Simultaneous Transmigration: My Strength Comes Entirely from My Own

Page 127

Shangguan Haitang was startled and involuntarily took a step back. Guihai Yidao stepped forward and shielded her behind him.

"God, please calm your anger."

Although he was nominally an adopted son, Guihai Yidao always addressed Zhu Wushi as the Divine Marquis. Unlike Duan Tianya and Shangguan Haitang, who were orphans and had no relatives in the world, Guihai Yidao's birth mother was still alive even though she had become a nun.

Moreover, Guihai Yidao had deep feelings for his biological father, Guihai Bailian, so he naturally didn't want to acknowledge another "Liu Yisan" as his father. The titles of adoptive father and adopted son were merely a temporary expedient for revenge.

Of course, although he considered it just a transaction, Guihai Yidao was still very grateful to Zhu Wushi in his heart.

However, no matter how grateful he was to Zhu Wushi, if Zhu Wushi threatened Shangguan Haitang, he would still draw his sword against him.

Because in his childhood, which was shrouded in hatred, Shangguan Haitang was the only ray of light.

At this time, Guihai Yidao was still unaware that Shangguan Haitang was a woman, but light is light, regardless of gender.

"I entrusted you with such an important matter, and this is how you repay me?"

Zhu Wushi was no longer in the mood to concern himself with the matter between Shangguan Haitang and Guihai Yidao. At this moment, he was filled with murderous intent and had already decided to kill.

The guard whom Zhu Wushi had sent to Tianchi was now kowtowing repeatedly, begging for forgiveness.

"Your subordinate knows his guilt, but the attackers' martial arts skills are simply too high, and your subordinates and others are simply unable to resist them."

To be honest, even the people from the Eastern Depot couldn't stop these people in the original story, let alone Gu Santong. The reason they were able to come back alive was twofold: first, Gu Santong was too lazy to kill them, and second, he wanted them to come back and report a message to provoke Zhu Wushi.

Clearly, Gu Santong achieved his goal, and Zhu Wushi was truly provoked.

"Then why are you still alive? You should die."

Zhu Wushi roared in fury; this was the first time he hadn't concealed his emotions and had revealed his true colors.

Zhu Wushi was a suspicious and sensitive person. He was proud and arrogant, but also had an inferiority complex due to his background. He was outwardly kind but inwardly suspicious. In the original work, after eliminating Cao Zhengchun, he gained power and even Yunluo, his own niece, was murderous because she said something inappropriate. Not to mention a guard who had messed up his job in his mind.

"God, have mercy! God, have mercy!"

However, it was too late to beg for mercy at this point. Enraged, Zhu Wushi no longer cared about maintaining his public image.

His eyes were bloodshot, like a wild beast that had been completely enraged, and his whole body exuded a chilling killing intent.

His aura suddenly surged, causing the candlelight in the entire room to flicker erratically, as if even the air itself was being torn apart by this violent aura.

"waste!"

Zhu Wushi let out a low roar, his voice filled with endless chill and hatred.

He suddenly raised his right hand, and a deep purple light condensed in his palm. In his extreme anger, he made no attempt to conceal or hold back in this move. His powerful true energy suddenly erupted. This was anger, but it was also a way of venting his frustration!

This move was incredibly powerful, enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, and now, fueled by rage, it was even more ferocious.

Upon seeing this, the guard's face turned deathly pale. He tried to retreat and avoid it, but his legs were too weak to support his body.

He could only watch helplessly as the enormous palm shadow pressed down with the force of thunder, the power it contained filling him with a deep-seated fear.

In that instant, he even felt as if he could see the trajectory of his own life that was about to disappear.

When Zhu Wushi struck out with his palm, a sharp, explosive sound rang out in the air, as awe-inspiring as lightning striking the sky.

The guard's body was utterly powerless against this palm strike, like a fragile leaf caught in a hurricane. His chest caved in first, his bones cracking with a crisp sound, and then his internal organs, under the powerful impact, turned into blood and foam, gushing from his mouth.

Amidst splattering blood, his body rapidly disintegrated, muscles, tendons, and skin pulverizing into countless tiny blood droplets that hovered in the air for a moment before falling to the ground.

In the end, this once loyal guard vanished from the world, leaving behind only a foul-smelling mist of blood that filled the entire room.

The drops of blood mixed with bone fragments sank slowly, as if telling the story of the brevity and fragility of life.

All of this happened so fast that others didn't even have time to react.

Upon witnessing this scene, Shangguan Haitang couldn't help but gasp. She had never seen her godfather so cold and ruthless.

Zhu Wushi stood there, his gaze icy, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.

