Chapter 59 - 58: Remnants of Southern Chu

Chapter 59: Chapter 58: Remnants of Southern Chu

"The old Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty is dying. It will happen in a few years, a decade at most.

"I am a Dark Guard of the Garrison Command! I have numerous sources of intelligence. I know the Cai Family of Bozhou is getting restless, and the situation elsewhere is no better.

"In Xuanzhou, the leader of the Roving Bandits, the Great Righteous King, fights on despite repeated defeats. Every time he is wiped out, he manages to rally his forces and fight against the Court again!

"At Celestial King Mountain in Qingzhou, a Primordial Pill Martial Saint and thirteen Acupoint Opening Martial Artists have raised the banner of ’enforcing justice on behalf of Heaven.’ They are already in open warfare against the Court!

"Even the Little Demons of the Southern Demon Court have started coming down the mountain to test the waters and prey on humans. With large-scale uprisings like those of the Great Righteous King and Celestial King Mountain already underway, the world will absolutely descend into chaos once the old Emperor of Great Zhou dies!

"As soon as the time is ripe, our Great Chu will also return, announcing to the world who the true master of the state is and who can establish order in the realm!

"When that time comes, you only need to climb high enough, and this Pingzhang Commandery can be secured with a single decree! Great Chu will not mistreat you. We will both become Princes, both Upper Pillars and Grand Generals of Great Chu!"

Bo Zhangjiu’s words were somewhat fanatical. He seemed to have already lost himself in the beautiful tomorrow he envisioned.

Seeing this, Zheng Jun did not know what to say. The last person who believed them, Tian Zhenyuan, was now locked in a cell and would be sent for execution in a couple of days.

Zheng Jun wanted to hear something practical; he did not want to be fed empty promises. So, he calmed his mind and took advantage of a pause in Bo Zhangjiu’s speech to say, "Senior, I also wish to serve Great Chu. However, my strength is too poor. You speak of Primordial Pill Martial Saints and Acupoint Opening experts, while I have only just entered Qi Storage..."

Blood Refining, Qi Storage, Outer Gang, Acupoint Opening, and Primordial Pill. These were the five great Martial Arts Realms.

Above the Primordial Pill was the Realm of True Monarch, where one condensed a True Martial Dharma Aspect. Upon reaching this realm, one could be called an ’Earthly Immortal, True God of the Human World.’ Those in the world who could reach this realm were exceedingly rare.

As for what lay above True Monarch, that was the stuff of myths and legends. These would naturally be true Immortals. As for this realm, no one had ever heard of anyone reaching it; it was treated merely as a fairy tale.

Indeed, since he practiced the Broken Jade Skill, he had no path forward. Since that was the case, he might as well listen to something practical. At worst, he would just play all four sides. After all, when you have too many lice, you stop feeling the bites.

Hearing Zheng Jun’s words, Bo Zhangjiu gradually calmed down and said, "We don’t have silver, but all the Martial Arts of the Shattered Jade Sect will be open to you. You can learn whatever you want. There will also be Pills—three Qi Storage Pills a month.

"Every so often, I will reveal the locations of some bandits on Black Mountain to you. You can lead troops to eradicate them and earn the Court’s rewards!"

After hearing Bo Zhangjiu’s terms, Zheng Jun immediately took a deep breath, feeling they were quite generous. Then, he asked cautiously, "Aren’t the bandits on Black Mountain the elite soldiers and fierce generals of our Great Chu in disguise?"

"Not all of them. Black Mountain is so large; there are bound to be real bandits," Bo Zhangjiu explained patiently.

Hearing this, Zheng Jun hesitated no longer. He stepped forward and bowed in greeting. "Zheng Jun, a disciple of the Zhaoyang Lineage of the Shattered Jade Sect, pays his respects to Senior Brother!

"I am willing to fight to the death for Great Chu! I am willing to fight to the death for the Shattered Jade Sect!"

This phrase seemed somewhat familiar. He felt like he had said something similar just a moment ago. But it didn’t matter.

