My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

A profound meaning lingered in those calm eyes, as if piercing through time and space, meeting his gaze:

"The Jiazi Sealing Spirit breaks its golden body, disperses its demonic energy, and destroys its supernatural powers."

The Taoist's voice was calm, carrying a hint of entrustment:

"Once you cultivate a body that is flawless and impervious to water and fire, you can use its soul-devouring golden light to destroy it when it breaks free from its seal."

As soon as he finished speaking, the screen suddenly shattered.

"call--"

Lu Ming suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils contracted slightly, and a fine layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

He took a few quick breaths before slowly calming down.

"Did he spot me?"

He muttered to himself, his heart filled with shock.

Since he first encountered the Heavenly Heart Scroll, this was the first time he had met someone who had left a mental imprint on him, someone who could communicate with him across time and space.

"What level has the Great Teacher of Virtue reached?"

He couldn't help but recall the yellow talisman that dared to defy the heavens a month ago, and a sense of awe arose in his heart.

Thinking back to the Taoist's meaningful gaze at the final moment, he couldn't help but feel a slight stirring in his heart:

"What did his last sentence mean? Did he mean for me to kill him in the future?"

The problem is that he has no idea what it means to have a body that is "flawless and impervious to water and fire"!

"Mountains were felled and temples destroyed, the Jiazi year was used to subdue demons... Indeed, it's rare to hear of people praying to gods and Buddhas in this world. Could it really be because of what the Taoist priest did back then?"

Thinking of the subtle estrangement people in this world had towards gods and Buddhas in his memory, he vaguely understood.

The only thing that can stand against faith is another faith.

If the Taoist priest is indeed Zhang Jiao, his reputation as a great and virtuous teacher resounds throughout the four seas and eight wastelands, which could indeed influence the people's attitude towards gods and Buddhas.

"No! If it really is Zhang Jiao, his attitude towards demons is clearly not friendly. But now that the Way of Peace has raised the banner of righteousness, why is he colluding with demons?"

In an instant, countless thoughts swept through my mind.

Unbeknownst to him, he was exhausted and collapsed onto the bed, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

He turned over, buried his face in the pillow, and his breathing gradually became long and even.

……

On the official road, two riders rode side by side, their hooves kicking up clouds of dust as they pounded the dirt surface.

The fields on both sides were mostly barren, overgrown with weeds.

On the few remaining fields still being cultivated, the bent-over farmers would hurriedly lower their heads when they saw the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves in the distance.

Lu Ming, dressed in a slightly worn military uniform, held the reins in his hand and gently pushed off the flanks of his horse as he rode side by side with the constable beside him.

At dawn, a constable named Liu San rode a fast horse to the military camp, bringing with him a summons from Liu Zhiyuan.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lu Ming asked Chen Xuan for a day off under the pretext of being summoned by the county magistrate, thus temporarily escaping the elaborate trap set by Shi Lei and his group.

"Brother Liu, may I ask what business the magistrate has with me?"

Lu Ming turned his head away, the horse's mane blowing against his cheek in the wind.

Liu was about forty years old in three years. He was thin with slightly high cheekbones and a pair of shrewd eyes with a hint of worldly slickness.

Upon hearing this, a helpless, bitter smile appeared on his face:

"Brother Lu, you're putting me in a difficult position. I'm just a messenger; how could I possibly guess what my superiors are thinking?"

Lu Ming smiled nonchalantly, took a gold leaf from his pocket with his right hand, and handed it over:

"Consider this my treat for Brother Liu to tea."

Liu San's eyes lit up, and his fingers swiftly reached out to pinch the gold leaf into his palm, his movements exceptionally practiced.

He quickly stuffed the gold leaf into his pocket, and his face immediately changed to a warm and friendly smile.

God knows how difficult it was for him, as a son-in-law of the Lin family, to save up some money on his own.

Although the Lin family was a large clan, the money of those who married into the family was restricted in every aspect, and even buying a bag of good tea required them to be mindful of others' feelings.

"Hehe, Brother Lu, you're too kind."

He lowered his voice and leaned closer:

"Although I don't know why the magistrate is looking for you, it should be related to the people from Yinshan Prefecture."

