Zhang Xinhu had not expected to run into Zhou Wuji at this moment. He truly wanted to draw his blade and charge right over to hack Zhou Wuji into mincemeat.
Along with the rest of the lower abbey Daoists, and even the Ironclad Guards Wu Di and Jin Chuan—he wanted to slaughter every last one of them!
Not a single one was decent; all deserved to die!
Yet he had already received word that the rogue soldiers had all been slain, without a single survivor left.
Since the plot had not been exposed, there was no need to throw his life away.
Though murderous intent boiled in his chest, Zhang Xinhu quickly cooled down. Gradually slowing his horse, he pulled up before a pile of corpses.
With eyes as sharp as his, Zhang Xinhu immediately noticed that the wounds on most of the corpses were exceptionally clean, and many had taken a sword thrust through the throat.
The rogue soldiers had all worn armor, so whoever wielded the blade had aimed specifically for their necks.
Even an ordinary person's head was highly alert, reacting to the slightest movement.
For rogue soldiers to have fought their way here, their martial skills had to be thoroughly honed. To pierce their throats with a single thrust was an extraordinarily difficult feat.
Could Zhou Wuji truly be capable of such seasoned, pristine swordsmanship?
Zhang Xinhu also spotted Zhang Yuan. That slick fellow had been decapitated, and the cut was not quite so smooth; it had likely been made by a saber.
One could only say the rogue soldiers were utterly incompetent! They had cost him so many men for nothing.
Zhang Xinhu looked toward Zhou Wuji again. Zhou Wuji met his gaze with a calm look, then turned with Wuzheng and entered the courtyard.
As Wu Di strolled over at an unhurried pace, Zhang Xinhu could no longer put on airs. He swung down from his horse and took the initiative to greet him.
"Chief Banner Officer Wu, may I have a word in private?"
Wu Di was slightly surprised, but asked no questions and walked with Zhang Xinhu beneath the large tree at the center of the village.
Seeing no one around, Zhang Xinhu said bluntly, "Chief Banner Officer, please help me kill Zhou Wuji. Name your price."
Wu Di could not help chuckling. Zhang Xinhu had not bothered with any subtle probing and had jumped straight into hiring him for murder. Just what kind of man did Zhang Xinhu take him for?
"Brother Zhang, I understand the grief of losing a son. But Daoist Zhou belongs to the Daoist sects. Strictly speaking, he is my colleague—"
"He killed my son in broad daylight at Canglong Temple! He is a murderer!" By the end of the sentence, Zhang Xinhu's voice was fierce and stern.
"You do not get to decide that. The county yamen has no authority to meddle in the internal affairs of the Daoist sects; this can only be submitted to the Celestial Master Mansion..."
As a Chief Banner Officer of the Pacification Office post, Wu Di was intimately familiar with the imperial laws and statutes.
Zhou Wuji, Zhang Wuding, and Fang Wuzhen were all disciples of the Daoist sects. If Zhou Wuji had killed two of them, the local authorities had no jurisdiction to intervene, and even the Pacification Office would not step in.
Even if charges were pressed, the case had to be forwarded to the Celestial Master Mansion for adjudication.
This applied not only to Daoism, but also to Buddhism.
Allowing sects to manage their own internal affairs was the court's way of showing respect to the two great teachings.
"One thousand taels of gold." Knowing what kind of man Wu Di was, Zhang Xinhu cut the chatter and made his offer directly.
One thousand taels of gold was by no means a small sum, especially compared to Zhou Wuji's standing as an eighth-rank Daoist. The price was downright extravagant.
Wu Di felt a stir of temptation. He cared nothing for reputation, nor how others viewed him.
Once one became an Ironclad Guard, what reputation was there to speak of?
Only benefits landed safely in hand were real; everything else was nonsense.
Yet sensing the price could still be pushed higher, he remained pensively silent.
Zhang Xinhu saw through Wu Di's intent and raised the stakes: "I also have a stalk of centennial purple blood ginseng, originally saved for my own breakthrough to rank six.
"Slay Zhou Wuji, and it is yours as well."
Wu Di's heart leaped even faster. Purple blood ginseng was a spiritual herb that extraordinarily nourished qi and blood, and it was quite rare.
A centennial purple blood ginseng was rarer still—truly a treasure money could not buy.
He had no hopes of advancing further in the martial path, but with this stalk of purple blood ginseng, he could at least extend his lifespan by three to five years. Even as a gift, it was a magnificent offering no one could refuse.
Zhang Xinhu continued, "Brother Wu, I also know the location of a large contingent of rogue soldiers.
"When the time comes, I will help you eliminate their battalion commander. Quelling the rebellion will be another major merit—more than enough to earn you a promotion..."
Puzzled, Wu Di asked, "You are paying such a massive price just to vent your rage on Zhou Wuji?"
Zhang Xinhu said in a deep voice, "I'll speak plainly. The Mind Tiger method I cultivate depends above all on state of mind. Without Zhou Wuji dead, my heart cannot find peace!"
"Very well, I will do Brother Zhang this favor. The purple blood ginseng will serve as the deposit."
