Wu Jian could not tell what Zhang Ming was thinking. The man’s face was a mask of composure, calm like a still lake, with not even a ripple of emotion to be seen. However, one thing stood out to Wu Jian.
He didn’t add Zhǐhuīguān to Rén Xuě’s name…
The title Zhǐhuīguān roughly translated to “Commander” or “Commanding Officer” in the modern tongue. Military command within nations was often divided among different ranks and roles, each with its own responsibilities and authority. Zhǐhuīguān was typically a high-ranking officer or leader who was entrusted with the command and coordination of military operations. The title itself could be traced back to ancient text left behind from before the rise of cultivation. It was now seen as a title of respect rather than position.
The Shang Kingdom didn’t use that title anymore.
“What do I think of Rén Xuě?” Mei Xilan parroted to buy herself time. Like him, she was probably wondering if this was a trap. He might have called Rén Xuě by name without the title as a method of making her think he didn’t get along with the man. However, she would get nowhere if she did nothing. “I think he is hiding something… something that could potentially harm the people of the Sui Kingdom.”
Zhang Ming stared hard at her for a few seconds before smiling. “Then we are in agreement.”
“You feel the same way?” asked Hou Jingshu.
The old man glanced at her, then nodded. “Call it a warrior’s intuition.” He paused to lean back and cross his arms. “This may come as a surprise, but Rén Xuě was only a Hunger Realm cultivator when he first joined the resistance. Yet somehow, without any alchemy pills, powerful cultivation methods, or natural treasures, he was able to reach the Human Limit Realm in just a few short years.”
There were, of course, ways for cultivator’s to increase their cultivation quickly, but they were all through the use of items. Alchemy pills could help boost a person’s cultivation or even allow them to break through a realm. There were natural treasures that did the same thing. A powerful cultivation method was the best way to increase one’s cultivation safely.
Outside of those methods, only a few others existed to increase one’s cultivation, and they were all forbidden. These methods were forbidden because of a combination of reasons. The first was that they all damaged the person using them in some way, be it mentally or physically. The second was that these methods required the user to sacrifice another person.
“When we came across Liang Wei… he was kidnapping young women from the Undying Sun Sect,” Wu Jian said slowly.
“Then it may be as I feared.” Zhang Ming closed his eyes, and while his expression remained the same, something inside him seemed to change. “We, or at least I, have not heard of Rén Xuě ordering his people to do this. Do you know who he has kidnapped?”
“I think a few of them might have been important to the sect… but most of them were just regular disciples,” Mei Xilan said.
“So their purpose for being kidnapped was not to be used as hostages--not that using hostages would work on Qiang Bao. He is not a man who lets sentiment get in the way of his goals. Even if he was pressured by the elders, he would sacrifice all of these female disciples for his own purposes.”
“In that case, there can only be one reason he would have them kidnapped,” Zhou Lihua said, her nose and lips curled in disgust. “Dual cultivation.”
“Mmmm. That is what I suspect as well.”
While there were some accepted forms of dual cultivation, the method they were discussing was the forbidden kind, which stole one person’s cultivation by using them as a cultivation furnace and gave it to another. It was a perverse technique that had been outlawed by every nation many centuries ago.
“This form of dual cultivation damages both the user and the one being used. People used as furnaces will lose their cultivation and slowly wither before dying. The person using this method gain an explosive increase in power at the cost of their sanity. These kind of perverse techniques whittle away at a person’s morality and mind. They are extremely dangerous,” Zhang Ming said.
“So we need to find these women and rescue them. If we can get evidence of Rén Xuě’s evildoings, we might be able to oust him… but we don’t know where they are being held captive,” Mei Xilan murmured.
“I will do my best to find them for you,” Zhang Ming said, standing up. “In the meantime, you should try and get Liang Wei to open up. Since he was kidnapping them for Rén Xuě, he might know where they are being held.”
As the man bowed to Mei Xilan and saw himself out, silence entered the room. Wu Jian glanced at those around him. Everyone wore a look of repulsion, and he was sure his expression was the same.
“Seems you were right,” Shuchang said at last.
“We don’t know that for sure yet, but it does seem likely,” Wu Jian admitted with a shrug. He looked at Mei Xilan. “You’ll need to be the one who gets Liang Wei to open up. I don’t think he’ll trust outsiders like us.”
“Probably not,” Mei Xilan agreed. “I will do my best to get the details out of him.”
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“Try to be subtle about it. We don’t want him to suspect we know what they are doing.”
“Of course.”
“Hey…” Shuchang suddenly said. “Can we trust Zhang Ming?”
Mei Xilan furrowed her brows. “You don’t think he’s trustworthy?”
Shuchang shrugged. “I don’t really know him, but he’s working with Rén Xuě, and we already suspect him of performing inhumane acts. This could be a trap.”
None of them could deny it, not even Mei Xilan. However, they couldn’t afford to sit on their laurels and do nothing. They needed to defeat the Undying Sun Sect, which meant they needed to get the resistance on their side, and that meant putting Mei Xilan in power. Rén Xuě held all the power right now, and he wasn’t going to let that go. They were on a time limit here, so they couldn’t be picky about their methods.
Even if it meant walking into a trap.
