"Not bad, not bad, he's really handsome, a perfect match for Girl Bai!"
In the old house in the east, Granny Song stared at a portrait, her eyes narrowing into slits with a smile.
If Wang Hao were here, he would recognize that the portrait depicted Zhu Yanzu in his vest-like form. Although it was a brush painting, it was 90% similar to the original, and was in no way inferior to a realistic sketch.
When he caused a ruckus in the martial arts world of Jiangnan a month earlier, he didn't wear black clothes and a mask like Liu Zhengfeng. Instead, he openly and brazenly swept through the region. His portrait had already been circulated among the major powers in the Central Plains.
With the arrival of that batch of martial arts manuals, if Granny Song still can't guess the identity of the person who sent them, then she'll have lived such a long life in vain!
After all, although Wang Hao deliberately removed the names of all the martial arts moves from the manual, the original meaning of the moves could not be changed. In addition, with such an astonishing number of manuals, it was natural for people to guess their origin.
She then immediately gathered information about Wang Hao's Zhu Yanzu pseudonym template and obtained a portrait.
Meanwhile, Dongfang Bai stared blankly at the enormous scroll placed on the ground.
That was absolutely enormous; if it were laid horizontally, it would reach her chin!
The martial arts manual scroll that Wang Hao copied from the Mount Heng Sword Sect was already three feet in diameter. Later, he swept through the major forces in the Jiangnan martial arts world. Although these forces could not compare with the Mount Heng Sword Sect, which was a dominant force, in terms of profound foundation, the martial arts manuals and various insights he obtained were more than ten times that of the Mount Heng Sword Sect.
If Zhou Xueyi hadn't found some people to copy it for her, she really wouldn't have been able to copy this much in a month.
Even when it was made into a scroll, a form designed to save space, it still reached a diameter of six feet.
With so many secret manuals, it would take her at least one or two years just to read them all, let alone fully comprehend them—that would be a long way off.
After all, not everyone can have a cheat code like Wang Hao's that Dao Comprehension Function.
Although Dongfang Bai's aptitude and comprehension are quite good, he is among the top generation in this world, only slightly inferior to the likes of Damo and Zhang Sanfeng.
However, it is not an easy task to thoroughly understand so many martial arts manuals.
Moreover, she never expected that guy would be so crazy as to forcibly rob the entire martial arts world of Jiangnan.
Although the strength of the martial arts world in Jiangnan was far inferior to that of the martial arts world in the Central Plains, it was still quite formidable. Yet, that guy managed to sweep through them all.
This left her speechless!
Most importantly, you've given me so many secret manuals, how am I ever going to repay this favor?!
I'm afraid even physical indebtedness won't be enough to compensate for it by then.
" Girl Bai, when would you like to bring this boy here so I can meet him?"
Setting down the portrait, Granny Song smiled at Dongfang Bai, looking like a loving mother with eyes full of tender care.
She had always treated Dongfang Bai as her own granddaughter, and now that the entire Dongfang Lineage had passed away, she naturally had to vet this girl's future.
Although the fact that the young man was willing to do such a crazy thing for Girl Bai was enough to prove his feelings, it would still be better to meet him in person so that she could feel more at ease.
" Granny Song! I'm not talking to you anymore!"
With a shy glare at Granny Song, Dongfang Bai, her pretty face flushed, grabbed the hemp rope binding the scroll of the secret manual, lifted it up, and darted away from the room.
Meanwhile, at the same time that Dongfang Bai received the martial arts manual, Wang Hao received a notification from Xiao Mengmeng and gained more than 30,000 Fortune Points.
Although there weren't many Innate martial arts techniques sent this time, there were quite a few Grandmaster- level martial arts manuals, and countless First-Rate- and Second-rate martial arts manuals as well.
At the same time, the insights and experiences written by many predecessors are also valuable. Although they are only one-tenth of the original manual, they add up to a considerable amount of income.
Ten days had passed since Wang Hao entered the Guanzhong region. During these ten days, he did not go directly to Mount Hua, but instead dealt with the various martial arts forces in the Guanzhong region, sweeping through them with his overwhelming strength.
After all, this time he had the intelligence that Xie Feng had obtained directly from the Beggars' Sect, so he didn't need to deal with the largest dominant sect first, as he had done when he went to the Jiangnan martial arts world.
