Chapter 375 - 366: Verification, Breakthrough

Chapter 375: Chapter 366: Verification, Breakthrough

"Er..."

Fu Guoping froze for a moment after hearing what Fu Juemin had said. He then nodded and laughed. "Then keep drinking with your Second Uncle."

Fu Juemin, however, shook his head. He pressed down the wine bowl in Fu Guoping’s hand and gently placed his other hand on his shoulder.

"We’ve had enough to drink for tonight.

Let Lingjun first help you condition your body..."

The next second, the palm Fu Juemin had placed on Fu Guoping’s shoulder erupted in a brilliant, glass-like light, instantly enveloping Fu Guoping entirely.

....

A sickle moon hung in the sky, accompanied by sparse, cold stars.

Having returned from the inn, Fu Juemin strolled alone through the rear garden of the Mu Mansion.

The Mu Mansion’s rear garden had now become Fu Juemin’s Imperial Stables. The Black-Scaled Demon Steed he had "stolen" from the Zhe Banner Family was currently standing next to a rockery, taller than the rockery itself.

Under the moonlight, the Demon Steed was wreathed in a smoky miasma, its dark red glow flickering, as if it were a giant pile of charcoal embers belching thick black smoke.

Upon seeing Fu Juemin, it snorted and walked over slowly.

Fu Juemin reached out, running his hand through the Demon Steed’s wire-like mane and stroking it gently, his mind still on the night’s events.

He had never, in his wildest dreams, expected his Second Uncle, Fu Guoping, to become the Young Marshal of the Northern Feng’an Army.

This, however, was good news for him.

In chaotic times, no matter how strong one’s personal martial prowess, it still seemed insignificant. This was why he had always wanted to build his own power base.

Now that his Second Uncle already had a foundation in the North, it saved him the process of accumulating power from scratch.

’I have to go to the Lushan Martial Arts Library. For now, I can only have Huai Hai help out and hold the line by Second Uncle’s side.’

’Huai Hai of Panxiang Temple is by no means weak. At the very least, he’s a Peak Martial Artist who has reached Heart-Mind Illuminating Void and is confronting his Heart Demon Barrier.’

’After our three-day Dharma debate, while he still can’t break through the Heart Demon Barrier, he won’t be at risk of Falling into a Demon state anytime soon.’

’It’s fine to have Elder Huai Hai help fend off danger, but getting him to carry out assassinations is absolutely impossible.’

’Once things here are settled, I’ll go over and help Second Uncle completely resolve the matter of the Feng’an Army.’

’Once Second Uncle takes command of the Feng’an Army and becomes the Grand Marshal Feng’an, they’ll have truly established their own foundation in the North.’

Fu Juemin patted the Black-Scaled Demon Steed’s flank, letting it absorb the moonlight on its own. He then continued his stroll along a small path in the rear garden. Before long, he arrived at the Prince’s Pavilion, where he had stayed for a few days in the past.

In the first-floor prayer hall of the Prince’s Pavilion, several bright lamps were lit.

In the lamplight, a hunched figure could be seen, curled up in a dark corner beyond the light’s reach.

Hearing approaching footsteps, the figure slowly raised its head, revealing a pair of terrifying, bloodshot eyes.

But upon seeing that the visitor was Fu Juemin, the hatred and killing intent in those eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a look of deep fear.

"Hhhh... hhhh..."

A phlegm-choked whimper escaped the figure. He instinctively tried to shrink back into the shadows, but a moment later, as if recalling something, his face filled with pleading and desire. He struggled to move his body, which seemed to defy his control, desperately trying to crawl toward Fu Juemin.

Fu Juemin walked over and crouched down.

By the candlelight of the prayer hall, he could clearly see Zuo Xianzhi’s face—pale, gaunt, with deeply sunken cheeks and eye sockets.

Zuo Xianzhi now looked like a patient who had been plagued by insomnia and nightmares for years. He was barely human in shape, without a trace of his former handsome and distinguished demeanor.

’Actually, given Second Uncle Fu Guoping’s current situation, sending Zuo Xianzhi over would be the most suitable choice.’

’Unfortunately, I’ve been using the Vajra Heart Lock and [Nightmare] to forcefully control him for nearly a month. This guy fears me to his very bones, but his loyalty still can’t be guaranteed.’

’Even the Five Fiends Life and Death Talisman can’t guarantee it...’

’Fearing me doesn’t mean he’ll obediently listen to my commands.’

Until he had a method to ensure complete control over him, Fu Juemin could only keep him locked up like this.

’I need to hurry up and study the Enchanting Heart Blade properly. If it can achieve a satisfactory hypnotic or manipulative effect, then people like Zuo Xianzhi can be put to good use...’

Fu Juemin reached out and patted Zuo Xianzhi’s cheek. A strange gray smoke seeped from his fingertips. Then, as Zuo Xianzhi watched with terror and resistance in his eyes, the smoke moved like a living creature and forced its way into his mouth and nose, sending him into a nightmare once again.

Seeing Zuo Xianzhi fall into a "sweet" sleep, Fu Juemin stood up.

The appearance of his Second Uncle, Fu Guoping, was a huge surprise. With his uncle’s new status, the few idle chess pieces Fu Juemin had casually placed on the board could now be put to good use.

...

「Three days later.」

Yingjing Outer City, inside a small teahouse.

The humble teahouse lobby was scattered with seven or eight greasy, blackened tables. It wasn’t peak hour yet, so the teahouse was rather deserted.

