" Carefree King, Old Zhu is truly a good friend!"
Sitting in an inn, Wang Hao listened to the information that Xie Feng had gathered and finally understood why he had obtained such a large share of the National Fortune. It turned out that Zhu Yanzu's pseudonym had been granted a title by the Old Zhu Household.
Although it is only a two-character king, rather than a one-character king, it is still very precious, and in some ways even more precious than a one-character king.
The title of "One-Word King" is merely a title bestowed upon a prince after he has taken up his post, representing the territory he possesses, and it has no special significance. However, the title of "Two-Word King" is different. In the entire world, only the Wheel-Turning King and his current title of " Carefree King " are Two-Word Kings.
Although they did not possess territory, they enjoyed a more prestigious status and identity, which was also a form of recognition from the Da Ming Dynasty's imperial family.
In Wang Hao's view, this is a symbol of the National Fortune's destiny. Although he cannot use this National Fortune for the time being, it can unleash a heaven-defying power when the time comes.
"Lord Bai, shall we proceed with the same procedure as before?"
Xie Feng asked in a low voice.
His current role is to assist his master in sweeping across the Central Plains martial arts world in various disguises. He has now arrived at the south bank of the Yellow River, only a hundred or two miles away from the Mount Tai Sword Sect.
Next, he would sweep away the martial arts forces in this area. As for the Beggars' Sect ' Sect branches in this region, he had already cleaned them up last month and used the Beggars' Sect' Sect branches' intelligence network to collect a lot of dirt on various forces, just waiting for his master to make his move.
"My current persona is not suitable for indiscriminate killing. Based on the materials you have collected, classify those guys according to the severity of their evil deeds, and then issue bounties using Acquired martial arts and Innate martial arts techniques, letting the martial arts forces here take care of it themselves."
Then, I will take out the martial arts techniques that I, the city lord, have optimized—no, that I have collected from the overseas martial arts world—and hold another grand martial arts exchange event. The location will be the Mount Tai Sword Sect.
Wang Hao unfolded his folding fan and uttered the words he had already prepared.
He is currently using the alias Ye Gucheng, the White Cloud City, who is known as the Immortal of Swords. Given Ye Gucheng's high-class persona, he is naturally not allowed to go around killing people.
Therefore, this matter can be left to those martial arts practitioners to handle. After all, a generous reward will surely attract brave men. As long as a sufficiently high-level martial arts manual is presented, there will be plenty of people willing to take down those scoundrels of the martial arts world for him.
As for collecting martial arts classics, the only way to do so was through bribery.
To this end, he specially used his Dao Comprehension Function to modify and perfect a large number of the Grandmaster Realm martial arts and even Innate supreme techniques, enough to exchange for all the martial arts classics collected here.
"I'll take care of it right away!"
Xie Feng nodded seriously and prepared to go down to deal with the matter, but as soon as he turned around, his expression became serious as he looked towards the stairwell on the second floor of the inn.
They had booked the entire inn long ago, but now outsiders have arrived, and they are all Half-step Innate experts.
" The Old Zhu Household really acted quickly!"
Unlike Xie Feng, who was on high alert, Wang Hao looked surprised, clearly recognizing the newcomer.
"Are you Ye Gucheng, the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult Holy Sect?"
Wheel-Turning King walked up to the second floor, his gaze immediately falling on Wang Hao, who was sitting by the window sipping wine. After a serious look, he stepped forward and asked him a question.
Following behind him was a young man with his eyes closed and holding a sword. He was the last person Wang Hao had chosen from the royal estate, and also the one he had the highest hopes for.
It was clear that the Old Zhu Household had learned of his arrival in the Central Plains and then had Wheel-Turning King bring the boy over, as he had instructed.
I just didn't expect the Old Zhu Household's intelligence network to be so powerful and their actions so swift, that they were the first to come knocking on our door.
"So you're the Wheel-Turning King Zhu Yanzu spoke of? Breaking through to the Innate Realm at such an advanced age, and still relying on Internal Force and True Qi System, you're hardly a pure swordsman. Indeed, as Zhu Yanzu said, you're not worthy of my drawing my sword!"
