Am I the only one who didn't ascend?

While the Taixu Mansion of the Immortal Alliance mobilized the national team to work hard and forget sleep, Xinheng in Mingzhou was also in full swing.

After the aftermath team headed by Tuoba Tiancheng went to the Immortal Alliance for a field investigation, it took ten days and ten nights. All the team members worked tirelessly to write a magnificent article entitled "Seeing the Blue Sky through the Clouds", which detailed the differences and gaps between the civilizations on the left and right of the sky, and called on Xinheng to immediately and comprehensively approach the Immortal Alliance, learn from everything in the Immortal Alliance with ten times more strength, 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, the 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 multiple parties spray each other, while he temporarily stood aside and watched until the final decision was made.

There is an answer to where Gan Fengxian's hammer will fall. As the new king of Heng who was personally supported by Wang Luo, Gan Fengxian's throne is 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.

In theory, this is of course unnecessary, but as a necessary procedure, the court still performed the whole drama seriously to the end, in order to minimize the pressure from the people.

And can this good intention resonate with the people?

If it can.

——

Xinhengxi [Mingtai] County, west of the county seat [Mingdu], a prosperous town close to the border area, a fat official in a gray-brown robe trotted all the way to the town square, and a sweat-blooded horse behind him was flying with four hooves, but could only barely keep up with the back of his master... For a moment, the horse's face was full of confusion.

As a spiritual horse, it certainly knew that the master was practicing, and the speed of running at full speed was faster than that of a horse. But the word "full speed" has never been with the master. From the heroic and handsome appearance with eight abdominal muscles in his youth to the current big belly, the passion of being a human being has long gone away with his ex-wife and daughter from that middle-aged man... In short, the sweat-blooded horse has not seen the master running at full speed for many years.

On the other hand, as a patrolman in this town, Ma Changxue, who was running almost to death, really had no choice.

When he was young, he was famous for his "lightness" 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 the world's major events, 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 and wealthy county, and the hundreds of miles of land west of Mingdu were located on the border, with a slow and flamboyant pace of life. As long as he didn't deliberately cause trouble, he could live a very leisurely and peaceful life as a grassroots official who was paid by the court.

Unless... he encountered an emergency like this.

"Hu, hu..." After galloping all the way to the town square, Ma Changxue felt that his blood was almost sprayed out of 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 breathlessly: "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 become more and more boiling. But at this time... the moment he appeared, the square fell into silence, and no one interrupted him until he finished a long string of incoherent words.

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

This [Bai Li] town has never been as beautiful and simple as those scholars from big cities imagine. On the contrary, the unruly people in the poor mountains and bad waters are often like a group of beasts under the night.

Even as a local official, he had to be careful all the time, otherwise, if he was not careful, he would disappear like those young people who inspected the construction in the town square before...

"Xiao Ma..."

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

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

Because his immediate superior could only deduct his salary and allowance at most, but no one could predict what the old man in front of him would do. In Mingtai County, don't provoke Dashengguan. This is an iron rule that has been circulated locally for hundreds of years. Even when the master of Dashengguan died unexpectedly and Dashengguan 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 who managed the incense hall in this town and had only a few hundred followers... But even the master who theoretically governed tens of thousands of people and had an official seal on his waist was not as powerful as this old incense master.

So when Ma Changxue heard the other party calling, he immediately bowed his head and smiled: "Old man Yin, you say."

Yin Shiquan sighed and said: "What I want to say, in fact, 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 was instantly overwhelmed when he heard it, but he could only smile: "Old man Yin is right, the love of the villagers for me, Xiao Ma will never forget it."

"There is no need to say so many empty words, now you are Official, we are the people, and 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 since more than 600 years ago in the wilderness. Now you want to set up the mark of the Immortal Alliance on it. Do you think you can live up to our ancestors? 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 have a headache, and he knew that this matter was irreversible.

In the court, and even in Fancheng and other places, the death of Yu Gong, the master of Dasheng Temple, was clearly determined - self-destruction. But in Mingtai County, even a figure like the new king Gan Fengxian did not dare to risk the rebellion of the whole county and make the truth public. And of course, the court could not officially weave lies, so Yu Gong's death became a matter for people to comment on in several western counties, especially Mingtai County.

The so-called commentary by people, in essence, naturally became the commentary of Dasheng Temple. 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 respect 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: "Mr. 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 there, but innocence may not be! I won't talk about them bringing heretical evil treasures from the Immortal Alliance and suddenly running to our town to set up a Ten Directions Mirror here and broadcast the programs of the Immortal Alliance. Some villagers were indignant and came forward to argue, but they were the first to hurt people, and they were very fierce!"