In the entire hall, only one table in the corner nearest the door was occupied, by two customers: a man and a woman.

The woman of the pair was about twenty-eight or twenty-nine, tall and slender with well-defined shoulders. Her features were comely, though her skin was a bit rough.

The woman’s hair was wrapped in a gray cloth, a Red Jade earring hung from her left ear, and a rather conspicuous old scar was on the web of her right hand.

The man beside her was much older, dressed in coarse, short-fitting clothes. His knuckles were thick, his palms were covered in calluses, and he was constantly sipping tea.

The two of them looked like an ordinary farmer and his daughter who had come to the city to sell their goods and were now taking a rest.

Suddenly, someone strode into the teahouse, scanned the main hall, then walked straight to their table and sat down unceremoniously.

"Waiter, another bowl of tea!"

The newcomer shouted, his gaze then falling on the man and woman, who had both frozen mid-motion. Looking at the woman with the gray cloth-wrapped hair, he spoke, his face expressionless, "Zhan Hongling?"

The woman’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, a sharp, fierce aura emanated from her.

"So you’re the one Xiaohong told us about? Young Master Ling, from Elder Li’s family, who killed Red Banner Tu Kedi?"

The newcomer laughed at her words. He had cold, severe features, and even his laugh held no warmth, instead giving the impression of a snarling coyote.

"Small fries like you..."

The young man stared at the tea bowl in his hand and said slowly, "Are not yet worthy of meeting our Young Master."

"You!"

The woman’s shapely eyebrows shot up in anger, and she immediately moved to stand.

But the old man beside her reached out and held her down.

The latter gave her a stern look that said, "The bigger picture is more important," and only then did she suppress her anger and sit back down resentfully...

While Cao Tian was in the teahouse discussing the collaboration with the leaders of the Banner-cutting Alliance, Fu Juemin was sitting by a window on the second floor of a teahouse just one street away. He was using [Yao Ling] to listen in on Cao Tian’s situation while casually watching the street scene below.

"How’s that kid we kept?"

Fu Juemin asked Zhang Yi, who was beside him, referring to the young man from the Banner-cutting Alliance who had been brought into the Mu Mansion along with Li Tong.

He remembered the young man’s name; it seemed to be something like Bu Xingtian. ℯℯ𝑙.

’Bu Xingtian? Sounds like "defying heaven."

’It’s a good name, but the boy has no brains. When he was with the Banner-cutting Alliance, he caused trouble time and again, dragging Li Tong down with him.’

"As per the Young Master’s orders, we’ve been feeding him well and keeping him comfortable. He’s been relatively well-behaved..."

Zhang Yi paused, then added, "But he’s always clamoring to take you as his master and learn Martial Arts."

Upon hearing this, Fu Juemin chuckled. "If he wants to learn, then teach him.

But once he learns our Martial Arts, the next time there’s a suicide mission, have him go along too..."

"Yes."

Fu Juemin then asked Zhang Yi, "How is your Dragon Elephant Skill practice coming along?"

Zhang Yi replied, "It will still take some time to reach the Entry Level of the Cultivation Technique. I’ve become familiar with the stances of a few Seal Techniques, but I haven’t grasped their true meaning..."

Reaching the Entry Level of the Dragon Elephant Skill was not simple; even Fu Juemin had to put in considerable effort to succeed back then.

Zhang Yi, however, had the advantage of having already undergone one viscera integration. His potential had been unlocked by the Demon Rhinoceros Blood and Flesh, and in this state, he could learn anything quickly.

The Crocodile Blood and Elephant Blood required for the Entry Level of Dragon Elephant could be found in the Demon Capital, so his entry might even be a little easier than Fu Juemin’s had been.

Fu Juemin explained to Zhang Yi the key points and insights to pay attention to regarding the Dragon Elephant Skill and the Six Great Seals. When Cao Tian’s discussion was about to conclude, he stood up as well.

"You go back with Cao Tian. I’m going for a walk outside the city by myself."

Fu Juemin gave the casual instruction, then left the teahouse alone.

He even made a special detour to the next street over, running into the two people sent by the Banner-cutting Alliance on his way.

Although the Banner-cutting Alliance lived like a group of rats in a sewer under the Nine Banners, the matter of the Magic Sacrifice proved that this group still had some capability.

Since they could blow up the core of the Demon Capital’s Array once, they could do it a second time.

Fu Juemin was currently in need of exactly this kind of subordinate who wasn’t afraid of death. The remnants of the Ghost Camp were about to complete their first viscera integration. Only after the integration could the Ghost Camp display its greatest effect on the battlefield. If he were to use them in Demon Capital City, he would feel the loss of every single death.

The first shipment of military supplies from Shen Yijun had arrived. Fu Juemin put him in direct contact with his Second Uncle, Fu Guoping, figuring the two could coordinate directly from now on.

Without these tedious matters tying up his energy and attention, he could finally focus properly on himself.

Fu Juemin strolled out of the city gates as if taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard, heading outward along the Yingjing West Suburbs.

「Fifteen minutes later, in a deserted mountain hollow in the Western Suburbs, far from Yingjing City.」

Fu Juemin came to a stop.

His trip to the Lushan Martial Arts Library was imminent. Before he left, he wanted to see....

With his [Demon Body] fully unleashed, was he now qualified to step into the "Flood Dragon Level"!!