Taking advantage of the gap during the shift change, the group slipped away through the moat. Thanks to his little brother keeping watch from above and the intelligence provided by the personal guards, they ran into no trouble.
The only complication was that crossing the moat with so many people naturally made quite a stir.
Fortunately, the garrison guards were rather slack at that moment.
Presumably, the imperial forces and the rebels were locked in fierce fighting inside the city, leaving them completely unable to spare attention elsewhere.
According to the original plan, once Hong Qiming captured Shangguan Shutong, he was supposed to sit at the center and command operations.
However, because Hong Qiming had vanished midway through, the rebellion was left without its leader, leaving the mutinous officers in Dingyuan City like dragons without a head.
Under normal circumstances, they would have quelled the opposition by this time and begun rallying people to their cause.
Yet having lost their leader, each faction fought for itself. The rebels—who originally had not stood the slightest chance of winning—now had an opportunity. As a result, the various factions throughout Dingyuan City were practically beating each other's brains out.
None of this had much to do with Wei Yuefu, however. What pained him right now was that full suit of armor of his.
To cross the moat, he had no choice but to travel light; otherwise, with all that weight, he would have sunk straight to the bottom.
In the end, he took only two golden melon hammers, abandoning everything else, such as his shield, back in the secret passage.
Fortunately, he still had his padded undergarments and leather armor, so he was not completely without protection.
Seeing Wei Yuefu like this, the others were speechless. Why was a man who fought so ferociously so terrified of dying?
To that, Wei Yuefu could only say that fighting fiercely and being afraid of dying were not mutually exclusive...
As a transmigrator who had already died once and then endured the terrible sickness brought by the Spiritual Energy Revival, Wei Yuefu cherished his life immensely.
Thus, most of the time, if he did not have to take action personally, he would not. The progress might be slower, but safety was paramount.
Of course, when backed into a corner, he was daring enough to charge in; he was not truly timid.
"Lord Shangguan, where should we head next?" Wei Yuefu asked.
By now, they had parted ways with Hong Qiming's family and personal guards.
Those people had taken part in the rebellion, so they naturally dared not follow along.
Once they reached their destination, a single report would mean death for every last one of them.
Even so, from now on, they could only live under false names or walk the dark path to the bitter end; returning to a normal life was out of the question.
Unless the Great Jing Dynasty collapsed.
"To neighboring Qingchuan Prefecture," Shangguan Shutong said with a sigh. Though he had preserved his life this time, by any measure he had botched his duties.
He did not even know if he would be able to keep his post.
After all, he had undeniably lost Dingyuan City, so his official rank would most likely be stripped away.
Hearing this, the group could only set out.
Fortunately, Shangguan Shutong knew the way, so there was no worry of getting lost.
Along the road, Shen Qianjun deliberately fell back and approached.
"Bronze Badge Ding, name your price. I'll buy that pill," Shen Qianjun murmured.
Wei Yuefu glanced at the others nearby. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he replied in an undertone, "How about you name a price instead, Bronze Badge Shen, and let me make a copy? What do you say?"
Giving it up was out of the question; he wanted it for himself.
"Even if I gave it to you, Bronze Badge Ding, you wouldn't be able to practice it with your aptitude," Shen Qianjun said truthfully.
The old Ding Shoucheng certainly could not have, but now he was Wei Yuefu; mastering it would not be difficult.
"Fair enough. But I do want to ask—why must you have this pill?" Wei Yuefu asked. "Can't you concoct it yourself?"
Hearing this, Shen Qianjun let out a sigh. "My qi and blood... aren't sufficient."
Wei Yuefu was stunned. Shen Qianjun's qi and blood were actually insufficient?!
Just how ridiculously high was the entry barrier for this martial art?
"That's why I need to take the Dragon Marrow Blood-Tempering Pill in your hands—to temporarily gain a vast surge of qi and blood in a short time, and then use that surge to achieve initial mastery of the Mount Sumeru King Immovable Divine Art."
"As for concocting it, there is no recipe at all." At that, Shen Qianjun's expression turned bitter.
He had learned from Hua Shirui that the Dragon Marrow Blood-Tempering Pill was a treasure pill of the previous dynasty's imperial family, long since lost when the dynasty fell.
And while she did not know the origins of the Mount Sumeru King Immovable Divine Art, it definitely did not belong to the previous dynasty.
The annotations inside were most likely left by an imperial clan member of the former dynasty who had practiced the Mount Sumeru King Immovable Divine Art and discovered how well the two complemented each other.
So barring any surprises, the Dragon Marrow Blood-Tempering Pill in Wei Yuefu's possession was the last one under heaven.
Once it was gone, the Mount Sumeru King Immovable Divine Art would also be lost to the ages.
That was why Shen Qianjun was so thoroughly frustrated, leaving him no choice but to bite the bullet and approach Wei Yuefu.
Wei Yuefu also understood that this combination was formidable indeed. In terms of qi and blood, the Eight Treasures Golden Body purified it, while the Mount Sumeru King Immovable Divine Art expanded its upper limit.
One increased quality, while the other raised quantity.
A quintessential protagonist loadout, indeed.
Though Shen Qianjun had missed out on the Eight Treasures Golden Body, he had acquired the Pure Lotus Precious Scroll instead.
"In other words, I don't have the technique, and you don't have the pill," Wei Yuefu said, rubbing his chin. "How about this, Bronze Badge Shen: let me copy the technique. Aside from this pill, name whatever you want. I'll save it to pass down to my son."
His reasoning was simple: he wanted to practice it too.
With his aptitude, getting started would not be hard, and he could leave the rest to his little brother on idle mode.
He might not practice as quickly as Shen Qianjun, but obtaining it was pure profit.
"Well..." Shen Qianjun could tell that Wei Yuefu was not going to budge.
This put him in a difficult spot for a moment. The other man only wanted a copy, not the original manual.
Yet after turning it over in his mind, he ultimately gave up on the idea.
"I can give you the original and keep a copy for myself, but I will only trade for the Dragon Marrow Blood-Tempering Pill," Shen Qianjun said gravely.
Since the secret manual prescribed it, he had better follow it to the letter.
Otherwise, if he substituted other great medicines or pills that temporarily boosted qi and blood, who knew what issues might arise?
Hearing this, Wei Yuefu could only say with regret, "Then we have nothing to discuss."
"You have great aptitude; you don't necessarily need this pill."
"My descendants will nine times out of ten inherit my poor aptitude, so having just the manual without the pill means they definitely won't be able to practice it."
"Besides, even without the manual, I could always swallow the pill myself and use it for cultivation," Wei Yuefu added.
Doing so would indeed be a reckless waste of a heavenly treasure, but for Wei Yuefu, as long as it was destroyed, it made no difference. The Descent Mission did not care how he destroyed it.
Eating it worked; throwing it into a fire and burning it to ash worked too. In any case, the ultimate goal was simply to keep it out of Shen Qianjun's hands.
This left Shen Qianjun at a loss for words. Wei Yuefu was utterly impervious to any approach, soft or hard.
In the end, he could only sigh. This matter could not be rushed; it had to be taken slowly.
He wanted Wei Yuefu's pill, and Wei Yuefu wanted his manual, leaving them at a temporary standstill.
What Shen Qianjun did not anticipate, however, was that Wei Yuefu still had his little brother. Wei Yuefu certainly had not forgotten how he obtained the Eight Treasures Golden Body in the first place.
Chapter 41