From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Because of Old Master Lu's insistence, Jiang Liu and his group didn't leave until evening, after having dinner, before bidding farewell to the Lu family and preparing to return to Yuhang...

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After walking several miles away from the Lu family, seeing Zhang Zhiwei still following, Jiang Liu teased, "What? Want to come to Yuhang with me? Not going back to Longhu Mountain?"

"Of course I need to go back to Longhu Mountain, but the things I need to discuss with my master are mainly things I need to discuss with you." Zhang Zhiwei pursed his lips and got down to business.

It turns out that the master had truly felt the power of extraordinary people, or rather, the power of cultivators, in recent years, and believed that Qi cultivators should unite together, work together, and seek cooperation in order to build a powerful country in the future.

To build a towering skyscraper, a solid foundation is essential.

The teacher, having heard about the establishment of the Confucian Society and its ideology, hoped that the Confucian Society could grow stronger and take the lead in unifying the orthodox forces in the south.

Zhang Zhiwei's main purpose was not actually to return to Longhu Mountain, but to inform Jiang Liu about this matter and try to stay in the Confucian Association.

"You want to join the Confucian Society?"

Jiang Liu was surprised.

"To be precise, I am still my teacher's bodyguard and secretary, except that I have two months of vacation each year to participate in the activities of the Confucian Association."

Zhang Zhiwei put his hands on his hips and chuckled, "So, in other words, I'm a 'double agent' now!"

"Oh, so you're the one who snitches."

These words caused Zhang Zhiwei's smile to freeze instantly. He was speechless for a moment before saying quietly, "I must say, you're really funny."

Alright, that's how it is. You can decide what to do yourself. My mentor can't control you, he just trusts you.

And I also need to go back to Longhu Mountain to tell my master about this in advance..."

# Chapter 984 Zhang Zhiwei Returns to the Mountain (Part 1)

A ray of morning light.

It broke the silence of the night.

A golden light leaped across the sky, winding its way down and landing outside a grand hall, startling the Taoist priests who were practicing their morning exercises.

"You are--"

"Senior Brother Zhiwei!"

"Senior brother! It's senior brother!"

"You're back?"

"How are things down the mountain, Senior Brother?"

"Master returned yesterday at noon and heard from Junior Brother Huaiyi that you were also at the Lu family compound?"

The Taoists swarmed around Zhang Zhiwei, showering him with concern and care.

In the past, Zhang Zhiwei would have easily found a place to sit and chatted with his fellow disciples, but now he was much more composed and did not do that. He simply smiled and answered their questions one by one.

"What's all the noise about?"

A fierce-looking man emerged from the main hall, saw Zhang Zhiwei, and said irritably, "You've been restless ever since you came back, disturbing your fellow disciples' morning practice."

“Master, isn’t it because my senior brothers and junior brothers wanted to know about life down the mountain?” Zhang Zhiwei said with a hearty laugh.

"Yes!"

“Master, we just want to know about our senior brother’s life down the mountain.”

“I have been practicing in the mountains since I was a child. Apart from going to the town at the foot of the mountain to purchase supplies, I don’t know what other places look like.”

"Yes, Master, it's not our fault, we were just curious."

"..."

Seeing that these disciples were "colluding" and speaking up for Zhang Zhiwei, who was laughing with amusement, Zhang Jingqing's face darkened, and he sneered, "Then how about I send you all down the mountain?"

"Master! We were wrong!"

In an instant, all the disciples knelt down, the movement completed in one smooth motion.

"Hmph! What kind of talk is this? If outsiders see this, they'll think that everyone in the Celestial Master's Mansion is a bunch of cowards!" Zhang Jingqing snorted coldly, then beckoned to Zhang Zhiwei, signaling him to follow her to the back hall.

“Master, it’s actually fine to say this here.”

Zhang Zhiwei laughed heartily, but seeing his master glaring at him, he changed his mind and went with him to the back hall. He sat cross-legged on the futon and, instead of revealing the truth, recounted his experiences traveling over the years.

Zhang Jingqing wasn't in a hurry to ask Zhang Zhiwei why he had returned. Instead, she listened attentively to the experiences of her most outstanding disciple. Sometimes she frowned, sometimes she felt anxious, sometimes she breathed heavily, and sometimes she felt a tightness in her chest. She was worried about the many life-and-death battles her disciple had experienced outside, and she was also proud that her most outstanding disciple could ignore the threat posed by guns and cannons.

After Zhang Zhiwei finished speaking, Zhang Jingqing took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, saying, "I didn't expect you to have experienced so much. No wonder you have such the ability to fly and escape into the earth."

“Master is wrong about that. I can barely fly, but I can’t burrow underground.” Zhang Zhiwei eased the tense atmosphere with a single sentence.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingqing paused for a moment, then laughed twice and said, "Stop being cheeky! Anyway, I, as your master, can't beat you."

but.

"Only when the student surpasses the teacher can one truly cultivate oneself."

After offering a few words of praise, Zhang Jingqing pondered for a moment and then asked, "Are you willing to accept my position as Celestial Master?"

