Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Chapter 557: The Big Eared Thief Appears, a Century-Long Grudge

"To do this, you must be alert. Strength is secondary. Speaking of which, I do have a candidate!" Zhang Jingqing said.

Alert... A figure with big ears popped up in Zhang Zhiwei's mind. In the entire Longhu Mountain, no one should be more alert than him.

"Who is it?" Zhang Yi asked.

"Zhang Huaiyi!" said Zhang Jingqing.

Zhang Zhiwei showed an expression of "as expected".

"Zhang Huaiyi, sounds familiar." Zhang Yi thought for a moment and realized, "The new disciple you accepted who used a fake surname, right? Speaking of which, apart from knowing the name, I have no impression of him at all."

Yi Qian said: "I do have some impression. Some time ago, my senior brother suddenly said that he wanted to accept another disciple with a fake surname. I thought there was another Zhang Zhiwei, so I secretly observed him, and the result was..."

He paused when he said this.

"Just say it!" Zhang Jingqing said.

Yi Qian organized his words: "He is plain-looking, with no special features. I really don't understand why Senior Brother would accept him as a disciple under a false name. Of course, I only looked at him from a distance, so I may not have observed him well enough to find any special features in him."

What he said was actually very tactful.

"You said he has no highlights?!" Zhang Jingqing laughed, "He has been in Longhu Mountain for some years, and I gave him a pseudonym, but one of you has no impression of him, and the other thinks he is plain-looking. Isn't this his highlight?"

Zhang Yi reacted: "This kid is good at hiding!"

Zhang Jingqing nodded: "Yes, that's why I plan to send him."

Zhang Yi asked again: "How deep is he hiding?"

Zhang Jingqing said: "Very deep, seemingly ordinary on the surface, but actually very sharp. In terms of strength alone, among the disciples of this generation, he is only second to Zhang Zhiwei."

"Only under the dimension?!"

Zhang Yi was shocked.

Although Zhang Zhiwei is the chief among this generation of disciples, it does not mean that he is the eldest senior brother.

Among the disciples of this generation, there are many who are older than Zhang Zhiwei, and some are even more than a generation older. It’s just that he has the best means, so he ranks first.

If his strength is only weaker than Zhang Zhiwei, then it would be very remarkable. Such a person should shine no matter what sect he is in.

But now, it's hard not to be shocked that they know nothing about him.

Zhang Yi sighed, "Brother, if it's really like what you said, then this kid is not simple. You know, hiding is not a simple thing. Hiding for a while is okay, but hiding for many years is not easy. After all, the disciples of our Tianshi Mansion are not fools."

"If you want to deceive us, you can't just talk about it. You need to pay attention to your words and actions, every step, every breath, and disguise all the conditions of your body to the degree he wants to show to everyone."

"It's easier said than done. If you don't hide it well enough, it'll be easily exposed. If you hide it too much, it'll look fake. It's hard to imagine what kind of freak this kid is."

Yi Qian frowned and said, "Brother, even though this kid entered our Tianshi Mansion and became your disciple, he still hides his incompetence. He has a thief in his heart. You gave him a false name, be careful not to make a mistake!"

Zhang Jingqing smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. Before I accepted him as my fake disciple, I paid close attention to him for several years. He is actually a trustworthy kid. At least he is much more trustworthy than that brat!"

When saying this, Zhang Jingqing glared at Zhang Zhiwei fiercely, which made Zhang Zhiwei feel confused and couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Lao Deng, you are wrong. From the perspective of common sense, I am more trustworthy than the big-eared thief.

You don't know what kind of trouble this guy with thick eyebrows and big ears got into later. In the end, it was me, the most unreliable guy, who had to support you.

Zhang Jingqing had no idea what Zhang Zhiwei was thinking.

He continued, "As for what Junior Brother said about having a thief in one's heart, in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with having a thief in one's heart. A thief will never show up in the light ... has the most upright ideas, is the most daring, and has the smallest courage."

"This is nothing, it's just one of his characteristics. If used properly, it will have miraculous effects. For example, this time, if the person who went was too senior and his means were too strong, the other party would definitely be alert. If the person who went was too weak, it would be meaningless. Huaiyi is a very suitable person!"

Yi Qian nodded: "Since Senior Brother has already carefully examined the character of this disciple, there is no need for us to say anything more. We will just follow Senior Brother's arrangements."

Zhang Yi also nodded and said, "If this kid can deceive us, he can deceive others as well!"

"So, what does Master Dai Tian have to say?" Zhang Jingqing looked at Zhang Zhiwei who was standing next to them without saying anything.

"All of you must listen to Master. Master has the final say!" said Zhang Zhiwei.

Since the safety of the people in Qingyun Temple was at stake, Zhang Zhiwei did not act rashly and listened to the arrangements of his elders.

