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His orders were to first build a good relationship with Lam Ching-ying, and ideally, to find out his inclinations or even the inclinations of the entire mystic world.

“I understand. It’s like this. I just got a reply from above. They want me to go to Hong Kong. Are you coming with me?” Lin Zhengying asked Guan Zhen.

Intoxicating? Intoxicating in what way?

Guan Zhen glanced at the ceiling subconsciously, but quickly looked away. He still didn't know how Lin Zhengying had contacted the "higher-ups" he mentioned.

“Of course, Master Lin, this space is a bit small. Why don’t we go outside to talk?” Guan Zhen said, turning to the side.

Lam Ching-ying nodded. Only Cheng Yin was standing in the courtyard outside; all irrelevant personnel had been cleared out.

The moment Lin Zhengying saw Zheng Xian, he felt as if he were witnessing a nascent storm, with lightning flashing above it.

"Director Zheng, hello." The energy emanating from Lin Zhengying's Taoist robe was now at a higher level.

He was the first person to formally contact the authorities in the hundreds of years since the Heavenly Court withdrew, so he couldn't overshadow the officials, but he also couldn't be too disrespectful.

Chapter Seventy-Seven: Trip to Hong Kong

Lin Ching-ying saw Cheng Yin as no ordinary person, and Cheng Yin saw Lin Ching-ying as no ordinary person either.

Of course, Zheng Xian, who did not have the Qi Observation Technique, could not see the illusory image formed by the condensed magical power within Lin Zhengying's body, but he could sense the unique charm emanating from Lin Zhengying.

This person just standing there so naturally gives people a sense of security from the bottom of their hearts, as if as long as he is there, all the demons and monsters are just fleeting clouds.

"You're too kind, you're too kind. There's no need to call me Director anymore. The Shenmao Bureau is already on its way to being disbanded," Zheng Xian said, shaking Lin Zhengying's hand very warmly.

"This department sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Why are they suddenly closing it down?" Lin Zhengying casually remarked to Zheng Xian.

"The S.P.E.L.D. was initially set up in conjunction with an international organization, but recently it was discovered that the organization might have serious problems. In addition, I, as the director, don't have many people under me anymore, so I simply merged it into the Supernatural Response Force. The person next to you is my future leader."

Zheng Xian's words showed no concern for whether the Divine Spear Bureau was withdrawn or not, suggesting that it was merely a figurehead and somewhat superfluous within China's organizational structure.

All three of them had smiles on their faces, but the atmosphere was inexplicably awkward.

"Alright, ask whatever you want to ask first. Let me make this clear: I'm a newcomer to the Dao in this new era. In the Heavenly Court, I'm roughly equivalent to a temporary worker in your official positions, so there are some things I don't know." Lin Zhengying began by laying the groundwork, acknowledging that there were things he didn't know and things he knew but couldn't say.

"Okay, could you tell us about the Mystic Side you belong to?" Guan Zhen said, turning on the recording equipment in front of Lin Zhengying.

“Mystic side? You must have gotten that term from outside. We usually call it the cultivation world.” Lin Zhengying said slowly. “However, I’m not entirely clear on the details. I’ve only been in the group for about sixty years.”

"Are you in your sixties?" Guan Zhen asked in surprise. Lin Zhengying looked to be only in his twenties or thirties, just like a young man.

Lam Ching-ying nodded. “Yes, except for the dozen or so years of growing up, I spent the first twenty years cultivating with my master. Later, my master went over there. Before he left, he helped me connect to the Heavenly Court network and also got me a temporary worker status. Then, I didn’t have much to do, so I went to university.”

Guan Zhen nodded. They knew that Lin Zhengying had gone to university. After Director Li passed on the name, they had investigated everything that needed to be investigated.

Lin Zhengying attended an ordinary second-tier university in China, majoring in the very common field of civil engineering. During his four years at the university, he did not exhibit any abnormal behavior, and his teachers had a fairly good opinion of him.

Guan Zhen and Zheng Xian exchanged a glance and a look. Asking like this was too inefficient. Since Lin Zhengying was willing to cooperate, why not let him speak first?

"Master Lin, would you like to introduce yourself first?" Guan Zhen said.

“No problem, you can find the basic information, so I won’t repeat it. Let me tell you something you don’t know, like my master.” Lin Zhengying was very cooperative.

“My master cultivated his skills five hundred years ago and was originally supposed to leave with us. However, he was in seclusion at the time and missed the opportunity. After he came out of seclusion, my master thought that there should be enough time left for him to go into seclusion again, but this time the time exceeded his expectations and time passed again.”

