Chapter Seventeen: Zhen Zhen

  Bai Qi didn't dare to go and cause trouble, so he could only endure in the backyard.

  The eunuch who conveyed the message outside did not see Bai Qi and was pushed back, feeling angry in his heart, wanting to make a scene, but immediately thought of the 19th prince being beaten and could only swallow his anger and leave the Weiguo Gongfu.

  This white-clothed man's temper doesn't look very good. The prince was only beaten, but if he himself were to make a scene, he might lose his head.

  That eunuch hastily left, in the White House living room, Duke of Wei Guo, Bai Jian, appeared only after half an hour. In the living room, a tall monk sat steadily and calmly, not showing any anxiety. The monk wore deep red robes, with a nine-foot-tall Zen staff leaning beside him, holding a string of prayer beads, nothing else.

  Bai Jian looked at the monk and saw that he had a dignified appearance, without any evil aura on his body. He didn't even have the compassionate expression often seen in monks, but instead had an air of refinement like a scholar. Bai Jian was surprised, and the monk, seeing Bai Jian's arrival, stood up with his hands clasped together and said: "I am Monk Luo Jiang, nice to meet you, sir."

  "Oh? The master doesn't have a Buddhist name?" Bai Jian wondered.

  "I am a member of the Red Lotus Pure Land Sect; even if I leave home, I can still use my secular name and never forget the fundamental intention."

  "The master sat and watched the tea." Bai Jian was much more polite.

  The method of brewing tea in the Great Jin Dynasty was numerous, but Bai Jian didn't have so many scruples, he just used fragrant slices, fetched well water, and boiled a pot of ordinary tea for Luo Jiang.

  "Master, what brings you here?" Bai Jian didn't have much time to waste on the monk, so he got straight to the point. The emperor's affairs still needed to be attended to, and forming the new Feathered Forest Army was for dealing with the zombies outside the city. This matter couldn't be delayed, and several princes had returned to Jinling, while the army in the south of the city had already assembled over a thousand men to head to Qin Wang Mausoleum, where they would suffer a crushing defeat.

  In the new army of Youlin, there is already equipment for Qi Refining Warriors provided by the national teacher's sect, which has increased their chances of killing zombies.

  Luo said frankly: "Duke, I came here on behalf of my sect. A large number of evil creatures have appeared in the Qin Wang Mausoleum northwest of Jinling. The Honglian Jingtu Sect is willing to help you, Duke, to clean up the situation."

  "Heh heh." Bai Jian didn't respond, instead lifting his teacup and slowly taking a sip.

  "In the Buddhist world of Zhongtu, there are six major sects. The Honglian Jingtu Sect cultivates in this life and does not look to the next life. If one achieves liberation, wherever their body is, it becomes a pure land. Master, don't have any doubts, this matter is greatly beneficial to our Honglian Jingtu Sect."

  "The master said something clear."

  "Zombies are born spiritual beings, if they can be captured and have their corpse poison removed, then they would become Buddhist guardians."

  "So, the Red Lotus Pure Land Sect knew about the zombies in Qin Wang's tomb all along?" Bai Jian said casually. But in his heart, he thought that these cultivators were all going to die. Such a terrifying thing had appeared, but they only showed up now when he urgently needed manpower, wanting to take credit for themselves. If these zombies spread out, the entire territory of Great Jin would be devastated.

  Luo smiled and said, "Your Excellency doesn't need to get angry. The Red Lotus Pure Land Sect had already reported this matter to the authorities through their monks, but it didn't attract attention. So the Red Lotus Temple could only gather fellow Taoists and rush to the capital, hoping to resolve this trouble on its own. However, I heard that there was an incident at Qin Wang's tomb last night, so I suppose someone is willing to believe in the appearance of the zombie now, which is why they came to see Your Excellency."

  The evil spirit on Bai Jian's brow dissipated, and he smiled: "I was wrong to suspect you."

  "I don't dare." Luo Jiang still looked calm and collected.

  "It's not that I don't trust the Qi Refiners, but on my way back to the manor today, I was assassinated by a Qi Refiner. Master Luo, can you tell what kind of person this is?" Bai Jian said, clapping his hands, and the servant outside had already brought in the assassin's corpse and placed it in front of Luo Jiang.

  Lu stood up, bowed, and lowered his head to examine the corpse. After a while, Lu finally raised his head and said: "Sir, this assassin's body has only low-quality treasure symbols on him, and the weapons he carries aren't even good enough to be considered precious swords. He's probably just a loose cultivator. However, even if he is a loose cultivator, it's not possible for a Jianghu sect to hire him. It's likely that he was sent by a large sect. If we want to investigate the root of this matter, I'm afraid it won't be possible."

  "Not even a single clue?"

  "It would be better for Master Gong to ask me, how many sects are planning to do such a thing. If we're talking about suspects, the scope is too broad."

  "How big is it?"

  "Except for Kunlun, Qingcheng, Penglai and Luofu these four sects, the millions of Qi-refining cultivators in the world are probably all after Master's life."

  "Why did it have to be me?"

  "Because in the Great Jin Dynasty, only Gong Ye's martial skills reached the First Rank of Pre-Heaven, with a copper man suppressing, and his threat to the Refining Qi Masters was unmatched."

  "Are you saying that Kunlun, Qingcheng, Penglai and Luofu will not be involved in this?"

  "These sects have enough blessed lands and auspicious places, even if the Jin Dynasty occupies the Central Plains, it will not affect their aura. On the contrary, with the prosperity of humanism, they can provide a sufficient number of disciples, and their quality is much better than those in troubled times."

  "What about the Red Lotus Pure Land Sect?"

  "Supporting the imperial court, there are many benefits that can't be imagined, Duke Guo, isn't that right?" Luo Jiang smiled and replied.

