Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"What's so strange about this? Is it so amazing? Isn't this a very simple thing? Are you a pig or an idiot? You still ask me such a stupid question. Hey, speaking of which, I just don't know why he chose you for this..." Looking at Li Xiuchen's expression and excited look, Saint Buddha suddenly felt a little bit cocky.

He generously showered the excited Li Xiuchen with every word of praise he could think of in a moment, until he was about to say something. Suddenly, the Holy Buddha stopped talking and then glanced at Li Xiuchen in a way that was both sensitive and discreet.

When the Holy Buddha saw that Li Xiuchen was still immersed in that joy, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. He felt like he had scared himself to death for that moment. It was too early now, and there were some things he couldn't tell Li Xiuchen. Of course, if one day Li Xiuchen found out the truth himself, that would be truly wonderful.

"Then go and get me a glass of water."

Upon hearing Old Huang's request, the maid nodded gently in agreement, slowly releasing her grip on his hand and turning to pour him water. Old Huang watched the maid walk away, a smile creeping onto his face. Then, he turned his head back, his gaze returning to the window.

"Third brother, good luck." Looking at the night outside the window, Old Huang couldn't help but raise his head and look at the full moon in the distance. Then he softly said these words.

"Brother Huang, the water's here, please have a sip." The maid brought a teacup to Old Huang, her face beaming with a smile that gave one a warm, spring-like feeling.

"Third brother, I have something to tell you, but I hope you won't tell anyone. Because I'm not entirely sure myself."

"Okay, you say."

"When I went to kill that person, I saw a barrier before I left. I want to ask you, how exactly did he create it?"

"Uncle Huang! Uncle Huang!" The morning after the Third Elder left, Wen Mou, who had recently taken office and finally had some free time, rushed to Old Huang's room. Although Wen Mou was in a hurry, he still politely knocked on the door to attract Old Huang's attention, who was lying in bed resting. Of course, Old Huang's attention had already been drawn to Wen Mou's shouts of "Uncle Huang," so when Wen Mou appeared at the door, Old Huang nodded to him.

Wenmou knocked on the door and went inside, walking directly to Lao Huang's side. The maid who was serving Lao Huang brought over a chair that had been prepared and placed it behind Wenmou. Wenmou glanced back and plopped down on it, already in a position ready to start a long talk with Lao Huang.

Before he could even speak, at Old Huang's signal, a maidservant brought over a cup of warm tea and stood respectfully beside Wenmou. Sensing someone beside him, Wenmou subconsciously looked up. Upon recognizing his maidservant, he waved his hand, said "I won't drink," and prepared to continue talking to Old Huang.

But as Wenmou leaned forward, he suddenly noticed that the maid standing beside him hadn't left. Wenmou paused for a moment, and just as he was about to turn around and talk to the maid, Old Huang reached out and stopped Wenmou from starting his speech.

"Alright, you came from the main hall, right? Have some water to calm down and sort out your thoughts."

Wenmou was momentarily stunned by Lao Huang's words, but he turned around, took the teacup from the maid, and slowly took a sip. After finishing, Wenmou handed the teacup back to the maid beside him and stared blankly at Lao Huang sitting on the bed.

"You came here to tell me that the Third Elder has left, right?" Before Wenmou could speak, Old Huang had already spoken out the purpose of Wenmou's visit and what he wanted to say next.

"Huh? Uncle Huang, you know? Ah, yes, you should know." Wenmou was taken aback when he heard what Lao Huang said, but he quickly realized what was going on.

"Master, let me give you some advice." As he spoke, Old Huang tried to get out of bed, and Wenmou quickly went forward to help him up.

"Uncle Huang, you can say whatever you want. There's no need to be so reserved with Wenmou, and you don't need to worry about so many unnecessary things. It's too boring." In Wenmou's heart, although his status was different from before, Uncle Huang was still Uncle Huang, and his position in his heart had not changed.

“Patriarch, I’ll still call you Patriarch. After all, our status and position can’t be confused, or we’ll become a laughing stock.” Old Huang rejected Wenmou’s suggestion and continued to address Wenmou according to etiquette.