His clothes swayed gently in the wind, but his face no longer held any of its former kindness and gentleness, only endless indifference and resoluteness.

Shangguan Haitang and Guihai Yidao were both shocked to witness this scene; they had never seen Zhu Wushi so terrifying.

Shangguan Haitang bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes filled with fear and unease.

Duan Tianya frowned, realizing he had been a step too slow again.

He had just tried to save the guard. Although he didn't know the guard, since he was from the Dragon Guard Manor, he was one of their own. If his adoptive father killed one of his own, then what was the difference between the Dragon Guard Manor and the Eastern Depot?

Although Duan Tianya comforted himself by saying that Zhu Wushi was angry and confused, he still planted a thorn in his heart.

The anger was only temporary, and Zhu Wushi quickly calmed down.

He has encountered many setbacks in his life, so he will not be discouraged. It's just that Su Xin is too important to him and is the cornerstone of his mind, so he couldn't control his anger for a moment.

Now that his anger had subsided and Zhu Wuwei had regained his rationality, he naturally noticed that his adopted sons and daughters looked strange. So, he put on a normal expression and calmly spoke.

Do you know why I killed him?

Duan Tianya frowned slightly but did not reply, clearly still thinking.

Duan Tianya is a man of deep thought. Even if he guesses something, he won't say it outright, especially now that his impression of Zhu Wushi has changed. He would never do anything to show off.

Chapter 232: Martial Arts Chronicle: Zhu Wushi's Explanation, the Crack in His Heart

Duan Tianya remained silent because he was thinking, while Gui Haiyidao remained silent because he didn't want to speak. Having cultivated the Heartless Slash, his murderous intent was the greatest among the three secret agents, and apart from a few individuals, no one was on his mind.

So, Shangguan Haitang mustered her courage and said, "Could it be because he did a bad job and ruined Father's important matter?"

Shangguan Haitang was still being restrained and had polished her words before speaking.

Shangguan Haitang originally wanted to say that her adoptive father killed the other party in a fit of rage because of their incompetence, but considering that Zhu Wushi was her adoptive father after all, and that he had just beaten someone into a bloody mist in front of her, she was still in fear, so she said the words above.

Zhu Wushi nodded slightly and said, "That's right. The one lying in Tianchi is the love of my life. She was kidnapped by Gu Santong, and I was naturally anxious and lost control of my emotions. But that's not the whole reason. You can say whatever you want to say at once. There's no need to hold back."

Zhu Wushi's words were well-crafted. Su Xin was indeed the love of his life, one could even say his obsession. However, he never mentioned the fact that Su Xin was betrothed to Gu Santong since childhood. It's obvious what his true intentions were.

"Could it be that this person betrayed my godfather?"

Shangguan Haitang always had a kind of biased view of Zhu Wushi. After hearing Zhu Wushi's words, she immediately started to think outside the box and speculate.

A glint of light flashed in Zhu Wushi's eyes, and he nodded in approval.

"That's right. You only know that Gu Santong's Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill is unparalleled in the world, but you don't know that Gu Santong is also good at various evil martial arts, including the Soul-Seizing Technique from Persia, which can control other people's minds. Even I can't break it. This martial art has many restrictions when it is used, but it mainly shakes other people's hearts. If one's heart is firm, one will naturally not fall for the Soul-Seizing Technique."

"Gu Santong is cruel and bloodthirsty. How could he let a fish slip through the net to inform me? It was clearly his doing. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean I can't. This person's will clearly wavered when Gu Santong tortured him, and he fell victim to Gu Santong's Soul-Seizing Technique. He was deliberately released to come and challenge me. I was genuinely enraged just now, but killing him wasn't out of emotional control. It was because I had no other way to free him except through death."

"The Soul-Seizing Technique is extremely evil. Back then, 108 masters challenged Gu Santong to a duel at Taihu Lake. These 108 were all the best in the martial arts world at the time. Even if Gu Santong's martial arts were superb, he did not have the ability to fight against a hundred people. He used this Soul-Seizing Technique to control some of them and make them kill each other so that he could reap the benefits and drain their power."

Zhu ignored the fact that he had made up this lie, and he was probably starting to believe it himself.

Zhu Wushi's statements were limited to facts. It was true that the 108 martial arts masters on Taihu Lake died in this way, but not at the hands of Gu Santong, but at the hands of Zhu Wushi.

What controls them is not the so-called Soul-Capturing Technique, but their trust in the title of Iron-Blooded Marquis.

The so-called infighting was nothing more than the remaining people discovering Zhu Wushi's attack halfway through and starting to join forces to besiege him.

