83: Chapter 83 Blood Puppet for Sale? Infiltrating the Imperial City Three Days Later

"Chief Officer Wang, what a grand display of airs you have."

The silver-masked figure on the far left spoke with a sinister tone, a dagger as thin as a cicada's wing sliding out from his sleeve.

The blade reflected the lantern light, shining onto Gu Han's mask.

Gu Han suddenly laughed.

"What, do you want to make a move?"

Gu Han stepped forward, and the blue bricks on the ground cracked with a "crack," forming spiderweb-like patterns.

"When seeing a superior, you must kneel to speak."

"You are a Zhenwu Guard little banner, and I am a Chief Officer."

"Can't you tell who is who?"

As soon as the words fell, before the silver-masked figure could react, his neck was gripped by a hand, and his entire body was hoisted into mid-air like a marionette.

The remaining six people retreated violently in unison, just as they were about to draw their blades.

Gu Han swept a cold gaze over them, and they all lowered their heads one after another.

"Can you talk properly now?"

The cellar was as silent as a grave.

Just at this moment.

The figure on the far right wearing a bronze tiger mask suddenly knelt on one knee.

"Subordinate pays respects to Lord Jiu!"

There was an irrepressible tremor in his voice.

Gu Han's pupils constricted slightly.

Ghost faces formed by congealed blood droplets had crawled all over the entire wall at some unknown point, and thick blood plasma was seeping from every brick seam.

The pool of blood in the center of the cellar suddenly boiled, and nine ghostly green lanterns ignited with blood-colored flames with a "puff."

"Everyone, rise."

A hoarse voice came from beneath everyone's feet.

The blue bricks under Gu Han's boots suddenly softened, and a hunched figure slowly rose from the blood-colored vortex.

The person was cloaked in a blood robe, and his exposed skin was covered in spiderweb-like golden threads, with a bronze nail driven into the intersection of every golden thread.

"Lord Jiu!"

The six Zhenwu Guards knelt and bowed in unison, their foreheads pressed tightly against the ground.

"Iron Pillar Wang?"

Jiu Wuming's eyelids lifted, his turbid eyeballs rotating to lock onto Gu Han.

"That old dog Yang Qianjue thought he had found a treasure."

"Don't think that just because you have become a Zhenwu Guard Chief Officer, you can be arrogant."

"Remember your identity."

Before the words had finished, the Blood God Seal on Gu Han's wrist suddenly burned with intense pain.

A suction force came from deep within the brand, and it actually wanted to forcibly extract his life essence.

The thirty-six heavenly prison chains within Gu Han's body roared and surged.

Seeing this, Gu Han immediately suppressed them.

And feigning fear, he cupped his hands in salute.

"My Lord, this subordinate dares not."

"This subordinate was just joking with them."

The ghostly light of the blood-flame lanterns flickered in the cellar, stretching the seven kneeling figures into twisted ghost shadows.

"Remove your masks."

"Remember each other."

"From now on, you are teammates."

"If the events that just happened occur again, do not blame me for being ruthless."

Jiu Wuming's voice was like a rusty knife scraping bone, and his withered hand, studded with bronze nails, lifted slightly.

The silver mask of the person kneeling at the very front cracked with a "snap."

Revealing a youthful face.

It was exactly Zhao Wujiu, who had joined the Zhenwu Division together with Gu Han.

Gu Han's brows beneath his mask raised slightly.

"Bang!"

The second bronze tiger mask exploded, and behind the debris was the heroically imposing face of a youth.

Gu Han's pupils constricted sharply; this was clearly Lu Zhao, the orphan of a loyal martyr whom Yang Qianjue had personally appointed as a Centurion at the drill ground today.

"Interesting."

He rubbed the hilt of his blade with his thumb, watching as the remaining five people revealed their true faces one after another.

They were all people who had joined the Zhenwu Division today.

"Chief Officer Wang seems... not very obedient?"

Seeing that Gu Han had not removed his mask, Jiu Wuming said coldly.

"This subordinate dares not!"

Gu Han quickly took off his mask.

The blood-flame lanterns cast uncertain shadows over the seven faces.

Gu Han feigned panic and lowered his head, but his peripheral vision swept over everyone's expressions.

Zhao Wujiu's eyes hid resentment, Lu Zhao's knuckles were white, and three of the remaining five were trembling slightly.

"Three days later, at the Hour of the Rat."

Jiu Wuming flipped his withered claw, and seven blood-colored Jade Slips fell into everyone's palms.

The moment Gu Han touched the Jade Slip, the heavenly prison chains within his body suddenly trembled.

Like a cat seeing a mouse, it wanted to capture it.

