County Yamen, Inner Courtyard Main Hall.
Chen Haoyan sat upright on the grand armchair. He had his eyes closed in feigned sleep, but suddenly sensed something and looked up at the young constable who had just pushed open the doors and entered the hall.
“You… crossed the threshold?”
Chen Haoyan couldn’t hide the surprise in his eyes. Wang Ping was fully armed, with the Black Hornless-Dragon Bow slung across his back and the ox-tail saber hanging at his waist. Every breath he took felt like a blazing furnace.
As he drew closer, Chen Haoyan distinctly felt a wave of heat wash over him, and his expression shifted slightly.
Blood like Fire, and it’s the highest grade, Extreme Yang Blood… Can the 【Heaven-Shaking Cloud-Piercing Bow】 cultivate this? Or is it that besides his innate divine strength, his blood is also vastly different from ordinary people?
If true, that would be incredible.
In an ordinary county town, finding a martial artist like me, possessing a single physical anomaly, is a once-in-decades occurrence. Finding one with two anomalies is unheard of.
After all, how could a shallow puddle produce a flood dragon? A softshell turtle was more like it.
Given Chen Haoyan’s experience, martial arts prodigies possessing two physical anomalies could be counted on one hand in the entire Changle Commandery, and they certainly didn’t appear every year.
A mere lowly constable actually possessed such aptitude?
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of reluctance to part with such talent. He hesitated to send such a heaven-defying genius on the upcoming task.
But he quickly reigned in his emotions.
Although recommending a martial arts talent to higher-ups would earn me a reward from the Imperial Court, it’s useless to me. No matter how good his talent is, what use is it if he isn’t mine?
In his eyes, talent was meaningless; what mattered was utility.
In a flash, Chen Haoyan regained his calm composure and said flatly, “Not bad. True dragon sinews and Extreme Yang blood. If you survive this time, I will recommend you to the Divine Constable Bureau in the capital for advanced training. When you return, you will at least be an Internal Force Master, with a high chance of receiving an official title.”
Drawing a big pie for me again?
Wang Ping sneered inwardly, but on the surface, he nodded respectfully and spoke with ringing clarity: “This subordinate will gladly go through fire and water, and will never forget the Lord’s grace in nurturing me.”
He placed heavy emphasis on the words ‘never forget’.
Although accepting this task earned him a massive profit, Chen Haoyan’s intentions were purely malicious. He simply didn’t expect Wang Ping to have a cheat, resulting in this outcome.
Therefore, this grudge was firmly noted!
On the other hand, Chen Haoyan paid no mind to Wang Ping’s tone. After all, no matter how high one’s talent was, until it translated into actual strength, it wasn’t worth mentioning.
Furthermore—in his eyes, Wang Ping wouldn’t get the chance to cash in on his talent anyway.
“Set off.”
The next second, Chen Haoyan slapped the armrest of his chair. Several servants quickly carried a massive wooden chest over to Wang Ping.
When the chest was opened, Wang Ping clearly saw its contents. It was a saber stand with a rather thick, heavy base. Shouchong’s 【Lotus Blade】 rested atop it, resembling a crescent moon. Sunlight hitting the blade instantly reflected a moonlight-like gleam, exuding a chilling aura.
Seeing this, Wang Ping reached out to take the saber.
However, Chen Haoyan immediately stopped him and said deeply, “Leave the saber on the stand. You must escort the saber along with the stand to the 【Wandering Spirit Temple】.”
“…Oh?”
Hearing this, Wang Ping instantly realized something was amiss. He looked down at the saber stand holding the 【Lotus Blade】, his gaze finally settling on its base.
Escorting the saber is one thing, but why bring the stand?
Is there a trick?
With this thought, Wang Ping looked up at Chen Haoyan again. Seeing his normal expression, Wang Ping understood: It seems this is his hidden move.
Could something be hidden inside the saber stand?
Unfortunately, the material of this stand is quite good. It feels terrifyingly hard; I definitely can’t break it. And ordinary mortal eyes can’t see through solid objects…
Wait, my eyes aren’t ordinary mortal eyes.
Then it’s fine!
Wang Ping retracted his gaze, feigning disinterest in the secret. In reality, he had already mobilized his spiritual sense, quietly peering toward the base of the saber stand.
It really is hollow!
The next second, the scene inside appeared in Wang Ping’s eyes.
Then he froze—because what he saw was a bronze seal adorned with carved jade ornaments and two archaic seal characters.
【Longxing】
This is… the Longxing County Seal? The Imperial Court’s official seal in Longxing County, a symbol of power. All official documents issued by the Longxing County Yamen must bear this seal.
How did Chen Haoyan get his hands on it?
One must understand, no matter how formidable Chen Haoyan was, as a Head Constable, he was at most a blade. How could he possibly obtain this county seal from the County Magistrate?
And why put it in here?
While pondering, Wang Ping hoisted the saber stand onto his shoulder and strode out of the inner yamen. A carriage had already been waiting there for quite some time.
Around the carriage were constables from the yamen.
Wang Ping spotted Liu Ye in the crowd. His expression was complex, as if he wanted to say something, but he shut his mouth when Chen Haoyan walked out.
Suddenly, Wang Ping looked up, feeling a dampness on his cheeks.
“…It’s raining again?”
The weather had been quite erratic lately. Just a few days after a torrential downpour, Longxing County was hit by another misty drizzle.
………….
“This rain came at the perfect time.”
In a small courtyard, Shouchong looked up at the sky with a smile. Behind him stood dozens of White Lotus Cult believers, the same ones Wang Ping had seen in the Daoist temple.
“I heard Xie Shi was slain by county yamen constables on a rainy night. Now that it’s raining heavily again, I’ll go kill a few constables to avenge him, and to fulfill the bond of master and disciple between us. I believe that if he knows this in the netherworld, he will surely feel relieved.”
“The Cult Master jests.”
A few believers walked over and smiled. “We all know that you, Cult Master, are arguably the most ungrateful and heartless person in the world.”
Hearing this, Shouchong shook his head:
“Your master is a true man of indomitable spirit, always valuing sentiment and righteousness. Do not listen to the dirty water the government pours on me; those are all malicious slanders.”
“As for Xie Shi’s death, our White Lotus Cult is in the midst of rebellion. How can there be rebellion without bloodshed? Sometimes, one should reflect on themselves. After so many years, have his martial arts improved? Has he trained diligently? If that fellow had taken another step forward and cultivated internal force, how could he have died?”
“…….”
The believers opened their mouths slightly but then closed them of their own accord. Shouchong, hearing no response, turned his head and smiled at the followers behind him.
“What, nothing to say?”
The believers lowered their heads. “We dare not.”
Shouchong laughed. “Rest assured, your Master always welcomes criticism.”
“Then we’ll speak.” Only then did someone look up and whisper, “Senior Brother Xie Shi failed to cultivate internal force… wasn’t it because you didn’t teach him the true techniques, Master?”
Shouchong’s expression instantly stiffened.
After a moment of silence, his face darkened, and he said sinisterly, “Rebellious disciple, daring to ruin my reputation… And the rest of you, do you all think the same?”
The other believers hurriedly shook their heads.
“Hmph, fools.”
Shouchong shook his head. “True techniques… do you think I didn’t want to pass them down? It’s not that I wouldn’t, it’s that I couldn’t, or rather, even if I did, you wouldn’t be able to learn them!”
The believers felt a bit defiant. “If you don’t teach us, Master, how do you know we can’t learn them?”
“Because I already have.”
Shouchong sneered. “Xie Shi, and all of you—everyone who joined my White Lotus Cult—I passed down the true techniques on the very first day you joined.”
“However, just like Xie Shi, you merely speak pretty words. You say you revere 【Compassion for All Life Bodhisattva】 and follow me to rebel, but in reality, you fundamentally don’t believe in 【Compassion for All Life Bodhisattva】, nor do you believe in the doctrines I taught you. Therefore, no matter how hard you study, you can never learn the true techniques of my White Lotus Cult.”
“Doctrines…?”
The crowd exchanged glances. 【Compassion for All Life Bodhisattva】? The Home of the True Void stuff? Everyone thought it was just to fool outsiders. Master, were you actually serious?
“Isn’t that just a title?”
The believers couldn’t understand. Similar things existed everywhere across Great Shun, but almost no one took them seriously, merely treating them as an excuse or reason to rebel.
“That’s why I said you don’t understand.”
Shouchong sighed, then shifted the topic. “Enough of this. Let’s talk about the present… Do you think this could be Chen Haoyan’s trap?”
Shouchong’s gaze pierced the rain, and he quickly spotted the carriage slowly emerging from the county yamen. He could sense his bound weapon, the 【Lotus Blade】, inside it, yet he couldn’t detect Chen Haoyan’s presence. Such a bizarre situation left him somewhat puzzled.
“He took the initiative to send the item out but isn’t personally escorting it.”
“What is he planning?”
Soon, Shouchong got his answer. The carriage’s destination was entirely unconcealed—it took the main road leading straight toward the 【Wandering Spirit Temple】.
“So that’s how it is…”
Noticing this development, Shouchong’s expression instantly changed. “What bargaining chip did he use to actually convince the Fangshi of the 【Wandering Spirit Temple】 to intervene?”
“Master, this is an open conspiracy by the county yamen!”
Beside him, someone whispered, “If the 【Lotus Blade】 enters that 【Wandering Spirit Temple】, it won’t come out. He’s forcing you to act, Master.”
“No.”
