“He’s… dead… dead…”
Wu Si’s face was blank as he stared at Wu Lie’s severed head, seemingly unable to believe that his kinsman, who had been joking and chatting with him moments ago, was now separated from his head.
Especially now, surrounded by armored soldiers with swords drawn, the sharp blades almost pointing at his back.
The icy coldness of the sword’s tip and the ruthless glare in the soldiers’ eyes left him no doubt that they would strike the moment he showed any resistance.
At this moment, his lips trembled, his heart filled with disbelief: “He… how dare he? How dare he?! How dare he kill a member of the Wu family???”
Previously, he naturally regarded Wu Ming as just some man Wu Zhi had randomly chosen, not worth much. Now he realized how terribly mistaken he had been.
“You killed him… you actually dared to kill him? Good, very good!”
The elder of the Wu family, his eyes nearly popping out: “I, Wu Tongtian, will remember you!”
“What an arrogant name you have, yet no ounce of real strength. You disappoint me greatly!”
Wu Ming was speechless and stretched lazily: “It seems you still can’t face reality, so I’ll just show you the truth with actions!”
He pointed behind him: “The Wu family is mine to manage! I have ordered my wife to remove the annual tribute from your Wu family. Haha… You dared to humiliate me with such an outrageous disgrace, so naturally I must return the favor!”
Then he calmly asked: “What is the punishment for insulting soldiers and shouting before their superiors?”
“Whipping!”
Wu Tiehu answered loudly.
“Good! Drag them down, fifty lashes each!”
Wu Ming pointed at Wu Tongtian: “This one is at least my wife’s elder family member, so I’ll halve the punishment to save face.”
“You brat!”
Wu Tongtian’s face turned red: “How dare you humiliate me like this?!”
However, before he could finish, he was dragged away by fierce-looking armored soldiers. Wu Tiehu grinned sinisterly, raised the whip, and lashed hard!
Crack!
A red mark appeared instantly, making Wu Tongtian shut up immediately.
Pain!
Intense pain!
The excruciating pain almost made Wu Tongtian lose consciousness momentarily.
The whip was a military one, made from the finest oxhide, extremely durable. Before each whipping, it was soaked in brine to prevent infection and, more importantly, to intensify the pain.
“Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law, save me!”
Wu Si, still young, quickly became subdued after just a few lashes, rolling on the ground, crying and snot running: “Help!”
“Continue!”
Wu Ming didn’t even blink.
Crack! Crack!
After another dozen lashes, Wu Tongtian’s back was already a mess, blood and clothes mixed together. He gasped for breath, almost screaming: “Wait! I yield!”
Wu Tiehu stopped and looked toward Wu Ming.
“Are you stupid? The punishment isn’t finished yet, why did you stop?”
Wu Ming didn’t look up, flipped through the book he had just been reading, picked up the brush with his right hand, dipped it in ink, and continued writing meticulously.
His handwriting originally came from a playboy style—superficially impressive but lacking in substance. However, after his reincarnation, his inner depth had grown, and his calligraphy now exuded grace and Daoist charm, flowing like dragons and snakes, impressive indeed.
Of course, he wasn’t copying a book now but transcribing from memory.
In this world of the Great Shang Rebellion, Wu Ming had acquired many benefits from the old Daoist Yu Qing. Not only did he obtain Yu Qing’s Daoist techniques at the Earth Immortal level, but also maps of mountains and rivers, secrets of blessed lands, and legends of Immortals beyond the Earth Immortal level—true treasures. Naturally, he was now transcribing them all to enrich the Wu family’s collection and strengthen its foundation.
Crack! Crack!
Outside, after a long while, the punishment was finally completed. Wu Si had become a bloodied figure, barely breathing, while Wu Tongtian still had half a life left, his mind still clear. Seeing two female guards of the Fire Phoenix Guard entering, he immediately rushed forward: “Quickly… quickly call my niece Wu Zhi… I’m about to be beaten to death!”
“Are you Elder Wu Tongtian?”
One of the Fire Phoenix Guards recognized Wu Tongtian but did not step forward to help. Instead, she kept her eyes straight ahead and first saluted Wu Ming: “Head of the House!”
“Mm! Since he wants to see Wu Zhi, go summon her then!”
Wu Ming continued writing without looking up.
Before long, Wu Zhi, now dressed in court attire, hurried in, her face bearing a dignified air.
“Niece! Niece!”
Wu Tongtian, as if seeing a savior, rushed forward: “Look at that Wu family brat—he’s trying to kill me!”
“And your two younger brothers, one is barely alive, and the other has his head hanging there! You must stand up for us!”
“Uncle, you’re joking!”
Wu Zhi waved her sleeve and entered the hall, grinding ink for Wu Ming: “I am now a Wu family wife. My husband wants to deal with you, how can I interfere?”
“You?!”
Wu Tongtian couldn’t catch his breath, rolled his eyes, and fainted immediately.
“Carry him away! Don’t stay here and ruin the mood!”
Seeing Wu Ming silent, Wu Zhi said indifferently.
“At once!”
Wu Tiehu was deeply impressed by Wu Ming and immediately ordered the soldiers to drag the two away. The Fire Phoenix Guards automatically stepped forward to clean the floor. Before long, everything was restored as before, not even a trace of blood smell remained.
“Dear husband, your calligraphy is excellent!”
Killing one and punishing two, both Wu family members, yet Wu Zhi seemed not the least bit upset, her attention instead captured by Wu Ming’s handwriting.
