Chapter 652: The Trivial Matter of Being an Official
There were too many problems with Shang.
Three years later, Li Jing acknowledged his father.
Li Changshou’s main body sat in front of the Pill Chamber. He waved a fan in his hand and was dressed in a loose and soft robe.
Although he still looked young and handsome in his twenties, he felt like an old man.
He would adapt to retirement in advance.
After Ling’e entered the Golden Immortal realm, she gradually entered more seclusion.
Originally, she only wanted to casually become a Golden Immortal and be by her senior brother’s side for a long time. At that moment, she was troubled by the fact that she had comprehended too many Dao.
It was always good to be stronger. Moreover, cultivation itself, especially under the state of continuous breakthroughs, was also a pleasant thing.
Um…
Ling Zhuzi, who had been locked by the Heavenly Dao previously, was really miserable.
In the past three years, Li Changshou’s main body had never left the Little Qiong Peak.
The paper effigies were also secretly moving. Apart from occasionally showing up in the Heavenly Courts to stabilize the morale of the Heavenly Courts, they had always kept a low profile.
He was also afraid that someone would pretend to be his father.
The world seemed to have pa.s.sed the great calamity. It became rather peaceful.
The battle in the Middle Continent gradually came to an end. Thirty percent of the Immortal Sects had died, and more than half of the Immortal experts had died.
It was indeed a powerful blow to the overall strength of the human race.
During the hundreds of years of the battle in the Middle Continent, the Heavenly Courts had recruited a large number of Itinerant Immortal experts. The average strength of the Heavenly Generals kept increasing.
Although Li Changshou, the planner of the Heavenly Courts, did not do many specific matters, they were all part of the plan that he had set. He naturally contributed.
At that moment, a complete cultivation system of Heavenly Soldiers had been formed in the Heavenly Courts. The advancement of the Heavenly Humans, the regular recruitment of experts, and other methods allowed the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals to maintain their vitality and combat strength.
What he lacked was the positions of the righteous G.o.ds.
When the G.o.d-Conferment Tribulation ended, a behemoth that surpa.s.sed the peak of the Saint Sect would stand above the Nine Heavens.
The Saints retreated and the immortals were afraid. The Heavenly Rules that extended from them would become the rules of the immortals and the living beings.
The disciples of the Western Sect who had long been sealed off by Li Changshou to ascend the G.o.d roll were purely ashes. There was no name on the G.o.d roll, and there was not a single remnant soul on the Lingxiao Treasure Hall’s golden pillar.
The early plans were successively realized.
Of course, there were some methods that Li Changshou could not imagine…
For example, Wen Jing.
The Western Sect had completely sealed the spiritual mountain and there were no activities. However, that did not mean that Li Changshou had cut off the source of information regarding the Western Sect.
In the past three years, his paper effigy had met Daoist Wen Jing’s Blood Mosquito. In order to stabilize Daoist Wen Jing, Li Changshou had no choice but to hide the matter between the Great Daoist Master and Kong Xuan. He only made some mental preparations for Daoist Wen Jing.
“The Great Daoist Master seems to have a friend who was on good terms with him previously. They seem to have developed recently.”
What puzzled Li Changshou was Daoist Wen Jing…
His reaction was strange.
Wen Jing wiped the corners of her mouth and asked how strong that person was. Li Changshou said that his strength was on the same level as the Eldest Senior Brother of the three sects. Daoist Wen Jing was actually worried.
She began to worry if she had the right to integrate into the Great Daoist Master’s Dao companion circle in the future.
Li Changshou was rendered speechless.
Is this the world of the strong?
Regarding that, Li Changshou could only recite the sutra silently. He wished that the Great Daoist Master, Kong Xuan, and Wen Jing would be safe. The important task of Ren School’s reproduction would be to land safely.
When Daoist Wen Jing talked about the current situation of the spiritual mountain, she kept praising Lord Taibai Jinxing for being evil and ruthless.
The spiritual mountain was already desolate today. More than half of the Saint’s personal disciples who were hiding had died. It was undoubtedly a fatal blow to the Western Sect.
