Ghost Mugwort

Hu Zongxian sighed and said, "That's a pity. Without an official position, it's impossible to allocate troops."

Wang Quan was a little surprised. He had thought Bai Xiaowen was looking for a better position, but he didn't expect him to refuse Hu Zongxian's offer.

Just then, a servant came to report, "Master, Master Xu has arrived."

"Please invite him in," Hu Zongxian said.

Bai Xiaowen was a little surprised. How could a mere advisor get Hu Zongxian to use the word "please"? He glanced at Wang Quan.

Before long, a scholar in a blue robe walked in and bowed to Hu Zongxian.

Hu Zongxian personally introduced Bai Xiaowen: "Master Bai, this is my advisor, Mr. Xu Wei."

Bai Xiaowen remembered that Xu Wei of the Ming Dynasty was none other than Xu Wenchang. There are many unofficial historical accounts and anecdotes about Xu Wenchang, who is known as one of the three great talents of the Ming Dynasty.

Xu Wenchang's surviving paintings have been highly sought after by many. Even Qi Baishi, a master of traditional Chinese painting in later generations, couldn't help but exclaim when he viewed Xu Wenchang's paintings, "I am willing to be a follower of Master Qingteng (Xu Wenchang's pseudonym)!"

Moreover, historically, Xu Wenchang served as a strategist for Hu Zongxian, contributing to the Daye Era.

"Is this the Master Bai, who killed the bandit leader Chen One-Eye? Please accept my bow!" Xu Wei bowed deeply, his attitude very sincere.

Bai Xiaowen quickly returned the greeting, speaking humbly.

Hu Zongxian: "Mr. Xu, you've come at the perfect time. Master Bai is utterly devoted to killing the enemy and serving his country, and hopes I can lend him a sentry. However, he is bound by his master's teachings and cannot serve as an official, so I am in a dilemma. Mr. Xu, do you have any way to achieve the best of both worlds?"

Xu Wei laughed and said, "This matter is simple; it's merely a matter of title. The Grand Eunuch can allocate a squad of sailors and a warship, placing them under the command of a trusted captain. In name, Master Bai will accompany the ship to assist in military affairs, but in reality, the captain will be secretly ordered to obey Master Bai's commands. In this way, we can avoid suspicion while also respecting Master Bai's patriotic heart."

Hu Zongxian thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Excellent, this is the perfect solution."

Xu Wei added, "Furthermore, wasn't the strategy of persuading the governor to surrender that we discussed earlier hampered by the lack of a middleman? Master Bai is precisely the right person to do so."

Hu Zongxian nodded. "That's right. I wonder if Master Bai would be willing to go?"

Bai Xiaowen was a little confused by the two men's back-and-forth banter, and at the same time, he became wary. These two scholars were no pushovers; "resourceful" wouldn't even be enough to describe them. He didn't want them to put him in their trap and sell him out while he was still counting the money for them.

"I wonder who you and Mr. Xu were trying to persuade to surrender?"

Hu Zongxian sat upright, smiling as he took a sip of tea.

Xu Wei replied, "It is one of the more powerful groups among the Wokou Pirates, and its leader is named Xu Hai."

Li Shuyi's heart sank. The relationship between the Pirate Xu Hai Faction was not good; they were already at the "hostile" level.

Bai Xiaowen didn't show any difficulty and nodded, saying, "In your opinion, Eunuch and Mr. Xu, how confident are you in successfully persuading Xu Hai to surrender?"

Xu Wei: "This all started with Xu Hai. He was originally a subordinate of the notorious pirate Wang Zhi, but later betrayed Wang Zhi and established his own gang. After Wang Zhi was beheaded, this man became one of the most powerful figures among the Wokou Pirates."

"Xu Hai was a monk at Hupao Temple of Hangzhou when he was young, with the Dharma name Pujing. However, he did not abide by the monastic rules and precepts. He was in love with Wang Cuiqiao, a famous courtesan in Jiaxing. Later, he led Wokou Pirates to invade Jiaxing and abducted Wang Cuiqiao to be his wife."

