“General!”
Outside the mountains, Zhong Ting, He Zi Hai, Niu Yong, and others were waiting. When they saw Wu Ming carrying the head of Li Ru Bi, they were all greatly delighted.
“Hmm! You all should have this head treated and, through the proper channels, present it before Wang Xuan Fan’s headquarters. Also, send a generous gift to express our intentions… say that we do not seek any credit, only a place to settle down!”
Wu Ming patted the dragon pearl inside his robe, feeling reassured.
Wang Xuan Fan was a forgiving person, and with heavy bribes from their side, the channels would be cleared. They would present the head, and with the protection of the dragon aura and no desire for credit, this endeavor was sure to succeed!
As for himself, he only wanted to clear his name and obtain a new position. Relying on the fortune of the imperial system, the oppressive aura outside would surely be mostly worn away, posing no significant threat.
Without delay, he led his troops to defect to Wang Xuan Fan.
By then, Wang Xuan Fan had already entered the city of Jiushan Commandery and was staying near the Grand Marshal’s mansion. Upon seeing the ruins nearby and hearing news of Li Ru Bi’s escape, his mood became somewhat gloomy, and he offered a substantial reward for Li’s capture at all costs.
“Sigh… How unwise this man is!”
Wang Xuan Fan gazed at the horizon, sighing.
If Li Ru Bi had still been leading his own army and escaped now, perhaps the imperial court would merely issue a public warrant and let the matter pass, especially since the court needed manpower.
But now, by boldly declaring himself king, he had challenged the sensitive nerves of the emperor and the court officials. His entire clan must be executed, and he himself must be cut into a thousand pieces.
At this time, all nine generations of Li Ru Bi’s clan within Jiushan Commandery had already been captured, not a single one missing, awaiting formal confirmation before being publicly executed.
However, without capturing Li Ru Bi himself, the achievement would never be complete and might even be criticized.
Thinking of this, Wang Xuan Fan’s face darkened with worry.
“Report! A high-ranking enemy general has defected, bringing Li Ru Bi’s head!”
At this moment, a messenger rushed in, his face filled with joy.
“What?”
Wang Xuan Fan stood up abruptly, knocking over the teacup on the table, shattering it into pieces, but he paid no attention: “Have you confirmed it?”
“We have already questioned the servants and maids from his household, and they all confirmed it is indeed Li Ru Bi’s head!”
The messenger continued: “The one who brought the head is Wu, a newly promoted commander of the Lianshan Division, who joined the Jiushan army less than three months ago…”
“Hmph! This Li Ru Bi may have been a formidable warlord, but at the end, he became even more foolish…”
Wang Xuan Fan shook his head, showing great disdain.
“Also… General Wu stated clearly that this defection was for the survival of his men. Even if the Grand Marshal orders them to lay down arms and return to farming, they would gladly comply…”
“So he doesn’t want any credit…”
Wang Xuan Fan paced a few steps, his face lighting up with excitement: “This man is not bad… Did he really say that?”
Wang had initially looked down on him for joining recently, but now he wasn’t even vying for credit.
“Absolutely no falsehood!”
This messenger must have received quite a few benefits before making such a report.
“Very well! Since this man is sincere, I shall accept him. Tell him that although he once followed rebels, his crimes were not severe. He should remember to remain loyal to the imperial court in the future, and there will certainly be rewards!”
At this moment, Wang Xuan Fan was in a very pleasant mood and immediately replied without hesitation.
“Understood!”
The messenger bowed and exited, a slight smile appearing on his face.
Such a minor matter could share in the credit, and the gold, silver, and treasures in the tent were now safely in his pocket. Truly a great profit.
…
“Sir, you’ve escaped this calamity, and from now on, the sky is the limit for you to soar!”
On the open field, a group of riders galloped, and Zhong Ting congratulated Wu Ming.
“This is all thanks to the grace of the imperial court. I never imagined I would be appointed as a Prefect of the Garrison…”
Wu Ming touched the pearl inside his robe, feeling emotional. The power of fate in this world was truly formidable, and the dragon aura was especially advantageous.
This time, he respectfully presented the head, offered generous bribes, and greatly pleased Wang Xuan Fan. Not only was he not punished, but his past deeds were forgiven.
Moreover, after a single audience, Wang seemed quite fond of him. Within a few days, an imperial order arrived appointing him as the Garrison Prefect of Canglang Commandery.
The Garrison Prefect was the commander of the local militia in a commandery, holding a rank between junior sixth and sixth grade. Within the commandery, his status ranked just below the Commandery Governor and Deputy Governor.
Additionally, he commanded military forces, giving him considerable influence in times of turmoil.
This was likely because Wang Xuan Fan felt Wu Ming had prior experience leading troops and could be of use.
But Wu Ming’s attention was not on these things at all.
He opened his spiritual eye and saw that the previous fortune of the Jiushan army above his head had already vanished, replaced by a thick surge of red and yellow aura, filling the space around him in layers.
This was the fortune brought by the rank of Garrison Prefect.
And the outermost layer of gray-black aura had also mostly dissipated, with only a small remnant still being gradually worn down by the imperial fortune.
