A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 216 Borrowing Something

The main peak of Cangshan Mountain has a relatively flat terrain on the south side.

The eight hundred elite soldiers led by Shi Wengong usually patrolled in shifts between the Cangshan mines. Those not on duty rested in the military camp halfway up the southern side of the mountain.

When the wind blows, the banners flutter, and the camps are set up steadily, shaped like crescent moons, encircling the mountainside.

Shi Wengong set up a long table and placed soft cushions on the open ground in front of the main tent. He chatted and laughed with the old master of the Zeng family while watching his generals and elite soldiers shoot arrows for fun.

Whoosh!

Several large birds flew by in the sky. A soldier nocked five arrows and suddenly had an idea. Instead of shooting at the target, he drew his bow and pointed it towards the sky.

As the bowstring twanged, all five arrows struck their targets, and several birds fell to the ground, drawing cheers from the surrounding onlookers. Immediately, some people got up from their seats to pick up the birds that had been hit by arrows.

The scenery of Cangshan Mountain has been turned into a mess by several mines. Most of the wild animals in the mountains and forests have fled, and few birds would dare to stumble in this direction.

It was already quite rare to hit a large bird, but when the hunters returned and saw that all five arrows had been shot into the mouths of the five large birds without damaging their feathers, their cheers were even louder.

Shi Wengong also laughed and said, "Good! I'll reward you with thirty taels of silver. I'll go collect it later, and I'll also give you a cup of fine wine."

He took a cup, tilted the wine jug on his table, and poured it to a full glass.

The archer, who had already expressed his gratitude upon hearing of the silver reward, was overjoyed to hear of the fine wine to be offered as a reward, and could hardly believe it.

This wine was no ordinary thing. He carefully took the wine cup with both hands, brought his lips to it, sipped the wine, and drank it down as a thin stream of heat. Instantly, his whole body throbbed, and large plumes of white smoke rose from his hair.

Shi Wengong took a closer look at the man and saw that he had red hair and a yellow beard, was thin and burly, and had a fierce, wolf-like appearance. He couldn't help but laugh and ask, "What's your name? Are you new to my army?"

After downing a cup of wine, the man's face turned purplish. He kept his mouth tightly shut, unwilling to reveal the energy from the wine, but dared not refuse to answer Shi Wengong's question, and a look of struggle appeared on his face.

Old Master Zeng, who was standing nearby, spoke up first: "This man is Duan Jingzhu, who is known in the martial arts world as the Golden Retriever. He used to make a living by stealing horses in the north. Half a month ago, he came to my house to present a horse. I mentioned him to you before."

Shi Wengong suddenly realized and said, "So it was him! His martial arts are indeed remarkable. Recently, some people have died in the mines, and there aren't many laborers available to be conscripted from the nearby villages. I see you have some strength. Take this warrant and go to Yizhou City to gather some men. Can you manage that?"

Duan Jingzhu swallowed the last breath of hot air from his throat, overjoyed, and said, "I would never dare to disappoint the general. May I ask how many people there are in total?"

Shi Wengong said, "The more people from the mines, the better, but most of those who can live in the city have connections, and there are too many that are difficult to move. Why don't you send five hundred people first? How many do you want to come with you?"

Duan Jingzhu thought for a moment and said, "Ten people."

Old Master Zeng chuckled twice more: "Let me test you on behalf of the general. You're bringing five hundred men to the mine, so how many should you gather in the city?"

Duan Jingzhu answered fluently: "We need to gather at least eight hundred people. The mine has a bad reputation, and not a single ruffian or scoundrel is willing to come. Let alone ordinary people, who are ninety miles from the city, and many of them are remote and desolate. Surely some of them will try to escape."

"Some will escape, and I will kill some more to establish my authority. If we rush, some will inevitably fall and die, get injured, or be crippled after a few lashes. To ensure that 500 people can work at the mine, I will gather at least 800 people in the city."

