Who knows?
A casual remark from Bai Xiaosheng only made Pei Xuanjing more convinced of his own speculation. Qingxu the Taoist didn't want to continue on this topic and asked, "So what's the second point?"
"The second point is the Mire Sect," Bai Xiaosheng said.
"The Mire Sect?" Qingxu the Taoist frowned.
Obviously, he didn't like the Mire Sect faction.
True Martial Sect is not only a major force in martial arts, but also a Taoist holy land. As a current dominant figure in Taoism, it naturally stands in opposition to the Mire Sect.
Pei Xuanjing, combined with his own information, said: "The Mire Sect's scheming in the Northwest Dao?"
"Huh?" Bai Xiaosheng glanced at Pei Xuanjing with some surprise. He had not expected Pei Xuanjing to know so much.
Even with the knowledge of Pei Xuanjing and Mire Sect's significant feud, the latter had eliminated a small force of the Mire Sect in Northwest Dao.
But one must know that the Mire Sect is a professional force for rebellion. In the Great Ming territory, they have supported countless small forces; simply too many to list.
"It seems he has other sources of information?" A suspicion appeared in Bai Xiaosheng's mind.
This was exactly what Pei Xuanjing wanted—to add a hint of mystery to his identity.
While numerous speculations flashed through Bai Xiaosheng's mind, he did not stop himself. He nodded and said, "Yes, Mire Sect has arranged forces in the Northwest Dao. Based on the intelligence I've gathered, they have invested a considerable amount of resources and even dragged a considerable number of people into the matter, preparing to instigate an uprising in the Northwest Dao."
"So it is indeed like that!" Pei Xuanjing thought to himself.
With this, everything could be accounted for.
In his initial simulation, the bandits he confronted wholesomely, let alone the uprising sweeping across the Northwest Dao, were all puppeteered by the Mire Sect.
However, just as Pei Xuanjing was certain of the uprising in the Northwest Dao originating from the Mire Sect, he was shocked by what Bai Xiaosheng said next.
"Initially, I saw it as a common occurrence for the Mire Sect to conduct such actions—it's not worth mentioning, something to be ignored almost. However, upon discovering a certain event, I continued my investigation, only to find that there was a significant force backing the Mire Sect," said Bai Xiaosheng, his face grave.
From his perspective, it should have been par for the course for the Mire Sect, a rebellious enterprise, to engage in such activities. After all, this was their bread and butter.
But during a chance occurrence, he discovered that one of the elders of the Mire Sect had suddenly emerged from seclusion and went to a place—a place beyond anyone's imagination.
"Who is it?" Qingxu the Taoist asked.
Pei Xuanjing was also somewhat curious.
He had originally thought that the Mire Sect was the puppet master behind the Northwest Dao. He didn't expect someone else to be involved.
"Yangzhou, Ning Fan," uttered Bai Xiaosheng.
"It's actually him!" Qingxu the Taoist's expression darkened.
He had not expected it to be this person.
Bai Xiaosheng thought that Pei Xuanjing wouldn't understand, so he began to explain.
Yangzhou, Ning Fan.
The implication lied with a person and power, the Ning King's Residence, Zhu Chenhao, who currently governs Yangzhou as Ning King.
Ning Fan, the original Ning King, was the seventeenth son of the founding emperor.
Subsequently, when the second emperor raised an army to quell a rebellion, Ning King, by a lucky coincidence, joined the uprising. After the second emperor ascended the throne, he reassigned Ning King to Yangzhou to guard it as Ning Fan.
Due to the imposing aura of the second emperor, although he was nominally the lord of Yangzhou, the first-generation Ning King stayed out of Yangzhou's affairs. He worked hard and lived a cautious life.
The current Ning King, Zhu Chenhao, is supposed to be the uncle of the current emperor from a generational perspective.
He is frivolous and lacks formal demeanor but is skillful in using his achievements to embellish his personality; he hoards wealth, and he is politically ambitious; he ostracizes dissent, and he damages and strikes rivals; he fishes for fame and seeks pleasure.
You can say that he possesses every ill habit that others have, and even those that others do not have.
In summary, the current Ning King has such a bad reputation that it almost tops amongst all princes. However, because he is good at pleasing the Emperor and has power, his position is also very secure.
"This is simply an absurd dream!" said Qingxu the Taoist in a cold voice.
