Wang Zhongyi's Poisonous Scheme

With a single command from the Barbarian King A Yanda, countless barbarians once again surged out of the city in pursuit.

Unfortunately, Gu Han's speed was already as swift as lightning, unmatched by any. Ordinary barbarians couldn't even catch a clear glimpse of his figure, let alone chase him down.

As for the Barbarian King A Yanda, he could barely keep pace with Gu Han, matching his speed for a time. But after that brief exchange, he had lost the courage to fight him one-on-one.

After all, without the cover of a massive army, if A Yanda fought alone for a short while, it might be manageable. But if the battle dragged on and his Inner Qi ran dry, he feared he would be beaten to death by that Black Robe Monk.

"Wang Zhongyi, do you know who this man is? Why have I never heard of him, despite his astonishing martial arts?"

Seated on his blood-red divine steed, A Yanda lowered his bow with a heavy hand and turned to ask Wang Zhongyi, who stood nearby with his head bowed.

"Your Majesty, I do not know."

Hearing A Yanda's question, Wang Zhongyi quickly replied respectfully:

"Since leaving my sect decades ago, I have roamed the Central Plains martial world for many years. I know the experts of every school and sect like the back of my hand. But this man—I truly have no recollection of him.

Moreover, in all my travels through the martial world, I have never heard of any Central Plains expert who could match Your Majesty. Not even a rumored one.

After all, Your Majesty's realm is far too powerful. Even looking back through thousands of years of Central Plains martial history, aside from Bodhidharma, the founding patriarch of Treasure Pearl Temple, only the third-generation patriarch Jue Ming and the eighteenth-generation patriarch Liao Kong could stand shoulder to shoulder with Your Majesty. For someone like this to suddenly appear—it's truly strange!"

Wang Zhongyi frowned, feeling that the monk seemed vaguely familiar, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't place him.

In truth, this was only natural. Back then, Wang Zhongyi and Gu Han had parted ways in haste, unlike Wang Lang, whose memory was seared by a single punch. And with so many years having passed, Gu Han's appearance had changed drastically, from a young boy into a steady youth. Of course, Wang Zhongyi wouldn't remember.

"Enough! Useless! You've talked for ages and said nothing at all! Fine, whoever he is, I want him dead! Wang Zhongyi, do you have any ideas?"

Hearing Wang Zhongyi's rambling explanation yield nothing, A Yanda's expression grew even angrier, his eyes filled with hatred as he questioned him.

"Your Majesty, this..."

Wang Zhongyi's face changed drastically, and he silently cursed his luck. But seeing A Yanda's increasingly dark expression, as if he might explode at any moment, he dared not refuse outright. He racked his brains for a plan until, after about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a flash of inspiration struck him:

"Your Majesty, I do have a plan. I am certain it will send that stinking monk to his death and vent Your Majesty's anger."

"Oh? What plan?"

Seeing Wang Zhongyi's confident demeanor, A Yanda couldn't help but feel curious and quickly pressed him.

"Your Majesty, since that monk appeared at the foot of Treasure Pearl Mountain, whether he is a monk of Treasure Pearl Temple or not, we can claim he has obtained the treasure left behind by the temple. Treasure Pearl Temple, ever since its founding by Bodhidharma a thousand years ago, has stood at the pinnacle of the Yan Kingdom's martial world, with countless divine pills and peerless techniques within its halls.

So, we can now frame that stinking monk for obtaining all the Great Return Pills left by Treasure Pearl Temple, as well as the secret to the supreme Legendary Realm passed down by the founding patriarch Bodhidharma.

As the saying goes, men die for wealth, birds perish for food!

Once we spread this news, whether true or false, there will be no shortage of people in the martial world who want that stinking monk dead.

After all, treasures and divine techniques have always been the targets of martial artists' contention. In the past, even a martial art created by an Inner Qi practitioner could stir up a bloody storm in the martial world, let alone a peerless technique containing the secrets of the Legendary Realm.

