Zhao Sheng was even more surprised to see a bald monk there.
It's important to know that monks were not well-regarded in the Dayong Dynasty, because its arch-rival, the Dazhen Dynasty, was a Buddhist dynasty.
Over the years, countless people from the Dayong dynasty died at the hands of the Dazhen dynasty, and the two dynasties had long since formed an irreconcilable feud.
One can imagine the hatred and hostility the monks would have faced in the Dayong Dynasty.
Seeing Zhao Sheng's surprised expression, Old Man He chuckled and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, this eminent monk is the Water Elementalist among our Five Elements Masters, the Formless Monk!"
"Amitabha! This humble monk, Wuxiang, greets Benefactor Zhao." The bald man clasped his hands together and chanted loudly, his voice like a clear spring, soothing and refreshing.
"My name is Zhao Zhiqin, greetings!" Zhao Sheng was secretly amazed, and immediately returned the greeting.
Then, Zhao Sheng turned to look at Old Man He and asked, "Fourth Master, why did you summon me here so urgently today?"
He Ying is the leader of the Five Elements and is most trusted by Mo Shengxuan, the Black Ice Envoy, so everyone regards him as their leader.
He Ying said, "The Water Element needs to mix into Boiling Spring Valley. We need your help with that."
Although puzzled, Zhao Sheng readily agreed, "If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!"
At this moment, the monk Wuxiang spoke up, "This humble monk knows that Benefactor Zhao has a disciple named Zhou Qingli. Please coax him out as soon as possible."
Zhao Sheng was taken aback upon hearing this.
The younger generation of the Zhou family is about to enter the valley today, and it will be very difficult to coax them out at this important time.
So he immediately asked, "Master, why do you do this?"
Before the monk Wuxiang could speak, Baoyu'er suddenly chuckled and said, "What else could it be? That bald monk is going to use the Wuxiang Incarnation Technique again!"
Zhao Sheng seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.
The Formless Incarnation Great Technique?
He seemed to have seen it in some ancient book; it appeared to be a Hinayana Buddhist practice of the Faxiang Weixin school.
He Ying urged, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, this matter must be completed as soon as possible! Otherwise, if it delays important matters, you will definitely be held responsible!"
Zhao Sheng scoffed inwardly, "What big deal? It's nothing more than probing the true strength of Boiling Spring Valley. More likely, they're searching for the whereabouts of the Dragon Ball."
Thinking this to himself, Zhao Sheng said with a serious expression, "There's no time to lose, I'll get right away!"
"Benefactor Zhao, this humble monk will go with you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, large drops of water suddenly gushed from every pore of the monk's body. Countless drops of water quickly gathered together, forming a water curtain that enveloped the monk.
In an instant, the formless monk's body suddenly became transparent, like a water sprite.
Then, the water-man's features and body twisted and contorted, quickly transforming into the appearance of another person.
Um?!
As the water receded, a living person appeared before everyone.
Zhao Sheng's expression changed slightly as he recognized the man as one of his servants.
He was exactly the same as that person in terms of height, appearance, and physique.
Without any hesitation, the monk Wuxiang removed his monk's robes in front of everyone, changed into a servant's outfit, and then walked up to Zhao Sheng.
"Master, let's go!"
Wow! Even the voices are exactly the same!
Looking at the respectful "Formless Monk," Zhao Sheng's pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but show a look of apprehension on his face.
"This person is dangerous!"
After leaving the intelligence point, Zhao Sheng and his companion quickly returned to their residence.
Since it would be too conspicuous to only seek out Zhou Qingli at this time, Zhao Sheng summoned all his disciples under the pretext of bestowing the talisman.
Upon hearing that their master was going to bestow a talisman, Zhou Qingwu and the others had no idea that it was a conspiracy, and they all rushed to Zhao Sheng's place in high spirits.
The details in between need not be elaborated.
Zhao Sheng, under the pretext of maintaining secrecy, called his disciples into the talisman room one by one.