"Patriarch, you'll know the outcome of some things in due time. You may think that the departure of the Third Elder is a loss for the Wen family, but have you ever thought about why he left? He's such a person who doesn't pursue fame or fortune. And you've noticed that the Third Elder left last night. He could have easily handed over the pharmacy to the servants and left. But he chose to prepare it himself, which means that what he's about to face might be terrible."

"Furthermore, you need to understand that the Third Elder leaving at night without notifying anyone is most likely because he was running out of time. And what could make him so eager and impatient? I don't need to tell you, I think you know, it's nothing more than the barrier and the spiritual medicine."

"Actually, I'm saying this just to let you know that sometimes, you have to let go of what you should let go of and hold on to what you should hold on to. Especially now that you're the head of the family, you need to have the judgment of a head of the family. You can't try to do everything yourself, or you'll exhaust yourself. Let me ask you, what do you consider to be the standards of a qualified head of the family?" Old Huang turned around and quietly looked at Wen Mou standing beside him.

"A qualified family head, in my opinion, should at least have a clear direction for the development of the entire family. Some people are reckless, some retreat, and some seek to avoid mistakes rather than achieve anything. I can't say that their choices are wrong, but in my opinion, it is more important to develop steadily and ensure the long-term survival of the family." Wen Mou thought for a moment.

“You’re right, and what you said is what most family heads want to accomplish. But now I want to tell you what your father said to me back then. I once asked him…”

"Brother, you're the head of the family now. How are you going to manage such a large operation like the Wen family? You'll be exhausted."

"Hahaha, how could I possibly manage everything? Are you stupid? I still want to live a couple more years, do you want to die? Being the head of the family is actually quite simple. Manage what you should manage, and let go of what you shouldn't. Give yourself freedom, and give the person in power freedom. But there's one prerequisite. You have to be strong, strong enough to support the basic image of the entire family."

Chapter 1238 Explanation

When the Holy Buddha saw that Li Xiuchen was still immersed in that joy, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. He felt like he had scared himself to death for that moment. It was too early now, and there were some things he couldn't tell Li Xiuchen. Of course, if one day Li Xiuchen found out the truth himself, that would be truly wonderful.

"Alright, Holy Buddha, I have important business to discuss with you." After Li Xiuchen's initial excitement subsided, he finally remembered the real reason he had sought out the Holy Buddha.

"What is it you want? Tell me then." Seeing that Li Xiuchen seemed genuinely oblivious to what he had just said, the Holy Buddha breathed a sigh of relief.

"I want to know how many countries there are on this continent, and what are some particularly powerful and influential families or sects?" Li Xiuchen rolled his eyes as he thought about the information he wanted to know.

"Huh? What are you trying to do? Do you even know what you're planning?" Saint Buddha was taken aback by Li Xiuchen's words, finding it hard to process. Indeed, who in their right mind would ask such a question right off the bat? It was far too difficult.

"Ah~ I just wanted to know more so I could run away faster if I ran into these people. Otherwise, you'd think I'd be like an idiot, not knowing or recognizing anyone. Wandering aimlessly on this main road would be pure suicide. What if I offended some family or sect I shouldn't have? I wouldn't even know how I died. Wouldn't that be incredibly unfair?" Li Xiuchen said confidently.

Looking at Li Xiuchen's shameless expression, as if to say, "I'm as tough as nails, what can you do to me?", the Holy Buddha couldn't help but cough and chuckle softly. But thinking about it carefully, it did seem to make sense. Letting Li Xiuchen know that running faster might increase his chances of survival on this continent.

Besides, as the ancients said, "Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best." If you can't win, just run. What's shameful about that? If you can win, you can win; if you can't, you can't. There's really nothing wrong with that. It's much better than those reckless fools who rush in blindly without any regard for the situation.

Upon careful consideration, it seemed that Li Xiuchen's words did indeed make some sense, so the Holy Buddha stopped joking and adopted a more serious and solemn demeanor. He frowned slightly, thought carefully, and organized his thoughts.

"On this continent, there are three cultivation kingdoms: the Eastern Kingdom, the Western Rong Kingdom, and the Northern Barbarian Kingdom. These three kingdoms together occupy two-thirds of the continent's area, while the remaining third is known as the most dangerous place on the continent. There are boundless forests there, teeming with countless demonic beasts! And of course, there are also demonic beasts that have cultivated into human form. They call themselves the Land of Heavenly Punishment, but the outside world prefers and calls it the Demonic Beast Forest."