It's a pity that if these 108 people had joined forces, they might have made Zhu Wushi wary back then. But since most of them had already been assassinated, the rest were no match for Zhu Wushi. He wiped them all out and conveniently shifted the blame onto Gu Santong.

Shangguan Haitang suddenly realized and said with admiration, "So that's how it is. This person's mind is not firm. He was hit by Gu Santong's Soul-Seizing Technique. Even if he is cured, he will still be an idiot. No wonder my godfather had to take action."

In fact, given Zhu Wushi's status, there was no need to explain so much about killing a spy who had failed in his duties. He was in charge of the Dragon Guard Manor, and everyone in the manor had to obey his orders. Their conduct was no different from that of the military. According to military regulations, it was not unreasonable to execute someone who failed in his duties.

However, to maintain his public image, Zhu Wushi could only offer a plausible explanation.

Shangguan Haitang has the deepest bias towards Zhu Wushi; as long as Zhu Wushi is willing to explain, Shangguan Haitang will believe him without a doubt.

Duan Tianya had been adopted by Zhu Wushi since childhood and regarded him as his father. At this moment, he actually felt relieved.

Only Guihai Yidao didn't care about this at all. In the process of practicing the Heartless Slash, he was able to kill seven companions who lived and ate with him. Let alone a complete stranger. The word "sympathy" was too foreign to him. It was something that could kill him.

However, although the matter seemed to have passed with Zhu Wushi's explanation, the thorn in his heart was not so easy to remove. Even if it was temporarily pulled out, the mark left behind could not be erased.

All it takes is a trigger for this mark to become a crack, and then the trust between them will crumble. And the mark is called suspicion.

Ultimately, the incompatibility between them was Zhu Wushi's own doing.

Zhu Wushi always touted himself as loyal to the emperor and patriotic, as if he were the only loyal minister among all the treacherous officials in the court. Duan Tianya, Shangguan Haitang, and even Guihai Yidao followed and even worshipped Zhu Wushi because of this persona.

Of course, the debt of gratitude for raising and educating also accounts for 613 points.

However, this kind of persona also has its drawbacks. Once Zhu Wushi's persona collapses, the better his reputation was before, the worse it will be after the collapse.

Just like Sima Yi before he launched the Incident at Gaoping Tombs, he was a famous scholar in the country and respected throughout the land.

However, after Sima Yi farted in Luoshui and exterminated Cao Shuang's entire clan, his image collapsed instantly.

He may have been a victor at the time, but looking at the Sima dynasty as a whole, it was no different from a defeat. In fact, it wasn't just a defeat for one family, but it dragged the entire nation into the abyss. Countless people in later generations have condemned him.

The same applies to Zhu Wushi. Once he reverses his image from a loyal and virtuous king to a scheming usurper, the number of people opposing him will be overwhelming.

After all, hypocrites are always detestable, and people who say one thing to your face and another behind your back are never well-liked.

If you want to be a gentleman, then you should act in the way a gentleman does. Even if you want to be an emperor, you should do so with integrity.

If you want to accomplish great things, why hide things from your own people and be suspicious and distrustful? Isn't that just alienating them from your cause? How can you achieve great things if you do that?

There has never been such a principle throughout history. Even if one were to succeed by chance, it would only be a fleeting moment. Weren't there many such people during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties?

Chapter 233: Martial Arts Chronicle: Seven Scholars from One Family, Three Top Scholars from Father and Son

After leaving the capital, Zhao Yun asked Luke where he was going. Luke just smiled and said one sentence.

Have you ever heard of Little Li's Flying Dagger?

One school has seven Jinshi, and the father and his son have three talents.

Li the Divine Swordsman is unparalleled in the world; every strike he makes never misses.

Zhao Yun had certainly heard of the name "Little Li Flying Dagger," because ten years ago, Little Li Flying Dagger was an undisputed legend.

The phrase "never misses a shot" is often an exaggerated adjective.

However, those who have witnessed the Little Li Flying Dagger feel that these four characters seem to have been created specifically for Li Xunhuan's flying dagger.

Ten years ago, although Zhao Yun was still young, he had already been working for Han Batian and had naturally heard of Li Xunhuan's name.

Zhao Yun seemed to remember that Li Xunhuan had retired from the martial arts world and gone into seclusion outside the Great Wall ten years ago.

"Of course I've heard of the name Little Li Flying Dagger, but I remember he has been living in seclusion outside the pass for many years."

In this world, "Guanwai" actually refers to the area outside the Central Plains, such as the grasslands and the Western Regions. In other words, the area outside of China is called Guanwai.