At the same time, he was not too worried about Huaiyi's safety. Although he would not go there this time, if Zhang Huaiyi really had any problems in his hall, he could also send the "imperial master" to help.

"Since Dai Tianshi has no objection, then go and call Huaiyi over. This matter is dangerous. If we are not careful, we will be doomed. I want to tell him something!" Zhang Jingqing said as he waved his hand outside the door.

Zhang Zhiwei turned around and walked out, thinking in his heart about the ability of the traitor that his master had mentioned.

He keeps his soul alive by absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, has super recovery ability, and likes to eat people. It's hard not to think of him as the Liuku Immortal Thief.

So is there a connection between the two? …

Zhang Zhiwei pondered for a moment, then shook his head. It was hard to say without experiencing it personally. The Six Treasury Immortal Thief's power acted on the body, while the traitor's ability acted on the soul.

When it affects the body, there are traces to be found; but when it affects the soul, it becomes somewhat illusory.

For things that can be traced, Zhang Zhiwei can find a corresponding solution.

For example, the Six-Storage Immortal Thief. Although this method combines longevity, endurance, recovery, and lethality into one, and seems almost impeccable, in Zhang Zhiwei's opinion, it is not without countermeasures.

The foundation of the Six-Storage Immortal Thief lies in the Six-Storage, which are the six internal organs of the human body. For the six internal organs to function normally, the cooperation of the twelve meridians is needed.

Based on this theory, if one wants to deal with the Liuku Xianzei's ability user, one only needs to accurately destroy his twelve meridians to disable his abilities.

For example, if the hand yangming large intestine meridian is destroyed, the large intestine storehouse among the six storehouses can be destroyed. If the hand taiyang small intestine meridian is destroyed, the small intestine storehouse can be destroyed... If all six storehouses are destroyed, the Six Storehouse Immortal Thief will be defeated.

This sounds difficult, but it is not difficult if there are targeted techniques, like the Lu family's Ruyi Jin, which specializes in targeting human internal organs and meridians.

Those who are good at this can even send out multiple forces in one breath and directly destroy a person's twelve meridians. This is one of the reasons why the Lu family can become one of the four major families.

If Ruan Feng, the master of the Six Treasury Immortal Thieves, met Lu Ci in the plot, he would probably be finished.

"The Six Treasury Immortal Thief is easy to explain, but how is the ritual for practicing this ability that acts on the soul arranged? Is it through the circulation of Qi in the physical body, or through visualizing something? I really want to see it!" Zhang Zhiwei thought to himself.

Then, he remembered the traitor’s second ability. There was no need for complicated rituals. Just ordinary talisman paper was needed, and he could cast the talisman with just a thought. It was very much like the Tongtian Lu.

But after the qualification of granting talismans was revoked, many high-quality talismans could no longer be used, and they could only practice Dharma teachings. In this respect, it is not as good as the Tongtian Talisman. In general, it feels like a beggar's version of the Tongtian Talisman.

"Does this person have a channel similar to the Eight Wonders? Or..." Zhang Zhiwei looked back at the Great Immortal Hall, "Is it related to the Heavenly Master Degree?"

…………

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At the same time, in Wen County, there was a heavily guarded warlord's mansion with armed guards standing at the door.

This is a courtyard with four entrances. The houses in the courtyard are very neatly maintained. There are three rooms at the innermost part of the courtyard, with a living room, bedroom and study.

At this moment, there were several green screens in the study, an exquisite desk was placed in the middle, pens, ink, paper and inkstone were neatly arranged, and books were placed on the bookshelf near the wall.

There were two people in the study, one was a young-looking girl in a red dress, and the other was a young officer wearing a tweed military uniform with his trouser lines ironed straight.

The officer picked up a roll of white tissue paper and spread it flat on the desk.

The woman in the red skirt put down the ink stick and picked up the brush, with the tip of the brush remaining on the paper without moving.

After a moment, she started writing, her strokes moving quickly and vigorously, and she finished the writing in one go.

The officer stretched his neck to look, and saw four big words written on the paper: "Tao follows nature"!
The officer was puzzled as to why the woman in the red skirt wrote these four words and asked her the reason.

The woman in the red dress did not answer. She just stared at these four words in a daze, her thoughts having gone back to a hundred years ago.

She said to her master, the Heavenly Master of that generation:
"Master, they say the Dao is ruthless. If I were also ruthless, wouldn't it be possible for me to better follow the Dao and seek the truth?"

The master told her: "Being ruthless does not mean being tyrannical or killing innocent people. Being ruthless does not mean being emotionless, but not being sentimental. It is better to be clear-headed, to be self-aware, and not be burdened by external things. Look more at the regularity of heaven and earth, and the order of the four seasons."

She didn't say anything at the time, but just bowed solemnly to her master.

The master didn't look at her, but looked at Tianmen Mountain opposite the Tianshi Mansion, and said softly:

“If the three corpses of greed, anger and ignorance are not eliminated, and one only pursues the so-called great way of being ruthless, then in the end it is not the right way to enter into concentration, but an evil concentration.”

"If you cannot comprehend the law of nature and understand the great truth, you might as well practice in the world and be a good person."

"Just remember, do good things and don't worry about the future. The good things you do have no direct relationship with the good or bad things the world gives you back."

"If you can truly understand and truly do it, then the Tao is ruthless and follows nature!"

She understood, but she was reluctant. She picked up a stone from the ground and threw it toward the gate of heaven in the distance, saying:
"I can't be that kind of good person."

She was thinking in her heart, since the law of nature is the good things I do in the world and has nothing to do with the good or bad that the world gives me in return, then the bad things I do have nothing to do with the good or bad that the world gives me in return, isn't this also the law of nature?

She only thought this in her heart and never said it out loud, but she always regarded it as the truth.

But one hundred years later, when she saw the four words "Tao follows nature" again, she felt a dull pain between her eyebrows, as if the stone had hit her right there.

She tried to recall what her master looked like, but found that her memory was already blurry.

All I knew was that he was an old man wearing a blue Taoist robe that had been washed so much that it looked bleached.

The old man had neatly combed hair and a long beard that was meticulously trimmed, giving him an air of an immortal, but her face could not be seen clearly. However, the words he had said were engraved in her memory like a branding iron.

"Old man, I can't do it. I can't follow the natural way you said, and I can't stop hating the Tianshi Mansion."

"Before, I always avoided becoming an enemy of the Tianshi Mansion, but I was caught and sealed away for a hundred years. Now I am very conflicted. On the one hand, I have overwhelming resentment, but on the other hand, I want to escape."

The woman in the red dress looked at the calligraphy and painting in front of her and thought:

"Then make a choice. After I attacked the man nicknamed Little Heavenly Master, I sent a letter to Longhu Mountain telling me that my seal had been removed."

"Regarding this seal, not many people in Qingyun Temple take it seriously anymore. The same should be true for the Tianshi Mansion headquarters."

"If the people at the headquarters have let this matter go, and have not linked me to the attack on the little Taoist priest, and have just sent an ordinary Taoist priest to check it out as usual, without further investigating."

"Then I will let go of my grudges, spare the lives of everyone in Qingyun Audience, and continue to lie dormant."

"If the people from Longhu Mountain come towards me, then Master, please forgive me for being unfilial!"

The woman in the red dress looked grim and tore up the words on the table.

…………

…………

Zhang Zhiwei came to the Tianshi Mansion where morning classes were held.

Taoism is a religion that has existed for thousands of years. It has many rituals, and morning and evening classes are one of them.

In the Tianshi Mansion, this is also called Xuanmen exercises, and is usually given by the elders in the sect to the younger generations.

The content of the lectures ranges from the five Taoist arts of mountain, medicine, destiny, divination and physiognomy to some myths and legends and the deeds of the predecessors.

It can be said that serious Taoists learn a lot and cover a wide range of areas, but human energy is limited and they cannot learn everything, so they often only specialize in a few of them.

Like Zhang Lingyu in the plot, although he majored in the "Mountain" art among the five Taoist arts, when Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing were fighting, he was able to understand the strange gates and analyze them clearly, all thanks to the Taoist morning and evening classes.

Zhang Zhiwei came to the Tianshi Temple where morning classes were held.

Although most of the lecturers for morning classes are older generations, it is not absolute. Zhang Zhiwei often teaches there and is very popular among his fellow students.

Because the principles he talked about were not as abstruse and difficult to understand as those taught by many older generations. Most of them were easy to understand and went straight to the point. Plus, he usually only taught for half a class and spent the other half bragging, so everyone loved to listen to him.

Today Zhang Zhiwei returned to the mountain. According to previous management, he must give a lecture in the morning class and tell everyone what he experienced after coming down the mountain.

This was definitely a new experience for the fellow disciples who had been practicing hard in the mountains, so they came to the Tianshi Hall early and sat down. However, they never expected that the person who came to give the lecture was not Zhang Zhiwei, but Zhang Huaiyi.

Zhang Huaiyi has always been a nobody in Longhu Mountain.

But during this period, he was just like King Zhuang of Chu, who would have made a stunning debut if he had kept silent. He suddenly emerged, learned thunder magic, became a false disciple, and reached the pinnacle of his life in the minds of many of his fellow disciples.

Therefore, when Zhang Huaiyi gave the morning class, not only did everyone not have any resistance, they also gave him warm applause.

This gave Zhang Huaiyi, the "thief" who had been lurking in the dark but was suddenly exposed to the sun, a little comfort, and his originally uneasy heart settled down.

(End of this chapter)