Patrol Captain

"The courtyard is nice; though small, it has everything you need."

"He's even started raising flowers and fish; the general certainly has a good interest."

"General Chen really intends to stay here for an extended period?"

In the small courtyard, the setting sun cast golden light on the ground. Chen Yuan invited the temple keeper of the Martial Temple to the pavilion.

The old man stood with his hands behind his back, looking around at the courtyard. The golden sunlight shone on his face, and his deep eyes narrowed, hidden by layers of loose wrinkles.

Chen Yuan sat down on the chair, and a white jade wine pot appeared out of thin air in his hand. He then magically produced two jade cups.

More than half a month has passed since he returned to Qingshan, and one "guest" after another has come down to the pavilion.

The scene features a rainbow-colored dress, a dragon girl, Old Man Dong, a dragon maiden, a demigod of the East Sea Dragon King, and the temple keeper of the Martial Temple in front of them.

In this tiny little space, each person who comes here has a bigger background than the last.

“Naturally, this is where Chen stayed before he was appointed as a Lieutenant General. Over time, he developed an attachment to it.”

"Since our last parting at the Martial Temple, it is great to see you again, Temple Master. It is as if the heavens have been awakened, and you have undergone extraordinary changes. I wonder when you came to Shu and what brings you here?"

Upon first meeting this person, he was hunched over in the incense-offering hall of the Martial Temple, his figure hidden in the interplay of light and shadow. He coughed occasionally, giving off a mysterious and gloomy feeling.

Today, it feels completely different.

The old temple priest's name was Qiong Silou, and he rarely mentioned his name in front of people anymore.

"Nothing in this world is ever-changing. Who could have imagined that General Chen, after leaving the capital for the last time, would become the first Martial Saint in the Shu region in a thousand years, and even dare to defy the heavens and man?"

Qiong Silou turned around, shook his sleeves, clasped his hands together, hiding them in his wide sleeves, the wrinkles like those of a sturdy pine tree, and looked at Chen Yuan as he spoke.

"I am an old man, frail and old, and even in my twilight years, I still have to work for the court."

"Coming to Sichuan was out of sheer desperation."

"I envy General Chen for being able to find peace and quiet in this rural area!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan had a hunch. He was likely referring to one of the two incredibly powerful individuals the White-Robed Monarch had mentioned.

This man, who guarded the Great Qian Martial Temple, was unfathomable. Before returning to Shu, he gave Chen Yuan a black box that could kill heavenly beings, but he disliked things he couldn't control and passed it on to someone else.

"The old man came here for that Heavenly Cave in the Ten Thousand Mountains, right?"

"Was the commotion last night also caused by the old man?"

"Chen heard that the imperial court wanted to destroy this passage."

Chen Yuan calmly put down the wine pot in his hand and placed it on the table. He turned his head slightly and spoke.

Upon hearing this, Qiong Silou's face wrinkled more deeply. He strolled over, took his hand out of his sleeve, flicked his sleeve, and sat down.

"Hehe, General Chen really has connections everywhere. If that thing isn't destroyed, who knows what might come down?"

As he said this, he turned his head slightly to the side, but his eyes were fixed on Chen Yuan.

"Just as I told the general at the Martial Temple last time, kill these beings if you can. Whether they are human or demon, they did not come down to the mortal realm to see the scenery."

At this moment, his eyes bulged and rolled, his voice was deep, carrying a fierceness and a hint of madness.

The meaning of what he said was similar to that of the white-robed king.

When celestial beings descend to the mortal realm, they will inevitably have desires, which will disrupt the original peace and could even lead to a change of dynasty and the collapse of the imperial court.

"I wonder if you succeeded, sir?" Chen Yuan asked, knowing full well the answer.

Qiong Silou shook his head, his expression calm. "It seems the Great Qian Dynasty cannot escape this calamity, which is why this old man has come to pay a visit to the General!"

"Looking for me?" Chen Yuan frowned, and before the other party could speak, he cut him off with a retort.

"If the temple keeper wants me to come out of seclusion and help the imperial court avoid disaster, then so be it."

"Chen doesn't have that ability."

He picked up the cup, brought it to his lips, and lowered his eyelids.

Qiong Silou smiled and said, "This old man doesn't have the ability to persuade the general. Neither the general nor our emperor are willing to bow their heads. I can't interfere in such matters. This old man is merely taking precautions and wants to borrow a method from the general!"

"Borrowing the law?" Chen Yuan paused, putting down his cup.

"That's right!"

After a cup of tea, Chen Yuan stood by the railing in the pavilion, now alone.

The temple keeper had left sometime earlier.

Chen Yuan held a small bottle made of black jade in his hand. It was not large, only about half the size of a palm, but it was incredibly heavy. When he shook it, the bottle made a surging sound, which was quite magical.

This is the reward the temple keeper gave me before he left!
It is said that the incense energy is refined using the incense from a single place for a year, removing impurities and maintaining the purest essence.

The other party said that this thing is extremely troublesome to make, time-consuming and laborious, but it is a good thing.

