" Jiangling Prefectural Government Office?"
Wang Hao stared blankly at the mansion ahead. He had been chasing the Xuancheng all the way north through the mountains and forests. Once they entered Jiangling City, the old man rushed straight into the Jiangling government office.
In his perception, the Jiangling Prefecture government office was teeming with experts, including more than a dozen Grandmaster- level masters and even a Half-step Innate expert.
This is a bit strange!
Although the Jiangling government office is an institution of the imperial court, it is impossible for it to accommodate Half-step Innate level expert. After all, even the bodyguard of the current prime minister is only a Grandmaster level expert.
The Jiangling government office certainly doesn't have the influence to hire so many powerful individuals as bodyguards, so these people are highly suspicious.
"Sir, may I ask which official is in charge of the Jiangling Prefectural Government?"
Seeing an elderly man pushing a small cart passing by, Wang Hao stopped him and asked him a question.
"Young man, are you new to Jiangling?"
The old man sized up Wang Hao, and said with a half-smile, "Young man, you've also set your sights on the prefect's daughter?"
"..."
Wang Hao was completely bewildered by the question. Although he didn't understand what was going on, he still cooperated by showing a shy expression, and even chuckled and scratched the back of his head, pretending that he really had his eye on that so-called daughter of the prefect.
"What's there to be shy about? Miss Ling is the most talented woman in Jingzhou. There are at least 80,000 to 100,000 young men who have been captivated by her. You're not the first."
The old man put down his cart, glanced at the Jiangling Government Office not far away, and smiled, "This prefect of Jingzhou is named Ling Situi. He is a very honest official. Since taking office, he has never extorted or oppressed the people. He even often has Miss Ling open a porridge shop to help the poor..."
The old man recounted incessantly the various acts of integrity of the person in charge of the Jiangling government office and the prefect of Jingzhou, clearly showing great respect for the Jingzhou.
However, when the old man mentioned the title of the Prefect of Jingzhou, Wang Hao's heart skipped a beat, and he also suddenly realized something.
Ling Situi is a notorious Ruthless, and could even be considered the ultimate boss of A Deadly Secret. His act of burying his own daughter Ling Shuanghua alive shows that he is a rare Ruthless in the world.
They are equally ruthless in pursuing their goals, with no moral compass whatsoever.
Moreover, this person was not only the prefect of Jingzhou, but also the leader of a Jianghu (martial arts world) force. Wang Hao had forgotten the name of that Jianghu force.
However, judging from the fact that it was able to gather so many Grandmaster- level experts, that force was clearly not to be underestimated.
The reason Ling Situi came to Jiangling and even obtained the official position of Prefect of Jingzhou was to search for the treasure of Tianning Temple.
However, Old Master Jin did not explicitly state the era in which the story of A Deadly Secret Jue takes place. Some speculated that it might be set in the Ming Dynasty, but it turns out to be concurrent with the Smiling, Proud Wanderer.
"Thank you for your explanation, sir. This is just a small token of my appreciation!"
After the old man finished explaining, Wang Hao took out one or two taels of silver from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand. Then, without waiting for the old man to speak, he turned into a side alley.
"That young man knows how to handle people!"
The old man rubbed the silver in his hand, sighed, then looked around to make sure no one was watching. He quickly stuffed the silver into his pocket, pushed his cart, and hurried away.
"Since Ling Situi is such Ruthless, that means Ding Dian is also here?"
As he walked briskly, Wang Hao began to ponder.
He now roughly understood the Xuancheng Xuancheng's intentions; he clearly wanted him to fight Ling Situi so that Ling Situi could escape.
He didn't care much about the experts in the Jiangling government office; with his current strength, he could easily sweep them away.
But what he wanted was to eliminate all the enemies inside, especially the Xuancheng and Ling Situi. These two Ruthless with no bottom line whatsoever. If they weren't dealt with as soon as possible, they would definitely cause a lot of trouble in the future.
Although he now has the strength to overwhelm these two, he is not confident that he can stop them. If they are determined to escape, there is nothing he can do.
Leaving aside Ling Situi for the moment, that Xuancheng Cheng's lightness skill was indeed very Gao Ming, and his speed was even faster than his. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to catch up even after chasing him all the way into Jiangling City.
Therefore, if he wanted to eliminate these two Ruthless, he needed to find a reliable helper, at least someone to keep an eye on these two old guys during the battle, to prevent them from escaping.
