Chapter 97
Stepping into the Age of Knowing Destiny, the Imperial Principles Govern the World!
Six more days passed.
The two officers from the Dongsi Temple's subordinate office, who were in charge of wielding swords, finally arrived at the border.
Both men were in their early sixties, with slightly graying temples, and both wore blue official robes adorned with deer.
In a luxurious restaurant in Qiaonan County, Gu Lin hosted a banquet, raising his glass in a toast:
"You two have had a long and tiring journey."
The two were flattered and immediately raised their glasses, deliberately keeping the rims low.
After a few rounds of drinks, Gu Lin said with a smile:
"Beneath the Qiaonan Salt Mine lies a cultivator named Tuojiangjing who practices evil arts. I would be grateful if you two could capture him alive and cripple him tonight."
"This is your payment."
After saying that, he handed over eight top-grade spirit stones.
The two refused verbally:
"Lord Gu, you are the Trial Commander of the Eastern Temple, and you have the right to request our assistance. This is the duty of our assistants, our mission, and our responsibility!"
Gu Lin feigned anger:
"Don't refuse, or I will be furious."
The two elders looked at each other, their gratitude heartfelt.
Most of the Holy Land members are arrogant and rude, and have always regarded the swordsmiths as servants to be ordered around. They never expected that the champion of the grand competition would be so discerning and generous.
After the banquet, it was already evening, and the group headed to the Qiaonan Salt Mine.
Until midnight, the mine three miles away was silent, and the miners were all asleep.
The two pioneers headed to the bottom of the mine.
Gu Lin led his men to the magistrate's office.
The yamen was located half a mile east of the salt mine, and there were armored soldiers patrolling the perimeter with swords.
Upon hearing the sound of rapid footsteps, the soldiers stood ready in battle formation.
"This is a sensitive area; get away from here immediately!"
A figure dressed in a snow-white xiezhi robe emerged from the darkness, coldly stating:
"You have three breaths. If you block my way, you will die!"
The moment they saw the official robes of the East Temple, a group of armored soldiers immediately dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground.
The two suddenly ran inside.
Just as the mute flower girl was about to make her move.
The two men opened the gate of the government office and then bowed their heads and prostrated themselves on the threshold.
Gu Lin nodded in satisfaction and stepped into the yamen:
"If Wei Pu is detained, who will lead the way?"
The soldiers respectfully led the way.
In an elegant attic, a middle-aged man in his forties with a large belly heard the noise and jumped out of the window to escape, but was stopped by the guards he had hired.
"My lord, please don't harm us. Murder is not illegal in the Holy Land, especially since it was a white robe with the mythical beast Xie Zhi on it."
One of the guards pinned Wei Pu to the ground.
Wei Pu's face was contorted with rage as he struggled desperately.
Suddenly a kick came, my back trembled violently, and I felt like my intestines were about to be kicked through.
"Step back." Gu Lin looked at the two guards.
The guards respectfully left the yamen.
Gu Lin dragged Wei Pu into the attic like a stray dog.
The candlelight flickered, and Wei Pu, his face covered in blood, painfully made out the young face.
"It's you!" Wei Pu exclaimed in horror.
Lord Sima once mentioned that the little beast named Gu Lin was lawless and deliberately provoked the Sima clan.
Gu Lin coldly looked down at him:
"Sima Gao, the Salt Commissioner of Anzhou, secretly instructed you to accept bribes from the Heartless Manor and do all sorts of dirty work for that Supreme Elder who practices evil arts!"
Wei Pu's face turned deathly pale, and he screamed shrilly:
"You're making baseless accusations! Don't try to frame Lord Sima! This was all my doing; Lord Sima knew absolutely nothing about it!"
He glared at Gu Lin almost maniacally, "Don't even think about slandering Lord Sima!!"
Gu Lin sneered:
"Unaware? Then why accept bribes with your beauty?"
Having said that, he summoned several knife handlers:
"Take him away and subject him to severe torture!"
"Yes, sir!"
Half an hour later.
Two border guards were dragging an old woman with a wrinkled face.
"Lord Gu!"
Gu Lin nodded:
"Thank you both for your hard work."
"Flower Girl, Mute Girl, take you two to Heartless Manor and arrest all those involved!"
"Yes, ma'am!" The mute flower girl accepted the order and left.
