Astral Apostle - Chapter 509: Expedition (1)

After Zhou Jing met him, he slowly returned to the Daoist temple.

On the next day, an eunuch brought a team of porters to their house to deliver boxes of things and read the imperial edict.

“The official has been issued a decree. He has conferred the title of ‘Golden Pill Immortal Master’ on Perfected Master Windwalker. He has been promoted to the position of Vice Supervisor of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. He has been given ten sets of gold-weaved Daoist robes, ten whisks of silver thread, 30 official documents, 90 pieces of brocade, and 50 jars of wine. He has specially ordered Daoist to follow the Heavenly King Stronghold’s troops to Huyang next spring to subdue the bandit leader, Chen Feng!”

“This Daoist accepts the order.”

Zhou Jing was not surprised. After receiving the decree, he got his disciples to carry the imperial gifts into the Daoist temple.

With him and the officials working together, the Emperor finally agreed to let him go on an expedition, giving him many rewards to show his favor.

Information had always circulated extremely quickly in the capital. In just half a day, more than half of the people in the capital knew about this and got extremely excited.

The famous Perfected Master Windwalker actually wanted to compete with that demon, Chen Feng. This attracted the interest of many people. The streets and alleys were filled with discussions, arguing endlessly about who was stronger and who was weaker.

One could summon the wind and rain, while the other could fight against an army of thousands. Everyone was curious about how the two of them would compete in the end.

The next day, Lu Longchuan and the others came to visit Zhou Jing again. The moment they met, they bowed respectfully.

“Your heart is for the people, willing to come out to aid us. I deeply respect you for that!”

“There’s no need to do that. Let’s set three rules first.”

Zhou Jing waved his horsetail whisk.

Lu Longchuan and the others straightened up and said with a serious expression, “Perfected One, please speak.”

Zhou Jing said slowly, “Firstly, I’m someone who is unrelated to this matter. Killing is harmonious and harmful to my cultivation. In order not to kill more, I’ll only deal with Chen Feng. I won’t help even if your men are being killed in front of me.”

Lu Longchuan hesitated for a moment before saying, “There’s no need to use a sledgehammer to kill a chicken. There’s naturally no need for you to trouble yourself with the matter of the army. It’s just that once the war starts, we need you to use the Wind Calling Technique to occupy the advantage for the army. I wonder…”

“As long as I won’t hurt anyone, we can discuss about it. We’ll act according to the situation.” Zhou Jing did not refuse immediately.

“Then we’ll do as you say,” Lu Longchuan quickly replied.

When Sun Rong heard this, he shook his head to himself.

According to his plan, in a water battle, if Perfected Master Windwalker could trigger the legendary scene of the Azure Dragon soaring into the sky in Ning Tian Prefecture, it would far surpass having a thousand troops on hand.

Unfortunately, this Daoist was unwilling to kill needlessly, so this plan could not be used.

However, as long as someone could restrain Chen Feng, this wave of requests for help would not be a loss. Although the Dragon King Stronghold was powerful, Chen Feng’s might occupied most of it. If they could defeat the bandit leader, the morale of the Dragon King Stronghold would collapse. Only then would they have a chance of winning this battle.

Zhou Jing continued, “Secondly, I’m not good at the art of war, so I won’t interfere in your marching arrangements. However, since I’m here to help, I don’t want to be in the dark about the movements of the army. Therefore, I’ll thicken my skin and ask to join the army to listen to the military discussion.”

Lu Longchuan immediately agreed, “That’s not a problem. We won’t avoid you when we discuss military affairs.”

As long as he did not ask for the command, it was not a problem to have one more person listen in, let alone a hardcore teammate who was the least likely to leak the news.

“As for the last thing, I want to bring some disciples to be my personal guards. It’s more convenient for me to live when I march with you.”

“Haha, these three things are simple. It’s all up to you.”

Lu Longchuan was relieved and smiled happily.

He was originally worried that Ling Fengzi’s conditions would be very harsh, but he did not expect them to be easy.

After finalizing their opinions, the few of them chatted happily for a full two hours before Lu Longchuan and the others bade farewell and left.

Zhou Jing sent them out of the house and returned to his room. He dismissed the disciples and silently took out two secret manuals from the secret compartment.

The titles of the two books were written on the yellowed cover. One was the “Dark Valley Records”, and the other was the “Secrets of Yin Yang Fusion”. They were the cultivation methods left behind by Mei Shaoqing back then. She was good at subduing ghosts and dual cultivation.

Zhou Jing had never practiced it, as he was worried that he would be tainted by the evil aura and let the cultivators see through it.

However, as his mastery of the techniques from the Righteous Heart Sect deepened, he also had a new understanding of these two secret manuals. He realized that these two secret manuals could be good or evil. If he pursued cultivation speed, he would apply it in the form of Mei Zhanqing’s sorcery techniques.

If he followed the prescribed order, he could master it as ordinary spells, but the power would be much weaker. His body would only be stained with some Yin aura, but there would be no evil aura. He would not be seen as an evil cultivator.

“It’s not easy for me to send information when I go out with the army. Although I can fly, I might be discovered if I frequently enter and leave the military camp. Thus, using the Punishment Ghost Technique to send a letter might be useful… In a battlefield where there are countless dead souls, there’s no need to harm people if I want to raise ghosts.