Shi Wengong and Old Master Zeng exchanged a glance and praised, "He's a capable man. But you don't need to rush. Miners are getting harder and harder to find these days. If this continues, we'll have to conscript the old, weak, sick, and disabled from the neighborhood, and they won't be able to do the work properly. It would be good if you could bring him here within three days."

Duan Jingzhu bowed and accepted the order, thanked the emperor, and withdrew.

Old Master Zeng said, "I've heard that not far outside Yizhou, there's a Liangshan Marsh, which spans eight hundred li in circumference. It's a vast expanse of water with endless waves and overgrown reeds. There are some tax evaders and corvée evaders from nearby Yizhou, Lingzhou, and even Qingzhou who travel long distances to hide there. If we really can't find any miners nearby, General, you'll probably have to make a trip there."

Shi Wengong laughed and said, "Liangshan Marsh is a strategically important place. Ten years ago, many river pirates and bandits occupied it. Later, Emperor Tianming somehow learned about its reputation and personally issued an imperial edict, sending Lu Junyi from Hebei and a guy named Song Jiang to lead a group to wipe out all the bandits there. Now, those hiding there are nothing but insignificant bastards. I knew that long ago."

He deliberately left that place untouched, even communicating with the officials of various prefectures, and did not block the main roads around Liangshan Marsh, intentionally giving those young men the opportunity to escape to the eight-hundred-mile-long marshland to hide.

In Shi Wengong's mind, this was just like raising pigs and sheep. Selling them on ordinary days was not a skill. But when the season was good and meat was scarce in the market, they could be slaughtered and sold at a high price.

Wait a few more months, until the mines in various prefectures are really short of manpower and write to Bianliang to complain. Then he will lead his troops to burn and kill there, capture all the able-bodied men and send them to work in the mines. In this way, when he tells the court, he will have made two great contributions: eliminating the river bandits and replenishing the manpower in the mines.

Old Master Zeng's eyes darted around, and he guessed most of Shi Wengong's intentions. His face showed obvious admiration, and he raised his wine cup to toast him, saying some words of praise.

The old patriarch of the Zeng family was named Zeng Nong. In his youth, he was incredibly audacious, traveling between the Yan and Yun regions and venturing deep into the Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River to collect and cultivate ginseng, which he then sold in the Central Plains. Over time, he amassed a fortune of tens of thousands of strings of cash. As he grew older, he settled in the Central Plains, married, had children, recruited local militia, and built up a considerable power base.

Shi Wengong was originally just a nobody in the martial arts world, but Zeng Nong invited him to teach martial arts to the five sons of the Zeng family.

Later, the Emperor Tianming promoted demonic arts in the army and opened countless mines. The government posted recruitment notices and invited Shi Wengong to serve as an official in the prefecture. In return, Shi Wengong helped the Zeng family.

The government officials and local gentry colluded, and in Zeng Nong's view, this mining business was far more lucrative than his ginseng trading business back then, and it was worth hundreds or even thousands of times more.

It should be noted that since Shi Wengong became a general, his martial arts skills have become increasingly refined, and he is highly valued by the imperial court. Many mines between Yizhou and Lingzhou are actually under his jurisdiction. However, since the Cangshan mine can produce Purple Qi Divine Sand, he spends most of his time stationed there.

When minerals from various regions were handed over, the amount was inflated, and the quantity was reduced. It was easy to intercept warehouse after warehouse of goods, which were then resold through the Zeng family to make a large sum of money. Some of the goods were simply kept for Shi Wengong and the Zeng family members to use when they were cultivating.

The wine on Shi Wengong's table was a purplish-red, fragrant, viscous, and steaming hot liquid. It was made from purple divine sand, and the divine sand contained within was of incomparably pure essence. It was several times more expensive than the solid divine sand that was sent directly to Bianliang, and it was priceless and unavailable.

If it weren't for colluding with the Zeng family to acquire wealth, even with Shi Wengong's salary and status, he wouldn't be able to enjoy such good things every day.

