As the protagonist, Ling Yun's ability to talk his way out of trouble was his primary weapon of destiny.
However, protagonists often faced the most mockery.
As soon as the meeting began, Ling Yun was met with widespread doubt.
"Young and beardless, unreliable. How can we trust a plan you came up with all by yourself?"
"Exactly, a mere child thinks he can command us?"
Everyone present was over forty, so calling Ling Yun a "mere child" was only natural.
"Are you sure you don't trust me?" Ling Yun retorted.
Gu Xiaolai, standing by, was anxious, wanting to speak but feeling it wasn't the right time.
The crowd looked at him with disdain. If it weren't for Gu Xiaolai's sake, they would have thrown Ling Yun out long ago.
*Boom!*
Ling Yun unleashed his strength as a Grandmaster expert, sending everyone flying.
The terrifying internal energy caused everyone's faces to turn pale, their suffocating breath turning their faces red.
If Ling Yun hadn't actively controlled his power, they would have been annihilated, indirectly helping Zhao Yunhai deal with these troublesome individuals.
Zhao Yunhai, intending to bring all these forces into the open, could have killed them long ago.
Zhao's acquisition of Qianzhou as a blank slate was precisely what Zhao Yunhai desired.
On the surface, the Zhao family couldn't be the villain; the facade had to be maintained.
True villains never acted openly.
That would be arrogance, wouldn't it?
No.
That would be foolishness.
And so, through Ling Yun's efforts, these prominent figures of Qianzhou were persuaded.
"Very good. Since everyone trusts me so much, I will naturally not let you down."
"The plan has already been explained to everyone."
"Just wait patiently for a while longer, just a little more patience, and Zhao Yunhai will surely die."
"No matter how strong his protection, the greatest dagger often comes from within."
Ling Yun, while outwardly humble amidst the crowd's flattery, was inwardly pleased.
...
Meanwhile, upon hearing of the arrival of Young Master Zhao's little monk and a powerful expert, Liu Tan personally went out to welcome them.
Liu Tan wondered if they were sent by Young Master Zhao to monitor him, but then he thought otherwise.
Young Master Zhao had no need to monitor him; killing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.
As for the little monk coming to protect him, Liu Tan could only smile. This was the little monk who sat with Young Master Zhao; he couldn't afford to offend him.
Most likely, Young Master Zhao had sent the little monk out as an excuse to travel, and this martial arts master was there to protect the little monk.
After figuring this out, Liu Tan diligently arranged accommodations for the little monk and the other.
He took the little monk everywhere, telling him amusing stories, trying to appease him.
Liu Tan treated it like pacifying a child. Of course, if it were an ordinary child, he would have slapped them and told them to get lost.
Now, in order to quickly complete Young Master Zhao's task, Liu Tan instructed his subordinates to keep an eye on Ling Yun's movements.
According to his subordinates, Ling Yun seemed to have left Dongdu and gone to Nancheng.
Nancheng was not his territory; it was full of powerful figures, and he dared not go there. It was a place of no return.
After aligning himself with Young Master Zhao, Liu Tan aspired to go further, beyond Dongdu, to Nancheng, and even the entire Qianzhou.
He was ambitious but had no background; he needed someone to shelter him.
His vision had always been high, feeling that Qianzhou was too small, so he had never allied himself with the influential figures of Qianzhou.
Now, he had finally found the important figure he wished to follow. Only someone of this caliber could lead him out of Qianzhou.
Of course, the price of not having allied earlier meant paying more in terms of benefits.
At Liu Tan's stronghold, many gambling addicts and subordinates were smoking and playing cards nearby. These idle youths generally had nothing to do all day.
After waiting for a full two days, Liu Tan grew impatient, his ears almost calloused.
"The Buddha's great love and compassion, sprinkled upon the world, brings hope. Life after life has reincarnation; accumulate virtue and do good deeds, do not complain."
This was because the little monk Wuchen would occasionally recite Buddhist verses by his ear.
"Benefactor Liu, do fewer evil deeds and more good deeds. It will become your karma and reward you in the future and in the afterlife."
Little Monk Wuchen tirelessly advised Liu Tan to turn back to the righteous path.
After speaking, the little monk took out his wooden fish and began to strike it, setting a rhythm, and chanting profound scriptures.
Lü Boyun, stifling a laugh, stood by, feeling very sympathetic towards Liu Tan. If it were him, he would have been unable to stand the little monk's nagging long ago.
Just listening for the past two days, even though the chanting wasn't directed at him, had been tiring.
"Little monk, for someone like me, who can truly achieve the righteous path?"
Liu Tan rubbed his temples and said helplessly.
Little Monk Wuchen closed his eyes, pressing his prayer beads one by one, tapping the wooden fish, and continuously chanting Buddhist scriptures.
"Boss, boss, that scoundrel Ling Yun is back."
The subordinate whose face was still bruised and swollen from being dealt with by Ling Yun after the incident with "Man's Sorrow" ran in shouting.
"What's all the commotion?"
Liu Tan, seeing the subordinate, felt a surge of hope. He quickly stepped forward, threw an arm around the subordinate, and walked outside.
The corner of Little Monk Wuchen's mouth suddenly curved into a smile. He followed them, tapping his wooden fish.
"Boss, this little monk's constant chanting is so annoying," the subordinate said, feeling inexplicably irritated by the Buddhist chanting.
"Shut up," Liu Tan quickly reprimanded him, covering his mouth and speaking fiercely, "That's my little ancestor. If you want to die, I won't stop you."
"I understand, boss."
The subordinate suppressed the distracting noise behind him and quickly said, "Ling Yun is really back. Our people saw him get off the high-speed train."
"Good. Immediately abduct that woman, then lure Ling Yun to a secluded place to rescue her. We'll bury them both there."
Liu Tan quickly ordered his subordinates to prepare.
"Benefactor Liu, please try to commit less bloodshed. Amitabha."
How could Little Monk Wuchen not hear? After all, he was a peak Grandmaster expert.
"Some things are not things I can choose not to do. This is reality, little monk."
Liu Tan couldn't help but turn to the little monk and explain very earnestly.
"While I cannot change the reality of your hands being stained with blood, I can at least change your sins."
"You can kill people, but you cannot kill them with your own hands."
Little Monk Wuchen didn't know if this was right, but Benefactor Zhao had also said that as long as one didn't kill with their own hands, it wasn't considered killing.
As long as Liu Tan didn't kill personally, the karma for indirect killing would naturally be less than that for direct killing.
This way, he could at least give an account to Buddha.
Little Monk Wuchen's mindset, from the moment he began following Zhao Yunhai, had already deviated from the original protagonist's track and completely embarked on a different path.