A Good Servant

The night was lonely and desolate.

Only the moon shines in the sky, with a few scattered stars on the horizon.

A campfire blazed in the wild, and several tents stood within the range illuminated by the firelight.

Horses were grazing, people were cleaning their guns, and dozens of people, some standing and some sitting, all exuded a shrewd and capable air.

Of the three closest to the fire, only Zhang Yi's demeanor resembled that of the brothers on the outer perimeter.

The other two men, one a man in his thirties, was wearing sunglasses, a silk robe, and a white button-down coat, and was fiddling with a gold pistol late at night.

Another elderly man, dressed in a gray Daoist robe, with yellowish hair tied in a topknot, had a ruddy complexion, kind eyes, and was chanting incantations as if performing a routine prayer.

Zhang Yi took the heated dry food biscuits off the thick wire, cut them open, scooped out the meat from the can with a dagger, stuffed it inside, and handed it to the man in sunglasses.

"Young Marshal, it's time to eat."

The man in sunglasses took the pancake, took a bite, and shook his head, looking quite satisfied. But after taking a second bite, he casually tossed the pancake into the fire.

"Is this the kind of thing you give me to eat?"

The man in sunglasses grinned, "You won't eat it yourself, yet you're giving it to me?"

This is the way the man in sunglasses said he wanted to try at noon today.

But Zhang Yi was already used to this man's fickle nature. He simply picked up another dry food biscuit without adding any meat and took a bite.

Now, Cao Bokun is the leader in the north, and his fourth brother Cao Rui and seventh brother Cao Ying have both gained power.

The man in sunglasses is Cao Ying's son, Cao Shaolin.

After joining the army, Zhang Yi served under Cao Ying. Relying on his martial arts skills, he was promoted quickly, and Cao Bokun also had a good impression of him.

In just a few years, he went from a new recruit with no connections or backing to the rank of colonel, just one step away from becoming a general.

In the past six months or so, he has received the power of the Origin Canon, and Cao Ying has mentioned several times that he wants to promote him.

Cao Ying said that sending him out to do an important task was a good excuse to promote him.

If he succeeds, he will have earned credit; if he fails, he will have put in the effort. In any case, he will definitely be promoted.

However, not far from the capital, Zhang Yi and his men encountered Cao Shaolin, a spoiled brat.

Traveling together like this forced Zhang Yi to become even more taciturn.

The sound of horses' hooves came from not far away. Zhang Yi's adjutant dismounted and hurriedly approached.

Zhang Yi's spirits lifted. "Have you ordered the intelligence department to intensify their investigation into Chen Xuewen's specific residence after his retirement? Have you found out?"

Adjutant Yang's expression was grim. "It's no use finding out now. A few days ago, a group of people with Bashu accents appeared in Henei County and took Chen Xuewen away."

Zhang Yi suddenly stood up. "What?!"

"I think they're most likely Liu Yanqi's men."

Adjutant Yang said, "The Bashu accent is easy to recognize. There's no one else who would dare to leave such blatant traces and oppose us like this."

This is, of course, a lie.

The people sent by the Han Prefecture to find Chen Xuewen wouldn't have any noticeable accents.

But Adjutant Yang who was lying, knew very well that since the Han Prefecture headquarters had made such an arrangement, even if Zhang Yi went to Henei to investigate and verify it.

The information that is verified will only confirm this lie.

"Once we leave the capital, we'll travel non-stop..."

Zhang Yi's breathing became slightly heavy, and he subconsciously glanced at Cao Shaolin.

Cao Shaolin, however, was quite astute at this moment, shrugging his shoulders and saying, "This has nothing to do with me, does it?"

"Throughout this journey, you've consistently led your men to live in the wilderness, and you've only sent your adjutant to towns to gather intelligence."

"Isn't it just that you're worried I'll go to town and take up your time?"

Cao Shaolin was always causing trouble, and he was never quiet in the capital. When he went outside, he became even more unruly.

Zhang Yi did intentionally stay in the wilderness along the way to avoid any unexpected complications, but it still caused some delays.

"Young Marshal, you've misunderstood."

Zhang Yi said, "I just blame myself for being too lazy."

Cao Shaolin nodded. "You really do have yourself to blame."

"Look, you didn't get your business done, and I didn't get to have any fun either. When I get back, I'm going to complain to my dad."

"If you make me happy, even if nothing gets done, I'll put in a good word for you when we get back and help you get promoted."

Cao Shaolin stood up, walked up to Zhang Yi, put his hands on Zhang Yi's shoulders, and sighed.

"Sigh, tell me, are you regretting it now?"

Zhang Yi remained expressionless, only saying, "I regret it now."

"Ever since you obtained that Origin Canon, you haven't been as obedient as before. You've even dared to boss me around along the way."

Cao Shaolin then said in a conciliatory tone, "Shouldn't you apologize to me? Show some sincerity, kneel down, and kowtow a few times."

Zhang Yi stared at him.

The movements of the brothers around them had stopped at some point, but they dared not utter a sound.

"We should kowtow to the young marshal a few times."

Zhang Yi suddenly smiled, reached out and lifted the hem of his long robe, preparing to kneel.

Cao Shaolin quickly helped him up, turned up his collar, and straightened his clothes.

"Hahaha, I was just kidding."

Cao Shaolin laughed very loudly.

"With your current skills, if you were to actually bang your head against the ground, wouldn't you knock down all these tents and destroy the place where I'm sleeping tonight?"

Zhang Yi Yidao: "I wouldn't dare."

"Alright, if you want to apologize, come with me to somewhere else to have some fun."

Cao Shaolin said, "Isn't there a particularly lively place in Yu Province, called... called..."