"There is a batch of cargo in the cellar of the East Market granary that needs to be sent into the Imperial City."

Jiu Wuming's fingernail grazed Lu Zhao's neck, drawing a string of blood droplets.

"You are responsible for using your identities to provide cover."

The blood droplets condensed into a skull pattern in mid-air, and Gu Han's pupils constricted slightly.

This was clearly the Blood Puppet mark of the Blood God Cult; the so-called "cargo" was likely living dead Puppets.

"Iron Pillar Wang as the leader, Lu Zhao as the deputy."

Jiu Wuming suddenly gripped Zhao Wujiu's throat.

"If you lot dare to..."

"This subordinate understands."

Gu Han stepped forward violently, the hidden force in his boots shattering the floor tiles.

Jiu Wuming's turbid eyeballs turned toward Gu Han, and his withered hand, studded with bronze nails, suddenly expanded three feet, stabbing straight at his crown!

"Bang!"

Gu Han did not dodge or evade, letting the sharp claws grip his skull.

Secretly, however, he poured a wisp of Heavenly Prison True Qi into the Blood God Seal, faking the illusion of being completely controlled.

"Very good."

Jiu Wuming withdrew his hand, and a mass of wriggling golden-red Jade Slips appeared in his palm.

"This is the first three levels of the 'Blood Fiend Scripture' as a reward for you."

"This is the supreme Cultivation Technique of the Sacred Cult, enough for you to Cultivate to the Mortal Transformation Realm."

"As long as you perform well and make contributions, the subsequent parts of the 'Blood Fiend Scripture' will be given to you."

"You even have the chance to be accepted as Disciples by the Elders of the Sacred Cult."

"Becoming the core of the Sacred Cult."

The moment the blood Jade Slip exploded in his palm, the evil characters of the 'Blood Fiend Scripture' burrowed into his mind like living creatures.

"Thank you for the reward, My Lord!"

Gu Han feigned excitement and cupped his hands in salute.

"I will surely complete the mission even at the cost of my life."

Then he complained inwardly.

"You want to buy me off with just this little bit of trash?"

"Dream on!"

Jiu Wuming's Divine Sense fluctuated, sweeping over everyone like a viper flicking its tongue.

"Get out, all of you."

Jiu Wuming waved his withered claws, and thick blood mist suddenly surged from the cracks in the cellar bricks.

Gu Han only felt the ground beneath his feet go empty, and when he opened his eyes again, he was already standing in a humble alley in the south of the city, with a heavy leather bag in his arms.

He swept his Divine Sense across it; the bag was neatly stacked with three hundred taels of blood-patterned silver, and at the bottom was a defense map of the Imperial City.

The map was marked with seven cinnabar signs, which were exactly the routes for "transporting cargo" in three days.

"Using the Zhenwu Guards as a transport team..."

Gu Han sneered and crushed the defense map, his Heavenly Prison True Qi burning the fragments into blue smoke between his fingers.

He paused suddenly as he turned around; a figure was leaning against a locust tree at the entrance of the alley, the bronze tiger-faced token at his waist gleaming coldly under the moonlight.

"Lu Zhao?"

The young little banner was spinning a copper coin at his fingertips, and between the flying coin, the two characters "Heavenly Secret" were vaguely visible.

"Chief Officer Wang, what impressive means you have."

The copper coin suddenly froze, revealing a ferocious skull pattern on the back.

Gu Han narrowed his eyes; this was clearly the mark of a Soul-Chasing Envoy of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

"Click."

Lu Zhao's neck suddenly twisted into a strange angle, and spiderweb-like golden threads appeared beneath his skin.

His voice also turned old and hoarse.

"This old man is very curious, how did you deceive the Blood God Seal?"

The heavenly prison chains clanged within his Dantian, but Gu Han revealed a simple, honest smile on his face.

"little banner Lu, you are joking; I am loyal to the Sacred Cult..."

"Boom!"

The moment the ground exploded, the spot where Gu Han had originally been standing had already been nailed by seven copper coins.

Each copper coin was burning with ghostly green ghost fire, corroding the blue bricks into bowl-sized pits.

"The Bone-Eroding Coins of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion?"

"Another old schemer has arrived."

Gu Han's figure flashed repeatedly like a ghost.

The Heavenly Prison Steps, which he had previously concealed, now revealed their true power.

Three steps taken brought him a hundred zhang away, and when the fourth step landed, the sole of his boot happened to pin down the back of Lu Zhao's neck.

"Crack."

The young Centurion's spine groaned under the unbearable weight, but it twisted in the opposite direction in a bizarre manner, and his hands gripped Gu Han's ankles like iron pliers.