Host: Wang Hao
Cultivation level: Mortal Realm First Layer
Spirit: True Spirit Sword Intent (92/100)
Soul: Awakening
Soul: Awakening
God: Awakening
Qi: Awakening
Essence: Bloodline Power (9/100)
Fortune Points: 975
Bloodline Divine Ability: Object Storage
Cultivation Technique: Golden Bell Shield (Mid-Stage Transcendent Mastery )
Martial Arts: Nine-Character True Art Foundation Chapter - Explosive Force (Late Stage of Entering the Hall and Inner Chamber / Transcendent Mastery )
Ten Stances of Bloody Battle (60/100)
Lightning Straight-Line Step ( Complete Integration / Transcendent Mastery )
Thousand Faces Divine Technique ( Complete Integration Peak/ Transcendent Mastery )
"It seems I did underestimate the difficulty of upgrading the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle!"
Looking at the new attribute panel, Wang Hao felt a little regretful, but overall he was still quite satisfied.
The progress of the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle has increased by thirty points, of which the incomplete sword techniques of the Five Mountains Sword Sect provided ten points and the Nine Swords of Dugu increased by twenty points.
Although it only increased by thirty points, the power of the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle increased by more than double. The incomplete sword moves of the Five Mountains Sword Sect were fine, but the refinement and variation of the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle were improved.
However, the integration of the Nine Swords of Dugu has given the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle a unique ability to counter moves. He now feels that he can easily see through the flaws in his opponent's moves, which greatly enhances his strength.
The improvement in his Lightning Straight-Line Step was the result of the more than ten days he spent chasing 9527 and the others on rugged mountain roads.
"Hmm! You're back? You're fast. Looks like a big battle is coming soon. Perfect timing to test the power of the enhanced Ten Stances of Bloody Battle!"
Wang Hao, who was meditating cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes and looked to the side. He sensed that 9527 was rapidly approaching.
If it weren't for a final confirmation, that guy couldn't possibly have run so fast. He clearly had already identified his target and was in a hurry to rush back and lead them to attack.
"We are fully prepared. Our target is Yang Jingzhong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. He is accused of colluding with foreign tribes and selling Da Ming Wall. He is currently preparing to flee to a foreign tribe beyond the Great Wall. We are ordered to capture him alive if possible, and at the same time, collect evidence of his collusion with foreign tribes. He is currently protected by a large number of martial arts masters."
9527 appeared at the encampment, took out a sealed portrait from his pocket and unfolded it. It depicted a middle-aged man with a square face, and it was very lifelike.
This is precisely their mission objective!
"Is this guy really colluding with the nomadic tribes of the grasslands?"
Wang Hao's expression suddenly turned cold. As a radical youth, he naturally felt extremely indignant towards traitors and sellouts.
However, he now had some doubts. The Blood Robe Tower was under the command of the Eastern Depot, and tasks like dealing with officials appointed by the imperial court were usually directly issued by the Eastern Depot.
However, the eunuchs and the Eastern Depot of the Ming Dynasty had such a bad reputation that who knows if they were deliberately looking for an excuse to persecute loyal officials? So we had to find out beforehand.
"The other party was very cautious and did not leave any substantial evidence. However, according to intelligence from the Eastern Depot, the imperial court had over 10,000 sets of Bright Armor and various military equipment embezzled by Yang Jingzhong in collusion with border generals and secretly sold to foreign tribes beyond the Great Wall. Furthermore, the largest tribe on the grasslands had Bright Armor made by our dynasty appear a year ago."
9527 did not give a definite answer, but only reported the information given by the Eastern Depot.
"It seems that Yang Jingzhong really is a key figure!"
Wang Hao seemed to be deep in thought. Although he had only been in this world for a few months, he had already gained a general understanding of the imperial court here. Embezzling and selling military equipment issued by the court to the army was not something that an ordinary person could do. Yang Jingzhong, the vice minister of the Ministry of War, was far from enough. Obviously, there were many more important figures involved behind the scenes.
Therefore, it becomes very necessary to capture Yang Jingzhong alive and extract information from him; otherwise, simply eliminating Yang Jingzhong would not solve the problem.
"If there are no problems, let's set off immediately!"
After scanning all the assassins, including Wang Hao, and seeing that no one had any questions, 9527 waved to signal them to set off.
The group silently made their way quickly through the mountains and forests, and soon arrived at a Gobi Desert. At the end of their sight was an inn, where Yang Jingzhong and the others stayed overnight.
"Leader 9527, the terrain here is flat. If we get too close, the enemy will detect us first, which will be detrimental to the battle. Besides, we don't seem to know if there's Earthly Dao leading to the outside world inside that inn."
Looking at the lonely inn in the Gobi Desert, Wang Hao couldn't help but think of a movie he had once seen—Dragon Inn!
The movie was set in an inn like this one, and a Earthly Dao appeared in the movie, so Wang Hao became somewhat wary.
Don't let them finally achieve victory after a hard-fought battle, only to find that Yang Jingzhong has escaped; that would be a disaster!
"According to the local herders, a small sandstorm is likely to hit today. We'll take advantage of the sandstorm and rush over quickly. As for the Earthly Dao you mentioned..."
At this point, 9527 frowned deeply; he really didn't have a good way to deal with this thing.
If he had brought more people, he could have expanded the encirclement to cover an area of several miles. However, he only brought fifty people this time. This number of men would be barely enough to deal with the martial arts masters around Yang Jingzhong, let alone form a large encirclement.
"You come with me into the inn first, keep a close eye on Yang Jingzhong, and then we'll make our move together."
After thinking for a while, 9527 came up with a rather risky idea.