This item not only accelerates spiritual cultivation, but also strengthens the primordial spirit, removes inner demons, aids in enlightenment, and enhances other supernatural powers that rely on incense offerings. It has many wonderful uses.

No wonder it's so heavy; the incense of humankind carries so much weight!
Chen Yuan pointed at the bottle with his other hand, pulled out a bit of smoke, and saw a thin white wisp of smoke, as thin as a hair, float out and rise into the air.

Chen Yuan opened his Heavenly Eye to peer inside, but found nothing wrong. He then used his Heavenly Eye to capture the white thread between his eyebrows.

In an instant, a refreshing coolness arose, which was subtle and brief, but it was indeed effective.

Chen Yuan closed his brow, satisfied with the sight. The Martial Temple boss really does have good stuff!
With a flick of his wrist, he slipped the black jade bottle into his sleeve, intending to refine it and test its effects later.

After doing all this, Chen Yuan stretched out his arms and yawned, then turned around and swept towards the inner room.

The room, which had been dimly lit by the setting sun, suddenly became warm, and the babbling of a baby rang out from inside.

Chen Yuan smiled contentedly and strode inside. A moment later, conversation could be heard from within.

"Little An'an, give Daddy a kiss!"

"Haha, so good!"

"Someone came to borrow something just now."

"Honey, what would you like to eat?"

"."

The sound drifted through the courtyard, basking in the warm glow of the setting sun, just like the everyday life of thousands of households, simple and ordinary.

Meanwhile, in the mountains outside Qingshan County, the temple keeper Qiong Silou of the Martial Temple emerged from the void. On a hilltop below, a burly figure clad in a black four-clawed python robe stood with one hand behind his back, gazing into the distance.

The area around it was desolate, with withered grass and trees, which was out of place with the lush greenery around it. A mysterious energy flowed around this mountain.

Qiong Silou descended from the sky, landing behind this person, and spoke with a hint of teasing.
"Is the old imperial uncle willing to sit here and wreak havoc on the mountainside rather than go in and see that general?"

The title "Old Imperial Uncle" can only be used for someone from the imperial family. This person is the great-uncle of the current Emperor Wu, who has lived for over eight hundred years. In the past, he was blessed with good fortune and was a strong contender for the throne. However, he gave up the struggle for the throne in order to go further in the path of martial arts. Later, he guarded the Heavenly Prison, which imprisoned all the evil spirits in the world, and cultivated the Six Paths to guard the fortune of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"What's so interesting? Would you be satisfied if a fight broke out?" The figure was burly, but his voice carried the gloom of dusk.

"Could you ask him if he is willing to come out of seclusion and continue to serve the court?"

Qiong Silou shook his head. "I haven't even said a word, and this general has already refused. His attitude is firm. Saying more will only cause resentment. Let him have some peace and quiet."

"Hmph, tranquility? If those celestial beings descended to the mortal realm, where would tranquility be? The court is in dire need of talent, yet he runs here seeking peace and quiet." The figure in the python robe gave a light snort, his words not harsh, but revealing his dissatisfaction.
"He killed a patrolling angel, severed the path to purgatory, and left my six realms incomplete, yet I have never held him accountable!"

Qiong Silou disagreed, not even raising his eyelids, "You know perfectly well that the death of a patrol angel will not have much impact on your collection of the Six Paths Power gathered by the World Patrol Division, so why force him to get involved?"

"They haven't wronged the court, they just refuse to bow down. And our Emperor acts entirely according to his own will, so a falling out was inevitable. It's good that they didn't take advantage of the situation to raise the flag of rebellion."

"He dares?" The old imperial uncle seemed to be provoked by the words of the temple priest of the Martial Temple. Perhaps these words hurt the face of the imperial family, and his emotions fluctuated, so he blurted out.

As he spoke, an invisible wind rippled out from his body, sweeping outwards. Wherever it passed, rocks aged into powder, trees withered and decayed, and then turned into dust, covering an area of ​​about a mile.

"Why wouldn't I dare!" Qiong Silou was completely unaffected and said bluntly, "He is now a Martial Saint with amazing supernatural powers. He can defeat even the most powerful beings with a single move. The Jiannan Circuit Governor and the people all respect him. If he were to start a rebellion, I'm afraid he would be met with overwhelming support."

"Moreover, Helian Shan said that this General Chen seems to have a connection with the immortal kings who occupy several cities in the south. They were reincarnations of celestial beings when the Great Qian Dynasty was established. Because of the past, they harbor resentment towards the current court. Last night, they even tried to stop the two of us from doing our work."

"If this person joins forces with these beings, well, that would be truly troublesome."

"That's why I didn't point it out. After all, he doesn't trust the court right now, and I didn't want to arouse his suspicions and make things worse."

The temple keeper of the Martial Temple was very clear-headed and did not care about the face of the imperial family. Because of this, the current emperor did not like this corrupt and troublesome old man. He spent his days in the incense hall of the Martial Temple with only the dim light of the lamp until a few days ago when he was summoned to leave the pass to receive an imperial decree.

