Ming Dynasty: Emperor Wanshou is cultivating immortality!

Chapter 200 Xu Jie: This is my gift to the emperor and the court!
"Perhaps the Qingliu group is working together to set this up," Hai Rui said slowly, "After all, everyone knows that the Minister of War Li Chengwu wants to target everyone in the Qingliu group. If the Qingliu group is working together to set this up, it's not impossible."

"Lord Xu led you and me to Nanjing," Wang Yongji said, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "He set up a trap with himself as bait, waiting for the prey to fall into it."

"What I'm more curious about now is, what methods are they going to use to lure Li Chengwu and others into the trap?"

A look of curiosity emerged between Wang Yongji's brows.

"Brother Gangfeng, I really can't imagine what kind of situation is going on in Nanjing City to attract Li Chengwu and others to rush in without hesitation or even without any doubt."

"You have to know that in a struggle of this magnitude, any slightest doubt will be dispelled immediately. No one, whether it is Elder Xu or Li Chengwu, can afford to lose, not even once."

"I think they asked you to come to Nanjing because they wanted to use your sword to completely kill the losing party!"

"Using oneself as bait and making it impossible for the losing party to make a comeback, what kind of plan could this be?" Wang Yongji said, looking at Zhang Daoxian who was telling a story on the high platform on the second floor, while Hai Rui was staring absentmindedly at the rain outside the window.

"Ding!" On the high platform, Zhang Daoxian's storytelling had reached its climax. He leaned forward and vividly told the excited crowd, "Yun Zhongzi was walking to a deserted village when he heard a woman's cry for help. He followed the sound and saw a masked man in black who was about to do something to a woman. Seeing this, Yun Zhongzi was furious and swung his sword. The sword light was like a rainbow, and the man in black fell to the ground!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd burst into exclamations, some clapped their hands in admiration, and some nodded repeatedly.

Zhang Daoxian continued to tell the story, and every turn in the story was gripping and fascinating.

"However, Yun Zhongzi didn't know that this sword not only saved the girl, but also brought greater trouble. The power behind the man in black is none other than the famous 'Netherworld Palace' in the Immortal Realm..."

It was still raining heavily outside the Yunjin Tower. The rain covered the entire city of Nanjing. As the rain got heavier, peddlers and hawkers in the city began to seek shelter from the rain. Travelling performers and jugglers ran around in a hurry.

The atmosphere of listening to books in the building was unusually high.

"Flutter!" Under the sky with heavy rain, a crow with a completely black body and a bright red beak, but much larger than its peers, flew quickly across the sky.

If Hai Rui had divine awareness at this moment, he would be able to keenly discover that this was also a mutated bird with spiritual energy in its body, and it was impossible for a spiritual beast to appear in Nanjing.

The crow flapped its wings and flew through the rain and fog, heading towards the southernmost part of Nanjing City, then swooped down, penetrating through the layers of rain.

Pass through the heavy and ancient city with densely packed streets, the prosperous banks of the Qinhuai River, and the densely packed markets and temples.

Finally, we slowly slowed down and drove into a low-lying and messy area in the southernmost part.

Although the Ming Dynasty is now unprecedentedly powerful and its people are well-fed and well-clothed, secondary capitals like Nanjing are extremely prosperous.

But even in a prosperous city like Beijing, there are still some relatively backward, poor, and mixed areas.

Zhuoliuwu is located in the south of the city, close to the city wall. It is sunken on all sides and the terrain is much lower. The houses here are simple, mostly made of bamboo and wood. It is the poorest residential area in Nanjing. Most of the people living here are craftsmen, peddlers, farmers, cheap prostitutes, and even wanted criminals by the government.

In the heavy rain, the crisscrossing streets and alleys exuded an unpleasant smell. From time to time, there were lazy people with disheveled hair and faces sitting in the rain, wearing straw raincoats and hats, expecting charity from passers-by.

The crow first circled in the air for several times before it slowly dived down, slowing down, and finally gracefully landed on the eaves of a building deep in the alley, shaking its head from time to time and preening its feathers.

At this time, in a dim room, there was a mixture of the smell of medicine and mold.

