Chapter 426: Insight into the Five Spirits

Chapter 426: Insight into the Five Gods

"I'm just a soldier, and the Ming guards of Kenzan Castle's hundred households are all a bunch of roughnecks. We don't understand what you just said, and we have no interest in listening to it."

Li Jun said coldly, "So don't say anything more."

"Brother Jun."

Yang Baishe refocused his blurred gaze, turned his head, and said with a guilty expression, "I couldn't help much last time during the attack on Matsuyama Castle, and I couldn't help much this time during the attack on Guazao Mountain Dao Xu. Instead, you have been supporting me tirelessly in implementing new policies, which makes me feel guilty."

"You have pens, we have knives. You have as big a butt as your pants, and if you are asked to kill with a pen, doing something you are not good at, that is asking you to go to your death. Similarly, if we are asked to implement new policies, it might be simpler to just kill all these criminals directly."

At this point, Li Jun understood why Yang Baishe had said those words, and said seriously, "Moreover, whether it was Matsuyama or Luo City, they were originally targeting Kenzan Castle's households, so you don't need to feel guilty."

"That's not the point."

Yang Baishe stubbornly shook his head. "I remember the kindness you showed me when you sent me to take up my post at the Xuanwei Governor's Office. Now we are in the same boat, but if I can only hold us back, what kind of storm-tossed boat is that? So you, Brother Jun, should take this thing."

In Li Jun's astonished gaze, the young man swept away his gloomy expression, reached into his sleeve, and pulled out a long, strip-shaped martial arts injector, handing it over.

Although separated by a metal protective layer, the genes within Li Jun's body were like hyenas that had smelled blood, eagerly emitting a desperate howl.

Li Jun suppressed the restlessness within his body and said calmly, "You should know that even if you don't give me this thing, I will still help you."

Yang Baishe kept his smile unchanged: "People should have rules and know their limits. Since I can't contribute now, I'll contribute money, that's only fair."

After a moment of eye contact, Li Jun finally reached out and took the martial arts injector.

At the moment of taking it in his hand, the genes inside his body screamed and boiled wildly, and even Li Jun's willpower couldn't help but fall into a brief trance.

"Fifth-rank internal force?!"

Li Jun exclaimed in surprise, and he couldn't think of anything else that could make his genes so excited.

"Insight into the Five Gods."

Yang Baishe explained, "I asked Pei Gong to search for this in the imperial heartland. The teacher said the source is reliable, so you can use it with confidence."

The young man paused for a moment and continued, "If Brother Jun still has concerns, you can ask Su Gong to take a look. With his expertise in martial arts, no technique can hide from him."

"Pei Gong?"

"Pei Xingjian, the current governor of Chongqing Prefecture."

Pei Xingjian.

Li Jun knew this person.

However, when he was in Chengdu Prefecture, Li Jun didn't know much about this unassuming county magistrate of Chengdu, and he hadn't met him until he was forced into exile by Yu Canghai.

It was after he arrived in Chongqing Prefecture that he accidentally heard this name from He Cangjia.

He Cangjia didn't know much about this old man, but there was one sentence that Li Jun remembered vividly.

"Among the second-class aristocratic families of the Confucian school, there is a family surnamed Pei. The only member of the family is him, Pei Xingjian."

One person, one clan.

A person who can receive such praise is extremely rare throughout the entire Ming Empire.

Moreover, this Pei Xingjian is not a member of the new Donglin Party.

This is the most crucial point.

It's no wonder that Yang Baishe was able to rise to the eighth rank of the Confucian order in such a short time and even enter the Japanese zone as a policy officer, given that he has the favor of such a person.

"I have no reason not to believe what you give me."

Li Jun rubbed the smooth metal chamber of the injector with his thumb and smiled at Yang Baishe, "But this thing is not easy to get. Even with your teacher's status and position, it probably took a lot of effort to get your hands on it, right?"

Yang Baishe smiled but said nothing, remaining silent.

"I know that some high-ranking aristocratic families in the empire still have a batch of injectors, and some even specifically raise their martial arts orders like brown bears, constantly extracting bile and juice, planning to make a fortune with this thing."

Li Jun said, "I won't beat around the bush with you. I need this injector, but I can't take it for free. I'll pay whatever your teacher spent for it."

"Do we still have money in our household?"