Zhou Qingwu and the others had all received a second-tier illusion escape talisman, but when it was Zhou Qingli's turn to enter with an excited expression, he was greeted by a curtain of water.
At this moment, Zhao Sheng also witnessed the truly terrifying aspect of the Formless Incarnation Technique.
A curtain of water engulfed Zhou Qingli completely, then, ignoring his struggles, the water curtain split open and released countless tiny streams of water that forced their way into every pore of his body.
After all the water had entered his body, he became stiff and his face turned ashen, looking as if he were dead.
But soon, Zhou Qingli's complexion became rosy, and his chest began to rise and fall again.
He first twisted his limbs, then slowly got up from the ground, the lingering look of horror on his face quickly replaced by a look of submissiveness.
"Disciple Zhou Qingli thanks Master for bestowing upon me the talisman!"
Looking at his unusually obedient "disciple," Zhao Sheng suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
"Zhou Qingli" is gone, gone with some unknown mission.
That afternoon, the younger generation of the Zhou family left Zhoucheng and entered Boiling Spring Valley.
Zhao Sheng was very worried that the disguise of the Formless Monk would be seen through by the Golden Elixir Master Zhou Xilai.
A few days later, his fears did not come true; Boiling Spring Valley showed no signs of abnormality, indicating that the Monk Wuxiang had succeeded.
Then came another two months of waiting.
Then, a sudden battle report not only caught Zhao Sheng's attention but also made the Zhou family very restless.
Seven days ago, the Dazhen Buddhist army launched a surprise attack on Heishazhou. The Fire Wolf Army met the enemy head-on, suffered a minor defeat, and finally retreated to Lingshi Pass, where they held the enemy outside the pass.
This battle report not only foreshadowed the official start of the 32nd Ling Shi War between the two dynasties, but also meant that the Fire Wolf Army was bogged down.
This result made Zhao Sheng secretly wonder if there was some kind of secret agreement between the two royal families of Dayong and Dazhen, otherwise all of this was too coincidental.
Just two days later, He Ying quickly sent him a message.
When Zhao Sheng arrived at the intelligence point, he saw the Five Elements and Three Envoys again. He noticed that He Ying and the other two looked unusually serious, but their seriousness was mixed with an uncontrollable excitement.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Sheng was startled, and a premonition instantly arose in his heart.
The moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived!
Upon meeting, He Ying immediately said, "The higher-ups have given orders that Operation Wolf Slaughter will officially begin in seven days!"
Zhao Sheng was overjoyed upon hearing this, his heart pounding with excitement, and he exclaimed in his heart, "It's finally here!"
Just then, He Ying continued, "We don't need to worry about Zhou City; someone else will take over. Once the operation begins, we have only one goal: to enter Boiling Spring Valley and meet up with Monk Wuxiang as soon as possible."
At this point, He Ying turned to Zhao Sheng and asked, "How many of your Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes do you have left?"
Zhao Sheng immediately replied, "There are twelve more."
At the Black Ice Platform, he had already surrendered most of the Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes, leaving only this few in his possession.
Two per person, that should be enough!
Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng immediately took out his spirit insect bag, poured out twelve fist-sized, pure black mosquitoes with blood-red eyes, and then distributed them to the others.
After distributing the bloodthirsty mosquitoes, Zhao Sheng looked at He Ying and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Fourth Master, wiping out the Zhou family is a major event that will shake the court and the public. If we can't have a legitimate reason for doing so, it might cause unrest and panic among the people. Does the higher-ups have a plan to deal with this?"
He Ying smiled mysteriously, patted his shoulder, and said meaningfully, "Brother, just wait and see! The imperial court will never punish without warning. The Zhou family's wolfish ambitions will surely lead to their own destruction!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng's mind raced, and he vaguely guessed what actions the Mo family would take next!
If his guess is true, then he can only sigh, "Ruthless and vicious!"