Ming Dynasty: Emperor Wanshou is cultivating immortality!

Beijing.

Hai Mansion, backyard.

“Hahaha,” Wang Yongji, who was sitting under the eaves, enjoying the rain and eating hot pot, smacked his lips and laughed, “Brother Gangfeng, this spirit beast hot pot is really wonderful!”

Wang Yongji held the chopsticks in one hand and the jade bowl in the other. He puffed and looked around tentatively, saying, "It's your Qing Feng Zui. Why haven't you taken it out?"

At this time, Wang Yongji had lost his previous high spirits and vigor. Instead, he looked more prosperous and his face became rounder. Well, if you really want to describe him, he is a wealthy businessman.

Looking at his best friend whom he hadn't seen for a long time, Hai Rui smiled and raised his hand, taking out a pot of spiritual wine from his storage ring.

"Knowing you were coming, I prepared everything a month ago." Hai Rui said as he took out the wine glasses and filled them up for the two of them himself, under Wang Yongji's shining gaze.

"Tsk," Wang Yongji saw this and quickly picked up the wine glass, poured it in one gulp, grinning and couldn't help but sighing:
"That's the energy. It's great!" After saying that, he laughed again and said, "Luckily, I have a good friend like you."

"I heard that this Qingfengzui is only supplied to a small number of important officials in the court," he said, pointing to the wine glass and said with a smile: "I came to the capital this time, six points for you, and three points for this!"

"I think it's half and half." Hai Rui laughed and made a rare joke, "What about the other one?"

"Hehe, let's talk about it after we finish eating, so as not to spoil the fun." Wang Yongji chuckled and didn't continue.

After three rounds of drinking, when the servants had removed all the pots and bowls, Hai Rui and Wang Yongji gradually calmed down.

"Are you still used to staying in Nanjing?" Hai Rui asked with concern.

"Hmm," Wang Yongji took a sip, squinted his eyes and looked at the heavy rain, and said, "I am now the Minister of Rites in the secondary capital. My rank and salary are sufficient. Although I am not as powerful as Lu Bu in the capital, I am free and happy."

"Speaking of which, I am able to be the Minister of Rites in the secondary capital and enjoy my current freedom, but it is all thanks to you, Brother Gao Feng."

Just as Hai Rui was about to speak, Wang Yongji smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I know this was all arranged by Prince Yu."

"But what is Prince Yu's Mansion? You and I both know."

"Besides, the power of Prince Yu's Mansion is now in the hands of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"If someone is useless, His Royal Highness will not show mercy. In the current Xian Dynasty, there is only one position for each person. Many officials with outstanding achievements have no chance to become a seventh-rank county magistrate, let alone Nanjing, even in the inland of the Ming Dynasty."

"Even some prosperous cities in the Overseas Provincial Administration Office are not eligible, so we can only go to remote places."

"Not to mention that Nanjing is a place with good lucrative positions comparable to the capital. If there is no order from above, how could a discarded pawn like me get the job?"

After hearing Wang Yongji's words, Hai Rui fell silent. He was a man of integrity and adamantine, but he was not pedantic or ignorant of the ways of the officialdom.

"Why does Prince Yu's Mansion look at me differently?" Wang Yongji said, and he chuckled and turned his head to look at his good friend Hai Rui and said, "That's because I, Wang Yongji, have a close friend like you, Hai Gangfeng."

"Haha," he said, suddenly laughing and joking, "Hai Rui, Hai Rui, I never thought that you would become someone else's umbrella."

"The court's transfer of officials is reasonable. Your being the Minister of Rites in Nanjing has nothing to do with anyone else." Hai Rui paused for a moment and said, "There is no violation of the rules."

As a close friend, Wang Yongji had anticipated what Hai Rui would say. He just smiled and did not pursue the topic any further.

"I also heard about what Lord Zhang proposed in Yuxi Palace." Wang Yongji licked his lips and said, "Students from all the universities in Nanjing are making a big fuss about it."

