After the Great Dao died

Chapter 30 Human Immortal Martial Maha

Upon hearing this, the courtyard in the twilight suddenly fell silent.

The wind stopped.

The lantern under the eaves stopped swaying, and the candlelight illuminated half of Zhao Yong's face, flickering on and off.

Chen Lingxi looked at Zhao Yong, seemingly still surprised and doubtful.

Zhao Yong remained unmoved, simply standing with his hands behind his back, waiting for him to process the news.

A few breaths later, Zhao Yong spoke again.

This time, he remained silent.

His lips moved slightly, and a thin strand of blood and qi silently flowed from his throat. The blood and qi condensed and did not disperse, like an invisible thread that shot straight into Chen Lingxi's ear.

Qi and blood flow into threads, transmitting sound secretly!

Chen Lingxi was greatly surprised.

He had heard Jiang Yuan mention this as a technique called the Golden Body Technique!

This Zhao Yong, this old steward, is actually the legendary golden-bodied figure who can fight against thousands of armored soldiers?

"The world is already in chaos." Zhao Yong's voice rang in Chen Lingxi's ears, each word clear and distinct, without a trace of his voice leaking out!

"The sins of the Dali people are grave. Emperor Daye treated the people harshly, levied exorbitant taxes, and dug numerous canals. In just two years, forty-nine canals were dug, causing thirty million wronged souls to wail in the long night, and leaving 90,000 miles of white bones exposed in the wilderness."

"Your father, your mother, and your entire family all met their end by being beheaded because of that wicked woman's single word, 'Mirror Listening'."

Zhao Yong's gaze fell on Chen Lingxi's face, and suddenly two dark flames ignited in those dry, well-like eyes.

"Chen Lingxi, are you willing to be our vanguard, to join me, Liu Changle, and us in avenging this blood feud?"

After he finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent again.

Chen Lingxi stood there, stunned.

The shock on his face was not entirely fake—Zhao Yong's words just now contained a great deal of information.

Traitor!

Zhao Yong is a traitor!

Zhao Yong, the steward of the Marquis of Baosu's mansion, who held many powers in the mansion and was deeply trusted by Lin Suri, was actually a traitor.

And... how dare he be so bold as to reveal his identity in front of a government slave?

Chen Lingxi's mind raced, but her gaze remained fixed on Zhao Yong's face.

He saw Zhao Yong's eyes.

In those eyes, as dry as a well, what burned now was not trust or expectation, but something sharper and colder.

That was—certainty.

Zhao Yong was certain he would agree.

Or rather, Zhao Yong was certain that he wouldn't dare refuse.

Chen Lingxi felt a chill run down her spine, and then she understood.

He had no choice.

If he refuses, Zhao Yong will never let him leave alive.

Lin Longyue's protection? A distant source of water cannot quench an immediate thirst.

"Sound transmission secret! Golden body!"

Chen Lingxi recalled Zhao Yong's methods.

For someone at the Golden Body Realm, killing a lowly Bronze-Red level government slave is as easy as snapping their fingers.

After killing them, find any excuse: poisoning during drug testing, or sudden death from illness.

Even if Lin Longyue had suspicions, she couldn't find anything out.

As for Lin Longyue's earlier statement, "Chen Lingxi will be under my control from now on," Zhao Yong probably didn't care at all.

Would someone at the Golden Body Realm, someone who might be a traitor, really be afraid of Lin Longyue?

Chen Lingxi went through these thoughts in her mind, but her face only showed a mixture of struggle, hesitation, and fear. Her lips moved a few times, as if she wanted to speak, but she swallowed them back.

Zhao Yong stood with his hands behind his back, not urging him on.

He is waiting.

Chen Ling will figure it out herself.

A few breaths later, Chen Lingxi raised her head, the struggle on her face fading somewhat, replaced by a cautious and tentative expression.

"Steward Zhao..." he began, his voice extremely low, as if afraid of being overheard, "If Chen Lingxi dares to ask, Steward... which royal command do you serve under?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yong's smile deepened.

