The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 280 Similarity
"Hero Li...long time no see..."

Liu Chengxuan murmured back.

Suddenly, he felt something hit his lower back. He turned around and saw Wen Lianrong, who had already bowed, winking at him. Qi Shuyun, who was standing next to him, knelt on one knee and winked at him.

"Brother!"

Seeing him still standing there in a daze, Wen Lianrong lowered her voice and shouted. Her expression was visibly anxious. Liu Chengxuan suddenly came to his senses and quickly clasped his hands together and bowed them to the ground.

"I, Liu Chengxuan, greet the Governor!"

Li Miao smiled and looked at Liu Chengxuan for a while, then turned to look at Wen Lianrong behind him. After a while, he raised his hand and helped all three of them up.

"Okay, wait a moment."

He pointed at the old man kneeling in the hall.

Liu Chengxuan and the other two suddenly realized and quickly stepped aside.

The old man was still gasping for breath, and the wounds on his body were visibly stopping bleeding. Although it could not achieve the same effect as Li Miao's fight where flesh and blood were instantly reshaped, the healing speed was already as fast as that of the priest who had treated Huang Jin. It was obvious that he had a solid foundation in healing techniques.

Seeing that the old man was still unable to recover, Li Miao was not in a hurry and asked Ruan Mei.

"How was the probing?"

Ruan Mei bowed in reply.

"Judging from his self-created martial arts, his character is not bad. Although he is not upright, at least he is not as damnable as the first two."

"He has a solid foundation. Although he mainly practices horizontal training, his internal strength, lightness skills, ear skills, and eyesight are not shallow. He must be from a sect, but not one of the big sects I am familiar with."

At this point, Ruan Mei hesitated.

Li Miao raised his eyebrows.

"Just say whatever you think."

"Yes."

Ruan Mei nodded and described in detail the old man's behavior after entering the third courtyard, then she spoke slowly.

"He didn't even try to hide his expression. He just looked at me straight in the eyes. He doesn't look like someone from an evil background, nor does he look like a celestial being who can hide from the pursuit of the imperial court."

"He has a decent character and an unknown background, so I didn't kill him. I just cut off his flesh to prevent him from offending you, and then I let him get through."

"Yes, Not Bad."

Li Miao walked down the stairs, walked up to the old man, and put his hand on his head.

"It's been a while. Have you figured out what to say?"

The old man took a deep breath.

"I……"

"Oh, by the way, you don't have to introduce yourself."

Li Miao said calmly.

"This subordinate of mine has only been under my command for a short time, so he doesn't know much yet. But the Jinyiwei has already gathered all the information about you. You had a fight with Zhao Qiaoqiao from the Blood Clothes Building a few days ago, so those evil fools were willing to follow you in."

“However, I didn’t expect that you would dare to come to see me after seeing Zhao Qiaoqiao’s body.”

Li Miao slowly shook the old man's head a few times and smiled.

"You are a Manichean, aren't you?"

"If you are a celestial being, you should be of high status. You can speak Chinese. Are you 'Patig'?"

The old man suddenly choked and swallowed back all the words he had intended to say.

Wang Hai had already told Li Miao the news the night Li Miao came down from Mount Heng. After the battle of the imperial mausoleum, the middle-level disciples of the Ming Cult had been imprisoned by the Jinyiwei, and the Dharma protectors and the left and right emissaries had been killed by Li Miao in Tai'an. Except for Ji Tianrui and a few celestial beings, the Ming Cult had already fallen apart.

However, the lower-level disciples of the Ming Cult, those who were not qualified to follow the upper echelons to Beijing, were still there. It was estimated that Ji Tianrui did not have the spare money to take away the things that the Ming Cult collected on a daily basis. In the words of Li Miao in his previous life, the "superstructure" had collapsed, but the "economic foundation" was still there, and it was huge.

Coincidentally, some disciples of the Ming Cult saw that the situation was not good, so they fled directly to the Western Regions and took refuge with the Ming Cult's ancestor, Manichaeism.

After the leader of Manichaeism heard the news from these disciples, he didn't know what to say for a moment.

"You mean, are all the middle-level and above members of that group of pagans who set up their own sects dead? Their things are still there, and the lower-level believers are still there. Moreover, they are all believers who have been suppressed by the Central Plains court for decades, but have not abandoned them?"

