Chapter 160 Twelve Floors and Five Cities

Yunqi left with satisfaction.

In fact, “Senluo Wanxiang” has another most important subsidiary product, which Zhao Wumian did not mention explicitly.

It can prolong your life!
——To take away other people’s three treasures and integrate them into oneself, to put it bluntly, is to take other people’s lives to supplement your own life!

But this cannot be achieved overnight. You have to practice for a while to see what the specific effects are.

Before leaving, Shen Wansan chatted with Zhao Qi for a few more words, mainly about the marriage of his two children.

Getting married is troublesome.

Especially since Zhao Wumian is now a marquis, he cannot be careless in the implementation of the rules. He has to follow the regulations of the Ministry of Rites and start the formal process from the day of engagement, followed by steps such as accepting the bride price, asking for the bride’s name, accepting the good news, accepting the betrothal gift, asking for the date, and welcoming the bride in person.

All in all, it will take about a year.

After the engagement, a marriage certificate is signed. From then on, according to the “Great Ming Law”, even though the man and woman have not yet been married, they are safe as husband and wife.

The engagement will only be automatically terminated if one party dies for some reason.

One year…

Zhao Wumian didn’t know whether Guo Wuwei was his doom or not, and whether the disaster had passed.

But at least in Liu Bowen’s opinion, it doesn’t count.

——Because he promised to help in times of danger, but he didn’t do anything this time.

It can be seen that in his opinion, this was just a minor disaster and he knew that Zhao Wumian would be fine.

Shen Weiyang was not quite sure about the details, but she could sense that Zhao Wumian was not much more relaxed this time after his return. Since she could not help, she could only work harder to manage the Que Tower, practice “No Suspicion Between Humans and Birds”, and help Xiaokui train other spiritual birds, so as to make them useful as soon as possible.

Whether it is looking for the Yujing Association or searching for treasures from heaven and earth.

Because of those secret recipes, her business is expanding rapidly.

Perfume, soap and glass are selling like hot cakes, and noble ladies all over the capital are spending lavishly on them.

Shen Weiyang made a fortune every day, and used the money for expansion. Her branches soon spread across the southeast. Although some fakes began to appear, she was very resourceful and kept the real secret recipe strictly guarded, and it never leaked out. The counterfeit and shoddy products were of poor quality and did not cause any trouble.

Everything is on track.

Jinghu Villa welcomed three more spiritual birds to join Xiaokui’s private school. The previous three – [Snow Swallow], [Silver Harrier] and [Qinyuan] Hongyin, had also completed learning the Three Character Classic, Hundred Family Surnames and Thousand Character Classic. They recognized more and more characters and could understand more and more detailed commands. With their help, the later ones made rapid progress.

Personal matters are finished.

Zhao Wumian finally had time to carefully interrogate Wang Guming, Tian Fan and their gang.

On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhao Wumian finally emerged after hiding in the villa for more than a month and went to the Zhenfusi Yamen to report on his work.

“grown ups!”

“grown ups!”

As he walked into the yamen, the Jinyiwei along the way saluted one after another, each with a look of longing on their face, and were more respectful than before.

The title of Marquis of the Great Ming Dynasty is truly resounding!
Zhao Wumian was still as calm as usual. What surprised him was that Bao Buyi and Chen Xuanli, who had helped Chang Mao transport supplies to Liaodong, returned. These two were his direct subordinates, and he missed them a lot after not seeing them for a long time.

Bao Buyi and the other man were also very happy to see Zhao Wumian.

Especially after seeing Zhao Wumian being promoted and continuing to be the same as usual, they all relaxed.

Zhao Wumian is now a fourth-rank commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and also the Marquis of Wujing. He can replace two more powerful subordinates with just a few words. It’s not bad… But if you think about it carefully, with your skills, ordinary thousand-householders can’t keep up with him. Military force is secondary to him, and loyalty is the primary one.

As for things like this, Bao Buyi and Chen Xuanli asked themselves if there was any limit to their potential.

