Chapter 103 News about the Star Stone
The man Ye Changsheng called Brother Ming was a middle-aged man named Ming Tianrui.
Dressed in a Confucian robe and with a decent appearance, he looked not like a monk but more like a high-ranking official in the secular world.
This person's experience is quite strange. He was indeed a high-ranking official in the Yue court in his early years.
He was once the Minister of War.
Later, by chance, he discovered his spiritual roots and embarked on the path of cultivating immortals.
He is now a foundation-building cultivator in Tianque Fort.
Ye Changsheng met this person on the battlefield, and the two of them had jointly dealt with the siege of seven or eight demonic foundation-building monks.
Speaking of which, Ming Tianrui is quite famous among the cultivators of the seven sects.
He is also very strong in fighting. Although he has the style of a scholar, he is ruthless when it comes to killing.
Ye Changsheng once inquired about the Star Yuan Stone at the battle merit exchange office and was seen by Ming Tianrui. He then mentioned that he had encountered a Star Yuan Stone in his early years.
Therefore, he made an agreement with Ye Changsheng to exchange his military merits for a piece of red blood stone on the list in exchange for the news of the Star Yuan Stone.
Now that Ye Changsheng had exchanged for the red blood stone, he immediately came to find him.
After taking the blood-red stone, Ming Tianrui observed it carefully and laughed, "Haha, it is indeed a blood-red stone. Brother Ye's move is truly extraordinary!"
"This red blood stone is the material for refining magic weapons. I killed ten demonic foundation-building cultivators to accumulate enough military merit to exchange for this item!"
"Brother Ming, if the information you provided is of no value, don't blame me for being rude!" Ye Changsheng said lightly, with a hint of threat in his words.
"Haha, Brother Ye, please rest assured. I would never dare to lie to you, no matter who I am!" Ming Tianrui said with a smile.
There was a hint of admiration and also a bit of fear in the look he gave Ye Changsheng.
He had seen with his own eyes how powerful Ye Changsheng was when he took action. Although he was also a cultivator in the middle stage of foundation building, he was absolutely unable to compete with him.
"To be honest, I saw that Star Stone in the capital of Yue State eighty years ago!" Ming Tianrui said with a serious face.
"Eighty years ago, if I remember correctly, Brother Ming, you were still an official at that time, right?" Ye Changsheng's face showed surprise.
"That's right, at that time I had just become the Minister of War, and I was full of energy and ready to show my talents!" Ming Tianrui said with a wry smile, a hint of nostalgia on his face.
"Then, you were demoted and exiled!" Ye Changsheng said lightly.
During this period of time, he had gotten to know this man a little better and knew his checkered past.
Ming Tianrui was a Confucian official who devoted himself to saving the world before he entered the world of immortal cultivation.
He was a man of both civil and military talents, able to fight on horseback and write articles. He was promoted all the way and became the Minister of War in his thirties. It can be said that he had a successful career.
But because he was too upright, he somehow offended the emperor at that time and was demoted and exiled.
"Haha, Brother Ye knows all about my past, but I never told you why I was demoted!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Changsheng showed a thoughtful look on his face: "You mentioned this matter, could it be that the whereabouts of the Star Yuan Stone is related to your demotion?"
"Something is involved!"
Ming Tianrui said this with a look of reminiscence on his face.
"When I first became the Minister of War, I sent troops to escort a batch of rare goods that the local prefectures presented to the Emperor of Yue!"
"Among this batch of goods, there are gold, silver, jewels and the like, of course, but there are also some rare items. When I embarked on the path of cultivation, I discovered that they were the various materials needed by cultivators!"
"At that time, neither court officials like me nor local officials knew about these things. They were presented to the imperial palace as auspicious objects simply because they were unique!"
"I have seen the cargo with my own eyes. There was a stone the size of a fingernail in it. It was completely black, but it would shine like bright stars at night!"
After hearing Ming Tianrui's story, Ye Changsheng nodded slowly.
The black stone that emits starlight is undoubtedly the Star Stone.
I think those local officials treated this item as something like a night-shining pearl and presented it to the emperor .
Who would have thought that this was a precious material for refining magic weapons.
But, the Emperor of Yue...
There was a thoughtful look in Ye Changsheng's eyes.
And Ming Tianrui seemed to have opened up and began to talk incessantly .
"The general who escorted the goods came back and told me a strange story. He found that some villages near the capital were completely empty, and all the people were gone!"
"This is very strange. There is no war near the capital, so how could there be an empty village?"
"Just a few days later, I heard from the Ministry of Justice that people in many places in Yue State had mysteriously disappeared."
"They suspected that a large-scale human trafficking organization had emerged in Vietnam, and that some powerful people were involved."
"When I heard about this, I was furious and immediately reported it to the court, requesting a thorough investigation!"
"Then you were demoted?" Ye Changsheng asked.
"Haha, Brother Ye guessed it. I was demoted all the way to a remote border, but by chance, I discovered a cultivation method in a mountain forest, and since then I have embarked on the path of cultivation."
"I have always suspected that the missing persons cases are related to the emperor, but unfortunately, after I became a disciple of the Seventh Sect, I can no longer go to the palace to investigate!"
Ming Tianrui sighed repeatedly with a lonely expression.
It seems that even though this person has entered the world of immortal cultivation, his original concern for the country and the people has not changed.
"People are missing? I'm afraid it is related to the blood sacrifice of the Yue Emperor? It seems I have to go to Yuejing!" Ye Changsheng thought to himself.
"Thank you Brother Ming for telling me. It seems that I have to find another way to get the Star Stone!" Ye Changsheng bowed.
"Haha, disciples of the seven sects are not allowed to enter the palace. This is indeed very troublesome! However, if the Star Yuan Stone in the palace is stolen one day, I, Ming, will not know about it! I just hope that when the Star Yuan Stone is stolen, the Emperor Yue can also be killed by the thieves!" Ming Tianrui blinked and said to Ye Changsheng.
Ye Changsheng's heart moved, and he smiled slightly, saying: "Then we have to see what kind of thief is so bold as to dare to enter the palace and kill the emperor!"
"The world is in chaos now. Maybe this thief is a demon monk in disguise. What do you think, Brother Ye?" Ming Tianrui said seriously.
"Brother Ming is right!"
The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