“For me personally, this calamity was a massive disaster akin to being struck by five thunderbolts. But for the grand structure of the imperial court, even a declining one, it was something that could be casually worn away…”
Witnessing this, Wu Ming was moved with emotion: “Still… for a cultivator to switch sides, how simple is that? Even this time, had it not been for the Tai Sui Zhensha Talisman, I might have fallen seriously ill when our army was defeated… And even when presenting the head, without the dragon’s aura swaying events, a single word from someone or even a moment of Wang Xuan Fan’s displeasure could have led to my execution, with no one to speak in my defense…”
“But now that it’s done, it’s truly like a dragon entering the sea, and from here on, the path is bright…”
Looking at Zhong Ting, He Zi Hai, and others gathered around him, Wu Ming smiled.
The mission was completed, the calamitous aura had dissipated, and next was to assume office in the commandery. Once he had arranged things for his subordinates, he could then “resign” and leave with ease.
“Though the garden is beautiful, it is not my home…”
A leisurely sigh slowly arose.
…
“Divine Throne, settle this mission!”
With a flash of white light, Wu Ming directly appeared in the Divine Throne space.
An automatic beam of light enveloped him, providing free treatment—a benefit too good to pass up.
Around Wu Ming, layers of images appeared, all scenes from the mission.
After a moment, the image paused at the moment Wu Ming became a Garrison Prefect, and a series of data appeared:
[The world you have experienced is the Star World, mission calculation in progress…]
[Side Mission: Join! – Completed! Earn 100 minor merits!]
[Main Mission: Establish a regime and proclaim yourself king! – Failed! No reward!]
[Total Merits Earned: 100 minor merits!]
The meager income made Wu Ming almost want to laugh bitterly: “If there are no other items to add to this, this mission was truly pitiful…”
He then turned his gaze to his personal attributes:
[Reincarnator ID: Geng Shen 69]
[Name: Wu Ming]
[Attainment: Human Immortal Stage, 3rd-level Mage; Physical Body Stage, 6th-level Innate]
[Equipment: Black Gold Ring, Dustless Robe]
[Title: Divine Throne Envoy]
[Reincarnator with the title of Divine Throne Envoy receives the following privileges:
A. Learn mission details three days in advance!
B. Receive a free treatment quota of 5,000 minor merits after each mission!
C. Gain True Vision, exempt from transaction fees when exchanging merits!
D. Every three reincarnation missions, receive one exemption from punishment for failing a main mission!
E. For each mission, choose either to reduce the difficulty by half or double the reward!]
“The privileges of a Divine Throne Envoy have increased… So Yu Shao Jun controls only about a quarter of my original privileges…”
Wu Ming rubbed his chin: “Immediately exercise the privilege! Double the reward!”
[Ding! Respected ID Geng Shen 69, Divine Throne Envoy, your mission reward is doubled to 200 minor merits!]
The Divine Throne immediately responded. Wu Ming, however, almost wanted to cry looking at it: “The base is too low; doubling it still doesn’t help much. What a pity… If I had completed the main mission, it would have been 400 major merits!”
But soon, he realized he was being too greedy.
Yu Shao Jun was deeply hidden, and his true strength was far beyond his own. Without using the Divine Throne’s ultimate weapon—”Eradication”—the outcome would have been uncertain.
“But…”
A few glowing items appeared in Wu Ming’s hands, and excitement showed on his face: “That Yu Shao Jun, with this privilege, must have profited handsomely on every mission. I wonder what surprises he will bring me. Divine Throne, identify!”
A beam of light descended, first enveloping the crystal-clear pearl with a serpent’s shadow inside.
[Item Name: Su Hou Pearl]
[Description: According to the ancient “Record of Searching for Spirits,” it is said that when Sui Hou was traveling, he saw a large snake injured in the middle. Suspecting it was a spirit, he had someone apply medicine and bandage it. The snake was able to crawl away. Thus, the place was named ‘Broken Snake Hill.’ A year later, the snake brought a pearl to repay him. The pearl was over an inch in diameter, purely white, and glowed at night like the moon, illuminating a room. Hence, it was called the ‘Su Hou Pearl,’ also known as the ‘Spirit Snake Pearl’ or ‘Moon Pearl’!]
[Exchange Value: 100 Heavenly Merits!]
[Note: This pearl is a dragon pearl, capable of concealing fortune and containing dragon aura. This item can be recycled for 200 Heavenly Merits. Would you like to submit it to the Divine Throne?]
“Su Hou Pearl…”
Wu Ming was astonished.
In his past life, the Suhou Pearl and the He’s Bi were regarded as the two most precious treasures, both invaluable beyond measure. However, the Suhou Pearl had long been lost, its location a mystery. He never anticipated that the Divine Throne would propose an exchange for it!
It was probably only a wastrel like Yu Shao Jun who could afford such an exchange.
“But…”
There were also rumors that the snake Su Hou saved was actually the son of a dragon, possessing dragon-like qualities. The pearl it brought might also be a dragon pearl. Perhaps… Yu Shao Jun valued it precisely for this reason, exchanging it deliberately to gather fortune. He must have been plotting this carefully…
“If Yu Shao Jun had taken this dragon aura to the Great Zhou, he might have truly risen… Unfortunately, in the end, it all benefited me…”
Wu Ming, of course, kept it without hesitation and certainly wouldn’t hand it over to the Divine Throne.
After all, this was hard currency in merits. Didn’t he see that even the Divine Throne had a demand for it? Even if he had no ambitions of becoming a rising dragon lord, he could keep it as a hedge against inflation.
Moreover, when he was short on merits, he could even exchange it. In any case, he wouldn’t lose.
“And…”
Thinking of the Longmen Conference in the Great Zhou world, Wu Ming held the Su Hou Pearl in his hand, his expression turning somewhat amused.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage