The Goddess Has Three Treasures (Seeking Recommendations and Collections!)

Back to Wu Que's side.

He and Nightingale, in alliance with the Beggar Sect, campaigned against the Ming Cult with smooth progress.

With the infiltration of the local snake Beggar Sect and the intelligence provided by the Saintess He Sijun under the influence of truth serum, the group guided government troops to storm the Ming Cult's stronghold in the Jinghu South Circuit.

The Beggar Sect launched a frontal assault, Nightingale was responsible for the encirclement, and Wu Que took charge of the pursuit; the two sides coordinated seamlessly, killing two Dharma Kings and a host of flag-bearing envoys on the spot.

The Ming Cult's influence in this generation suffered a heavy blow.

However, the Ming Cult's counterattack was also extremely fierce.

In terms of the number of experts, the Ming Cult certainly could not compare to the coordination between the Reincarnators and the upper echelons of the Beggar Sect, but the cultists were fearless of death and possessed some unpredictable methods.

For instance, gunpowder.

Do not think that gunpowder was far removed from this dynasty; in the Northern Song, fireworks and gunpowder were already extremely common.

There was a type of Flying Fire Meteor that could even soar hundreds of meters into the high sky before detonating.

The Ming Cult had not invented any black technology, but they collected gunpowder firecrackers and slightly modified them into highly flammable and explosive devices, choosing to perish together with their enemies at critical moments.

Once this gunpowder was deployed, it indeed achieved miraculous results; not only did the government troops suffer significant losses, but an elder of the Beggar Sect was also dragged down to the grave.

This also laid the groundwork for what was to come.

At the time, Wu Que did not care about the life or death of these plot characters; he and Nightingale had gained considerable benefits in this battle, each receiving a reward of several hundred Reincarnation Points and a strand of Blue Contract Power.

As Star-level Reincarnators, they knew very well that besides issuing main quests, the Main God Temple was very flexible with side quests, distributing rewards based on the Reincarnators' actions within the Heavens.

Simply put, Reincarnators had to alter a certain progression of the world.

Take the Ming Cult this time, for example.

What the Ming Cult was currently doing in the Jinghu South Circuit—spreading faith, annexing land, and colluding with local gentry—was all in preparation for a large-scale rebellion later on.

The Fang La Uprising in this world could not have gained such massive momentum in just a few years; it required a process of accumulation over time.

By destroying the Ming Cult's preparations in the Jinghu South Circuit, Wu Que and Nightingale had, to a certain extent, altered the major event of the future Fang La Uprising.

Of course, without the total annihilation of the Ming Cult, the uprising would surely still occur, just on a different scale.

That was why the reward was limited to a few hundred points and a single contract.

Even so, having gained something without much effort, Wu Que and Nightingale were quite satisfied.

Happily heading back, they had only gone halfway when they ran into Tu Xingsun, who had come looking for them, and received the thunderous, devastating news—

Huang Shang was missing!

Wu Que immediately turned against Tu Xingsun, tore up the contract, and filed for Main God Arbitration.

So-called Main God Arbitration was an act where Star-level Reincarnators allowed the Main God Temple to act as an arbitrator to plead their own interests.

For instance, regarding this contract, Wu Que believed that Tu Xingsun had failed to fulfill his contractual obligations, so he could apply to withhold the payment of Reincarnation Points.

However, the location for the arbitration was not within the Heavens, but had to wait until the journey through the world ended and they returned to the Main God Temple.

In this way, the two sides had completely fallen out.

They parted on bad terms.

Tu Xingsun was also furious, cursing as he left, but Wu Que grew more enraged the more he thought about it.

His Bright Jade Art, his painstaking efforts along the way!

Most importantly, now that he finally had a lead, how could he just give up?

Wu Que went to find the Beggar Sect immediately.

When it came to the ability to track people down, even the government could not compare to this world's number one sect.

But the Ming Cult's counterattack had caused heavy casualties throughout the Beggar Sect, and high-ranking members like Wang Jiantong were unable to attend to outside matters for the time being; the manpower they dispatched ultimately failed to find Huang Shang's whereabouts.

Wu Que was not prepared to give up and decided to head north.

The target: Eastern Capital Kaifeng Prefecture!

