Chen Yun ran hundreds of miles along the official road, stopping only when he heard Zhang Gan calling from the side of the road.

    He turned his head and saw no one chasing him.

    He grabbed Zhang Gan directly, "Let's go find a city first."

    Liu Guibi, although powerful, was still a member of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Even so, he dare not make a move in a crowded place.

    Chen Yun believed that hiding within a city would be relatively safer.

    Although Zhang Gan had many questions, he knew that this was not the time to speak. He quickly pointed forward and said, "The Peach Forest City is up ahead, but I don't know if there is a war."

    "Never mind, let's go first."

    Chen Yun and Zhang Gan barely paused, and after another thirty miles, they arrived at the Peach Forest City.

    Unlike the peaceful scene of music and dance in the territory of Qin.

    The roadside was littered with bones and many charred remains of peasant homes.

    Moreover, the defense troops in Peach Forest City were numerous as well, with soldiers visible on the city wall at a glance.

    Entering the city for inspection was very strict.

    Chen Yun and Zhang Gan were almost being patted down by the soldiers.

    Even within the city, there were no signs of people; every house had its doors tightly shut.

    Even if they entered the "Yue Lai Inn," Chen Yun and Zhang Gan still did not see any people inside.

    In the room.

    As the door shut, Zhang Qian asked eagerly, "Chen senior, how did you manage to escape?"

    While checking for any abnormalities in the room, Chen Yun answered casually, "I deliberately put away my weapons and formations, allowing Li Guibai... the leader of that group who intercepted us on the way... to let his guard down. Then, I used Dreamcrafting Technique and Illusion Craft to create a duplicate of myself in place and hide my body shape, which allowed me to barely escape."

    It sounded very simple, but Zhang Qian still felt a bit heart-pounding, "If you had made a mistake just now, the result would have been very terrible."

    Chen Yun could certainly imagine that.

    Just thinking about the repeated troubles from the Peacetime Doctrine, who had always been good-tempered, he was thoroughly angry.

    Moreover, he had just learned from Li Guibai that Lin Princess Yun had not died.

    "This matter cannot be settled like this!" Chen Yun clenched his fist.

    "From how easily we fell to their tricks just now, it seems that Li Guibai's cultivation should be far above yours, Chen senior," Zhang Gan analyzed, "And with their ten or so sturdy and martial-minded men, we are only two people. It might not be a match for them in a direct confrontation."

    "I know." Chen Yun's eyes were dark and cold. "That's why I plan to find some help."

    Zhang Qian was taken aback, "Help? We don't seem to have any acquaintances around this Peach Forest City, do we?"

    Chen Yun said calmly, "Acquaintances are something we have to earn ourselves."

    Zhang Qian didn't understand what it meant, "Senior Chen, what does that mean?"

    Chen Yun pointed to the location of the county magistrate's office, "Borrowing the power of the government."

    Zhang Qian was stunned, "Borrowing the power of the government? What do officials from the Tang Dynasty have to do with us?"

    Chen Yun said with confidence, "I have a plan. Come with me."

    ...

    County magistrate's office.

    Sun Zhong, the peach forest magistrate, sat to one side, his eyes respectfully watching the three officers in armor discussing how to respond to Huang Nie's counterattack.

    The three officers in armor were no ordinary figures. They were respectively Zhang Chengfan, the general of the Left Spiritual Army cavalry, Wang Shihui, the general of the Right Spiritual Army infantry, and Zhao Ke, the commander of the Left Spiritual Army military affairs.

    The Spiritual Army drove Huang Nie out of Luoyang and then followed him here, temporarily occupying the county office.

    "Xiang Ye has led 150,000 bandits to Qi County, and this place is quite close to Tongguan. We must defend this place to prevent a counter-attack."

    "Um, the movements of the bandits this time must be heading towards Cizhou, or they might make a U-turn. It's better to be cautious."

    "The leader of the bandits, Meng Kai, is very brave. If they really launch a counterattack, our 5,000 Spiritual Army may not be able to withstand the fierce attack."

    The three Spiritual Army generals were making plans.

    Suddenly, a minor official knocked on the door and entered.

    Everyone turned to look.