"I don't want to."

Zhang Zhiwei flatly refused.

"is it?"

To Zhang Zhiwei's surprise, Zhang Jingqing was not angry, but instead breathed a sigh of relief, "Anyway, I never intended to pass the position to you."

The most crucial aspect of the Celestial Master's lineage lies in the Celestial Master's ordination.

Firstly, the Celestial Master's ordination is a restriction; once passed down, an additional shackle will be added later.

Although it would not affect his normal life activities and performance, the responsibility was too great, and Zhang Jingqing did not want to rely on it to restrict Zhang Zhiwei's future.

Secondly, Zhang Zhiwei always harbored a degree of arrogance.

She has become much more composed now, but Zhang Jingqing can tell that she is still proud and arrogant, especially after joining the Gong Sect and immersing herself in worldly affairs, this ambition has only grown stronger.

According to the original plan, Zhang Jingqing intended to train Zhang Zhiwei for a few more years to see if his personality would change. If not, she would send him down the mountain and restrict his use of his special abilities, allowing worldly life to temper his character...

Judging from the current situation—

He estimated that even if Zhang Zhiwei hadn't met Jiang Liu and had gone down the mountain to train for a while according to his plan, it would have been difficult to change the arrogance in his heart.

This kid is completely unfit to be a Celestial Master!

It was precisely for this reason that Zhang Jingqing took a liking to Zhang Huaiyi. Although his talent couldn't compare to Zhang Zhiwei's, it was still comparable to Zhang Huaiyi, the sixty-fourth generation Celestial Master. His only flaw was his youthful arrogance, which led to the massacre of his entire clan, causing him to learn to "hide." Even after being exposed, he would still unconsciously "hide," as if this trait had become an instinct...

Damn it!

When it comes to matters of the "heart," those monks really are the experts!

"So Master never intended to pass the position to me? Then all this time I was just being delusional?" Zhang Zhiwei laughed out loud.

"Your tongue is smoother than ever... just like Jiang Liu!" Zhang Jingqing scolded irritably. "But it's not infuriating. When you're out and about, you have to be sweet-talking, otherwise you'll have a hard time getting by."

"Not necessarily. With my current abilities, if I were to slack off on cultivating my mental discipline, others would have to accommodate me."

Zhang Zhiwei made an assumption.

"Make concessions? How much face do you have? Aren't you just doing this because of Longhu Mountain's reputation?" Zhang Jingqing said irritably.

“Master, there are far more bullies who prey on the weak than those who are truly tough. Cultivation requires cultivating one’s character, but being a good person requires understanding the principles of things,” Zhang Zhiwei retorted.

"Hmm? It's only been a short time since we last met, and you've really grown bold, daring to talk back to your master?"

Because what Zhang Zhiwei said was true, Zhang Jingqing couldn't refute it. But as the master, she was losing face by being contradicted by her disciple, so she put on airs as the master.

"Don't dare."

Zhang Zhiwei smiled apologetically, stood up, massaged Zhang Jingqing's shoulders, and began to talk about how the Gongpai hoped the Confucian Association would unify the orthodox forces in the south.

"You came back just for this?"

Zhang Jingqing's eyes widened suddenly, and she said angrily, "The Confucian Association's interference in worldly affairs is a sign of their ambition, and Chairman Jiang's ability!"

Our Longhushan family is small and our business is small; we can't get involved in such important matters. If we're not careful, we'll be utterly destroyed.

Two months ago, the Naguo faction even sent a letter to Longhu Mountain, hoping I would go to Shanghai to organize the establishment of a Taoist association... I didn't go and politely declined!

“Master, what are you saying? My family is small and my business is small, how dare I call myself a ‘Celestial Master’?”

Zhang Zhiwei argued his case and then revealed the truth: "Master, do you know why the Guo Sect wrote you a letter asking you to organize and establish a Taoist Association?"

Because my senior martial uncle went to serve that man surnamed Jiang.

"Your senior master..."

Zhang Jingqing jumped up in a flash, grabbed Zhang Zhiwei's shoulders, and demanded, "Is it true?"

"Of course!"

Zhang Zhiwei dared not conceal the truth and reported the intelligence gathered by his subordinates in Yuhang and Shanghai: "My master has gone mad in order to promote the righteous path of the Celestial Masters."

"How could Senior Brother Enpu be so foolish!"

Zhang Jingqing was at a loss for what to do.

If faced with foreign enemies, the Celestial Master's Mansion would naturally step down from the mountain and join the soldiers of China to resist those foreign devils.

But even people within China are fighting amongst themselves—

What are they involved in?

How could they dare to get involved?

# Chapter 985 Zhang Zhiwei Returns to the Mountain (Part 2)

“Master, our Celestial Master’s Mansion can no longer remain uninvolved.”

Zhang Zhiwei sighed, "My master probably wants to support the imperial court and become the national advisor, so as to promote himself as the true orthodox master of the Celestial Masters sect."

"Senior brother, is it worth it?"