102: Haitang: Grandmaster Wuzhu? He smells really good.

Chapter 102: Haitang: Grandmaster Wu Zhu? He smells quite nice! (23)

Haitang Duoduo was not surprised to hear Li Chang'an's name.

Since the Southern Qing Grandmaster had made a Move, the Northern Qi Grandmaster also had to kill someone of significance.

This is how strategic weapons work; once you fire the first shot, you cannot control where the opponent's second shot will land.

Therefore, in most cases, the use of strategic weapons means a fight to the death.

Perhaps, the nuclear war 200,000 years ago started this way.

However, Ku He and Si Gu Jian did not know that Emperor Qing, the hidden Grandmaster, would endure.

He would not let a Grandmaster war break out between both sides due to Ku He's reciprocal retaliation, because that would expose Emperor Qing's Grandmaster identity.

He was planning for an opportunity, waiting for a perfect moment to eliminate both Si Gu Jian and Ku He, completely clearing the obstacles to unifying the world.

He had started these plans long ago and would never allow any unexpected situations to disrupt them at will.

The strongest person in the original work was Emperor Qing, not only because he was the strongest Grandmaster, but also because of his powerful Heart-Nature and endurance.

For Northern Qi, these five people — Emperor Qing, The Eldest Princess, Prince Yong, Chen Pingping, and Qin Ye — posed the greatest threat.

Emperor Qing oversaw the overall situation, The Eldest Princess controlled the Imperial Treasury's finances, Chen Pingping was the head of intelligence, and Qin Ye was a veteran general.

Li Chang'an caused Northern Qi to lose its advantage in the literary world, but this alone was not enough to make Ku He hate him.

What infuriated Ku He most was that Li Chang'an had managed to create a 'divine possession' act, portraying himself as the sole Celestial Vein Holder.

This greatly angered Ku He, who had always revered deities!

Ku He had never heard of deities descending to the mortal world; if it had been before his visit to the Divine Temple, Ku He might even have been fooled by Li Chang'an's act.

But Ku He had seen the Divine Temple with his own eyes. If someone unrelated to the Divine Temple claimed to be a deity, Ku He naturally wouldn't believe it at all.

Therefore, Ku He had already determined that Li Chang'an was performing a charlatan's trick to deceive people, and had even turned Haitang Duoduo, his own designated Celestial Vein Holder, into a fake.

Southern Qing, which had always shown little reverence for deities, was now attempting to seize religious discourse, which Ku He found unacceptable.

Haitang Duoduo cautiously said, “Master, the Empress Dowager and His Majesty's thoughts are quite different from yours.”

“They have already begun to build momentum in Southern Qing, saying that Prince Yong's abilities surpass those of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, and that he should be made the Imperial Younger Brother.”

“Since Prince Yong is a Celestial Vein Holder, he is destined by Heaven to rule the world!”

“I believe it won't be long before Prince Yong is suspected by Emperor Qing, and perhaps he might even defect to Northern Qi.”

In Empress Dowager Wei and Zhan Doudou's view, if a literary giant like Li Chang'an were recruited by Northern Qi, it would bring great benefits to Northern Qi.

Ku He was usually gentle, but on this matter, he refused to yield an inch.

He was the strongest Cultivator of Northern Wei, once the greatest nation in the world, and was considered by many to be the closest to deities.

He had seen a fairy, and was also the leader of Northern Qi's Heaven One Path. He could not tolerate anyone casually blaspheming deities.

Nor would he allow anyone to be closer to deities than him, or to treat his lifelong pious faith as a plaything and tool!

“No! How can something as sacred as a deity be impersonated so casually!

Li Chang'an's actions are blasphemy against deities!”

“I don't care what kind of literary Master he is, or how he writes poetry and paints.”

“He blasphemes deities, so he must die!”

Ku He's voice carried an undeniable anger.

As Ku He's last Disciple, Haitang had never seen such an expression on her Master's face.

It seemed that Ku He, who had always been extremely devout to deities, was truly enraged this time.

Haitang Duoduo understood that Ku He's decision to kill Li Chang'an was not solely for reciprocal retaliation.

Instead, it was because Li Chang'an had touched her Master's inverse scale!

Just then, Ku He's serene expression, like an ancient Buddha, suddenly showed a slight ripple.

A faint sound reached his ears; there was no True Qi fluctuation, but it contained immense power!

“He's here!”

Ku He had just been talking about Li Chang'an, and now he suddenly uttered this sentence. Haitang stood up abruptly upon hearing it.

“Who! Who's here? How could Li Chang'an possibly know this place?”

Ku He noticed a trace of panic in Haitang's eyes when she mentioned Li Chang'an earlier.

Could it be that this Disciple knew Li Chang'an?

They should have only fought once by the North Sea; besides that, there shouldn't have been any other interactions.

“Not Li Chang'an, but an old acquaintance.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a man's voice came from outside the cave's waterfall.

“I know you're here.”

Ku He stood up and slowly walked to the waterfall. Through the water curtain, he saw that still young face.