Gu Lin stared at the frail old woman, his tone chilling as he said:
"For your own selfish desires, at least several thousand innocent lives have been lost at your hands!"
The old woman gave a bitter laugh, showing no remorse, and hissed:
"By cultivating step by step, I can only reach the peak of the Mountain and Sea Realm. But now I've at least seen the scenery of the Expansion Realm and experienced its power. Give me another chance, and I'll still cultivate evil arts!"
Gu Lin, too lazy to waste words, threw a punch.
They smashed the old woman's head directly.
The old woman died on the spot.
A hysterical wail came from the attic.
Gu Lin stepped inside and looked at the executioner holding the knife:
"Did you confess?"
The ghostwriter shook his head:
"Lord Qi, you have only confessed to having one accomplice, who insists that Sima Yi knew nothing about it."
Gu Lin lost his patience and commanded:
"Arrest that accomplice."
After saying that, six sword energies surged from his fingertips, instantly killing Wei Pu.
As Gu Lin left the attic, specks of golden light flashed through his mind, quickly coalescing into the three large golden characters of "Book of Merit".
[Killing a Class A Third-Rank Evil Beast and killing a Class B Ninth-Rank Evil Beast will reward you with the Great Perfection of the Second Level of the Imperial Supreme World-Governing Technique]
[Martial Arts Merit Points: 2023/80000]
[Confucian and Taoist Merit Points: 756/80000]
[Merit Points in Taoist Arts: 3526/10000]
[Witchcraft Merit Points: 4723/10000]
In an instant, the power within Gu Lin's dantian expanded a thousandfold, his inner energy transformed into true essence, and the sea of true essence churned, each wave carrying an aura of dominance.
Entering the realm of knowing one's destiny!
Moreover, the Imperial Ultimate Scripture is entirely the true essence of the Kingly Way!
Gu Lin was overjoyed, his smile radiant.
The true essence of the king's way completely overwhelms the true essence of ordinary cultivation methods.
The Imperial Ultimate World-Governing Technique is truly heaven-defying!
Now that he has entered the Divine Palace Realm of Confucianism and Taoism, he possesses the Confucian classics, sages, order, and code.
Once one reaches the Knowing Destiny Realm in martial arts, one possesses the Imperial Ultimate World-Governing Technique.
A complete transformation in strength!
"Evil? I am mortal with evil!"
Gu Lin smiled broadly, full of vigor and high spirits.
"Sir, the person has been brought." Two executioners escorted and arrested a minor official from the yamen.
This person was responsible for cleaning up the body of the old woman in the salt mine, and helping to dispose of the corpse. Due to a mistake, six heartless corpses were not properly disposed of.
Gu Lin said in a deep voice:
"Take him away, torture and interrogate him as you travel!"
The group traveled through the night to reach Anzhou City.
Dawn was approaching.
A golden-winged pigeon circled and swooped down.
Gu Lin removed the secret letter bound to the pigeon's leg.
Two letters in total.
One of them is an official document!
Daojisi agreed as expected.
The investigation document was written by Choi Sengoku of Toji Temple.
The text above clearly states that "Gu Lin is solely responsible for this case, and he will bear all the credit and blame."
Gu Lin unfolded the letter with satisfaction.
Just a few words.
[Return quickly! Use the Anzhou Holy Land teleportation array. It costs 20,000 contribution points per teleportation. If you don't have enough contribution points, you can use spirit stones instead.]
Gu Lin was slightly taken aback.
Since joining the Holy Land, he was unaware that there were legendary teleportation arrays between the Holy Lands. The two states are adjacent, and even a single teleportation requires 20,000 contribution points?
That's way too expensive!
Let alone ordinary members of the Holy Land, even a hundred-household commander would be reluctant to use this teleportation array.
I don't think I have 20,000 contribution points in my own record.
It's at most a little over ten thousand, because last time they deducted five thousand for five subordinates.
If you don't have contribution points, you need to contribute twenty top-grade spirit stones or two hundred high-grade spirit stones.
Gu Lin felt a pang of regret and wanted to simply ride his horse and continue on his way.
Although he was generous, it was always for profit or to win people's hearts. He really couldn't bear to spend twenty top-grade spirit stones just to get to Luoxia Mountain quickly.
