Chapter 264: No Title
"Tap tap tap."
Listening to the footsteps coming behind her, Liu packed her bag and asked, "What are your plans next?"
However, after she asked, she did not receive a reply from Li Ming. Immediately afterwards, Liu felt a pair of strong arms around her waist, and her husband's broad chest behind her.
Suddenly being hugged by Li Ming, Liu's movement of packing things suddenly paused. A smile appeared on her gentle and generous face. Then she silently covered the pair of big hands with her hands, leaned back gently, and arched her head slightly.
"Why, are you scared?" Looking at his gentle and quiet wife and listening to her soft voice, Li Ming chuckled and said thoughtfully, "Well... a little." Then, he added, "I'm afraid it will implicate you and the child."
"The family has been involved in the spirit stone business for a long time. Baole's sudden warning this time means something big is going to happen."
"Ever since Master Hai was promoted to the capital and appointed as the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Inspectorate, the sword hanging over everyone's head has left. Over the years, the underground forces in Nanjing have been growing day by day!"
"Officials embezzled and accepted bribes. If it were anything else, it would be fine, but this spiritual stone business involves too much."
"It was just a minor incident before. Smuggling some spiritual stones from overseas was harmless and not a big deal."
"But now, all the immortal cultivation families, big and small, in Nanjing City are more or less involved in the spirit stone business."
"I'm afraid that if the imperial court takes action this time, it will definitely be a bloodbath. Whether it's the Li family or the Wang family, it will be difficult to escape."
"The entire family may be uprooted..." Liu did not speak, but just leaned quietly in Li Ming's arms.
"I'm worried that I won't be able to escape then." As he spoke, Li Ming slowly let go of Liu, letting her face him, and said seriously, "Madam, I want you to promise me one thing."
Liu raised her eyes and gazed at Li Ming with eyes as gentle as water.
"I heard that if it is related to the spiritual stone business, once it is discovered, the local county government will be the first to handle it."
"After that, it was the Nanjing garrison, and after that, it was directly handled by the Jinyiwei and Xianwusi."
"Although I don't think this matter is worthy of being reported to the imperial court, let the Royal Guards or the Immortal Martial Arts Division take direct action."
"But we should be prepared for the worst. As long as the Jinyiwei or Xianwusi take action, they will not show any mercy. They don't even need evidence to investigate the case..."
"If the people coming here are really the Jinyiwei or the Xianwusi, then even if we flee to the ends of the earth, the imperial court will still be able to find us. You must know that the whole world belongs to the king!"
"All we can do is try our best to survive. If things really come to this, I will buy time for Madam and Baole. I hope Madam will not be distracted by me!"
Seeing Li Ming's serious expression, a complex look flashed in Liu's soft eyes.
"Puff." The complexity in Liu's eyes suddenly disappeared, and she lowered her head and chuckled. Then she looked up and met Li Ming's puzzled gaze, and said with a smile: "What is your cultivation level? Are you here to cover my retreat?"
“…Uh.” Li Ming was stunned for a moment when he saw his wife Liu like this, but his pupils turned slightly red unconsciously.
Involuntarily, his vision blurred, but the scene of their first meeting emerged unconsciously in his mind.
The sixty-fifth year of Jiajing.
Jiangning County, outside the old Wazi Town, night.
"Stop, you have no way to go!" Li Ming, a young man in a light gray linen gown, held a sword in one hand and a talisman in the other, pointing at the masked figure in black not far away.
"What I have in my hand is a Vajra Talisman. If you take another step, don't blame me for being rude." Li Ming shouted.
Sure enough, the man in black, who understood the Vajra Talisman, paused as he was about to take a step forward.
"Turn around!" Li Ming raised his chin slightly, his face full of complacency. His current cultivation level is the fourth level of Qi training.
Even if we look at the entire world of immortal cultivation today, he can be considered a strong man.
The reason for this, of course, was that in the 60th year of Jiajing, when he was 15 years old, he was chosen by the Yunyin Patriarch, had his natal star transplanted, and was granted a large amount of resources.
In just five years, his cultivation level will surpass that of his cousin Li Tianming, the family's number one genius.
In the past five years, he has been the most popular person in the clan. Even the genius young clan leader Li Tianming seems to be somewhat overshadowed by his speed of cultivation.
After all, in just five years, he went from a loser who could hardly draw Qi into his body to a breakthrough to the fourth level of Qi training.
