Actually, there was another reason. Daoist Xuanming did not truly cultivate this skill to the peak state. Especially when facing rare formidable characters in the martial world such as Yang Tinghe, trying to use the Soul Stealing hypnosis to uncover the secrets deep in their hearts was extremely difficult.
Considering the steadfast will of such a strong character, unless they are defeated in an invincible stance like Pei Xuanjing did today, agitated and scrambled, not having been exposed to such a skill before, and caught off guard, Daoist Xuanming would've had the upper hand.
Moreover, such secrets are some of the most concealed matters in Yang Tinghe's heart, which can hardly be obtained easily.
After listening to Daoist Xuanming's explanation, Pei Xuanjing nodded in understanding: "I was being greedy. "
He understood that the Soul Stealing technique was similar to hypnosis in his previous life, but it was not an all-powerful move.
Just from the perspective of the previous life, one way to cope with someone using hypnosis to divulge their secrets, some people would set up something similar to an 'alarm' for their deepest secrets. Once triggered, immediate defensive reactions would ensue.
"No matter what, this news is significant and must be kept confidential for the time being. If it gets out, it might cause a huge uproar, sending a frenzy throughout the entire martial world." Pei Xuanjing instructed Daoist Xuanming.
Indeed, treasures from forbidden places in the blessed land could assist martial artists in advancing to the Upper Three Realms, but because once a treasure is refined, if you don't have a larger opportunity, it is impossible to advance further, and therefore is often regarded as a chicken rib by many.
Aside from martial artists who feel that there is no room for growth or those second-generation descendants with inadequate martial-inherited skill, most confident martial artists would rather wait for several years at one realm rather than yearn for a moment's speed and choose to refine these treasures.
Therefore, at this point, although the treasures found in these blessed forbidden places are useful, most martial artists, especially the strong ones, don't care about them.
However, if this news does get out, it'll be like throwing a boulder into a calm lake, leading to unimaginable consequences.
"Taoist friend, rest assured, I will most definitely keep this matter confidential." Daoist Xuanming replied solemnly, then smile: "Moreover, this news has not yet been confirmed as of now, so we're still not sure if it's true or false, right?"
After all, until now, who knows how many martial artists struggling at the First-grade stage feel lost, and the appearance of such an opportunity might drive them mad.
Furthermore, regardless of whether this matter is true or false, it needs to be controlled in their hands. Whoever gets wind of such a massive secret would not readily reveal such a huge benefit. Pei Xuanjing said leisurely, "Actually, whether this news is accurate or not, perhaps we can give it a
"Give it a try?" Daoist Xuanming asked curiously.
Pei Xuanjing smiled mysteriously "If you can find a piece of one of these treasures, I might be able to unlock its secret." "Which kind?"
"The lowest grade will do."
"That's easy." Daoist Xuanming said nonchalantly.
With the strength of Baiyun Temple, acquiring the top-tier treasures may not be easy, but getting the lowest grade one just took a little effort and they could definitely find one.
"That's more than enough." Pei Xuanjing showed a smile.
He was thinking if he had a piece of a treasure but didn't use it immediately. Instead, he started a life simulation. Would things change in his simulated life? Would he refine the treasure in the life simulation?
Although the course of life in the simulation can be slightly influenced by human factors, and it won't harm Pei Xuanjing. Even if there were repercussions in the simulation, Pei Xuanjing can just abandon the idea of refining the treasure.
However, if the refining of the treasure in the simulation turns out with no consequences but instead aids cultivation, it would definitely be good news for Pei Xuanjing.
Daoist Xuanming didn't know what Pei Xuanjing was thinking. He thought that Pei Xuanjing was going to try it personally, and quickly said: "Taoist friend, you must not act recklessly."
With the impending revival of heaven and earth, there was no need to persist on this path.
That is why even after knowing this news, Daoist Xuanming was not overly excited.
Pei Xuanjing nodded: "I have everything arranged, and I will not act recklessly."
