Am I the only one who didn't ascend?

Chapter 560 Paving the Way
While the Immortal Alliance's Taixu Mansion mobilized the national team to work day and night and devote all their efforts, Xinheng, far away in Mingzhou, was also in full swing.

The aftermath team headed by Tuoba Tiancheng traveled to the Immortal Alliance for a field investigation. It took ten days and ten nights for all the team members to write a magnificent article entitled "Dispelling the Clouds and Seeing the Blue Sky", which discussed in detail the differences and gaps in civilizations on the left and right of the sky, and made a heart-wrenching appeal to Xinheng to immediately and comprehensively move closer to the Immortal Alliance, and learn from and draw on everything from the Immortal Alliance with ten times more effort, especially the Taixu Illusion, which should be listed as a national event.

Such an article written by an official expert naturally caused a great response in Xinheng. In the court alone, civil and military officials argued for two whole days. Even the new emperor Gan Fengxian could not suppress it for a while and could only let the parties criticize each other, while he temporarily stood aside and watched until the final decision was made.

There was an answer to where Gan Fengxian's hammer would fall. As the new king of Heng, who was personally supported by Wang Luo, Gan Fengxian's throne was completely tied to the Immortal Alliance. How dare he disobey the order of the Immortal Alliance? Therefore, the expert team led by Tuoba Tiancheng went to the Immortal Alliance for investigation with a clear purpose from the beginning, and the subsequent investigation report was even more clear. As for the dispute in the court, it was just a big show for the people to watch. The final conclusion was determined half a year ago.

Theoretically, this was of course a superfluous move, but as a necessary procedure, the court performed the entire drama seriously to the end in order to minimize the pressure from the people.

Will this good intention resonate with the people?
If possible.

-

In Mingtai County, west of Xinheng, there is a prosperous town near the border area, west of the county seat Mingdu. A fat official in a gray-brown robe trotted all the way to the town square. Behind him, a horse was galloping, but it could only barely keep up with its master's back... For a moment, the horse's face was full of confusion.

As a spiritual BMW, it certainly knows that its master is a spiritual practitioner and can run faster than a horse when running at full speed. But the word "full speed" has never been associated with its master. From his youthful appearance with eight-pack abs to his current state of being pot-bellied, the passion of being a human being has long gone with his ex-wife and daughter in his middle age... In short, the Ferghana BMW has not seen its master running at full speed for many years.

On the other hand, as the patrolman of this small town, Ma Changxue, who was running so hard that his heart almost exploded, really had no choice.

When he was young, he was famous for his "qinggong" skills. However, as he approached middle age, he just wanted to ride on his beloved horse and spend every day leisurely. He completely forgot about world affairs, his duties and the alimony his ex-wife asked for.

For a long time, Ma Changxue's dream almost became a reality. Mingtai County was not a prosperous county, and the hundreds of miles west of Mingdu were located in the borderland, with a slow and flamboyant pace of life. As a grassroots official who received a salary from the court, he could live a very leisurely and peaceful life as long as he did not deliberately cause trouble.

Unless...you encounter an emergency like the one you are facing now.

"Hoo, hoo..." After rushing all the way to the town square, Ma Changxue felt that his blood was almost gushing out from his pores, and his lungs were faintly stained with blood. But he ignored the warnings from all parts of his body, and forced himself to squeeze through the surging crowd, standing on a high platform in the middle of the square, and shouted out of breath: "Fellow villagers, fellow villagers. I, I am Ma Changxue! Please, please listen to me, listen to me!"

In the past, such an embarrassing attitude would definitely be ridiculed by the townspeople, and the noise around would only get louder. But at this time... the moment he appeared, the square fell into silence, and until he finished a long string of incoherent words, no one interrupted him.

This made the warnings in Ma Changxue's heart even more piercing, as if he was in the moment of calm before a storm.

This [Bai Li] town has never been as picturesque and simple-minded as those educated people from big cities imagine. Quite the contrary, the unruly people living in the poor and remote areas are often like a herd of beasts under the cover of night.

Even as a local official, he had to be careful at all times. Otherwise, if he wasn't careful, he would disappear like those young people who were inspecting the construction in the town square...

"Pony..."

After a brief silence, an old man slowly walked out from the crowd. Although he was old, he had a strong figure and walked steadily. He was wearing a snow-white robe dyed with gold threads. Even though it had faded after washing, it still had an extraordinary aura. The golden elixir in his stomach made him even more eye-catching in this border town.

Ma Changxue swallowed subconsciously, his nerves were completely tense...even more nervous than when he was facing his immediate superior.

Because his immediate superior could only deduct his salary and allowance, but no one could predict what the old man in front of him would do. In Mingtai County, don't mess with Dasheng Temple. This has been an iron rule for hundreds of years. Even when the master of Dasheng Temple died unexpectedly and Dasheng Temple was leaderless, it was still the same.

Or rather, it is precisely because Dasheng Temple is leaderless that it cannot afford to offend these grassroots "incense masters". Because when Yu Gong was suppressing it, Dasheng Temple was still a gentle and kind organization, and believers from all over the country still followed the rules. But now that Yu Gong is gone, incense halls everywhere are waiting for an opportunity to take action, and the ambitions of many heroes in the temple are spreading secretly like wildfire.

The old man in front of him, Yin Shiquan, who was gray-haired but strong, was one of the people with wildfire in his heart that Ma Changxue knew. Although he was just the incense master in charge of the incense hall in this town, with only a few hundred followers... But even the masters who theoretically governed tens of thousands of people and had official seals on their waists were not as powerful as this old incense master.

So when Ma Changxue heard the other party calling him, he immediately bowed his head and smiled, "Master Yin, go ahead."

Yin Shiquan sighed and said, "What I want to say, you should know that you also grew up in this town. When you went to the city to take the exam, it was me who organized the villagers to see you off..."

Ma Changxue felt a headache for a moment, but he could only smile: "Mr. Yin is right. I will never forget the kindness of my fellow villagers." "There is no need to say so many empty words. Now you are an official and we are the people. It is reasonable that you should lecture us. But there are some things that you officials have done too much... This Mingtai County is the land that we Mingtai people have cultivated inch by inch in the wilderness more than 600 years ago. Now you want to set up the mark of the Immortal Alliance on it. Are you worthy of our ancestors by doing this? Are you worthy of the people of Dasheng Temple who died because of the Immortal Alliance!?"

Hearing this question, Ma Changxue couldn't help but feel a headache, and he knew that the matter was irreversible.

Within the court, and even in Fancheng and other places, the death of Yu Gong, the master of Dasheng Temple, was clearly defined - he brought about his own destruction. But in Mingtai County, even a figure like the new emperor Gan Fengxian did not dare to risk the whole county rebelling and make the truth public. And of course, the court could not officially weave a lie, so Yu Gong's death became a matter of discussion in several western counties, especially Mingtai County.

The so-called "let people comment" is essentially "let Dasheng Temple comment". In the eyes of the people of Dasheng Temple, the temple master could only have died from the murder of traitors, and the biggest traitors in Xinheng today are undoubtedly the traitors who use the alliance to gain power and put the interests of the Immortal Alliance above the interests of Xinheng!

In this regard, Ma Changxue could only argue in vain based on his duty: "Master Yin, I agree with your point of view, but at least those young people from the county town are innocent..."

Yin Shiquan sneered, "Innocent? Ignorance may be possible, but innocence may not be! I'm not talking about the fact that they brought heretical evil treasures from the Immortal Alliance and suddenly ran to our town, wanting to set up a Ten Directions Mirror here to broadcast the Immortal Alliance's programs. Some villagers were indignant and came forward to argue, but they were the first to attack and hurt people, and they were very vicious!"

As he spoke, he pointed his mouth backwards, and suddenly a middle-aged man in ragged clothes came staggering towards him, groaning.

As soon as he appeared, he shouted in a very exaggerated tone: "Mr. Yin, you must help me. I was just curious and went forward to ask, but that girl not only slapped me, but also drew her sword to chop me! If the villagers hadn't helped me in time, I would have been killed by that little bitch on the spot!"

After that, he wanted to say more, but Yin Shiquan waved his hand, and two strong men forcibly helped the young man down.

At this moment, Ma Changxue just wanted to laugh.

