About two days later, Wangliang received a pot of water filled with poison. Then, in the workshop, he carefully added various ingredients and began to mix them. After about three or four processes, a pungent smell like gunpowder spread, and soon a quantity of poison sufficient to fill a small bottle was completed. Wangliang handed the finished product to me.
"Here it is."
"What would happen if a human were to consume this?"
Wangliang chuckled.
"Before they take ten breaths, their entire body will begin to show signs of paralysis, and before they take another ten breaths, they will be completely immobilized. If left untreated for half an hour, they will surely die."
"......"
"I want to hear your thoughts first. Is the activity of that cult so wicked that you need to use this poison?"
I felt it was time to tell the truth. If we were to travel together to the tragic village, Wangliang was currently my greatest ally. The more he knew, the more he could help me. I calmly revealed the truth.
"They are not just cult members. The Jinyiwei (錦衣衛) is assisting the sorcerers."
"......!!"
Wangliang's eyes widened. He had never heard from me that the Jinyiwei was involved. He looked flustered and seemed to be thinking deeply. He glared at me and said,
"Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"I needed time to observe you as well."
If I had told Wangliang everything from the beginning, his extreme reaction might not have been beneficial for me. Moreover, there was no guarantee that he would show any sense of righteousness. Given his surprise at the sudden truth, I had to observe whether I could trust him after securing the poison.
In the end, Wangliang gave me the finished product, so I revealed the truth. He sighed, as if reading my mind.
"Ah, it doesn't matter, but... are you saying that it's okay to make enemies of the Jinyiwei and the imperial court?"
"Those people force sacrifices on others while putting nothing at risk themselves. If we leave them be, they will reach a point where we can no longer stop them."
I spoke honestly about my feelings towards the Jinyiwei and the imperial court. Wangliang nodded in agreement.
"You're right. Still, it's a shame you didn't tell me earlier; there were things I could have prepared for."
"More preparations?"
"If the enemy is the Jinyiwei, I could have sought help from my master. Now it's too late, so forget about it."
Master?
I realized I had never heard how Wangliang acquired such outstanding knowledge and wisdom. I had assumed he was just a genius who self-taught himself, but it seemed he had a master. Out of curiosity, I asked about his master, but he just evaded the question.
"Give me time to observe you as well."
"... I understand."
It was a quid pro quo.
I shrugged and began to tell Wangliang what I had heard and seen about the Jinyiwei and the sorcerers. After listening and organizing the information, Wangliang calmly started to discuss what we needed to do next.
"We should be able to reach the village in about three days if we ride horses. You seem to be certain that a tragedy will occur there. What stage do you think the Jinyiwei and the sorcerers will be at when we arrive?"
I had already bought us at least ten days, perhaps even fifteen. The time to travel to Huangshan had been significantly shortened by my increased internal energy, and I hadn't wasted time by visiting my hometown for revenge. Comparing it to when I first encountered the tragedy, a considerable amount of time had been saved. Moreover, when Xiantian Daoist discovered their atrocities, the human sacrifices had not yet begun, and they were only in the brainwashing phase. Considering all these points, I replied,
"There is a very high probability that they are still in the stage of exploring the village and looking for assassination targets. Or they might not have even left Luoyang yet."
"If that's the case, the Jinyiwei will only move after the sorcerer's flute sounds. It would indeed be best to find and neutralize the sorcerer before the Jinyiwei acts."
I nodded.
"Yes. That's why I think it would be best to infiltrate the village as soon as possible."
"So you plan to neutralize the sorcerer as quickly as possible when they appear in the village?"
"Something like that."
Wangliang shook his head after a moment of thought.
"Hmm, not quite. It looks good, but it's a poor strategy. Since we have time, we should choose the best strategy."
"What do you mean?"
"Before I explain... is there anyone else who could help us with this matter? Someone other than me who could be an ally?"
I answered immediately.
"On the way here, I found a Daoist temple called Taizhengguan. The temple's abbot, Xiantian Daoist, is a top expert and a former elder of the Wudang Sect. If we can confirm the tragedy, he will surely help us."
"Indeed. I was thinking of recruiting mercenaries from Shuangmen (雙門), but it seems that someone of his caliber would be sufficient."
"Mercenaries?"
"The Luoyang Shuangmen, Taijianmen and Tiexue Men, often send disciples who are at least instructors to other regions to take on commissions. It's not a frequent occurrence, but influential people can hire high-level experts from Shuangmen for a hefty sum. They don't work as enthusiastically, but they are worth the money, according to rumors."
"......"
"The Sijia (四家) also occasionally take on commissions for money, but they are very exclusive and hard to meet."
I thought the leaders of Tiexue Men or Taijian Men might be the ones who occasionally went on external missions to earn money for their sects. Perhaps even some of the elders might act as mercenaries. I asked, just in case,
"Wangliang, should we use the silver ingot to hire mercenaries?"
"It's not a bad idea, but it's too late. Given the urgency, when could we go to Luoyang and hire them? If it were two days ago, I could have sent a message to my master to hire them and have them arrive just in time."
"......"
"Don't worry. I believe the three of us—Wangliang, you, and Xiantian Daoist—will be enough."
Rustle
Wangliang pulled out a map from somewhere and unfolded it. It was a detailed map of the area within thirty li of the tragic village. I was surprised and said,
"You drew this map?"
"Of course not. This is a confidential document I had one of my subordinates steal from the government office two days ago. The government office always keeps military maps in the warehouse for emergencies."
"......"
Sure enough, this man seemed to use any means necessary without hesitation. And he had acted immediately upon hearing my story.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I did my best to prepare."
Wangliang pointed to a spot on the map.
"Look closely. The mid-slope of this mountain is connected to the source of the Jingxia River. The village is barely connected to a tributary of this river, which in turn is connected to the wells. It's not just a simple groundwater system. Otherwise, the villagers would have to travel dozens of li to the Jingxia River to fetch water, which would be very laborious."
"I see."
"If we can find the point where the tributary passes and release the poison there, we can certainly paralyze the village. The wells are all connected deep underground."
Wangliang slowly moved his finger away and smiled.
"... Of course, this is only if we arrive too late and have no choice but to neutralize the village."
"What do you mean?"
"If we can preemptively neutralize the threat, there's a better strategy. Using this poison would result in at least a hundred deaths, and there's no reliable antidote for this neurotoxin."
"......?"
Wangliang's next words were shocking.
"Let's set the village on fire."
Four days later, Wangliang and I arrived on horseback in front of Taizhengguan.
Rustle
Wangliang looked at Taizhengguan with a troubled expression. Then he said,
"I'm not particularly close to these Daoists."
He was a master of Qimen Dunjia, but essentially, he was more of a charlatan who made a living by reading fortunes. It was natural that he would find Daoists uncomfortable. I chuckled and said,
"Xiantian Daoist is not a bad person, so don't worry."
"Tch."
As Wangliang and I dismounted and walked towards the temple, the Daoist disciples in their robes were startled. They raised their Fumojian (伏魔劍) to point at us. While not ideal for combat, the Fumojian was a common defensive weapon among Daoists.
"Who are you?"
I chuckled and said,
[We have come to meet the abbot of Taizhengguan. We have no ill intentions, so please understand.]
"Telepathic transmission..."
The disciples, realizing my internal energy was at least at the peak expert level, stiffened. It didn't take long for them to assume I was a high-level expert who had undergone a rejuvenation transformation. One of the disciples, a young man in his twenties, said with extreme tension, sweat dripping from his forehead,
"I will bring the abbot out, so please wait."
[Don't worry, we won't cause any trouble.]
"......"
It didn't take long for Xiantian Daoist to appear. He walked out slowly, looking like a transcendent hermit who had secluded himself from the world. I felt a mix of emotions seeing him after such a long time.
The Daoist glanced at me and said politely,
"A great person has visited. Which sect do you belong to?"
I didn't think it was necessary to advertise my martial arts skills to Xiantian Daoist. He was a top expert and could gauge my abilities with just a glance. Instead, I bowed and answered,
"My name is Bai Xiong, and this is my friend, Wangliang. We have come to seek your help with a very difficult matter."
"Help..."
Xiantian Daoist laughed heartily.
"Hehe... Bai Xiong, your internal energy is already at a superhuman level. Why would you need the help of an old Daoist like me? I am merely cultivating with my disciples in nature and do not wish to involve myself in external affairs."
I had expected this reaction.
Xiantian Daoist would not get involved in violent actions unless he had seen the tragedy with his own eyes. It seemed unlikely he would become an ally without witnessing it. Moreover, he was a noble Daoist who could not be bought with money, making it difficult to recruit him.
However, I needed Xiantian Daoist's help. Although my internal energy and martial arts had improved significantly, the strength of a single Jinyiwei team was too much for me to handle alone. They had even practiced combined attacks and techniques, making it easy to be overwhelmed. With Xiantian Daoist's help, the task would be twice as easy.
Then Wangliang stepped forward.
"Can you read the celestial signs, Daoist? A malevolent star has risen, foretelling a disaster that will soon occur. How can you sit idly and wait for misfortune?"
Xiantian Daoist looked at Wangliang with a deep gaze.
"Recently, I have felt that the celestial signs are unusual. However, this is a great calamity that cannot be changed by a mere individual like me. I have too much to lose to be swayed by external temptations."
