"Very good, you're much more pragmatic than that old fellow Xuancheng!"
After reviewing the manual that Ling Situi had transcribed from memory using his only remaining arm, Wang Hao smiled with satisfaction.
A night had passed since the fierce battle. During that night, Wang Hao forced Xuancheng and Ling Situi to either dictate or write down all the knowledge they had learned in their lives.
Both of them had their dantian destroyed by Wang Hao, and their internal energy was completely dissipated. Even if they wanted to commit suicide, they wouldn't have the ability to do so.
So, not wanting to experience a fate worse than death, both of them behaved very obediently.
Unfortunately, the Xuancheng still played a trick in the end, changing a key point in the Five Poisons Devil Cultivation Method he recited. If Wang Hao hadn't had a profound foundation in martial arts, he really wouldn't have noticed it.
Having discovered this, Wang Hao was too lazy to punish the old bald monk with those instruments of torture, and simply ended the matter with a single sword strike.
In comparison, Ling Situi on the other side was much more honest. He didn't dare to cheat at all, and the secret manuals he recited were all genuine.
Actually, this was mainly because Ding Dian was standing to the side, staring intently at him. Ling Situi would come over every day to torture Ding Dian severely, so he naturally understood the suffering Ding Dian had endured and the other party's hatred. He dared not act rashly lest he fall into Ding Dian's hands.
That would be truly tragic!
"Young hero, can you grant me a quick death?"
Ling Situi swallowed hard, her voice pleading.
With his limbs and dantian crippled, he was essentially a cripple, easily killed by any ordinary person.
In this situation, he had no will to live. You have to understand that he has offended a lot of people and forces over the years. He was not afraid when he was powerful, but now that he is a cripple, if those enemies find him, he will probably have a hard time even if he wants to die.
Even those few henchmen who escaped earlier are unreliable; they will surely find him and interrogate him about the Tibet of his wealth and his martial arts techniques over the years.
Those people were all his trusted subordinates, and he knew very well what kind of people they were; ruthlessness was just a basic quality they possessed.
Even if you wanted to die, it would be difficult if those people caught you.
So, a swift and painless end would be the best outcome for him right now.
Seeing Ling Situi's determination to die, Wang Hao sighed with pity and said, " Ling Situi, in my opinion, you're just a little clever, but essentially stupid, hopelessly stupid!"
" The Prince Cheng, the loser is villain; it's up to you, young hero!"
Ling Situi's face darkened, and after a moment of silence, she replied.
After experiencing what happened last night, especially the fact that he was crippled, he actually became more accepting of it.
Of course, the most important thing is that nowadays we are at the mercy of others, and have no choice but to bow our heads helplessly.
He only wants a quick and painless death!
You think I'm just making fun of you for no reason?!
Glancing at Ling Situi's expression, Wang Hao could easily see what the guy was thinking.
These words caused Ling Situi's face to twitch, leaving him speechless.
Isn't this just unreasonable mockery?
If he hadn't been crippled and unable to defeat this junior, he would have slapped him across the face.
But Wang Hao's next words shocked him so much that he suddenly looked up in disbelief.
"Actually, Brother Ding already told Miss Ling the secret of the A Deadly Secret treasure that you're looking for. If you hadn't had malicious intentions to separate Brother Ding and Miss Ling, you probably would have obtained the treasure long ago."
Still looking at Ling Situi with pity, Wang Hao revealed this truth.
In Old Master Jin's novel, Ling Shuanghua had the numerical codes from the A Deadly Secret engraved on her coffin after her death, clearly indicating that she knew this secret, which was undoubtedly told to her by Ding Dian.
From this perspective, Ding Dian clearly didn't care about those treasures and was a person who truly regarded money as dirt. In addition, given his feelings for Ling Shuanghua, it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to hand over treasures that were of little use to him to his father-in-law Ling Situi.
Unfortunately, Ling Situi squandered his advantages. He was just one step away from obtaining the treasure, but he missed out because of his own petty cleverness.