"Some immortals, chambers of commerce, and celebrities from all walks of life have openly come out to express their opinions and criticize this matter."

"I'm afraid this Lord Zhang will become the target of public criticism."

"However, some things should be said and heard. Being in the imperial court, you and I both know that the reason why this matter has become so big is probably related to the competition among the kings in the court."

"Another court fight..." Wang Yongji said with some emotion: "Court disputes, the future of the family, are fascinating..."

"Did you come to Beijing just to tell me this?" Hai Rui was silent for a moment, then asked his close friend.

"Recently, I heard a rumor." Wang Yongji's tone suddenly became low, and he looked at Hai Rui and said:
"The imperial court released a plague in the world of immortal cultivation in order to achieve the goal of a smooth war. The reason why Li Shizhen and others were ordered to be arrested was because of this."

Upon hearing this, Hai Rui raised his eyebrows, his expression suddenly darkened, and he asked, "Where did you hear that from?"

"It's a rumor spread by the folk cultivators. I heard it from my servants," Wang Yongji said in a serious tone with a solemn expression, "It's precisely because we can't find out who spread these rumors and can't trace them back to their source. These rumors arose without any signs, so..."

Having said this, Wang Yongji kept silent, but Hai Rui understood what he meant.

Although Wang Yongji was only an idle Minister of Rites in Nanjing, he was not an incompetent person. If he wanted to find something, it would be impossible for him to find it.

But this rumor seemed to be spreading out of nowhere.

What does this show? This shows that behind this seemingly absurd rumor, there is a powerful person stirring up trouble.

"Om."

Wang Yongji spread out his palm, and the storage ring on his fingertips flashed, and then projected an image.

Well, in today's Ming Dynasty, the development of equipment such as image stones and spiritual networks is no longer as primitive and crude as before.

This kind of spiritual network function, which integrates communication, Internet access and movie watching, has long been used in the daily life of every citizen.

Of course, the shapes are also varied.

There are various accessories, even glasses, or a bracelet, a ring and so on.

However, the photo stone combined with the storage ring of Wang Yongji is still in short supply even in the Ming Dynasty today.

After all, storage rings, even among monks, are considered high-end items. Sometimes you can’t even use them just by having money; you also need a certain social status.

Through the image, Hai Rui saw a place covered with fog. Through the thick fog, he could vaguely see the buildings behind it.

"The world of cultivating immortals?" Hai Rui looked at Wang Yongji.

"Hmm," Wang Yongji nodded slightly and said, "It should be an image of an island outside the four continents."

"Tap tap tap."

The hurried footsteps caused the camera to shake slightly, accompanied by heavy breathing.

Obviously, this video was recorded by someone who had conducted special investigations.

As the camera goes deeper into the fog, large areas of buildings appear.

On the plaque at the mountain gate, you can vaguely see three large characters "Beiming Sect" written in an ancient and flamboyant style.

However, since entering the mountain gate, Hai Rui gradually realized that something was wrong. This immortal gate was too quiet.

Moreover, when someone broke in, there was no obstruction at all.

After entering the mountain gate, the fog showed no signs of dissipating and visibility was only within arm's length.

But these are not the main points.

The point is that the entire mountain gate is too quiet.

It was so quiet that there was no other noise except the footsteps and breathing of the person recording the video.

The strangest thing was that there was not even a trace of wind in the entire mountain gate.

An oppressive atmosphere permeated through the image.

Finally, as the image became more and more profound, there was a change.

"Wow!" Ripples appeared in the space, as if someone had entered some kind of barrier.

The next moment, the thick fog in the picture was cleared in an instant.

Not only that, there are also bursts of fairy sounds coming from the image, the sky is azure, fairy birds are singing from time to time, and ancient bells are ringing.

"Could it be that we have entered a barrier?" Hai Rui asked doubtfully.

"Just wait and see." Wang Yongji did not explain to Hai Rui, but said in a deep voice, his expression becoming more and more solemn.

"Junior brother, the inner sect examination is about to begin, why are you still running around?" A gentle female voice sounded.