"The Monster Forest? What kind of place is that? And what the hell was that Dark Forest we went to before?" Li Xiuchen was stunned when he heard the name. What on earth was that?

"Ah~ You don't need to worry about these details. The Dark Forest is just inside the country we're in now. Every country has vast forests, some ordinary, some inhabited by powerful monsters, and some teeming with dangerous creatures. You won't be venturing there anytime soon, so you don't need to concern yourself with these things." The Holy Buddha answered Li Xiuchen's question calmly.

"Besides that, there is something called the Red Flower Ranking on this continent. I'll just mention it to you briefly. You'll never encounter those people in 80 or 90 percent of the time, because those people are probably the top young cultivators on this continent."

"However, one interesting thing is that one of the top-ranked members of the Red Flower List back then, uh... the number one, once went to the Land of Heavenly Punishment to learn from his experience."

"Really? So what happened? Did he win?" Upon hearing this, Li Xiuchen thought, "Wow, there really is no shortage of passionate young men in any world." "If I could meet him someday, that would be quite wonderful." Li Xiuchen unconsciously drifted into a hazy, dreamlike state.

"Alright, stop daydreaming. He's dead. Whether he's really dead or faked it, he hasn't appeared since he went to the Land of Heavenly Punishment, and there's no news of him in the martial world. It's said he was defeated by a lord of the Land of Heavenly Punishment, and I heard that the poor child was beaten to ashes, his chances of reincarnation were even eliminated." The Holy Buddha glanced at Li Xiuchen, timely pouring cold water on his hopes.

"Huh? Ah~ Alright then, but, to be reduced to ashes, wow, that's really a bit scary." Li Xiuchen's mood instantly plummeted upon hearing the Holy Buddha's reply.

"Besides that, the top-ranked student was also the personal disciple of the dean of Tianwu Academy at the time. It's a pity that the old man spent most of his life training him, and then he was gone just like that. But it's strange, since that incident, Tianwu Academy has also issued a new rule. All disciples who go out of the academy to travel must take a stroll around the outer perimeter of the Heavenly Punishment Land."

"Although many people die or are injured every year, people still flock to the Land of Heavenly Punishment every year. This is because those who have been to the Land of Heavenly Punishment are more composed and mature than those who have not been there. Most importantly, their cultivation levels have improved significantly."

"Although many people are curious about what those Tianwu people wanted to do in Tianfa and what they went through, it is obvious that no one knows the specific reason. Everyone is keeping their mouths shut, and no one will tell about that experience, not even the people who usually seem to have a big mouth. You can't pry their mouths open."

"No way, what exactly happened to cause such a big change in him?" Li Xiuchen exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this, finding it quite intriguing.

"In addition, the students of Tianwu Academy are actually divided into two factions: one is called the Heaven and Earth Society, and the other is called the Taiping Group. The former is mainly composed of poor students, while the latter is mainly composed of rich students and members of the royal family."

"There are members of the royal family in Tianwu Academy!" Li Xiuchen was a little surprised when he heard this. Could it be that everything he had seen before was true?

"Nonsense, Tianwu Academy is arguably the most peaceful and also the most chaotic place among the three empires. The royal families of all three empires have descendants studying at Tianwu, of course, ostensibly for study. Otherwise, why would you think Tianwu City is so peaceful? In eight hundred years, there hasn't been any major conflict."

"Wow, that's quite impressive. Eight hundred years is a long time." Li Xiuchen exclaimed in amazement upon hearing this timeframe. Eight hundred years would be enough for three or four dynasties to rise and fall in his original world, yet here they have managed to coexist peacefully for so long.

"But don't these empires' rulers have any of those so-called power struggles, or brothers turning against each other?" Li Xiuchen found it a bit strange.

"Are you stupid? This continent is so big. Although the three empires only occupy two-thirds of it, do you think the territory of these empires is a joke? Even a tiny place will be fought to the death. Such a large territory, such a large area, don't fight for it? There's no such thing as a free lunch." When the Holy Buddha heard Li Xiuchen's seemingly idiotic question, he couldn't help but roll his eyes to the sky and rebuke Li Xiuchen mercilessly.