Another believer shook their head, saying, “If that were true, that Chen Haoyan should be escorting it personally. But the person in the carriage isn’t him.”
“We all know that although those imperial Fangshi are powerful, they almost never leave their respective branches. As long as we intercept it halfway, the Fangshi from the 【Wandering Spirit Temple】 is highly unlikely to act. Wouldn’t that so-called open conspiracy become a joke, completely meaningless?”
“If you ask me, this is a bait-and-switch tactic!”
A believer clapped their hands, speaking with absolute certainty: “The 【Lotus Blade】 in the carriage must be a fake. It’s a smokescreen to cover the real blade’s whereabouts.”
“That makes sense…”
For a moment, the courtyard was abuzz with discussion as various theories were proposed. It wasn’t until Shouchong raised his eyelids and said deeply, “Enough. Your master has his own plans.”
The clamor subsided into silence.
Following that, Shouchong gazed intently at the carriage heading towards the 【Wandering Spirit Temple】, then turned to look toward the county yamen.
“Could it be… he’s thinking the exact same thing as me?”
………….
Inside the carriage.
Wang Ping sat cross-legged. The Black Hornless-Dragon Bow sat to his right, the ox-tail saber to his left, and the 【Lotus Blade】 and its hollow stand rested in front of him. His eyes narrowed slightly.
A life-or-death crisis…
The center of his brow twitched faintly. His potent spiritual sense continuously issued warnings, indicating that within a hundred-step radius, there was at least one entity capable of killing him instantly.
Shouchong? Chen Haoyan?
Whatever, it didn’t matter who it was. From the moment he stepped into this carriage, he was as good as dead. The carriage itself was his coffin.
But this wasn’t important; Wang Ping had already prepared to start over. In fact, he could have committed suicide right after obtaining the 【Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Bow】. He didn’t necessarily have to wade into these muddy waters. The main reason he ultimately got into the carriage was that he spotted an opportunity.
At this thought, Wang Ping looked up, staring straight ahead.
The 【Lotus Blade】. That old bastard Shouchong’s weapon truly uses the best materials. The exotic iron 【Imperial Essence】—its quality surpasses even the Hundred-Refined Primal Copper.
This is truly… wonderful!
In Wang Ping’s eyes, the so-called 【Lotus Blade】 was merely a superb piece of high-grade exotic iron. Such a precious material was destined to be sacrificed to refine 【The Taiping Classic】!
Not to mention the unexpected surprise.
Although he didn’t know what Chen Haoyan intended by hiding the Longxing County Seal in the hollow saber stand, since it was here, he’d gladly accept the buy-one-get-one-free deal.
In addition, there was the Black Hornless-Dragon Bow and the ox-tail saber. He couldn’t take them with him anyway, so he might as well sacrifice them all to 【The Taiping Classic】, leaving absolutely nothing for Chen Haoyan!
Wang Ping had no interest in fighting and killing.
But snatching a huge profit right before dying? He was more than happy to do that!
That being said, Wang Ping didn’t act immediately. With so many people undoubtedly keeping an eye on him in the carriage, the risk of acting now was substantial.
Moreover, unless absolutely necessary, Wang Ping didn’t want to display the miraculous nature of 【The Taiping Classic】 in broad daylight.
After all, his resurrection wasn’t a complete reset; he couldn’t turn back time. Once exposed, he’d likely face a grueling struggle in this world moving forward.
From this perspective, the value of 【The Taiping Classic】 is still somewhat lacking!
Sigh, if only my cheat could not only rewind time and start over, but also let me bring back the items in my possession.
Wang Ping sighed inwardly, but he wasn’t anxious. In fact, he grew even more patient.
The arrow is on the string. They will inevitably fight each other eventually.
That will be my opportunity.
Wang Ping pondered calmly. However, right at that moment, his spiritual sense blared a sudden warning, causing him to instinctively turn his head toward a specific direction.
It was the side of the carriage.
At that moment, the carriage happened to pass by an alley. The window faced the alley entrance. Through the window, Wang Ping vaguely spotted a figure in the rain.
It was a man wearing a bamboo hat. He walked out from the heavy rain. His movements seemed slow, yet his speed was incredibly fast. One second he was deep in the alley, and the next he was at the entrance, as if the ground beneath his feet was actively shrinking. Although he carried no umbrella, not a single drop of water clung to him.
“I didn’t expect you to be the one who killed Xie Shi.”
The hat-wearing man’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it inexplicably overpowered the sound of the rain, ringing clearly in Wang Ping’s ears: “My good disciple, you’re still alive.”
Boom!
In the flash of lightning, the hat-wearing man looked up.
With just one glance, Wang Ping recognized his face. That youthful complexion with white hair, that ethereal Daoist demeanor—it was none other than the White Lotus Cult Master, Shouchong!