Even if the current emperor had no heirs and might choose someone from the royal family to succeed him in the future, it would not be his turn. Even Qingxu the Taoist couldn't have imagined that this person would dare to stage a rebellion.
Bai Xiaosheng laughed and said: "Yet this Ning King is not just dreaming but has also taken action."
His moment of seriousness earlier was not due to the apprehension of Ning King but towards the consequence of the combination of him and Mire Sect. Once an uprising is instigated, the repercussions would be vast.
Pei Xuanjing also frowned slightly: "Isn't there any way to stop this?"
He had no sentiments for Ning King, and the Emperor didn't leave a good impression on him either.
To him, it doesn't really matter who the emperor appoints. It has nothing to do with him.
But even though Pei Xuanjing was ruthless in killing, he still had a touch of compassion.
He too could imagine the tumult once the Mire Sect starts an uprising. Paired with Ning King's revolt, it would spawn an enormous chaos, causing countless people to lose their lives and homes.
Moreover, he and the Mire Sect were already at odds. Of course, he would try his best to hinder the Mire Sect's plans.
"Despite knowing about this, I don't have enough evidence. Even if I convey the information to the imperial court, it probably won't attract much attention," lamented Bai Xiaosheng.
Given his identity, it's easy for the imperial court to be wary of him. Without concrete evidence against Ning King, any information sent would be like a stone sinking into the sea.
Moreover, it could trigger a counteraction, warning the opposition of their potential betrayal.
According to the clues he had collected, both parties have not been collaborating for long. Many things were not yet prepared, and there was still time before the real upheaval.
The imperial court was currently troubled by the Tartar invasions on the border. If they were to act rashly now and force an uprising prematurely.
If both problems collided, it would be quite a spectacle.
Perhaps, under the push of some with ulterior motives, it could rapidly turn into a sweeping wave, spreading across the Great Ming territory.
Qingxu the Taoist also understood his concern and could only heave a helpless sigh.
"In that case, why not capture the king first? I'll just assassinate him, and our troubles will be resolved from the root," said Pei Xuanjing suddenly, with his chilling intent to kill bursting forth.
If the problem cannot be solved, then we should eliminate the source of the problem.
If killing the ambitious Ning King can prevent a catastrophe, Pei Xuanjing thought it would be quite a bargain.
Ending one life to save thousands of others seemed quite worth it.
He intended to kill Ning King, not for the damned Great Ming Emperor, but for the innocent people. He did not want them to be embroiled in the chaos of war and lose their lives in innocence.
"Grandmaster Pei indeed has the spirit of chivalry!" Bai Xiaosheng couldn't help but praise him..
Pei Xuanjing laughed and shook his head, "I just don't want to see what some ambitious ones are up to."
If the current Great Ming dynasty is a decaying empire, having reached a point where the people are living in dire straits, where they're starving and resorting to exchanging their children for food.
If a hero rises up, overthrowing the decadent empire and fighting for the survival of the common people, Pei Xuanjing would certainly not stand in their way. He might even lend a hand. Even if countless lives would be sacrificed in the process, it could be considered worthwhile.
Better to be a peaceful dog than a chaotic human.
Pei Xuanjing cannot allow his personal disdain to lead him to take action on matters, especially those concerning the lives of countless people.
Pei Xuanjing is not a saint. He does not have the ability to shape the world according to his ideals. It would also be difficult for him to take on the responsibility of drastically changing the world and sacrificing everything for the common people.
At least, he does not have this ability now.
As for having it in the future, Pei Xuanjing does not know.
In the same way.
The current Great Ming hasn't reached that point yet. The majority of the people can still get a full meal, and they haven't thought of fighting back yet.
Therefore, those ambitious ones who, for their own desires and ambition, want to incite chaos for power and seize things. This is something Pei Xuanjing does not want to see.
Because although both situations are undesirable, at least the common people still have a way to survive.
Pei Xuanjing will act according to his own thoughts to prevent all this.
Bai Xiaosheng and Taoist Qingxu do not know the complexity, conflict, and contradiction in Pei Xuanjing's heart.
They only see Pei Xuanjing's willingness to intervene, admire his heroism, and further recognize him as a friend, fellow Taoist, and cooperator.
"Things haven't reached such a point. As I see it, there's still time before a potential outbreak," Bai Xiaosheng said softly.
He said to Pei Xuanjing, "1 will deploy more people to focus on this matter. Once there's any change,
I'll inform you. What Grandmaster Pei needs to do now is to concentrate on cultivation at Taihe Mountain and enhance his strength. After all, if you are forced to take action in the end, you will need sufficient strength."