“…A blessed land may be a hundred or a thousand miles in circumference, enjoying the four seasons and changes in the heavens, yet without the rising and setting of the sun and moon, or the stars of the heavens…”
“…It is said that in the star palaces of the Zhou Heaven, there are inner sanctuaries where stars shine brightly at night, a magnificent sight. Within, disciples live and multiply, gathering into towns of tens of thousands…”
Originally drawn by Wu Ming’s handwriting, Wu Zhi was soon captivated by the content itself, her beautiful eyes unable to look away.
“…Those who read this in the future will also feel inspired, gradually understanding the true Dao of the world lies only in transcendence.”
Wu Ming wrote quickly, yet each character was neat and precise, using formal script, horizontal and vertical strokes straight and clear, very pleasing to the eye.
After adding the final punctuation mark, Wu Zhi slowly exhaled, looked around, and realized it was already nearing dusk, so she smiled: “Reading a fine piece is like drinking fine wine—truly exhilarating. May I ask the title of this piece?”
“This is ‘The Travels of the Free Wanderer,’ a record of a wandering cultivator named Free Wanderer, who traveled widely and recorded his observations…”
Wu Ming blew on the last page: “After completing this transcription, I plan to store it in the Wu family library for future generations!”
“Blessed lands and hidden sanctuaries…”
Wu Zhi murmured. Even the Wu family had only fragmentary records and oral traditions about these.
Yet she never imagined that her own husband had already begun to engage with such matters. Don’t underestimate this—it was the foundation of a family’s legacy!
Without such accumulation, no matter how wealthy or vast one’s lands, one would still be seen as a nouveau riche.
“Combined with this volume… the secret transmissions should be mostly transcribed…”
Wu Ming put down his brush, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression: “Finally, there’s the Yu Qing Daoist techniques. What excuse should I give to send them to Wu Qing? But she already suspects I’m a reincarnated soul, so maybe no excuse is needed?”
“What are you thinking, dear husband?”
Perhaps it was a wife’s intuition. When Wu Ming slightly drifted into thought about another woman, Wu Zhi’s perceptive eyes looked over.
“Cough… cough…”
Wu Ming coughed twice: “I was just wondering, will today’s actions make it hard for you?”
“You’ve already done it, why ask me now?”
Wu Zhi seemed somewhat resentful, but being an extremely intelligent woman, she didn’t dwell on the issue, directly saying: “Actually, I want to reform our family. It’s nothing to make an example of a few people…”
At this, she finally showed some of the decisiveness of a general: “Invading farmland and damaging our family’s reputation is one thing, but actually conspiring with outsiders, planning to collaborate from within and overthrow me… Hmph, it seems the teachers at the Wu family academy need replacing. Haven’t they taught them the principle that without the skin, where can the hair survive?”
“How can those blinded by profit be judged by normal standards?”
Wu Ming shrugged his shoulders: “Didn’t they dare to be so arrogant even before me?”
“That’s because you never told anyone, right?”
Wu Zhi resumed her girlish demeanor, rolling her eyes: “If they knew you were a Daoist immortal master, who would dare to act out?”
Unlike Wu Zhi, Wu Ming, having gathered great power within himself, didn’t care much about the shifts in secular power.
This was just his level. At the level of Earth Immortals and Heaven Immortals, it would be even more so.
“If I seal off my blessed land, I can live freely, who cares how many times the earthly emperor changes?
In this mission of the Great Shang Rebellion, if it weren’t for the emergence of the twelve golden figures at the end, Wu Ming estimated that not even a sixth-level great adept would appear. Probably just an Earth Immortal like Yu Qing, who was too entangled to escape, hence his frantic actions. He must have been ridiculed by his peers for quite some time, losing the dignity of an Earth Immortal.
“Oh right, Wu Qing will be going to Yu Qing’s Daoist mountain for further training after the New Year! Her talent is extraordinary, and she is already at the level of a true adept. Who could possibly be her teacher? She might even enter a blessed land to be personally taught by an Earth Immortal…”
“Yu Qing the old Daoist has the merit of an Earth Immortal, with a thousand years of life. Without external calamities, he should still be alive today, hmm… pity I observed his fortune. Although he achieved Earth Immortality by borrowing Ji Yi’s true dragon’s power, he was later severely wronged, so he probably has no hope of becoming a Heaven Immortal for the rest of his life…”
Wu Ming concealed his thoughts well and coughed lightly: “My lady… it’s getting late…”
Wu Zhi softly replied, her face blushing with a pair of red clouds.
…
Crackling!
With heavy snowfall, the fifth year of Peaceful Reign finally came to an end.
“A half cup of Tu Su wine still unraised, by lamplight I write peach talismans with quick strokes…”
The fifth night of the New Year, the Eve of the Lunar New Year.
Wu Ming stood at the highest point of the Wu family fortress, leaning on the railing and gazing afar. Behind him were Wu Zhi, Wu Qing, and even Li Xiuyun, who shrank into a corner. Outside, the festive atmosphere was vibrant, with people cheering joyfully. They burned bamboo, symbolizing the expulsion of the annual beast, while every household gathered together, filled with happiness and warmth.
“The fifth year of Peaceful Reign has passed, and now comes the sixth. Wu Qing will go to refine her Daoist techniques, Wu Zhi will organize the two prefectures and clean up the family affairs. Even I must travel far away, seeking an opportunity to deal with the remnants of the Blood Oath Alliance… What a turbulent time it will be!”
Wu Ming sighed suddenly, then exchanged his sigh for a smile, quickly merging into the jubilant noise below…
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage