You Don't Look Like You're Acting

One month later, Lone Goose City.

As a major city in southeastern Jiang Prefecture, its nightlife had only just begun after nightfall.

The lamps along the long streets lit up one after another. As the evening breeze swept past, it carried nothing but the scent of rouge and powder and the lavish fumes of wine.

Flowerplay House was one of Lone Goose City's most famous pleasure houses. Its gatehouse stood four stories high, with rows of red gauze lanterns hanging from the eaves, bathing every corner in a warm, rosy glow.

Silk and bamboo music drifted endlessly through the building, now and then mingled with the teasing laughter of men and women. The fragrant, alluring atmosphere grew ever more intimate.

Warblers and swallows, plump and slender alike—so many beauties that one's eyes could scarcely take them all in.

Wang Congyun sat in a private room, dressed in a brand-new brocade robe with its collar half-open. He lounged lazily against a gold-embroidered pillow on a soft couch. Having soaked in the pleasure house for most of the night, he reeked of wine, and traces of rouge and powder marked his body.

To his left, a round-faced girl with almond eyes poured him wine. To his right, a girl with a willow waist and shapely hips leaned against his shoulder as she peeled grapes for him. After eating two, he burst into unrestrained laughter and casually pinched a handful of the girl's peach-like buttocks, drawing a startled, coquettish rebuke from her.

The room was steeped in crimson haze, while mist curled lazily from the incense burner.

A group of girls fluttered around him, their red and green garments layered together. With his eyes half-closed in drunken languor, he would occasionally reach out, pull one into his arms, and toy with her as he pleased. He looked every inch a loose-living Daoist who was greedy for pleasure and lustful by nature.

Creak—

The door was pushed open. A madam in her forties entered, followed by two young girls. Their brows and eyes bore some resemblance, and both were delicate and lovely—a pair of sister blossoms. With lowered eyes, they timidly followed behind her.

The madam beamed broadly and flicked the handkerchief in her hand.

"Ah, Daoist master, you're still awake? I've brought you two newcomers! It's their first day receiving guests. They're both clean, pretty good girls—have a look and see whether they suit your fancy?"

Wang Congyun raised his eyes and swept them over, then immediately grinned, his breath heavy with wine.

At the same time, he pulled the two sisters into his arms. The girls staggered, only for him to catch each around the waist with one hand and steady them.

He casually took out two gold leaves and tossed them into the madam's hands, then laughed drunkenly. "Well done! If there are any more tender newcomers like these in the future, bring them over for this Daoist master to sample, understand?"

The madam clutched the gold leaves, her face splitting into a delighted smile.

"Oh my~ Daoist master, do I not understand you? Go out and ask around! Across all these streets, who doesn't know of your profound Dao arts—the tale of how you left every girl in our entire house unable to get out of bed after one night? From now on, so long as I have girls here, I'll send every last one to you without the slightest ambiguity!"

Wang Congyun took out another two gold leaves as a reward.

"Fine, you do know how to behave! This Daoist master rewards you. Get out."

The madam thanked him profusely and withdrew.

Laughter still filled the room. Wang Congyun drunkenly held the two beauties in his arms, looking them over on the left and pinching them on the right.

He was already past forty, and in a few more years would be nearing the age of knowing Heaven's decree. Yet the Daoist Sect's Dao Reception inheritance truly was remarkable. A single First Dao Reception granted two centuries and forty years of lifespan. Not to mention being only in his forties—even at eighty, he would still look as though he were in the prime of life.

His physique far surpassed that of ordinary mortals as well, fully equipped in every respect. Even facing many alone, he would not yield in the slightest.

Thump!

With the motion, he pulled the sisters toward the bed and tossed them down behind the thin gauze curtains. His robes hung loose, the bed curtains fell, candle shadows swayed, and spring scenery flooded the room, bright enough to mirror a person. Unable to wait any longer, he pressed down upon them and raised his hand to tear at their clothes amid the girls' coquettish laughter.

Rip—

Rustle!

Large swathes of snowy white were revealed.

Immediately afterward, Wang Congyun set the clouds and rain surging, conducting Daoist instruction for most of the night.

He educated the girls of Flowerplay House until they dared not talk back, every one of them falling into mist and clouds.

In the latter half of the night, the clamor at Flowerplay House gradually subsided.

The lanterns beneath the corridor remained lit.