Taoist Qingxu also nodded, "That's right. I will also observe this matter in secret, connect with some Taoist friends, and if things eventually become uncontrollable, I'll take action with my Taoist friends."
The reputation of the True Martial Sect isn't just for show. In the past, they simply didn't care about this matter, but now that they know, they can exert a tremendous force once they take action.
And having seen Pei Xuanjing take such a step, Taoist Qingxu naturally won't be left behind, deciding to take action with Pei Xuanjing at the crucial moment.
Pei Xuanjing nodded.
If he can further enhance his strength within these two or three years, he might be able to effortlessly resolve this matter.
The three of them went their separate ways.
Bai Xiaosheng and Taoist Qingxu started to closely monitor the situation, while Pei Xuanjing temporarily put all distractions aside and focused on studying the martial arts skills and refining accumulated Taoyun values.
With the intervention of the True Martial Sect and other forces, the Tartar tribe's invasion of the border was quickly resolved.
Adding to Pei Xuanjing's disappearance, and the Mire Sect's focus on preparing for the Northwest Dao, the entire Daming Jianghu quickly regained its previous tranquility.
Well, to say it was quiet, doesn't mean it was really quiet. It was just absent of extraordinary occurrences like Pei Xuanjing taking the lives of Seventh-grade Martial Artist.
The disputes among the lower martial artists had always existed and had never ceased.
And with the spread of the Martial Classics, within a short half-year, it had spread throughout the entire Jianghu, providing countless little-known individuals the chance to change their destiny.
Within this short span of a year, based on the observations and approximated calculations by various forces, a surprising conclusion was drawn.
That is, in the entire Great Ming, countless people have become Breakthrough Martial Artists due to the Martial Classics, an almost 10% increase in comparison to the original number of Martial Artists.
And this is just the first year of the spread of the Martial Classics. As time goes on, more and more people will break through Ninth-grade Martial Artists.
Of course, with the increase in the number of martial artists, disputes naturally increase.
Countless martial artists, in order to compete for cultivation resources, have started to fight each other.
Some have succeeded and reached the next level.
Some have failed and lost their lives.
Seasons changed; time flew.
Before one knows it, Pei Xuanjing has already spent around one and a half years in the True Martial Sect.
During this one and a half years, with the guidance and resources provided by Taoist Qingxu, Pang Hong directly broke through to the realm of a Seventh-grade Martial Artist.
And Pei Xuanjing, on an evening, finally accumulated enough Taoyun value to activate the Life Simulator twice.
[Taoyun: 211647 points.]
[Do you want to use the Life Simulator? It requires 100,000 Taoyun points for one use.]
After Pei Xuanjing returned to his room, he began this Life Simulation.
[Great Tao fifty, Forty-Nine Heavenly Paths, one is absent! Therefore, all things in the world have a glimmer of hope for life!]
Age twenty-seven: You leave the True Martial Sect Scripture Pavilion, worrying about Ning King's rebellion. So you, Bai Xiaosheng, and Taoist Qingxu decide to activate the Secret Blessed Land of the Shenxiao Sect in advance.
A month later, you enter the Secret Blessed Land.
This is when you discover the secret of the Shenxiao Jade Book, which can only be truly activated when the Shenxiao Jade Book has been successfully cultivated, and the practitioner has broken through to the First-grade.
The three of you overcome the traps and threats left by the Shenxiao Sect, entering the core of the Blessed Land where you discover the real secret – a manual to the method of Longevity.
Age twenty-eight: You leave the Blessed Land. Bai Xiaosheng gets the news that a rebellion in the Northwest Dao will soon rise up and that Ning King wants to raise an army. You decide to behead Ning King to eliminate the rebellion.
On your way, you hear that Ning King, who had already killed officials and raised a rebellion and took half of Yangzhou by storm, was stopped by Wang Yun, the then Nan Gan Circuit Superintendent. In just half a month, Ning King's army was in disarray.
However, due to the lack of experts on their side, even though Wang Boan defeated Ning King's army, some experts were still able to escort Ning King away.
You cut off Ning King's escape route with Bai Xiaosheng's information, and despite being heavily guarded by experts, you still cut down Ning King with your sword.
Just as you were about to leave, you happened to run into the commander of the Great Ming court,
Wang Boan..