"Then my master got into a fight with this situation, and he kept fighting until modern times. Because the spiritual energy was not being properly managed, its activity kept declining. He couldn't stand it anymore, so he decided to wait for several decades. During the waiting period, he took me as his disciple."

Are they at odds? Isn't the cultivation of immortality supposed to be about being pure of heart and free from desires?

Guan Zhen and Zheng Xian felt that their image of immortals had been shattered.

When Lam Ching-ying spoke, he had already anticipated their reaction, because that was exactly how he had reacted when he first met his master.

"According to my master, when you cultivate immortality, you are cultivating to become an immortal, but you are cultivating to become a human. If you cultivate away all your humanity, you will become a stone. What kind of cultivation is that? So I don't know about the others, but at least in my school, we do not require the severing of emotions and desires."

As he spoke, Lam Ching-ying looked up at the sky. “The car is ready. Shall we go first? We can continue our conversation in Hong Kong. Perfect timing, I can also introduce you to someone.”

"Of course, I'll listen to you." Guan Zhen said, standing side by side with Lin Zhengying, a little nervous.

What are the common methods of travel for cultivators? Do they fly there? Or do they teleport? I've never teleported before, will I get teleported?

While Guan Zhen was lost in thought, they had already arrived at their destination; they appeared directly on the rooftop of a building in Hong Kong.

Zheng Xian patted Guan Zhen, signaling him to follow.

When Guan Zhen came to his senses, he realized that he had been moved to a different place without realizing it. When he came to his senses, he felt nauseous, dizzy, and his vision blurred. It was much worse than the feeling he had during his previous pilot training.

"Master Lin, were we just teleported? What's the principle behind that?"

Zheng Xian asked, just like Guan Zhen, he hadn't felt anything until he saw that the surroundings had changed and realized that they had been moved.

"I don't know the principle behind it either, but you can think of it like a high-speed train at full speed. Originally, this kind of teleportation also required something like a ticket, but now that nobody uses it, it's no longer needed."

"In addition, because the space changes instantly, ordinary people may feel a little uncomfortable, but don't worry, it's not harmful. Sitting in it a few more times can even improve your energy perception ability."

As Lin Zhengying spoke, he glanced at Guan Zhen, who was covering his head behind him, and raised an eyebrow at Zheng Xian, as if to say, "Your future boss is like this, aren't you going to take care of him?"

Zheng Xian smiled but didn't respond. It would be wrong for him to take care of them now. At present, everyone lacks understanding of the cultivation world, and no opportunity to obtain information should be missed.

Putting everything else aside, even though Zheng Xian was in great pain, he kept close at hand while also listening intently to their conversation, analyzing the information in his mind.

In this atmosphere that was both harmonious and discordant, the three of them took the elevator all the way to the first floor.

Across from the building was a large shopping mall, and Lin Zhengying walked quickly toward a shop along the street.

"Ding-dong~ Welcome!"

The equipment at the door made a sound when Lam Ching-ying pushed the door open.

"Father! Father! We have guests! Come out and greet them!" Lin Zhengying shouted, banging on the door.

Zheng Xian and Guan Zhen exchanged a glance, somewhat puzzled. Hadn't Lin Zhengying's parents passed away long ago?

"Hey~ don't shout, don't shout, Dad's hearing is still good, I can hear you."

A hoarse voice came from inside, and along with the voice came a thin old man wearing small glasses.

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Father's Wisdom

The smile on the old man's face disappeared as soon as he saw Zheng Xian and Guan Zhen behind Lin Zhengying.

"Welcome to Old Man's Antique Shop. How can I help you?"

A huge, fat man, nearly three meters tall, squeezed out of the inner room carrying a rag. He walked with small, quick steps, as if entertaining guests was his job.

"Tru~ Please take the two guests to the reception room and have a seat, and bring some tea." The old man said, pushing up his glasses and patting Tru's belly, causing the layers of fat to jiggle.

"Yes, Master."

Tru pushed forward, shoving his father aside, and then strode over to Guan Zhen. "Gentlemen, come with me."

Guan Zhen looked up at Tru's face. Goodness, that physique was incredibly imposing.

Zheng Xian deeply agreed. Although the opponent was unlikely to beat him, the sense of oppression brought by that size was overwhelming, just like a mountain standing in front of him.

After the three people left, the old man waved to Lam Ching-ying and led him to a room inside. The room was filled with all kinds of books, and at first glance it looked like a library.

"Xiao Lin, those two are government officials, right? Are they planning to come back from their hometown?" The old man asked Lin Zhengying after sitting down.