As he said, he pointed his mouth back, and suddenly a ragged middle-aged man with green skin came hobbling all the way.

As soon as he appeared, he shouted in an extremely exaggerated tone: "Master Yin, you must help me. I was just curious and asked, but the girl not only slapped me, but also drew her sword to chop me! If it weren't for the timely help of the villagers, I would have been killed on the spot by that little girl!"

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

At this time, Ma Changxue just wanted to laugh.

Master Yin, you really put on a full show. You even let Niu Er, a thief, be an actor. After the death of the temple master, the remnants of Dasheng Temple are really unrestrained!

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 powerless, and the golden elixir in their stomachs was condensed from books. How could they be the first to attack a person who was known to be a blind drifter in an unfamiliar place? Even if they really wanted to do it, they could have ordered the constables who accompanied them all the way!

But there was still the same problem. Yin Shiquan had already done the whole trick. Needless to say, the human and material evidence around him definitely leaned towards Yin Shiquan, so Ma Changxue, a latecomer, had no chance to overturn the case.

After thinking for a while, Ma Changxue said: "The kids in the big city 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 face froze slightly, obviously realizing that those scholars might have powerful parents. If they did something extreme...

Ma Changxue said again: "But they were sent by the county governor with the imperial decree after all, and the establishment of the Ten Directions Mirror in the whole territory to lead to the fairy alliance illusion is said to be from the emperor's decree. We are all good people, and we deserve to be pointed at by swords. There is really no need to humiliate the superiors. In my opinion, the Ten Directions Mirror of those county boys will definitely not be established anyway. , they have also learned a lesson, why not just let them go and release them first? "

Yin Shiquan smiled: "Xiao Ma, what you said, do you think we are bandits? We locked them up to protect them. After all, most of our believers in Xiangtang are easy to talk to, but other villagers may not have such a good temper as us. In this town, if you want something from the Lixianmeng, there is no way! However, today I will give you a face. You can take those young people away later. But remember, don't let them come back. "

Hearing this, Ma Changxue finally breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing that things were not going to get out of hand, he put on a smiling face again and boasted to Yin Shiquan.

After that, he would naturally ride on a sweaty horse and go to the Xiangtang to receive people in an orderly manner. As for what happened after that, it was really not the responsibility of a small official like him. As for the Ten Directions Mirror and Illusion Broadcast, please let the superiors deal with such matters 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, and apologized to the people around him: "It is really a joke to Master Wang Shan, this country where illusions merge Although the imperial court intends to implement the plan resolutely, it is indeed difficult to implement it, especially in the western counties. However, in the final analysis, it is really the incompetence of us politicians. "

Wang Luo said: "It is expected. Not to mention in Xinheng, even in the Immortal League, a single nine-god competition has already provoked countless demons and demons. You can promote this matter to finally reach a consensus in the court. It is already very good." It’s not easy anymore.”

Zhang Jincheng said: "After all, the officials in the imperial court are good at judging the situation. They would have known that this matter was irreversible. The so-called resistance was more for the people below... However, please don't worry, Master Wang. I will strictly follow people later." We must take stricter measures to prevent the remnants of Dashengguan from acting so recklessly again!”

Wang Luo pondered for a moment and shook his head: "That's not what happened. Even Gan Fengxian was unwilling to rashly provoke these local believers of the Great Victory Temple, which shows that this matter cannot be accomplished by brute force alone. The people's support here is obvious I hate the imported things from the Immortal Alliance. In this case, you can't act recklessly, otherwise it will be counterproductive. After all, you can control the government, but you can't control many ordinary people."

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

"It's very simple, just lure it for profit. The Nine Mirrors in the fantasy world are broadcasted with the Ten Directions Mirror. This is a carnival for the whole people. It is not a boring sermon. The content is also entertainment-heavy like Taixu Picture Scroll. Project. Any large-scale competitive event will always be followed by the rise of the gambling industry. In remote and blind places like Mingtai County, the gambling industry has always been rampant, so let's start from this town. As someone who likes to show off and can't hide money or things, let them make a small fortune first. Of course, you don't need to pay for it. I don't know how many gambling clubs in Xinheng are eyeing this paradise. They are sure. We are all willing to make this initial investment. However, once the gambling industry spreads anywhere, the results will not be very good, and you need to be prepared for this.”

Zhang Jincheng gritted his teeth: "Mountain Master, please rest assured, important things come first, we are always prepared to sacrifice!"