Listening to Pei Xuanjing's confidence, Daoist Xuanming didn't say more.
Every strong person, or those who have reached their state, have a mighty ego. They would not be easily swayed by the words of others.
Even though he and Pei Xuanjing were allies, on the topic of cultivation, they could discuss, but absolutely no one could affect a peer's path. This was an unspoken taboo.
At this moment, Yu Zhenzi timely appeared, adeptly deviating from the topic.
Yu Zhenzi came to the jade platform: "Yu Zhenzi sends his respects to the Sect Master and Master Guan."
Pei Xuanjing pulled out a letter from his sleeve and threw it to him: "Deliver this letter to the Minister from the Ministry of War."
"Yes!" Yu Zhenzi took the letter and turned to leave.
Waiting for Yu Zhenzi to leave, Daoist Xuanming looked at the moon in the sky and couldn't help but say, "While you cultivate leisurely here, I suspect many people in the capital can't get to sleep tonight."
He couldn't help but think that it was fortunate they were allies and not enemies. If they had such an opponent, it would be a disaster for Baiyun Temple.
Pei Xuanjing smiled faintly: "Are you the same, Taoist friend?"
Daoist Xuanming did not hide his joy, laughed and said, "That's true, I too am one of those who can't sleep."
He paused, and asked Pei Xuanjing, "I wonder what Prince of Xiang, Zhu Yousong, and Taoist Qingxu have said?"
"You are asking what you already know." Pei Xuanjing glanced at him and said, "They merely see that no one can control me, so they wanted to draw the True Martial Sect in to balance out my power." This kind of tactic from the royal family was well within their expectation and not a surprise.
In Pei Xuanjing's view, the royal family directly inviting Qingxu was a blatant statement to him and the decision-makers of all parties that they were going to cooperate closely with the True Martial Sect.
"But I'm afraid the royal family never dreamt that the True Martial Sect has already joined forces with us." Daoist Xuanming laughed.
The royal family wanted to draw the True Martial Sect into the picture to check and balance Pei Xuanjing, but they never realized that Pei Xuanjing and the True Martial Sect were allies with ties even closer than those with the royal family..
Pei Xuanjing was very clear about this, although they had secretly allied together, they did not reveal all their alliances at once, but instead took some actions at the right time, which confused many people.
At least, the royal family of the Great Ming is temporarily baffled by them.
"I just don't know if those people will be scared off?" said Daoist Xuanming.
By "those people," he meant the leaders of the various major forces. Those people, upon seeing Pei Xuanjing tearing apart the protection of interests regarded as taboo by the royal family in such a domineering manner, would certainly rush up like wolves smelling meat and subsequently plunder their benefits.
And the reason why Zhu Yousong finally invited Qingxu was not only to counterbalance Pei Xuanjing, but also to deter those people, to make them give up any improper ideas.
Pei Xuanjing sneered: "Those people will not give up so easily. Once ambition is aroused, it's not easy to suppress."
I'm not afraid of darkness if I never saw the light.
For those major forces, it was almost the case.
If previously they had never thought of, or seen anyone able to seize the interests deemed taboo by the royal family, they might have only been able to watch helplessly.
But after Pei Xuanjing's success, he undoubtedly tore open a gap, letting them realize that the royal family is not invincible; when facing threats, the royal family would also compromise.
Something that Pei Xuanjing can do, I can't do?
Those forces will definitely never back down, at least not before facing the threat of death and extermination.
The deterrence of the royal family might suppress them for a while, but it will not make them give up this opportunity; this is absolutely impossible.
"Those who can't sleep tonight, I'm afraid, won't blame me, Pei, and instead, they will thank me in private, right?"
Pei Xuanjing looked up at the bright moon and sighed in his heart: Such a beautiful moonlight, I guess no one will bother to appreciate it.
At this moment, the big figures among the outsiders at the Ministry of War's Shangshu Mansion were as Pei Xuanjing expected, without the slightest intention of appreciating the moonlight tonight.
