“The dragon essence within the Suizhou Pearl is sufficient for me to cultivate up to the True Man stage, and there’s even some to spare… However, it won’t help with the urgency of the situation!”
Time was pressing, and a ruthless expression flickered across Wu Ming’s face as he finally made up his mind: “I’ll head to the prefectural capital right away!”
This time, after completing his mission, he was no longer the same inexperienced person he once was.
Not only had he advanced to the rank of mage in Taoist arts, but his skill in aura observation had also greatly improved, and he now had numerous treasures at his disposal.
Returning to the prefectural city now, he must investigate the fortunes of the Wang family spanning three generations!
What’s the big deal about being a prominent family? As long as there’s the slightest flaw in their fortune, he could exploit it!
Knock knock!
Just then, Wu Ming’s expression changed.
A knocking sound came from outside the window, like a small bird pecking gently.
He stood up, opened the window, and a blue paper crane flew in, glowing with magical light.
“This is magical communication… Elder sister really is… now that she knows I’ve advanced to Taoist priest, she can’t be bothered to send a messenger…”
Wu Ming smiled wryly, though he understood that this method of communication was not only more convenient but also ensured secrecy.
“Chirp chirp…”
The paper crane chirped, circled around Wu Ming once, nodded, and then a voice came from its beak: “Little brother, listen carefully…”
Wu Qing’s voice was transmitted.
Wu Ming’s expression turned solemn as he waited for the message to finish. Watching the paper crane burn to ashes without any flame, he pondered for a moment: “Sister Wu Qing wants me to go to the prefectural city and find someone…”
“From the tone, it sounds like she’s entrusting her child to someone… It seems that as the date approaches, she’s increasingly sensing something wrong.”
Thinking about this, his heart tightened, yet he felt curious: “She mentioned it’s a close female friend she’s made, someone completely trustworthy… Hmph, that’s rare indeed. A woman with power, befriended by Wu Qing…”
Wu Ming rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He knew Wu Qing’s personality very well—she would never associate with the wrong crowd. Given her character, the woman she befriended must not be one who stays locked away at home, only knowing how to paint eyebrows and do makeup, or take care of her husband and children.
Moreover, this woman must possess considerable power.
Not just anyone could ensure the safety of a person or a family under the pressure of a prominent clan.
“Could it be the daughter or the wife of the governor?”
Wu Ming couldn’t help but speculate: “What a coincidence, I was just heading to the prefectural city anyway—this saves me some trouble…”
…
With nothing else to do at the moment, he made some preparations, leaving the management of the fortress to Feng Han, Zhao Song, and Old Wu, the steward. Then he took a carriage toward Chufeng Prefecture City.
“Master, hold on tight!”
Wu Tiehu wore only light clothing. Although it was still winter, he didn’t feel the cold at all and drove the carriage swiftly and steadily.
Originally, Wu Ming had planned to travel alone into the city, but after thinking about it, he realized it would be inconvenient without someone to assist him, so he brought Wu Tiehu along.
At this moment, sitting inside the carriage, Wu Ming slightly closed his eyes, thinking about the aura he had just seen around Wu Tiehu, and sighed inwardly.
The man was surrounded by killing intent, with starlight circling his body—an omen of a mighty general!
Unfortunately, his stellar fate was still too weak, merely at the level of a single star, far from reaching the stage of revealing his own life star, let alone the secondary destiny of stellar fate or the realm of true fate.
Nevertheless, even so, among the people in the Wu family fortress, this man was still the most promising candidate.
Wu Ming bringing him along had a bit of the intention of promoting him.
“Wu Tiehu, I have a technique for you, listen carefully!”
After thinking for a moment, Wu Ming recited a magical incantation.
The world of stars he was heading to was filled with star energy, a place where various stellar destinies emerged one after another.
As long as one was a great general, even a brave or fierce general, they usually had malevolent stars protecting their body, which led to the development of many military techniques, including specific methods specially designed to stimulate the power of these malevolent stars.
Although the stellar power in the Great Zhou world was slightly inferior, the essence was the same, making it highly applicable for reference.
“This…”
Wu Tiehu hadn’t paid much attention at first, but after listening to a few sentences, his heart was greatly moved.
He found that these few hundred words, though simple, directly pointed out the correct path. Even parts he couldn’t fully understand had already benefited him immensely, far surpassing his own self-guided exploration. His hands trembled, causing the carriage to veer off course.
He quickly stopped the carriage and got out to kowtow: “Thank you, Master, for your kindness! From now on, I am your man in life and death…”
He was so excited that he couldn’t even speak properly.
“Just do your best for our Wu family. What are you talking about, life and death? Hurry up and drive the carriage!”
Wu Ming laughed and scolded him.
“Yes!”
Wu Tiehu respectfully replied, then got back onto the carriage, his demeanor even more respectful.
He had some understanding, naturally knowing that such things, simple and direct as they were, could lead to real results, following the military path. Unless one came from a military family passed down through generations, it was nearly impossible to obtain such techniques.
At this moment, Wu Ming gave him a sense of profound unfathomability.
…
“Indeed, he has some foundation!”
After imparting the incantation, Wu Ming didn’t say much more. He closed his eyes as if dozing off, letting Wu Tiehu digest the teachings on his own.
Thinking about the changes in the aura above Wu Tiehu’s head, he smiled slightly.