Zhao Wumian asked: “When did you come back?”

Bao Buyi said, “Your Excellency, half a month ago, when we came back, the governor said that you were in seclusion and it was inconvenient to disturb you, otherwise we would have gone to the villa to report.”

Zhao Wumian said with a smile: “Why are you coming back to me? Chang Mao is back too?”

“We are yours.”

Bao Buyi also laughed: “Yes, after General Chang returned to Beijing to report on his work, he has returned to Longjiang Shipyard to supervise the construction of mechanical beasts. According to my subordinates, the court is preparing to take action against Liaodong. My lord, you don’t know that Nahachu in Liaodong has become more and more excessive. The entire Changbai Mountain has almost become his private property, making it a mess!”

Chen Xuanli nodded solemnly: “That’s right!”

Zhao Wumian said: “Don’t worry, he won’t be able to jump around for a few more days.”

The three of them walked straight into the inner hall of the Pacification Office.

Jiang Huan was still reviewing official documents. The pacification commissioner was of the fourth rank, and Zhao Wumian’s commander was of the fourth rank. In terms of official position alone, Zhao Wumian was above Jiang Huan, but the Jinyiwei department was rather strange. Logically speaking, the Jinyiwei commander was the highest official in the entire Jinyiwei, a third rank official, while the pacification commissioner in charge of the “Zhenfusi” department was only of the fourth rank. However, the pacification commissioner could report directly to Zhu Yuanzhang across levels. It can be seen that in the Jinyiwei organization, it does not matter who has a higher official position, but who is in charge of the “Zhenfusi”.

The person who can take charge of the “Zhenfusi” is the actual leader of the entire Jinyiwei.

Jiang Huan is obviously such a person.

Mao Xiang was the boss in theory, but he basically did not directly participate in decision-making. Instead, he was dispatched by Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao to secretly handle military and national affairs, like this Northwest Incident involving Wang Baobao.

Jiang Huan was nominally his deputy, but all the Jinyiwei had to obey his orders.

The duty of the deputy commander is to assist the commander, and to be in charge of training and military discipline. He is ranked below the commander and the associate commander. There are four of them in total. If they were in the local area, they would be real military leaders.

But in the Jinyiwei department, most of them are empty positions, a kind of honor, and a consolation reward for the transition to a title of nobility. Zhao Wumian was happy with this. He didn’t want Jiang Huan’s position, he wanted Mao Xiang’s position! Let others do the real work. He just wanted this huge information intelligence agency to be able to use it when he wanted.

After Zhao Wumian entered the room, he sat directly on the chair and poured himself a cup of tea.

“Your Excellency the Pacification Envoy.”

Bao Buyi and Chen Xuanli didn’t dare to do so and just bowed obediently.

Jiang Huan waved his hand to let them stand up, glanced at Zhao Wumian, and said sarcastically: “Marquis Wu Jing has been resting for so many days, and finally remembered that he is still a Jinyiwei. I thought you were no longer interested in Yujinghui.”

“It’s no use for you to be envious.”

Zhao Wumian took a sip of tea and said leisurely, “I want to take a rest before the New Year. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has approved it. I am here to interrogate those prisoners today. Don’t come to me for other troubles.”

“…”

Jiang Huan was even more envious. Zhao Wumian had fame and fortune in his hands, a beautiful wife and a beautiful family in his arms. He was enjoying himself in the mountain villa. Even the commander was not as comfortable as him! He looked down at the confidential documents from various places on the table, feeling powerless. Then he looked at Zhao Wumian who was drinking tea leisurely, and his eyes became more and more unfriendly.

This kid is so hateful!
Then he thought of those hard-headed people in the imperial prison and smiled slightly.

