Wang Hao didn't speak, just quietly watching Zhou Xueyi. Although they hadn't known each other for long, he understood her character and knew she would never do anything that crossed her bottom line.
Therefore, there must be some hidden story behind this!
Zhou Xueyi didn't keep Wang Hao waiting for long. After a moment of silence, she explained, "Do you remember the batch of gold we found in Feng Lun's treasury that day? Only a small portion of it was looted by Feng Lun. Most of it was brought from Japanese Islands by Japanese pirates. It is said to be the accumulation of over a hundred years of plundering the Huaxia coast. It was to be traded through Feng Lun and the Wang Trading Firm in Jiangnan."
The transaction involved the purchase of large quantities of iron and copper ore, as well as a large number of artisans. According to my investigation over this period, the Wang Trading Firm has sold more than 30,000 people to the Japanese pirates through various means over the past ten years...
As Zhou Xueyi continued her story, Wang Hao's expression gradually darkened, and a murderous intent surged in his eyes.
"Traitors really do exist in every era. No wonder Feng Lun, a mere prefect of Hangzhou, had so much gold stored up! It turns out it was accumulated by Japanese pirates over a century of plunder, preparing for a big heist!"
Suppressing the fierce killing intent in his heart, Wang Hao suddenly realized something.
Keep in mind that this was in ancient times, and smelting technology was not very advanced, so although gold existed, the quantity could not have been very large.
Consider that the Great Yuan's treasury contained only tens of millions of taels of gold, which was acquired by plundering countless countries during its founding. Even though the Yuan Dynasty was only a quarter the size of the Mongol Empire, its reserves were still quite astonishing.
Feng Lun was merely a local official; even if he had some collusion with the Japanese pirates, it was impossible for him to accumulate such a vast fortune in such a short period of time.
Now, after Zhou Xueyi explained it to him, he finally understood that most of that gold was deposited by the Japanese pirates with Feng Lun for transactions with the Wang Trading Firm.
"I know a bit about the Japanese Islands. Apart from gold and silver mines, other minerals are not worth developing. If we want to develop them, we really need to import a large amount of ore from outside, and iron ore is the most important one."
Nodding solemnly, Wang Hao roughly understood the strategy of the Japanese pirates and even the Japanese Islands.
It was nothing more than using the wealth obtained from plundering the Huaxia coast to trade with those traitors, acquiring essential resources for the country's development, and thus growing stronger.
This was a fairly wise choice, but it only fueled Wang Hao's resentment.
If it were a normal transaction, that would be one thing, but these Japanese pirates actually used the wealth they plundered from Huaxia to exchange for these things and skilled craftsmen, which is going too far.
They're practically sucking blood from Huaxia!
Thinking about this, he could roughly guess what was going on between Zhou Xueyi and the Wang Trading Firm. Given this woman's nature, she would never be lenient when faced with such a traitor. It was already quite good that she was able to leave behind a young child.
"Sizzle..."
Just then, the giant electric eel cautiously stared at Wang Hao for a while, then stretched its head to Zhou Xueyi's side and affectionately rubbed against Zhou Xueyi's palm.
To Wang Hao's astonishment, clear electric sparks were floating on the electric eel's body, and these sparks were even flowing into Zhou Xueyi's body. The girl not only did not feel any pain, but also looked comfortable.
Judging from this, it's clear this isn't the first time something like this has happened.
"You 'Awakening the Bloodline Divine Ability to Lightning Control?"
Seeing this, Wang Hao's heart stirred, and he began to understand what the Bloodline Divine Ability that Zhou Xueyi Awakening was.
Since that girl Awakening her Bloodline Divine Ability using the blood of this electric eel, then the essential source must be this electric eel, and the biggest characteristic of the electric eel is that it can generate lightning.
It is clear that Zhou Xueyi Awakening this kind of Bloodline Divine Ability, which can be considered a very powerful Bloodline Divine Ability.
"I can only control it in a simple way, but I can't generate lightning power within my body on its own. Every time I use it, Xiaolongnü has to infuse a portion into my body for storage."
Once the lightning power within her body was saturated, Zhou Xueyi removed her hand from the electric eel's head, her expression somewhat regretful.
Although she possessed the Bloodline Divine Ability to Lightning Control, it was merely a simple control, rather than an ability that arose spontaneously. Each time she used it, she had to rely on the electric eel.
"It's too difficult to rely solely on Bloodline Power to make Bloodline Divine Ability generate lightning autonomously. You can fuse with the Innate Qi generated after breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm, using the electricity generated by this lightning... Xiaolongnü's electricity, and then use it to accelerate the transformation of your body. Once you break through to the Xiantian Grandmaster realm, you should be able to generate lightning power autonomously."
After thinking for a moment, Wang Hao offered his guidance.
The Jiuli Tribe, where I lived in my previous life in the Primordial World world, was descended from the Witch Clan, and their bloodline contained the power to control elements, including lightning.
Although Wang Hao's previous life in the Primordial World world was just a nobody, he still grew up in the Nine Li Tribe, and his experience was incomparable to that of people in the Smiling Proud Wanderer World.
In the Primordial World Nine Li Tribe, the main focus was on cultivating Bloodline Power and Bloodline Divine Ability; very few people cultivated other systems.