"Huh? Hahaha, so there are some too. Oh dear, how embarrassing. Hehe, hehehe." Li Xiuchen couldn't help but laugh awkwardly when he heard the Holy Buddha's words.

"Of course, fratricide will happen on this continent, but the ultimate victors are always those who are truly capable and competent. If all those who come to power are useless, let alone ministers, of course, some ministers will like it. But the royal family itself will not allow such a thing to happen."

"So the royal family will first eliminate a group of people in the beginning who they deem unsuitable and unworthy of competing for the throne. Then, among the remaining people, those with malicious hearts, those who like to fight for power and profit, and those who are all talk and no action will be screened out. Finally, among the remaining group, these are the people who will compete against each other."

"But wouldn't that mean that all those in the royal family, those who failed, would eventually die? Wouldn't that mean the royal family would lose a lot of talent?" Li Xiuchen thought this method sounded pretty good and would be beneficial to the empire's rule and continuation. However, its drawbacks were also too obvious.

“Yes, but the royal family is smarter than you. They discovered this loophole from the very beginning. So those who fail in the struggle for the throne are eventually indirectly exiled.” The Holy Buddha’s voice was calm and devoid of any emotion.

“Exile? Hmm... that is indeed possible, but..." Li Xiuchen was still pondering.

"The exile I'm talking about is not the same as the exile you have in mind, nor is it the traditional concept you understand. The exile you speak of refers to being banished to the borderlands, where life and death are left to fate, and one is never to return to the capital. But in the royal concept on this continent, exile here refers to being banished from the capital." At this point, the Holy Buddha's voice paused for a moment, and he remained silent for a short while.

"Besides this, there are all sorts of other miscellaneous things like lowering titles, abolishing the military, reducing the number of attendants, and so on. Also, if the royal family is in trouble, they must be the vanguard."

"But wouldn't that be too cruel to those talented people? Because under this system, their situation is even worse than those who were kicked out early on." Li Xiuchen finally understood the cruelty of this system: either ascend the throne or be banished to the mortal world. The gap was truly too large.

"No, actually they have another layer of protection. Each of them has a special privilege, which has no specific content. Apart from things like wanting to control the army, control the government, or force the emperor to abdicate, they can do whatever they want. As for the ordinary members of the royal family, those who were eliminated early, even if they encounter a small matter, even something that is insignificant to the royal family, they could face annihilation." The Holy Buddha seemed to know a lot about these things.

"Then... what do you think of the royal family?" Li Xiuchen fell silent after hearing the Holy Buddha's words. He no longer knew how to evaluate this system. Its advantages and disadvantages were obvious, yet in some ways, they were also quite vague. Li Xiuchen was confused; he truly didn't know how to assess the matter.

"Me? You're asking me... what I think of this royal system?" The Holy Buddha's voice rose an octave, his emotions seemingly agitated. Li Xiuchen remained silent, not answering him, sensing something amiss with the Holy Buddha's demeanor.

It was only then that Li Xiuchen realized that the Holy Buddha, with whom he had spent so much time, couldn't possibly be a member of the royal family. Otherwise, why would the Holy Buddha be so familiar with the royal system? Ordinary people, even top cultivators, probably wouldn't have such a clear grasp of these royal systems.

What's even more obvious is that the royal family, as the parties involved, would certainly not publicly announce this system. Therefore, only the fact that the Holy Buddha is a member of the royal family can explain all of this. Especially considering the Holy Buddha's sudden emotional outburst just now.

Chapter 1239 The Wen Family

"Me? You're asking me... what I think of this royal system?" The Holy Buddha's voice rose an octave, his emotions seemingly agitated. Li Xiuchen remained silent, not answering him, sensing something amiss with the Holy Buddha's demeanor.

It was only then that Li Xiuchen realized that the Holy Buddha, with whom he had spent so much time, couldn't possibly be a member of the royal family. Otherwise, why would the Holy Buddha be so familiar with the royal system? Ordinary people, even top cultivators, probably wouldn't have such a clear grasp of these royal systems.

What's even more obvious is that the royal family, as the parties involved, would certainly not publicly announce this system. Therefore, only the fact that the Holy Buddha is a member of the royal family can explain all of this. Especially considering the Holy Buddha's sudden emotional outburst just now.

