Chapter 105

In the days that followed, all was calm and peaceful.

As for the earlier incident of the Wokou infiltrating the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Qingzhou also responded by sending people directly to Jia Shui Jun.

Several large black panthers then raced into the territory of Jia Shui Jun.

The man at the front wore purple luxurious robes, with a jade-green treasure sword at his waist, and possessed an extraordinary demeanor.

He spoke solemnly: "When you see Commander Shen later, be mindful of your attitude—if you say something wrong, watch out, I'll beat you!"

A man behind him spoke up: "Big brother, is that really necessary? It's just a commander, after all. You're the son of the Qi Prince—shouldn't he be courteous to us, especially since we're here to deliver supreme martial arts?"

The purple-robed man at the front was none other than Jiang Zhushen, the youngest son of the Qi Prince.

Among the princes of Great Wu, there are also distinctions of rank and status.

The lesser ones are like the Dongling Prince and the Baisa Prince—those with two-character titles.

The truly formidable are the single-character princes; most of Great Wu's single-character princes are imperial offspring, while others rose through military merit and ruthless deeds—and the Qi Prince is one of them.

Jiang Zhushen turned and glanced at them: "Do you really think my father being the Qi Prince means he can do anything?"

The few behind him exchanged glances, as if to say, "Isn't that true?"

Jiang Zhushen snorted: "There's a legend circulating in Great Wu that princes and powerful sects are the two halves of the realm."

"But they're just talking."

"They don't understand, but we can't afford not to."

After speaking, Jiang Zhushen pointed to the sky: "In all of Great Wu, only two forces truly stand at the pinnacle—they are the two halves of the realm: one is the imperial house, the other is the Shen family of the capital."

"And the Commander Shen we're going to see? He bears the surname Shen—he's from the capital Shen family!"

The several people behind him were stunned, sweat already beading on their foreheads.

"Big brother, are you saying that Commander Shen is from the Shen family?"

Jiang Zhushen nodded slightly.

One person swallowed: "But isn't it said this commander came out of Yongning Jun by force? How would the Shen family end up in Yongning Jun?"

Several others nodded in agreement, expressing their doubt.

Jiang Zhushen smiled and explained: "This information isn't common knowledge—I'll tell you, so listen well."

"The imperial house and the Shen family have always been the top powers in Great Wu, but their methods of cultivating the younger generation are completely different."

"The imperial house paves every path—preparing medicinal herbs, cultivation techniques, martial arts, weapons, masters, and even training grounds."

"But the Shen family goes in the opposite direction: all their offspring, upon reaching adulthood, are sent to remote regions across Great Wu for training, carrying only the Shen family's domineering cultivation method—and nothing else, at most some silver."

"Through this method, the imperial house cultivates geniuses at breakneck speed, placing them in a league of their own across Great Wu."

"But the Shen family's approach is slower—yet among our princes, they've long been known by this nickname: 'Monster Nursery.' This doesn't mean the Shen family is bad—it means they specialize in producing monsters."

"Every generation of the Shen family produces such monsters—those who overwhelm Great Wu!"

Those around inhaled sharply, and Jiang Zhushen's attitude already made it clear: the Commander Shen they were to meet—Shen Qing—was precisely the future monster who would overwhelm Great Wu!

Suddenly someone spoke: "If they send one person out for training, aren't they afraid someone will target their domineering cultivation method? Aren't they afraid others will steal it?"

Jiang Zhushen gave him a look of disdain: "If you ever say such a thing again—talk of exterminating nine clans—I'll cut ties with you, and you'd better not call me your big brother anymore, for I don't deserve it."

Bei Yun City Commander's Office.

The Golden Spear Army and the Yang Family Army had already returned to their garrisons, while the Northern River Army had also changed its garrison, withdrawing from Fengye Mountain.

The Wokou prisoners in the jail had largely been interrogated, and through their confessions, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had captured many more Wokou in Bei Yun City.

Thus, Bei Yun City had gradually stabilized, and any attempt by the Wokou to re-infiltrate would likely take years.

Shen Qing lay on the rocking chair, staring blankly at the wutong tree in the courtyard.

After several battles, Shen Qing still felt he had shortcomings—his offensive means were still lacking.

The Falling Thunder Nine Blades were excellent, the Ninefold Thunder Blade was also useful, and had basically become Shen Qing's standard attack.

But it still felt insufficient—he needed to go find a new blade technique.

In martial arts, the Falling Thunder Nine Blades were already considered top-tier, but above martial arts lie other techniques known as supreme arts.

Supreme arts are techniques cultivable only by those at the Grand Master level—their power and comprehension difficulty are several times that of ordinary martial arts, and correspondingly, their power is also several times greater.

Shen Qing turned and spoke: "Scholar, do you know if there's any Grand Master in Bei Yun City who uses a blade?"

The scholar pondered: "Yes, there are two—one is the patriarch of the Huang family, who wields a large blade; the other is the sect leader of the Evil Blade Sect."

"But, Boss, these two forces are quite honest—indeed, the Evil Blade Sect is rather odd: their name sounds like gods and demons, yet they do nothing but good deeds—half the orphanages in the city are run by them."

"And there's this matter too."

Shen Qing stroked his chin: "Then like this—you go find the heads of those two families and say I want to buy their supreme arts; the price can be negotiated, and I won't let them lose out."

Shen Qing is no tyrant of Great Wu—if they've done nothing wrong, of course I won't go robbing them!

The scholar nodded, rose, and headed outside—just as he collided with Old Li rushing in.

"What are you doing? You're all fidgety."

Old Li gave a simple, honest smile and looked at Shen Qing: "Boss, someone's outside looking for you."

"He says he's from the Qingzhou Embroidered Uniform Guard, named Jiang Zhushen, the youngest son of the Qi Prince, and has come specially to pay his respects to you, Boss."

"Oh, and he also said the plan to establish the martial alliance in Yongning Jun has been completed, the court has issued rewards, and he brought them along as well."

"He said it was something about supreme arts or the like—I didn't quite understand."

Shen Qing's eyes lit up—this thought of wanting to nap, and a pillow appears again.

"Good, then Scholar, you don't need to go to those two places."

"Let's go meet this Jiang Zhushen."