Judging from the timeline, there is indeed a potential partner in Jiangling City.
" Ding Dian's presence is well concealed! Xiao Mengmeng, activate the Treasure-Seeking Function and search for Ding Dian's location."
After circling the Jiangling government office without finding anything, Wang Hao rubbed his forehead in frustration and could only turn to Xiao Mengmeng for help.
He hadn't just walked around for nothing; he had been using his senses to probe the interior, trying to find Ding Dian's location, and this guy was the cooperation partner he could try to win over.
Unfortunately, after searching everywhere, I still couldn't find that guy. Now I can only use the system's Treasure-Seeking Function to find him.
Guided by Xiao Mengmeng, Wang Hao sneaked into the Jiangling government office and arrived at a prison cell without alerting anyone.
"You..."
When the guards saw Wang Hao, this stranger, walk in, they were about to question him, while their hands rested on the long sword at their waists, ready to attack at any moment.
Unfortunately, as soon as he opened his mouth, a purple sword light flashed, and all four officers, including the one who spoke, fell to the ground dead.
"Even the guards in the prison cells are Super-First-Rate cultivators, and there's even a Grandmaster- level expert among them. Ling Situi has quite the resources!"
Wang Hao glanced at the four constables who were clutching their necks and lying on the ground unwillingly, and sneered.
If he were a normal policeman, he would not kill innocent people indiscriminately. However, the four guards in front of him were all at least Super-First-Rate level, and the leader was even a Early-Stage Grandmaster expert.
Such a level of cultivation could not possibly belong to an ordinary constable. Furthermore, with Ding Dian, an important figure who knew about the treasure, present, it was clear that the person assigned to guard it must be Ling Situi's confidant.
Given Ling Situi's ruthless nature, anyone who could become his confidant would certainly not be a kind person, which is why Wang Hao resorted to such a cruel method.
Wang Hao glanced at the half-eaten food and wine left by the four constables on the table next to him, picked it up, and followed Xiao Mengmeng's guidance to the deepest part of the prison. There was a specially made cell where a figure was suspended in mid-air by steel chains, his body covered in blood, obviously having been frequently tortured.
And this person was none other than Ding Dian, the target Wang Hao was searching for!
"Clang clang clang..."
He drew his sword and severed the iron chains on the cell door and the steel chains binding Ding Dian, then placed the half-eaten food and wine on the small table beside him.
"You don't need to say anything more. I know you've secretly mastered the Divine Illumination Scripture. This cell can't hold you at all. Even Ling Situi and the others couldn't keep you here. If it weren't for Ling Shuanghua, you would have left long ago."
I am not Ling Situi's people, nor am I here for the A Deadly Secret treasure. I found the Tianning Temple treasure a long time ago, and my men should be almost done moving it now.
I've asked you to come here today because I want to ask you for a favor, a favor that will greatly benefit you. I think you won't refuse. However, you're not feeling well right now, so please eat something to tide you over.
"Yes, I still have some Nine Flower Jade Dew Wine here, it's somewhat effective for healing injuries."
Before Ding Dian could even ask, Wang Hao rattled off a long string of words, leaving Ding Dian stunned. Finally, he took a sealed iron wine flask from his waist and threw it over.
This is a beverage made using the formula of Nine Flower Jade Dew Pill. Its medicinal effects are more potent than those of Nine-Flower Jade Dew Liquid, and it tastes very good.
After tasting it, Wang Hao fell in love with it and even specially crafted a small stainless steel wine flask to carry a portion with him, which was now conveniently given to Ding Dian, a disabled person.
After a moment of silence, Ding Dian didn't say much. He knelt down beside the small table and began to eat and drink heartily. He even took the exquisite little iron kettle that Wang Hao handed him and drank from it without any hesitation.
He wasn't afraid that Wang Hao would poison the wine. Not only did the other party's demeanor and strength make it unnecessary for him to do so, but his Divine Illumination Scripture alone granted him immunity to all poisons.
He had even neutralized the Golden Poxun Flower poison that Ling Situi had given him, so why would he fear any other poison?
Ding Dian could also sense that something was wrong with the current situation, so he didn't dare to delay and quickly swallowed the food and wine. Then he stared intently at Wang Hao.
"I won't waste any more words. In order to keep the secret of the treasure, the Fangzhang of Tianning Temple, the old bald monk Xuancheng, killed all the monks in the temple. I chased after that old monk, but he escaped into the Jiangling government office. He has probably already joined up with Ling Situi."
