In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Zhuge. We feel much better, and our vital energy is slowly recovering."

"This is a good thing. It seems that the seal on you is slowly breaking. The seal of the Golden-Faced Buddha is indeed mysterious. You have to die once to break it!"

Hearing Zhuge Zhengwo's lament, it's clear that the two victims weren't so lucky.

Just kidding, this is a real life-or-death crisis. If someone isn't rescued in time, they could really be dead.

The methods used to crack this code are outrageous.

"Alright, I've come today to tell you that this matter should be more or less over."

You guys are really unlucky to have gotten involved in something you shouldn't have. This time you spied on Ghost Street, and afterwards the Zhang family retaliated, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,500 people on Qingcheng Mountain.

It's about time it came to a close.

"Three thousand five hundred people?"

How many people are there? Nearly the population of a small town, all killed by the Zhang family.

The level of gore was unimaginable for the two thugs.

In chaotic times, human life is as cheap as a dog's; there is no greater truth!

It's important to understand that in times of peace and prosperity, confiscating the property of more than a hundred people is considered a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of five or nine generations of their families; and the deaths of more than a thousand people are attributed to war, plague, or natural disasters...

The Zhang family of Ghost Street killed so many people simply because of their theft.

This was the first time the Zhang family had truly experienced cruelty.

"Don't be surprised, this is just a piece that has been captured on the chessboard."

It could be two people, or it could be three thousand five hundred. You are all pawns of the mastermind 183. Being crippled or killed is just because you made the wrong move.

Even if you yourself have absolutely no choice.

"Lord Zhuge, you still haven't revealed who the mastermind is! Not only did they use us, but knowing we were no longer useful, they almost poisoned us!"

"do not know!"

do not know?

The two looked at Zhuge Zhengwo again, as if to say, "You're trying to fool me."

What Zhuge Zhengwo just spoke so confidently about, was ultimately met with such a hasty answer.

"Don't be surprised. This time, apart from the person behind the scenes, only the Zhang family and Ghost Street know about it."

After all, the Zhang family wouldn't act without reason; that's the power behind Ghost Street.

The top three families, the middle six families, and the bottom nine families!

Ghost Street is a complex web of diverse and intertwined interests, far more complex than it appears on the surface. I really don't know where you two thugs got the courage to provoke Ghost Street.

"If it weren't for some connection between us, there would be no way you would have survived."

"Having suffered such a huge loss? How could that person swallow it?"

Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. If you were given a choice:

"One option is to crawl between someone's legs to survive; the other is to be killed outright. Which would you choose?"

"Of course we'll crawl through. Looks like that guy isn't all that great."

"Ah!"

He lacked backbone himself and mocked others for being flexible and resilient.

He really liked this shameless personality; only people like that could live longer.

"Alright, take care from now on. The Longevity Formula, the secrets of Ghost Street, the method to break the Golden-Faced Buddha's methods... I hope to see you alive again next time."

Upon hearing this, the two dragons immediately felt an immense wave of malice surging towards them.

Regardless of whether the mastermind behind it will give up on assassinating them, just the fact that they bear all this makes them the most 'cool' guys in the entire martial arts world; they can't even keep a low profile if they want to.

Chapter 397 The Consequences of Zhu Wushi's Successful Usurpation

"Haitang is incompetent, please forgive her, Godfather!"

Hulong Villa.

At this moment, Zhu Wushi looked at the four secret agents below with a livid face.

Unexpectedly, Shangguan Haitang's mission not only failed, but his entire stronghold in Qingcheng Mountain was also wiped out.

With lightning speed, he had just learned of Shangguan Haitang's capture. At that time, the assassin base in Qingcheng Mountain had already been destroyed by the Zhang family.

The action was so fast that he didn't have time to react at all.

Duan Tianya, Guihai Yidao, and Cheng Shifei below also understood that Zhu Wushi had suffered a great loss at the hands of the Zhang family this time.

Even though they held Zhu in high regard, they couldn't find the slightest flaw in the Zhang family's reputation.

Ghost Street is Zhang's territory, a forbidden area that is "strictly prohibited".

Zhu Wushi went in headfirst, and the Zhang family didn't kill him outright; letting Shangguan Haitang return was already a favor.

As for the assassins from Qingcheng Mountain, they did not suspect Zhu Wushi!

"Haitang, what exactly happened?"

"Godfather, I don't know when Haitang was targeted by Ghost Street. I saw two thugs being killed that day..."

Shangguan Haitang's plan was perfect; she had been manipulating things from behind the scenes all along.

Even the Twin Dragons were unaware of his identity. With the concealment of his female identity, no one would have imagined that Shangguan Haitang, one of the imperial secret agents, was a woman.

Even the name Haitang sounds like a woman's name.

But Lu Xiaofeng remains a renowned hero in the martial arts world; Zhuge Zhengwo's other name is Zhuge Xiaohua...

Therefore, a name doesn't represent anything.

"Get up!"

Zhu Wushi had no doubt about Shangguan Haitang's abilities.

If Shangguan Haitang fails outright, he might think it's a problem with her ability, and he wouldn't care.

But now that the thirty-six Heavenly Generals and seventy-two Earthly Fiends of Qingcheng Mountain have been killed, Zhu Wushi is terrified of the Ghost Street's abilities. Even his base in Qingcheng Mountain knows about them, so it's no longer a problem for Shangguan Haitang to be exposed.

All I can say is that the other party is terrifying.

From the moment he made that move, it was a mistake; whoever did it would have failed.

Moreover, if Shangguan Haitang is dealt with now, his secret agents will inevitably become disloyal, and these are currently his most powerful forces.