He patted his hands lightly behind his back, as if praising Chen Lingxi for being sensible.

"The king I serve..." he began, his voice still calm, but beneath that calmness lay an undisguised reverence and fervor: "He is a reincarnation of an immortal."

Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow slightly.

Zhao Yong continued, "He once splashed ink to save people from the plague, and turned his palm to bring back the dead. He also once lifted a cauldron to kill a thousand people, and when he was angry, blood flowed for a hundred miles."

He paused, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"He is the [Human Immortal]—Wu Mohe!"

Wu Mohe.

These three words, when they reached Chen Lingxi's ears, were like a boulder thrown into the center of a lake, stirring up ripples.

Of course he had heard of that name.

Among the nineteen rebel kings of the Great Li Kingdom, the most powerful was Xiao Changlu, who called himself the "King of Intercepting Evil." He commanded 300,000 troops, conquered twelve prefectures, and forced the imperial army into a series of defeats.

And following closely behind was the "Human Immortal" Wu Mohe.

This person's origins are shrouded in mystery, as if he appeared out of thin air. Three years ago, he raised the banner of rebellion in Huainan Road, and within a few short months, he had gathered tens of thousands of followers.

Rumor has it that he truly possesses supernatural powers. When a plague raged in Huainan Road, he splashed ink from mid-air, and the plague vanished wherever the ink landed. When a refugee starved to death on the road, he turned his palm over and touched his face, and the dead were able to sit up.

In another battle, he was surrounded by thousands of armored soldiers of the imperial court in a desolate valley. Alone, he lifted a cauldron and threw it, killing more than three hundred people, and the rest scattered.

These rumors circulated widely in Gyeonggi Province. In the teahouses and taverns of Wongang Prefecture, storytellers vividly recounted his tales, drawing cheers from the audience whenever they reached an exciting part.

His face showed shock, which then turned into a complex and indescribable expression.

hesitate.

struggle.

Finally, it turned into a wisp of... longing.

"Steward Zhao," Chen Lingxi spoke, her voice trembling, "If Chen Lingxi... agrees to the steward's request, can she truly... avenge herself?"

When he asked that question, his gaze was fixed intently on Zhao Yong, and the longing in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Zhao Yong looked into his eyes and slowly nodded.

No further words were needed.

Chen Ling took a deep breath.

He lowered his head and remained silent for a few moments.

Then, he raised his head, the struggle in his eyes gone, replaced by a resolute determination.

"Chen Lingxi is willing to serve as the commander."

Zhao Yong looked at his face and a smile appeared on his face.

He didn't say much, but reached into his robe, took out something, and handed it to Chen Lingxi.

It was a flower.

The flower is extremely small, no bigger than a baby's fist, with deep purple petals layered upon each other, like countless pieces of thin silk glued together.

At the center of the flower is a small golden stamen, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

"This is the Maha Flower." Zhao Yong handed the flower to Chen Ling in his hands, speaking solemnly: "You must take good care of it day and night, and not let it wither. When the Maha envoy arrives in Yuanjiang Prefecture, he will follow the fragrance of the flower to find you and impart the Maha Mysterious Skill to you."

Chen Ling washed her hands and took the flower, then looked down at it.

The petals trembled slightly in his palm, as if they were breathing.

He held the flowers to his chest and said respectfully, "Chen Lingxi will remember this."

Zhao Yong grunted in agreement, turned around with his hands behind his back, and walked towards the courtyard gate.

As he reached the door, he paused and turned his head to the side.

"Wait patiently for the opportunity and follow my orders."

Having said that, he didn't linger any longer, his figure disappearing into the deepening night.

The footsteps faded into the distance and were soon carried away by the wind.

Chen Lingxi held the Maha flower in her hands, motionless.

The lantern under the eaves swayed gently in the wind, casting his shadow on the bluestone ground, sometimes long, sometimes short.

The deep purple petals gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the dim light, and the golden stamens in the center of the flower trembled gently, like a living creature breathing.

Chen Ling looked at it for a long time, then suddenly—

He gave a cold laugh.