However, since I promised the Daoji Division, I still have to pay.
Money flowed in like water.
The two officers from the Dongsi Temple's subordinate office, who were in charge of wielding swords, finally arrived at the border.
Both men were in their early sixties, with slightly graying temples, and both wore blue official robes adorned with deer.
In a luxurious restaurant in Qiaonan County, Gu Lin hosted a banquet, raising his glass in a toast:
"You two have had a long and tiring journey."
The two were flattered and immediately raised their glasses, deliberately keeping the rims low.
After a few rounds of drinks, Gu Lin said with a smile:
"Beneath the Qiaonan Salt Mine lies a cultivator named Tuojiangjing who practices evil arts. I would be grateful if you two could capture him alive and cripple him tonight."
"This is your payment."
After saying that, he handed over eight top-grade spirit stones.
The two refused verbally:
"Lord Gu, you are the Trial Commander of the Eastern Temple, and you have the right to request our assistance. This is the duty of our assistants, our mission, and our responsibility!"
Gu Lin feigned anger:
"Don't refuse, or I will be furious."
The two elders looked at each other, their gratitude heartfelt.
Most of the Holy Land members are arrogant and rude, and have always regarded the swordsmiths as servants to be ordered around. They never expected that the champion of the grand competition would be so discerning and generous.
After the banquet, it was already evening, and the group headed to the Qiaonan Salt Mine.
Until midnight, the mine three miles away was silent, and the miners were all asleep.
The two pioneers headed to the bottom of the mine.
Gu Lin led his men to the magistrate's office.
The yamen was located half a mile east of the salt mine, and there were armored soldiers patrolling the perimeter with swords.
Upon hearing the sound of rapid footsteps, the soldiers stood ready in battle formation.
"This is a sensitive area; get away from here immediately!"
A figure dressed in a snow-white xiezhi robe emerged from the darkness, coldly stating:
"You have three breaths. If you block my way, you will die!"
The moment they saw the official robes of the East Temple, a group of armored soldiers immediately dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground.
The two suddenly ran inside.
Just as the mute flower girl was about to make her move.
The two men opened the gate of the government office and then bowed their heads and prostrated themselves on the threshold.
Gu Lin nodded in satisfaction and stepped into the yamen:
"If Wei Pu is detained, who will lead the way?"
The soldiers respectfully led the way.
In an elegant attic, a middle-aged man in his forties with a large belly heard the noise and jumped out of the window to escape, but was stopped by the guards he had hired.
"My lord, please don't harm us. Murder is not illegal in the Holy Land, especially since it was a white robe with the mythical beast Xie Zhi on it."
One of the guards pinned Wei Pu to the ground.
Wei Pu's face was contorted with rage as he struggled desperately.
Suddenly a kick came, my back trembled violently, and I felt like my intestines were about to be kicked through.
"Step back." Gu Lin looked at the two guards.
The guards respectfully left the yamen.
Gu Lin dragged Wei Pu into the attic like a stray dog.
The candlelight flickered, and Wei Pu, his face covered in blood, painfully made out the young face.
"It's you!" Wei Pu exclaimed in horror.
Lord Sima once mentioned that the little beast named Gu Lin was lawless and deliberately provoked the Sima clan.
Gu Lin coldly looked down at him:
"Sima Gao, the Salt Commissioner of Anzhou, secretly instructed you to accept bribes from the Heartless Manor and do all sorts of dirty work for that Supreme Elder who practices evil arts!"
Wei Pu's face turned deathly pale, and he screamed shrilly:
"You're making baseless accusations! Don't try to frame Lord Sima! This was all my doing; Lord Sima knew absolutely nothing about it!"
He glared at Gu Lin almost maniacally, "Don't even think about slandering Lord Sima!!"
Gu Lin sneered:
"Unaware? Then why accept bribes with your beauty?"
Having said that, he summoned several knife handlers:
"Take him away and subject him to severe torture!"
"Yes, sir!"
Half an hour later.
Two border guards were dragging an old woman with a wrinkled face.
"Lord Gu!"
Gu Lin nodded:
"Thank you both for your hard work."
"Flower Girl, Mute Girl, take you two to Heartless Manor and arrest all those involved!"
"Yes, ma'am!" The mute flower girl accepted the order and left.
