"I see."
Upon hearing the divine message conveyed to him by the City God, Feng Bingwen understood the reason behind it.
The Grand Commander of the Demon Slayer Division stopped him not because he was stupid or unreasonable, nor because he disrespected this reincarnated sage.
Rather, it was his duty to guard this immortal cauldron. If he were allowed to take it without any hindrance, he would be fine, but his martial arts and official career would be essentially over.
Therefore, he took the initiative to intercept him, hoping that this reincarnated sage would beat him so badly that he was on the verge of death, or at least leave him with only a breath of life, so that he could give an explanation to his superiors.
During that brief entanglement, the Grand Commander discovered that Feng Bingwen was indeed benevolent, despite possessing power over the earth's veins that was almost equivalent to, or rather, far surpassed, that of a mountain god.
With a single thought, he could conjure twelve great mountains into giant spirits to besiege him, but they did not kill him. So, although he was in a sorry state, he was able to dodge.
If this battle continues, it will take an unknown amount of time to achieve his desired outcome, which is why he summoned the City God and asked him to relay his message.
"Cripple him!"
Since the other party took the initiative to request it, and it was difficult to refuse such a kind offer, Feng Bingwen couldn't very well refuse. The key point was that he really wanted to try out just how far his ability to manipulate the earth's veins could go.
"Gather!"
With a thought, the twelve giants who were currently besieging and beating Xiao Tianhe suddenly scattered, then gathered together in threes, and then their bodies, which were as hard as diamond, suddenly softened and clung together, with ancient and heavy runes and seals flashing on their bodies.
In the blink of an eye, four majestic, three-headed, six-armed, colossal Xuanhuang spirits appeared amidst the ravaged mountains...
Half a day later, the Feng family caravan, which had traveled a long way, finally entered the city after undergoing a rigorous inspection. Feng Bingwen, who had personally escorted the goods, finished his business and, covered in sweat and dust, finally found Feng Bingwen, who had already settled in.
"Wen'er, I've mostly taken care of my business. After you freshen up, I'll take you for a stroll around the city, how about that?"
"Dad, you should take care of your business first. With so many goods to transport this time, there's no need for you to squeeze out time to spend with me. Don't think I don't know that you stay up past midnight every day before going to bed."
Feeling refreshed and full of energy, Feng Bingwen stood up and welcomed his father, who had become much thinner since he started his business and no longer looked bloated, into the room.
"It's alright, I'm used to it, it just means I'll sleep a little less!"
Feng Zichuan was taken aback, but hearing his son's concern for him, he was quite gratified, though he didn't take it to heart.
Since he abandoned his literary pursuits to pursue business, he has found himself as if his meridians have been opened, making him invincible in business. No matter what business he wants to do, he never fails, and his wealth is rolling in.
"This isn't about sleeping less."
Feng Bingwen shook his head. Ordinary people should follow the changes of heaven and earth and the seasons to cultivate themselves and rest, stay at night and hide during the day, wear winter clothes in summer and lower garments in winter. This is going against the heavens. Ordinary people who go against the heavens must pay the price.
"Dad, come sit down, let me massage your shoulders. Your neck seems a little uncomfortable."
Seeing his father's expression, Feng Bingwen knew that it would be pointless to say anything more. Based on his observations over the past few days, his father was at the peak of his career, so how could he possibly listen to his words? Unless he used some kind of evil magic to make his father obedient, but that would go against his principles.
Since his father defied the natural order and did not follow the proper routine, then let him transform and break free from the mundane world. As a son, this was all he could do.
The Gene Era
"You know how to serve people?"
Feng Zichuan naturally wouldn't refuse his son's offer; psychologically, he felt indebted to his son.
"It's just a shoulder massage, what's so difficult about that?"
Feng Bingwen smiled and placed his hand on the old man's shoulder. The pure Qi of Yi Wood silently merged into the young businessman, who actually had a hidden ailment.
"Wow~ You're actually pretty good!"
The moment the green energy entered his body, Feng Zichuan felt something, but he just assumed that his son had learned a special massage technique and came to serve him, his father, and thought that his son was filial.
"That's natural."
"By the way, if you're bored these days and go out for a stroll, remember to have someone accompany you, and also remember not to go near tall buildings."
“I know that the capital has been experiencing frequent earthquakes recently.”
Feng Bingwen replied dismissively.
"I just heard from Steward Chen that the government has posted a notice saying that the Demon Slaying Division here has solved the source of the earthquake and there will be no more earthquakes after today. However, it is still better to be careful and not to believe the government's words too easily."
"Um!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Bingwen responded. Unlike small mountain towns, in large cities, special agencies like the Demon Slayer Bureau, which specifically target spirits and monsters, openly occupy a corner of the city and construct palaces.