He carried the flower back to the small house in the courtyard, closed the door, and placed the Maha flower on the table.

Then, he sat down at the table and, taking advantage of the last sliver of sunlight filtering through the window, focused intently on the scene.

"Zhao Yong".

He murmured the name, and the cold smile on his lips deepened.

"You even want to use me as a medicinal ingredient? You've come up with such nonsense."

"What they said just now was probably all a lie."

His certainty was not based on mere speculation.

"Before I killed Wang Kong, I asked about Liu Changle's whereabouts."

Wang Kong answered clearly at the time that Liu Changle had disappeared into thin air. Zhao Yong was furious about this and beat up all the servants in the North Courtyard, but still couldn't find out where she was. He searched for her for several days.

If Zhao Yong had simply released Liu Changle, why would there have been such a fuss?

Other mansions are one thing, but in the Baosu Marquis's mansion, with the Marquis in seclusion cultivating Taoism and Lin Su focusing on his cultivation and not interfering in affairs, things are different.

If Zhao Yong wanted to release a government slave, it was just a matter of saying a few words; it would be done quietly, and no one would question it.

Even the government is the same.

Why did he have to pretend to be angry, beat people, and search the place, making a scene that the whole mansion knew about?

Zhao Yong held an extraordinary position in the mansion and wielded considerable power.

If he really released them, no one would dare to ask, and he wouldn't need to put on such a pretentious act.

There is only one possibility—Liu Changle's disappearance is not under Zhao Yong's control.

That's why he was angry, that's why he searched, and that's why he wanted to turn the North Courtyard upside down.

Once this was understood, Zhao Yong's earlier claim that "Liu Changle was released by me" fell apart.

Chen Lingxi shook her head, her gaze falling on the Maha flower.

This is the second reason.

He picked up the flower, brought it close to his nose, and took a deep breath.

Then, he closed his eyes, and the spiritual energy in his dantian slowly flowed out, advancing along the meridians of his right arm and into the Maha flower.

The moment the spiritual energy touched the petals, Chen Ling experienced a sudden jolt during her brainwashing.

His spiritual energy clearly sensed that the medicinal fragrance of this flower also contained a dark and turbid poison.

Just like the Dragon-Attracting Powder.

Chen Ling tried to introduce the poison into her body and analyzed the differences.

Half an hour passed.

Chen Lingxi finally let out a breath of stale air.

"This toxicity is not as potent as the Dragon-Inducing Powder, but rather extremely slow and insidious."

After entering the body, it will accumulate silently, day or two, month or two, without ever manifesting.

But once the accumulated amount crosses a certain threshold, it will explode.

Looking at the seemingly beautiful flower in her hand, Chen Lingxi could no longer suppress the cold smile on her lips.

"Zhao Yong, oh Zhao Yong."

"This medicinal fragrance is no different from the Dragon-Guiding Powder, only it uses a milder method, intending to immerse me in this poisonous gas day and night, slowly cultivating a more suitable medicinal catalyst."

"What kind of medicine is Zhao Yong trying to refine? He's so obsessed with the medicinal ingredients." Chen Lingxi muttered to himself, "He has the cultivation of the Golden Body Realm, yet he goes to all this trouble to deceive me. He must really think highly of me."

"And...didn't he know that Wang Kong was dead? He didn't even ask about it."

As he pondered, he walked to the window, found a small celadon bottle, filled it halfway with water, inserted the flowers, and placed it on the windowsill.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling on the deep purple petals and making the cold, eerie light even more pronounced.

"With the Concealed Edge Technique, this poison is completely harmless to me."

"That's fine too." Chen Lingxi looked at the flower calmly. "He thought I was already in his trap, so he wouldn't be in a hurry to make a move against me, which bought me time."

He needs time.

The longer the time, the higher his Qi cultivation and blood circulation will be, the stronger his Qingfeng Technique will become, and the more proficient his Cangfeng Technique will be.

By the time Zhao Yong discovered that the medicinal ingredient could not be properly cultivated, he might no longer be the government slave he could manipulate at will.

(One more bonus chapter to come.)