Wang Congyun pushed open the door and walked out. All drunken languor vanished from his face. His steps were steady, his gaze calm, and not a trace of licentiousness remained. Even his clothing was perfectly neat.

When he reached a secluded spot on the back street, he said lightly, "You're back? You observed from outside for most of the night. Did you gain anything?"

Li Xiaobing slowly emerged from the shadows and teased him slyly. "Daoist brother, your Dao arts truly are profound. Every night, the music and pipes never cease—you really have a man's bearing! This little brother truly envies you... Could an Agricultural Path Cultivator like me have such a fine body? I also want to be that capable. It will surely be of great use in carrying on the family line someday."

Wang Congyun: "..."

Are you fucking mocking me or praising me?

Li Xiaobing chuckled and sensibly put away her joking manner.

"Tell me, then. What did you gain from this return to the mountain? It wasn't convenient to discuss things in detail through Insect Spirit messages. I heard... Master and Martial Uncle are coming down the mountain?"

Li Xiaobing nodded. "Yes. They have recently been mobilizing inner sect disciples everywhere, planning the restoration of the Horn Sand Forbidden Land... At the earliest, they will personally come to Lone Goose City to oversee matters the year after next; at the latest, within five years."

"Also, the sect has decided on a policy of dispersing the Agricultural Path. More than two hundred Field Stewards from New Dajiang County will be sent throughout Jiang Prefecture. On the surface, they will guard the four directions and spread the teachings everywhere, but outer sect disciples and message officers will secretly monitor them among the ranks."

Wang Congyun's expression shifted.

He was not afraid of his master coming. He had prepared for too long and was confident that he had achieved perfection beyond reproach. It would not be easy for a flaw to show, and that old thing Dong Daozi would not be able to see anything amiss.

But dispersing the Agricultural Path was indeed a thorny problem!

The Agricultural Path placed inheritance first and gathering the masses at its core.

Now that it was suddenly scattered in all directions, the development of the Agricultural Path beyond their borders would be heavily compressed. Once his master arrived, the supply line of the Green Mountain Lake Qin Household would be completely severed as well, and those Agricultural Path Cultivators intended for restoring the forbidden land would have no way to survive.

However, the latest batch of cultivators had already been sent away, leaving no loose ends. Green Mountain Lake now had at least eight hundred people. Even without new recruits for a short time, they could form their own momentum and develop in secret.

Naturally, he did not say any of this aloud.

He was accustomed to concealing himself carefully. The only person around him who knew the farmers' exact destination was himself. Li Xiaobing knew at most that he had secretly rescued people, but not how he did it. Yan Xin only knew the general area, not the precise location.

At this moment, Li Xiaobing was anxious beyond measure and pressed on. "Daoist brother, what did you mean before when you said the Third Realm was within reach? Is there really a method to break through?"

Wang Congyun took a formation diagram from his robes, one he had prepared long ago, and slowly nodded.

"This is the method for breaking into the Third Realm. One must conduct an Opening-Door Ritual... There are two kinds in all."

He unfolded the formation diagram, showed it to Li Xiaobing in detail, and explained at the appropriate moments.

"The first is called the Three-Nine Door-Opening Formation. This method requires twenty-seven Second Realm Field Stewards to form a formation and open the door for one person to break through... Its advantage is that it requires fewer people, but after the breakthrough, the realm will be unstable and needs at least half a year of consolidation before it can stabilize."

"Furthermore, those twenty-seven Field Stewards will be unable to break through themselves or open the door for others during the next three years."

"The second requires forty-nine Field Stewards to form the Seven-Seven Formation. It requires more people, but has no lingering consequences. The realm will be stable after the breakthrough, and the other participants can continue opening the door for the next person after resting ten days to half a month. They may also break through their own bottlenecks."

"Of course, regardless of which method is used, the cultivation of all Field Stewards carrying out the Opening-Door Ritual cannot be too low. At the very least, they must be able to use the Earthmoving Technique."

The more Li Xiaobing listened, the more shaken and horrified she became. Waves crashed endlessly within her heart.

More than once, she had wondered what the beginning of the Third Realm truly was, and exactly how one could break through. Only now did she finally see a workable method, leaving her inwardly astonished beyond words!

The certainty in Wang Congyun's words clearly showed that someone had already used this method! It was completely feasible! But how had such a refined method... been uncovered?!

Li Xiaobing had long guessed that Wang Congyun had certain channels within the Agricultural Path behind him. Now it seemed that the waters ran far deeper than she had imagined!