The plan was for him and Wang Hao to openly enter the inn first, keep a close eye on Yang Jingzhong from inside, and then coordinate with their men outside to launch an attack.
"Okay, but I'll need three Tokiomi to prepare."
After a moment's thought, Wang Hao agreed to 9527's suggestion, but also mentioned that he needed time to prepare.
We must return before the storm ends!
After glancing at the weather, which remained largely unchanged, 9527 nodded in agreement.
Wang Hao didn't say much, then turned and rushed into the forest behind him.
"Chief, this isn't the proper procedure. If he..."
One of the assassins, who was about the size of a black character, hesitated for a moment before speaking, his expression somewhat worried, clearly not trusting Wang Hao. The other assassins also showed a similar sense of unease.
"He won't betray the Blood Robe Tower!"
Before the assassin could finish speaking, 9527 decisively interrupted him.
He was aware of how highly his hall master and tower master regarded Wang Hao, truly treating him as their successor. It was highly likely that Wang Hao would succeed as the tower master of the Blood Robe Tower in the future.
Moreover, Wang Hao came from a respectable family and had no reason to betray the Blood Robe Tower.
Seeing 9527's resolute stance, the assassins, though worried, said nothing more.
Wang Hao had retreated back into the mountains, soon reunited with Wangcai, who had been following far behind. Relying on Wangcai's powerful sense of smell, they successively captured three wild boars, two tigers, and four black bears.
Using the cave of one of the tigers as a makeshift shelter, Wang Hao expanded it a bit, then set up several bonfires. After quickly preparing the wild animals, he roasted them over the fire.
That's right, his so-called preparation was simply to have a big meal.
He had been running around for over ten days straight in order to track down 9527 and the others, and hadn't eaten properly at all.
With a major battle looming today, it's essential to replenish our strength.
Although meat dishes are far inferior to medicinal cuisine, the opponents this time are not the kind of Japanese pirates numbering in the tens of thousands. According to 9527's reconnaissance, the enemy only numbered about twenty or thirty people, so it was impossible for the battle to drag on. The battle would be over in half an Tokiomi at most.
So this amount of meat is more than enough!
"It was so much better in ancient times! You could hunt wild animals however you wanted in the mountains. If you dared to kill a tiger or a black bear for meat in modern times, the police would be knocking on your door the next day!"
After a quick and thorough munching, Wang Hao devoured three wild boars, two tigers, and four black bears, bones and all. He picked his teeth with a twig, feeling a sense of awe.
" Wangcai, these offal items are yours. After you finish eating, keep following me at a distance and don't let anyone spot you."
After setting up the entrails of the wild boars, tigers, and black bears on branches and placing them on the fire, Wang Hao gave Wangcai some instructions, then got up and rushed towards where 9527 and the others were.
"Waaaah!"
In response, Wangcai let out a soft whimper, its eyes fixed on the various internal organs roasting over the fire, drool dripping from its mouth.
It's important to know that the internal organs of any living creature are the true essence and the most delicious part. It loves to eat these internal organs, especially the kidneys.
"Chief, the storm is starting to subside. If we don't attack soon, we'll miss our chance."
Hiding under the sandstorm, one of the assassins, whose name was shaped like a yellow character, glanced at the rapidly weakening storm and shouted unwillingly to 9527 beside him.
"Wait!"
95287 calmly uttered a single word, but his expression also carried a hint of worry, clearly concerned that Wang Hao might not be able to return on time.
Today is their last chance. According to the intelligence from the Eastern Depot, the grassland tribes have already sent troops to meet them at the front. If they miss this opportunity and Yang Jingzhong crosses the Gobi Desert to join forces with the grassland tribes' army, they will have no chance at all.
Although they are quite strong, they have absolutely no chance of going head-to-head with the army.
Fortunately, just when 9527 was getting impatient, Wang Hao finally returned, but he was covered in blood and looked seriously injured.
"Boss, are you injured? I have some medicine here, apply it quickly!"
Seeing Wang Hao's disheveled appearance, Tie Niu was shocked and quickly took out a porcelain bottle from his waist. Inside was a top-quality wound medicine specially made by the Blood Robe Tower.
This can be considered standard equipment for the Blood Robe Tower assassins. After all, assassins live on the edge, and they may get injured at any time. Carrying a good set of wound medicine can be a lifesaver in critical moments.
"No need, it's just some necessary disguise!"
Waving his hand to indicate he was alright, Wang Hao turned his gaze to 9527 and said, "Let's go!"
9527 didn't say much, nodded, and used his lightness skill to rush towards the inn in the distance. Wang Hao followed closely behind and told 9527 about his plan.
Using the sandstorm as cover, the two quickly approached the inn. They stopped, and Wang Hao nodded to 9527 before closing his eyes and leaning against its back.
This was pre-arranged; Wang Hao would feign serious injury to enter the inn in order to lower Yang Jingzhong and the others' guard.
As for the bloodstains on his body, they were naturally from the tiger he had fought earlier. The wounds were from when he deliberately relaxed his strength and lowered his skin's defenses during the fight with the tiger. They looked terrifying, but they were just some superficial injuries.
However, as soon as Wang Hao's body fell onto 9527, his expression changed as his feet sank into the Gobi Desert sand and gravel.
As Wang Hao's cultivation level increased, his weight also increased day by day. He now weighed over 800 jin (400 kg), and with the Shameless Greatsword bound to his back by iron chains, he weighed nearly 1,000 jin (500 kg).
Even with his cultivation reaching the Super-First-Rate level, 9527 was almost crushed to the ground.
Feeling the terrifying weight on his back, and looking up to see that he was still a hundred feet away from the inn, 9527's face darkened.
Without saying much, he picked up Wang Hao and hurried towards the inn ahead.