"Ming Zun! Is this your blessing?"

Without any hesitation, Manichaeism immediately sent people to Central Plains to investigate. But this investigation was difficult.

What the Ming Cult has done is no small matter.

The assassination of the emperor was almost successful. It was obvious that the Dashuo court would not allow the Mingjiao to continue to exist, even if it changed its name to Manichaeism. But it was obviously impossible for Manichaeism to give up its overwhelming wealth.

Coincidentally, the news that Li Miao was summoning heroes from all over the world to gather in Songshan spread, and then the old man came to see Li Miao.

However, the old man did not expect that Li Miao would reveal his origins as soon as they met. This made all the preparations he wanted to make go to waste.

After a long silence, the old man spoke hoarsely.

"Sir, do you know so much about my Manichaeism?"

"Not really."

Li Miao smiled.

"You know the basic structure of the leader, the twelve apostles, the bishops, and the elders. There are not many people who speak Chinese in the Manichean Church. Since you are a celestial being, you should be the 'Patig' among the apostles who is responsible for preaching."

The old man pursed his lips and said in a deep voice.

"In that case, Your Excellency should know why I am here."

"of course."

Li Miao said.

"Your purpose is obvious, but I am curious about what bargaining chips the Manichaeism has that make them think I will let you take over the Ming Cult's business?"

"Although the Western Regions have never been suppressed by the imperial court, the foundation of martial arts is still in the Central Plains. There aren't many celestial beings in your area, right? If you weren't sure, you wouldn't have come to me."

Li Miao let go of the hand holding the old man's head, went back up the steps, and sat diagonally on the chair. He supported his face with his left hand, put his right hand on the armrest, and said calmly.

"Go ahead."

The old man was silent for a while before he slowly spoke.

"The assassination of the Emperor by the Ming Cult has caused unrest in the martial arts world. If our Manichaeism takes over, we can file a complaint with the imperial court..."

"It's not your turn to worry about this. Next one."

Li Miao interrupted the old man.

The old man gritted his teeth and continued.

"I heard that several celestial beings from the imperial court have defected and fled to the underworld. If our Manichaeism can enter the Central Plains, we can help the imperial court..."

He was interrupted by Li Miao again when he was halfway through his words.

"Ah."

Li Miao sneered.

"Mr. Ruan said he wanted to kill you on behalf of the court."

The old man suddenly turned his head to look at Ruan Mei beside him. Ruan Mei smiled, raised her hand and tapped the Emei Spear on her waist, making a "ding ding" sound.

The old man gritted his teeth and turned to look at Li Miao.

"Of course, the accumulation of the imperial court is incomparable to that of my sect. But it is also true that many celestial beings are missing. With the help of my sect, the martial arts world would not be as...turbulent as it is now."

Li Miao seemed to be tired of listening and closed his eyes.

An Ziyang on the side quickly took over the conversation and sneered.

"Turbulence? Do you want to look at what's under your feet? Do you want to think about how many people outside the mountain gate want to enter but can't?"

"When my pacification officer gives an order, the entire martial arts world must come to the banquet. The turmoil in this martial arts world is caused by my pacification officer's desire to make it turbulent; if my pacification officer wants it to be quiet, it must be quiet!"

"You are able to come here and meet my governor. This is a gift to you!"

"Helper? You too!"

The last word "配" (matched), along with a "呸" (bah) echoed in the hall, and the old man's face became increasingly ugly.

The room fell silent again.

Ruan Mei's hand was already on the handle of the Emei Spear, and she looked at Li Miao. She was the one who let the man in, so naturally she should deal with him. As long as Li Miao waved his hand, she would immediately take action and kill the man on the spot.

The air was filled with murderous intent, and Liu Chengxuan and three others on the side involuntarily took a half step back, fearing that they would be dragged into it.

Suddenly, the old man spoke again.

"I will teach you, but there is one last condition."

"It's just that it's best not to be heard by outsiders."

An Ziyang raised his eyebrows and was about to start scolding.

"You crazy idiot—"

"It's not that my sect is hiding it. This matter has little to do with my sect. Instead, it has something to do with the governor."

The old man said quickly.

"This is for the consideration of the pacification envoy."

"Oh?"

Li Miao opened his eyes and smiled.

