Wang Ming did not hide in the small cabin for many days before news spread that Zhu Wushi had defeated Cao Zhengchun and returned to Dragon Guard Manor.
Thus Wang Ming emerged once more, this time seeking out Cheng Shifei.
In fact, Zhu Wushi had previously sent men to demand that Wang Ming find the remaining Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom within a day, which was why Wang Ming had accurately judged the plot node.
Wang Ming found Cheng Shifei alone and pulled him aside to talk.
"Prince Consort, do you want to know the location of the last Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom?"
Cheng Shifei's previously flippant attitude instantly turned serious.
"I do, I want to dream about it! Tell me!"
"Then trade your Indestructible Vajra Body for this information."
Wang Ming leaned against the doorframe, swirling the wine in his flask.
Cheng Shifei was immediately troubled and somewhat unwilling.
"Can we trade for other martial arts? Just pick any of the martial arts from the eight major sects I have on me."
Wang Ming still sat on a stone, swirling his wine flask without speaking.
"How about Emei's? Kongtong's? I also have Shaolin and Wudang's here! Hey! Aren't you being too greedy? Fine, fine, I'll give you all the eight major sects."
Cheng Shifei was not stupid; he knew the martial arts of the eight major sects were simply not as important as the Indestructible Vajra Body. What thing was truly fundamental?
Seeing Cheng Shifei play dumb, Wang Ming knew he had to up the ante.
"You were adopted as a child by a woman named Lang Gu, weren't you? Did you know Lang Gu's real name is Cheng Huan? Did you know twenty years ago Lang Gu and Suxin knew each other? An orchid heart and a lily nature—that is where Lang Gu's name came from." Wang Ming walked slowly toward Cheng Shifei, calmly tossing out question after question.
"What do you mean?" Cheng Shifei was a bit dazed.
By now Wang Ming was very close to Cheng Shifei, so he leaned in close to his ear.
"You are the son of Suxin and Gu Santong. Back then, Suxin handed you over to Lang Gu to look after, while she ran off to stop the duel between Gu Santong and Zhu Wushi, and then she was struck with a palm blow. You know everything that happened after that."
"Is what you're saying true? I don't believe it, I'm going to ask foster mother." Cheng Shifei made to run out and ask Suxin.
"Hold on!"
Wang Ming certainly didn't dare let Cheng Shifei go ask. If he caused a commotion and drew Zhu Wushi over, then he himself would be totally screwed. Right now Zhu Wushi was going crazy.
"I advise you, if you want to ask later, ask Lang Gu. Don't go asking Suxin."
"Why?" Cheng Shifei was stopped in his tracks.
"Zhu Wushi knows you are Gu Santong's son, and furthermore, the son born to Gu Santong and Suxin, the woman he loves most in the world. If this news leaks, guess what will happen?"
Seeing Cheng Shifei still looking somewhat unconcerned, Wang Ming continued.
"For example, if Yunluo had a child with the person you hate most, what would you do? Not only would you die, but Suxin and Yunluo would also be in great danger."
Wang Ming walked over and patted Cheng Shifei's shoulder.
"The most pressing matter right now is the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom. Has the Prince Consort considered it?"
Cheng Shifei stared fiercely at Wang Ming.
"The three secret agents of the heaven, earth, and black ranks from Dragon Guard Manor all traded information with me for martial arts, and my reputation is absolutely sterling. You, the Prince Consort, are a royal relative; I wouldn't lose my mind and try to scam you." Wang Ming added.
"Fine!"
In the end Cheng Shifei still chose to save Suxin. Actually, even without the possibility that Suxin might be his mother, he would have made the trade anyway. After all, this martial art was originally passed down to him by Gu Santong, so using it to save Suxin was entirely reasonable.
Subsequently, Cheng Shifei recited the mental cultivation formula.
Fortunately, Wang Ming's memory had been enhanced, or he truly wouldn't have been able to remember it.
Wang Ming had Cheng Shifei recite it three times to ensure there were no tricks.
"Where is the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom?" Cheng Shifei asked anxiously.
Wang Ming didn't say much more either; with a forceful squeeze, he shattered the wine flask in his hand. This was also a small application of internal energy he had researched over the past few months. Everyone shouldn't count on it though, as his internal energy worked sometimes and sometimes didn't—after all, it wasn't cultivated by himself.
He dropped the fragments of the wine flask from his hand, and then only the Mermaid Xiao Mingzhu remained in his palm.
Cheng Shifei snatched it away and dashed toward Suxin's bedroom like lightning.
A few days after he last saw Cheng Shifei, the alarm he had set up at his secret stronghold rang. Fortunately, he had arranged a retreat long in advance and left early, only to discover during his escape that they were people from Dragon Guard Manor.
Later, he changed hideouts several times in succession, but it still didn't take long for him to be found.
And so,
Wang Ming hardened his heart and ran off to find Guihai Yidao, but unfortunately he was not at the Shuiyue Nunnery where his mother lived.
Yidao was now a cripple, and the other main characters were actually more useful, but those three imperial secret agents had eyes all around them, so going there was courting death.
"Abbess! When Yidao returns, hand this garment to him. This concerns Yidao's life, and he will understand the specifics."
Then, without waiting for Yidao's mother to reply, Wang Ming left quickly.
Wang Ming had to leave quickly; he couldn't lead people here.
At that moment, Wang Ming thought to himself that even if he didn't live through this, he had to drag Zhu Wushi down with him to hasten his death, and then he, Wang Ming, would be safe.
Inside that garment were all of Zhu Wushi's plots and dark materials, as well as the matter of Wan Sanqian flying into a rage upon learning that Yidao had gone to find Shangguan Haitang. It instructed Yidao to take his mother and run fast.
In truth, Wang Ming felt extremely unconfident in his heart.
In the original novel, Zhu Wushi's death involved many coincidences and was clearly a plot kill driven by the protagonists' plot armor.
With a transmigrator added to this world, a butterfly effect was entirely possible.
At night,
Wang Ming rested in a hunter's cabin in the mountains. These were the last few hideouts he had scouted out over the past few months.
"I hope Zhu Wushi dies soon so I won't have to run anymore."
Just as Wang Ming was about to fall asleep, several arrows flew in through the window. Fortunately, Wang Ming was sleeping under the bed, and the arrows all embedded themselves into the mattress.
With this, Wang Ming instantly woke up. He pushed open the floorboards and jumped down. This was a wooden house, and the underside was supported by pillars.
Wang Ming prepared to leave from the back, but just as he crawled out from under the floorboards of the house, he saw that he was surrounded by people.
He thought with terror in his heart: The winds and waves are too large, it seems the boat is about to capsize.
He only heard a voice shout from the crowd:
"The Divine Marquis has ordered that upon finding Zhang Jinjiu, he is to be executed on the spot."
And then,
Wang Ming saw dozens of feathered arrows flying toward him.
Then once more...
Zhang Jinjiu had no further moments, with dozens of arrows piercing his body, dead as a doornail.
After Wang Ming's death, in this world, Zhu Wushi was still killed by the protagonists.
The difference was that Guihai Yidao's mother and Shangguan Haitang survived, though Suxin still died.
It was precisely Suxin's death that caused Zhu Wushi's mind and spirit to collapse, leading to him being killed by the protagonists.
I feel that an ordinary modern person going to ancient times should be given a lesson so that they can become cautious and no longer look down upon the ancients.
At the same time, this world is also a beginner's gift bag for the protagonists.
Before you continue