"Let's drop this matter. As for those two thugs?"

Not only did he survive, but he also turned misfortune into fortune, having seen through the Golden-Faced Buddha's methods on the brink of death, and his martial arts had been restored.

"Your martial arts have recovered?"

The crowd stared at Zhu Wushi in disbelief, having no doubt about the Golden-Faced Buddha's abilities.

Qingliang Temple has at least three top-tier experts, among whom Wenjue and Shenshan are grandmasters who have reached the pinnacle of their respective fields.

Even so, they still couldn't find a solution, but the two thugs found a way to break the deadlock.

"Live in the face of death!"

Could it be that their method teetered on the brink of life and death, thereby triggering the Golden-Faced Buddha's restrictions?

Shangguan Haitang, being the most knowledgeable among them, quickly grasped the key point.

In terms of ability, Shangguan Haitang is not the strongest; in terms of strength, Shangguan Haitang is the weakest, but she is the most learned, having studied under the legendary martial arts master, Wuhen Gongzi.

"Indeed, the Golden-Faced Buddha's methods are mysterious and unpredictable; normal methods simply cannot break the restrictions he has placed on his body."

Originally, for Haitang's safety, these two should not be allowed to live, but unexpectedly, after being poisoned, they not only did not die, but also recovered their martial arts skills on the verge of death. This may be the magic of the Taoist longevity technique.

Similarly, they feigned death for a period of time before their martial arts skills disappeared, which might be a clue.

"Isn't that the same as saying it doesn't exist at all!"

Upon hearing the solution, Cheng Shifei was speechless for a moment.

Just kidding, who would dare to gamble on the odds of dying again?

···

"As the saying goes, one loves beauty more than power; this time, Master Wan is quite willing to sacrifice."

At this moment, a large Fujian-style boat was sailing downstream on the Long River.

On the deck, two figures lay on deck chairs under a parasol, each with a fishing spot beside them.

It was Zhang Xiaoshan, who had come from the east, and Wan Sanqian, who had come to visit.

Compared to the losses suffered by the Dragon Guard Manor, the price Wan Sanqian paid to rescue Shangguan Haitang was also enormous.

After all, killing Shangguan Haitang would offend thirteen thousand people.

If they keep it, Wan Sanqian will not only have to pay a huge price to redeem it, but he will also owe the Zhang family a favor.

After all, Zhang Xiaoshan had already destroyed the Dragon Guardian Manor's stronghold in Qingcheng Mountain, so killing Shangguan Haitang would be too easy for him. Giving him face and letting Shangguan Haitang go would definitely be a favor.

Therefore, Wan Sanqian made a special trip to visit him.

In his view, he was in a difficult position as the middleman in this conflict between the Zhang family and the Dragon Guard Manor.

In particular, Wan Sanqian paid a considerable price for Shangguan Haitang.

I love the country more than the beauty!

Previously, Wan Sanqian merely believed in fate, but now he has truly fallen in love.

“Young Master Zhang, please don’t make fun of me. Speaking of which, why did you get so angry this time, even killing the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends of Qingcheng Mountain?”

"Does Master Wan truly not know?"

The ancients believed in hoarding rare commodities. Since Master Wan had decided to support Zhu Wushi, how could he not understand Zhu Wushi's purpose?

The Zhang family doesn't get involved in江湖恩怨 (jianghu grievances) or the struggle for supremacy in the Nine Provinces, but they also won't let anyone bully them.

Zhang knew the importance of Dongming's account books, and the consequences of losing them were obvious.

If Ghost Street were to make such a grave mistake, one of the three businesses would collapse, and the entire Ghost Street business would be severely affected.

Over the years, Ghost Street has finally settled down, and if it changes partners again, it will be difficult to find the next collaborator.

Moreover, the Dongming Sect also collaborates with the Zhang family; the Zhang family's snow salt was made by the Dongming Sect at Zhang's request.

Upon hearing this, Wan Sanqian was also alarmed.

Suddenly, I understood why the Zhang family had suddenly become so angry.

The Dongming Sect is not only one of the three major sects, but also has an extremely close relationship with the Zhang family.

After all, the profits from snow salt are enormous, amounting to at least 100,000 gold coins annually.

In the eyes of both families, although it wasn't a lot, the value of snow salt was far beyond what 100,000 taels of gold could measure.

"But in doing so, the feud between the Zhang family and the Dragon Guard Manor was established."

"Does Master Wan know that chaos is coming, and the righteous will decline while the demonic will rise?"

Zhu Wushi had an extremely small chance of successfully usurping the throne, and even if he did succeed, his rule would be illegitimate and lack legitimacy.

This will inevitably trigger internal strife within the Ming Empire, leading to the fragmentation of the empire by regional warlords.

"What do you mean by that, young master?"

"The Great Zhao of today may be the future of the Great Ming, which is why I, Zhang, do not settle down in the Great Ming or Zhuxian Town."

"A chaotic era is approaching, and very few will truly be able to contend for supremacy. At least I see no such figures in the Ming and Zhao dynasties. When war rages, both empires will inevitably be unstable, and we merchants will become treasure troves in the eyes of those ambitious warlords."

Upon hearing Zhang Xiaoshan's shocking words, Wan Sanqian was immediately shaken and could not believe it.

Is chaos about to descend? Will the Ming Dynasty follow in the footsteps of the Zhao Dynasty?

If this were to reach Yanjing (Beijing), the Ming Emperor would likely execute Zhang's entire family, including nine generations, on charges of spreading rumors and slander.

"How did you obtain such information, young master?"

"This is the guidance of a Taoist master:"