The burly figure addressed as the Old Imperial Uncle fell silent.

Because he knew that what Qiong Silou said was right.

"There's no need for you and me, these two old folks, to argue anymore. It seems there's no way to stop the celestial beings from descending to the mortal realm. The court only has the two of us old folks, plus Helian Shan, and that's not enough to shoulder the burden. Those old folks in the martial world are too far removed from the imperial court and won't be of one mind with it. It's good enough if they don't cause any trouble. You saw it yesterday too; even that guy from the Huangfu family chose to defect when faced with the opportunity to ascend!" Qiong Silou paced back and forth, analyzing the situation with his old imperial uncle.

"Therefore, we should appease this person."

"That old codger Huangfu Liuyun deserves to die!" The old imperial uncle's voice was chilling.

They were referring to the Bodhi Martial Saint from the Huangfu family, one of the three highest officials in the court.

Before the passage was opened, he helped break the seal and open the passage, hoping to ascend to the upper realm. However, he failed to ascend and was still alive. He is really good at enduring hardship.

The Huangfu family received immense imperial favor, yet at this crucial moment, they were not on the side of the court.

"Alright, I don't need to listen to your lecture, old man. I will personally write to His Majesty to prevent this relationship from deteriorating further. Let's not talk about this now. Did you manage to borrow the law?"

"Of course! It was obtained by exchanging the incense offerings of a single place for a year."

"What? Are you crazy? Giving so much?"

"Give and take is only right. General Chen has just advanced to the Martial Saint realm and his spirit is not yet stable. Consider this a congratulatory gift. This man has great ambitions and his future achievements are limitless. What's wrong with this gesture?" Qiong Silou said this with deep meaning in the wrinkles on his face.

"Alright, hopefully we can buy some more time!"

"Let's go!"

Soon, the figures of the two pillars of the Great Qian Dynasty disappeared with the mountain wind on the hilltop.

Four days later, in Qingshan County, the night was just like this.

In the courtyard, the silvery moonlight spilled over the eaves of the green tiles, gently spreading across the pond. The water's surface resembled a shattered jade mirror, the fragments of light rippling in the breeze, spreading in circles towards the bluestone slabs along the pond's edge. A few bamboo leaves, scattered by the wind, floated on the water, creating ripples. The pavilion on the east side of the pond was bathed in moonlight, the shadows of its wooden pillars casting oblique shadows on the ground like a light ink painting.

Occasionally, the copper bells hanging from the eaves would be stirred by the wind, making a tinkling sound before falling back into silence, startling two or three fish in the pond, their tail fins scattering silver fragments across the water.

The bamboo grove beneath the west wall leans closer to listen to the sound of water; the night dew on the bamboo leaves is made translucent by the moonlight, and the entire courtyard is bathed in this clear radiance.

At this moment, three faint "bang bang bang" sounds could be heard coming from the courtyard.

In the middle of the pond, as silver light spilled down, a blue lotus swayed out of the water, casting a misty blue glow, like a luminous jade.

Above the blue lotus, a golden figure sat cross-legged, suspended three feet above the water.

A small, dark green bottle hangs upside down above his head, wisps of white smoke hanging down, like the moon inside the bottle, casting its gentle glow.

At this moment, these white wisps of smoke gathered between Chen Yuan's brows and eyes, and were inhaled.

As Chen Yuanyang absorbed the white smoke, the innate Dao patterns on his divine body solidified at a considerable speed, with each breath.

This process continued until about three-quarters past the hour of Yin (3:45 AM), when the sky turned bluish-gray. Chen Yuan suddenly opened his brow, and his third eye appeared.

The white tobacco shreds no longer gathered together and lingered around the bottle opening.

Chen Yuan opened his eyes, raised his hand and took the small bottle into his hand, sighing inwardly.

He had underestimated the power of the incense in the small bottle. He had been refining it for four consecutive nights at full power, but he had only refined about one-fifth of it.

After absorbing the incense offerings, his Yang spirit became increasingly solidified, with the most obvious change being in his Heavenly Eye, which had always relied on the incense offerings to advance.

At this moment, a beam of light shot out from Chen Yuan's third eye between his eyebrows and into the surface of the pond.

Just like last time, do it in the same way.

The water surface rippled, creating a series of pictures.

There is a pavilion built against the mountain on the west side of Langdang Mountain, and inside the room there is a woman in red sitting cross-legged.
Two hundred miles east of Langdang Mountain, there is a valley shrouded in mist and clouds, which is where Old Man Dong secluded himself.

Images flashed by rapidly.
The final image is set in a wild and desolate place.

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes.
"Let's see how it goes!"

He leaped directly into the Mirror Flower Water Moon.

The next second, his vision appeared in a vast mountain range.

Chen Yuan raised his hand and flung out a long spear, pointing it towards a mountain range in the distance.

"boom"

In the distance, the mountain range exploded in an instant! (End of Chapter)