The sixth day.
Old Zhang's work of mending the heavens, including the aftermath, was completely finished. He met with Ji Xiang to teach him the sorcery of using firearms to kill demons, and Nurhaci's convoy was about to set off back to Liaodong.
They also left behind a considerable amount of disaster relief supplies, such as horses, ginseng, sable furs, and pine nuts, local specialties that deeply moved the ministers, who praised Nurhaci as an unparalleled loyal and brave general, loyal to the sovereign and patriotic.
"The ginseng from Changbai Mountain is indeed good, cheap and large."
"That's right, our Dragon Tiger General, his personal struggle history began with digging ginseng. The moment you smell that flavor, guess what? He found it!"
As the Liaodong convoy departed, Ji Xiang and Old Zhang stood on the city gate tower, watching the departing convoy. Their gazes grew increasingly strange.
After days of waiting like a rabbit waiting by a stump, they found nothing?
Where was the promised Shurhaci being the mole?
Why was this fellow leading a team?
Ji Xiang's Inner Scenery Divine Tablet also showed no reaction. Puzzled, he asked Old Zhang, "There's no illusion, is there?"
"There really isn't, but if the other party has some sorcery that can hide from us, it's also quite normal."
Old Zhang said to Ji Xiang, "The passage of time in the Inner Mountains and Rivers is much faster than in the Outer Mountains and Rivers. A hundred years here is a thousand or ten thousand years inside. In such a long period, it's normal for new sorceries to appear."
"People change, dynasties shift, and new things replace old ones. The only things that remain eternal are the sun, moon, and stars in the sky. For cultivators, the desire to compete with the sun and moon for brilliance, and to live as long as heaven and earth, is truly an unattainable goal."
Ji Xiang shook his head.
He believed that any sorcery would be updated and iterated.
However, even the Emperor Jiajing's unique sorcery could be reflected by the Inner Scenery Divine Tablet, which also provided a method to break it. Ji Xiang believed that while some sorcery could hide from Old Zhang, no sorcery could hide from the blank Divine Tablet in the Inner Scenery.
Under this Divine Tablet, whether you were a celestial being, a demon, a ghost, or a spirit, nothing could be hidden. The Song Dynasty's spiritual possession Divine Tablet did cause the strategy for the blank Divine Tablet to display black barcodes, but so what?
The blank Divine Tablet still knew there was a problem and displayed it directly.
Ji Xiang grasped the North Emperor Tianpeng Ruler and said to Old Zhang, "Junior Brother, you stay here and watch. If necessary, you can meet with Shurhaci. I will go around the various temples in Shuntian."
Old Zhang looked at the Tianpeng Ruler and guessed, "Could it be, Senior Brother, that you suspect Nurhaci used some sorcery to conceal his form and spirit?"
"But the people in that convoy were indeed Nurhaci. My feeling is exactly the same as Nurhaci's. When he first came to Shuntian, a wisp of his desire entered the gap of national prestige, so I understand him quite well."
"Moreover, he frequently entered and exited the Ministry of Rites, seen by many. His movements were almost transparent, and it was difficult to see any unusual behavior. Apart from inquiring about temples, there was nothing else."
Ji Xiang heard these words and felt something was not quite right.
Frequently seen by others?
...
Near the East Yue Temple, prosperity gradually returned. After all, in the eastern urban area, this was the source of all cash flow for the Ming Dynasty's Shuntian Prefecture. The commercial trade district was in this area. Although the East Yue Temple was inside and not in the outer city, it still attracted a large number of outsiders who came to offer incense out of admiration.
However, now, most of the statues in the temples had been removed. Emperor Wanli had specifically left one or two to lure Nurhaci, but their heads and chests were also smashed.
These statues of flesh and blood terrified the local populace, causing them to tremble and wet their beds at night. They never expected such a demon's den to exist under the emperor's feet. Of course, the most terrifying thing was that this demon's den was formed in just one night.
Fortunately, Old Zhang demonstrated absolute suppression that day. His twelve thousand nine hundred and sixty Yang Shen avatars not only stunned the celestial officials of the Song Dynasty but also the people of Shuntian. As for Ji Xiang, newly enfeoffed by Emperor Wanli, the residents of Shuntian's eastern city were not very familiar with him and not very interested.
Although the residents of the western city regarded Ji Xiang as a divine figure, the residents of the eastern city, who had not witnessed Ji Xiang's true strength, merely scoffed at such claims.
"Perhaps some Taoist priest from elsewhere saved the emperor and wants to steal credit from Master Zhang!"
"Hilarious, what kind of person is Master Zhang, and what is his status? Would a true master be pressured by such a minor figure? Those poor artisans in the western city have probably never seen what a true immortal is!"
"I heard he's very young? A young man with no facial hair, how powerful can he be!"
"You speak the truth, my friend. See how long my beard is? Do you have time? I want to discuss my Heavenly Father and Savior with you..."
"Westerners? No discussion! Go away, your gods are nowhere as powerful as our Heavenly Master!"
The missionary looked embarrassed. After being reprimanded by the dockworkers, he scratched his head. He was dressed in Confucian attire and wore a hat, but had a high nose, deep-set eyes, and a full beard. He couldn't help but shake his head as he heard these workers boasting about immortals.
Beside him, an official, dressed in a manner identical to the Minister of Rites... Of course, identical, because he was the Minister of Rites from Nanjing.
The Ming Dynasty had two sets of administrations, one in Shuntian and one in Ying Tian. However, the administration in Ying Tian Prefecture was purely for retirement. Although it was considered a political backup, being assigned to Nanjing essentially meant withdrawing from the political center. The emperor simply felt you were capable and kept you in Nanjing to continue receiving a retirement pension.
This Minister of Rites from Nanjing, Wang Zhongming, also known as Old Wang, calmly said to the bearded Western missionary:
"This is how people in our Great Ming are. They only believe in useful gods. Li Madou, when you arrive in Shuntian, be sure to say less about Christian doctrines. Don't displease His Majesty. The politics of the Great Ming are decided by His Majesty, which is different from your Western countries..."
"Also, I heard the Korean War has started again. It's uncertain how long we can stay in Shuntian this time.... Hmm, why does this city wall look a bit crooked?"
Old Wang found the condition of the city wall strange. A worker nearby told him about the major events that had recently occurred here.
"What, such a thing happened!"
Old Wang was greatly astonished. He never expected such major events to occur in Shuntian. Emperor Wanli almost died, and his opponent was from a previous dynasty, and there were even a bunch of ghosts and spirits...
However, Old Zhang's transformation into twelve thousand avatars during the day also left Old Wang speechless.
Even the Western missionary Li Madou was astonished:
"Your Heavenly Master seems to be extremely, extremely powerful!"
Old Wang suddenly asked teasingly, "Seems to be, but how does he compare to the Pope?"
Li Madou immediately laughed so hard his beard trembled: "The Pope has never caused such a commotion, at least in oral accounts, it seems this Heavenly Master far surpasses him."