Wu Di added leisurely, "However, as for how and when to kill him, Brother Zhang cannot rush me."
His calculations were simple: secure the purple blood ginseng first no matter what.
If an opportunity arose, he would take Zhou Wuji out in passing and pocket that thousand taels of gold.
If no opportunity appeared, he would simply wait. In any case, a deposit was never going to be returned.
Zhang Xinhu had guessed Wu Di's thoughts as well, yet he declared magnanimously, "It's a deal."
Giving away this stalk of purple blood ginseng served two purposes: one was to kill Zhou Wuji, and the other was to smooth things over.
After all, the convoy had met with disaster here. Now that a greedy vulture like Wu Di had sunk his teeth in, he had to be fed to the brim.
Inside the room, Wuzheng was also discussing Wu Di with Zhou Wuji. Frowning, he said, "That Wu Di is like a venomous snake, making one feel both disgusted and apprehensive just looking at him."
Zhou Wuji nodded gravely. "He has a moniker—the Venomous Python. A python dares to swallow anything, yet pythons have no venom. This man, however, is both venomous and insatiably greedy. We should stay as far from him as possible."
Wuzheng shook his head with a sigh. "How could there be any good men among the Ironclad Guards?"
The Pacification Office was tasked specifically with supervising the hundred officials, investigating sedition, and executing the emperor's secret decrees; the department was designed expressly to handle dirty work.
Over the centuries, as imperial authority grew ever stronger, the Pacification Office had spread across every corner of the land.
Because its agents wore distinctive iron armor, the common people called them the Ironclad Guards.
Officials and commoners alike felt nothing but utter disgust and hatred toward them.
Zhou Wuji murmured an agreement. Wu Di was indeed scum, but he was far more concerned about Zhang Xinhu.
Noticing Zhou Wuji had something on his mind, Wuzheng said, "Junior Brother, there is no need to worry. No matter how bold Zhang Xinhu is, he would never dare touch you.
"Once word reaches back, the lower abbey will naturally dispatch experts to back us up."
Having narrowly escaped death in Laocang Village, Wuzheng harbored tremendous resentment toward Zhang Xinhu as well.
A mere provincial squire had dared to act so rampant!
Zhou Wuji nodded in assent and said, "Zhang Xinhu is unyielding and vicious. We should still remain careful..."
Wuzheng agreed wholeheartedly. Yesterday he had doubted Zhou Wuji, and it had nearly cost him his life.
Wuzheng went outside to speak with Patrol Officer Zhang Huai, and the lower abbey party traveled alongside the patrol officers back toward Siming County.
By the time they reached Siming County, the sky was completely dark, and they settled into a local inn for the night to rest.
Once inside the county town, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Neither the rogue soldiers nor Zhang Xinhu would ever dare run amok inside the county seat.
The inn offered decent accommodations as well. Zhou Wuji was given a private guest room, along with hot water to wash his face and feet.
The meals were freshly prepared by a chef, rich and fragrant.
Having rushed about for days, everyone finally had a proper meal and ate with hearty appetites.
Sitting beside Zhou Wuji, Wuming could not resist eating a whole bowl of rice.
Zhou Wuji, by contrast, only tasted a little of each dish. The Zhang family held immense influence in the county seat, and one could never rule out the possibility of poison. After all, an abundance of caution was never amiss.
After dinner, Zhou Wuji declined Wuming's invitation to go for a stroll and returned straight to his room.
Wuming had originally felt a bit of interest in exploring the county town, but since her senior brother was not going, going alone had no appeal.
Before Zhou Wuji could even settle in, Wuming came bounding over after him.
With a beaming smile, she said, "Senior Brother, let me continue teaching you the Tianshu Hand."
Zhou Wuji nodded. "I've gained a few insights of my own. Have a look and see if I'm practicing it right."
Taking a sheet of coarse straw paper from the desk in the room, he tossed it casually into the air.
Exerting force from his left thumb, he flicked it while mobilizing his true qi.
With a sharp hiss, true qi shot from his fingertip straight into the drifting pale-yellow paper, leaving a hole punched clean through.
Immediately following, his other nine fingers flicked in rapid succession, every single one releasing true qi.
Amid a flurry of hissing sounds, ten transparent perforations appeared on the yellow paper.
Zhou Wuji pressed forward with his left palm, converting his true qi into palm force that struck the yellow paper a foot away.
Hit by the soft, continuous palm force, the already battered paper instantly shattered into fluttering fragments that filled the air.
His right palm followed with a sweeping press. The soft, exquisite palm force of the Tianshu Hand descended like a netting veil, drawing all the scattered paper scraps back into his open palm.
When Zhou Wuji drew his hands back, his right palm was stacked full of shredded paper, while not a single scrap remained on the floor.
Zhou Wuji was about to ask for Wuming's thoughts, but turning his head, he saw her little mouth hanging wide open as she stared at him in utter disbelief!
This shock was undoubtedly the finest praise, but what truly stirred Zhou Wuji's heart was the silly, adorable look of her open mouth. He almost had the urge to reach a finger inside and touch her little tongue...
Chapter 35