Inside the ruined Taoist temple.
Only after Wu Ming had left did the old Taoist stand up, gazing at the statue of the deity. He suddenly sighed, “His talent is mediocre, but his temperament is quite good. However, he carries an aura of calamity, making him unsuitable for my path of quietude and non-action…”
He cast a divination with his hands, and his expression changed, “He has no discernible origins, nor any clear destiny… and he is protected by divine power… What exactly is his background? Could it be… that a great calamity is approaching and the world is about to change dramatically?”
With this thought, he hurriedly went to the backyard, frowning deeply and walking briskly.
…
Wu Ming had been rejected, but he felt somewhat excited.
After all, as long as the person and the method exist, they are tangible things that can be acquired with effort.
Still contemplating this, he was about to return to the inn when two constables dressed in black stood in the middle of the road: “Master Wu, our Magistrate Wu Hong invites you!”
“Oh? Can’t hold back anymore, huh?”
Wu Ming smiled inwardly but said outwardly, “Of course I must go. Gentlemen, please lead the way!”
He made no mention of having noticed the surveillance over the past few days.
“Come… sit down. Try this; the dumplings are great!”
Wu Hong was sitting at a roadside stall ahead, dressed in civilian clothes, though the air of authority around him could not be hidden: “Old Zhang, another bowl please!”
“Coming right up!”
Old Zhang, the elderly vendor, happily boiled water, freshly prepared meat filling, wrapped it in dumpling skins thinner than paper, and dropped them into the boiling water. Soon, a bowl was served—translucent dumplings sprinkled with scallions and ginger, exuding fragrance that perfectly complemented the chilly weather.
“Indeed excellent! Very delicious!”
Wu Ming didn’t refuse, tasting one, finding it fresh and tasty. Even better, the clear broth carried a rich, deep flavor, crystal clear yet intensely savory, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
“Glad you like it. This is the skill I’ve honed over decades…”
Old Zhang chuckled, clasped his hands, and stood aside.
As Wu Ming continued eating, he keenly noticed over a dozen pairs of eyes watching closely, among them one or two that even he found slightly dangerous.
He knew Wu Hong must have received reports and heightened his vigilance. At this point, it might even be a ploy to lure snakes out of hiding, though nothing was said. After finishing his meal, he asked, “Thank you for the meal, Magistrate. May I ask what business brings me here?”
“Of course there is business!”
Wu Hong sipped his broth slowly, his eyes turning deep: “Was it you who caused trouble last night?”
“Yes!”
In the official bureau, there were naturally experts in tracking, so Wu Ming had no intention of hiding for long: “Were those people caught?”
“Hmph!”
Wu Hong snorted: “One dead, one captured, and another was delivered by you today!”
“Originally, I wanted to introduce you all as extraordinary individuals to each other, but I never expected you to be in cahoots!”
His words carried dissatisfaction, naturally exuding an oppressive aura mixed with officialdom authority. Ordinary ruffians would be trembling with fear at the sight of it.
But Wu Ming remained composed, seemingly unaffected.
After all, in his past life, he had seen high-ranking officials on television, so psychologically, he wasn’t intimidated by a mere ninth-grade official. Moreover, with the backing of the Main God’s Hall and now possessing martial arts skills, he felt confident.
A person with knowledge exudes grace; confidence brings composure, which surprised Wu Hong.
Wu Ming then clasped his hands and said, “These bandits dared to assassinate an imperial official, truly brazen and outrageous! We have absolutely nothing to do with them! May I ask if Your Excellency has uncovered any leads?”
“Isn’t this enough?”
Wu Hong’s face darkened: “They were planning to assassinate the county magistrate. What audacity! We were going to interrogate them further… but they died!”
“How did they die? Was the torture too harsh?” Wu Ming asked with interest.
“Torture too harsh?” Wu Hong snorted, “Are you joking? Those in the official bureau who make a living this way know how to make prisoners wish to confess everything about their families for three generations, yet leave no mark on their bodies. How could the interrogation be so careless?”
“But when we reached the key part about Black Mountain, they just died without a sound!”
As Wu Hong spoke, he shivered, clearly still shaken by the scene: “After examination, it wasn’t sudden illness or poisoning, and with the prison deity watching, it couldn’t have been sorcery or evil magic either…”
“Could it be the elimination by the Main God’s Hall?”
Wu Ming’s heart chilled, though his face remained impassive. He feigned shock: “Could it be the Black Mountain Lord’s doing?”
His expression darkened as he rose and gave Wu Hong a deep bow: “Your Honor! I swear we have no connection whatsoever with those bandits. Had we been involved, we certainly wouldn’t have escorted them to the yamen ourselves, would we?”
(Note: “衙门” is translated as “yamen” to maintain cultural specificity, as it refers to the traditional Chinese government office. Alternatively, it could be rendered as “magistrate’s office” for broader comprehension.)
“That is true…”
Wu Hong’s anger slightly eased: “Today the county magistrate also met with Lin Qizhi and discussed poetry with him for half an hour, expressing great appreciation… I believe you have no connection with the Black Mountain Lord. However, I hope you won’t make things difficult for me…”
He was, after all, an experienced official with some martial skill, and his words carried a tone of sincerity.
“Rest assured, Your Honor. We will depart immediately to resolve the matter in Heishui Village!”
