Chapter 173 Imperial Decree

Zhou Jing returned to the Taoist temple leisurely after his audience with the emperor.

The next day, an eunuch arrived with a team of porters, bringing boxes of items and reading out an imperial decree.

"By the Emperor's edict, it is decreed that the Divine Firmament Wind Spirit True Man be additionally conferred the title of 'Golden Core Immortal Master', promoted to Vice Director of the Directorate of Astrological Observation, bestowed with ten sets of gold-threaded Taoist robes, ten silver-threaded whisks, thirty official seals and permits, ninety bolts of brocade, fifty jars of imperial wine, and specially ordered to accompany the Heavenly King Stronghold troops on an expedition to Huyang in the coming spring to subdue the bandit leader Chen Feng!"

"This humble Taoist accepts the decree."

Zhou Jing was not surprised. After receiving the decree, he had his disciples carry the imperial gifts into the Taoist temple.

With himself and the court officials working together, the emperor finally agreed to let him go on the expedition, and thus gave him many rewards to show his favor.

News spread very quickly in the capital. In just half a day, most of the capital's residents knew about it, causing an uproar of excitement.

The world-renowned Wind Controlling True Man was going to compete with the demon Chen Feng. This aroused the interest of many people, and everyone on the streets and alleys was discussing it, arguing about who was stronger.

One could summon wind and rain, and the other could fight against thousands of troops. Everyone was curious about how these two would finally determine who was superior.

The next day, Lu Longchuan and the others came to visit Zhou Jing again, giving him a grand salute and prostrating themselves upon meeting him.

"The True Man cares about the common people and is willing to come out of seclusion to help. We are deeply grateful!"

"There is no need for such ceremony. Let us first agree on three conditions."

Zhou Jing waved his whisk.

Lu Longchuan and the others stood up straight, their expressions solemn. "True Man, please speak."

Zhou Jing said slowly, "First, this humble Taoist is a person beyond the world, and engaging in slaughter is detrimental to harmony and damages my Dao practice. In order to avoid increasing bloodshed, I will only deal with Chen Feng alone, and I will not assist in the fighting on the battlefield."

Lu Longchuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? The army's fighting does not require the True Man to worry about it. However, when the war begins, we need the True Man to use the wind-summoning technique to give the army an advantage in terms of weather. I wonder if this..."

"As long as it doesn't involve harming people, everything else can be discussed. We will see how things go at that time." Zhou Jing did not immediately refuse.

"Then we will follow the True Man's wishes." Lu Longchuan quickly replied.

Sun Rong, who was on the side, shook his head secretly upon hearing this.

According to his plan, if the Wind Controlling True Man could create the spectacle of the Azure Dragon soaring into the sky in Ningtian Prefecture, as the rumors said, it would be better than a thousand troops in a naval battle.

Unfortunately, this Taoist was unwilling to create more bloodshed, so this plan could not be used.

However, as long as someone could restrain Chen Feng, then this request for help would be worthwhile. Although the Dragon King Stronghold was powerful, Chen Feng's power accounted for most of it. If the bandit leader could be defeated, then the morale of the Dragon King Stronghold would collapse, and this battle would have a chance of winning.

Zhou Jing continued, "Second, this humble Taoist is not skilled in military strategy and will not interfere with your marching formations. However, since this humble Taoist is here to help, I do not want to be kept in the dark about the army's movements, so I will shamelessly ask for the position of a military advisor to listen to military discussions."

Lu Longchuan immediately agreed, "This is not a problem. We will not avoid the True Man when discussing military matters."

As long as he was not asking for command and interfering, it was not a big deal to have another one of their own people listening in, especially since he was a staunch teammate who was least likely to leak information.

"As for the last thing, this humble Taoist would like to bring some disciples as personal guards and attendants to make things easier when marching."

"Haha, these three things are all simple and will be done according to the True Man's wishes."

Lu Longchuan felt relieved and laughed heartily.

He was originally worried that the True Man's conditions would be harsh, but he did not expect them to be easy to handle.

After settling on the conditions, the few of them had a pleasant conversation, chatting for a full hour before Lu Longchuan and the others took their leave.

Zhou Jing sent the few of them out of the house, then returned to his room, dismissed his disciples, and silently took out two secret manuals from a hidden compartment.

The yellowed covers of the two books had the titles written on them. One was "Secluded Valley Records" and the other was "Yin Yang Mixed Embryo Secrets". They were the cultivation methods left behind by Mei Zhanqing, specializing in controlling ghosts and dual cultivation.

Zhou Jing had never practiced them, fearing that he would be infected with Yin and evil Qi, which would be seen by those who cultivated.

However, as his mastery of the Qingliang Mountain spells deepened, he also had a new understanding of these two secret manuals. He discovered that these two secret manuals could be both righteous and evil. If one sought quick success, one would cultivate Mei Zhanqing's evil arts.

However, if one followed the proper steps, one could also cultivate normal spells, but the power would be much weaker, and one would only be stained with some Yin Qi, but not evil Qi, and would not be seen as an evil path.

"I am going on an expedition with the army, and it will not be easy to transport information. Although I can fly myself, frequent entry and exit of the military camp may also be discovered. Using the art of controlling ghosts to send messages may be useful... The battlefield is a place of slaughter, with countless dead souls. If I want to raise ghosts, I don't have to harm people.