He believed that what Huang Shang was cultivating was literary talent, and after placing first as the Jieyuan in the Provincial Examination, his strength had greatly increased.

Regardless of the reason for his departure, unless he was completely imprisoned, he could not possibly abandon the Departmental Examination.

Therefore, searching in the capital was the right move.

Nightingale, however, pointed out that the capital was the territory of the Queen and the Prince, and without the help of Tu Xingsun, the two of them alone might not be a match for them.

Wu Que, eyes red, said decisively: "What is there to fear? Huang Shang is closer to us!"

Nightingale felt there was logic in that.

The two arrived at the capital and, after a brief assessment, stood guard at the West Gate.

Because the path there led through Qionglin Garden, it was the customary route that all imperial examination scholars had to take.

Wu Que's judgment was not wrong, but he was discovered by Xu Feng.

Xu Feng reported to Xu Yue, and Xu Yue observed from the shadows, quickly realizing that Huang Shang might no longer be in their hands.

Then what else is there to say?

Fight!

Wait at the city gates by day, fight in the Worry-Free Cave by night.

And so, the Worry-Free Cave met with misfortune.

During the battle several months ago, the Worry-Free Cave in the western suburbs had nearly collapsed, only held up by the magic circle of Nightingale.

That battle had actually ended quite quickly, but things were different now. Xu Feng and Xu Yue, Wu Que and Nightingale—the two sides had clashed over ten times inside, effectively sweeping through the Worry-Free Cave. The original bandits had suffered countless casualties, and no one dared to linger inside anymore.

This problem, which had persisted for a hundred years, had actually been solved.

However, such high-intensity confrontations were not something ordinary people could sustain. Xu Yue and Nightingale could still catch up on sleep, but the two grown men were locked in a fierce, tit-for-tat standoff; it would be a miracle if they didn't look haggard.

Although Huang Shang did not know the specific details, he could guess that a great many things had transpired between them.

At this moment, Xu Feng and Wu Que were not fighting to the death in the street, but had come over together, staring at him with eager eyes.

The former was fine, knowing that Huang Shang had been taken away by Wu Que and Nightingale.

The latter's gaze, however, was somewhat miserable.

Huang Shang did not meet their eyes, but looked ahead and smiled, "It has been a long time since we last met. Let us find a place to catch up!"

Wu Que had originally wanted to ask if he had given Huang Shang too much freedom, but seeing Huang Shang's indifferent expression, his heart went cold. His lips trembled as he began to reflect on himself.

Did I do something wrong?

Perhaps he has some hidden difficulty and cannot tell me to my face?

Could it be that he has sensed my intentions? That's impossible...

Wu Que thought of many, many things, his heart in a state of turmoil.

However, when he inadvertently glanced at the person leading the horse for Huang Shang, his gaze sharpened. He looked closely, and his expression changed abruptly.

"This little page boy is Murong Fu!"

Wu Que had seen the true face of Murong Bo, and since Murong Fu was not disguised—merely wearing a different set of clothes—the facial features were quite similar. While it had not reached the point where Xiao Yuanshan and Xiao Feng looked like the same actor, it was enough to confirm they were father and son.

The key was the martial arts foundation in his every movement; it was certainly not something an ordinary page boy could possess.

"Damn your mother! Murong Bo! So it was you old bastard competing with me for Huang Shang!"

Wu Que immediately "saw through" the truth, and truly, rage surged from his heart, and malice rose to his courage.

Discovering that the beggar before him suddenly had a fierce light erupting in his eyes, Murong Fu felt baffled.

But he was a man of deep thoughts and quickly reacted.

Could he also be a martial artist wanting to pledge allegiance to the Young Master?

His vigilance spiked.

During this period, he had followed Huang Shang, serving him hand and foot, acting obsequious and paying so much; he had already come to view Huang Shang as the exclusive property of the Murong clan.

He would absolutely not allow outsiders to lay a finger on him!

But now, a competitor had appeared, and one who was fierce and menacing from the start, clearly intending to use despicable means.

"I, Gusu Murong, have never feared anyone!"

Xu Feng saw that Wu Que and Murong Fu were clashing and became displeased.

What is wrong with you two?

Clearly, I was here first!

Seeing the three parties at daggers drawn, Huang Shang felt a bit bored and instructed the Four Great Retainers, "Find a comfortable inn; I want to bathe."