“Holy Buddha…” Upon hearing the Holy Buddha’s words, Li Xiuchen recalled the possibility he had suspected, and his eyes involuntarily showed some concern for the Holy Buddha. However, Li Xiuchen also knew that what the Holy Buddha needed most right now was probably not comfort, pity, or sympathy. These were all too abstract for him.

"Alright, that's basically the situation with the royal family. What else would you like to know, like about other powerful families, sects, or clans?" Saint Buddha clearly ignored Li Xiuchen's words, whether he was simply unaware or pretending not to hear, Saint Buddha let the matter pass.

"Other major families... I don't know what major families exist on this continent. How about... let's talk about the Wen family? Anyway, we already have some connection with two people from the Wen family, so it's good to learn more about them. This will be helpful for my future decisions and actions." Li Xiuchen was unaware that the Holy Buddha Fairy was thinking this way.

Whether the Holy Buddha was deliberately pretending not to hear or something else, none of that mattered. What mattered was that the Holy Buddha hadn't let himself fall into a low mood because of this. Everything else could be dealt with later. Moreover, if the Holy Buddha truly didn't want to talk about it, then he must have his own unspeakable secrets or something he didn't want to mention. Therefore, Li Xiuchen decided that it was better to go with the flow than to pry.

"The Wen family...you want to know about the Wen family..." Upon hearing Li Xiuchen's question, the Holy Buddha murmured for a moment, as if he was considering something.

"The Wen family was founded nine hundred years ago. I won't go into details about its ancestors and the eighteen generations of its lineage; it wouldn't be of any use to you. Just know that it has outlasted all the empires we have today. The Wen family's long history is inseparable from its family traditions, its family teachers, and so on."

"The current head of the Wen family is Wen Mou. His father died in battle when he was a young man. He took over as head of the family then, and it has been about sixty or seventy years now. The Wen family's businesses are spread all over the continent, and they are involved in a wide and deep range of fields."

“If you take a stroll around the streets now, two or three out of ten of the properties will be owned by the Wen family. And there are many cities as big as Tianwu City on this continent. In other words, if you walk around anywhere on this continent and then stand in the middle of the road and shout something like ‘Wen XX, get out here,’ you will be surrounded by people from the Wen family in the blink of an eye, and you will find that the street you are on has been cleared out.”

“Don’t be surprised,” the Holy Buddha said calmly, glancing at Li Xiuchen who was staring wide-eyed and gaping in astonishment. “This really happened. I didn’t make it up to emphasize how powerful and influential the Wen family is.”

"But according to you, doesn't that mean all Wen families under heaven are one family?" Although the Holy Buddha had told him not to be surprised, how could that be? Li Xiuchen had heard things like "all surnames under heaven are one family" in his world, but those were just empty words. Who would care if something really happened?

"Yes, that's right. All those with the surname Wen in the world are one family, and you don't need to worry about anyone impersonating them. The Wen family will not let any imposters get away with it." The Holy Buddha nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with Li Xiuchen's statement.

"But you also said that all those with the surname Wen are one family. And you're very likely to run into a Wen family shop if you just stroll around the streets of Tianwu City, so why is Wen Xiang..." Li Xiuchen suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Under these circumstances, Wenxiang would still bring you to Tianwu City, wouldn't he?" The Holy Buddha interrupted Li Xiuchen before he could finish speaking. The Holy Buddha understood Li Xiuchen's concerns.

"Yes, yes, that's what I wanted to say. Isn't this too risky?" Li Xiuchen was a little incredulous. Wen Xiang and Wen Chong had both admitted to being traitors to the Wen family. Uh, no, they both said they had already betrayed the Wen family. Wasn't that like walking into a trap, and getting himself caught in the crossfire?

"Don't worry, the Wen family's business world and cultivation world are separate, and they won't affect each other unless there are special circumstances. That means Wen Xiang and Wen Chong can wander around the streets freely even without wearing human skin masks, and there's no need to worry about anyone coming to arrest them." Saint Buddha glanced at Li Xiuchen casually, reassuring him.

"But what about the Wen family's intelligence agency? Such a large family and such a large business can't possibly not have an intelligence agency. The Wen family may not care about the business world, but they can't ignore the intelligence agency either." Li Xiuchen carefully considered everything he could think of that could be an obstacle.