"Speaking of Wang Cuiqiao, she was originally from an official family. Although she had fallen into prostitution, she still knew right from wrong and often advised Xu Hai against committing murder."

"Therefore, to win over Xu Hai, we must start with his wife, Wang Cuiqiao. I can't speak for others, but I'm still about 60-70% confident we can succeed."

Hearing Xu Wei recount so much in one breath, Bai Xiaowen understood a bit more. With his extensive memory and considerable knowledge of Ming Dynasty history, he secretly compared it with the fate of Xu Hai, the notorious Wokou Pirates, in his memory, and realized that Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei had not misled him—historically, Xu Hai had indeed accepted the imperial pardon.

Bai Xiaowen immediately said, "Please write a letter, Governor, and I will go to persuade Xu Hai to surrender."

"Excellent!" Hu Zongxian stroked his beard in praise. "Master Bai is truly courageous. With a hero like Master Bai joining our army, the suppression of the Japanese pirates is just around the corner."

Wang Quan, who was standing nearby, finally found a chance to speak and hurriedly offered his praise.

Xu Wei sighed softly, "It's a pity General Yu's injuries haven't fully healed, otherwise we wouldn't have to fear the Wokou Pirates in Fujian."

Upon hearing the name General Yu, Hu Zongxian also showed a worried expression and said, "If Zhifu had not been injured, how could the disaster of the Wokou Pirates breaking through Quanzhou Prefecture City have occurred?"

Upon hearing the words "General Yu" and "Zhifu," Bai Xiaowen immediately guessed that the two were referring to Yu Dayou, a famous general who fought against Japanese pirates.

This was clearly a clue to a side quest. Bai Xiaowen immediately asked, "May I ask who injured General Yu, and what his current condition is?"

Xu Wei said, "General Yu fought a naval battle with Wokou Pirates half a month ago. Outnumbered, he was stabbed by a True Wokou leader and his injuries were quite serious. General Yu has always been stationed in Fujian. Now that he is injured, the Wokou Pirates dare to plunder the various prefectures of Fujian. The Governor-General, who was originally in Zhejiang to oversee the battle, had no choice but to come and take charge."

The so-called "True Wokou" leaders refer to the actual Japan Wokou Pirates).

During the Jiajing Wokou Rebellion, less than 30% of the pirates were actually Japan Wokou Pirates; the other 70% or more were Ming Dynasty people disguised as Wokou Pirates, also known as "fake pirates."

Those Ming people who impersonated Wokou Pirates were mostly impoverished people or street ruffians who became pirates at sea because they were greedy for the huge profits of smuggling.

Therefore, after Bai Xiaowen joined the Anti-Pirate Ming Army Faction, he received a notification of declining reputation. Most of the Wokou Faction were fake pirates with China surnames, and only a few were True Wokou with Japan surnames.

Of course, whether they were fake or True Wokou, their hands were stained with the blood of the Great Ming people, and their crimes were the same. In Bai Xiaowen's view, the fake Japanese pirates were especially hateful.

"Isn't there a good doctor to treat this?" Bai Xiaowen continued to dig deeper into the clues for the mission.

Xu Wei said, "After General Yu was wounded, he fell unconscious. The Governor sent physicians to examine him, but no toxins were found in the wound, leading to the suspicion that it was caused by a secret evil spell passed down from the True Wokou. Therefore, the Governor specially invited Sun Zhenren of the Quanzhen Sect to exorcise the evil. However..."

Xu Wei's hesitation was clearly an attempt to entice others to continue asking questions, a subtle and persuasive maneuver.

Bai Xiaowen asked playfully, "But how?"

Xu Wei stroked his beard and said, "Master Sun's Daoist arts are profound; he saw at a glance that General Yu was not poisoned, but rather harmed by the evil power of the True Wokou demons."

"Did Master Sun treat him?" Hu Zongxian pressed.

Xu Wei said, "I've come to report to the Grand Eunuch. Master Sun said he has a method to help General Yu exorcise the evil spell, but even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. This method requires a herb called ' Ghost Mugwort.' Master Sun himself needs to stay by General Yu's side to help him Suppression the evil power, so the task of finding this herb falls to us."