Although he eventually reached Tianning Temple in the original story, he also died there, which was incredibly frustrating.
"Is what he said true?"
Coming to his senses, Ling Situi looked at Ding Dian beside him, his old face contorted with turmoil, a mix of emotions surging within him.
"I know I, Ding Dian, am just a commoner in the martial world, hardly worthy of the prefect's daughter. That's why I decided to use the treasure of A Deadly Secret Jue as a betrothal gift to marry Shuanghua. Unfortunately, before I could even speak, you old thief tricked me."
After a moment of silence, Ding Dian did not hide anything and told the truth of what had happened. His emotions were complicated, and he also harbored an uncontrollable hatred.
If this old scoundrel hadn't been so ruthless, how could he and Shuanghua have suffered such hardships?
The suffering he endured was one thing, but the fact that Shuanghua was willing to disfigure her own face for him was something he couldn't bear.
If Wang Hao hadn't stopped him earlier, he would have already struck and killed that old scoundrel.
"Ha ha..."
Startled for a moment, Ling Situi suddenly burst into a strange laugh, the laughter growing louder and louder, his expression becoming increasingly manic, two lines of tears falling down his face, his heart filled with regret!
It turns out he was once so close to the treasure he had pursued all his life, but he missed it because of his own reasons, and even ended up in such a state. What a fitting retribution!
The collapse of this obsession, coupled with the blow of being crippled, caused his entire will to begin to crumble.
"Bang!"
With a slight sigh, Wang Hao slapped Ling Situi the head, unleashing a powerful force that shattered his brain.
With his brain shattered, Ling Situi immediately lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground, though a strange smile remained on his face.
"That smile isn't gentle enough!"
Seeing that eerie smile, Wang Hao frowned slightly, reached out and fiddled with Ling Situi's face a few times before standing up with satisfaction.
After his adjustment, Ling Situi's face also carried a smile, but it was much gentler, as if he had let go of all burdens and was passing away with a smile.
"Brother Zhu, is your plan really going to work?"
Looking at Wang Hao's actions with a blank expression, Ding Dian couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"Don't worry, as long as you do as I say, you'll definitely win the heart of your beauty. Oh, and remember that Ling Situi repented before he died, offering all his knowledge and your Divine Illumination Scripture as payment for my help in healing the scars on his daughter's face. He passed away with a smile after I agreed."
Wang Hao gave a confident smile. He had wanted to subdue Ding Dian since he first saw him, and part of the reason he didn't pursue the four who escaped was to set a trap for Ding Dian.
Otherwise, if they really hardened their hearts and brought Wangcai over, with his powerful sense of smell, tracking down the four who escaped wouldn't be too difficult.
Of course, Wang Hao is currently using the pseudonym Zhu Yanzu, so when he introduced himself to Ding Dian, he used the pseudonym Zhu Yanzu. After all, he will need to use this identity to do a lot of things in the future, and he can't afford to give himself away.
"By the way, Brother Ding, could you go and get a coffin? After all, this old man was your father-in-law, Miss Ling's father. Now that he's passed away, he deserves some respect."
After thinking it over, Wang Hao felt it would be better to bring a coffin over. After all, he would need to use the old man's body to put on a show in front of Ling Shuanghua. Otherwise, given that girl's strong-willed nature, she might break up with Ding Dian.
That would be a disaster!
"I'll go get it right away!"
Ding Dian nodded without objecting, took a deep look at Ling Shuanghua lying flat to one side, and then suddenly left the cell and ran towards the outside world.
Wang Hao, who remained in the cell, glanced at Ling Shuanghua, who was still unconscious, then picked up the small iron pot that Ding Dian had used to drink the Nine Flower Jade Dew Wine. He shook it, but not a drop of wine remained.
"I should have known better than to let that guy drink so much!"
Shaking his head in frustration, Wang Hao walked out of the cell, took a small iron rod from his waist, uncorked one end, and then twisted the other end hard. A spark shot into the sky and exploded into a purple firework.
