Upon seeing the official document issued by the Lord of Anping Prefecture, the destruction of the Liu family and Shen's Business Association left those lesser powers feeling a chill in their hearts and a palpable fear of the strength of the government office.
However, the desire for profit overcame fear, as the void left by the annihilation of these two major powers filled some people, who were usually oppressed by them, with joy.
Driven by profit and ambition, they quickly put these fears behind them, focusing entirely on the scramble for benefits.
Half a month later, Pei Xuanjing also received the account books from his investigation of the two powers and his share of the profits therein.
The total seizures from the Liu family and Shen's Business Association were divided into five parts:
Pei Xuanjing received twenty-five percent, Gu Ji fifteen percent, the Six Gates and the Thousands of Households each got fifteen percent, and the remaining thirty percent divided into the treasury of Prefecture, to be handed over to the national treasury of the imperial court later.
He was even able to receive twenty-five percent due to Gu Ji sharing half of his profits with him.
Pei Xuanjing had no objections to this division.
He had neither the strength to swallow everything alone nor would he do so to such an extreme. After all, sometimes an equal distribution of benefits is the most appropriate allocation plan.
According to his request, Gu Ji helped him exchange most of the profits for cultivation resources, some spiritual materials, and elixirs.
He obtained dozens of spiritual materials aged for 500 years, five pieces aged for a millennium. In addition to some blood-nourishing and Qi-restoring types of elixirs, he also received three bottles of Earth Yuan big pills.
As for the martial studies and skills of the Liu family and Shen's Business Association, apart from selecting some for themselves, they were all confiscated for the government office.
Of course, at Pei Xuanjing's insistence, he could go and consult those skills and insights anytime without any additional conditions.
After tallying this harvest, Pei Xuanjing declined Gu Ji's offer of housing and left alone temporarily.
He needed to find a safe place and then begin life simulation.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Gu Ji, but now the government office had become the busiest place in Anping Prefecture. Visitations from people were incessant every day, making it difficult to find peace.
And each of his upcoming simulations would immensely drain his mental strength and be time-consuming, making this place unsuitable.
At night, he left the government office and left the city.
Waiting until the next day, after disguising his appearance, he entered a residence in the East City.
This was a place he had prepared as a foothold for himself a few days ago.
After everything was set up, and some alert and defensive mechanisms were installed, he entered a secret room in the residence and prepared to start life simulation.
[Taoyun: 53216 points.]
[Use a life simulator? Using it once will consume 10,000 points of Taoyun.]
'Yes.'
[Great Tao is fifty, the forty-nine are heavenly, and one is hidden! This is why everything in the world has a glimmer of life!]
Twenty years old: You come out of the Forbidden Place, by handing over the precious object you have taken to the Lord Gu Ji. Together with Gu Ji, you eliminate the Liu family and Shen's Business
Association.
At the same time, you start to cultivate the "Dragon Elephant Skill".
Twenty-one years old: Half a year later, when Gu Ji offers the precious object as tribute, he finally got the transfer order from the Court. He was appointed as an official to Tiandu. When he invited you to go with him to Tiandu, you politely refused.
One month later, you cultivate the second level of the Dragon Elephant Art, then leave Anping Prefecture and begin to travel the world to validate the Martial Arts.
You visit the Four Symbols Sword Sect, and discuss the way with the martial artist of the Four
Symbols Sword Sect, preparing to deduce the following skills of the "Four Spirits Skill."
Twenty-three years old: You stayed at the Four Symbols Sword Sect for a year, and under the guidance of several sword seers, you completed the seventh skill of the "Four Spirits Skill." However, there is still no clue on how to break through the third-grade martial artist. You bid farewell to the Four Symbols Sword Sect and continue to travel the world.
At twenty-four years old, you randomly come across a gang attacking a village, who seem to be practicing evil skills. You stand up and fight against them, killing them, and also uncover a big conspiracy.
Three months later, you are ambushed and killed by the mastermind behind the gang practicing the evil art.
[Life ends.]
Did I die so soon?
Pei Xuanjing sighed. In this life, he only lived until he was twenty-five.
But when he saw the reward, he felt that his simulation, although short-lived, was not small in gains.