Jiang Huan handed him the key to the cell very straightforwardly: “Wang Guming is locked in the Han cell, and Tian Fan is next to him. One of them is from the Guigu Zongheng lineage, with profound skills, practicing both Qi and Shen, and the other is practicing the strange secret technique of “Shenyou Wuwai Dafa”. They are both like Hua Hanchun. Even if their internal strength is gone, their spiritual awareness is still strong. The commander said that these two tough guys are left to you.”

“it is good.”

Zhao Wumian took the key and said with a smile: “Then we won’t disturb the governor from his work. Let’s go to another place to have tea.”

After saying this, he turned the key ring and strode out of the inner hall. Bao Buyi and Chen Xuanli followed him with stern faces, almost laughing.

“…”

Jiang Huan’s face darkened and he cursed, then his expression softened and he smiled: “My temper hasn’t changed at all.”

Zhao Wumian walked into the imperial prison.

Wang Guming, Tian Fan and the others are all on the first level – their skills have been wasted and they can’t use them to suppress the evil spirits.

Arriving at the cell door, Chen Xuanli brought a chair. Zhao Wumian threw his cape and turned around to sit on it. Facing the two people in the cell, he smiled faintly: “I hope you two are well.”

Wang Guming and Tian Fan have long lost their previous high spirits. For more than a month, the Jinyiwei of the Zhenfu Division have not been idle either, and all kinds of tortures have been used on them. They have more and more wounds on their bodies, but none of them are fatal. There are also famous doctors from the capital waiting outside, so they can’t die even if they want to!
All the teeth in Wang Guming’s mouth were pulled out, and Tian Fan was slightly better, but the repeated humiliations made this “high monk” more resentful. When the two saw Zhao Wumian, they rushed to the front of the prison, the shackles on their bodies rattling, and the hatred in their eyes almost overflowed.

“Zhao! Wu! Mian!”

Wang Guming screamed, his words were unclear because he had no teeth, and he roared: “You will die a horrible death!!”

“hehe.”

Zhao Wumian smiled: “Maha Zun, you’d better not speak. When I see your mouth, I think of those old ladies in their eighties. Besides, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. You have to accept the loss if you are willing to gamble. Your attitude is a bit unacceptable.”

The two men stared at him without blinking.

Bao Bu Yi brought a cup of tea.

Zhao Wumian took a sip and said casually, “Since we are tired of each other, let’s get straight to the point. Tell me the information about the White Lotus Sect and the Yujing Society. It will save us trouble. I can also plead with the higher-ups to leave you an intact body. Otherwise, I will have to search your soul and you will be torn into pieces by five horses…”

Wang Guming laughed loudly: “Just you?!”

He finally found something to mock, and raised his eyebrows, his disdain evident in his words: “Even if Mao Xiang comes, he won’t be able to pry open our heads, let alone a brat like you!”

“Don’t be too confident.”

Zhao Wumian stared at the two of them: “You two are both top masters in the martial arts world. You must know the relationship between the three treasures of the human body.”

He stood up and walked towards the two of them, practicing “Senluo Wanxiang”, and the colorless and transparent true qi appeared again.

Zhao Wumian became almost invisible, blending into the surrounding environment. Although Wang Guming and Tianfan’s skills were crippled, their spiritual awareness was particularly strong. They noticed the weirdness in the first place and were dumbfounded.

“This! This is…”

“The connection between heaven and man, ‘One with the Light and the Dust’?!”

They were both stunned, and then they said in unison: “This is impossible!”

Zhao Wumian was too lazy to pay attention to them. He walked to the prison, looked into Wang Guming’s eyes, and continued the previous topic: “The three treasures of the human body are essence, energy and spirit, which are also the nature and life of Taoism. They complement each other. The two of you have lost your skills, your true energy is gone, and your spiritual consciousness is inevitably damaged. Tell me, if I suck your blood and flesh essence again, without the support of essence and energy, how much of your proud ‘spirit’ will be left?”

Wang Guming said coldly: “[Swallow the Heaven and Eat the Earth]?”

“No.”

