In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

As for the Purple-Robed Dragon King, if he were rescued in the chaos, Zhang Xiaoshan wouldn't mind taking him under his wing, as he would at least be a top-tier expert.

Moreover, the Purple-Robed Dragon King's martial arts skills are proficient in both Chinese and Western martial arts, so he still has potential.

Next, Zhang Xiaoshan presented a concrete plan.

After the two Jonin memorized the plan, they threw the plan into the brazier.

With the departure of the two high-ranking ninjas, Zhang Xiaoshan knew that the An family's reputation would inevitably suffer to some extent from the upcoming fake copper plaque case.

Even if the An family could be wiped out before the Persian envoy returned, there would be no way to prove anything.

One is famous throughout the world, the other is infamous.

The Persian envoy naturally had no suspicion of him, and instead settled the matter amicably, swallowing the bitter pill.

Just as Zhang Xiaoshan had predicted, the copper mortise case came to an end in less than five days.

Following the trail of counterfeit currency, they traced it back to the counterfeit workshop and even found genuine copper molds for minting coins.

However, when the investigation reached the workshop, Zhang Xiaoshan became the scapegoat.

It was all because of the divine weapon that suddenly appeared in the workshop!

Both Zhuge Zhengwo and Wuqing knew that Zhang Xiaoshan possessed the Ghost Heart Pill, so the moment they saw the divine weapon, they immediately thought of a ghost corpse. Furthermore, Zhuge Zhengwo had begun to doubt Zhang Xiaoshan's character, and Zhang Xiaoshan almost became a scapegoat in the An family's copperware case.

That very evening, Zhuge Zhengwo went to the Zhang family.

"Does Mr. Zhuge suspect that the Zhang family is the mastermind behind the copper plaque case?"

"I speak only based on evidence. What explanation do you have for the unkillable monster that appeared in the workshop today, young master?"

"Unkillable monsters? Mr. Zhuge, are you implying they are all ghost corpses?"

"Is not it?"

Zhang Xiaoshan shook his head upon hearing Zhuge Zhengwo's assessment, then casually clapped his hands, and two burly men stepped into the study.

Black, menacing bronze armor, a robust and domineering physique, and a wild and terrifying aura of a powerful figure.

At first glance, Zhuge Zhengwo knew that this was Zhang Xiaoshan's personal bodyguard, a super strongman whose strength was rumored to be above the Four Great Masters of Mount Hua.

"Let me introduce you. Ghost One is the former number one martial arts master of the Jin Kingdom, a shaman priest; Ghost Two is Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, who is ranked alongside my uncle Huang Yaoshi as one of the four great masters of the Mount Hua Sword Tournament!"

"Ghost one? Ghost two?"

Upon hearing the names of the two ghostly corpses, and knowing their even more illustrious identities, they realized...

For a moment, Zhuge Zhengwo looked at the other party in disbelief. This was the real ghost corpse!

It should be noted that these two experts, as Zhang Xiaoshan's personal bodyguards, were both grandmasters among the innate masters.

Zhuge Zhengwo never imagined that the two seemingly normal masters would be ghost corpses.

But if they weren't ghost corpses, how could the two of them have become Zhang Xiaoshan's personal bodyguards?

"Ghost corpses are not dead bodies; they are created from living people and can be considered a kind of living dead."

Therefore, Zhang has only managed to create two ghost corpses over the years. It's not that he didn't have them because he lacked the materials, but rather that he couldn't create ghost corpses unless the other party was a master from another race.

First, those who are not of our kind will surely have different intentions;

Secondly, if a master from the Central Plains were to refine a ghost corpse, it would inevitably invite attacks from those martial arts masters!

Chapter Seventy-Three: Bloodbath at the Great Sea - The Treasure Tree King's Suspicion

"What did we encounter in the workshop?"

Wuqing looked at Zhang Xiaoshan. Her mind-reading ability told her that Zhang Xiaoshan must know what those monsters were.

Even Zhuge Zhengwo's gaze was intense; if it wasn't a ghost corpse, it might be something else derived from it.

"Those are divine weapons from the Western Regions, a kind of puppet made from corpses."

However, the Western Regions divine weapon has too obvious a weakness: once it attacks the head, it will turn into dust. It may be useful to those who do not know its strength, but once they know its weakness, it is not powerful enough!

Moreover, this thing requires the Deadly Orchid as a guide, and the Deadly Orchid is more valuable than gold, making it a losing proposition.

"Is that so? So Young Master Zhang knew from the beginning who was behind this?"

“Not bad. I tried to buy you some time before, but unfortunately you didn’t seize the opportunity.”

Sea fishing!

Suddenly, Zhuge Zhengwo seemed to realize something, but he was even more wary of Zhang Xiaoshan.

Behind their seemingly benevolent facade, who knows how deep their cunning lies?

"Thank you for the clue, young master."

"Cooperation between the government and the people is an inescapable duty for law-abiding citizens!"

Seeing Zhang Xiaoshan's righteous and awe-inspiring appearance, Zhuge Zhengwo couldn't help but sigh.

If it weren't for a test, he would have actually believed the other party's nonsense.

As for the two great ghost corpses?

One of the top martial arts masters in the Jin Dynasty was Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison.

Even if it wasn't within his jurisdiction, the deaths of two alien experts weren't necessarily a bad thing for the Central Plains.

He just hoped that Zhang Xiaoshan could stick to his bottom line.

With a clue, Zhuge Zhengwo investigated the goods from the Western Regions—the deadly orchids—while searching for new clues and weaknesses in the An family.

However, Zhuge Zhengwo did not truly let the Zhang family go, after all, the Zhang family was even more deeply hidden.

···

"kill!"

On the vast ocean, the waves surged endlessly, and danger lurked everywhere.

