Chapter 7: Immaculate Body
The next day.
Cao Jinxing returned to Beijing with the team.
The mission was completed, so there was no rush to go back as when they came. The five of them were in no hurry and walked at a normal speed. They stopped at the post station to change horses and rest, chatting as they walked, and arrived in Beijing calmly in the afternoon of the next day.
During the journey, Cao Jinxing had become familiar with the four Jinyiwei, especially Zhu Wu and Gu Yanzhu.
Zhu Wu is a veteran who has experienced many missions and is knowledgeable. Gu Yanzhu is a rising star who comes from a prominent family and has a detailed understanding of the situation in the martial arts world.
The two of them were not arrogant. During the conversation, Cao Jinxing made up for a lot of common sense of the underworld that the "General Flag" didn't know. He felt that he had lived in vain for the past twenty years, and the useful information he gained was not as much as what he had gained in the past two days.
But we can’t blame him entirely.
He was a hereditary Jinyiwei. His father died young, leaving behind nothing except a small courtyard. It was not easy for him to grow up.
Perhaps it is because I am alone that I am bullied.
When we arrived at the Zhenfusi, the vermilion gate in front of the yamen was open. The building was magnificent and imposing. The guarding officer with a small flag immediately came forward to lead the horse.
"Thank you for your hard work, my Excellency. The Governor is already waiting in the inner hall."
"Please inform me."
Soon, the town government summoned him.
The five men strode into the Zhenfusi Yamen, passed through the long corridor and the moon gate and arrived at the inner hall. The Zhenfu Envoy Liu Zhenyuan sat at the head of the table, reviewing official documents.
The man was in his forties, wearing a silver-white four-clawed flying fish suit with cloud patterns. He had a strong aura and was intimidating without even getting angry.
Among the Thirteen Guardians of the Northern and Southern Pacification Offices, he ranks first.
"It's a good job."
Liu Zhenyuan glanced at the five people below, paused for a moment on Cao Jinxing, and said in a sonorous tone: "The bandit leader was killed, and all the bandits were captured. It's a great achievement. From now on, Cao Jinxing will be promoted to centurion. Come here."
A man walked in from outside the door holding a tray, on which was a neatly folded iron-gray flying fish suit and an embroidered spring sword.
Both the style and quality are far superior to the general flag configuration.
"Captain Cao, this journey was difficult and dangerous. You have to use your extraordinary courage and strategy to kill the bandit leader and avoid more casualties. I hope you can serve the court wholeheartedly in the future, just like you did today."
" yes."
Cao Jinxing clasped his fists and bowed.
Just listen to his clichés.
He waited patiently for the main event to come.
Liu Zhenyuan seemed to see what he was thinking, and with a half-smile he threw out a token, saying, "Take this token to the secret library, show it to the gatekeeper, and pick out two sixth-grade spiritual weapons. Go down. The four of you stay for a while."
The other four: “Yes.”
Cao Jinxing took it and said, "I'll take my leave."
He bowed and turned to leave.
Wait for him to leave.
Liu Zhenyuan frowned and looked at his back, muttering to himself: "This yin energy... seems familiar..." He raised his voice and said to the other four people: "Captain Cao's martial arts have improved greatly, and his temperament has changed drastically. What is the reason?"
It has already been mentioned in the document, and now they are asking again, which is to ask them to tell the truth. If they dare to conceal it again, the nature of the matter is completely different.
Zhu Wu then told them everything they knew.
Liu Zhenyuan asserted, "Wohu Mountain is a remote and poor place, and there is not enough spiritual energy to breed natural treasures. As for the master passing on his skills... it is possible, but I am afraid he is not a righteous master. He was vague about it, probably because of this."
Zhu Wu was shocked: "What does the master mean..."
"Don't think too much."
Liu Zhenyuan waved his hand and said, "If we really want to investigate, why should we grant him a hundred households? The Pacification Office does not discriminate between good and evil, and we judge by deeds rather than intentions. As long as he is dedicated to serving the public, even if he is an evil demon, I will still dare to accept him!"
"Your Excellency is wise!"
"Don't compliment me yet. I have two other urgent matters that require experienced people to handle. You guys are back just in time, so come and give it a go."
“…”
Damn, I just got back!
The four of them lowered their heads and rolled their eyes.
…
The secret library is located in the center of the Zhenfu Division. It is a six-story attic. In addition to the countless secret martial arts collected by the royal family from the previous dynasty, there are also martial arts skills "presented" by the major sects of the current dynasty.
Including but not limited to martial arts secrets, panaceas, magic weapons, and focusing on training court lackeys and roaming the world.
The most famous are the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and even some world-renowned masters don't want to provoke them.
Of course, you don't have to offer it. If you anger these murderous guys, the worst that can happen is that they will accuse you of a crime and have them demolish the mountain gate, massacre the whole mountain and rob the whole mountain!
Even if someone as powerful as Wudang and Shaolin, the leaders of the righteous path, asks you for it, you have to give it to them!
Not to mention other small sects.
On the surface, the secret library only has two teams of captains taking turns patrolling, but in fact, there are countless secret protectors, and there are also several guarding slaves who are stationed in the building all year round.
Over the years, anyone who dared to lay their hands on the secret vault had their hands chopped off without exception!
If you really want it, there are only two choices: either become a castrator and join the Eastern Depot, or sell yourself and join the Imperial Uniform Guard.
Cao Jinxing left the inner hall, found an empty room to wash his face, and changed into the official uniform of a centurion. He looked like a handsome and noble centurion in brocade uniforms, freshly unveiled.