Hearing Zheng Jun switch allegiances so decisively, Bo Zhangjiu didn’t know what to say for a moment. He merely let out a long sigh before replying, "My name is Wang Heng. From now on, just call me Senior Brother Wang. In a few days, someone will come looking for you. That will be your contact under Great Chu.

"I will no longer be responsible for your future needs. From now on, our interactions will strictly concern Garrison Command duties. As for anything else, someone will naturally contact you. It is getting late tonight, and I still have to rush back to the Commandery overnight. Let us part ways here."

With that, this Senior Brother Wang—codenamed Bo Zhangjiu, real name Wang Heng—turned and departed without any hesitation.

Zheng Jun stood in place, falling into deep thought. He needed to sort out the current situation.

On the Court’s side, he was a Captain of the Black Mountain Guard. In addition to his monthly military pay of thirty taels of silver and three Leopard Tendon Pills, he could also pocket the wages of non-existent soldiers—roughly one Qi Storage Pill and three Blood Nourishing Pills.

At the Garrison Command Government Office, he was a Dark Guard. Every month, he received thirty taels of silver, one Qi Storage Pill, one Leopard Tendon Pill, and three Blood Nourishing Pills.

As for the Cai Family, he could barely be considered a ’trusted aide’ valued by Cai Xun, who would give him silver, Pills, and the like from time to time.

And here with the remnants of Southern Chu, he had officially become a member of the Shattered Jade Sect. He could learn all of the sect’s Martial Arts and would receive three Qi Storage Pills a month.

Tsk. So... he could make sixty taels of silver, four Leopard Tendon Pills, four Qi Storage Pills, and six Blood Nourishing Pills a month?

"The situation looks complicated, but it actually just splits into two factions: the treasonous rebels and the royal Court," Zheng Jun mused. "According to Wang Heng, the Great Zhou Court is indeed on the verge of collapsing. It seems these days of being a triple-agent won’t last much longer."

Zheng Jun took a deep breath. He picked up the bundle Bo Zhangjiu had brought and checked the contents inside. There was a complete manual of the "Eagle-Hawk Force," a manual of the "Dragon and Tiger Grappling," an Iron Mask identical to Bo Zhangjiu’s, and a quaint black Identity Token engraved with dragon patterns and the words ’Zhang Heieryi.’

The identity of a Garrison Command Dark Guard also had its miraculous uses.

Zheng Jun touched the Iron Mask with his fingers, feeling a burst of coldness as he picked it up. After a moment of thought, he channeled a stream of True Qi into it, only to find that the Iron Mask seemed capable of isolating True Qi. The True Qi he channeled in disappeared without a trace, like a clay ox entering the sea.

"Huh?"

Seeing this, Zheng Jun couldn’t help but feel a little surprised. Then, he tried it on.

As soon as he put it on, an icy sensation surged into his mind, as if he had plunged his head into a world of snow and ice. However, it wasn’t freezing; it just felt exceptionally refreshing. It seemed wearing this mask could block True Qi probing, while also keeping him clear-headed at all times.

"It seems it’s not as simple as just hiding my identity," he realized.

With this thought in mind, Zheng Jun casually flipped through the "Dragon and Tiger Grappling" manual.

[New advanceable Martial Arts added: Dragon and Tiger Grappling (Great Success).]

After imprinting this "Dragon and Tiger Grappling" onto the Great Tao Martial Book, Zheng Jun casually tossed the bundle aside into the room, paying it no mind.

"It seems these remnants of Southern Chu aren’t as formidable as I imagined. They’re even willing to recruit someone like me, who looks like a turncoat with wavering loyalties... ahem, who looks resourceful and decisive. They’re even willing to spend resources to rope me in," Zheng Jun thought to himself.

Tonight’s events had truly exceeded Zheng Jun’s expectations. He really hadn’t anticipated such a situation. Moreover, they hadn’t even asked him for a Hostage.

"What does this mean? Could it be that my value is lower than that of County Magistrate Tian Zhenyuan?" he wondered.

Zheng Jun pondered this, but after a moment of thought, he decided to ignore it. He would practice his saber! As long as his Martial Arts Realm advanced, everything would be easily resolved.

"If I condense a True Martial Dharma Aspect, why would I need to be constrained by all this?"

It was time to practice his saber!