Chapter 67: Wang Zhen Enters the Imperial Capital

  "What's wrong with being a government dog? You heard what the leader said, and suddenly you're full of nonsense. The voice thundered in my ears: "Do you have any knowledge at all? What era are we living in now? It's socialism, understand? Our country is a people's government, joining national security means becoming a government dog? That's called serving the people! You think anyone can join national security? Don't be ignorant, I'm helping you."

  Lei Feng let out a loud hum, his chest heaving violently. Unfortunately, the weather was really hot now, otherwise you would definitely see puffs of white air spraying from his mouth and nose at this time. Wang Chan's words were really testing his bottom line.

  "Hmph!" A faint smile, Wang Chan turned his head and glanced at Lei Feng, neither affirming nor denying his words. He simply said calmly: "Tang Niu was killed by me, if the Hung Men come seeking revenge, I will naturally take full responsibility. In these three days, you just focus on resolving the troubles of Zhou Lin's family. As for joining your National Security, don't mention it again. Three days later, everything goes smoothly, and I'll give you the Tian Gang Stone. The rest is none of your concern."

  "Alright, alright, alright!" Lei Feng glared at Wang Chan with a fierce gaze, then suddenly stomped his foot and forced out the three words from between his teeth. He turned around and walked away, with his last sentence echoing from afar.

  "Remember what you said, I'll come back to see you in two days. But I also hope you think it over carefully. Since ancient times, countless people have practiced martial arts, even masters like Dong Haichuan and Yang Luchan had to rely on the support of officials and nobles to develop their skills. You're just a commoner, Wild Village Husband, do you really think you can surpass them? Being in an official position is good for self-cultivation, it's better than venturing out alone."

  Before he had finished speaking, the elevator went "ding" and Lei Feng walked out without looking back, leaving Wang Chan standing in his original spot with a cold smile on his face, deep in thought.

  Hawks and dogs were the helpers of hunters in ancient times (referring to domesticated hawks and dogs), which extended to reality, referring to those who help the imperial court oppress the people, harm loyal officials, assist tyrants, and do evil. (Note: The "imperial court" mentioned by Lao Lu here refers to the dark times of the feudal dynasty's end period, and has absolutely nothing to do with today's society.)

  There are infamous people from reputable families, rivers and lakes figures who go against justice for wealth and glory, and greenwood heroes who want to rise to prominence.

  In Chinese history, there are indeed many examples of heroic outlaws accepting amnesty and becoming high-ranking officials in the imperial court. One of the most famous examples is "Timely Rain" Song Jiang from Water Margin, but his ending was also tragic, ultimately meeting a miserable end, suffering retribution, with a cup of poisoned wine, his life returning to the Western Heaven.

  It is said that "when the birds are gone, the good bow is stored away; when the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog prospers." Since ancient times, not one of those who sold their souls to serve in the imperial court as a "court hawk and hound" has ever met with a good end.

  This is not intentionally alarmist, but rather that those who rely on the "imperial court" must have a certain status and wealth, and their stance will be different, with different intentions in mind. They no longer have the freedom to roam as they did before, being ordered around by others, doing nothing but relying on power to bully people, which will inevitably lead to dissatisfaction from many people, "entanglements of gratitude and resentment" that cannot be avoided, ultimately leading to being sought out for revenge and killed.

  It's the same with the second one. Once a martial artist becomes an official, their mind is no longer pure. The vast and complicated world confuses them, and few people can escape this strange cycle. As time goes on, they forget their original intentions, but behind their back, there is still a master, with a sharp knife hanging over their neck.

  Of course, those who have made contributions to the country and the people, expanded the territory, and stood up to defend against foreign humiliation in times of national crisis are absolutely not among the ranks of the imperial court's hawks and dogs.

  People like Wang Chan, who have practiced boxing for half their lives, are seeking a mind that is open and straightforward, with a strong personality. Although they may not necessarily conform to traditional moral concepts, they are single-minded and determined. Once they have made up their minds about something, they will persevere unwaveringly, with their own reasoning in their hearts.

  That's taking the straight path, not seeking it in crooked ways!!

  In the past, especially after the Ming Dynasty, martial arts and boxing techniques as a tradition, many schools and masters had many rules when recruiting disciples, among which one was to require disciples not to join the government after leaving their masters, and not to assist evil.

  Otherwise, lightly, he would be expelled from the school and his martial arts skills would be ruined. In severe cases, he would be killed directly and lose his life.