[Simulation ended, you can choose to keep one of the following rewards.]
[First, the second realm of "Dragon Elephant Skill."] [Second, the seventh skill of "Four Spirits Skill." ]
[Third, the wonders of the Four Symbols Sword Sect.]
After brief consideration, he directly chose the second one.
The second realm of the "Dragon Elephant Skill" is not very useful to him, and the wonders of the Four Symbols Sword Sect are also not of much significance.
After making his choice, the cultivation skill for the seventh level of the "Four Spirits Skill" appeared in Pei Xuanjing's mind.
With this, he had a clear idea of what to do next.
Although he has not yet broken through to the third-grade, he has a clear understanding of how to renew his blood and reincarnate in the Upper Three Realms.
He then rested for seven days, recuperated, and resumed his life simulation again.
[Great Tao is fifty, the forty-nine are heavenly, and one is hidden! This is why everything in the world has a glimmer of life!]
Twenty years old: The lord invited you before he left, and you declined.
Twenty-one years old: You cultivate the "Dragon Elephant Skill" to the second level and leave Anping Prefecture.
Twenty-two years old: You originally planned to visit the Four Symbols Sword Sect, but a sudden heavy rain blocked your way.
Left with no choice, you enter a cave to shelter from the rain.
In the cave, you discover a peculiar fruit. After consuming it, you find that this fruit has magical powers and can help you to cultivate the "Dragon Elephant Skill."
Twenty-six years old: With the help of the peculiar fruit and three years of hard work, you have cultivated the "Dragon Elephant Skill" to the third level.
Sadly, you still haven't found the opportunity to breakthrough to the third-grade realm.
Twenty-eight years old: There's an uprising in the entire Northwest Dao, and you unintentionally get involved.
A rebellion initially thought to be easily quelled by the government office, goes out of control, seemingly unstoppable.
Seeing the situation like this, more and more experts get involved, and you want to stay away from the world. However, just as you're about to leave, a third-grade martial artist comes to kill you.
This third-grade martial artist turns out to be an expert from a power behind the Liu family.
You're unable to defeat the third-grade martial artist and are killed on the spot, despite doing
everything you can.
[Life ends..]
"Who backs the Liu family from the shadows?"
Pei Xuanjing frowned after reading through this latest life simulation.
He had believed that everything related to the Liu family was over, but clearly, this was not the case. He had already been marked by those pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"But why wouldn't these people retaliate immediately, instead opting to wait for several years?" Pei Xuanjing found himself lost.
Apparently, he needed to seize an opportunity to question Gu Ji about the roots of the force behind the Liu family, in order to prepare some defenses.
Admittedly, he felt rather uncomfortable to be targeted by an unlmown power.
The most nerve-wracking and terrifying moment is always the one immediately preceding the fall of the blade.
[Simulation ended. You may choose to retain one of the following rewards.]
[First, the third realm of the "Dragon Elephant Skill".] [Second, ten years of True Qi accumulation.] [Third, experience in combat against a Third-grade Martial Artist.]
Pei Xuanjing decisively selected the first option.
After making his choice, he could instantly feel his internal True Qi boiling once more. His muscles and tendons were absorbing the circulating True Qi as rapidly as a sponge, initiating further reinforcement.
"No wonder the Transverse Martial Training function can bring about such formidable physical strength." Pei Xuanjing thought, feeling the changes in his body.
He had thought his muscles and tendons were perfect after being nourished and reinforced by the True Qi, but only after practicing this kind of body-strengthening skill did he discover he was nowhere near perfection.
Simultaneously, he could feel his raw physical strength continuing to grow. It used to be that he needed to rely on True Qi to exert any power, but now his body alone sufficed.
After the True Qi settled, Pei Xuanjing conducted a test. On physical strength alone, he could now exert power exceeding that of three elephants. With the right martial arts skills, he could even go beyond that.
An elephant is regarded as the most powerful animal on land, and is often used as a metaphor for strength. Unless the power exceeds ten thousand catties, it is insufficient to be called elephantine strength. Similar animals used to describe strength include dragons, tigers, lions, bears, bulls, and leopards.