Before setting off in the coming spring, I can just practice these two secret manuals."

Zhou Jing nodded secretly.

...

On the other side, inside the Directorate of Astrological Observation.

Director Ning Zhongjun and Vice Director Yin Nan were sitting opposite each other, sipping tea and chatting. Both of them were core members of the Jade Tripod Sect.

"During the court session today, the court officials brought up yesterday's matter again, and the Emperor finally agreed to let Ling Fengzi go on an expedition to suppress the bandits. Perhaps he also believes in his extraordinary powers and will not make any mistakes."

Ning Zhongjun took a sip of tea and said indifferently.

Yin Nan hesitated, "Headmaster, this Ling Fengzi is deeply favored by the Emperor. We took advantage of this opportunity to send him to the front line, but we also boosted his reputation. If he can come back, his position in the Emperor's heart will be even higher. He can now be promoted to Vice Director, and he may threaten your position as Director in the future."

Ning Zhongjun looked calm and said casually, "The Emperor promoted him to Vice Director to warn us. But it doesn't matter. Although I have boosted his reputation, as long as I don't let him come back alive, everything is empty."

"Headmaster's meaning is..."

"The battlefield is ever-changing. As long as there is a mistake, it will be easy to let Ling Fengzi die in Huyang, right? As long as this person is eliminated, no one will compete with us for the Emperor's favor in the field of metaphysics."

Ning Zhongjun played with the teacup, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

Yin Nan looked around and lowered his voice to ask, "Then does the Headmaster have a plan?"

"Most of the people in the Heavenly King Stronghold are greedy bandits. As long as we give them some money and wealth, someone will be willing to do things for us."

Ning Zhongjun's eyes flickered slightly. After a pause, he lowered his voice and continued:

"Or, let my sect's disciples hidden among the people go to contact Chen Feng and help him kill Ling Fengzi on the battlefield... But communicating with the enemy is a serious crime. Remember not to reveal the identity of the disciples sent and leak the news."

"I will naturally be careful." Yin Nan's expression became solemn.

Ning Zhongjun smiled and shook his head, "Of course, this is just a backup plan. Ling Fengzi's trip is already fraught with danger. We may not need to do anything extra... I heard from the people of the Nanhua Sect that Chen Feng's baleful aura is like substance and can break spells. Although Ling Fengzi's wind-controlling technique is wonderful, if he encounters Chen Feng's martial aura, I am afraid he will be torn apart directly."

"That's true." Yin Nan's expression also relaxed.

...

Winter passed and spring came, and all things recovered.

The world shed its silver coat and put on a new green one.

After a winter of rest, the Heavenly King Stronghold troops had regained their energy. The army advanced from north to south, passing through various states and counties in a mighty manner. The movement was known to the world, heading straight to Huyang to suppress the bandits.

The army did not approach the capital, so Lu Longchuan sent several leaders to pick up the Wind Controlling True Man and join the army halfway.

After a winter of fermentation, the whole capital knew about this. On the day the Wind Controlling True Man set off, the people of the capital lined the streets to watch, and the scene was lively.

However, Zhou Jing was sitting in the carriage, and the people watching could not see his figure, which was a pity.

Soon, the team passed through the crowded streets, left the city gate, and traveled under the banner of the Heavenly King Stronghold.

The journey was smooth and there were no twists and turns. The team traveled quickly for many days and successfully caught up with the army.

On the plain, the army tents stretched endlessly to the extreme of the line of sight. The scale was extremely large, said to be more than 100,000 troops.

Zhou Jing got out of the carriage, walked through the camp, and was taken to the central army tent. He saw Lu Longchuan and the others wearing armor and helmets at a glance.

"Haha, True Man, you have finally arrived. We have been waiting for you for a long time."

Lu Longchuan laughed loudly and led the leaders to greet him.

"I was delayed for some time on the road."

Zhou Jing performed a Taoist salute and looked around at the people of the Heavenly King Stronghold.

The expressions of these leaders were different, some were enthusiastic, some were curious, some were scrutinizing, and some were dismissive.

Zhou Jing secretly noted them down and had a clear understanding in his heart.

"We will rely on the True Man for this battle." Lu Longchuan clasped his fists.

"Easy to say, when we get to Huyang, this humble Taoist will take action."

Zhou Jing waved his whisk and smiled slightly.

That night, the leaders of the Heavenly King Stronghold held a reception for Zhou Jing, but the conditions in the army were difficult, and there was no luxurious banquet with a lot of fish and meat.

Various daily living matters had been arranged, and Zhou Jing had been following the army ever since. He had nothing else to do except listen to military discussions, and he was very leisurely.

The Heavenly King Stronghold had hundreds of thousands of troops, and the court had also transferred troops and appointed officials. The states and prefectures along the way opened the doors of convenience, and the marching speed was not slow.

The army traveled for many days, trekking through mountains and rivers, and finally entered the territory of Huyang.

The news of the Heavenly King Stronghold's army going south to suppress the bandits could not be concealed, and it had already spread throughout the world.

Everyone in Huyang knew about it, and the Dragon King Stronghold had also received the news early on.