In the study, Wang Qiong, Gu Ji, and Wang Boan seated themselves as they did not long ago.
Many people knew that Yang Tinghe had no chance of turning things around, and Minister Wang had become the biggest winner in the endorsement of the new emperor. Therefore, many people congratulated him after the Great Morning Meeting today.
However, Minister Wang Qiong at this moment was not as pleased as many had imagined. He sat before his desk, his face cold and his brows furrowed.
Neither Gu Ji nor Wang Boan, who were sitting opposite to him, had any feelings of joy despite their great success.
"There were quite a few disturbances in Tiandu today, did anything happen on King Xing's side?" Wang Qiong asked Wang Boan.
Wang Boan: "As old master expected, Yang Tinghe indeed had a backup plan. At the time of the sudden change in the Imperial City, there was a group of killers intending to attack King Xing's Mansion in Tiandu city. However, Wu Fa had already led many masters from Six Gates to wait there, and nothing unexpected occurred. But…"
Wang Qiong frowned: "But what?"
"What's a little strange is that when the Mansion was attacked. another group of people also came, seemingly to protect King Xing, " Wang Boan said calmly.
Gu Ji on the side added: "These should be Pei Xuanjing's people. Since he chose to support King Xing, he would naturally not sit idly by in times of crisis."
The atmosphere in the study room, already somewhat bizarre, became even more strange after the mention of Pei Xuanjing's name, and for a while, no one continued to speak.
"It seems that I am really old and confused, I really did not expect it!" After a long time, Wang Qiong sighed deeply and began somewhat helplessly: "I have been in the officialdom for several decades, but I did not expect to be played by a youngster who is only in his thirties, really shameful."
What happened at today's Great Morning Meeting, if it could be said that things were within Wang Qiong's control at first, everything was arranged by him and Pei Xuanjing's side after they had agreed to cooperate in private.
But after Pei Xuanjing defeated Yang Tinghe, what happened had gone beyond his expectations. What Pei Xuanjing did was completely different from what he had said before.
According to their initial agreement, all Pei Xuanjing had to do was to stand out and expose Yang Tinghe's identity, then capture or kill him, to ensure that they could elevate King Xing to the throne.
And taking this opportunity, waiting for the new king to ascend to the throne, to pardon the whole world, coupled with Pei Xuanjing's credit for exterminating the Blood Demon today, would naturally be able to exonerate Shenxiao Sect's charges and restore its reputation.
Gu Ji quickly said, "Master, why should you be so, considering the situation at that time, there might be some reasons…"
As the one who strongly facilitated the cooperation between the two sides, Gu Ji naturally could not pour fuel on the fire at this time, but needed to try his best to soothe Wang Qiong's anger.
After all, given the current situation, things were beyond repair, so it was better to let it go.
Wang Qiong sneered, 'What reasons? It's nothing more than Pei Xuanjing's strong self-confidence, and he never put us in his eyes! The cooperation ends right here, don't mention it again."
At the beginning, it was agreed that they would handle matters at court while Pei Xuanjing's side would handle the matters outside court. This cooperation of joining forces would have been a great benefit to Wang Qiong's future plans, so he was naturally very willing.
But what Pei Xuanjing did today, not only robbed the interests of the Great Ming royal family, but also extended his reach into the court, indirectly touching Wang Qiong's sphere of interests – something he found unacceptable.
"Master, what has happened, has happened. We should think of ways to recover the situation, or else wouldn't all our previous efforts have been in vain?"
Seeing Wang Qiong so angry, Gu Ji could only try to persuade him, at the same time, he looked at Wang Boan, hoping that he could speak up and persuade Wang Qiong.
After all, although both are close to Wang Qiong, Wang Boan's relationship with Wang Qiong is much closer than his. Some words could only be said by Wang Boan.
Deep down, Gu Ji was unwilling to let Wang Qiong give up the cooperation just like that.
The possibility of longevity put forward by Pei Xuanjing when initiating the cooperation was very attractive to Gu Ji.