Gu Lin stared at the frail old woman, his tone chilling as he said:
"For your own selfish desires, at least several thousand innocent lives have been lost at your hands!"
The old woman gave a bitter laugh, showing no remorse, and hissed:
"By cultivating step by step, I can only reach the peak of the Mountain and Sea Realm. But now I've at least seen the scenery of the Expansion Realm and experienced its power. Give me another chance, and I'll still cultivate evil arts!"
Gu Lin, too lazy to waste words, threw a punch.
They smashed the old woman's head directly.
The old woman died on the spot.
A hysterical wail came from the attic.
Gu Lin stepped inside and looked at the executioner holding the knife:
"Did you confess?"
The ghostwriter shook his head:
"Lord Qi, you have only confessed to having one accomplice, who insists that Sima Yi knew nothing about it."
Gu Lin lost his patience and commanded:
"Arrest that accomplice."
After saying that, six sword energies surged from his fingertips, instantly killing Wei Pu.
As Gu Lin left the attic, specks of golden light flashed through his mind, quickly coalescing into the three large golden characters of "Book of Merit".
[Killing a Class A Third-Rank Evil Beast and killing a Class B Ninth-Rank Evil Beast will reward you with the Great Perfection of the Second Level of the Imperial Supreme World-Governing Technique]
[Martial Arts Merit Points: 2023/80000]
[Confucian and Taoist Merit Points: 756/80000]
[Merit Points in Taoist Arts: 3526/10000]
[Witchcraft Merit Points: 4723/10000]
In an instant, the power within Gu Lin's dantian expanded a thousandfold, his inner energy transformed into true essence, and the sea of true essence churned, each wave carrying an aura of dominance.
Entering the realm of knowing one's destiny!
Moreover, the Imperial Ultimate Scripture is entirely the true essence of the Kingly Way!
Gu Lin was overjoyed, his smile radiant.
The true essence of the king's way completely overwhelms the true essence of ordinary cultivation methods.
The Imperial Ultimate World-Governing Technique is truly heaven-defying!
Now that he has entered the Divine Palace Realm of Confucianism and Taoism, he possesses the Confucian classics, sages, order, and code.
Once one reaches the Knowing Destiny Realm in martial arts, one possesses the Imperial Ultimate World-Governing Technique.
A complete transformation in strength!
"Evil? I am mortal with evil!"
Gu Lin smiled broadly, full of vigor and high spirits.
"Sir, the person has been brought." Two executioners escorted and arrested a minor official from the yamen.
This person was responsible for cleaning up the body of the old woman in the salt mine, and helping to dispose of the corpse. Due to a mistake, six heartless corpses were not properly disposed of.
Gu Lin said in a deep voice:
"Take him away, torture and interrogate him as you travel!"
The group traveled through the night to reach Anzhou City.
Dawn was approaching.
A golden-winged pigeon circled and swooped down.
Gu Lin removed the secret letter bound to the pigeon's leg.
Two letters in total.
One of them is an official document!
Daojisi agreed as expected.
The investigation document was written by Choi Sengoku of Toji Temple.
The text above clearly states that "Gu Lin is solely responsible for this case, and he will bear all the credit and blame."
Gu Lin unfolded the letter with satisfaction.
Just a few words.
[Return quickly! Use the Anzhou Holy Land teleportation array. It costs 20,000 contribution points per teleportation. If you don't have enough contribution points, you can use spirit stones instead.]
Gu Lin was slightly taken aback.
Since joining the Holy Land, he was unaware that there were legendary teleportation arrays between the Holy Lands. The two states are adjacent, and even a single teleportation requires 20,000 contribution points?
That's way too expensive!
Let alone ordinary members of the Holy Land, even a hundred-household commander would be reluctant to use this teleportation array.
I don't think I have 20,000 contribution points in my own record.
It's at most a little over ten thousand, because last time they deducted five thousand for five subordinates.
If you don't have contribution points, you need to contribute twenty top-grade spirit stones or two hundred high-grade spirit stones.
Gu Lin felt a pang of regret and wanted to simply ride his horse and continue on his way.
Although he was generous, it was always for profit or to win people's hearts. He really couldn't bear to spend twenty top-grade spirit stones just to get to Luoxia Mountain quickly.
However, since I promised the Daoji Division, I still have to pay.
Money flowed in like water.