“Wu Zhu, long time no see. You haven't changed.”

Haitang Duoduo followed Ku He, and from a distance, she saw a young-faced man with a black cloth covering his eyes.

She instantly realized that this was the Grandmaster mentioned in the intelligence reports!

“Master, he is the Southern Qing Grandmaster!”

Wu Zhu held a steel skewer and stood on a bamboo raft, floating in the river, speaking to the cave behind the waterfall.

“I've lost my memory. I don't remember much about you.”

Ku He continued, “You've come for that young man. What is he to you?”

Wu Zhu did not answer, but instead said, “I've come to beat you up.”

Ku He frowned and said, “I can give you the method for condensing Sword Qi.

When I lent it out, I didn't know what that person intended to use it for.”

Wu Zhu's voice remained devoid of emotion.

“No matter. Fan Xian was severely injured because of you, so you deserve a beating.”

Hearing Wu Zhu's words, Haitang Duoduo was displeased.

“It is said that ignorance is no sin. My Master didn't even know who Fan Xian was, nor did he intend to harm him.”

“Your name is Wu Zhu, right? How can you be so unreasonable!”

Wu Zhu turned his neck and answered Haitang's question based on his understanding.

“It's not that I'm unreasonable, but because… I'm not human.”

Hearing Wu Zhu's words, Haitang was both angry and amused, and she picked up the two axes from her back.

Ku He said, “Wu Zhu, my last Disciple. Please show mercy.”

Wu Zhu nodded and said, “Let her come. You can rest assured.”

“I only kill people; I don't use insidious methods to cripple one's True Qi.”

As he spoke, Haitang Duoduo had already flown out of the waterfall, and her two axes were instantly thrust before Wu Zhu's eyes.

Wu Zhu kept the hand holding the iron skewer behind his back, using only his free left hand to attack.

Haitang Duoduo felt no True Qi whatsoever, yet both her wrists were struck, and the axe's offensive was easily neutralized.

She tapped the bamboo raft with her foot, leaping up to cleave down with an axe.

This axe strike surged with True Qi, easily capable of cutting through metal and jade.

But Wu Zhu's body suddenly moved. Haitang Duoduo didn't even see how he moved.

Haitang's axe continued its trajectory, about to cleave onto Wu Zhu's bamboo raft.

Wu Zhu gently pushed with his left hand, and Haitang felt a tremendous force on her lower back!

With a splash, Haitang was pushed to the shore, dozens of feet away.

“You almost damaged my bamboo raft.”

Haitang had already realized that the two were not on the same level at all.

Her speed and strength were still far, far behind Wu Zhu's.

It was Haitang Duoduo's first time fighting a Grandmaster, and she truly understood the gap between herself and a Grandmaster.

She shouted towards the waterfall, “Master, he really isn't human!”

“Without True Qi, how can he have such speed and such strength!”

As she shouted, Wu Zhu plunged into the waterfall, and the two Grandmasters had already engaged in battle.

Haitang saw the waterfall's surface repeatedly cut off by Ku He. Ku He's every punch and palm was filled with majestic True Qi.

A series of violent thuds echoed throughout the cave, and large chunks of rock at the cave entrance were smashed away.

But Wu Zhu's Moves were not flashy at all; only the afterimages left by his steel skewer remained.

“What is his origin? No True Qi. Does he Cultivate martial Dao?”

“Boom!”

Ku He unleashed a palm strike, and the cave he was temporarily residing in was completely obliterated!

The two fought from the waterfall into the air. The residual True Qi from Ku He's single punch could level a mountaintop!

The valley was instantly disfigured, with flying sand and stones everywhere!

But Wu Zhu still had no remarkable moves; he was just fast and strong.

The two fought for a full half hour, and the surrounding landscape had been completely transformed into a wasteland.

The original waterfall had changed its course, and all the trees were pulverized.

Haitang Duoduo's eyes were opened. Once, she thought she was only a tiny bit away from a Grandmaster.

Now, it seemed, it might be an 'infinity-bit' difference.

Ku He and Wu Zhu stood facing each other. Ku He's hands were trembling, and his bald head was covered in dust, no longer gleaming.

A gurgling liquid flowed from Wu Zhu's lower abdomen, but he covered it with his hand, preventing anyone from seeing its yellow color.

“Give it to me.”

Ku He, with a hint of anger, took out a Secret Manual. “Take it, and don't bother me again!”

Wu Zhu flipped through the Secret Manual for a while, then nodded.

“Baldy, watch your belongings from now on.”

At this moment, Haitang also flew over.

She twitched her nose, sniffing the scent of high-molecular clean kerosene in the air.

“Grandmaster Wu Zhu, you smell quite nice, and your skin is very good. How do you take care of it?”

Wu Zhu gripped the Secret Manual in his hand and mechanically replied, “Born this way.”

He took two steps forward, then suddenly stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

Immediately after, one of Wu Zhu's legs bent outwards at an odd angle, and then he limped away.