I'm confident I can take down these two, but I'm not sure I can keep them alive. So I'd like to ask Brother Ding to help me keep one of them occupied. Once I've dealt with one of them, I'll turn around and take care of the rest.
"With Ling Situi gone, Brother Ding and Miss Ling, these two lovers, will be able to be together. It's a win-win situation. What do you think, Brother Ding?"
Wang Hao didn't waste any words and directly stated the current situation and his plans, believing that Ding Dian would make the right choice.
Sure enough, Ding Dian's expression changed slightly when he heard the words "Miss Ling," but he hesitated, as if he was worried about something.
Seeing this, Wang Hao continued, "Brother Ding, you should know Miss Ling's feelings for you and her strong-willed nature. Do you think she might do something drastic in the face of Ling Situi's coercion?"
As far as I know, Miss Ling hasn't shown her face in public for two years, and Ling Situi's patience with Brother Ding is dwindling. Given Ling Situi's temperament, what do you think he might do in the future?"
This wasn't just Wang Hao making things up. The old man had mentioned before that Ling Shuanghua used to host a poetry gathering every year, which would bring together talented people from all over Jingzhou, making it a grand event for the Jingzhou.
Unfortunately, Ling Shuanghua has not hosted any poetry gatherings since two years ago, and has not even made any public appearances, which is quite puzzling.
An ordinary person would not know the secret behind this, but as a die-hard fan of Old Master Jin, he naturally understood that Ling Shuanghua must have disfigured herself under the pressure of Ling Situi, so she could not appear in public.
If we wait any longer, the tragedy of Ling Situi burying his own daughter alive, as depicted in the original story, might actually happen.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Ding Dian broke his silence. It was the first time he had spoken since they met, and his voice was hoarse and unpleasant, clearly indicating that he hadn't spoken for a long time.
"I agree, but you will be responsible for killing Ling Situi, and I will deal with Xuancheng."
Ding Dian understood that Wang Hao wouldn't lie to him. Although he didn't know the man's identity or background, the fact that he mentioned the Tianning Temple Treasure already showed his sincerity.
After all, his biggest secret was the A Deadly Secret treasure; he had nothing else and nothing worth the other party's schemes for. Therefore, what this person said must be true.
And even if the other party is bluffing, so what?
The situation couldn't possibly get any worse than it is now, and this is his and Shuanghua's only chance of survival!
"It would be a pleasure to cooperate with you!"
Wang Hao smiled, glancing at Ding Dian with a mixture of surprise and nonchalance.
This guy is telling him to kill Ling Situi, not just defeat him, which clearly shows he's determined to kill Ling Situi.
But thinking about it, this is normal. After all, anyone who is imprisoned in a Wutian cell and tortured for several years will harbor resentment, even if the other party is their father-in-law.
"Brother Ding, are you alright with your injuries?"
Wang Hao glanced at the large iron hook piercing Ding Dian's collarbone and felt a little worried.
A pierced collarbone is a very serious injury. An ordinary martial artist would be crippled long ago if done this, and even with Ding Dian's powerful cultivation, he would probably not be able to withstand it.
"No problem!"
Ding Dian maintained his aloof and godlike demeanor. With a circulation of his inner energy, the large iron hooks embedded in his shoulders sprang out and were picked up by him.
Two streams of foul blood gushed from the wounds, and then the two gruesome wounds mysteriously closed up, even healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"As expected of the Divine Illumination Scripture!"
Seeing this, even Wang Hao couldn't help but admire it.
The Divine Illumination Scripture is not described in great detail in Old Master Jin's writing. It only reveals that the purity of the true energy cultivated from it is unparalleled in the world, and that it has the power to bring the dead back to life.
In the original novel, after Di Yun, feeling utterly hopeless in prison, hanged himself, his body was already cold. However, Ding Dian revived Ding Dian using the Divine Illumination Scripture. In terms of healing and saving lives, the Divine Illumination Scripture can be considered the best among metal-type martial arts.
Its effects are even comparable to the Bloodline Power!
"Tsk tsk, looks like that old guy Ling Situi isn't stupid after all!"
Just as Wang Hao was about to say something, his expression changed, and he looked towards the direction of the prison exit.
Ding Dian also held a pair of steel hooks in his hand, his sharp gaze fixed on the prison exit.