Furthermore, Guanzhong is the territory of the Mount Hua Sect Mount Hua Sect, which is now severely weakened, with only Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze remaining as Grandmaster- level experts on the surface.
It's impossible to rely on the Mount Hua Sect to assist in eliminating other forces, just like the Mount Heng Sword Sect did.
Fortunately, the martial arts world in the Central Plains is not like the remote Jiangnan region. This is the stronghold of the righteous sects, and it also has the eight major branches of Confucian School as a deterrent. Although some dark aspects are still unavoidable, at least there will be no heinous crimes like those committed at the Beggars' Sect' Sect headquarters.
Therefore, it's rare for Wang Hao to launch a full-scale attack. He doesn't need many people to deal with it; Xie Feng leading some subdued Beggars' Sect masters is enough.
It must be said that the Central Plains martial arts world is indeed a land of outstanding people and resources, with an overall level that is half a grade higher than that of the Jiangnan martial arts world, and the density of gang forces is also much greater than that of the Jiangnan martial arts world.
Although its territory is smaller than that of the Jiangnan region, the number of gangs is no less. The number of gangs in the Guanzhong region alone is no less than that in the Jiangnan martial arts world.
As he swept through the enemy lines, Wang Hao acquired a large number of martial arts manuals, which he copied down and made into dense scrolls.
"Continuing to copy like this isn't a solution. It seems we need to create a martial art that can enhance hand speed, and while we're at it, also create the Holy Spirit Swordsmanship!"
Wang Hao glanced at the rather large scroll of secret techniques beside him and fell into deep thought.
The martial arts world in Guanzhong has a much stronger foundation than the martial arts world in Jiangnan, and the number of martial arts manuals written there is also much greater.
Previously, Zhou Xueyi and other women in Jiangnan helped him with copying, but now that he's all alone, it's going to be difficult.
As for the Beggars' Sect masters that Xie Feng subdued, let's not even mention them. Those people were all from common backgrounds, and it was good enough if they could recognize a few characters. They were definitely uncultured. They could read, but writing was out of the question.
Zhou Xueyi and the others are also unable to enter the Central Plains martial arts world due to their Confucian School background, so they will have to rely on themselves from now on.
Having had this idea for a while, Wang Hao found a secluded place as soon as he obtained the Fortune Points, sat down cross-legged, and began his seclusion, preparing to activate the Dao Comprehension Function to perform divination.
While Wang Hao was demonstrating martial arts techniques, Xie Feng was working himself to the bone.
During this time, he cooperated with Wang Hao to deal with those martial arts forces while also arranging the relocation of those disabled beggar children.
Fortunately, Wang Hao provided a counterfeit version of the Imperial Golden Token, which allowed them to connect with the government. With the government's help, the pressure was greatly reduced.
The local government officials were also in a great hurry after learning that the Beggars' Sect' Sect's various branches had been destroyed. After all, once the Beggars' Sect' Sect branches were destroyed, the beggars were no longer bound by any constraints, and these people had no ability to support themselves because of their disabilities.
If survival becomes impossible, unrest is inevitable, and even uprisings may occur.
If that were to happen, these officials would at least lose their posts, and in more serious cases, they would be convicted and exiled.
So when Xie Feng came looking for them with the Imperial Golden Token, they went along with it and sent the beggar children away. As for where those beggar children ended up, whether they lived or died, it was none of their business.
Anyway, they're all disabled, and keeping them around would only be a burden. They'd be happy to have someone take over their burden, so why would they meddle?
As for the imperial court, they didn't pay much attention to it when they heard about it, and their thoughts were basically the same as those of the local officials.
However, unlike others, they were very curious about Xie Feng's purpose in relocating these disabled beggars, so they began to investigate and even sent people to infiltrate among the beggars.
Unfortunately, the investigation only uncovered that the children had been transported overseas, and then the trail went cold.
After all, it's practically impossible to track someone off the vast ocean without being detected.
Yushu also very careful in this regard. After leaving the mouth of the Yangtze River, the ships would not sail directly to the Treasure Island of Ryukyu, but would sail in other directions for several days, and only after confirming that no one was following them would they sail to the Treasure Island of Ryukyu base.
Once they reached their base on Treasure Island of Ryukyu, it wouldn't matter if there were spies from various factions mixed in with them. They simply didn't believe these spies could swim back to mainland Huaxia from the south of Treasure Island of Ryukyu.
Not to mention, they had already made preventative preparations for this, enough to ensure that nothing went wrong.