Before I set off next spring, I’ll take the chance to practice these two secret manuals.”

Zhou Jing nodded to himself.

…

On the other side, in the Imperial Astronomer Bureau.

Supervisor Ning Zhongjun and Vice Supervisor Yin Nan sat opposite each other and chatted. The two of them were both core higher-ups of the Jade Cauldron Sect.

“When we went to court today, the officials mentioned yesterday’s matter again. His Majesty finally agreed to let Ling Fengzi go out to suppress the bandits. Perhaps he also believed that his divine powers were extraordinary and that nothing would go wrong.”

Ning Zhongjun took a sip of tea and said calmly.

Yin Nan said hesitantly, “Sect Master, this Ling Fengzi is deeply favored by the Emperor. We used this opportunity to make a fuss and send him to the front line, but we also promoted his reputation. If he can return, his status in the Emperor’s heart will be higher. He might only be promoted to the Vice Supervisor now, but he might threaten your position in the future.”

Ning Zhongjun’s face was calm as he casually said, “His Majesty promoted him to the position of Vice Supervisor as a warning to us. However, it’s fine. Although I brought up his name, as long as he doesn’t return alive, everything will be in vain.”

“Sect Master, you mean…”

“The battlefield changes rapidly, and only a small mistake can be avoided. Isn’t it easy to teach that Ling Fengzi to die in Huyang? As long as we get rid of this person, no one will fight with us for the favor through the Mystic Dao.”

Ning Zhongjun fiddled with his teacup as the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Yin Nan looked around and asked in a low voice, “Then does the Sect Master have a plan?”

“Most of the people in the Heavenly King Stronghold are greedy bandits. As long as we give them some money, there will always be someone willing to work for us.”

Ning Zhongjun’s eyes flickered. He paused for a moment before continuing in a low voice,

“Or rather, let my disciple, who is hiding among the commoners, contact Chen Feng and help him kill Ling Fengzi in front of the formation… However, colluding with the enemy is a huge crime. Remember not to reveal the identity of the disciple you sent, so that no news is leaked.”

“I understand.” Yin Nan’s expression turned solemn.

Ning Zhongjun smiled and shook his head, “Of course, this is just a backup method. Ling Fengzi’s trip is already doomed, so we don’t have to do anything unnecessary… I heard from the people of the Southern Hua Sect that Chen Feng’s Fiendish Aura is almost tangible and can break through spells. Although Ling Fengzi’s wind control technique is magical, he will probably be torn apart by a person like Chen Feng.”

“That’s true.” Yin Nan’s expression relaxed.

…

Winter passed and spring came, and everything revived.

The world took off its silver equipment and changed into a new set of green.

After a winter of rest, the Heavenly King Stronghold’s troops had already recovered enough energy. The army set off from the north to the south, passing through the various states and counties in a mighty manner. Their movements were known to the world, and they headed straight for Huyang to eliminate the bandits.

The army was not close to the capital, so Lu Longchuan sent a few leaders to pick up Perfected Master Windwalker and meet up with the army halfway.

After a winter, the entire capital knew about this. On the day Perfected Master Windwalker set off, the citizens of the capital surrounded the streets to send him off.

However, Zhou Jing was sitting in the carriage, so the surrounding citizens could not see his figure. They felt that it was a pity.

Soon, the team passed through the crowded street and left the city gate. They traveled under the banner of the Heavenly King Stronghold.

The journey was smooth sailing without any twists and turns. The team traveled for many days and successfully caught up to the army.

On the plains, the military tents were endless. As far as the eye could see, they were extremely large. It was said that there were more than 100,000 troops.

Zhou Jing alighted from the carriage and walked through the camp. When he was brought to the central tent, he immediately saw Lu Longchuan and the others.

“Haha, Daoist, you’re finally here. We’ve been waiting for a long time.”

Lu Longchuan laughed and brought the leaders up to welcome him.

“I was delayed on the way.”

Zhou Jing bowed and looked around at the people from the Heavenly King Stronghold.

These leaders had different expressions. Some were enthusiastic, some were curious, some were scrutinizing, and some were disapproving.

Zhou Jing made a mental note of their expressions.

“I’ll rely on you for this battle.” Lu Longchuan cupped his fists.

“That’s easy. I’ll take action when we reach Huyang.”

Zhou Jing flicked his whisk and smiled.

That night, the leaders of the Heavenly King Stronghold welcomed Zhou Jing. However, the conditions in the army were harsh, and there was no luxurious banquet.

All kinds of daily matters had been arranged by someone. From then on, Zhou Jing followed the army. Other than listening to the military meetings, he had nothing else to do and was very free.

There were hundreds of thousands of troops in the Heavenly King Stronghold, and there was also the Imperial Court’s transfer of troops. Along the way, the cities opened their doors to welcome them, and their speed was not slow.

After traveling for many days, the army finally stepped into the Huyang area.

As for the news of the Heavenly King Stronghold’s army going south to suppress the bandits, it naturally could not be hidden. It had long spread throughout the world.

Everyone in Huyang knew about it, and the Dragon King Stronghold had also received the news long ago.