Wang Boan, who had been silent for a long time, also took the opportunity to persuade: "What Brother Gu said is correct. What we need to do now is to ensure that King Xing's ascension to the throne is foolproof. As for Pei Xuanjing's side of things, since they have already happened, let's temporarily forget about them. Let's see if they have any responses, and if they will give us an explanation."
"You are right." Wang Qiong temporarily suppressed his dissatisfaction in his heart and nodded. After all, the most important thing now was indeed the ascension of King Xing..
In order to make King Xing ascend the throne, Wang Qiong had paid so much price and made so much effort to get to this point, he absolutely could not allow any more accidents to happen.
Although Pei Xuanjing's matter was beyond control, the pact between the two sides was still valid, and the other party also needed to quickly promote the succession of the new king to achieve their goal.
It can be said that they both have common interests. Even if there are any problems, for Wang Qiong and his group, they can only temporarily suppress them and leave them to be discussed in the future.
"Hmph, perhaps Pei Xuanjing dares to act like this today because he is certain that I will not dare to fall out with him under the current situation." Wang Qiong snorted coldly, said.
Gu Ji and Wang Boan glanced at each other without picking up the conversation, because they had guessed this long ago.
Wang Qiong looked at the two of them, changed the topic, and asked Wang Boan, "Just now, you said that you were waiting for Pei Xuanjing's explanation for us. How do you see it?"
Although he already had an idea in his mind, he would not express his position easily, but was waiting for Wang Boan to speak.
Wang Boan said calmly, "If they have an explanation for us, it firstly shows an attitude that the other party intends to cooperate. We can take advantage of the situation to put forward some requirements to compensate for the loss, and even discuss many controversial issues with them; But if there is no explanation, it means that everything the other party said before is just deception, and they are fundamentally aiming to use us…"
Although Wang Boan didn't finish his words, his attitude was clear. If Pei Xuanjing really had no intention to cooperate and was only using them, the positions of the two sides would turn from friends to enemies.
The three men were silent, knowing that the power to decide whether it's an enemy or a friend is actually in the hands of Pei Xuanjing.
Gu Ji prayed in his heart, silently saying: Mr. Pei, you can't let Gu disappointed!
Wang Qiong had been an official for decades. He had spent his life in a high position and had already seen wealth, honor, life, and death indifferently. For him, the greatest wish for the rest of his life is to complete the plan that has consumed his decades of hard work.
Not to mention Wang Boan, who not only had numerous disciples and has written books on governance and has even stepped into the realm of first-grade in martial arts. His strength was unpredictable, and he had a long lifespan.
If one day the heaven and the earth were to be revived, with his talent, it would be easy for him to enter the Spirit Realm, and there was no difficulty at all.
In contrast, Gu Ji, although his official position was not low, and he held power, but with the increase of age, his body had aged and death was almost palpable to him.
Therefore, among the three of them, he was the one who most longed for longevity.
Perhaps Gu Ji's prayer worked, at this time, sounds came from outside the study room.
War at night!"
"I, Yu Zhenzi of the Shenxiao Sect, was entrusted by the Sect Master and came to deliver a letter to the Minister."
The three men exchanged glances, their expressions softened considerably.
Wang Qiong ordered, "Let this Taoist priest in!"
"Yes, master!"
A moment later, Yu Zhenzi, clad in a Taoist robe, walked into the study room, presenting the letter with both hands.
"Yu Zhenzi was ordered by the Sect Master to deliver this letter."
"You have worked hard!" Wang Qiong took the letter with both hands.
Although he was secretly annoyed with Pei Xuanjing's actions, he would not lose his manners in front of Yu Zhenzi. This is a common problem with those in high positions; they are less willing to show their emotions.
Those unwilling to express their emotions were civil officials like Wang Qiong, who came from a scholarly background. But for warriors like those in the guard, they did not have such good manners.