    The minor official bent down and said, "His Excellency Sun, there is a matter I need to report. Can you come out?"

    Sun Zhong stood up to leave.

    Zhang Chengfan and Wang Shihui looked at each other, their gazes filled with alertness.

    It was obvious that they were afraid that Sun Zhong was secretly in cahoots with Huang Nie's bandits.

    Therefore, as Zhuang Chengfan reached out to intercept Sun Zhong, he turned to the minor official and said, "Tell us directly what it is."

    "Ah...?" The minor official looked awkwardly at the magistrate.

    Sun Zhong knew that Zhang Chengfan and the others were suspicious, so he simply sat back down and said, "Never mind, just say it in front of the generals."

    The minor official had no choice but to say, "There is a person seeking an audience outside. He claims to be the disciple of Zhengyang Immortal of the Chongyun Cave in the Zhangmencun Mountain."

    Hearing this, Zhang Chengfan's eyes lit up, "The disciple of Han Zhongli? Quickly invite the immortals in with due respect."

    The minor official nodded and left.

    Zhao Ke was momentarily stunned, and he asked, "Chengfan brother, why do you want to bring in a person?"

    Wang Shihui laughed and said, "General Zhao, do you not know the heart of General Zhang? Zhengyang Zhenren is a celestial being, and his disciples may not be celestial beings themselves, but they have celestial arts at their disposal. If we can make friends with them, when facing difficulties on the battlefield in the future, we can ask them to cast a celestial spell to easily defeat enemies and slay generals. Moreover, even if we don't talk about battleships, our families can turn to them for help in case of emergencies."

    Zhao Ke suddenly understood and said, "Right, I'm just an unrefined man; I really wasn't thinking as deeply as General Wang."

    Zhang Chengfan looked disparagingly and said, "Is it that I'm the one who doesn't think carefully?"

    "Ha, ha, ha, yes, Chengfan brother of course thinks carefully." Zhao Ke sat there stroking his beard and laughing.

    Between their words, there was a lack of anticipation for the upcoming "immortal."

    Including County Magistrate Sun Zhong, everyone felt the same way.

    They really wanted to know what the Daoist who claimed to be the disciple of the revered Han Zhongli looked like.

    Zhang Chengfan and the others believed that this Daoist must have snowy white hair, youthful appearance, and a dignified, ethereal demeanor.

    At the very least, he must be a middle-aged Daoist with a feather fan and silk kerchief, transcendent and unworldly, with long white beard flowing in the wind.

    But when the minor official led the two to the conference room, Zhang Chengfan and the others learned that the Daoist who claimed to be a disciple of Han Zhongli was a youth with red lips and white teeth.

    Beside the young Daoist was a "follower" dressed in a similar manner, another young man with delicate and tender skin.

    Zhang Chengfan, Wang Shihui, Zhao Ke, and Sun Zhong thought they had seen things wrong. They rubbed their eyes several times to make sure they weren't hallucinating.

    After confirming that they were indeed two young men, they still had doubts and glanced outside the door to see if there was a "divine and ethereal" Daoist waiting.

    Mm, they thought that Chen Yun and Zhang Gan were the ones "taking the lead" and that there must be higher-level Daoists waiting behind them.

    What let down Zhang Chengfan, Wang Shihui, and Zhao Ke was that there was no one outside the door.

    By chance, the minor official also introduced at this moment, "Gentlemen generals, His Excellency Sun the County Magistrate, this Taoist is the one who claims to be a disciple of Zhengyang Immortal."

    Chen Yun followed suit and bowed in greeting, saying, "I am Chen Chong, a disciple of Zhengyang Immortal. My friend Zhang Gan is next to me. I have the honor to meet all the generals and His Excellency Sun the County Magistrate."

    Zhang Gan also bowed in greeting.

    Zhang Chengfan, Wang Shihui, and Zhao Ke stared at the two for a long time without speaking, even forgetting to offer them seats.

    It's no wonder they were so disappointed. After all, the Daoist in front of them was very different from what they had imagined.

    He was only about sixteen or seventeen years old.

    In the minds of Zhang Chengfan, Wang Shihui, and the others, what could such a young person possibly have?