Wangliang confidently replied,
"I am known as Wangliang the Seer. Have you not heard of me?"
What nonsense!
I was about to yell in disbelief. Wangliang the Seer was just a famous fortune-teller in the Luoyang area, and neither the people of Jinlang Valley nor those around knew him as anything more or less. It was an absurd boast to make to a Wudang Sect elder like Xiantian Daoist. I thought it was a mistake to try to recruit him and closed my eyes in frustration.
But unexpectedly, Xiantian Daoist was shocked and said,
"Could it be you?!"
"I am the very Wangliang of the Jingjie, known as the greatest spellcaster of the Zuo Dao Fangmen (左道傍門)."
"Hehe... How can this be... You are the greatest spellcaster of the Central Plains Zuo Dao Fangmen?"
"That's right."
Rustle
"This is my talisman, the Wuhu Qilin Fan (五火七禽扇)."
Wangliang held out the fan he always carried to Xiantian Daoist. As Xiantian Daoist examined the fan, he observed it carefully. After a long while, he sighed and said,
"Indeed... the legend that a human received a treasure directly from an immortal is true... This is a genuine treasure that cannot be crafted by human skill. I acknowledge that you are Wangliang the Seer."
A treasure?!
I couldn't believe it. I had seen Wangliang use this fan to scratch his ear.
"Thank you."
"Follow me. As a fellow Daoist, I will at least listen to your story."
Xiantian Daoist, a high-level expert, seemed to think he couldn't ignore the visit of the highest authority in the Zuo Dao Fangmen. I followed him into Taizhengguan, feeling bewildered. Wasn't Wangliang the Seer just a nickname he made up? And now it turned out he was the greatest spellcaster of the Central Plains Zuo Dao Fangmen?
'Wasn't this guy just a charlatan who couldn't even use a proper spell?'
I secretly asked Wangliang through telepathic transmission,
[What's going on? Are you really the greatest spellcaster?]
Wangliang glanced at me, indicating he would explain later. I had no choice but to trust him and see it through. A short while later, the three of us sat at a table in the reception room of Taizhengguan, drinking tea.
Wangliang said,
"Xiantian Daoist, I can say with certainty that a disaster will soon befall a nearby village. It will not be a natural disaster but a man-made one. I have seen the future through divination, and I sense that a wicked cult is about to perform human sacrifices."
"Hmm... But how could such a disaster occur in a nearby village..."
"The area is poorly connected, making it easy to cut off communication. The cult members must have noticed this."
Wangliang's unwavering confidence and forceful arguments left Xiantian Daoist with no room for doubt. Xiantian Daoist, who already seemed half-convinced, looked at me and said,
"Bai Xiong's power is already beyond the peak. Why do you still need the help of my temple? Is the cult's power that formidable?"
"Those people perform human sacrifices and killings without hesitation. Moreover, there are unidentified peak experts supporting them from behind. Bai Xiong, as my bodyguard, possesses tremendous martial arts skills, but he cannot handle them alone."
Bai Xiong as a bodyguard?
I was flabbergasted by Wangliang's impromptu story, but it seemed to be working on Xiantian Daoist. Xiantian Daoist, upon hearing about human sacrifices, looked as if he might faint and was furious.
"Such wicked people...!! Are they receiving help from the Madao Bamen (魔道八門)?"
"I don't know. But there are at least two or three peak experts who have mastered combined techniques, so they cannot be taken lightly."
"Hehe... Such a force is not common."
Xiantian Daoist seemed bewildered. Indeed, peak experts were not just anyone; they were usually top officials or elders in major sects known throughout the land. To have a few such experts in a single organization, it would need to be at least the scale of the Nine Great Sects.
Wangliang said,
"We aim to expose and neutralize these wicked people to prevent harm to the world. I have looked for capable martial artists in the area, but they all avoided getting involved. We need your help to uphold justice in the Jianghu!"
"Hmm, I understand! I will certainly help you!"
"......"
In no time, Wangliang had convinced Xiantian Daoist. He left a message that he would return the next day and left Taizhengguan with me. We would likely gain a reliable ally in Xiantian Daoist, who would be well-prepared by then. As we moved away from Taizhengguan, I was flabbergasted and said,
"What lies did you tell? You're not even the greatest spellcaster..."
"That's true. As you know, I lack supernatural powers and can only perform basic spells."
"Then how...?"
Wangliang smiled wryly.
"Not all of it was a lie. The treasure is real, and Wangliang the Seer is an actual person. It's just that it's not me."
What did he mean?
But Wangliang shook his head.
"Explaining everything would be too complicated. Let's go scout the village now."
"Agreed."
Our current top priority was one thing:
Scout the village and confirm its condition!
If we couldn't achieve this, we couldn't achieve our subsequent goals.