission.”

After speaking, Wang Pingzhang asked curiously:

"So you wish to meet my nephew?" Du Yuan nodded.
"Yes, I do want to meet Young Master Wang and ask him some questions."

Wang Pingzhang's face lit up with joy as he said:
“Oh, that’s wonderful. To be honest, my nephew has been looking worried and gloomy these past few days, constantly muttering ‘What should I do?’ and ‘My ancestral hall!’”

"I've been watching this all along and it's been on my mind. I wanted to help but didn't know how. Now that you're here, there's probably a way!"

A hint of surprise flashed across Du Yuan's eyes, and her tone carried a touch of unexpected interest:

"Oh? Is there anything else?"

“Absolutely true!” Wang Pingzhang nodded emphatically, his tone certain, and added as if afraid he might not believe him, “Many people in the camp have seen his condition these past few days; I’m not just making this up!”
-
At the foot of Hansong Mountain, the outer perimeter was filled with camps of numerous disaster victims, while the inner and front lines were the camps of the imperial army.

Inside the camp, many soldiers watched with unsurprised disbelief as the noble young master of the Langya Wang clan emerged from his tent with a troubled expression, then looked up to the sky and sighed deeply.
"What should I do?"

After saying that, he turned to look at two soldiers passing by not far away.

The two men, carrying sacks of grain, froze in fright at his shout, nearly dropping their bags. The young nobleman, not letting them off the hook, took a half-step forward, his eyes filled with anxious bewilderment, and asked again:
"What should we do?"

The soldiers' faces turned pale instantly. They hurriedly shook their heads and waved their hands, running away without even daring to lift their heads.

He's a young master from a prestigious family, a member of the Langya Wang clan from Wuyi Lane. Even if he's gone mad, he's not someone these lowly soldiers can talk to casually.

Moreover, what if someone suddenly goes crazy and bites people randomly?
At that point, running away won't work, and staying won't work either!

Watching the soldiers flee, the young nobleman's shoulders slumped. He raised a hand to his forehead, pressing his fingertips firmly against his throbbing temples.

"I came to the Southwest to avoid the karmic consequences of the Buddha, lest my ancestral hall be destroyed. But how... how..."

How come the Buddha avoided it, but the Taoist priest did?
What frustrated him most was that he originally had a way to avoid the Daoist's karma much earlier.

However, like other families in the southwest, he failed to judge the depth of the situation from the beginning, so by the time he realized it, it was too late.

"it's okay no problem!"

He took a deep breath, as if to encourage himself, but his tone was full of forced self-comfort.

"Although both the Buddha and the Taoist are extremely powerful, at least the Taoist only has one, unlike the Buddha who has others by his side."

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Qingzhou uncontrollably recalled the image of the jade seal in the Buddha's palm. That was the most distraught moment of his life—even when faced with imminent calamity, he had never been so flustered.

There was no way around it; everyone knew a great calamity was coming, and everyone was making preparations in advance. So when the calamity struck, many people weren't actually afraid, but rather relieved.

He was the same in this respect, but the Buddha's actions that time were completely beyond his expectations.

Just like any other day, you might think that you'll find your familiar home after turning the corner, but who would have thought that instead of seeing your home, you'd witness a fierce battle between dragons and tigers!
After shaking his head, he asked the guards behind him:
"What do you think I should do?"

The guard felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He had been carefully selected by Wang Pingzhang to prevent anything from happening to his nephew from Wuyi Lane.

At first, everyone thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so they all vied for it. Even he had to go through a lot of trouble to get here.

Who would have thought it would end up like this?
Since the important person had spoken, he couldn't refuse, so he could only grit his teeth and bow, saying:
"Perhaps the young master could return to the capital? Perhaps... perhaps we should ask the elders in the family?"

"Back to Beijing?"

The young nobleman was startled, then waved his hand and said:
"No, no. The water in Kyoto is much deeper than here. My slender arms and legs can't withstand the storms of Kyoto!"

He didn't know why the Confucian Temple allowed the Taoist priest to stir up trouble in the southwest, nor did he know if the Confucian Temple knew what the Buddhist priest was doing.

But he was certain that Kyoto was under the watchful eye of the Confucian Temple!

Moreover, the most powerful people in this world are definitely all watching Kyoto!
Although these people probably haven't made their move yet, they are definitely determined to succeed. Under these circumstances, it's not good for the Taoist priest to get involved in any karma. But no matter how you look at it, the southwest, which has already been pacified, is better off.

After all, the Great Dao here is associated with water, which can help him avoid the Buddha's karma!
Before they could continue, they both heard a familiar voice ring out from not far away:

"Nephew, nephew! Your uncle has found a way for you!"

The young nobleman looked in the direction of the sound and indeed saw his adopted uncle. He said with a hint of helplessness:

"Uncle, have you found a solution?"

He had no expectations whatsoever; he would be content if they didn't cause him any trouble!

Who would have thought that what he feared most would come to pass? No sooner had he uttered those words than his expression changed as he heard Wang Pingzhang laugh:
"I have invited the immortal master to you; he is currently in my tent. My dear nephew, you should go quickly!"

"what?!"

The young nobleman screamed in terror.

(End of this chapter)