The personal disciples of the Saints could no longer hide in the dark. They were sent to the trichiliocosm by Saint Zhun Ti to manage the affairs of the Burning Incense Divine Kingdom.
The Burning Incense Divine Kingdom was a stable source of merit for the Western Sect. They did not want to give up.
However, in the previous battle on the spiritual mountain, the main combat power of the spiritual mountain had been damaged too much. Ninety percent of the experts that had been transferred from the Three Thousand Divine Kingdoms had died, causing many people in the Burning Incense Divine Kingdom to be rather empty.
After the battle on the spiritual mountain, the Heaven Ascension Hall and the Immortal Alliance declared war on the Burning Incense Divine Kingdom. This also gave the Western Sect immense pressure.
Now, the Western Sect had placed their focus, or rather, their final thoughts, on the trichiliocosm. There was only an empty spiritual mountain left in the five continents.
What Li Changshou was most concerned about was whether Daoist Wen Jing had been angered by the Western Saints.
Daoist Wen Jing snorted and told him about her awkward situation.
How did I become the Deputy Sect Master of the Western Sect? Tsk, tsk.
Li Changshou was rendered speechless.
What?
That can happen?
Li Changshou could not help but wonder if he had promised her too much. However, he could not give her enough.
Now, he could only hope that the Great Daoist Master was charming enough to make Wen Jing fall head over heels for him and suck a mouthful of the golden lotus at the crucial moment.
Previously, during the battle on the spiritual mountain, Li Changshou had wanted Wen Jing to get a golden lotus.
However, his teacher did not give him any information.
Secondly, Wen Jing had been ordered to lead the Primordial Beast and the ancient demon beasts to hide underground. She could not touch the lotus flower in the depths of the spiritual mountain.
However, at that moment, Daoist Wen Jing had become the Deputy Sect Master of the Western Sect. The spiritual mountain was extremely empty.
Next, as long as the two Saints left home, it would be a real opportunity.
Daoist Wen Jing’s secret move was about to surface.
Li Changshou gave her a few words of encouragement and told her to wait at the spiritual mountain in peace. He also emphasized that when the time was ripe, there would be an order from his teacher so he wanted her to not worry.
At that moment, Wen Jing secretly understood her “mission”.
After all, there were not many targets that she needed to continue hiding in the Western Sect.
Indeed, the Grand Pure One wanted to kill a Saint. He wanted her to hide in the deepest part of the spiritual mountain and wait for the Grand Pure One to severely injure a Saint of the Western Sect. Then, she would attack…
The blood of a Saint!
Daoist Wen Jing’s Dao heart burned. She agreed to Li Changshou’s instructions.
Li Changshou was a little embarra.s.sed by her enthusiasm.
After becoming a spy and becoming the Deputy Sect Master, not counting the personal disciples of the Saints like Jia Ye and Maitreya, she was already the third seat on the spiritual mountain…
There was no one else.
From a certain perspective, the Western Sect was quite miserable.
However, he could not blame his teacher for being ruthless. After all, the Western Sect was the one who attacked first. They secretly schemed against the Three Sects of the Dao Sect and thought that the Grand Pure One could not detect them.
He was just deceiving himself.
However, the Western Sect would still prosper.
According to Li Changshou’s understanding, if not for his teacher’s plan to turn into a Buddha, the Saints of the Western Sect would have “obtained the Heavenly Fate” at some point in time. They would establish the Mahayana Buddhist Sect and change the teachings of the Western Sect. Then, they would begin to prosper.
If there was a way to suppress the prosperity of the Western Sect, Teacher would not have used the method of “s.n.a.t.c.hing its name, destiny, and teachings”.
The souls of the Saints were actually their teachings.
Even if he succeeded in transforming into a Buddha, what he promoted to the world was no longer the teachings of the Three Sects of the Dao Sect. Instead, it was the teachings of the Buddha Sect. It was just that he had changed a group of people who presided over the teachings.