Wang Hao glanced sideways at the approaching Wheel-Turning King and made an arrogant assessment.
After all, he was now using the persona of Ye Gucheng, the city lord of White Cloud City, so he naturally had to show arrogance, especially when facing swordsmen.
This assessment caused Wheel-Turning King's face to darken. The many words he had prepared caught in his throat, almost making him spit out a mouthful of old blood. He cursed inwardly.
"What exactly is that little rascal saying about me outside?"
Although he was very unhappy, Wheel-Turning King still endured it.
There's no way around it; he comes from overseas martial arts circles, so he's naturally a cut above the martial arts circles in the Central Plains. Not to mention, he's one of the Tribulation Lords of the Ten Directions of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult Sect, a prodigy with the title of Sword Immortal.
Even if someone is only at the Grandmaster Realm level, you might not be able to defeat them, so it's best to play it safe.
"This young man is named Zhu Wudao. He is highly regarded by Yanzu, and we have brought him here specifically to ask Lord Bai to give him some guidance."
Suppressing his frustration, Wheel-Turning King Zhu Wudao, the blindfolded boy following behind him, signaling him to step forward.
"Very well, Zhu Yanzu has indeed helped me a great deal. I'll discipline that kid for a while."
Seeing that things were about right, Wang Hao agreed to Wheel-Turning King's request.
"I've heard from Yanzu that Lord Bai is a rare and exceptional swordsman. I wonder if I might have the honor of accompanying him to admire him, and perhaps also to help Lord Bai deal with some petty villains."
Wheel-Turning King joyfully Earthly Dao his second purpose, which was also one of his own.
Bringing Zhu Wudao here for the sword Sword Immortal Ye Gucheng, the city lord of White Cloud City, to train was for the sake of the Old Zhu Household, for the public good! But now it's for his own sake, for personal gain!
After all, he was a swordsman himself. Although, according to the overseas martial arts world, he was not pure in the way of the Sword Dao, it did not hinder his desire for the Sword Dao.
With such a peerless swordsman right before him, how could he possibly miss the opportunity?
Even if the Sword Immortal Ye Gucheng in front of him cannot compare to the Sword Control Technique and Heavenly Punishment Swordsmanship Technique of the Wuming Sword Faction, he is certainly not far behind, especially in Sword Dao cultivation.
Following such a person will definitely bring benefits, much faster than cultivating alone.
"Do as you please!"
Wang Hao waved his hand dismissively and continued sipping his wine.
Wheel-Turning King didn't care about this, and instead started talking to Xie Feng beside him.
He also knew that this person was subdued by his cheap imperial grand-nephew and what role he was playing now, and he was happy to cooperate in cleaning up all the major martial arts forces in the Mount Tai Sword Sect area.
It should be understood that the major forces in the Central Plains martial arts world were essentially malignant tumors, and the Great Ming Imperial Court had long wanted to eliminate them as soon as possible.
It is often said that Confucian scholars use their literary skills to disrupt the law, and chivalrous individuals use their martial arts to break the law. These martial arts forces need a lot of money to cultivate and develop, but where does this money come from?
The better ones would acquire some properties and make a profit from them, but most of them would follow the landlord route. They would not only collude with a large number of landlords to support them, but also use various means to acquire a large amount of land, and then have a large number of farmers cultivate it, thereby collecting rent to support themselves.
Even worse, some, like Shaomu Temple, seized land spanning hundreds of miles, using the guise of being monks to completely refuse to pay taxes and turn those properties into their private property.
This is tantamount to plundering the imperial court's tax revenue!
This would be intolerable for any dynasty, but the biggest enemy of the Da Ming imperial family was the eight major branches of Confucian School, and they didn't want to provoke the martial arts forces into desperate situations, so they could only turn a blind eye to it.
Who would have thought that a Old Zhu Household Zhu Yanzu invite a behemoth like the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult to clean up these martial arts forces, leaving them with no target even if they wanted to resort to desperate measures.
After all, it wasn't the Old Zhu Household that made the move; could these martial arts forces really rebel directly?
With the terrifying forces of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult and overseas martial arts world looming overhead, the Confucian School probably wouldn't pay any attention to their thoughts right now.