Dong Jia took out a small dark green medicine bottle the size of an adult's thumb from his arms and handed it to the middle-aged man with swollen eyes and dark skin in front of him, "Eat it, and I will give you ten taels of silver..."

Zhang Da wiped his hands subconsciously, then nervously took the small bottle from the white and green fingers, unscrewed the delicate and small bottle cap, and poured out a pitch-black pill.

"What is this?" Zhang Da looked nervously at the mysterious person in front of him. She was wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, but judging from her figure and voice, she looked like a little girl.

Ten taels of silver is a lot of money for him!
Most importantly, he had to take care of his mother who was lying on the sickbed. Thinking of his mother, Zhang Da looked back at the haggard old woman who was sleeping soundly on the bed.

Ten taels of silver may not be enough to take good care of his mother, but if he dies, there will be no one to take care of his mother.

"You can also give the pill to your mother," Dong Jia said in a clear voice. Although she was only thirteen years old, she did not have any sympathy in her heart at the moment. Instead, she said in a somewhat immature but very rational voice:
"This pill can cure all diseases and eliminate all lesions, but I'm not sure, so I don't recommend you give the pill to your mother. After all, the crime of killing your mother is too serious."

Upon hearing that the elixir could cure all diseases and eliminate all lesions, Zhang Da's face suddenly lit up with joy. However, Dong Jia's voice immediately dashed his hopes, because the elixir could not be guaranteed to be genuine.

It is even possible that you will die if you eat it!
"But you can rest assured," Dong Jia raised her long eyelashes under her bamboo hat and added, "If you die after taking the elixir, I will find the best doctor to treat your mother."

"I can even arrange for your mother to live in a farm in the countryside." Dong Jia paused and said calmly, "But the prerequisite is that you want to test the medicine for me..."

After hearing this, Zhang Da was stunned. He couldn't refuse this condition. He raised his head and looked at the mysterious girl eagerly, saying, "Why should I believe you?"

"Pah!" Before he finished speaking, he saw the girl take out a cloth bag from under her raincoat and put it on the table. When she opened it, it was indeed silver, and the amount was no less than ten taels.

"Excuse me, who is this girl?" Zhang Da still felt uneasy and wanted to know her origins.

"You have no other choice. Either take a gamble or return the pills and silver to me, and pretend what happened today never happened." Dong Jia said, extending his white palm to Zhang Da.

"Okay, I'll eat it!" Zhang Da knew that the other party was right and he had no choice. Even though the other party was just a little girl, there were two strong men standing outside the door.

As soon as the little girl calls for help, the two men will rush in.

Without hesitation, Zhang Da swallowed the pill in one gulp, and at this moment, Dong Jia stared at Zhang Da's reaction.

“If this elixir that can remove all impurities and lesions from the body is real, then the method of cultivating immortals is also real…” Dong Jia’s lively eyes scanned Zhang Da back and forth.

As time passed, after a while, Zhang Da's expression finally changed, and Dong Jia suddenly became nervous.

"Uh!" At this moment, Zhang Da, who was sitting on the stool, suddenly changed his expression, and then his whole face distorted.

The face with swollen eyelids was now covered with fine cold sweat.

Even the whole person was shaking violently at this moment.

Dong Jia was also shocked to see Zhang Da like this, but his lively eyes were still fixed on Zhang Da.

"Puff!" Finally, Zhang Da's face was distorted and his whole body was shaking, as if he could not bear the great pain at the moment. He suddenly opened his mouth and a mouthful of smelly black blood spurted out.

Then, the cramped and small room was filled with a disgusting and even sour fishy smell.

Dong Jia didn't have time to think about it, he turned around and pushed open the window.

"Whoosh!" A strong wind carrying moisture rushed in, blowing away the stench in the room. Only then did Dong Jia look at Zhang Da.

At this moment, Zhang Da was seen bending over, breathing heavily. After a while, he seemed to realize something and slowly sat up straight. Under the light shining through the window gap, his whole complexion changed.

Before, he had swollen eyelids, dry and pale lips, and spoke weakly, but now his swollen eyes had long since returned to normal, and his complexion had turned from dull to rosy.

"I feel very...good now..." The most intuitive feeling is of course Zhang Da himself.