"Where can we find this herb?" Hu Zongxian asked.

Xu Wei: "Sun Simiao once traveled to Nanyang and saw this kind of Ghost Mugwort on the Wusha Reef northwest of Ryukyu."

"Wusha Reef?" Hu Zongxian frowned.

"What's so strange about this island reef?" Bai Xiaowen played the role of a good listener, asking appropriate follow-up questions.

"This is one of the strongholds of the Wokou Pirates Xu Hai. It's not advisable for the government troops to launch a large-scale invasion of the island. If it arouses Xu Hai's suspicion, the matter of surrendering the Japanese will become more complicated," Xu Wei said.

Bai Xiaowen understood. It turned out that this side quest would fall into his lap without him having to specifically seek it out. Xu Wei, being a smart man, certainly wouldn't bring up Yu Dayou's injury for no reason.

As the saying goes, "One can understand the meaning behind a song," Bai Xiaowen immediately volunteered. "I was originally going to Xu Hai's lair to deliver a message, so let me take on the task of finding the medicine as well."

Seeing that Bai Xiaowen was sensible, Xu Wei and Hu Zongxian were naturally pleased. Bai Xiaowen seized the opportunity to say, "Could we bring an extra squad of soldiers on this trip? The voyage is arduous, and it would be good to have them take turns resting, so that we won't be too exhausted to fight if we encounter bandits."

Bai Xiaowen's reasoning wasn't particularly clever, but Hu Zongxian readily agreed. A squad of soldiers numbered only ninety, while he, as the Governor-General of Zhili and Zhejiang, commanded an army of one hundred thousand, was certainly capable of making the decision.

The Spirit Realm Rules notification reads, "Elite Tier Side Quest: Finding Medicine is now available."

[Mission Objective: Proceed to Wusha Reef, find Ghost Mugwort, and deliver it to the Quanzhen School priest Sun Xuanqing.]

[Task Difficulty: A]

[Mission Deadline: 48 hours]

[Task Reward: Unknown]

A servant entered with his head bowed and whispered a few words to Hu Zongxian. Hu Zongxian sighed and said, "The gentry and common people of Quanzhou are gathered in front of the yamen again. I will go and appease them."

"You've worked hard, Governor." Bai Xiaowen, Xu Wei, and Wang Quan stood up together.

Hu Zongxian laughed and said, "Fortunately, with the bandit token brought by Master Bai and the recovered valuables, I can say that I have some explanation to give."

After Hu Zongxian left, Xu Wei led Bai Xiaowen to Yu Dayou's residence where he was recuperating.

Although Yu Dayou was lying on the bed, fast asleep, one could tell from his physique that he was a tall and strong man, like a tiger in its sleep, and no ordinary person would dare to approach him.

Beside Yu Dayou sat a white-haired Daoist priest, dressed in a purple-patterned robe, meditating with his eyes closed. This demeanor was something Bai Xiaowen could not match.

Bai Xiaowen and his group entered the house. Before they could even speak, the Daoist priest opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces with a radiant light.

"Did the person searching for the medicine bring it?"

"Reporting to Master Sun: This Master Bai is a Daoist Gate disciple named ' Mysterious Sect.' Driven by righteous indignation, he killed the bandit Boss Tier Chen One-Eye and volunteered to help General Yu find medicine." Xu Wei introduced Bai Xiaowen's identity in a few words.

Master Sun squinted and said, "Mysterious Sect? I have never heard of this reclusive sect. It seems I am truly ignorant."

Bai Xiaowen felt incredibly embarrassed and was about to explain when Master Sun calmly spoke again:

"That's true. The founding emperor established the Zhengyi School of Longhu Mountain as the orthodox sect of Daoism, giving it supreme authority over all Daoism in the world... The weakness of other sects is due to fate. If it weren't for the legacy of our patriarch, our Quanzhen Daoist sect would probably only have the path of seclusion and cultivation to take."