Looking at himself in the bronze mirror, Cao Jinxing nodded, very satisfied: "What did those words say? My face is like a jade crown, my eyebrows are like swords, my eyes are like stars, I am so handsome, I am worthy of being me!"
After appreciating it, he put on the Embroidered Spring Sword, came to the door of the secret library, and showed the token: "Newly promoted Jinyi centurion, Cao Jinxing. Please let me pass."
The captain guarding the door saw it and immediately bent down to make way, saying respectfully, "Please come in, sir."
This is the first door.
Cao Jinxing walked in.
There was a long corridor in front of him, and on the right side of the corridor there was a long table, on which were volumes of martial arts catalogues. On a chair next to it lay a drunken old Taoist priest, who was pouring wine from a wine gourd.
He is the gatekeeper.
"The catalog is on the table. The sixth-grade books are the ones near the corner of the table. They have names and introductions. Tell me when you've made your choice... hiccup..."
The old Taoist priest was sleepy and he scolded me without even opening his eyes.
These hermits are all like this.
Cao Jinxing didn't say much and looked at the directories.
Sword skills, knife skills, internal strength, hidden weapons, light skills...
We have all kinds of goods.
He had thought about it before he came. If someone could beat up Yan Baihu and the other two and practice the innate "Cold Toad Skill", his skill must be no less than the sixth grade, so he doesn't need to change his internal skills.
In addition, a high-burst, high-damage martial art that can fully unleash the power of "Cold Toad Kung Fu" is needed, plus a book on swordsmanship.
With his understanding, he could certainly learn by stealing, but for martial arts of the same level, quality is more important than quantity, and it would be useless even if he knew it. It would be far better to choose one and practice hard to make up for one's weaknesses.
Because there was only a table of contents, Cao Jinxing flipped through the pages very quickly, reading ten lines at a glance. Soon the corridor was filled with the sound of flipping pages.
“Tsk!”
The old Taoist priest was getting impatient. He thought, are you teasing me? Can you see clearly like this? Are you deliberately making noises to prevent me from sleeping?!
He opened his eyes and looked at Cao Jinxing.
"brush!"
Suddenly, the old Taoist priest's face changed drastically and he stood up, staring straight at Cao Jinxing, with a dazzling golden light flashing in his eyes, and he cried out in surprise: "This! This! An immaculate body! How is this possible!"
He reached out to grab Cao Jinxing's wrist, wanting to confirm. Cao Jinxing's face darkened, and he used the "Lightning Step" to pull back, and said coldly: "What? Do I need a body check to get the secret book? Senior, please be aware of your identity!" You're just a gatekeeper, why are you fighting with me!
"I……"
The old Taoist priest smiled bitterly: "I am just curious about your physique, I have no ill intentions... Boy! I am a disciple of the Longhu Mountain Tianshi Mansion, you have superb qualifications! I can write a letter..."
At this point, his face suddenly changed, remembering that this was the Pacification Division, and the person in front of him was already a Jinyiwei...
The old Taoist priest was filled with grief: "What a waste of God's gift! What a waste of God's gift! Such talent! Such talent! Actually... Actually..."
He actually became a running dog of the imperial court!
He only dared to complain about this in his heart, and never dared to say it out loud. Even if he had a hundred times the courage, he would not dare to poach the Jinyiwei's personnel.
Cao Jinxing probably understood what he meant, but unfortunately he was not interested.
He couldn't bear the hard life in the mountains, nor did he want to be a Taoist priest. What was the point of hiding on a mountain when the world was so big?
People should enjoy their lives. Whether it is "money", "power" or "force", the Zhenfu Division can give them, but Longhushan cannot.
What's more, the secret library is rich in martial arts resources, and it is not advisable to give up the entire forest for a tree.
"Thank you for your kindness, Senior. I have made my choice."
Cao Jinxing spread out two books respectively and pointed to one page of each. "Sixth-grade finger technique "Xuantian Lianjianzhi" and sword technique "Xinyou Sword Jue". Please lead the way, senior."
"Mysterious Sky Sword Finger..."
The old Taoist frowned: "The invisible sword energy is indeed a good martial art, but its nature is extremely cold and yin, and ordinary internal strength cannot exert its power. You..."
He looked carefully again, his golden eyes swept across his dantian. This was incredible, and he sighed in admiration: " No wonder...it turns out that you already have a master, and you have such a unique skill...what a pity, what a pity..."
Cao Jinxing raised his eyebrows and asked, "Senior, do you recognize the martial arts I practice?"
The old Taoist shook his head, "There are so many talented people in the world, and there are countless unique skills. I can't recognize all of them. But look at the pure and condensed true energy of this skill, almost liquefied, flowing through the meridians without any stagnation, faintly forming a whole, which is rare in the world. I wonder who taught him this skill?"
“…”
Practicing qigong is about refining qi.
The purer the Qi, the smoother its movement, the better the effect of nourishing the meridians, the greater the benefit to the body, and the stronger its power. This is common knowledge among martial artists.
Cao Jinxing began to feel suspicious.
Something is wrong!
This old Taoist priest was knowledgeable and experienced, and he was so impressed. The Cold Toad Skill must be better than he thought. If that was the case, why was that master captured by three bandits and injured like that?
Isn't this an exaggeration?
"Then according to you, senior, what level is this skill?"
"My knowledge is limited. This skill belongs to the Yin-Cold system. It should be comparable to the Taisu Yin Sutra, one of the nine evil skills of the Demon Cult. It may even be stronger. It should be at least the upper fifth grade."
"...Oh. Please lead the way, senior."
Cao Jinxing suppressed his doubts and focused on the present. He knew he would find out sooner or later. But he had to be careful and secretive...