"General," Old Master Zeng said, pausing after finishing his drink, "the matters concerning the miners and Liangshan are not urgent, but there have been some minor troubles recently in the Cangshan mine."

Shi Wengong understood: "It must be Ren Sen."

Grandpa Zeng nodded and said, "That's right. He has already noticed our secret business. He came to our door the other day, initially putting on a tough and intimidating act, but after I persuaded him a few times, he showed his true colors. Sure enough, he just wanted to get a share of the profits."

Shi Wengong said, "So that's why you came all this way to drink with me today. I knew he would get involved sooner or later. He has a good relationship with Chen Xizhen in Bianliang City and can speak to the emperor. It's actually a good thing that he's involved."

Old Master Zeng looked worried and said, "I'm afraid he'll ask for an exorbitant price. I've seen plenty of these Taoists. On the surface, they seem pure and innocent, but in reality, they're more pleasure-seeking than anyone else. I've heard that the essence of Taoist cultivation lies in purity, and the need for minerals is far less than that of martial arts. But that Ren Sen, besides indulging in wine and women, is quite a ruthless character when it comes to collecting minerals."

Shi Wengong sneered, "You don't understand. The essence of immortality lies in purity, but once one enters the court as an official, one will be tainted by the imperial fortune, which is the most impure thing in the world. When immortals are tainted by this, they either regard it as a tribulation and painstakingly temper themselves, turning it into an opportunity for advancement, or they can only let it be, turning their cultivation into impure energy and falling into the path of military cultivation."

"Many Taoists are arrogant and probably had the former idea when they were Taoist officials. However, Lin Lingsu, who proposed the Taoist official system in front of the Taoist Emperor, could not last more than a few years. His foundation was corrupted and he had to cut off part of his cultivation and leave the court."

"People like Ren Sen can forget about retiring. Even if they were willing, the authorities wouldn't allow it. So, the only option left is the latter."

Grandpa Zeng sighed, looking worried: "I see. Then he must be trying to take more than he needs."

Shi Wengong said, "Don't worry, let me talk to him about this. He thinks he's a master of magic, but once I test his skills with my halberd, he'll know when to back down."

Grandpa Zeng beamed with joy, as if finally relieved, and said, "Very well, then we'll host another banquet tonight and invite him over."

Shi Wengong was about to nod when his expression suddenly changed. He darted out of the tent and gazed at a valley in the distance.

The soldiers around him were confused and gathered around him, looking in that direction, but they couldn't see clearly.

Only Shi Wengong could see clearly that the valley was originally the place where the Purple Qi Divine Sand Furnace was placed.

The furnace was three zhang tall, with a blazing fire beneath it and black smoke billowing into the sky. Eight Taoist priests sat cross-legged around it, constantly circulating their energy to refine the cinnabar and red crystals in the furnace and keeping an eye on the fire.

Sixteen more people sat cross-legged on the outer edge, waiting for their turn.

Every thirty-six hours, as the fire weakens, they would lift the furnace lid once, take out the divine sand, and then transport new cinnabar and red crystals over and pour them into the furnace.

Just now, it was clearly not time to open the furnace, but the furnace lid was opened once, and twenty-four Taoist priests used their magic power together, seemingly to collect some extremely evil thing into the furnace.

Shi Wengong could see that the Taoist priests still had lingering fear on their faces.

Ren Sen, who was in the lead, also looked very serious.

Instead of relying on ordinary firewood to start a fire, they took out gourds from their waists and spread out evenly according to the directions of the Qimen formation.

With their robes fluttering, the Taoist priests lay down on the slopes around the valley, their necks slightly raised, their slender necks and faces displaying the fair complexion of pampered people.

They lay prone, their faces turned toward the stove in the center of the valley, and blew out a long, thin stream of vital energy through the open gourd.

The crimson flames spread down the slope, engulfing the entire valley floor in flames.