“Ah…”
In the end, this world was still following the will of the Heavenly Dao and not the will of all living beings.
Li Changshou squinted and used a wisp of immortal power to shake the reclining chair gently. He was happy and without any sorrow or joy.
He had not been idle for the past three years. He followed the plan and entered the inner circle of the mortal royal authority. The entire process was rather simple. He did not spend much effort.
Of course, Li Changshou did not use his Dharma powers, nor did he control the minds of mortals.
He had only used a little trick to find a small errand in the Great Yin City that did not matter to him.
It was not worth mentioning.
“Lord…”
Li Changshou shouted in his heart. His attention landed on the ‘official’ paper effigy. He opened his eyes in a courtyard in the Shang Nation’s Great Yin City and stood up from behind his desk.
Li Changshou pulled open the wooden door of the study. Some bright sunlight shone down. Li Changshou stretched and pulled himself together.
His paper effigy looked like an old man. He had grayish-white hair and a thin figure. He looked like an immortal.
A servant in front knelt and reported. He said that it was already time for the meeting in the Great Palace. A carriage had already been prepared in the residence.
“Yes.”
Li Changshou placed his hands behind his back and walked out of the residence. Soon, he sat on his exclusive wide ox cart and leisurely rushed to the continuous palace.
There were also similar ox carts on the way. They were all ministers who rushed to the daily meeting.
To put it bluntly, the Jade Emperor was sad. Li Changshou had only been in this position for half a year. The number of times he had gone to court with the Human Emperor was almost the same as the total number of times he had gone to court in the Heavenly Courts.
That was because Li Changshou had not become a court official in the past two and a half years.
This place was already the center of the power of the Shang Nation. It was a place where singing and dancing were peaceful, and one could not see the filth and filth of the mortal world.
However, when he scanned his surroundings with his immortal senses, he could see that the Shang Nation was filled with n.o.bles and citizens oppressing the slaves.
There were too many slaves in the Shang Nation.
In most contexts, slaves were of the same cla.s.s. They did not deserve to have names and had no guarantees. They were the main labor in the business system.
They were playthings of the rich and powerful. They were even buried alive. There was no way for them to rise. Even if they were beautiful and handsome, they were just playthings and could not be recognized by the merchants.
The culture of the Shang Nation was rather liberal. Many slaves began to get drunk and dream. They squandered their youth and ended their lives early.
However, the abundant resources of the Primordial World and the vast land of the South Continent allowed the Shang Nation to barely feed a large number of slaves.
Now, the huge number of slaves had become a huge hidden danger.
The main source of slaves was the prisoners of war captured by the Shang Nation when it expanded back then. The Shang Nation did not prohibit slaves from marrying and having children. This resulted in the awkward situation where the number of slaves exceeded the number of merchants.
These issues…
Li Changshou only looked around casually and did not want to interfere.
He would let everything develop its own history.
Anyway, he had already confirmed through various methods that the Primordial World did not have any direct connection with his hometown on Earth.
After entering the palace gate, the shaking of the ox cart immediately became much lighter. There were no traces of the ox cart on the flat and solid ground.
Soon, the ox cart stopped in front of a hall. A guard pulled open the curtains. Li Changshou moved out of the carriage and revealed a warm smile. He chatted with the ministers of the Shang Kingdom, who had gotten off at the same time.
“The Grand Chancellor is in good spirits.”
“Ah, Lin Ciyin’s court attire is quite beautiful.”
“General w.a.n.g, when did you change your armor? How impressive.”
Not long after, a group of ministers gathered around Li Changshou. They chatted and laughed as they ascended the steps in front of the hall.
When he arrived in front of the hall, Li Changshou raised his eyebrows and looked at the empty hall. He bowed to the ministers who were on good terms with him and walked towards a corner of the hall.
There were a few younger officials there. They were arranging the stone slabs, turtle sh.e.l.ls, and bamboo slips in front of them. Later, they would be in charge of recording the contents of the meeting in the hall.
The turtle sh.e.l.l was not used to carve words. Its function was a little complicated.