The camera turned and saw a female cultivator with a gentle and generous temperament, wearing a white robe and looking to be in her early twenties, with her hands behind her back.

"Senior Sister, I'm sorry, I shouldn't run around, I just want to walk around and take a look..." A real voice was heard from the camera.

A voice sounded a bit shrill, but also had a strange voice that could be recognized as that of a teenager.

"Eunuch." Hai Rui frowned and said softly.

Others might not be able to tell the voice of the person who recorded the video, but Hai Rui was no stranger to such officials. "Okay, I don't blame you. Come on, follow me to participate in the inner sect assessment." The woman looked at the nervous junior brother in front of her and immediately laughed, and then her tone became gentle.

The camera followed the woman and soon arrived at a square.

I saw that the square was full of young men and women.

But what was strange was that the skin of each of these young men and women was gray, and their eyes were staring blankly ahead.

"Kakaka!"

Seeing the woman and the person in the image road coming, they all turned their heads and made teeth-grinding sounds.

A strange atmosphere began to spread.

"Alright, fellow junior brothers and sisters, from now on, you will accept three tests," the woman held up three slender fingers, "namely, life, Dao heart, and combat."

"My destiny, of course, depends on whether your destiny is infected with the plague. If so, you will be eliminated..."

Plague! Hai Rui's eyes narrowed as he thought of what Wang Yongji had just said.

"The imperial court has released a plague in the world of immortal cultivation in order to ensure a smooth war." Thinking of this, Hai Rui became more serious.

Soon, the woman finished introducing the content of the assessment.

Afterwards, the woman took out the "birth reflection magic tool", which was a palm-sized diamond-shaped crystal.

Hai Rui was naturally familiar with the "birth-reflecting magic weapon".

Looking at this, there is nothing special except that the young men and women with grayish-white skin look a little weird.

However, when the natal magic weapon shone onto the head of the first boy and projected his natal appearance, things began to change.

"Buzz." Under the gaze of the natal reflection magic instrument, the young man's natal body soon appeared, which was a peach tree.

However, there are obvious differences from normal peach trees.

The trunk of this young man's natal peach tree was covered with whitish mold and it was also emitting bursts of black energy. The pink peaches on the tree were also covered with black and white spots.

Not only that, green-yellow sticky juice can be seen flowing out of the flesh of these pink peaches.

The woman who saw this scene suddenly changed her expression, and then she cried out in surprise, "Plague!?"

Immediately afterwards, a long sword suddenly appeared in the woman's hand, and she chopped at the young man in front of her without hesitation.

"laugh!"

A grayish-white head shot up into the sky, but what spurted out from the broken end was not blood, but a green-yellow liquid.

"This junior fellow has been infected with the plague and must be eliminated, otherwise it will inevitably bring disaster to the entire sect!" The woman said, shaking off the green-yellow juice on the sword, and then took a deep breath and said:
“My fellow disciples, don’t panic. Those infected with the plague have been eliminated. Let’s continue with the assessment.” The woman’s tone became gentle again.

If there wasn't a dismembered body lying on the ground, anyone who saw the woman's smile would be infected by it.

However, those young men and women with grayish skin and dull expressions also showed extremely strange smiles on their faces. It was as if they were really comforted by the gentle tone of the senior sister.

"next."

As the woman spoke, she raised her life-reflecting magical instrument again, and a soft white light fell on the head of the girl who walked forward.

Seeing that the girl in the video was the same as the boy before, with a dull expression and grayish skin, Hai Rui's eyes darkened.

He had already anticipated what was going to happen next.

As expected, the second girl's real life form was a lotus, but the strange thing was that the lotus had already rotted.

"Oh no, it's a plague!" The next moment, the woman in white screamed sharply, and the long sword in her hand flashed a cold light, and the girl in front of her was directly split into two pieces, and her internal organs were scattered all over the ground.

"My fellow brothers and sisters, don't panic. Those infected with the plague have been eliminated. Let's move on to the next one..." As she spoke, the woman in white regained her previous gentle appearance.