This man was originally fated to be shadowed by an ominous star. Now, with the cultivation method from the celestial realm, it was truly like adding wings to a tiger.
In terms of fortune, it manifested as a significant increase in his innate aura.
Fortune was a manifestation of power!
And when one’s power was greatly enhanced, how could it not bring benefits?
Take Wu Ming himself, after advancing to the mage level, although his overall fortune was still a mix of red and white, the core area was a deep red, very stable, even showing signs of spreading to other areas.
“A mage, if fully prepared, could assassinate several martial artists at the ninth level of physical cultivation, those who have reached the peak of transformation! Like the martial arts masters, grandmasters, and sages, they are terrifying beings who can change the balance of secular power… Moreover, because the power comes from oneself, such changes in fortune are normal…”
Wu Ming sighed, feeling a bit regretful.
Generally speaking, a mage with a red fortune would have no problem taking root and thriving in a county.
In fact, even if Wu Qing wasn’t around, Wu Ming alone could still support the family and develop the Wu clan into a prominent family in the county.
Unfortunately, compared to the golden fortune of the prominent families in the county, there was still a significant gap.
“Putting aside other considerations… whether it’s Elder Sister Wu Qing or me, even if we combined the strength of two mages, it would only be a slight inconvenience to the Wang family. But if we could produce a True Man, that would be different… They would certainly dare not plot against us anymore!”
Alas, becoming a True Man was difficult.
Even though Wu Ming now had the Suizhou Pearl and the dragon essence within it, ensuring he could reach the True Man level, it would still take time.
…
The distance from Yunping County to the prefectural city was quite far.
Even with a carriage, no delays, and taking the main road, Wu Ming and Wu Tiehu set off early in the morning but barely arrived just before the city gates were about to close.
“Chufeng Prefecture City… truly magnificent!”
Wu Ming lifted the carriage curtain and looked into the distance, seeing a colossal structure standing at the horizon, seemingly endless.
As the carriage drew closer, the city’s appearance gradually became clearer to Wu Ming.
Perhaps due to his previous habit of serving as a general in the star world, Wu Ming’s first observation was of the city’s defenses.
At this moment, he saw that the city walls stood twenty feet high—nearly six or seven meters—with a bluish tint on their surface. Thick and seamless, they were built from stone and gravel mixed with tung oil and even reinforced with glutinous rice, making them exceptionally sturdy. Atop the walls stood watchtowers and battlements; in the event of an attack, these would undoubtedly inflict heavy casualties on the enemy.
Outside the city, there was a moat, shimmering with waves. At its widest point, it was nearly three zhang wide, vast and expansive, with small boats occasionally passing over it.
“With such a grand city, no wonder in ancient times, even with armies of tens of thousands laying siege for years, the city could only be captured after the defenders ran out of food…”
As Wu Ming observed, he couldn’t help but sigh.
With his knowledge, he naturally knew that even if he brought all his troops, no— even if Li Rubi brought the entire Jiushan Army, with two or three tens of thousands of soldiers to besiege this city, as long as there were no traitors inside surrendering, the city could definitely hold firm, at the very least delaying the siege for several months.
Therefore, in ancient times, military strategy always considered attacking cities as the last resort, while winning the hearts and minds of the people was considered the best approach.
If one had to expend troops to capture every city along the way, even a hidden dragon would eventually deplete its fortune!
“However… this world also has other supernatural forces, and I wonder how they will manifest in warfare…”
The strongest forces will inevitably be used in war—this is an unshakable truth!
In the world he came from, military technology often surpassed civilian technology in every aspect. Here, it was the gathering of superpowered individuals within the military that created formidable combat strength!
“Should I find an opportunity to develop gunpowder and cannons?”
As Wu Ming gazed at Chufeng Prefecture City, his eyes burned with passion. As a man and someone from a past life, he always harbored a dream of steel and cannons deep in his heart: “But this isn’t urgent. I must first explore and fully gather intelligence…”
At this time, the drawbridge had not yet been raised. Wu Tiehu quickly stepped forward and saw a group of soldiers lazily guarding the city gate.
Seeing the carriage, they hurried them: “Hey! The city gate is about to close, hurry up!”
The soldiers of the Prefecture naturally carried an air of pride. Seeing Wu Ming’s carriage, which resembled that of a wealthy country bumpkin, they weren’t particularly courteous.
“Respected soldiers, thank you for your hard work, please be patient!”
Wu Tiehu dared not be negligent and quickly stepped forward.
After all, once the city gate was closed, it wouldn’t open again until the next day. If one wanted to pass at night, unless there was an urgent military situation requiring the use of a basket lowered from the city wall, ordinary citizens could only dream of it.
Immediately paying the entrance fee, Wu Tiehu smiled respectfully and slipped a string of coins into the squad leader’s hand.
The squad leader weighed it in his hand, then smiled in satisfaction.
The carriage slowly made its way into the city. The young master had visited the Prefecture several times before, and Wu Ming also had memories of the place. Seeing the shops lining both sides of the street and the still lively bustle, he said, “Head to Ma’s Old Inn…”
“Yes!”
Wu Tiehu drove the carriage to a quieter street in the southern part of the city.
In the middle, a large inn occupied a significant area, relatively quiet. The gilded plaque reading “Ma’s Old Inn” gleamed with a bronze-like luster under the setting sun, clearly an ancient artifact.
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