There were men and women among the officials. They were dressed in uniform and slightly c.u.mbersome official robes. Their ranks were not low.
One of them had a square face and a dignified appearance. His eyebrows were filled with righteousness, and there was a mark on his forehead. It was the outline of a vertical eye.
Just sitting there, he had an aura of his own. The other officials had been suppressed by him. They could not tell that this was the first time he had been sent to record the king’s saying.
He was rather confident and did not seem to be afraid of his surroundings. There was a sharpness in his bones.
Who else could it be but Wen Zhong?
At that moment, Wen Zhong also noticed the minister walking towards him. He sat there and lowered his head to wait, pretending that he did not see him.
Now, his progress was already ahead of the other immortals who had listened to Uncle-Master Tai Bai’s lecture that day.
What’s so difficult about being an official in the mortal world?
Didn’t I already arrive at the King of Shang’s side by revealing my abilities and talent that the mortal world cares about?
Although he was sent to be a recorder, he could come twice a month.
However, in comparison, the third-generation disciples of the Chan School who were still wandering around everywhere, as well as Senior Sister Fire Spirit, who was currently guarding the camp of the Great Yin City’s guards and burning the incense, were also there.
He was the most promising immortal in the Great Yin City!
At this rate, in less than ten years, he would become a high-ranking official. In twenty years, he would become a member of the ministers. In thirty years, he would become the most important minister of the Shang Nation!
At that time, wouldn’t it be easy to deal with the calamity?
“Ahem!”
Why is this minister coughing? He should be looking for someone else.
The few officials were from different departments. He was a pure government official. The two women beside him were from Bu Si. They were a group of mortal women who did not have any cultivation but claimed to be able to communicate with the world and their ancestors.
It was quite funny.
The other two men were from s.h.i.+ Qiang’s side, and the other was following him.
Their main mission was to…
*Coughs*
What is this minister coughing for? Did he choke during breakfast? Why is he still standing in front of me?
“Disciple-Nephew Wen Zhong, you’re doing well.”
Wen Zhong was shocked. He suddenly raised his head and glared at the minister in luxurious clothes in front of him. He looked at the faint smile on the other party’s lips and felt the Dao runes that appeared in his heart that he would never forget. He also felt the teasing voice transmission!
“Master!”
“The few of you, focus.” Li Changshou calmly interrupted Wen Zhong and secretly shook his head.
Wen Zhong was not mature enough.
Apart from Wen Zhong, the four male and female officials stood up and bowed to Li Changshou.
“Lord s.h.i.+.”
Big!
Wen Zhong was speechless. He was reminded by the gesture beside him and immediately stood up.
Li Changshou smiled and instructed, “Since there are new faces, I’ll come over to remind you. Don’t forget or remember wrongly later. The format of the doc.u.ment has to be uniform.”
“Yes!” Wen Zhong replied firmly. The corners of his mouth twitched a few times.
Uncle-Master Taibai is really everywhere.
When Li Changshou walked back to the ministers, Wen Zhong heard a few whispers beside him. His heart twitched.
In the past three years, he had gone from a famous scholar in Great Yin City to the six ministers of the Shang Nation. He had obtained the admiration of Shang Wending.
Is this Uncle-Master Tai Bai’s strength?
Wen Zhong sighed in his heart…
He was indeed far from it.
…
Jade Void Palace, Waterfall Pavilion.
Guang Chengzi stood in front of a painting with his hands behind his back. The painting depicted the overlooking painting of the Great Yin City.
He did not speak for a long time. The middle-aged and young Daoists standing behind him were a little nervous.
“How old is the current King of Shang?”
A middle-aged Daoist priest immediately answered,
“From the looks of it, there are about six years left.”
“Six years. Who is the next King of Shang? Has it been decided? Do you have brothers?”
“The next King of Shang seems to be Zi Xian. The two brothers, Xu Yu and Xu Gan.”
Guang Chengzi nodded slowly and paced around with his hands behind his back. His eyes lit up.
I got it.