At this moment, Zhang Da opened his eyes wide, looking at Dong Jia with surprise, who was a little dazed at the moment and muttered to himself, "It's true". Then, as if he thought of something, he knelt down in front of Dong Jia with a plop.

"Benefactor, please, save my mother!" Zhang Da knew that this elixir could instantly eliminate the lesions in his body and make him extremely healthy, which meant that this elixir was very precious.

He was just helping people test medicine. It was already a great opportunity to be able to eat one pill. If he wanted to get another pill, the chance was very slim. But no matter what, he had to give it a try.

He is willing to pay any price for this!

"As long as you can save my mother, from now on, my life will belong to your benefactor. I will do whatever you say!" After Zhang Da said this, he began to kowtow at Dong Jia's feet.

"Here!" However, what he didn't expect was that the girl in front of him was surprisingly easy to talk to. She took out another identical small jade bottle and handed it to him.

Under Zhang Da's stunned gaze, Dong Jia did not intend to stay any longer. As he turned around, he said in a calm tone, but he could not suppress his joy: "Remember what you said, your life will be mine from now on."

"Someone will come to make arrangements for you and your mother tomorrow..." As the door was pushed open, cold wind blew in, and Zhang Da's rough body shuddered violently, then he came to his senses and looked outside the door.

Deep in the rain and fog, the girl's petite body gradually disappeared.

"Thank you very much, benefactor!" However, Zhang Da still knocked his head heavily, making a dull sound.

Dong Jia came out of the quiet and deserted alley and stepped into the carriage with the help of two strong men.

"Da da da." The carriage went away and disappeared in the rain and fog.

"Swish!" But shortly after the carriage went away, a ghostly middle-aged figure appeared.

The middle-aged man looked at the carriage going away and said slowly, "No. 13, Dong Jia, daughter of Yingtian Prefecture Governor Dong Cheng... She was granted a chance to become an immortal by Ling Falcon half a month ago..."

"He is clever. Although he is young, he is brave and careful. He is too cautious. His weakness is that he is kind and easily moved by sympathy. He may have other plans... Overall assessment: Upper B qualification."

"Flutter!" At this moment, the crow above his head flapped its wings, circled around, and then landed, standing on the middle-aged man's shoulder.

"Continue to observe No. 15." The man touched the crow's body, and then patted it. With a cry, the crow flapped its wings and flew up. After circling twice in the rain and fog, it flew away.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man also raised his feet and quickly caught up. If there were any Ming Dynasty Immortal Martial Arts guards who had practiced Immortal Martial Arts here, they would definitely recognize that the man's figure and steps were exactly what a person who practiced Immortal Martial Arts would have.

……

In a small courtyard behind Jiming Temple in Nanjing City.

"The Qi-inducing Technique is the secret key to becoming an immortal. It awakens one's potential, connects the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and lays the foundation for the path to immortality..."

A bald little monk who looked about ten years old but had a slightly blue face, was holding a piece of tortoise shell that was larger than his hands when spread out, and was reading the words on the tortoise shell softly.

On the other side of the tortoise shell are two pictures depicting various meridians and acupoints of the human body.

"Can taking the pill eliminate all the diseases in the body?"

Fa Yuan looked at the black pill in his hand and hesitated. But when he thought of the snow-white falcon that stood up three meters tall and brought him the tortoise shell and elixir containing the magic spell, his expression became firm again, and he opened his mouth and swallowed the pill.

What Fa Yuan didn't know was that, against the earthen wall outside his room, leaned a middle-aged monk with casual clothes and stubble.

"Number 24, Fayuan, an orphan adopted by the abbot, Uncle Guangsheng. He is weak and sickly, and the doctor has determined that he will not live past the age of twelve. He is well versed in Buddhism and is known as a genius in Buddhism. He has a kind heart..." As the middle-aged monk spoke, he held a piece of paper in his hand and wrote something, saying:
"Comprehensive evaluation: China League Two."

"Chirp!" A whistle was heard, and a crow flew over from a distance. The crow rolled up the paper and put it into the bamboo tube on its leg, saying with a smile, "Go, find number 26!"

