Chapter 122: Chapter 81: Fivefold Cultivation of Secret Martial Arts—Vajra Bewitched by Wind, Moon, and White Bones
At this moment, he had already embarked on the journey to the King’s Capital.
One day.
The two searched everywhere but could not find a village or town to rest, so they found an old tree sheltered from the wind in the wild and kindled a bonfire under it.
People often say that in the cold winter, if you’re not careful, you’ll catch a cold.
But let alone Li Xuan’s attributes, even Jiang Zhengxin was a Triple Cultivator Secret Martial Artist, so how could a bit of cold invade their bodies?
Li Xuan took out a wine pouch from his bag and tossed it over from afar.
Jiang Zhengxin caught it with one hand.
Each holding their pouch, they raised them from a distance and then drank heartily.
Fearless of the cold, yes, but if it can warm the body a bit, who would refuse?
After drinking, the two took out the hard biscuits they carried, warmed them over the bonfire, and then shared and ate them.
In the cold winter, food is easy to preserve, so these hard biscuits were not purely flour, but more like a "stuffed pastry." But this kind of stuffed pastry is often only affordable to wealthy families, because each pastry generally contained a pound of mutton. Large pastry, abundant meat, and added pepper and sauce, then called "Gulouzi."
Snowflakes fluttered down, melting instantly upon touching the pastry.
Soon, the Gulouzi emitted a sizzling sound, the mutton defrosted, and the fragrance spread out.
Each took one and ate it with the wine.
After a while, Jiang Zhengxin suddenly said, "The Secret Martial Arts treasury in the Prime Minister’s mansion has always been of utmost importance, and anyone who goes there must be blindfolded and deafened. I’m no exception, and neither is the junior."
Li Xuan said, "I’m someone who follows the rules, so naturally, I should comply."
Jiang Zhengxin continued, "The Prime Minister’s mansion houses four elite warriors...
The four take turns, two for internal duties, two for external tasks.
Internal duties guard the Secret Martial Arts treasury while cultivating;
External tasks assist the Prime Minister in affairs.
Therefore, this time, the junior will inevitably encounter two of them.
Among them, one will lead the junior to the Secret Martial Arts treasury."
Li Xuan knew this cultured swordsman was intentionally conveying information to him, so he asked, "Who are these four elite warriors?"
Jiang Zhengxin replied, "They are Li Jingfei, Pang Wuyue, Yan Beige, and... Xie Feng.
Currently, guarding the treasury should be Senior Brother Yan and Senior Sister Pang."
Li Xuan curiously asked, "How do they compare to Brother Jiang?"
Jiang Zhengxin waved and said, "I am far inferior to them."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "A Triple Cultivator Secret Martial Artist is merely the starting point of the Demon Form realm.
Once truly stepping into the Demon Form realm, even lifespan will increase by sixty years."
Li Xuan pondered, and couldn’t help but ask a question he’d been curious about for a long time: "Then when did these four senior brothers and sisters start cultivating?"
This was one of his greatest mysteries.
Once he got the answer, he could know when the Prime Minister’s mansion began its Secret Martial Arts research, and also discover... when the demonic beasts appeared in the Great Yin.
Given Jiang Zhengxin was the Prime Minister’s close confidant, he evidently knew much. If an ordinary person inquired, he would ignore them, but Li Xuan was different. This is the benefit of displaying a terrifying talent yet being wild but not arrogant.
At this moment, Jiang Zhengxin didn’t conceal anything, and directly said, "Probably during the former king’s time... nearly twenty years ago. Those four senior brothers and sisters have extraordinary talents, ones I cannot compare to."
Li Xuan frowned and said, "Demonic beasts existed twenty years ago?"
Jiang Zhengxin replied, "It’s said that back then, the Great Yin and Great Yong had good relations, both sides had intermarriage. Then a dispute arose because of the sudden emergence of the Bronze Plain on the border.
The Prime Minister has always suspected that the Ministry of War’s Ice Crystal Ore came from the Bronze Plain.
However, at the beginning, both countries maintained the principle of friendly exploration.
Later, the former king hunted a bizarre beast on the Bronze Plain.
That beast was actually a young demon among the demonic beasts, and this... was the beginning of our Great Yin’s Secret Martial Arts warriors."
Li Xuan listened attentively to these secrets.
Listening, he roughly understood now.
The initiator of the Great Yin’s Secret Martial Arts system was actually not the Prime Minister, but the former king.
Only with the former king’s status, it was completely inappropriate to conduct this kind of "demonic blood transformation experiment," so... the Prime Minister became the one conducting the experiment secretly.
Then, somehow, the former king passed away, entrusting the Prime Minister and the Grand General. Afterward, conflicts arose from all sides. The Prime Minister acted first, sidelined the Sovereign, and then swiftly developed Secret Martial Arts.
Jiang Zhengxin stated, "These years have seen an endless stream of demonic beasts, with no shortage of intelligent ones..."
As he spoke, he hesitated, sighed lightly, and said, "Demonic beasts love to eat humans; coexisting with humans is impossible no matter what.
However, it’s never been as serious as these past two years.
Three calamities, Demon Buddha... later, who knows what terrifying demonic beasts will appear.
Fortunately, those four senior brothers and sisters have successfully stepped into the Demon Form realm.
That truly is"
This swordsman murmured, looking out into the darkness beyond the bonfire, his eyes full of caution.
Li Xuan nodded slightly, expressing agreement.
Indeed, demonic beasts are truly terrifying.
Yet, the demonic blood in his "Nine Grid Blood Column" still wasn’t terrifying enough.
...
...
A little over half a month later.
Two strong horses bore the travelers to the gates of the King’s Capital.
The city tower was magnificent, the roads wide, a Cyan Dragon Avenue sliced South and North City like a long blade.
The Prime Minister’s mansion was located in North City along with the palace.
The two showed the Prime Minister’s badge and easily entered the city, then came to the Prime Minister’s mansion, took a brief rest, and later in the evening, a pitch-black carriage silently parked in front of the mansion.