  Bai Jian didn't get angry, this Lianqi master was indeed powerful and omniscient. The secret of his own True Dragon Seven Killings Spear had probably been known to others long ago. The Bai family's True Dragon Seven Killings Spear was a technique that assisted the imperial court. When the national fortune prospered, the cultivation speed of the True Dragon Seven Killings Spear became even faster.

  By his mid-thirties, he had already reached the level of a First-Rank Heaven Chosen, and this was inextricably linked to the expansion of the Great Jin Dynasty's power.

  It's just a matter of time before this emperor completely takes away the living space of the Qi Refiners, and the Qi Refiners will surely fight back to the death. I'm afraid this is also the source of the collapse of the Great Jin Dynasty.

  Those who cultivate Qi will not govern the country, after the collapse of humanity, it is a scene of demons dancing wildly. At that time, the White family will also be unable to protect itself, and the efforts of several decades will be in vain, turning into flowing water overnight.

  This thought only flashed through his mind quickly, and Bai Jian said: "Where is the master going to stay?" He was sending guests away, it's not good to leave Luo Jiang at home, if there's anything he can naturally go find him.

  "Leiyin Temple, south of the city." Luo Jiang picked up his staff and bowed, saying as he was about to leave: "The things on the assassin's body, let them all be kept by Your Excellency. They might still be useful when you meet someone who understands... Mount Longhu is no longer reliable. The Emperor may not believe this, but Your Excellency should be careful."

  When sending away the monk, Bai Qi had already left the Wei Guo Gong Fu, but Wang Fang came to thank him. Bai Qi was a restless person and followed Wang Fang out for a stroll.

  Jinling is prosperous, with a population of over 2 million, making it the second most populous city in the Great Jin Dynasty. The shops on the streets are dazzling, and the roads are wide. Wang Fang did not bring any servants, only he and Bai Qi, one horse each, rushed straight to the south of the city. The south of the city is where the commercial buildings and wine houses are concentrated, and the giant merchants from all over the Great Jin Dynasty have businesses here. Even at night, the southern part of Jinling City is still lit up.

  "Third Brother, where are we going?" After what happened at the Qin King's Mausoleum, Bai Qi and Wang Fang became much closer, and they also changed the way they addressed each other.

  "San Xin, the theater troupe from Qin Ge Fang, has arrived with a new group from the south. I've asked Su Mu and Guo Ai to make arrangements. Let's get together, brothers."

  "What about Ye Qiao?"

  "The wound is serious and it's not suitable for me to go out temporarily. The Marquis of Wuyang is very angry, if I were to visit him now, I would be beaten away."

  Bai Qi smiled and said, "Qin Ge Fang is a place I've heard of. It's got singing houses and courtesans inside. Wang Fang asked me to go watch the show, not indulge in my own preferences. I reckon there's still business to discuss."

  Two men rode horses and arrived at the south city quickly, although they couldn't gallop. They found Qin Ge Fang and were greeted by a strong servant from Qin Ge Fang who helped them dismount.

  "Prince Wang, the elegant room is ready, the two princes are waiting for you."

  Wang Fang patted his horse and let someone take it to groom, bringing Bai Qi with him as he entered the Qin Songfang. The Qin Songfang was built in the style of the previous dynasty, surrounded by a high wall that enclosed a vast area, where there was a world unto itself.

  Inside Qin Ge Fang, there were more than a dozen playhouses. The place Wang Fang went to was a single one, surrounded by green brick walls with hollow carvings and winding curves. White saw the stream flowing slowly around the surrounding wall, although it added a bit of chilliness, but had infinite tenderness.

  The yard is extremely large, with four high-rise buildings, each with six floors.

  Bai Qi and others were brought to the south-facing building, looked up, the building was over twenty zhang high, Guo Ai was in the corridor looking down, saw Wang Fang and Bai Qi, stretched out his hand to beckon.

  At this time, a maid came out to greet and replaced the servant. The maid was only fifteen or sixteen years old, born with a delicate appearance, and walked with a swaying gait. Bai Qi glanced at the maid, but in his heart he was estimating the maid's martial skills. This maid was still young, looking at her walking posture, the strength of her waist, she might be similar to his own maid.

  As a son of a national duke, he has the ability to raise such a female bodyguard. Does a woman from a pleasure house also need such power? It seems that Qin Ge's background is not simple either.

  Two men were led to the fifth floor, where a wide corridor was filled with maidservants in colorful clothes. Bai Qi looked displeased and withdrew his gaze.

  The room is spacious, and after entering, Bai Qi only smelled the fragrance. Right in front of the door was a large window, and looking out the window was an even more spacious stage. It turned out that only the fifth and sixth floors of this building were seats for watching plays.

  Inside the elegant room, Guo Ai and Su Mu had waited for a long time, but there was still a stranger, which made Bai Qi frown.

  This stranger was a young woman, dressed in tight attire, looking like a martial artist.

  Let the maid withdraw. Wang Fang then smiled and introduced him to Bai Qi: "Xiao Bai, this is my house's guard, also my friend, Zhen Chen."

  The woman stood up and bowed her hands to Bai Qi: "Zhen has seen Mr. Bai."

  When she spoke, her snow-white teeth were exposed. However, Bai Qi noticed that Zhen's hand was wearing an ancient ring. The subtle fluctuations of power on the ring were identical to those on his own Na Ring.

  Wang Fang observed Bai Qi's expression, seeing that Bai Qi was not pleased, and continued: "When the Qin Wang Ling incident occurred, although my father did not punish me, I had to bring a guard with me when going out. Zhen is indeed..."

  "Xuan Yin Zong's Qi refining master, assisted Da Si Tu for several decades, rest assured, White Master." Zhen Jin replied.