……

"What a big bird..." In a small courtyard of a residential area, a boy about fifteen years old was lying on the window, staring in amazement at the huge bird in the yard, which was at least ten feet tall.

"Ga!" The falcon blinked its blue eyes, let out a soft cry, then raised its claws and walked towards the boy.

"For me?" The young man asked the falcon as it took out a thick letter from its feathers. For some reason, he was not afraid of this strange bird at all, but felt very excited!

"Ga." The falcon nodded and chirped softly, signaling the boy to take the letter. Then it used its beak to tap the two jade bottles, one large and one small, hanging around its neck.

"Is it for me too?" the young man asked, taking the jade bottle from Ling Falcon's neck, then looking at Ling Falcon and said:

"Were you sent by the immortal?"

"Tap, tap, tap!" However, the spirit falcon did not answer him. It turned around and walked into the yard with heavy and dull steps, then flapped its wings, entraining a large amount of water vapor.

The terrifying air flow fluctuations formed a water tornado directly in the yard, and it seemed as if it was riding on the tornado and rising into the sky.

Such a scene deeply shocked the young man's heart.

After a while, the young man looked at the envelope and opened it impatiently, wanting to know what the immortal wanted to say to him.

"Plop." First, a shriveled tortoise shell larger than an adult's palm fell out from the huge envelope bag.

In the upper right corner of the tortoise shell, there was a line of tiny vertical characters. The boy read in a low voice: "No. 2454... What does it mean?" The boy didn't quite understand, but he still picked up the letter in the envelope and read it. It read:
"I am Yunyin Zhenren, living on the top of the Nine Heavens Sea of ​​Clouds, watching the changes of the stars and understanding the truth of heaven and earth. Today, I am writing this letter to pass on my method of cultivating immortals to you, the children with predestined relationships. I hope you can take this opportunity to embark on the path of cultivation and explore the true meaning of life..."

"The way to cultivate immortality is the art of longevity... You will gain insight into the essence of all things in the world and attain the great path of immortality..."

The same scene was constantly happening in Nanjing.

Some of them were brought personally by the Spirit Falcon with the immortal cultivation method - 'Qi Yin Jue' as well as spiritual rice and elixirs; others had already been granted immortal methods and spiritual resources, and were monitored by Spirit Crows.

In other places, such as some remote villages in the suburbs, there were even huge falcons descending from the sky, and there were also Taoists in Taoist robes with ghostly figures riding on cranes, claiming that their sects were recruiting disciples.

Of course, not only young men and women of ordinary birth were granted immortal magic, but also some children and clan members of high-ranking officials in the six ministries of Nanjing City obtained immortal magic.

Those who obtained the magic skills all chose to keep it secret tacitly. Even if some young people couldn't help but tell others, they would be sternly stopped by their parents if they saw them.

This phenomenon has been going on in Nanjing for nearly two months. With the arrival of Hai Rui, the falcons and crows have become more active, especially on this day.

Because the man behind all this was Xu Jie, Lord Xu. He wanted Hai Rui to notice it. Of course, not only did he want Hai Rui to notice it, he also wanted Li Chengwu to know it.

Even, the emperor has to know!

"Chirp!" A huge falcon soared into the sky from somewhere outside the suburbs of Nanjing, creating a spectacular sight like a large waterspout.

"What? They copied 30,000 copies of the immortal technique and distributed them to the people of Nanjing?!"

At Xu Jie's residence, after hearing Xu Jie's plan, even Zhang Juzheng, who was usually calm, was shocked and sat up, looking at Xu Jie in disbelief with his eyes wide open.

Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji, who were standing by, felt horrified after hearing Xu Jie's plan.

"Lord Xu, are you crazy?" Gao Gong stared at Xu Jie, who was sitting at the top with a calm face. His whole body was trembling. "Yan Shifan's reforms are not yet complete!"

"The emperor has not issued an order to announce to the people of the world that the Ming Dynasty has a method of cultivating immortals. Even the entire army has not completed the replacement of the Immortal Guards..." Gao Gong pointed at Xu Jie, his lips trembling, "If the emperor knows about this, you know the consequences!"