As long as there is even a sliver of possibility, those people will never let it go. And though their martial arts may be inferior to the monk's, they have countless underhanded tricks—poisoning, seduction, coercion, and the like.

By then, even if that stinking monk had three heads and six arms, could he go without eating or drinking, guarding against every possible threat day and night?"

Wang Zhongyi's old face twisted into a sinister grin, and he couldn't help feeling immensely proud of the plan he had devised.

"Hahaha! An excellent plan indeed! Wang Zhongyi, you Yan people have so many cunning schemes, unlike us barbarians who only know how to fight and kill. It seems I'll have to read more of your Yan cultural texts in the future!"

A Yanda laughed heartily in admiration, then said:

"Alright! Since this plan is so brilliant, there's no time to waste. Gather painters immediately to prepare a portrait, then spread the news that the stinking monk has obtained the divine technique and pills. I want to see just how that stinking monk dies!"

As he spoke, A Yanda burst into another round of laughter.

Gu Han, of course, knew nothing of the scheme Wang Zhongyi had presented to A Yanda. After escaping the barbarian army's pursuit, he arrived at a nameless, desolate mountain outside Xiongyuan City.

This was a barren mountain filled with graves, rarely visited by anyone. To keep the surviving monks of Treasure Pearl Temple from harm, Gu Han had chosen this place as Jingyuan's final resting place.

The grave was simple, lacking the deep, hidden tombs of nobles and royalty. It was just a small earthen pit, a thin coffin, and a tombstone carved from stone, on which Gu Han had scratched a few large characters with his finger:

"Spirit Tablet of Junior Brother Ran Da. Erected by Senior Brother Gu Han on the twenty-third day of the Wuxu month in the Jiazi year."

"Junior Brother, your senior brother has come to see you today. Your vengeance has been avenged. From now on, I will begin wandering the world and searching for your parents. The next time we meet, I don't know when it will be. If you truly have a spirit in heaven, bless your senior brother so that I may find your parents soon and fulfill your wish!"

Before the crude grave, Gu Han held a bowl of wine in his hand, speaking to himself. As he recalled Jingyuan's voice and face over the years, his heart still ached with grief.

This was the first friend he had made in this life, one who had asked for nothing in return and treated him with the utmost sincerity. Now that he was gone, Gu Han was truly devastated.

But the dead were gone, and the living had to move on. The crisis in his real world had not yet been resolved. With his current strength, comparable to a Half-step Second-rate Master, he could sweep through everything in this world without opposition. But if placed in the real world, or even amidst the perilous clashes of two armies, he was still nothing to speak of.

Because in the armies of both nations, any random chiliarch had already cultivated Inner Strength. With the many military techniques at their disposal, their power would greatly increase. Even if they were not as strong as he was now, they were not far off, far surpassing ordinary Inner Qi practitioners in this world.

And a chiliarch, among the hundreds of thousands or even millions of soldiers in both nations, was merely a mid-to-low-ranking officer. Above them were colonels, commanders, generals, and finally the marshal, who held the highest status and power.

Against such a formidable army, Gu Han's strength, comparable to a Half-step Second-rate Master, was not quite cannon fodder, but barely enough for self-preservation. If he happened to encounter a Second-rate Master, he might very well fall in regret.

So, for now, though he was unmatched in this world, he could not afford to waste the remaining time here. His best course was to quickly break through to Inner Qi, then, within his lifetime, master all the martial techniques left by Bodhidharma to their highest level, or even create his own Internal Cultivation Method and break through to the Second-rate Realm.

And to create an Internal Cultivation Method, he would inevitably need to gather martial techniques created by various Inner Qi masters, drawing on the wisdom of many.

After all, though no Inner Qi practitioner had ever created an Internal Cultivation Method, they had always been exploring the use of Inner Qi. With their insights, combined with the knowledge in "Gu Han's" mind from his previous life, creating a complete Internal Cultivation Method, though still difficult, at least held a glimmer of hope.

"Time to set out!"

Gu Han downed the wine in his bowl in one gulp, then smashed the bowl to the ground. Finally, he strode off into the distance.

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