"This is outrageous!"
In the commandery governor's residence in Dingxiang City, Zhang Lun had been in town for less than an hour, yet his face was already twisted with rage. He swept the tea set beside him onto the floor.
As it shattered, he rose and spat, "Who does some Daoist from beyond the mundane world think he is? We don't even know if he's Master Soaring of Great Hua Mountain! He could be a nobody! Even if he is, he's a Daoist from Guanzhong who's come to Hedong, to Dingyang, to Dingxiang City, and he's still putting on airs! Does he command tens of thousands of troops? He says he won't see me? I've given him too much face!"
Across from Zhang Lun, the two men who had brought the news kept their heads down and their backs bent, hardly daring to breathe as they attended him.
But the lower they bowed, the more he took his anger out on them.
"And you two couldn't even handle this little errand!" Zhang Lun's gaze turned icy. "I told you to summon him here, not deliver him an invitation! Oh, he said he wouldn't come, so you came back? When I say summon him, why don't I see you dragging him back in chains?"
"General..."
Under his scolding, the two finally dared not stay silent. If their superior decided to punish them, they would be in serious trouble. One braced himself and replied, "We don't know who the man is, and quite a few Daoists are following him. We heard the place he's staying was originally the residence of Daoists from Kunlun. Those Daoists from the west have credentials that clearly establish their standing. His Majesty specifically instructed us to treat them courteously. How could we force our way into their