At this moment, Zhao Zhenji only felt his scalp tingling and goose bumps all over his body.

He looked at Xu Jie as if he was a madman. He had never felt that Xu Jie was so strange.

In his heart, Xu Jie should be an extremely calm, extremely patient, and extremely wise person.

Even if they knew that Xu Jie intended to sacrifice himself to protect all the members of the Qingliu faction and thus pave the way for his own family.

But his plan, no, it should not be called a plan, it should be an action, because he has already done it, it is really too crazy.

He acted first and reported later, completely bypassing the emperor to decide the direction of the Ming Dynasty. Not only him, but even Yan Song and even the princes would not dare to do such a thing.

They all knew that the emperor was more cautious than anyone else when it came to cultivating immortals and making the Ming Dynasty a dynasty of cultivating immortals.

It can be said that even the emperor himself is taking one step at a time, walking down to earth.

First, let the Ming Dynasty be reborn and become the most prosperous mortal dynasty, and then carry out reforms, transforming from the inside out. After completing the last step, let the Ming Dynasty enter the immortal dynasty stage.

What is the purpose of the emperor doing this? Seeking stability!

Although the Ming Dynasty has now completed all the preparations and tasks it needs to accomplish, it only needs the finishing touch, which will take less than two years.

But Xu Jie's move was ultimately an act of usurpation!
Even if nothing unexpected happens in Nanjing City because of this, even if something goes wrong, it will not affect the Ming Dynasty, but if the emperor knows about it, he will still not forgive Xu Jie.

Because Xu Jie's behavior was already a challenge to the imperial power!

"If we don't do this, how can we attract Li Chengwu to join the game, and how can we make him break the situation and make things worse so that the emperor has to intervene?" Xu Jie said in a calm tone, looking at the three emotional people, "Next, I need your help!"

Without waiting for Zhang Juzheng and the other two to speak, Xu Jie followed up with another statement: "Do your best to help me suppress this matter and lock down the city of Nanjing!"

"You must know that the longer this matter is suppressed, the greater the power will be when it explodes, to the point where no one can ignore it!"

"In addition, I need you to lend the members of your respective families who have already embarked on the path of cultivating immortals and practicing immortal martial arts to the Xu family, and then transfer them all to Nanjing City."

"Just keep this matter until the 52nd year of Jiajing!"

"Now that Hai Rui has arrived in Nanjing, Li Chengwu and the others will definitely focus their attention on Nanjing! Once the matter of cultivating immortals is exposed, they will definitely investigate it with all their strength!"

"I, Xu Jie, and the Xu family will bear all the consequences of this matter. In this way, after the Xu family and Li Chengwu's family are destroyed, you can take the opportunity to divide the court!" As he spoke, Xu Jie slowly stood up, bowed to the three people, and said:
"As long as I have my own bloodline, the path to immortality will be unobstructed!"

Using the entire family to exchange for the immortal path of his own family! At this moment, Zhang Juzheng and others finally understood Xu Jie's intention.

Of course, at this moment, it was not only them who understood Xu Jie’s intentions, but also Jiajing and Yan Song, a family of three.

Even Jiajing and Yan Song, a family of three, knew more and saw things more deeply.

They also knew that the gift Xu Jie prepared for the court was that in the 52nd year of Jiajing, when the Immortal Dynasty was announced, a ready-made city for cultivating immortals would appear.

Whether this matter can be suppressed until the 52nd year of Jiajing's reign depends entirely on Jiajing's intentions. If Jiajing accepts this gift, it means that Xu Jie has won, otherwise he will surely lose.

Even the fight with Li Chengwu was not about a mere smuggling case, the prefect's suicide, or the exposure of the magic soon after, but was in the hands of the emperor!
Xu Jie was trying to please Jiajing!
A large city for cultivating immortals was given as a gift, and all the resources consumed in it were borne by the Xu Jie family, or even Qingliu.

The emperor got a great city for cultivating immortals for free!
Everything depends on whether Jiajing accepts this gift!

Because Xu Jie understood that in the Ming Dynasty, whoever had the emperor's support would be the winner. Winning or losing was never decided on the field, but off the field, in the hands of the supreme emperor!

"..."

(End of this chapter)