Just ask, what is the speed of cultivation?
Li Ming's name had already spread throughout the world of immortal cultivation, and his parents were also well-known in the clan.
There is an endless stream of clansmen visiting every day, and the smiles on my parents’ faces never disappear!
Of course, as his reputation grew, more and more people began to covet him and the Li family.
After all, there are only so many resources in the world of immortal cultivation, and these immortal cultivation families cannot be seen in the light of day in the Ming Dynasty.
In addition to the fixed supply to the two factories and one guardhouse, the major families in the city had to lower their prices, and they could only keep a handful of spiritual resources. In this way, trading with other independent cultivators became an important source of earning spiritual resources.
But there are only so many independent cultivators, and the source of their spiritual objects is naturally from trade in the city. Although these independent cultivators are also not allowed to be seen in the light by the imperial court, they are all alone, so it doesn't matter if they are exposed.
It is precisely because of these independent cultivators who can roam around freely that their well-established immortal cultivation families and sects can circulate spiritual resources freely.
To put it simply, independent cultivators buy the talismans, pills, magical instruments, etc. they need from the cultivation shops in the city and the Immortal Law Bureau set up by the imperial court, and then use these things to obtain spiritual rice, spiritual fruits and other supplies from the lands of these families at high prices.
Although it is a transaction between the two parties, in essence these independent cultivators are more like "brokers".
In this way, independent cultivators become particularly important.
And the most important thing is, if these independent cultivators trade with the immortal cultivation families or the Immortal Law Bureau in the city that are recognized by the imperial court, all parties will not deliberately raise the price because they have no power.
Even if they knew that these independent cultivators would cooperate with the immortal cultivation families, they would not be able to deliberately raise the price.
Well, although I don’t know why the Xianfa Division doesn’t deliberately raise the price, after all, they can do it if they want to.
However, after much deliberation, the scattered cultivators finally came to the conclusion that it was due to Hai Rui, Master Hai. After all, everyone knew that Master Hai hated people who exploited the common people the most.
Although they are independent cultivators, in Master Hai's opinion, as long as the imperial court does not issue a clear document demanding their extermination, Master Hai will first consider them as civilians, and then they will be the so-called immortal cultivators!
Therefore, in the entire Ming Dynasty's immortal cultivation world, Hai Rui's reputation is extremely loud and he is very popular.
As for those immortal cultivation families, seeing that even the Immortal Law Department did not deliberately make things difficult for these independent cultivators, they raised the prices and thus reaped the profits from the shady families and sects that cooperated with the independent cultivators.
Naturally, the shops under the control of the large and small immortal cultivation families in Nanjing City did not make things too difficult for these independent cultivators.
Besides, everyone knows that a chicken that lays eggs is a good chicken. If you kill the chicken to get the eggs, the casual cultivator will not be able to survive.
Firstly, it is not conducive to the stability that the imperial court wants. Secondly, the independent cultivators represent a group that is not allowed to see the light in the world of immortal cultivation. These forces can also provide a lot of spiritual resources.
After all, the pie is not big to begin with, so naturally everyone works together to make the pie bigger so that everyone can make a profit.
For this reason, many immortal cultivation families even have regular independent cultivators for cooperation. In this way, each family and sect has formed one sphere of influence after another.
Obviously, in Li Ming's view, the black-clothed man in front of him was another immortal family or sect trying to find out about the Li family. And he, a genius, was listed as a key target of observation by them.
However, since the other party has been caught by me this time, he can't get away easily. He must pay the price.
His current cultivation level is definitely in the middle stage of Qi training. Apart from those immortal cultivation families in Nanjing City that are registered by the court and are in the limelight, those immortal cultivation families in Yingtian Prefecture are also masters with his cultivation level.
"Humph," the man in black snorted and laughed at Li Ming's rebuke, then slowly turned around, put his hands behind his back, and said:
"What are you going to do, Daoist friend? Are you going to kill me?"
Female? Li Ming was stunned when he heard the young voice.
He didn't expect that the other party, a mere young woman, could have such a high level of cultivation! But then, Li Ming kicked this outdated idea out of his mind. Times have changed!
How a woman is, how a man is, all depends on their background and destiny. Well, at least for now, he is the only one who knows about destiny.
Therefore, we can no longer judge people by their appearance to determine their level of cultivation.