    These generals were not planning to speak yet.

    The County Magistrate Sun Zhong could not remain silent.

    Although Sun Zhong had the same thoughts as Zhang Chengfan and the others, he still politely returned the greeting and said, "Chen Taoist, Zhang young man, greetings. May I know what business brings you to see me?"

    Chen Yun smiled and said, "I came to bring a wealth of prosperity to County Magistrate Sun."

    Sun Zhong glanced at the three generals beside him.

    Zhang Chengfan gave him a dismissive look.

    Sun Zhong understood the hint, and said casually, "What kind of prosperity does the Daoist want to bestow upon me?"

    Chen Yun said, "Today, I encountered more than ten Yellow Turban bandits outside the city. His Excellency Sun the County Magistrate, I remember that the imperial court has been waging war against the Yellow Turbans. Can I say that this information is a gift of honor?"

    In this world, since the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, people have seen the terrifying aspects of "Daoist soldiers" and "Daoist arts." Ever since then, every dynasty has been fearful of the Taiping Religion. They even explicitly stated in laws that anyone who joins the Taiping Religion as a Yellow Turban bandit should be executed along with their entire family.

    Capturing one Yellow Turban bandit was considered a great achievement.

    Now that there are more than ten bandits, if the information is true and they are captured, Sun Zhong's official rank could be promoted at least one level.

    That's why, when Sun Zhong heard this news, his pupils expanded significantly, and he couldn't help but show a pleased expression.

    He had barely spoken when, next to him, Zhao Ke burst into laughter and said, "Young Daoist, how can we know whether your message is true or false?"

    Chen Yun said calmly, "I am a disciple of Zhengyang Immortal. How could I joke about such a matter? If the information is not true and gets out, it would be a loss of face for my teacher's sect."

    Zhao Ke, who was originally a bit careless, spoke straightforwardly without reservation: "How can we believe you're a disciple of Zhengyang Immortal? I've heard that Chunyang Immortal is a disciple of Zhengyang Immortal, but I haven't heard of any other disciples. How can you prove you are a disciple of Zhengyang Immortal?"

    People in this world generally don't speak to Buddhists or Daoists in such a manner.

    Whether or not they have real abilities, at the very least, everyone would be polite until they understand the situation better.

    After all, everyone knows that offending immortals is not wise.

    So in order to determine the other party's abilities, most people would be more discreet and not as straightforward as Zhao Ke.

    However, this time, neither Zhang Chengfan nor Wang Shihui tried to remind or stop him.

    Because they also felt that the two young people in front of them were a bit like frauds.

    As for Sun Zhong, he was just a county magistrate; how dare he say anything to Zhao Ke?

    Let alone the fact that they themselves did not trust Chen Yun.

    Even Zhang Gan was secretly sweating at this moment.

    He had come along because he had heard from Chen Yun that there was a way to use the power of the official office.

    Now, not only do they not believe in the truth of the message, but they also question Chen Yun's identity.

    If they cannot prove it, they will have to suffer the consequences.

    Everyone's gaze focused on Chen Yun.

    The three generals and Sun Zhong were filled with suspicion in their eyes.

    Zhang Gan, on the other hand, looked worried.

    Who knew that Chen Yun calmly said, "Proof? What's the difficulty?"

    Oh?

    Really?

    Zhang Chengfan, Wang Shihui, and Sun Zhong didn't take it too seriously but their eyes became a bit more serious.

    Zhao Ke was more straightforward; he picked up a teacup to drink tea, casually glancing over with the corner of his eye, not even looking at Chen Yun directly.

    Zhang Gan didn't know how Chen Yun was going to prove himself, and he looked worriedly on.

    Just as everyone's gaze converged, a shocking scene unfolded!

    Chen Yun simply stretched out his hand, and a lotus flower appeared out of thin air.

    Zhao Ke's eyes suddenly widened, and he stopped drinking his tea!

    Sun Zhong took a sharp intake of breath and exhaled heavily.

    The remaining Zhang Chengfan and Wang Shihui, too, stared at Chen Yun in disbelief, their eyes brimming with shock!

    (This chapter is completed)