Jiang Bin sat in the main seat, still wearing the daytime Flying Fish Uniform, his face cold, without a word. The entire hall seemed to drop a few degrees due to his icy demeanor.
Pei Xuanjing's actions today made Jiang Bin feel greatly humiliated. Ever since he became the confidant of the former emperor, who in the Great Ming dared to humiliate him apart from the former emperor.
Even now with the late emperor's demise, as the commanding officer of the Brocade Guards, he had countless skilled subordinates and vast political connections, his influence within the court was tremendous. Whether it was the Minister of War Wang Qiong or the previous Prime Minister Yang Tinghe, they had to cater to him, showing their goodwill.
And what was this Pei Xuanjing supposed to be?!
Just a lucky lot, and he dared to humiliate him like this!
He should bear in mind that back in Tiandu, he had been keen on courting Pei Xuanjing's favor. Even back then, had he not shown mercy, Pei would have already died within the walls of Xuanfu.
Now, Pei Xuanjing had attained power and instead of showing gratitude, he had the audacity to humiliate him. The audacity of it all!
Smack!
Jiang Bin grew angrier by the minute and in his uncontrollable rage, he smashed the tea cup in his hand onto the ground, spilling tea everywhere and sending shards flying.
"My lord, please calm down!"
The Brocade Guards guarding him quickly kneeled halfway to the ground.
"Pei Xuanjing! "
His eyes shone with a cold light as he gritted his teeth, repeating Pei Xuanjing's name.
"My lord!"
Just at that moment, the two commanding officers of the Brocade Guards, Xu Tai and Li Cong, entered the hall, greeting Jiang Bin respectfully.
"You all may leave first." Jiang Bin suppressed his anger, waved his hand to dismiss the guards, and then in a deep voice asked, "Has the matter been taken care of?"
Both of them nodded, and Xu Tai said, "Rest assured, my lord, my brother and I personally attended to all the details. There is absolutely no trace left."
"Good." A hint of a smile surfaced on Jiang Bin's face, finally relaxing somewhat.
At the same time, he regretted in his heart that he had been foolish, fooled by Yang Tinghe into boarding the latter's ship and agreeing to support the grandson of King Anshan as the successor to the throne together.
Who could have expected that this Prime Minister, who had been in the court for decades longer than him, would turn out to be a Blood Demon from the
Demonic Cult—it is simply inconceivable.
Today, after Pei Xuanjing had exposed Yang Tinghe's true identity in the Great Morning Meeting, Jiang Bin felt like he had fallen into an ice pit. However, he still held some hope if Yang Tinghe could successfully escape, then there would still be some room for him to manoeuver.
But who could have thought that Yang Tinghe, with such incompetence, would be captured by Pei Xuanjing without any chance of resistance.
That's why he had taken the risk and stepped forward later, hoping to take Yang Tinghe into his possession. Whether to kill or not, he would benefit. Yet, he didn't expect not only to fail but also to be humiliated by Pei Xuanjing.
Li Cong hesitated, "But…"
"But what?" Jiang Bin's eyelid twitched, with a premonition of impending bad news, he asked.
Li Cong murmured, "It seems that Lin Qian Shi is paying close attention to this matter. He sent people to investigate and nearly discovered it. With his understanding of the Brocade Guards, once he investigates in detail, I'm afraid our concealments will be of no use."
"Uh…" Jiang Bin fell into contemplation and after a long while finally said, "As for Lin Qian Shi, let me handle it."
In recent years, Lin Qingyi had gained considerable merit and showed off in front of the late emperor. Although Jiang Bin didn't say it openly, he had been subtly suppressing Lin, not willing to let Lin get promoted too quickly.
Now hearing the action from Lin Qingyi, Jiang Bin couldn't help but feel annoyed. He decided to find an excuse to dismiss Lin and wait until this storm calms down to decide on the next step.
After the two left, Jiang Bin sat alone in the hall, his eyes flickering.
The next step would depend on how he would be treated after King Xing's ascension to the throne. Perhaps it was time to start planning for the future..