Yang Baishe blinked and joked. Seeing Li Jun's slightly embarrassed expression, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Actually, what Brother Jun said is not entirely correct. Those aristocratic families did want to make a fortune by relying on this, but they didn't expect that the martial arts orders would completely decline."

Yang Baishe obviously had prepared his words and spoke fluently: "The essence of martial arts injectors is still genes. For a martial arts order to use them, they must start practicing low-grade martial arts of the same origin from the day they join, constantly enhancing their compatibility. Only when their physique, bones, genes, and other aspects are all mature can they be injected."

"This 'Insight into the Five Gods' belongs to a martial arts school that has long since perished, and its lineage has been completely severed. Other martial arts orders cannot use it. Without buyers, they have no basis for continuing to hoard and speculate."

Yang Baishe wasn't telling the truth, and Li Jun knew it.

Yang Baishe didn't want to be too clear with him, either, because he wanted to leave a favor.

After understanding this, Li Jun didn't continue to ask questions.

"There's one more thing."

Yang Baishe stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and repeated what he had said to Xu Zhun yesterday in a casual tone.

"These words were told to me by my teacher, but many of them are guesses, and there's no substantial evidence, so Brother Jun should be careful."

Li Jun pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his eyebrows, "If it's true, what are you going to do?"

"With the crops growing well, a group of wolves and tigers suddenly rush in at this time. What can you do?"

Yang Baishe laughed loudly, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light.

"Of course, no inch of land or edge of a blade will be given up!"

Li Jun didn't hesitate: "The Ming guards of Kenzan Castle only recognize you, Yang Baishe."

"Thank you!"

Yang Baishe bowed with his fists together and turned to walk briskly out of the household.

[Insight into the Five Gods (Fifth-rank internal force) learning completed, replacing Chonglou Jue (Sixth-rank great perfection)]

[Insight into the Five Gods upgraded to fifth-rank middle stage 0/100]

[Consumed 100 proficiency points, Insight into the Five Gods upgraded to fifth-rank late stage (0/100)]

[Sequence]: Martial Arts Sequence Five - Instigator

[Technique]: Zhen Guan Fa (Fifth-rank great perfection), Jian Long Xie Jia (Fifth-rank great perfection), Shi Long Hu (Sixth-rank great perfection), Fen Jin Cu Gu Shou (Seventh-rank great perfection), Ming Gui Zhi Zhi (Eighth-rank early stage)

[Body Technique]: Lie Que Fa Bu (Sixth-rank great perfection)

[Physical Training]: Fu Yuan Jing Jia (Sixth-rank great perfection)

[Internal Force]: Insight into the Five Gods (Fifth-rank late stage 0/100)

[Remaining proficiency points: 4 (Jian Long Xie Jia used 100 points, Insight into the Five Gods used 100 points)]

The new genes rushed into his body, fiercely erasing all traces of Chonglou Jue.

Even the one skill that, after reaching great perfection, should be etched into the genes as a bodily instinct similar to breathing, was swept away completely.

Li Jun's dark yellow complexion recovered to a fair white at a rate visible to the naked eye, and the scars on his right arm faded away completely.

But his mind was not on the changes within his body at this moment; he was repeatedly pondering the news Yang Baishe had brought.

"Inviting wolves into the house, driving wolves to devour tigers. This new leader of the Donglin Party has quite a bold plan!"

“Does the Qianhu Su faction already know Zhang Fengyue’s true intentions? Is Su Laozi feigning ignorance while knowing the truth, or does he have a hidden agenda?”

Li Jun pondered for a long time before suddenly glancing at Huapi, who stood at a distance.

“Send Chen Qisheng to meet with me.”

“Chen Qisheng, I didn’t expect you to still remember us, the brothers of our sect. I thought you’d completely committed to becoming a Jinyiwei and abandoned Longhushan!”

“If there’s something to say, say it. If not, stop blabbering.”

In a Taoist temple exuding an ethereal aura, Chen Qisheng stood with his hands on his shoulders, leaning against a sandalwood beam. His cold eyes scanned the figures sitting cross-legged on the mats before him.

There were exactly ten people, including himself.

But there were only nine mats laid out on the ground!

“They didn’t even give me a seat. Our brothers of Longhushan are truly affectionate and loyal!”

Chen Qisheng clenched his teeth, his smile growing increasingly cold at the corner of his mouth.