Wu Ming said meaningfully: “We won’t exceed the county magistrate’s deadline…”
“Excellent!”
Wu Hong stood up, paid the bill, but Old Zhang refused to take the money. Only after Wu Hong turned stern did he reluctantly accept, bowing respectfully as they left.
Wu Ming, however, remained unhurried: “Old Zhang, your broth is truly excellent. Another bowl, please!”
“Coming right up, sir, just a moment!”
Old Zhang turned back, wiping sweat from his brow, perhaps feeling like he had just seen off a plague god, considering that Wu Hong sitting there for an afternoon had ruined his business.
“It seems… the yamen isn’t completely useless. With so many veteran officers working together, extracting information from a few newcomers is easy enough…”
Wu Ming continued eating slowly, a faint smirk on his lips: “But these mere newcomers, even the Main God couldn’t comprehend—what could they possibly reveal? They couldn’t even endure the torture, were forced to divulge secrets, and then got eliminated…”
“Of course, some traces are inevitable. By now, Wu Hong must have lost all trust in us…”
“Distrust or not, he still needs us for now, and I’ve made my stance clear. That’s enough!”
To those in power, trust in suspicious outsiders isn’t really important—it’s whether they are useful that matters.
Now that Wu Ming had shown a clear determination to confront the Black Wind General and insisted on departing immediately, Wu Hong naturally had nothing more to say. After all, they weren’t his people. Let them stir things up in Heishui Village. If they succeeded, great. If they died, no big loss. And if both sides destroyed each other, that would be the best outcome.
“If I insisted on staying in the county town… well, it wouldn’t be just surveillance anymore!”
Returning to the inn where he was staying, Wu Ming found Ling Guhong and the others already there. When Shan Lan saw him, she hurried forward with a smile: “This time, we owe much to Young Master Lin. The county magistrate of Heitai, Zhang Zhengyi, turned out to be a cultured man. After a pleasant conversation with him, he even granted us official documents and ordered his constables to assist. Now we are acting with proper authority!”
Acting with proper authority meant they could draw upon the blessings of the officialdom, which was extremely important.
Hearing this, Wu Ming felt delighted. Seeing that Shan Lan and Ling Guhong also looked happy, he said, “It seems you two had a successful mission!”
“Not exactly successful, just some minor gains. How about you, Brother Wu Ming? Did your mission go smoothly?”
Shan Lan asked thoughtfully.
“Ah…”
Wu Ming shrugged slightly and explained his intentions.
“You want to find a master in the reincarnation world?”
Shan Lan smiled: “That’s clever indeed. It’s definitely the fastest and easiest way. But for us reincarnators, this path is extremely difficult!”
“How so? Is there any trick to it?”
Wu Ming’s mind stirred: “If Sister Shan Lan is willing to share honestly, I’ll be forever grateful!”
“No need for gratitude. It’s common knowledge anyway!”
Shan Lan gave him a sidelong glance and said gracefully, “To take a teacher in a task world, martial artists are fine, but once it comes to witches, Taoists, or even monks with spiritual powers, they rarely agree to take reincarnators as disciples… No matter how persistently you beg or stubbornly you plead, it’s useless! Some even knelt to death at the master’s doorstep, but it was all in vain!”
“So strict? Why is that?”
Wu Ming asked in confusion.
“The reason… according to rumors, those sages have opened their spiritual eyes and see that we carry an aura of calamity, which they dislike greatly!”
Shan Lan explained: “Carrying calamity means entering the world to face trials. Once they become your master, they will inevitably be drawn into karmic entanglements, even being dragged down with you. Spiritual cultivators value freedom and detachment. Unless you are a close relative and there’s no way to refuse, they will absolutely never agree to pass on their teachings!”
“Calamity aura? Us?”
Wu Ming’s expression darkened slightly: “Are they talking about the Main God’s Hall?”
“Being compelled by the tasks of the Main God’s Hall to constantly venture through the cycles of reincarnation and countless worlds… isn’t that a tremendous calamity?”
Shan Lan gave a bitter smile and said: “Therefore, if you want to learn Taoist techniques from the task world, unless you have great opportunities and blessings, otherwise you can only…”
Because Lin Qizhi was present, she didn’t continue, but Wu Ming immediately understood her meaning.
“Only by killing them and seizing their teachings?”
Wu Ming clenched his teeth inwardly: “But unless it’s the last resort, I won’t go that far…”
Although she didn’t finish, Lin Qizhi gave a cold snort: “Gentlemen, I’ll take my leave first!”
A practitioner of Confucian righteous energy must not betray his conscience.
Even Confucius himself never taught people to kill others for their treasures. If Lin Qizhi continued listening, that would be strange.
In fact, not immediately cutting ties showed he was quite adaptable.
Of course, perhaps in Lin Qizhi’s eyes, these people were merely teammates for a single mission, without any “brotherhood” to speak of, so there was nothing to sever.
“Brother Lin, please wait a moment. There really is something!”
Wu Ming’s expression turned solemn as he recounted what had happened with Wu Hong that day. At the end, he said, “It seems… our mission this time must be carried out without delay. Otherwise, if Heitai County no longer welcomes us, we will face enemies on two fronts and surely meet a tragic end!”
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