This breakthrough brought Pei Xuanjing immense strength. Aside from recovering his vitality, he needed time to gradually master his newfound power.
The drastic increase in physical strength was something he had to adapt to over time. Otherwise, rather than being a help, it would simply be a burden.
At this time, he got the news that Gu Ji was about to leave. After recovering his vitality, instead of starting the third life simulation right away, he decided to meet him first.
Government office, the rear hall.
"Congratulations, Mr. Gu. Your journey to Tiandu will certainly lead to a promising future…" Pei Xuanjing showered him with compliments.
"This time, I should thank you for your help, younger brother. Without the unusual treasure orb you helped me obtain from the Forbidden Place, I wouldn't have this opportunity." In the face of the glowing praise from a promising young man like Pei Xuanjing, even Gu Ji couldn't help but beam. He expressed his gratitude with sincerity.
He further invited Pei Xuanjing, "This time, would you like to accompany me to Tiandu?"
A Fourth -grade Martial Artist in his early twenties, of course Gu Ji wanted to hold him close.
Pei Xuanjing shook his head and declined: "I am currently practicing a certain skill, which disallows me from traveling far. Besides, the law and order in Tiandu are too stringent for my liking."
He spoke truthfully. Tiandu was the capital of Great Ming, Land of Ultimate Virtue under the emperor's feet. Not to mention the numerous powerful figures hidden within, the restrictions on martial artists were far more severe there than in other places.
Pei Xuanjing did not want to go there yet, at least not until he had broken through to the Third-grade Realm.
"Pity." Gu Ji shook his head.
He understood that for many martial artists, Tiandu wasn't a great place. All of them have been accustomed to their freedom, and unless necessary, none would willingly go there.
Pei Xuanjing took the initiative to raise the purpose of this visit, "Brother Gu, there's something I want to ask you."
"Oh?" Gu Ji was slightly surprised, but he replied frankly, "Apart from some imperial secrets, I will hide nothing and tell you everything."
Pei Xuanjing nodded, "I want to know, what power truly supports the Liu family from behind the scenes?"
"Why would you want to ask about this?" Gu Ji frowned, not answering right away.
Pei Xuanjing smiled, "Now that the Liu family has been wiped out, isn't it natural for me to want to know who I've offended? It'S always better to be prepared than to find out someone wants to kill me someday and not even know who they are."
Seeing Pei Xuanjing's frankness, Gu Ji looked around, then whispered three words: "White Lotus
Sect!"
"It'S them!"
White Lotus Sect!
Pei Xuanjing's pupils contracted. He didn't expect that the power behind the Liu family was the White Lotus Sect.
Now it all made sense. That was explaining why, in his simulation, the Liu family was able to get Gu Ji transferred away, and why, despite his trepidation, Gu Ji dared to eliminate the Liu family's influence given a legitimate reason.
Even though Pei Xuanjing was from a small border city, the reputation of the White Lotus Sect was well-known to him.
The White Lotus Sect, originating from Tang Dynasty, neither belonged to Buddhism nor Taoism, albeit embracing elements from both. Some branches had a close relationship with the imperial court, whereas others insisted on rebellions. Their philosophies varied dramatically, as did their demands.
But one thing is beyond doubt: over thousands of years, the Sect has developed countless branches and established strong power.
In fact, the founder of Great Ming had a deep connection with the White Lotus Sect during his early years. After establishing Great Ming, he ordered the ban of the White Lotus Sect.
However, even so, the White Lotus Sect's status oscillated between banned and recognized throughout the reigns of various emperors, zigzagging back and forth.
Therefore, even officials of the Great Ming government had different attitudes towards the White
Lotus Sect.
"As for which branch, I'm not certain," Gu Ji admitted , shaking his head.
All he knew was that the Liu family was supported by the White Lotus Sect, but he was clueless about which specific branch was involved.
Pei Xuanjing nodded. He too was aware that there were numerous subsects within the White Lotus Sect, each tangled up in its conflicts and struggles. Even insiders sometimes had difficulty discerning the affiliations.
But knowing the identity of his opponent gave him some peace of mind, avoiding a shocking surprise down the road..