The old, blond-haired Daoist priest, having finished his lesson, smiled and replied, "Call it Luoyang."

"Ah, yes, that's it."

Cao Shaolin said, "Let's go to Luoyang for a visit."

Anyway, things are beyond saving.

It's impossible for Zhang Yi to chase them all the way to Bashu with such a small force.

Given Cao Ying's personality, Cao Ying certainly wouldn't object to spending some time with his son first, rather than returning directly to the capital to report.

Zhang Yi immediately agreed.

Cao Shaolin turned to look at the fire, pulled off his sunglasses, and grinned broadly.

The firelight illuminated his sallow face.

The scene of burning firewood was vividly reflected in his eyes, and he kept laughing, lost in thought.

The flames were intense, but ultimately not as bright as the sun the next day.

Cao Shaolin sat on horseback, looking up at the sky.

The sunlight created a bright spot on his sunglasses.

When he lowered his gaze, what he saw reflected in his sunglasses was a magnificent temple in front of him.

They set off before dawn and, now nearing afternoon, had arrived at Guanlin.

Guanlin is located south of Luoyang.

Legend has it that this is the place where, during the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao buried Guan Yu's head with the honors due to a king and built a temple to worship him.

Among the hundreds of Guan temples in the country, this place is uniquely called "Lin" (Forest), making it the only place in the country that combines the functions of tomb, temple, and forest into one.

In the 20th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Guanlin Temple was expanded on the original site of the Han Dynasty Guan Temple.

It covers an area of over 200 acres and has more than 150 halls, pavilions, and corridors.

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, this place has undergone several periods of damage and restoration.

During the Qianlong era, the eight-character wall at the main gate was originally a vermilion gate with red walls, but now it has faded.

But the ancient trees inside still stand tall and majestic, with lush foliage.

Even from outside the door, one can see the glossy green color of the tree canopy and leaves.

Zhang Yi and the old Daoist priest's horses were a little behind.

"Lord Yuanli."

Zhang Yi treated the old Daoist priest with great respect, "Did you intend to come to Luoyang from the very beginning?"

Lord Yuanli laughed and said, "It seems that since we set off today, our goal has been too clear, and the colonel has seen through it."

Zhang Yi looked at the temple ahead. "Lord Yuanli's cultivation is unfathomable, which is why you made a special trip to Luoyang, and to a place like Guanlin. Could it be related to the Origin Canon?"

Lord Yuanli nodded slightly.

Zhang Yi gritted his teeth and said, "If that's the case, does Lord Yuanli know that Chen Xuewen, whom we were originally ordered to find, is the owner of Sima Yi Origin Canon?"

That's not important.

Lord Yuanli said softly, "Judging from the current situation, the successor of Sima Yi Origin Canon must not have fully integrated with it. Even if you capture him, you won't kill him; otherwise, it will only force Sima Yi Origin Canon to find another successor."

"But if Busha him, we've already brought him under the Cao Family's control, attracting the attention of the Dragon Vein, which will, in some mysterious way, greatly harm the Cao Family."

"I advised Lord Cao on this matter, but Lord Cao is suspicious and has a strong desire for control, so he ultimately decided to send you out to test you."

Zhang Yi asked in bewilderment, "Can't Lord Yuanli's magic solve this kind of problem? If not, what are you doing here at the temple?"

Now that we've come to this place, we're definitely here to steal Guan Yu Origin Canon artifacts.

Zhang Yi had also vaguely heard that this Lord Yuanli seemed to have a great deal of knowledge about the Dragon Vein Original Scripture.

"Guan Yu was a military general who charged into enemy lines, breached city walls, and flooded seven armies. He possessed an extremely strong killing aura and died by decapitation. After his death, his vengeful spirit wandered to Mount Yuquan. It was only after someone called out his real name that he regained his senses for a while."

Lord Yuanli recounted the story in detail.

"His Origin Canon not only contain his deeds during his lifetime, but also many true and false stories about his wandering soul before the Dragon Vein separated from him. These stories are a mixture of the yin and yang, and are ever-changing."

"The Dharma I practice is essentially a revival and interpretation of the ancients by the world, involving a great deal of Guan Yu. In fact, it is the easiest to obtain his Origin Canon."

"Placing the Guan Yu Origin Canon in the body of someone who should never have been chosen is the first anomaly I created."

"When these changes accumulate step by step, exceeding the influence of the Dragon Vein, then it will be irrelevant to capture Sima Yi Origin Canon, whether to imprison, kill, or strip him of his authority."

Zhang Yi knew little about magic or similar things.

But he picked up on a key point.

Cao Shaolin!

According to Lord Yuanli's intentions, this old man wanted Cao Shaolin to obtain Guan Yu's Origin Canon.

Zhang Yi looked at the spoiled brat ahead and tightened his grip on the reins.

Does someone like this deserve such benefits?

But... well, what can you do when someone is born into a good family?

Zhang Yi's hands relaxed slightly, but his eyes became even more ferocious.

So be it. Even if Cao Shaolin obtains Guan Yu's Origin Canon, given his foundation, how much mastery can he possibly achieve in the true interpretation?

Zhang Yi thought to himself: My true understanding is already at its peak.

If Lord Yuanli and his group's plan succeeds, and the influence of the Dragon Vein is broken, then I will also have the opportunity to go further.

Lord Yuanli appeared calm and collected, yet he was acutely aware of the subtle expressions of those around him.

It has a fierce streak, but it's just the kind of fierceness a dog has without regard for right or wrong; it wants to break through and surpass others, but it's unwilling to take the lead and try.

Indeed, this kind of person is very suitable to be recruited into the teaching force as a core member.

Lackey, lackey, even a lackey should have talent.

This man is a truly capable and good lackey!

(End of this chapter)