Hundreds of lone boats surged toward the three large ships, and thousands of Japanese ronin looked greedily at the Persian envoy.

This time, their message indicated that the other party consisted of three merchant ships preparing to depart for Persia, laden with porcelain, silk, tea, and more...

How could they possibly let such an easy target slip by without any bribes?

"The King of Treasure Trees!"

On the large ship, the three Persian envoys, Feng, Yun, and Yue, also looked solemn.

On land, they wouldn't take their opponents seriously, considering they brought valiant warriors. But here they were on their opponent's home turf—

The ocean!

"Kill them all, leave no one alive."

Also, send people to protect Daisy; you must bring her back to the main sect!

"Yes!"

At King Baoshu's command, the Persian warriors drew their scimitars, ready to meet the approaching enemy.

kill!

The first samurai boarded the ship, only to be met with a slash.

This is a beautifully patterned scimitar; a single slash can break the blade and kill the rider.

As a squad leader of Persian warriors, Shaja was a warrior wielding a Damascus steel sword. At that time, the samurai sword did not meet the standards of later generations, and its quality was even inferior to that of the single swords of the Central Plains.

A curved blade, like the one in "Listening to the Spring Rain in a Small Building All Night," each strike deadly.

The ronin who had just boarded the ship were no match for its carnage.

After all, Shaka was a battle-hardened warrior with considerable strength.

"puff!"

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his back as a knife plunged three-tenths of an inch into Shaka's back.

Turning back, Shaka's eyes were filled with doubt.

Immediately afterwards, the ronin who boarded the ship engulfed Sharjah with the gleam of their swords, and the Damascus steel swords became someone else's collection.

The war raged on, and Persian warriors continued to fall to the blades of Bushido, causing the Treasure Tree King, who was stationed there, to feel extremely anxious.

These Japanese ronin were somewhat weaker than the Persian samurai.

After all, one side was elites and the other was ronin, but they couldn't withstand the sheer number of the other side, who swarmed forward like greedy wolves.

As losses continue to mount, it will be extremely disadvantageous for them.

“King Baoshu, something terrible has happened! Thick smoke has appeared on Dai Qisi’s ship.”

On Daiki's ship, thanks to the help of Inoue and Tokugawa, the battle between the Persian samurai and the Japanese ronin was the most intense.

At this moment, thick smoke appeared in the room where the saintess Dai Qisi was, causing King Baoshu to change his expression.

He knew that either Japanese ronin had broken in, or that Daisy was preparing to resist and take the opportunity to escape.

Flames began to spread from the thick smoke, and amidst the carnage, they slowly sank into the sea.

"Although it's a pity, the Holy Virgin violated the religious rules by marrying a man from the Central Plains without permission, which can be considered as upholding the religious rules!"

King Baoshu saw a beautiful figure in the flames and nodded solemnly.

Meanwhile, as the Japanese ronin suffered losses, the Japanese master in charge of the overall situation, General Oni-sho, gradually realized that something was wrong. This was not a Persian merchant ship at all.

With powerful warriors and several top-notch experts, the remaining two large ships not only failed to be captured after a long siege, but also suffered heavy losses.

Even if he continues fighting, he might not be able to defeat his opponent even if he exhausts all his elite troops.

For a moment, General Guisheng hesitated.

"retreat!"

If you can't win, run away. It's absolutely not worth wasting your strength here.

However, Gui Sheng wanted to escape, but Bao Shu Wang was unwilling to let him go, and this time he suffered a great loss.

Not only did this thwart his 'purpose' in the Central Plains, but it also nearly sent him to his death. Therefore, the King of Treasure Trees had no intention of letting him go.

Besides, his ship was a large one, while the other's was just a small boat.

Seeing the retreat of the Japanese ronin army, the large ship chased after them, and the three young envoys, Feng, Yun, and Yue, jumped off the ship and launched a massacre-like pursuit.

The army was defeated like a mountain!

The Japanese ronin immediately scattered and fled, and the remaining Japanese master, Oni-sei, became their target.

Let alone the fact that Guisheng is only a Jonin-level expert, even a Grandmaster-level Tennin wouldn't necessarily last long against the three envoys of Fengyunyue.

Soon, under the siege of the Persian masters, the group of Japanese masters were captured and Gui Sheng became a prisoner.

Upon learning the purpose of their attack, King Baoshu's expression suddenly turned grim.

Even setting aside the fact that the goods had not yet been loaded onto the ship, the other party's malicious dissemination of false information was aimed at them, and it was clearly someone who knew their itinerary.

"Could it be him?"

The image of Zhang Xiaoshan flashed through Baoshu Wang's mind.

But then he shook his head. He knew that they hadn't fulfilled any of the promises they had made to Zhang Xiaoshan, and Zhang Xiaoshan had helped them find the 'Purple-Robed Dragon King,' so there was absolutely no reason for him to intervene.

Moreover, the other party mentioned the 'An family,' not the Zhang family.

"The An family, isn't that Master An?"

"That's right, the possibility of Young Master Zhang betraying us is extremely small."

After all, he gained nothing by betraying us; in fact, he suffered the greatest loss. And that Master An is very likely the mastermind behind the so-called An family.

Realizing this possibility, the two Treasure Tree Kings ordered their men to hurry to Lin'an Prefecture, determined to investigate the matter thoroughly.

This time, their losses were enormous. Not only were fewer than a hundred of their hundreds of elites left, but the acquisition of Dai Qisi also fell through, which infuriated them even more.

Chapter 74 An Yunshan's Conspiracy

"Is An Yunshan preparing to make a move?"

Zhang Xiaoshan looked at the message from Ji Yaohua. After three years of no contact, the first message from Ji Yaohua shook him to his core.