Chapter Sixty-Three: Betting on Both Sides

Although it was never explicitly stated, it was clearly a matter of making a choice, and the inclination was obvious. With hardly any hesitation, Wang Zhenling made his decision: “Since County Deputy Chen was my sponsor, it would be inauspicious to betray him!”

The family had already pledged allegiance to the Emperor’s side, so the wisest course for Wang Zhenling was to side with the Chen clan of Hezhong. In this way, with bets placed on both sides, regardless of who emerged victorious, the family would endure and perhaps even find a chance to grow stronger.

Thus, in reality, Wang Zhenling had only this one path before him.

As expected, upon hearing Wang Zhenling’s choice, Wang An let out a long, relieved breath.

Though he had never spoken his preference aloud, he had always hoped Wang Zhenling would choose the Chen clan of Hezhong.

The clan leader, Wang An, relaxed slightly and said, “Since you have chosen, then let fate decide the rest.”

Wang Zhenling hesitated and asked, “What should be done about the City God affair?”

Wang An smiled and replied, “No matter which side you choose, the most important thing is the benefit of the family—not anything else. Do you understand?”

Wang Zhenling took his meaning to heart; this was likely a valuable lesson imparted by the clan leader himself.

As he spoke, Wang An patted Wang Zhenling’s shoulder and strode out of the room.

Clearly, in moments such as these, every person remains mortal, unable to see the future, and no one knows whether their choice is right or wrong.

Nor can anyone foresee what consequences their decision will bring.

Wang An could not see it; nor could Wang Zhenling.

Yet Wang Zhenling’s lips curled in a subtle smile, and he mused to himself, “Who says that by choosing the Chen clan of Hezhong, I must follow that path to the bitter end?

Who decreed that I must choose only one of two options? Why shouldn’t I forge my own way?”

He lifted his gaze to the sky beyond the courtyard; clouds drifted leisurely, shifting slowly beneath the gentle wind.

He, Wang Zhenling, possessed cultivation arts and a legacy. Aside from a lack of resources and insufficient time spent in training, he lacked nothing. Once he made up for those shortcomings, could he not stand on his own? Was there truly any need to participate in someone else’s game?

It must be said, while all men harbor selfish motives and the clan leader naturally favors his own descendants, he remained, on the whole, quite fair, providing opportunities for other talented members of the family to shine.

Only a family such as this could remain united, face adversity as one, and even thrive and prosper.

Yet, travelers between worlds are inherently selfish. Why should Wang Zhenling, who could ascend to divinity, willingly serve as a stepping stone for others?

All in all, he would wait and see!

In the days that followed, everything proceeded according to plan. Each scheme was set into motion, gradually forcing the City God into a frenzy.

A few days later, news came from Guangyang Township: another member of the Path of Heaven cult had appeared, injuring a ghost soldier of the Guangyang Society.

Rumors continued to spread, claiming that the cultist had subdued those ghost soldiers who had broken the rules, and was preparing to attack other villages—thankfully, without success.

No sooner had one crisis been addressed than fresh storms arose, leaving County Magistrate Wang Guang of Danling overwhelmed and at his wits’ end.

The magistrate summoned Wang Zhenling once more, coldly reprimanding him: “Don’t think that just because I’ve ignored your petty disputes, I am unaware of what you’re all up to.

Now matters have gotten so out of hand that even the Prefect has surely heard and will certainly rebuke me.

At this point, I don’t care what games you’re playing. You will resolve this immediately. Otherwise, don’t assume that just because I dared to scold the City God, I won’t dare punish you as well!”

These were harsh words indeed; it seemed the magistrate’s patience was exhausted.

He was nearly ready to tear off all pretense and disregard Wang Zhenling’s powerful connections.

There was also a warning to Chen Buzhi: if their struggle truly turned Danling County upside down and cost the magistrate his position, he would show no mercy.

As for who was right or wrong in the conflict between Chen Buzhi and the City God—

Such distinctions are for children. In the adult world, such lines do not exist!

Regardless of who started it, the strife between Chen Buzhi and the City God had already thrown Danling County into chaos.

Though Wang Zhenling was scolded harshly, his heart remained calm; everything was proceeding as planned.

Immediately, Chen Buzhi stepped forward to accept responsibility at the magistrate’s office, even requesting command of the county’s forces so that he could personally go to the countryside and capture the guilty spirits and cultists.

With Chen Buzhi lowering himself so, the magistrate—who had been on the verge of an outburst—found it hard to maintain his anger.

After all, Chen Buzhi was his deputy, a scion of the renowned Chen clan of Hezhong, and appeared in person to apologize, offering great respect.

The magistrate’s ire quickly faded; he even began to wonder whether he’d made too much of the issue.

In this frame of mind, the magistrate granted Chen Buzhi full authority over the county’s military forces.

However, as soon as Chen Buzhi left the magistrate’s residence, the magistrate suddenly slapped his thigh, realizing, “This is bad… The City God…

Never mind, never mind. Whatever fate befalls the City God, it’s none of my business!”

When news reached the City God, suspicion immediately took root. He feared Chen Buzhi was using the opportunity to seize control of the troops.

Once command of the five hundred ghost soldiers was handed over to Chen Buzhi, reclaiming it would be no easy feat!

“Hmph! Does that whelp Chen Buzhi think it will be so easy to wrest command from my hands? Not a chance!”

With a cold laugh, the City God declared, “This time, I shall personally deploy my men to capture that cultist!”

Thus, he led a large force of ghost soldiers into the countryside to hunt down the guilty spirits and cultists.

But this was merely a pretext. Furious with both Chen Buzhi and Wang Zhenling, the City God planned to strike hard at Wang Zhenling.

Chen Buzhi had nearly tricked him out of his command, and the Wang family of Danling had shown him no respect whatsoever.

Now, he seized the opportunity to deal Danling’s Wang clan a heavy blow.

He led his troops out, surrounding the Wang clan of Lower Tu, accusing them of conspiring with guilty spirits and cultists.

After all, family is one’s foundation. The reason Wang Zhenling could establish himself so easily in Danling and become deputy county magistrate was all thanks to the influence of the Wang clan of Danling.

Otherwise, as a mere cultivator, what would he amount to in the eyes of the authorities?

Last time, even after threatening the Wang clan of Lower Tu, they paid no heed to the City God’s divine might.

Already incensed, the City God’s eyes now gleamed with malice; he was determined to teach the Wang clan of Lower Tu a harsh lesson.

That very night, the City God led five hundred ghost soldiers and ten war chariots out of Danling County, storming toward the countryside with great momentum.

Ostensibly seeking traces of the guilty spirits, he instead marched straight into Lower Tu, surrounding the Wang family’s estate.