  And this was certainly in a specific historical era, as a kind of "resistance" by the Han people against the Qing government did not have universal significance, but up to now, it has almost become a tacit understanding among practitioners of martial arts, privately acknowledging and permitting a rule.

  In short, people in the jianghu settle their own affairs, but if they rely on the imperial court and then turn around to oppress their fellow practitioners, that is considered a major taboo by Wang Chan.

  It was precisely because of this that Wang Chan reacted so violently to Lei Feng's proposal, from an early age he had been educated and influenced in a way that made him unable to accept Lei Feng's arrangement from the bottom of his heart.

  Of course, this is not Wang Zhen's anti-people tendency.

  It's just that their inner understanding is different, so they naturally have different reactions. Moreover, he has always been practicing boxing and martial arts in the deep mountains and old forests, and is absolutely unaware of some changes in the outside world.

  The most important thing for a practitioner is to ensure that they have enough time to practice every day. From Wang Chan's own standpoint, he cannot tolerate his limited life being controlled by any organization other than himself at will. Once he relies on the government, there will be troubles and no freedom, living every day against his will, and it will be difficult for anyone to guarantee that their mind is not disturbed over time.

  Can no longer be as innocent as a child and act on impulse.

  At that point, wouldn't you have become a mere pawn in someone else's hands, a puppet, losing all sense of self? What other "state" could you possibly pursue beyond the realm of martial arts and fist techniques?

  For someone like him, the one thing he cannot lose is freedom. If his freedom is controlled by others, it's better to die than live.

  To say nothing of this, what he has seen and heard in the past few days is enough to make him keep a respectful distance from joining the national security agency.

  Jin Hai Building, Feng Ye Piao, still with his subordinates on duty, Zhang Bureau, who assisted the tiger and framed others' wives to abduct Zhou Lin, Sun Changfeng, and behind all this, the mastermind Lin Yuanshan, a large number of police officers who were ready to move at any time, and in front of them, Lei Feng and three national security agents with special privileges.

  What else can evoke good feelings?

  "It's good to cultivate oneself when serving as a government official" is true, but that was in ancient times.

  In ancient times, the social atmosphere was simple and pure, with many people being kind and virtuous. Social life was also relatively simple, so there were fewer disputes and troubles. Therefore, in ancient times, being a public official was definitely a good way to cultivate oneself.

  Moreover, this saying of the ancients mainly refers to the moral integrity of officials, emphasizing "holding office for one term and bringing benefits to one region".

  However, as time has evolved to the present day, people's hearts are no longer ancient, and the winds of kindness and virtue have gradually dissipated. People's minds are restless, social life is becoming increasingly complex and changeable, and it's not easy to cultivate oneself in a corrupt environment.

  Enduring many impacts coming from all sides every day, yet still complaining that time is insufficient, how can there be energy to accumulate merits and virtues!!

  "It's all people who are in the midst of it and don't know themselves, no matter how much they say, it's useless. As long as I, Wang Shizhi, can keep myself from being tainted, that's enough, what else can be done? In three days' time, if everything is resolved, I should return to Hu Tou Ridge early, cultivating one's mind in the red dust is not an easy task, but with my current state of mind, it's still better to go back and keep company with the fierce beasts of the mountains!"

  Standing still, he let out a hearty laugh, and Wang Chan felt the knot in his heart suddenly untie. He no longer had any intention of keeping Zhou Lin's words to himself, so he immediately took the elevator and found Zhou Yahuan, who was worried sick about him. They went to an empty place, where he told her everything that had happened from start to finish, laying it all out for her.

  And Zhou Yahuan, this girl, is also strong-minded. The main reason why she hasn't been in contact with Zhou Lin for so many years is that Zhou Lin remarried and took another wife, which made her unhappy. However, the father-daughter relationship has not changed. As soon as Wang Chan told her about what happened, she became anxious and immediately called Zhou Lin.

  This phone was originally a special line left by Zhou Lin for Zhou Yahuan. Although it is turned on all day, no one else knows about it, not even Wang Chan has been told, so at this special time, when Zhou Yahuan called, it connected immediately.

  Afterwards, the father and daughter chatted on the phone for over half an hour. Zhou Yahuan's eyes were red as she came to thank Wang Chan, saying that although there had been some minor setbacks in Zhou Lin's affairs, things were generally going well and a rough outline was taking shape. Moreover, tonight one of Zhou Lin's elders would be hosting a dinner party for him in the capital, inviting many high-ranking officials from Beijing for networking purposes.

  "This is better, a two-pronged approach, and perhaps the matter of your father can be thoroughly resolved at once! In a while, Lei Tingjiu will send someone to escort you into the capital, and maybe there's still time to make it, attending this dinner party, you women can also reunite." Wang Chan nodded, his heart slightly relieved.

  Zhou Yahang has always been a stone in his heart, if it weren't for him, he wouldn't have been so restricted after leaving the mountain, unable to exert himself. This time, Lei Feng was controlled by him and had no choice but to take action to help mediate with Lin Yuanshan. Although Wang Chan also knew that he had offended Lei Feng because of this, his heart suddenly felt much lighter.

  As expected, in the afternoon, Lei Feng called, "I've already talked to Lin Yuanshan and made my stance clear. He also expressed that he would spare Zhou Lin for my sake. However, he has a deep grudge against you and refused to reconcile with you. If you don't agree to join our national security team, I won't have any reason to help you again. After all, the leadership change is imminent, and I shouldn't offend Lin too much."

  Wang Chan had long anticipated this outcome. Because he knew that Lei Feng had no other choice.

  "Also, I just received news that Zhang Jia Lao Ye from Beijing is hosting a dinner party at the State Guest House in his own name tonight, inviting all sorts of political dignitaries. It's clear that he wants to support Zhou Lin. Lin Yuan Fang will definitely attend this dinner party. I think it's best if you meet with him and make your attitude clear, so you can discuss things properly. Otherwise, given his personality, even if he spares Zhou Lin due to pressure, he'll definitely stir up more trouble after a while."

  "Alright, I'll meet him again and see what this Lin gentleman can do to me?"

  "Since that's the case, bring Zhou Yahuan to the northern suburbs military airport immediately. I've arranged for a helicopter to wait for you here, and then fly directly to Beijing. You'll arrive before nightfall."

  On the other side, in a deluxe ward of the Military Region General Hospital in Ha City, Lei Feng put down the phone and furrowed his brow: "This Wang Chan, who knows where he popped up from, has such incredibly powerful martial arts skills. Clearly, he practices external hard qigong just like me, but he's surprisingly young and can already bring out the internal true energy in a way that's simply supernatural. He's a freak of nature, unheard of and unseen. And to top it off, he doesn't know how to show respect, refusing to join our team no matter what. Well, let's just put him on the fire and give him a good roasting, teach him a lesson!"

  "That's right, Lei. This Wang Chan is a lawless and arrogant master who kills people without batting an eye. He even dares to beat our national security personnel to death. If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll become even more unmanageable. As long as he agrees to go with you to Beijing, he'll be at your mercy. Our bureau's experts will be enough for him to handle, not to mention the sharpshooters from the Zhongnanhai guard team. If you spread the word, I guarantee he'll suffer a crushing defeat and lose all face. By then, we won't need to invite him; he'll come crawling on his own."

  The speaker was Tengchong, who was lying in bed. Among the few people, he was the most seriously injured. Not only were his internal organs severely damaged, but both of his legs were also broken. Although he had woken up, his face was pale and when he spoke harsh words, they were weak and powerless. It seemed that he would have to stay in the hospital for at least a month.

  "En, he has already agreed to go to Jingli with me. First, let's get the Tian Ge stone from him, and then we can talk about other things. Tengchong, you just stay here and rest, Zhang Xiuer and I will head back this afternoon."

  An hour later, Wang Chan and Zhou Yahang boarded a military helicopter summoned by Lei Feng.

  All the way to the capital, the wind was strong and the electricity was swift. In less than two hours, a huge and perfectly symmetrical city came into view from afar. Although it was already around five o'clock in the afternoon, the summer sky was still bright and clear. From the plane, Wang Zhen felt that the capital city below him was majestic. Between the rivers and mountains, there seemed to be a massive column of energy surging straight up to the sky, never-ending.

  With a sudden movement in his heart, he immediately knew that after practicing the Nine Turns of Refining Dan of Taoist School, his internal energy had merged and he could feel the changes in the external aura unintentionally. The capital city's terrain, with several generations of imperial cities, is a supreme symbol of dragon coiling and tiger crouching in Feng Shui, and under the steaming of the earth's energy, it naturally responds differently than usual.

  However, Wang Chan's feeling was only a glimpse at the first meeting, and when he became clear in his heart and wanted to take another look, everything had returned to normal, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see anything unusual.

  Lei Feng's plane slowly landed at a military airport in the suburbs of Beijing. As soon as he got off the plane, Wang Chan saw a "Dongfeng Mengshi" off-road vehicle with all-over camouflage parked in the airport, which looked like a heavy armored vehicle on TV. At first glance, it seemed extremely powerful.