Six years later, you returned to the Capital City.
All the way through promotions, but reaching such a state, you have lost interest in being an official, only focusing on lecturing, and eventually, your students spread across the land.
In this year, you completed the establishment of words and virtue.
Until that year, a rebellion broke out locally, the Court was also overwhelmed and powerless to reverse the situation, so they thought of you, for the sake of the country, you, a weak civil servant, led an army of a hundred thousand fierce soldiers to the battlefield. Perhaps you were born with a knowledge of warfare, as it took only two or three years to quell this rebellion that had persisted for over a hundred years.
That year you were not yet fifty.
They began to call you Saint!
But just as you had quelled the rebellion, turmoil arose in the Court, a Vassal King rebelled, and you, without rest, quickly quelled the rebellion of the Vassal King within a few months.
You were also promoted, but your merits intimidated the Court, the Emperor was wary, and many civil and military ministers envied your imperial favor, secretly slandering you.
Your heart grew increasingly clear, disdaining the deceit and scheming within the Court, so you resigned from your official post, relinquishing your seal and leaving.
At the age of sixty, a rebellion broke out again locally, you went alone to the bandit leader's stronghold, and the bandit leader surrendered at the sight of you.
That same year you felt your body was not as it used to be, so you began to explore the path of cultivation, gradually distancing yourself from the mundane world.
The year your father passed away, that year you also bade farewell to your wife, son, and us, following the Daoist far away.
That year, the Emperor also sent people to try to bring you back, but you left only one sentence.
"..."
"Nothing?"
Zhang Jian looked several times, but couldn't find where the last sentence was!
Looking at the obviously missing last part of the book, he laughed to himself.
Perhaps this last sentence was greatly unfavorable to the current ruler, hence it was removed.
It couldn't just coincidentally have been eaten by mice, could it?
...
Although Zhang Jian wanted to achieve the three immortalities, he would not follow the old path of the Yu Saint.
The Yu Saint has the Yu Saint's path, and he has his own path.
Zhang Jian is currently lecturing, while also systematically organizing what he thinks and gains, deriving his own academic assertions.
While educating beings, Zhang Jian does not want to go with the flow, passively accepting the changes brought by the Court's pattern.
Moreover, even if he were to become a Saint, he would not be a Saint of any dynasty or generation, but a Saint of the Human Race.
As for the intentions of Emperor Jingwu sending him this book of Yu Saint's unofficial biographies, Zhang Jian roughly understood, it was nothing more than indicating that the Court was showing goodwill, clearly stating that it would help him complete the path of a Saint.
At the same time, it may also imply a warning in advance.
Zhang Jian quickly dismissed it from his mind.
...
When returning to his residence, Zhang Jian saw a vast murderous aura coming from afar.
This was not the murderous aura produced by a Yin Ghost, but the murderous aura of soldiers.
Zhang Jian signaled the sedan bearer to stop the little sedan chair aside, watching from afar as an army rounded the corner from the long street, the sound of horses' hooves resounding!
Tall horses, led by a burly general in bright white armor, followed by several military generals, each with strong blood energy.
"Divine Strategy Army!"
Opening the sedan curtain, Zhang Jian took one look and then retracted his gaze.
The Divine Strategy Army was a new army painstakingly trained with great expense by today's Emperor Jingwu over six years, making some progress.
It has always played the role of a firefighting force in the Capital Region, going on several expeditions to suppress bandits, which has gradually made the Divine Strategy Army more famous.
In particular, the commander of this army, An Ruming, though only in his thirties, is already renowned in a region.
"The star formation is blazing, resembling the form of a Greedy Wolf; such fierce generals are hard to control, one might accidentally harm both others and themselves!"
At this moment, Zhang Jian heard a faint voice by his ear.
Zhang Jian's gaze followed the voice, and he immediately saw two figures nearby communicating via Divine Thought.
However, the frequency of their Divine Thought communication was simple, under Zhang Jian's Divine Sense, nothing could remain hidden.
Even if they used some secret code in their communication.
But these codes could not remain hidden under the wondrous effects of the Ten Thousand Realms Spiritual Consciousness Ball within him.
After breaking through to the Yin Spirit Realm, Zhang Jian increasingly sensed the mysteriousness of this Ten Thousand Realms Spiritual Consciousness Ball, not only comprehending various languages but also able to break secret codes.
Very profound.
The two Daoists before him seemed to be from some Cultivator's Sect, apparently left in Haojing City to probe the Court's illusion and reality.
But the two Daoists dared not deeply probe the destiny of the General before them.
They merely said, "Since he is the General Tan Lang, we might as well find a way to make contact, perhaps we can use him for our own purposes!"
"Indeed, but it's still necessary to continue observing, to figure out his illusion and reality!"
Hearing this, Zhang Jian's eyes moved.
Among the Beidou Big Dipper, the Greedy Wolf is quite a complex Star Formation, although it chiefly governs punishment and killing, it can also easily backfire.
Just then, the two Daoists suddenly gazed towards the Divine Strategy Army, among the ten-plus generals in the rear.
Some of these generals had a presence of starlight, indicating a gathering of talent.
Yet the two primarily focused on one figure among them.
"White Tiger Star Formation, who is this young Marshal?"
Another Daoist frowned.
Although the White Tiger Star Formation is not as overpowering as the Three Evil Stars Fate, it cannot be underestimated.
This is also the fate of a Fierce General, with luck it has the potential to become a commander of a region.
Information on these two Daoists was not very common in Haojing, but after inquiring with some 'Haojing Common People,' they quickly obtained the information.
The Marshal of the Divine Strategy Army is named Zhang Lu, a rising young military general from the Border Army, also the son-in-law of Marshal Xia Yuanzhang of the Guanghua Sect, rumored to be descended from a wealthy family's servant.
Upon hearing this, one Daoist sighed, "Originally thought that the Dragon Vein damage would cause some backlash to the Daqian Court, never expected such a continuous emergence of rising stars!"
Another figure sneered, "Though there are emerging stars, I reckon that dog Emperor may not be able to control these proud and fierce generals, when the chaotic times come, those harmed might instead be Daqian!"
Zhang Jian at this time took in the gazes of the two Daoists, his vast Divine Sense had long seen into the depths of the two Daoists.
These two Daoists harbored a Profound Yin Magical Power within, both at the Golden Core Realm, likely from a sect called the Golden Maiden Sect, of a heterodox Dao Lineage.
This Dao Lineage was not like the Northern Blood Demon Sect or Fire Worship Sect, but a very powerful sect that had ties with the former Shu Kingdom's inner court.
Zhang Jian glanced at Zhang Lu within the Divine Strategy Army, a slight smile in his eyes, arranging Zhang Lu to marry the daughter of the Xia Family back then was undoubtedly the right choice, leveraging the Xia Family's influence within the City Guard Army, allowing Zhang Lu to establish a foothold in the Divine Strategy Army quickly.
The Divine Strategy Army was ostensibly formed by selecting elite members from various armies, primarily comprising some elite from the City Guard Army and Imperial Guard.
In Haojing City, although the Xia Family was not a prestigious family, it was a hereditary military household, having considerable connections among the lower-level officers in Haojing City.
...
Zhang Jian subsequently did not slow down his lectures, but focused part of his attention on his current official duties, retaining the title of Junior Fourth Grade, Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, a title held under the Ministry of the Imperial Household, in charge of agriculture and mulberry.
For Zhang Jian, this was a path forward.
Educating beings, enlightening the people, this is the action of a Saint, and if he could achieve something substantial in the position of Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, helping those people to fill their bellies, it would also be the action of a Saint.