The third boy was still infected.

A flash of cold light passed by, and the fierce expression of the woman in white flashed by, and then she quickly returned to her gentle appearance and continued to repeat, "My fellow junior brothers and sisters, there is no need to panic..."

What appeared next in the video was a horrifying scene of massacre.

The woman's smile kept switching between gentleness and ferocity.

On the white robe were hanging scraps of meat and skin, as well as puddles of sticky liquids of different colors.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of young men and women on the square were all killed.

The woman held the sword in one hand and the life-reflecting magic weapon in the other, and fought on the square full of minced meat. The whole square was filled with strange energy.

At some point, the sky seemed to dim.

The video began to shake at this moment, as if recording the burning emotions at the moment. It was unstable and seemed to be afraid.

"Junior brother, don't panic. Those infected with the plague have been eliminated. Now it's your turn." A section of small intestine fell in front of the woman's gentle face. Her smile was still gentle.

As he spoke, the magical instrument in his hand lit up.

"Oh no! It's a plague!" The woman's expression suddenly turned ferocious. The next moment, Hai Rui and Wang Yongji saw a flash of sword light before their eyes, and then the scene before their eyes was instantly shattered.

"Ha, ha, ha..." Heavy gasping sounds were heard.

The image before his eyes once again turned into a thick fog and the eerily quiet sect headquarters.

At this moment, Hai Rui saw through the video that the person recording the video was actually in that square.

At this time, the square was covered with black bloodstains that had been there for who knows how long, as well as pieces of chopped bones.

In the middle of the square, there was a woman sitting cross-legged, lifeless, with disheveled hair and a dirty face.

And on the woman's legs, there was a long sword with a rolled blade.

In the picture, a hand reaches for the woman's neck, and a moment later, a voice that affects passers-by is heard in the image.

"Dead, no spiritual energy in the body. After investigating with divine sense, it was found that this person was at least a cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage. His acupoints were broken, and it was suspected that he had dispersed his energy before his death. There was residual aura of his original life in his sea of ​​consciousness."

"It is reasonable to speculate that this person chose to destroy his own life before his death. His life is dead, and his Nascent Soul has no chance of taking over another body and being reborn..."

"In the world of immortal cultivation, the cause of the demise of a large sect was discovered through soul searching with secret techniques. It was discovered that the sect was infected by a strange plague and the entire sect was destroyed."

"Record, number 324 has ended and needs to be reported as soon as possible..." The voice stopped abruptly here.

The image also disappeared.

"Huh," Wang Yongji breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Those young men and women with grayish-white skin should be what they looked like in other people's memories when they were alive."

"The person who recorded the video used a special soul-chasing technique, which is a secret technique mastered by the Jinyiwei."

"You can allow your soul to merge briefly with the soul of the captured person, so that you can trace everything from your own perspective."

"Of course, this does not mean that the person who recorded the video is a member of the Royal Guard. Naturally, we cannot conclude that the rumors currently circulating in Nanjing City are related to the Royal Guard."

"The one you're talking about is this image?" Hai Rui said, looking at his friend, and said:

"Where did you get this video?"

"Do you believe me when I say it appeared by my bedside?" Wang Yongji said, then sighed and said, "My cultivation has now broken through to the late Jindan stage."

"My mansion is even protected by a large formation."

"However, someone was able to put this thing by my bed without letting me know. This shows that the person's background is very unusual."

"Brother Gangfeng," Wang Yongji said with a serious look in his eyes, "The one charging at the other party is not me, but you!"

"You have always regarded uprightness as the duty of an official. If the court is creating a strange plague and using such means, what are your plans?"

"The other party obviously wants you to make things worse!"

"So, I had to come to you, because I knew that if I didn't come, the other party would have other ways..."

"To put it bluntly, this is a plot against you. But I don't know what purpose the other party wants to achieve by targeting you? Could it be that you have offended someone and they are deliberately seeking revenge?"

"..." (End of this chapter)