"The previous ones were all the same old nonsense. After trying for so long, I finally brought up the real stuff."

"Is it related to me? Interesting."

He glanced at An Ziyang, who immediately understood. He first winked at Shen Xuning, then walked down the steps with her, led Liu Chengxuan and the other two out, and slowly closed the door.

Only Li Miao, Ruan Mei and the old Manichean man were left in the house.

"Well, there's no one else here."

"Tell me, I've only been traveling the world for a little over a year. How come the things in the Western Regions are related to me?"

Li Miao said.

The old man raised his head and looked straight at Li Miao, his eyes lingering on Li Miao's face for a long time. Ruan Mei, who was standing by, suddenly changed color and was about to step forward to stop his rude behavior. But Li Miao waved his hand.

During his years as a Jinyiwei, he had tortured at least hundreds of prisoners. To Li Miao, distinguishing the emotions in people's eyes was an instinct.

The old man's eyes did not contain any emotion, neither provocation nor flattery, but pure observation... as if he was comparing himself with someone.

After a while, he let out a long breath and then spoke slowly.

"As far as I know, the Ming Cult had some disputes with Lord Li before, and Lord Li personally hunted and killed them for a while. Therefore, the leader of the Ming Cult spread the information he collected about Lord Li's appearance and general information to the members above the middle level."

"The followers who came to join my sect told us this news. There is one point among them that I still need to confirm."

He looked at Li Miao, subconsciously lowered his voice and spoke.

"Master Li, you are an orphan and have no relatives, right?"

"Oh?"

Li Miao raised his eyebrows.

"That's interesting... Yes, I do come from this background."

"in this way……"

The old man let out a long sigh and continued to ask.

"Then, Master Li, do you still remember where you were born?"

Li Miao did not answer, but squinted his eyes and looked at the old man.

The old man shuddered and spoke quickly.

"I don't mean to offend you, but I'm not sure about this matter. If I don't confirm these two pieces of information with you, I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to speak so suddenly."

"Since what the Ming Cult disciple said is true..."

"Master Li, this matter started three months ago."

The old man said in a deep voice.

"Those Ming Cult disciples came to the Western Regions half a year ago, and our sect also began to send people to the Central Plains half a year ago. But at the beginning, the leader did not intend to send people at the level of apostles here."

"Until three months ago, someone came to our sect's headquarters and met the leader."

"He said that the imperial court was in turmoil and had shown signs of fatigue, and the Ming Cult was the instigator. All those in the world who are dissatisfied with Da Shuo will remember that punch."

"Since our sect has taken over the Ming Cult's business, we have to bear the consequences. The suppression from the imperial court is one aspect, but on the other hand, we will also win some...hearts of the people."

Having said this, the old man paused and looked at Li Miao.

Li Miao didn't say anything.

This is not uncommon. The first to stand out will rot first, but they will also be the first to be remembered. If no one makes a fuss about the Ming Cult, it would be a new thing.

"continue."

Li Miao said.

So the old man continued.

"He said that if our sect is willing to carry the banner of the Ming Cult, even if we don't go against the imperial court, as long as we don't submit to the court, he will be willing to block some problems for our sect."

"For example, the celestial being in the imperial court."

"For example, Jinyiwei."

"Ah."

Li Miao sneered.

"And you believed it?"

"Do not."

The old man said.

"The Central Plains is the origin of martial arts. Although our sect has not been to the Central Plains for many years, we are familiar with the background of the imperial court. He boasted so much, so our sect will naturally not believe it easily."

"So, the leader asked the masters in the sect to fight with him."

"The first one was the bishop, who was defeated in one encounter. I went up and tried my hand twice, but I was also powerless to fight back."

"Finally, all the celestial beings in the sect took action together."

"Still, no match for him."

Li Miao took his hand away, sat up, and asked with interest.

"How many celestial beings do you have?"

"Four."

"How many moves?"

The old man sighed and said with great reluctance to admit it.

"...Seventeen moves."

"Although there was no bloodshed and neither of them had any killing intent, the difference in strength was clear. Even if the fight continued, it probably wouldn't make any difference."

Li Miao twirled his fingers and thought about it.

Even if Manichaeism did not have the secret method to suppress the Five Degenerations of the Celestial Beings, the cult was full of Celestial Beings, and it was not something that a worshiper could defeat quickly. Seventeen moves, without shedding blood, made the four Celestial Beings lose the battle convincingly... He was almost comparable to the normal Li Miao.