Zhao Wumian shook his head: “The Taotie magical power is too overbearing. Once used, it will drain all aspects of life. In this way, I still can’t get the information I want. So even if I want to absorb it, I have to search the soul first. This is useless for you two. Instead, it helps you get rid of it. How could I make such a mistake…”

Wang Guming gave a sarcastic smile, he knew it was like this!

Zhao Wumian continued, “I have a way to suck your flesh and blood dry while still preserving your consciousness. Do you want to try it? By the time you’ve sucked your flesh and blood dry, you’ll be exhausted and full of energy, and you’ll deeply experience the feeling of aging. I’m afraid it won’t be pleasant.”

Wang Guming obviously didn’t believe it.

Zhao Wumian grabbed his wrist without saying a word and activated “Senluo Wanxiang”.

The terrifying suction force is coming!
Wang Guming immediately understood the state that Zhao Wumian described.

His consciousness was still active, but all the blood, flesh and essence in his body had been drained away! His skin and muscles began to age rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye! Because his consciousness was so strong, he could clearly sense the feeling of every bit of essence being drained from his body, just like being tortured to death, and he could experience every bit of aging in his body!
His legs gradually became weak and he could hardly stand.

“No!”

A great fear swept over my body.

Wang Guming clearly felt that the energy in his body was slipping away. The aging that he was most reluctant to face had arrived ahead of time!

In the blink of an eye, Wang Guming’s black hair turned white and was covered with wrinkles, and he went directly from middle age to old age.

The cruelest thing is that inside this old body there is still a vibrant soul.

One moment, he still had the body of a middle-aged man, and the next moment, even breathing became difficult…

Tian Fan’s eyes widened in shock.

Isn’t this him?

He was transferring himself from an old body into a young body, but Wang Guming was doing the opposite, his spirit remained the same, but his body became older. This was simply torture!

Zhao Wumian let go of his hand and said coldly: “Look, I told you but you didn’t believe me. Now, you have to face the rest of your life as an old man. Every movement will drain all your strength. You can’t carry anything with your shoulders or hands. Even biting your tongue to commit suicide will be a problem. But don’t worry, I will ask someone to take good care of you…”

Zhao Wumian had a pleasant expression on his face, but what he said made Wang Guming shudder.

He doesn’t even have the energy to die now.

I can’t live, I can’t die!
Thinking about the days to come, Wang Guming lay weakly on the ground, with deep fear in his eyes.

Zhao Wumian turned to Tian Fan and said, “I can search his soul now. Before that, I’m willing to give you a chance. Tell me, or not?”

“…”

Tian Fan was silent for a moment. This was not an option at all.

He smiled bitterly and could only ask, “What do you want to know?”

Zhao Wumian sat back in his chair: “Where is Yujinghui?”

Tian Fan shook his head: “We don’t know either.”

Zhao Wumian raised his eyebrows.

Tian Fan was shocked: “I really don’t know! We are cooperating with ‘Huangfu Lan’ of the Wutai Sect, and it was Huangfu Lan who approached us first. We didn’t know he was Sima Quehun beforehand. You saw it with your own eyes, so you should know clearly.”

Zhao Wumian said: “But he is in the name of Yujing Society. The fact that you can cooperate shows that you also know about Yujing Society. Are you trying to tell me that you know nothing? Then I’d better search your soul. Although it’s a bit troublesome, my memory won’t lie to me!”

“Don’t!”

Seeing that Zhao Wumian was about to drain his flesh and weaken his spiritual consciousness, Tian Fan hurriedly said, “I’ll tell you everything I know! I don’t know where the Yujing Society is, but I know Sima Quehun’s identity. In order to gain our trust, he told us some information about the Yujing Society, which is consistent with the information in the sect. You will be interested.”

Zhao Wumian: “Speak!”

Tian Fan sorted out his thoughts: “Yujing Society was born out of Baiyujing, which is divided into ‘Twelve Towers and Five Cities’. Sima Quehun is one of the twelve tower masters, the master of the Blood Robe Tower…”

(End of this chapter)