What kind of woman is so weak that she can't even tie a chicken? Now, maybe a female cultivator can kill a cow easily!
Kill? Of course you can't kill.
Although he was dazed for a moment when he realized that the other party was a woman, Li Ming reacted quickly.
In today's world of cultivating immortals, various forces have actually already formed fixed forces. They all live in peace with each other and are only concerned with developing and managing their own families.
No one would rashly kill someone from another faction unless it was absolutely necessary. Although the cultivation level of the man in black in front of him could not be seen at the moment, it should not be low. He had been chasing him all the way, and his speed was always the same. It was obvious that his cultivation level was not lower than his own. Obviously, the other party's cultivation level was likely to be on par with his own.
If this is the case, then it means that the other party is a master from a certain immortal cultivation family or sect. If I act rashly, I will create a great enemy for the Li family.
On the contrary, if they could capture the other party and hand him over to the family for disposal, the Li family would take the initiative.
Maybe, you can use one of the other party's geniuses to exchange for some territory or resources for the family.
Being valued by the family, Li Ming naturally devoted himself to the family. After all, his ambition was the same as that of his cousin Li Tianming, to become the pillar of the family and devote himself to the development of the Li family.
"Take off the mask, seal your cultivation, and follow me back to the Li family." As Li Ming spoke, he casually threw an iron bracelet at the feet of the man in black and said, "You should know this thing."
This iron bracelet, named "Soul Binding Ring", is sold by the Immortal Law Bureau and is used to bind spirit beasts and seal the spiritual energy in their bodies. However, it is also used by many people to bind and imprison monks.
“Fellow Daoist, it’s easy for me to take this thing.” The black-clothed female cultivator leaned over to pick up the “Soul Binding Ring” on the ground. While playing with it, she looked up at Li Ming and said:
"What kind of cultivation do you have that makes me listen to you?"
What is your level of cultivation? When he heard these words, Li Ming felt a flash before his eyes, followed by a pain in his abdomen. The next moment, he saw a small, unsheathed dagger in the woman's hand.
At this moment, the handle of the dagger was pressing hard against his abdomen.
"Boom!" The next moment, Li Ming's body flew backwards several meters and finally stopped after hitting an old locust tree.
"Bang!" Li Ming, who was grimacing because of the severe pain in his abdomen, felt his shoulders sink. Under the moonlight, he saw a masked female cultivator in black clothes stepping on him, supporting her knees with her hands, playing with a dagger, looking down at him with amusement.
"Tsk tsk, fellow Daoist, you are very weak." The woman said, staring with a pair of beautiful, bright eyes. She tilted her head while speaking, with an indescribable pride in her tone.
Ever since his life was transplanted, he has been regarded as a genius, and many of his peers in the family look up to him.
Being humiliated by someone who looked like his peer, Li Ming immediately became furious and ruthless. He suddenly stood up, hugged the woman's calves, and then rushed forward.
"Ah!" The woman screamed and fell to the ground. Li Ming sat on her body in an instant, with a smug smile on his bloody mouth. He quickly tore off the mask on the woman's face and sneered:
"I want to see who you are..."
However, the next moment, he was shocked by the appearance of the girl in front of him, and he stood there in a daze.
"Bang!" At this moment, the sudden change had allowed the girl to react, and she gave a ruthless knee strike.
"Ah!" Li Ming let out a howl, and his whole body twisted in pain like a cooked shrimp.
A gust of wind blew by, and the girl disappeared.
"Bang!" While he was in a daze, Li Ming felt as if something hit his abdomen again, which brought him back to his senses instantly.
When he lowered his head, he saw Madam Liu, blinking in his arms with a playful smile on her lips.
This familiar scene looked just like the one under the moon back then. At this moment, Li Ming discovered that the two figures seemed to overlap.
It was as if the talented female cultivator who should have been free and unrestrained in the world had returned again.
It was not until he saw the girlish look on her face when she was now a steady and housekeeping woman that Li Ming felt mixed emotions.
"Heh," Li Ming laughed bitterly, lowered his head, held the hands together, crossed them, put the four fingers together, and pressed the small hands against his abdomen. He grinned and said, "I forgot that Madam's cultivation is always one level higher than mine, but she hides her incompetence in front of others."
"In this way, I feel more at ease..." Before Li Ming finished his words, he felt a violent fluctuation of spiritual power coming from the core of the family.