Haitang Duoduo waved her fist, “Grandmaster battle! Heaven One Path's Great Master Ku He is victorious!”

She turned her head and found that her Grandmaster Master was already sitting cross-legged, head bowed, having lost consciousness.

This scene terrified Haitang Duoduo. It turned out her Master had suffered an even greater loss.

At this moment, Haitang Duoduo suddenly felt the surrounding sand and dust tremble slightly, and the Origin Qi in the air seemed to have become much denser.

Ku He's tattered sleeves and several cracked areas of skin were all trembling slightly.

This was absorbing the Origin Qi of heaven and earth!

What kind of method was this from Master, to absorb Origin Qi so violently that it was visible to the naked eye!

Haitang dared not be careless and sat opposite Ku He, beginning to act as a Protector.

It was only after a full day and night that Ku He slowly opened his eyes.

“To avoid revealing the secret recovery method, I was almost beaten to death by Wu Zhu.”

His progress in developing Western magic was already significant, not merely as simple as condensing Sword Qi and True Qi.

Now, Ku He could integrate True Qi with the surrounding Origin Qi of heaven and earth, allowing for rapid recovery.

Haitang excitedly said, “Master, then you should recover very quickly?”

Ku He smiled bitterly, “Recovering health will be quick, but recovering my original cultivation might take half a year or even a year.”

Haitang Duoduo stuck out her tongue. Ku He was unprecedentedly severely injured this time.

Ku He took a breath, then slowly said, “I will find another place to recover my cultivation. You don't need to follow me.”

Haitang understood. How could the location where a Grandmaster recovers from severe injuries be casually told to others?

Even at this point, Ku He still hadn't forgotten Li Chang'an.

“Please have the Empress Dowager officially inform Southern Qing with a state letter: do not play games with deities again.”

“Southern Qing has dared to deploy a Grandmaster; the Imperial Preceptor will personally act to kill a key figure in Southern Qing!”

Haitang Duoduo asked doubtfully, “Not specifying who to kill?”

Ku He said with a smile, “Wu Zhu killed Prime Minister Tie. Southern Qing will guess that I will definitely retaliate.”

“I am currently injured and cannot act immediately. Given Wu Zhu's nature, he won't widely publicize my injury.”

“Once this state letter is sent out, how many figures in Southern Qing will live in constant fear.”

Even if he couldn't act, he could still cause widespread panic—such was the power of a Grandmaster.

After speaking, Ku He turned and strode away. After three steps, Haitang could no longer see him.

Two days later, Haitang Duoduo returned to the capital and informed the Empress Dowager and the young Emperor about Ku He's situation.

Empress Dowager Wei and Zhan Doudou merely feigned disagreement on the surface; in reality, it was a double act to consolidate imperial power.

Empress Dowager Wei asked, “Duoduo, must the Imperial Preceptor kill Li Chang'an?”

Haitang Duoduo replied, “Revered Master deeply resents Li Chang'an's act of summoning deities.”

At this moment, Zhan Doudou suggested, “Mother, once this state letter is issued, Southern Qing will be anxious about Chen Pingping, Qin Ye, Li Yunrui, and their ilk.”

“Few in the world know Great Master Ku He's Heart-Nature. Li Chang'an himself probably wouldn't expect that Great Master Ku He is determined to kill him.”

“My thought is, to seize the opportunity when Li Chang'an attends the Dragon Gate Poetry Gathering in Great Qi, set a trap to keep him, making even Emperor Qing believe he intends to defect.”

“By then, Li Chang'an will be one of Northern Qi's own. If he kowtows to the Imperial Preceptor and admits his mistake, I believe the Imperial Preceptor will not kill him.”

Empress Dowager Wei praised, “My child, what a clever idea, killing two birds with one stone.”

“Firstly, Great Master Ku He's opportunity to strike could be used to kill Chen Pingping or Qin Ye. Wouldn't that be even better!”

“Secondly, after gaining Li Chang'an, he and Great Master Zhuang will form a literary duo! Great Qi's literary world will once again lead the world's culture!”

The Empress Dowager, the young Emperor, and Haitang Duoduo discussed it repeatedly and felt it was entirely achievable.

Li Chang'an's fame was growing, and Southern Qing's two princes would certainly be very wary.

Moreover, he was only an eighth-grade Cultivator. As long as he dared to come to Great Qi, they would surely be able to keep him.

The three women believed that Great Qi would then profit immensely!

Southern Qing, Supervisory Council.

Chen Pingping was grunting through his rehabilitation training when suddenly a piece of paper covered his face.

“Shadow! What are you doing!”

Shadow, hearing the shout, suddenly darted out, then found Chen Pingping staring intently at the paper!

“Director, it wasn't me!”

Chen Pingping's face was calm, then a hint of ruthlessness flashed across it.

“A movement technique faster than yours? Could it have been Wu Zhu who put it there?”

“Never mind that for now. First, have the Department One arrest Guo Youzhi's coachman!”

“Interrogate him overnight, and ask if he ever drove Zhuang Mo Han to meet The Eldest Princess!”