Bai Xiaowen's mind raced, and he sighed, following Sun Zhenren's lead, saying, "What you say is true, Zhenren. Our Mysterious Sect has been in decline for a long time. In our generation, only my junior sister and I are left. We haven't even been issued ordination certificates for the Orthodox Unity Sect."

Since neither of them belonged to the orthodox Daoist Gate of Mount Longhu, Master Sun and this "Little Master Bai" naturally felt a sense of shared misfortune. He nodded and said, "So be it. Cultivators roam the world, cultivating their minds and nature. An ordination certificate is just a piece of paper. Achieving immortality depends on diligent cultivation, not on the silver seal of Mount Longhu."

At that moment, Master Sun explained the appearance and characteristics of "Ghost Mugwort," saying:

"The Wusha Reef are where Ghost Mugwort grows, and are often haunted by evil spirits. I was initially worried that the soldiers would have a hard time dealing with them, but since you, young friend, have stepped in, there should be no problem."

Bai Xiaowen thought to himself, he knew that this medicine-finding mission had A-Tier Elite Quest difficulty rating, so it must be quite difficult.

Bai Xiaowen secretly sent a Insight to Master Sun and received a notification that 100 Psionic Points would be deducted. He didn't pay the Psionic Points, but he knew in his heart that Master Sun's strength was definitely not weak, at least stronger than the likes of Chen One-Eye.

After asking a few more questions, Bai Xiaowen left Yu Dayou's room.

With a whoosh, Bai Xiaowen was surrounded by a group of the Ming Army soldiers.

"Young Daoist priest, how is my lord's injury?" asked a dark-skinned, burly Ming Army captain.

"Yes, when will the Lord's wounds heal?"

"We are still waiting for our Lord to recover and lead us into battle to kill the enemy..."

A group of elite soldiers asked questions all at once.

Bai Xiaowen looked at Xu Wei.

Xu Wei sighed, "These men are all General Yu's personal guards. General Yu is known for his generosity and magnanimity, and is well-loved by his soldiers..."

Bai Xiaowen nodded in understanding.

Xu Wei raised his voice to his personal guards, saying, "This Master Bai is about to set sail to help General Yu find medicine. Do not block his way and delay General Yu's treatment."

Bai Xiaowen suddenly said, "Mr. Xu, the Grand Eunuch said he would allocate two squads of men to me to help me set sail. I think General Yu's personal guards are of good morale, so why don't we take them with us to find the medicine?"

The personal guards of Ming Dynasty generals were much stronger than ordinary garrison soldiers; one could take on three to five. Yu Dayou was one of the most outstanding military generals of the Ming Dynasty, with exceptional personal strength, so the personal guards he trained must have been top-notch.

To use the Spirit Realm Rules, these guards are all Elite Template, and some of them are even Rare Elite- level experts.

Xu Wei hesitated, "These people are all General Yu's confidants; even the Grand Eunuch can't easily mobilize them..."

The dark-skinned captain shouted, "We volunteer to go to sea with the young master to help the general find medicine!"

Xu Wei continued, feigning difficulty. "But... the Grand Eunuch might not allow it. If you leave the camp without permission, it will be a violation of military discipline."

"Please grant my request, Mr. Xu!" The dark-skinned captain knelt down. A chorus of kneels quickly followed.

Xu Wei quickly said, "What are you doing? Get up quickly... Ah, alright, I'll go and tell the Grand Eunuch, and ask him to order you to go to sea."

Bai Xiaowen smiled and glanced at Xu Wei. Keep pretending. A clever man like Xu Wei, who is shrewd enough to see through everything, would he bring up Bai Xiaowen's quest for medicine if he didn't intend to send Yu Dayou's personal guards with him on the voyage? It's a secret, after all.

Hu Zongxian's side is probably happy to send these personal guards out to do some real work. Keeping them in the military camp would be difficult to mobilize, wouldn't it be like they're just wasting their time?

As expected, after Xu Wei feigned request for permission, Hu Zongxian immediately agreed. Bai Xiaowen led two carefully selected squads of personal guards straight to the sea and set sail!