"I haven't received any definite news yet." Lin Zhengying seemed a little impatient. "But the higher-ups told me to come and talk to the temple here about the Kamar-Taj sorcerer's dereliction of duty. It seems like they're saying if they can't do a good job, they should just quit!"

"I told you not to be impatient. Did the higher-ups say when you should go to talk?" Dad said calmly, crossing his legs.

"...No." Lin Zhengying said after regaining his senses. He had been a little too excited. He hadn't seen his teacher for a long time, and after returning from his hometown, the orders regarding hiding should be relaxed a bit, which would reduce the constraints on Lin Zhengying.

But now that I've heard my dad say this, it seems there are other variables involved.

"I told you, don't get so easily agitated. You're over sixty, but you're acting like a sixteen-year-old," Dad advised before slowly explaining his thoughts.

"Whether or not Kamar-Taj's authority is taken back does not depend on how well you negotiate afterwards, but on the negotiations between the higher-ups and the other side's superiors. Once the higher-ups reach an agreement, everything will be fine. Your presence only serves to remind the other side that there are things you haven't done properly."

"If those Temple personnel can understand the meaning behind this, I estimate they can hold onto this authority for a while longer, or at least they can relinquish it with some dignity. If they can't understand it, then they can only hope that the Ancient One has enough influence."

Lin Zhengying nodded repeatedly as he listened, his father's words made sense. "But... Father, how can you be so sure that the authority will definitely be regained? They have been temporarily exercising authority for over five hundred years, so another one or two hundred years is quite normal."

"Your father told you not to stay home and do divination every day. Once all the forces have returned, your divination will become increasingly difficult. You need to observe the outside world more and gather more information. Much information itself is enough to explain something."

The old man groped around on the table, as if he couldn't find something. "True~~ Where did you put my tablet? Bring it to me~"

"Yes~" Tru put the cookie in his hand on the table, then darted out of the meeting room with a nimbleness that was completely out of proportion to his size, and respectfully placed the tablet on the cashier's counter into his father's hands.

"Uncle Nine, long time no see! Would you like some donuts?" Tru looked at Lam Ching-ying with a big smile on his face.

Lin Zhengying was much more authoritative in front of Tru than he was in front of his father. "No need, Tru, you can go out now. Please take good care of those two guests for me. Thank you."

"Uncle Jiu, you're too kind." Tru scratched his head and turned away to leave.

After Tru went out, the old man also found the information, split the screen on the tablet, and handed the tablet to Lam Ching-ying.

The images on the tablet were quite varied, including satellite photos, online media reports, notes, and so on.

"Jin Bradley from the alchemists' side, Pike and Ann from Ouroboros, the head of the Hextech Research Institute from the Clock Tower—except for King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table, all the cultivation world forces I know are here." Lin Zhengying looked up at his father as he looked at the notes. "Is the madman who bombed the Dream Realm mentioned in the last note referring to the Morning Star mage Blaze?"

"Cough, cough." The old man coughed twice, as if Lin Zhengying had touched a sore spot. "That's not important. Look around and see where everyone else appeared, except for that alchemist who almost disappeared?"

"In...New York, USA...New York Temple?" Lam Ching-ying seemed to understand.

"Hmm, where is the main area of ​​operation for the Knights of the Round Table?" Father continued to ask.

“In England… London Temple!” Lin Zhengying finally understood.

The three most important transit points for the exercise of authority in Kamar-Taj—the three temples—are all surrounded by powerful spiritual forces capable of suppressing them, especially the New York Temple, which is the strongest and has the most practitioners around it.

Seeing that Lin Zhengying understood, the old man raised his cup, took a sip of tea, and asked, "Then do you know what you should do now?"

"Well, I'll go take a stroll around the Hong Kong Temple now and see if there are any suitable locations for setting up the array points," Lin Zhengying said, slapping his left palm with his right.

The old man silently put down his teacup, waved to Lam Ching-ying, and gestured for him to come over.

After Lam Ching-ying leaned closer, his father slapped him on the head.

“We are a legitimate force. Don’t act like some underground criminal gang. You’ve even gone so far as to scout the place. Just write a formal letter of invitation, clearly state the purpose of your visit, and deliver it to our door. Make sure the gift is appropriate so that others don’t think we lack manners.”

The old man looked at Lin Zhengying, who was pressing his head down, and said.

Lin Zhengying nodded, and just as he was about to leave, his father's voice reached his ears again, "There's one more thing..."

Lin Zhengying turned around, and his father pushed up his glasses. "Make sure you take care of the people you brought. This isn't a reception center."

"I see."

Lin Zhengying's eyes were still twitching slightly. His father's grip was getting stronger and stronger, and red marks had appeared on his head.