The Da Ming imperial family did not make any statement on this matter, but secretly began to investigate and verify Wang Hao's identity as Zhu Yanzu. Unfortunately, after investigating, they could only find that the identity first appeared in a brothel in the capital, and at that time he claimed to be a member of the imperial family.
They were getting increasingly frustrated because they hadn't found any further clues.
"Have the elders still not found any more clues?"
In the imperial study, Emperor Mingde looked at the elderly men below him with a sullen expression.
These elderly men were the leaders of the royal hidden lineage. Ever since they heard about the trouble that Wang Hao, using the pseudonym Zhu Yanzu, had caused in the martial arts world of Jiangnan, they immediately summoned these men to investigate.
More than a month has passed, and they've only found so few clues.
Forget about finding that kid's parents, we can't even determine which hidden lineage he belongs to.
"Your Majesty, you are well aware of the situation of our Hidden Clan. Finding a member of the Hidden Clan is not easy!"
The elderly man at the head of the group smiled awkwardly; he didn't have any good solutions to this problem either.
Because of their unique nature, members of their clan are not recorded in the official register; even their leaders do not know how many members they have.
Moreover, some of these hidden lineage members will go into hiding and start a new life under assumed names, making it even more difficult to trace their offspring.
Therefore, it is unreasonable to expect all identity information to be found based on a single name in a short period of time; at least, they cannot do it for the time being, nor can they do it that way.
The existence of their royal clan's hidden lineage is for safety's sake. If they were to conduct such a high-profile investigation, it would be tantamount to exposing the identities of their members, which would cause serious problems.
So they are in a real dilemma right now!
"Your Majesty, I specifically sent someone to Guanzhong to investigate. What Xie Feng is holding is indeed a Imperial Golden Token, but strangely, there is no record of this Imperial Golden Token here."
An elderly man with gray hair revealed the results of his investigation, which immediately caused the atmosphere in the Imperial Study to freeze, and everyone's expression turned very unpleasant.
While it's difficult to ascertain a person's specific identity, the Imperial Golden Token is a different story.
As a symbol of the direct line of the royal family, the forging of each Imperial Golden Token is recorded in a register, without exception.
If it is not recorded, it proves that the Imperial Golden Token is fake, meaning that the other party has the ability to forge Imperial Golden Token.
This is certainly not good news for the Da Ming imperial family!
"You're all overthinking it. Whether that kid's identity is real or fake, as long as he doesn't become our enemy, let him do whatever he wants. Compared to that kid, I think we should pay more attention to what that kid calls the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult."
King Wheel-Turning King had been sitting silently to the side, could no longer stand it and spoke up, "I've heard that that kid invited several people from the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult to pay homage to the remaining four Five Mountains Sword Sect. The Dugu Jian Sword Saint Dugu Jian from Peerless City who has just appeared is quite formidable."
He attached great importance to this, after all, he and Feng Qingyang, the Mount Hua Sword Saint, were from the same era, so he naturally knew how powerful Feng Qingyang was.
He was only slightly inferior to Dugu Qiubai and Old Ghost Chu. In fact, if it weren't for the schemes of the Mount Hua Qi Faction that led to the destruction of the Sword Faction and caused a flaw in Feng Qingyang's mental state, that guy would probably have already advanced to the Innate Realm, instead of being stuck at the Half-step Innate level.
Since the Sword Saint of Peerless City dared to challenge Feng Qingyang, his strength must be considerable.
This piqued his interest, after all, he was a swordsman too!
Upon hearing this, Emperor Mingde and the others' expressions changed again. After a moment of silence, Emperor Mingde said in a deep voice, "Uncle, this time I will need your help to go to Guanzhong to meet that so-called Sword Saint of Peerless City!"
The sudden emergence of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult forced him to take it seriously. After all, both the so-called royal member Zhu Yanzu and the Sword Saint of Peerless City were extremely promising individuals, possessing the combat power of Half-step Innate with only the cultivation level of Grandmaster.
Their future achievements are limitless; achieving the Half-step Innate is almost a certainty, and even reaching the true Innate Realm is not out of the question.
The power that such a person occupies should not be underestimated. He must ascertain the other party's attitude; even if they cannot become friends, they must not become enemies either.
Of course, if the other party's stance is indeed hostile to them, then they have no choice but to take drastic measures and eliminate them first!