Without the support of the eight major branches of Confucian School, these people cannot cause any trouble.
The martial arts Guanzhong Jiangnan, Guanzhong, and the border regions have all been swept away. Those remaining, whose principles were still quite good, have been thoroughly frightened and have become completely obedient.
Now that only a small portion of the Central Plains martial arts world remains untouched, even if they take action, they won't cause much trouble. Therefore, he can now make his move.
Most importantly, the Old Zhu Household is no longer what it used to be. After recruiting for some time, they have cultivated over a hundred Early Innate Realm experts.
While this lineup still couldn't compare to the eight old monsters of the eight major branches of Confucian School, it was enough for the Old Zhu Household to gain a foothold and naturally had the resources to intervene in matters of the Central Plains martial arts world.
At the same time, this is also an opportunity for the Old Zhu Household to demonstrate their strength and deter those petty scoundrels with ulterior motives from causing trouble in the martial arts world.
Leaving aside how Wheel-Turning King and Xie Feng discussed their plan, Zhu Wudao, who had been brought along, stood silently with his sword in his hand, his eyes still closed, saying nothing.
Can you tell me the story behind your knife?
Setting down the empty jade wine cup, Wang Hao looked with interest at the single-edged sword in Zhu Wudao's arms.
This knife is the same one I saw at the Imperial Estate last time. With the Old Zhu Household's wealth and resources, they certainly have no shortage of powerful weapons, and treasured swords are no exception.
But the boy was still clutching that worn-out single-edged sword, which clearly had a story behind it.
"Left to me by my mother!"
After a long silence, Zhu Wudao revealed the origin of the single-edged sword.
This was the only memento his mother left him, and also the only gift she ever gave him.
He cherishes it!
"This is what Zhu Yanzu found for you. The sword is named Masamune. Legend has it that there was a master Saber Dao named Sephiroth on the Japanese Islands who used the Famous Sword Masamune to suppress the entire Japanese Islands arts world. Although this is only a replica of Masamune, it is still a rare and powerful weapon. I hope you will not disgrace it!"
He casually tossed an ancient-looking longsword leaning against the side to Zhu Wudao. The sword he used was none other than Sephiroth, a major boss from the Final Fantasy series, a villain whose popularity surpassed that of the protagonist. His weapon, the Masamune Blade, left an extremely deep impression.
Sephiroth's Masamune Blade has two versions: one from the movie, which is 2.5 meters long, and the other from the game, which is an astonishing 4 meters long and exceptionally ornate.
This knock-off version of the Masamune longsword was specially crafted by him during his time on the deserted island; it belongs to the 2.5-meter-tall movie version.
Xie Feng had been in contact with Zhou Xueyi and others in Treasure Island of Ryukyu. After learning about his information, Zhou Xueyi and others had been lingering in the East Sea, firstly to wipe out the Japanese pirates there, and secondly to provide him with assistance.
Even the Zhu Yuanwai stayed on a nearby secluded island, providing logistical support for the women, repairing their battle-damaged armor, weapons, and even warships.
A few days ago, Xie Feng made contact with Zhou Xueyi and others, and then came to the island where he was temporarily staying. Even the Zhu Yuanwai dismantled the black Profound Iron Dachui used for forging and transported it over.
There, while instructing Zhu Yuanwai forging techniques and cultivation, he also took the time to forge some items, one of which was this knock-off version of the Masamune sword.
Zhu Wudao remained silent for a moment without refusing, and solemnly embraced the Demon-Slaying Treasure Blade, holding it close to his mother's single-edged sword.
This was the second gift he had ever received in his life!
However, Wheel-Turning King, standing to the side, couldn't help but twitch his face as he looked at the Masamune treasure sword that was a full ten feet long. The sword was similar in appearance to a Japanese sword, but it was much longer.
Zhu Wudao was quite tall, reaching nearly seven feet in height at only fifteen years old. However, compared to the Masamune treasured sword that was a full ten feet long, he was still much shorter, making him look somewhat out of place. He couldn't understand why that cheap imperial grand-nephew would choose such a strange sword.
This thing looks incredibly difficult to use; most people simply can't handle it.