However, for pure Bloodline Power and Bloodline Divine Ability to autonomously generate corresponding elemental power within the body, one must at least break through to the Mortal Realm Fourth Layer, which is obviously unrealistic in the limited Smiling Proud Wanderer World.
So we have to find another way!
Wang Hao had just heard that the Qi Refinement cultivators in the Yellow Emperor Tribe could generate elemental power within their bodies when they reached the Mortal Realm Third Layer, by using the power of Qi within their bodies.
Although it's still unclear how different the Primordial World Qi Refinement of the Primordial Era are from the Innate Qi of the Smiling Proud Wanderer World, it's still a general direction, and it's worth trying.
"I see!"
After some thought, Zhou Xueyi, who also felt that this method was highly feasible, looked at Wang Hao gratefully and kept this advice in her heart.
"Are these two little guys hatched from the two snake eggs that I asked Lin Zhennan to ship over?"
Wang Hao ignored the gratitude of the woman beside him and instead turned his gaze to the two golden figures swimming in the sea.
Those were two golden pythons. Although they were not as huge as the electric eel that Xiaolongnü had, they were still about two zhang in size. Their appearance was very similar to the snake king in the valley where Dugu Qiubai. They were obviously the two snake king eggs that he had obtained.
Surprisingly, the two little ones actually hatched and survived.
"When the Confucian School attacked Peach Blossom Island, Yushu was captured while trying to save these two children. I will temporarily look after them and return them to Yushu once she has finished the tasks En Gong entrusted to her."
Nodding, Zhou Xueyi gave a brief explanation, then paused for a moment before asking in a low voice, "How long will you be staying this time?"
"It depends on the situation, it should only take a month or two."
He casually replied that Wang Hao really couldn't stay here for long.
After all, if he wants to grow quickly, he needs to obtain enough Fortune Points, and the easiest way to obtain a large number of Fortune Points so far is to give that girl Dongfang Bai a secret manual.
This thing can only be found in the Central Plains; it absolutely cannot be found on the Treasure Island of Ryukyu.
Not to mention he still has two main quests to complete.
So, I guess I'll still have to wander around the Central Plains from now on!
"Only three months?"
Zhou Xueyi's expression darkened upon hearing this, and she then fell silent, which piqued Wang Hao's curiosity.
What? You can't bear to part with me?
Wang Hao glanced teasingly at the beauty beside him, his gaze sweeping over her alluring body before finally settling on her voluptuous breasts.
This girl has such a great heart!
"Who wouldn't miss you!"
Like a cat with its fur standing on end, Zhou Xueyi immediately retorted angrily, but realized she had overreacted as soon as the words left her mouth, and her fair face immediately turned a blush.
I'm not talking to you anymore!
She didn't dare look at Wang Hao again, and angrily said something before getting up and jumping onto the beach. With a few leaps, she disappeared into the woods on the beach.
"Could this girl really be interested in me? Looks Master Hao I'm still quite charming, huh!"
Watching the beauty's departing figure, Wang Hao stroked his chin, a sly smile spreading across his face.
"But it's about time I got myself a makeover!"
On a whim, Wang Hao decided to get plastic surgery tonight.
Once the Thousand Faces Divine Technique is cultivated to a high level, it can permanently modify the body's muscles and bones; the previous disguise mode of Zhu Yanzu was a manifestation of this.
However, perhaps due to the Innate Qi, the Thousand Faces Divine Technique has mutated in this aspect, with extremely strong limitations. It can only transform into one disguise mode, and transforming into other forms would be very unstable, not even a temporary one.
Although there are significant limitations in this regard, there are also considerable advantages.
The original version of the Thousand Faces Divine Technique's permanent change is a true permanent transformation; it's impossible for it to revert back like Wang Hao did, or even switch back and forth between the original body and the alias Zhu Yanzu.
For example, once Elder Chu casts a permanent transformation on himself, changing his body shape, he can no longer change back.
Wang Hao's version is different; he can switch between accounts quickly. The reason he can only create one alias template, Zhu Yanzu, is mainly due to his own lack of ability to create a second one.
The limitation of this ability is Divine Sense. When he cultivated Divine Sense, he had a vague feeling that he could create multiple disguises. This feeling became stronger and stronger as his Divine Sense continued to grow.
Now he even feels that he can conjure up five more alias templates, just like he can conjure up one for every ten points of Divine Sense he gains, and now he has fifty points of Divine Sense cultivation, which is just enough to conjure up five more.
This is something that even Elder Chu, the creator of the Thousand Faces Divine Technique, probably didn't know. After all, Elder Chu himself did not cultivate Innate Qi from the outside in, nor did he generate Divine Sense, so he could not come into contact with this level.
However, this also suited him perfectly, as he had been worried about how to avoid the attention of the Confucian School and make a name for himself in the Central Plains!
What he needs to do now is to fix his original appearance, which is a kind of true permanent transformation.
The reason I didn't do this before was twofold: firstly, after leaving the capital, I spent my time cultivating myself in the mountains and forests and didn't have the time or inclination to do these things; secondly, the need for this kind of thing wasn't very strong back then.
But things are different now. Seeing that a stunningly beautiful woman might be interested in him, and she's exactly his type, he'll definitely put in more effort. He can't possibly interact with her with his ugly face, right?