The next moment, Li Ming's expression suddenly changed.
"Boom!" A loud roar sounded, and a huge cloud of fire rose from the center of the Li family's land.
Afterwards, when the fire cloud rose and dissipated, a giant fish with wings and a ferocious look was vaguely formed.
"The Flying Fish of the Ming Dynasty, the Embroidered Uniform Guards..." Unlike Li Ming whose expression changed drastically, Liu's eyes were calm.
In her eyes, even the Jinyiwei, who were avoided by everyone, seemed to be just ordinary people.
However, Li Ming obviously didn't notice these things at this time. After being awakened by the sudden change, he suddenly looked at Liu in his arms and said quickly: "Madam, the court has taken action!"
"With such a commotion, it's obvious that they are not going to keep it low-key. The family is likely to be uprooted!"
"We have to go!" Li Ming took a deep breath and said, "Just as we said before, if we are chased, you go first and I will cover you and delay the time!"
Seeing Li Ming's anxious expression, Liu nodded and said, "Okay!"
Because they lived in a remote area, the three of them fled quickly. Of course, other members of the Li family's collateral branches also fled with them.
Of course, the entire Jiangning County was not at peace that night, because not only the Li family, but also the Wang family and all underground forces were suppressed by the Jinyiwei almost at the same time.
"Buzz buzz buzz!" In the night sky, golden balls of light were flying over the entire Jiangning County, the Li family, the Wang family, all the major immortal cultivation families, and all the extreme forces.
Of course, the ones coming this time were not the "Jiaopo" who only managed the traffic roads, but the "Flying Fish Detective" of the Jinyiwei.
Somewhere in Jiangning County.
Three Jinyiwei dressed in Feiyu uniforms gathered together.
The leader was a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
At this moment, in the hand of this captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there was a rectangular photo-taking stone, which was three sides larger than the ordinary palm-sized photo-taking stone, and was flashing with streams of light.
On the front of the photo stone is a map of the entire Jiangning County, with the streets clearly displayed.
All the "flying fish probes" were deployed, forming a net directly over the entire Jiangning County, making it impossible for anyone to escape.
"Boss, why are you suddenly taking action against these families?" asked the deputy captain at this time.
Hearing this, the leading captain shook his head and said, "I heard that it was a so-called genius named Li Zicheng under the command of the Dongxing Jidao Gang. His remarks offended the young grandson of the Crown Prince."
"Just for such a small matter?" The deputy captain was surprised, and then hesitated to say:
"Boss, I heard that the reason why these extreme forces and the spirit stone business have not taken action yet seems to be that a certain family in the capital is raising political achievements for their children..."
"This young grandson of Prince Yu was suddenly killed in one fell swoop," the deputy captain paused and said:
"No matter if there is some kind of struggle between the top leaders, is it appropriate for small people like us to get involved in this kind of thing?"
"Don't let the top brass not do anything out of face, and we become the punching bags..."
"Moreover, Nanjing City is the first great city for cultivating immortals in our Great Ming Dynasty. Various forces have made plans here."
"What if something that shouldn't be touched is missed? How will you bear the consequences?"
"Don't worry, we, the Jinyiwei, have received reports that these families are smuggling spirit stones. In this case, we can just follow the law, and..." As he spoke, Qianhu said coldly, "We are the Jinyiwei, directly under the Emperor!"
"Our leader is a Jindan-stage cultivator. We can kill first and report later. This is a special permission granted by the emperor!"
"No matter what kind of big shot he is, would he dare to target the Jinyiwei?"
Hearing this, the deputy captain was startled, then nodded and said, "That's true."
"Our boss is in charge of the Jinyiwei and Xianwu Division, and he is also a Jindan-stage cultivator. Who dares to target us? Besides, we act according to the law!"
"If someone targets us, not only will our boss not agree, even Mr. Hai from the Inspectorate will not sit idly by."
"Okay, actually, that young grandson is just being willful because of his little power."
"It's not like we're going to clean up the entire underground forces in Nanjing, so there's no need to worry too much."
"Moreover, these people really need to be controlled. After all, spiritual stones cannot appear on a large scale. This can be regarded as a warning to the upper echelons."
"Who knows if there is any intention towards Prince Yu's Mansion? This is a very complicated matter."
"I am a Jinyiwei, and my job is just to be a knife. Don't worry about anything else!"
"..."
(End of this chapter)