***
Wu Jian did not have anything to do for the next few days. Rén Xuě and his cohorts neither liked nor trusted him and the others, so while they were allowed in meetings when Mei Xilan was present, they were not allowed to do anything else. Even the tour of the base was half-hearted. They were only shown the most used facilities. There were several other facilities located deeper underground that they had not been allowed to see.
It was possible those areas were used for dark rituals, which could explain why Rén Xuě did not want Mei Xilan to see them, but he wasn’t sure either. He believed Rén Xuě would perform dark rituals in other bases with few people. Even though he was their leader and respected by everyone here, that respect could plummet if people discovered her was committing atrocities.
While not many people trusted him because he was an outsider, he had spoken to a few of the soldiers under Zhang Ming’s command. They were more personable toward him. He suspected it was because their loyalty was to the crown and not Rén Xuě. As the person who escorted their princess back home, they felt gratitude toward him.
Many of the soldiers were slightly resentful toward Rén Xuě. He was not only arrogant but had ousted Zhang Ming from his position as the leader of the resistance several years ago. It had been four years ago when it happened. Rén Xuě had seen a sudden and rapid increase in strength that let him ascend to the Human Limit Realm. Once he became more powerful than Zhang Ming, he challenged the man to a duel with the resistance leader’s position on the line and won.
This knowledge wouldn’t prove useful right now, but it did confirm that Rén Xuě’s increased cultivation was not natural. Nobody could go from the Hunger Realm to the Human Limit Realm in just a few years without having a powerful cultivation method, cultivation resources, and a fortune encounter.
“Master, can we go out?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“But Youmei is booooooooored. This place is so booooooring.”
Wu Jian was sitting on the floor in his bedroom, his mask off and resting on the table. Zhou Lihua, Youmei, and Hou Jingshu were in the room with him. The young panther magical beast was lying on the bed like a lazy house cat in the shape of a human. Zhou Lihua and Hou Jingshu were on the floor beside him. Hou Jingshu leaned against him as she read from the documents he had in his hand, while Zhou Lihua used his thigh as a pillow while she dozed off.
The documents weren’t anything important. They detailed the formation of the Sui Kingdom and its royal family. Wu Jian asked if he could study up on the Sui Kingdom’s history, and while Rén Xuě was against it, he capitulated when Mei Xilan requested it.
Wu Jian enjoyed reading. It was a pastime he used to do with Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu back when they lived in the Wu Clan, but he had not been able to do any reading after the Wu Clan was destroyed. He had been so busy cultivating, traveling, and fighting against overwhelmingly strong opponents that he had no time to do something so leisurely as reading.
The history of the Sui Kingdom shared a lot of commonalities with other nations. However, it was a lot more storied and ancient. The Sui Kingdom had been formed during the era of the Four Guardian Deities. It had been able to survive this long thanks to its isolated nature, surrounded as it was by mountains on all four sides, and with only a single known route through. Mei Xilan’s family had been the founders of this nation, too, so they had ruled for at least five thousand years. That was impressive.
According to the document, the Sui Kingdom had formed when cultivation was just starting. It had been a time of great upheaval. Many people had been displaced by the wars that spread across the land. During this time, Mei Xilan’s ancestor gathered together the displaced peoples and led them through Siwang Mountain Pass, which had been a very dangerous place filled with magical beasts at the time. It was quite the harrowing tale. Wu Jian wondered how much of it was true.
“Mei would love to read this,” Hou Jingshu murmured against his shoulder, her warm breath washing over his ear. He shuddered. Did she know what she was doing? If it was Mei, he would suspect she did, but even now, Hou Jingshu remained somewhat innocent despite how lewd she could be in bed.
“She would. Maybe I can ask for a copy so she can read it when we return.” He paused as a thought occurred to him. “Speaking of, are you going back to Loong Cheng after we settle matters here?”
Hou Jingshu tilted her head. “I believe so… Loong Chen said he plans on taking me to the Da Continent soon. There are many powerful magical beasts there. He told me that fighting against those magical beasts will help me increase my cultivation.”
“Well, magical beasts do tend to be stronger than humans with the same cultivation,” Wu Jian said.
Hou Jingshu twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. “But if you don’t want me to go…”
“I’d prefer it if you stayed with me,” Wu Jian confessed. “But I also don’t want to get in the way of your cultivation…”
“Maybe you could come with me?” Hou Jingshu suggested with a hopeful expression.
“Now there’s an idea.”
“If you two are going to travel to the Da Continent, I believe I shall come along as well.” Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu glanced down as Zhou Lihua opened her eyes and smiled at them. “You will need a good alchemist who can refine pills to heal you when you get injured.”
The idea sounded interesting, and they discussed it more earnestly a bit more, but their conversation was soon interrupted by a knock at the door. Wu Jian summoned his mask and placed it over his face before telling whoever was on the other side to enter. It was Mei Xilan. Zhang Ming was with them. She glanced at the three of them sitting around with slightly furrowed brows. It was like she had sensed something, but she soon shook her head and got to the point.
“I think I’ve managed to get the location of where they keep the kidnapped women,” Mei Xilan paused. “Or rather, Zhang Ming was able to divine where they are being held.”
“Does that mean we’ll be leaving soon?” asked Wu Jian.
“Not yet,” Zhang Ming said. “Leaving now would arouse suspicion. We will wait for the right time to head out. It shouldn’t be too long. Rén Xuě is planning our first big operation soon. We can use the confusion of the mission to have a few of us slip away and locate his hidden base.”