Therefore, even though there were very few cultivators among the city's residents, they all had a certain resistance to demons and strange occurrences. Even with the frequent unusual events earlier, they were still able to maintain basic composure and not panic too much.
And it is precisely because they have seen and have a perspective far beyond that of ordinary rural villagers that the incense at the City God Temple in this capital city is exceptionally prosperous. Even on ordinary days, it is always crowded with people coming and going.
When ordinary people encounter demons and strange phenomena, they either spend money to find Taoist priests and monks who are mixed with a lot of charlatans and swindlers, or they spend money to buy incense and paper money and go to the local City God Temple to make offerings.
In terms of both reliability and cost-effectiveness, the latter far surpasses the former. After all, how much does incense and paper money cost? Even ordinary people can afford it.
While Feng Bingwen was beating the Grand Commander of the Demon Suppression Division in the capital city to the point of serious injury, and then calmly returning to the city to enjoy a moment of family bliss with his father and son, news of his actions had already reached the capital.
Bang!
A jade paperweight with a unicorn design was suddenly slammed to the ground. The finest jade, which could even nourish the bones and blood, was smashed into a pile of jade fragments in Emperor Chongming's rage.
"waste!"
"They're all useless!"
"A celestial artifact, and someone just took it?"
The emperor, who was already in his middle age and was known among his officials for his deep shrewdness, was now like an angry dragon that had been pushed to its limit and could no longer hold back.
He paced back and forth between his palaces, and as he walked, a faint crimson aura rose from his body. This emperor was not a mortal; he actually possessed martial arts skills. The fact that aura rose from him when he was furious was proof of this. This kind of aura only appears in martial artists when they are extremely angry.
"What is Xiao Tianhe good for? He can't even protect our dynasty's most precious treasure?"
"Your Majesty, Commander Xiao is critically injured and on the verge of death. According to the report submitted by Zhou Mu, the commander's injuries are quite severe, and there is not a single intact bone in his body."
The eunuch in charge of ceremonies quickly answered, then lowered his head, keeping his eyes down and not daring to say another word.
Bang!
But before he could finish speaking, an immense force struck him, the terrifying power sending his body flying through the rune-protected palace gates and embedding him in a pillar outside the palace.
"Eunuch, how much did you take from that good-for-nothing Xiao Tianhe?"
Emperor Chongming, who had severely injured the chief eunuch who had served him for many years with a single punch, was still not satisfied. He reached out and grabbed the eunuch, who was leaning against a pillar in the corridor and was about to smash the pillar, which was so thick that it would take three people to hug it, and dragged him into the palace. He grabbed the eunuch by the collar and questioned him.
"Your Majesty, this servant has not accepted any benefits. Everything is reported truthfully. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."
The eunuch in charge of ceremonies, who had never been treated like this before, was filled with fear and unease. He had never imagined that the usually composed Emperor Chongming would be so enraged upon hearing the news.
This is clearly the work of the reincarnated sage who was working hard in his previous life. He retrieved the magic weapon according to the arrangements of his previous life. Although there was some conflict with the Demon Slayer Bureau, it was nothing serious.
Injuries are commonplace for martial artists, especially since Commander Xiao is a Celestial Phenomenon Martial Artist. With his physique, even if he lies still, his injuries will slowly heal.
"waste!"
Emperor Chongming flung the eunuch away, his eyes blazing with fury.
Do you know what a celestial artifact means?
Emperor Chongming didn't expect the eunuch in charge of ceremonial to answer. He practically gritted his teeth and uttered his ultimate wish, word by word.
"Our dynasty will endure forever, and my throne will last for hundreds, thousands, and even ten thousand generations!"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Upon hearing this, the old woman, who had served the emperor for half a century, endured the pain despite having most of her bones broken, lying on the ground trembling and uttering no sound.
"Calm down? Calm down with what? These dragon kings, immortals, and sages are truly going too far!"
The saying "Rome wasn't built in a day" holds true. For Emperor Chongming, the reincarnated sage taking away a treasure suspected to be a celestial artifact was like a blade of grass falling on a camel's back, instantly igniting his long-accumulated rage.
Several years ago, the Xuan Ting Dragon King went on a rampage, affecting several states and impacting tens of thousands of ordinary people, according to rough estimates.
In this world where demons and monsters truly exist, how could the emperor dare to allow his people to suffer large-scale deaths and injuries? The slightest carelessness could lead to great chaos.
In order to suppress any possible anomalies, he commanded the entire dynasty to mobilize manpower and resources that have not yet been fully accounted for, and to relocate hundreds of millions of people. Even so, millions, or even tens of millions, of people still perished in this catastrophe.
Then what?
The evil dragon that ran aground transformed into a real dragon and even held a grand dragon banquet in the Xuan Ting Dragon Palace, inviting guests from all directions, including many immortals, saints, demons, and monsters, treating Da Gan as nothing.
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