Lu Ming's brows furrowed slightly: "Has Lord Liu received a response after requesting assistance from Yinshan Prefecture?"

Yinshan Prefecture was the capital of Yunzhou. As far as he knew, Liu Zhiyuan had sent an urgent message for help from 800 li away as soon as the Taiping Dao uprising began.

To my surprise, after more than a month, I actually received a response.

It should be noted that Yunzhou was not the main area where the Taiping Dao (Way of Peace) broke out.

Even sporadic uprisings and riots were enough to keep these officials extremely busy.

Now he even has the spare capacity to manage the affairs of Yinhu County?

Liu San chuckled and shook his head: "Who knows? It's just a greenhorn who came, looks only a few years older than Brother Lu. I wonder if he's as reliable as Brother Lu..."

Lu Ming exchanged a few polite words with a smile, but a thought suddenly occurred to him.

young people?

Was it Yinshan Prefecture that was just going through the motions and sent some ordinary person to go through the motions?

Or is he a truly talented young man?

Or perhaps... there's something else going on?

Is Liu Zhiyuan's search for him at this moment related to him?

In an instant, countless possibilities flashed through his mind.

He put those thoughts aside for the moment and instead inquired about the current situation in the city.

Upon hearing this, Liu San's smile vanished instantly.

"Alas, it's terrible! The number of martial artists in the city has been extremely high. Not to mention ordinary martial artists in the lower three realms, even elders in the Bone Forging Realm have lost dozens of lives."

"Even the Zhang family patriarch, a Marrow Refining Realm expert, was nearly killed in the street by the Taiping Dao demons."

"I heard that the battle was so fierce that half a street collapsed. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he probably would have died there too."

He shook his head as he spoke, and the wrinkles on his face deepened slightly:

"Chief Wang was furious about this and almost fell out with Lord Liu on the spot."

Lu Ming narrowed his eyes slightly.

Most of the martial artists in Yinhu County are from the four powerful families.

The rest were mostly related to them, or even under their control.

The fact that Wang An was able to lose his composure to the point of almost confronting Liu Zhiyuan shows that the losses suffered by the four major families this time were indeed severe.

Otherwise, given the other party's shrewdness, they would certainly not dare to commit such an act of insubordination.

"This world... is getting harder and harder."

Liu San, mounted on his horse, pulled on the reins and let out a long sigh.

He endured half his life's hardships and finally seized the opportunity to marry into the Lin family.

I wanted to be a comfortable gigolo, living a life where someone would serve me food and I wouldn't have to worry about money.

But the good days didn't last long before the evil Taoist rebelled.

Especially in the past month, as his former colleagues, relatives and friends fell one after another on the city wall, his heart felt extremely cold.

For some reason, he had a vague premonition that the group would fall apart when the tree fell.

As the two chatted, they passed through the outer city gate and headed towards the inner city along the main street.

There were few pedestrians on the street, and most of the shops on both sides were closed.

The few shops that were open only had half a door open, with people huddled behind the counter, watching the street warily.

The air was filled with the smell of burning and lingering blood, mixed with dust, which assaulted the nostrils.

Soon, Lu Ming, led by Liu San, arrived at the main hall of the county government office.

He dismounted, handed the reins to the yamen runner outside the door, straightened his clothes, and stepped over the high threshold.

The hall was brightly lit. Liu Zhiyuan sat in the main seat, dressed in a blue robe, calmly sipping tea, showing no signs of fatigue from dealing with the rebel army and refugees for more than a month.

Below him, a young man holding a feather fan looked at him with a smile.

He had delicate features and a composed air about him.

The feather fan was gently waving in his hand, and a landscape painting was faintly drawn on the fan surface.

Despite his casual demeanor, Lu Ming's mind suddenly tightened, and an unprecedented sense of crisis surged up within him.

Master!

Without looking to the side, he stepped forward a few paces, bowed and clasped his hands in greeting to those in the hall:

"My lord, what are your orders for summoning me?"

Liu Zhiyuan smiled and put down his teacup, got up and walked down the steps. He personally helped him up, patted him on the shoulder, and appeared very kind.

"Lu Ming, you've worked hard. Come, let me introduce you..."