She knew not to ask about what she should not know, so she merely committed the arrangement of the formation diagram to memory, then raised her hand and reduced it to ashes.

"What a pity. If this had been before I went up the mountain, before the Daoist Sect dispersed the Agricultural Path, I could have united the strength of more Field Stewards to open the door... But now, I absolutely cannot break through in the short term!"

"I just told the Great Elder that the Third Realm was harder to reach than climbing to Heaven. If I broke through after just one trip down the mountain... it would be far too conspicuous. The Daoist Sect is full of old foxes. They would certainly grow suspicious."

Wang Congyun nodded slightly. He had long considered this.

"Correct! You need to remain quiet for at least another ten years. If someone breaks through first during that time, then everything will follow naturally... If no one does, then the next time you return to the mountain, you can bring up the idea of the Opening-Door Ritual, go through several repeated failed attempts as camouflage, and make the Daoist Sect believe you figured it out yourself. Then you can break through in a way that is perfectly reasonable..."

"Fortunately, you Agricultural Path Second Realm cultivators also have lifespans beyond those of mortals, so there is no fear of waiting."

Li Xiaobing solemnly bowed. "Thank you, Daoist brother, for planning this out for me."

For a moment, the two fell silent. They had already laid bare their hearts and gallbladders to each other; no further words were needed.

Then Li Xiaobing suddenly asked, "Daoist brother, you have always been trying to awaken Awakened Wisdom and switch to the Agricultural Path. Have you achieved anything?"

Wang Congyun's expression darkened.

"No. There seems to be a conflict between Daoist Sect cultivation and Agricultural Path cultivation. The two cannot coexist in one body!"

Li Xiaobing sighed, but comforted him. "Daoist brother... there is no need to worry too much!"

"Few other Daoist Sect disciples can capture Insect Spirits and have them acknowledge them as masters, yet you have now gained the recognition of multiple Insect Spirits. Other Land Spirits also trust you greatly and follow you. Perhaps this is the return for your long years of staying close to the Agricultural Path and aiding its people... Heaven has eyes. The Agricultural Path will not abandon you!"

Wang Congyun did not respond. He turned and headed out of the alley.

"Where are you going, Daoist brother? Aren't you going home?"

"Home? More than twenty delicate wives and beautiful concubines are waiting in my private residence in Lone Goose City. Of course I'm going home to that one!"

Li Xiaobing stood in the alley and watched him gradually disappear into the distance.

Fuck!

Obviously, I know it's all self-defilement for the sake of disguise... but why am I a little envious?!

I want a whole flock of wives and concubines too, warblers and swallows everywhere, colorful banners fluttering and never a night without standards flying!

Daoist brother? Are you sure you're really acting? Why does it not look like an act to me?!

The forty-fourth year of the Jingtai Era, deep winter.

Xiaopei County, Jiang Residence.

Several sheets of paper lay spread across the desk. Jiang Tu drew lines and circles, gathering and linking all kinds of scattered information together, while his expression gradually turned solemn.

Previously, the information from the Insect Spirit Intelligence Network had come from every direction. There were coded messages exchanged between Wang Congyun and Li Xiaobing from Lone Goose City; clues concerning the deployment of Lingjiang Temple's inner sect disciples and messages from officers stationed across the four directions; Agricultural Path disciples exchanging what they had for what they lacked; and information passing back and forth from Green Mountain Lake...

He sorted through them one by one, his thoughts exceptionally clear.

The Daoist Sect was secretly advancing the restoration of the Horn-Sand Ancient Forbidden Land. Something was hidden there, and they clearly did not want anyone else to know what it was.

Green Mountain Lake had confirmed that the Opening-Door Ritual was feasible. A single Seventh Grade could lead multiple people to break through, and they had even gone on to develop a ritual in which multiple Field Stewards formed a formation.

The Daoist Sect was carrying out its dispersal policy, planning to scatter the Field Stewards of New Dajiang County throughout Jiang Prefecture.

The Meizhou Daoist Sect was recruiting Agricultural Path Cultivators, intending to draw them into another province.

Wang Congyun frequented brothels and courtesans, with flocks of delicate wives and beautiful concubines, growing freer and happier by the day.

Dong Daozi and Qing Shuzi would soon descend the mountain.

Each matter was neatly listed, each of great use, the information packed to the brim...

Wait!

Did something strange get mixed in there?

What the hell is going on with you, Wang Congyun?