As a cautious person,
Or rather, suffering from paranoid delusions,
Zhong Shenxiu believed in one saying: there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world!
The behavior of Black Widow Hua Miao this time seemed to be just an excuse to give away a secret manual, which filled him with a sense of danger.
To this, Zhong Shenxiu’s response was—I’m not playing your game!
No matter what Hua Miao had in mind, it certainly revolved around cultivating the Yin Yang Conquest Sky Demon Great Transformation Hand.
Thus, he didn’t even glance at the secret manual, choosing instead to hand it over directly to the Divine Capture Sect.
After all, the credibility of the Divine Capture Sect was a bit stronger than that of the Five Poison Sect.
Wouldn’t it be unwise to distrust the government and cooperate with these heretics instead?
"This is natural, you say..."
Yan Wushuang glanced at the secret manual inside the box and, without being tempted, directly said,
"Firstly, although the secret manual in this box contains only the Grandmaster section, as Hua Miao said, exchanging it for another Grandmaster-level manual shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
Zhong Shenxiu tapped on the wooden box.
Although the cultivation techniques of Divine Capture Sect also had their issues, they at least posed fewer pitfalls than those laid by the Five Poison Sect.
Could this also be considered a kind of recycling waste?
"This is naturally possible."
"Besides, I need a layer of government protection. After all, I killed Qian Wuji for this manual. Even though it’s unlikely that the Six Void Sect would send a Grandmaster for revenge, with this layer of protection, it can reduce that possibility to zero."
Zhong Shenxiu continued.
He didn’t have the backing of a Heavenly List Martial Artist, and no one would stand up for him if he were killed by a Grandmaster.
But with a layer of government protection, the situation would change.
As one of the eight major powers, the Six Void Sect would also have to adhere to the unspoken rules.
"A layer of protection? Can you not bear restrictions?" Yan Wushuang immediately saw through what Zhong Shenxiu wanted.
He wanted this layer of government protection but didn’t want to exert any effort.
Otherwise, if he really joined the Divine Capture Sect and the government issued orders, he would have to obey and go wherever directed.
"You know me best." Zhong Shenxiu laughed, "Of course, as a return favor, I will cooperate with you to lure and kill Black Widow Hua Miao."
Yan Wushuang closed his eyes, seemingly contemplating something, then opened his eyes quickly, "Alright... After I’m promoted to Grandmaster and my position rises, I can recommend you as a Silver Seal Minister to the Divine Capture Sect. This minister position doesn’t offer much, but you are still considered a person of the court. However, you can’t obtain cultivation techniques freely; they must be exchanged with treasures or merits. Apart from that, when the court has tasks, it negotiates, and you can refuse without being forced to participate. After you become a minister for the Divine Capture Sect, exchanging this manual for another will be completely lawful..."
"That’s settled, then. I’ll take up this minister position."
Zhong Shenxiu’s eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed.
Yan Wushuang seemed to glare at him, picked up the box, and with a flash, disappeared.
An hour later, she floated back, handing over a small silver seal and a handwritten secret manual to Zhong Shenxiu.
"This is the seal of a Silver Seal Minister, and a martial art style named ’Liangyi Huaji Hand’. I took that Heavenly Demon Great Transformation Hand to see a high-ranking official, and he thought your idea was very good. That Black Widow wants you to cultivate the Demon Skill, which must have ulterior motives, and the Demon Skill must have traps, hence you cannot cultivate it. This martial art style, which he has just transcribed, roughly resembles the appearance of the Heavenly Demon Great Transformation Hand, when both are cultivating the energies of Yin and Yang; if it’s not a real high-level Five Poison Sect member who sees it, they probably can’t tell... After you cultivate it, you can disguise as having cultivated the Heavenly Demon Great Transformation Hand and lure out Hua Miao!"
"As expected of the imperial court, its depth is astonishing..."
Zhong Shenxiu laughed with a sigh, then suddenly felt something was amiss. "This great expert actually resides in Changhe County — it seems the Divine Capture Sect had planned early!"
Moreover, Yan Wushuang could meditate peacefully, certainly because of this expert’s protection.
The opponent was likely an Earth List Master, and with Yan Wushuang’s breakthrough plus the ambush on Black Widow Hua Miao, their chances greatly increased!
After all, the Five Poison Sect could monitor the whereabouts of all Earth List experts under the imperial court’s command, but not those Human List Martial Artists who broke through in the midst of battle.
There was a great opportunity before the news spread.
"Actually... this ’Liangyi Huaji Hand’ also has its flaws... It was transcribed hastily by the superior, lacking the true intent of Martial Arts, making its cultivation even more difficult. In terms of value, it actually might not be as good as a copy of Heavenly Demon Great Transformation Hand... Moreover, this martial art peaks at Grandmaster level, with very few martial artists truly breaking through with it..."
Yan Wushuang sighed as she spoke.
Being part of the Divine Capture Sect, such behavior could be considered dereliction of her duties, but as a friend, she felt she should still warn Xun Liuyi.
"No matter what, it’s still a Grandmaster-level martial art, I consider it a gain."
Zhong Shenxiu laughed heartily.
"So, concerning how to lure and kill Black Widow Hua Miao, we already have some ideas here. The key still depends on your cooperation... As for your visit to the County Government today, I’ll handle it properly and ensure that those who saw you keep it secret."
Yan Wushuang spoke calmly.
Ambushing an Earth List Master was extremely difficult.
At this moment, the Divine Capture Sect was doing its utmost to keep the plan secret, with two Grandmasters on standby, waiting for Zhong Shenxiu to give the signal to ambush Hua Miao.
The more complex the plan, the more likely mistakes would arise, so keeping it simple was best.
"By the way, there’s also a matter regarding Gu Qingying. He is also in Changhe County... He’s spread the word that whoever kills Black Widow Hua Miao will receive a secret manual..."
Zhong Shenxiu thought for a while before mentioning this as well: "If we succeed this time, as partners, I’ll be the first to review the manual. Once I’m done, I’ll hand the original to the Divine Capture Sect, so you won’t be at a loss."
"You really are deep in plotting. Is this also part of your calculations?"
Yan Wushuang gave Zhong Shenxiu a playful glare. "Since that’s the case, if we really get the manual, lending it to you for a few years is fine, but I advise you not to harbor too high hopes. The Wang Family ancestor once pondered the Heavenly Stele, and the inherited secret manual might just be an imprint of the Heavenly Stele. Because it’s exceptionally profound, few can understand it, just like since ancient times, how many have truly discovered peerless martial arts from the Heavenly Stele? Only those madmen from the Five Poison Sect are interested in this..."
Zhong Shenxiu opened the secret manual of ’Liangyi Huaji Hand.’
Since it was a manuscript, the ink was not yet dry and carried a fresh scent.
The calligraphy of the writer was neat and skillful, suggesting a meticulous person.
He glanced through the phrases and immediately smirked, "There are even spoken formulas, not a secret manual that is solely understood through intuition, this manual’s quality is indeed low..."
In the Jianghu Martial Arts world, the higher the quality of a secret manual, the more incomprehensible it was.
The highest-quality Heavenly Stele contained not even a single word.
Seeing a manual that explained its content in writing, Zhong Shenxiu knew it couldn’t be very high-quality.
However, it was more suitable and safer for ordinary people to practice.
He carefully read on and discovered that this ’Liangyi Huaji Hand’ was indeed a palm technique for cultivating the Yin and Yang energies, capable of neutralizing many forces and possessing mysterious effects.
He could skip these technique phrases, Zhong Shenxiu directly looked at the most critical Marrow Refining Technique.