He stepped aside to make room for him.

"This is Lian Feng, the young hero of the Tianji Sect in Yinshan Prefecture. He's a rising star ranked thirtieth on the Dragon and Tiger List; you should definitely get to know him well!"

Lu Ming's heart stirred.

Tianji Sect, one of the three sects among the three major sects and five schools of Taoism, stands at the pinnacle of Dazhao. The sect is full of experts and has a profound lineage.

Those who can be listed on the Dragon and Tiger List are at least experts at the peak of the Marrow Refining Realm or even higher.

Sending such a person to Yinhu County must mean something significant.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, turned around, and bowed to the young man.

"Lu Ming greets Young Hero Lian."

Lian Feng smiled, put away his feather fan, and returned the greeting with composure and politeness.

"I've long admired Brother Lu's name, and Lord Liu speaks highly of you."

"I am deeply grateful for your kindness, sir, but I am unworthy of it." Lu Ming lowered his eyes with a look of shame.

The two exchanged a few more polite words.

At this moment, Liu Zhiyuan spoke with a smile:

"Lu Ming, have you encountered any difficulties while you were outside the city?"

Lu Ming felt a slight sense of unease, wondering what this old fox was up to.

But he remained calm and respectfully replied, "Thanks to your blessing, sir, everything is fine."

Liu Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, stroked his long beard, and his gentle tone carried a hint of coldness:

"Really? But I heard that the current acting commander of the army seems to have some misunderstanding with you."

He stepped forward, gently patted Lu Ming's shoulder, and spoke in an unusually kind voice:

"You're mine. If you're ever bullied in any way, just tell me, and I'll definitely stand up for you."

Lu Ming frowned slightly, increasingly unable to fathom the other party's meaning.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice:

"What instruction does my lord have for me?"

Liu Zhiyuan chuckled softly, then suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered:

"Misunderstandings should be cleared up. Especially some people... who take advantage of having powerful backers and push their luck, there's no need to show them any mercy."

By the end, the air was thick with murderous intent.

Lu Ming's pupils suddenly contracted.

Is he implying that I killed Shi Lei?

Who is Shi Lei's powerful backer?

Lin Shirong, the leader of the Yinhu Guard, is one of the four powerful families in Yinhu County and the younger brother of the head of the Lin family.

Is Liu Zhiyuan going to deal with the Lin family?

But soon, he remembered his conversation with Liu San when he arrived.

No, he's going to deal with the four most powerful families in the county.

And I am that knife.

"Lu Ming, remember this... if you get bullied outside, I'll back you up. Don't be afraid, go for it!"

Liu Zhiyuan, with his hands behind his back, paced around Lu Ming a couple of times, his gaze sweeping over him with a sharp glint in his eyes:

"Go back and do a good job. Next time you come back, I'll make an exception and let you go into the secret vault to choose one good item... There are even martial arts techniques for the Marrow Refining Realm inside."

Lu Ming's expression quickly returned to calm, and he bowed respectfully.

"Yes, sir, I will certainly not let you down."

He knew that this blank check was the money to buy his life.

Although he didn't understand why Liu Zhiyuan had such confidence in him, attempting to use his Bone Forging Realm to outmaneuver a peak Marrow Refining Realm expert.

But he knew very well that the other party had not given him any room to refuse.

They even used martial arts techniques from the Marrow Refining Realm as bait, but never mentioned the drawbacks of the "Seven Realms Different Paths".

Clearly, the other party didn't care whether he lived or died.

"Oh, right."

Liu Zhiyuan walked back to the main seat, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and casually added:

"You've been patrolling outside the city these past few days, and I've already assigned people to stand guard outside the Lu residence... I'll make sure your mother isn't disturbed."

Lu Ming's brow twitched suddenly.

This is the most blatant threat yet.

A surge of emotion welled up within him, but his face showed gratitude: "Thank you for your kindness, sir!"

"You must be tired these past few days."

Liu Zhiyuan smiled and put down his teacup. "Go back and spend more time with your mother."

Lu Ming bowed to the two men to take his leave and steadily withdrew from the hall.

The moment he turned around, the smile on his face vanished, and he strode away.