Mr. Yin, you really put on a complete show. You even used a scumbag like Niu Er as an actor. Now that the master of the temple is dead, the remaining members of the Dasheng Temple have really no taboos!
Ma Changxue certainly didn't believe that the so-called young people were the first to attack and hurt people. Those scholars who came all the way from the county academy to the remote town were so weak that they were condensed from books. How could they be the first to attack a person who was known to be a vagrant in an unfamiliar place? Even if they really wanted to attack, they could have ordered the constables who accompanied them all the way!
But the problem still remains. Yin Shiquan has now completed the whole trick. Needless to say, the witnesses and evidence around him definitely favor Yin Shiquan. Therefore, Ma Changxue, a latecomer, has no chance of overturning the verdict.

After thinking for a while, Ma Changxue said, "The kids in the big cities are always ignorant of the immensity of the world. Old Master Yin is willing to educate them on behalf of their parents. I think their parents will be grateful."

After these words came out, Yin Shiquan's expression froze for a moment, obviously realizing that those scholars might have powerful parents. If they did something extreme...

Ma Changxue added, "But they were sent down by the county governor with an imperial decree after all. And the establishment of the Ten Directions Mirror throughout the territory and the guidance of the Immortal Alliance Illusion are said to be from the emperor. We are all good people, and we deserve to be pointed at with swords. There is really no need to offend the emperor. In my opinion, the Ten Directions Mirror of those county boys will definitely not be established anyway, and they have learned their lesson. Why not just let them go first?"

Yin Shiquan smiled and said, "Xiao Ma, you are saying that you think we are bandits. We locked them up to protect them. After all, most of our followers are easy to talk to, but other villagers may not have such a good temper. In this town, it is impossible to get things from the Lixian League! However, I will give you a favor today. You can take those young men away later. But remember, don't let them come back."

Upon hearing this, Ma Changxue finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that things would not get too bad. He then put on a smiling face again and started to flatter and praise Yin Shiquan.

After that, he naturally rode on his blood-fighting horse and went to the incense hall to lead people in an orderly manner. As for what happened next, it was really not something that a petty official like him could be responsible for. As for the Ten Directions Mirror and the illusion broadcast, such matters should be handled by the superiors themselves, and don't embarrass the officials below!
-

At the same time, far above the town, above the clouds, a handsome young man shook his head helplessly and sighed, bowing to the person beside him to apologize: "I am really sorry to make Master Wang laugh. Although the court is determined to implement this national plan of fusion of illusions, it is indeed difficult to implement it in practice, especially in the western counties, which are full of resistance. But in the final analysis, it is really the incompetence of us politicians."

Wang Luo said, "It's within expectations. Not to mention in Xinheng, even in the Immortal Alliance, the Nine-Zun Competition alone has already caused countless monsters and demons. It's not easy for you to push this matter to finally form a consensus in the court."

Zhang Jincheng said: "After all, the officials in the court are good at judging the situation. They knew that this matter could not be violated. The so-called resistance is more for the people below to see... However, please don't worry, Master Wang. I will have people strictly discipline them and will never let the remnants of Dasheng Temple act so recklessly again!"

Wang Luo pondered for a moment and shook his head: "That's not how it works. Gan Fengxian is unwilling to rashly provoke these local believers of Dasheng Temple, which shows that this matter cannot be accomplished by brute force alone. The people here obviously hate the imported things of the Immortal Alliance. In this case, we can't act recklessly, otherwise it will only backfire. After all, you can control the government, but you can't control these many ordinary people."

Zhang Jincheng was silent, and then asked, "So according to the mountain master, how should this matter be handled?"

"It's very simple, just lure them with benefits. The Ten Directions Mirror broadcasts the Nine Lords Competition in the illusion, which is a national carnival, not a boring sermon, and the content is all entertainment-oriented projects like the Taixu Painting Scroll. And any large-scale competitive event will always be followed by the rise of the gambling industry. And in remote and blind places like Mingtai County, the gambling industry has always been rampant. So, let's start from this town, find a few people who like to show off, who can't hide their money or their deeds, and let them make a small fortune first. Of course, you don't have to pay for it. I don't know how many gambling clubs in the Immortal Alliance are eyeing this paradise of Xinheng, and they must be happy to make this initial investment. However, at any time and in any place, once the gambling industry spreads, the results will not be very good, and you still need to be prepared for this."

Zhang Jincheng gritted his teeth and said, "Please rest assured, Master. We should put the important things first. We are ready to sacrifice at any time!"

(End of this chapter)