The raging inferno was solely for refining the divine sand furnace in the center of the valley, solely for trapping and killing the thing inside.

The towering, three-zhang-high divine sand furnace seemed unable to withstand such heat and began to melt.

Shi Wengong was sharp-eyed and could even hear the sound of the semi-finished cinnabar and red crystals in the furnace completely melting into liquid and boiling.

However, the surging high temperature still couldn't shake the thing at the center of the furnace. What was even more terrifying was that the thing trapped inside the furnace seemed to be emitting a higher temperature than the outside of the furnace.

That thing... was humanoid!!

Shi Wengong was startled and shouted, "Bring me my halberd!"

The main tent of the military camp was torn to pieces, and a halberd flew out from it. Shi Wengong leaped into the air, caught the halberd, shook it, and flew away.

In the valley, the furnace body was melted and pierced by large holes, from which molten red crystals and cinnabar flowed outwards, and the purplish-red flames on the ground burned even more intensely.

However, these flames could no longer prevent the person inside the furnace from revealing their true face.

Guan Luoyang sighed softly, "You guys are so unfriendly. I just came to ask you for directions."

"In that case, please set off on your journeys."

He stomped his foot, and the furnace collapsed completely, the purplish-red flames swirling back in all directions.

The Taoist priests were terrified and had no time to dodge. Their bodies were more or less covered in flames. Even though they fled quickly, they screamed and turned into burning figures, and soon fell to the ground, lifeless.

Ren Sen, the Supreme Immortal of Preserving Emptiness, was extremely shocked and enraged. He flicked his sleeve and unleashed twelve luminous pearls in succession: "How dare this demon kill my disciples?!"

His shouts were deafening, his anger like thunder, but as soon as he threw the luminous pearl, a cloud rose from beneath his feet, carrying his body up into the air at lightning speed, fleeing towards the direction of Shi Wengong's army camp in the distance.

Twelve luminous pearls danced in the air within the valley, moving like lightning. Wherever they passed, the rocks silently turned to dust, revealing deep, long holes.

Guan Luoyang's figure flashed several times, calmly passing through the flying trajectories of the twelve luminous pearls, and grabbed Ren Sen in mid-air with one hand.

The clouds beneath Ren Sen's feet instantly dissipated, and he felt as if a tremendous weight had suddenly been placed on his body, causing him to plummet straight down. He hurriedly made a hand seal, and a cloud of smoke exploded from his body, swapping positions with a giant rock on a cliff two miles away.

Guan Luoyang chased after the person in mid-air, and just as the person he was about to touch turned into a stone, his breath slightly tightened, and he struck out with his palm.

Ren Sen had just appeared between the cliffs when he heard a huge roar that echoed through the valley behind him. Before he could gather his magic power to recall the twelve luminous pearls, he felt a numbness all over his body.

The shattered stone chips crashed into him like a raging dragon, cracking the cliff face and kicking up a cloud of dust.

When the dust settled slightly, Ren Sen's body was deeply embedded in the cliff face, with the back of his head facing outwards. Many strands of hair were broken by stone chips and drifted down in scattered pieces.

Shi Wengong flew several miles before finally reaching the top of the cliff, but he was already a step too late.

The luminous pearls that flew through the air lost their magical support and landed one after another, rolling to Shi Wengong's feet. As soon as they touched his military boots, they were shattered by his protective energy with a bang.

Shi Wengong unleashed his demonic power, which intimidated the surrounding area. Black smoke billowed from his seven orifices, and sparks flew as his teeth clashed. His voice was deep and powerful as he asked, "Who are you, sir?"

"Judging from your appearance, you must be the person I'm looking for."

Guan Luoyang put his right hand behind his back and said, "Is this Shi Wengong? I've come to borrow something from you."

Shi Wengong: "Heh, borrow what?"

Guan Luoyang said, "I'm planning a rebellion soon, and I'll use your heads to make a name for myself first."

(End of this chapter)