That's a problem.

What this person meant was that he was here to overthrow Dashuo. Li Miao's side had not grown up yet. If there was such a person fighting guerrilla warfare everywhere, no one would be able to stop him unless he ran into Li Miao.

After a moment, Li Miao looked at the old man.

"I understand what he means. What do you mean?"

The old man smiled bitterly.

"Sir, if I had agreed to him, I would not have come here to see you."

"We are different from the Ming Cult. Their teachings have deviated from the teachings of the Ming Zun. That is why we have parted ways with them. Even if we consider the pros and cons, compared with the imperial court that has ruled the world for nearly 200 years, the promises made by an uninvited person seem too light."

"Not stupid."

Li Miao smiled.

"But up to now, I still haven't heard anything related to me."

The old man looked up at Li Miao and said in a deep voice.

"What happened afterwards is why I came to see you."

"Although the man was rejected, he was not angry and just left. But after he left, someone found the leader and said he had something to report. This person was one of the Ming Cult disciples who had fled from the Central Plains to the Western Regions and joined our sect."

"He said that the man looked familiar, but he was not sure. He needed the leader to gather all the Ming Cult disciples who had come to him to verify each other's identities."

"After the leader called these disciples together, they confirmed each other and said something."

The old man took a deep breath, looked at Li Miao above, and spoke slowly.

"They said that this person's appearance and figure are exactly the same as that of a certain person. It is exactly the same as the portrait that was distributed during the Ming Cult."

"It is—you."

"The 'Four Seasons Thousand Households' half a year ago, and now the Northern Pacification Division's Pacification Commissioner."

"The leader summoned a painter and drew a portrait based on their description. I compared it with that person and found that they were exactly the same."

He reached into his arms.

Ruan Mei drew out the Emei Spear, stepped forward and pressed it on the back of the old man's neck. She waited until he took out a scroll before slowly putting it down.

The old man held up the scroll with both hands.

“It is this painting.”

Li Miao raised his hand and grabbed the scroll in the air, and it flew into his hand. He unfolded it and smiled immediately.

The paintings of the Western Regions are more realistic than those of the Central Plains. Manichaeism also hired a good artist, and the paintings are lifelike, especially the eyes, which are so vivid that they look like a mirror. The painter is Li Miao.

Li Miao threw the portrait aside and looked at the old man.

"Not in disguise?"

"Probably not."

The old man shook his head.

"To show his sincerity, he mentioned this when he came to my class. We have also verified that it is indeed not a disguise technique, and there is no human skin mask, makeup or anything like that on his face."

"We have also considered whether it is a high-level technique that can move bones and flesh, and we have also used some means to test it during the fight. Unless there is a master who is far superior to our founder and has devoted himself to creating a disguise technique passed down from heaven, it is absolutely impossible."

"That's why I asked you those two questions."

After the old man finished speaking, he stopped talking.

Li Miao's fingers tapped slowly on the scroll beside him.

Before, when they were in Emei, Ruan Mei once said that the man who killed people in Emei was exactly the same as him in terms of body shape, appearance and even voice, but his temperament and martial arts were different.

Even when Li Miao found her, Ruan Mei had to test her with information about the imperial mausoleum before she dared to let Li Miao enter the cave.

When Li Miao accepted An Ziyang, he had seen the magical effect of the disguise technique, and he himself had similar means, so his first reaction was that someone was pretending to be him to cause trouble.

But, what if it’s not a disguise technique?

What if this person looks exactly like Li Miao?

The Ming Cult originated from Manichaeism, and judging from the inheritance of heaven and man alone, it is almost as good as Shaolin and Wudang. Since the old man guaranteed it in the name of the founder of the religion, his credibility is not low.

Li Miao did not come to Dashuo with his own body, and he had no idea where the little beggar came from or what his name was before he arrived. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was stunned for a while, and before he had time to experience the feeling of being a beggar, he was taken to the Jinyiwei.

There are too many refugees and beggars these days. Li Miao didn't intend to get to the bottom of it. He didn't even think about the trouble of taking over your body and bearing your karma.

But it seems that he had forgotten about this matter for more than 20 years.

He came to the door again.

(End of this chapter)