This was the special firework that Lin Zhennan and others made, which could be used as a signal.
This was probably the fastest form of communication in ancient times!
Sure enough, a lithe figure rushed over shortly afterward, with faint crackling electricity on her body. She was incredibly fast, arriving in front of Wang Hao in the blink of an eye.
The person who arrived was Zhou Xueyi!
Zhou Xueyi's fleet was originally at the dock outside the city. As soon as they saw the fireworks signal coming from inside the city, they did not hesitate to expend the lightning power they had just replenished from Xiaolongnü to stimulate their physical bodies and rushed over at the fastest speed.
When Zhou Xueyi saw Wang Hao standing there unharmed, she finally felt relieved.
Although she knew Wang Hao was powerful, she couldn't help but worry.
"Were there any accidents during the transport of the treasure?"
Wang Hao asked with concern. Although he had warned on the way to Tianning Temple that the treasures might be coated with deadly poison and had made certain preparations, even buying a lot of large iron shovels and animal skin gloves in Jiangling City, it was not foolproof.
After all, he didn't know the nature of those poisons, or whether they would dissipate as gas or in some other way.
If something unexpected happens, it could be a real problem!
"Some of the women experienced mild poisoning symptoms, but they recovered after taking the Nine Flower Jade Dew Wine."
Zhou Xueyi truthfully told the reporter that she was still quite shaken about this.
The poison smeared on those treasures was terrifying; even with their thorough preparations, some people still inevitably fell into the trap.
Fortunately, they did not come into direct contact with the treasures, and each of them carried a small flask of Nine Flower Jade Dew Wine, which saved them from disaster.
"It's good that you're alright. By the way, do you still have any Nine Flower Jade Dew Wine? If so, give it to me."
Wang Hao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, as he had been quite worried about it. He then revealed the main purpose of bringing Zhou Xueyi over: the Nine Flower Jade Dew Wine.
Ding Dian had already finished his Nine Flower Jade Dew Wine, so he could only ask Zhou Xueyi for a serving.
Given the powerful effects of Nine Flower Jade Dew Wine, after Wang Hao deduced its properties using his Dao Comprehension Function, he made it standard equipment for all his subordinates, with each person carrying a small flask.
This stuff can be a lifesaver in critical moments. It can be taken internally for internal injuries and applied directly to external wounds. It not only uses alcohol to kill bacteria and disinfect, preventing infection, but also accelerates wound healing and has a certain detoxifying effect. It can be called a panacea.
To this end, Wang Hao even designed a small iron flask made of Thousand-Forged Refined Steel, modeled after the flat military flasks used on Earth before his transmigration, making it very easy to carry.
"There's still a little more than half a pot left. If it's not enough, I'll go back to the boat to get more!"
Although she didn't understand what Wang Hao meant, Zhou Xueyi still took out her small iron kettle from her bosom and handed it over.
"That's enough!"
Wang Hao weighed the small iron kettle in his hand, then smiled and nodded slightly.
These are enough!
Without saying anything more, Wang Hao turned around and walked back to the cell, went to the sleeping Ling Shuanghua's side, and began to make preparations.
To win over Ding Dian, we must start with Ling Shuanghua. Once she owes us a huge debt of gratitude, things will be much easier to talk to.
"You went on a killing spree in the prefectural government office just for this woman?"
Seeing Ling Shuanghua lying on the makeshift bed made of door panels, Zhou Xueyi, who followed in, immediately turned cold, and felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.
When she first saw the scene outside, she thought Wang Hao was simply trying to kill Xuancheng, but now that she saw this woman, she realized that things were not as simple as she had thought.
Even with her face veiled, this woman was still undeniably beautiful.
Is there anything more that can happen between a man and a beautiful woman?
It's obvious that these two adulterers are having an affair!
Upon realizing this, Zhou Xueyi immediately became furious and labeled Wang Hao a scumbag.
This bastard had previously expressed some affection for her, and she was almost smitten. But who would have thought that he was a two-timing scumbag!
How could someone as proud as her tolerate this?