Ji Xiang was visiting the Imperial Prison of the Northern Military Guard for the first time. Overall, it was much as he had imagined. Beside him, the little fox’s face had turned deathly pale. The place was filled with torture instruments and carried a heavy scent of blood.
However, the national might here was also immense, preventing any lingering spirits or minor demons from manifesting in such an environment.
“If you don’t study properly, next time this cell will be cleared out for you.”
“Ying ying ying.”
The little fox, suppressing its fear, followed Ji Xiang. The prisoners inside the cells became restless upon seeing the Emperor Wanli.
But when the guards of the Northern Military Guard glared at them, the prisoners immediately recoiled in fear, only to fix their hopeful gazes on Emperor Wanli’s actions, yearning to survive their ordeal in the Imperial Prison.
“Your Majesty, your old minister is here! Are you here to see your old minister, Your Majesty!”
In a large cell, an old man with disheveled hair, gripping the bars of his cell, became excited upon seeing Emperor Wanli. The Emperor did indeed stop before this particular cell.
“Minister Shi, you have suffered.”
The words conveyed concern, but his tone remained largely unperturbed. Emperor Wanli stared at the old man, emitting two hums of unclear meaning.
This disheveled, ragged old man was none other than the former Minister of War, Shi Xing. Due to envoys falsely reporting negotiation outcomes with Japan, leading to the recommencement of the second Korean War, Shi Xing, as the person responsible for this incident, was dismissed from office and sentenced to death in prison!
Receiving Emperor Wanli’s response, the old man was overjoyed, believing he would finally be released. However, Emperor Wanli shifted the topic:
“However, I am not here to see you today. I am here to find the person who set you up.”
“Shen, Shen Weijing?”
Minister Shi was startled. Emperor Wanli raised his hand, saying, “Rest assured, after I meet Shen Weijing, if I obtain any useful intelligence, I will release you.”
“Because this matter may no longer be something you can bear, nor should you bear it.”
After greeting Minister Shi, Emperor Wanli passed by Liu Mengyin’s cell. At this point, a high-ranking official in red robes from the Northern Military Guard stepped forward to explain the situation.
Ji Xiang followed the entire process and noticed that as they went deeper into the Northern Military Guard’s detention area, the inhabitants became increasingly extraordinary.
“There are no minor ghosts here, but there are monsters.”
This was normal. Monsters were also creatures of flesh and blood, not spirits. They were born of heaven and earth, absorbing spiritual energy to cultivate human form. As long as they were within the Great Ming’s territory, they were subject to its jurisdiction.
Moreover, there were familiar faces among the monsters. Those of the Alian who were still alive were all imprisoned here. Upon seeing Ji Xiang, they all knelt at their cell doors, regardless of everything else, and kowtowed incessantly.
“Great Immortal, we know our mistakes! Great Immortal, please spare us!”
The Alian appeared as children and spoke with children’s voices. The appearance of so many children startled the little fox, making its face even paler. It fearfully mumbled, “The, the Northern Military Guard really imprisons children…!”
“How, how pitiful…”
“Pitiful? They have killed many people.”
Ji Xiang was not trying to scare the little fox, but rather to inform it clearly that these fire monsters could enter a person’s seven orifices, replace the activity of the seven souls, and control the body’s actions.
The little fox grew more nervous. At this moment, an Alian reached out and grabbed the little fox’s pant leg. The little fox, terrified, turned and flailed wildly with the whisk in its hand, shouting, “Let go, let go, let go!”
The Alian’s hand was smashed, but it could not dissipate into fire energy. This was the suppressive effect of the Northern Military Guard’s prison; even formless spirits would have their forms forcibly condensed.
At this moment, Emperor Wanli ahead had found Shen Weijing.
For safety reasons, Emperor Wanli did not have the Northern Military Guard bring Old Shen out for questioning. Instead, he went in himself.
If placed in a cell, the cell could suppress the cultivation of both humans and monsters. If brought out for questioning, whether the talismans would be effective was debatable. Therefore, going in person, while seemingly venturing into a tiger’s den, was actually not dangerous at all.
“Shen Weijing, do you still recognize朕!”
“I do, I do! Long live His Majesty, long live the Great Ming!”
Old Shen’s voice came from within the cell.
Ji Xiang was also seeing one of the “Wolong Fengchu” of the Great Ming era for the first time.
However, this Mr. Wolong had entered prison, while Mr. Fengchu, Konishi Yukinaga, had been spared by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Both were schemers, but their fates were different.
His hair was disheveled, and he was picking his toes, but his cultivation was indeed not weak.
“Ninth Realm, Five Qi Towards the Origin. Within the Ming court, this is considered first-class cultivation.”
The overall cultivation of the Ming court had declined, not as good as during the Jiajing Emperor’s reign. Yuan Shen masters were already considered the peak. It was difficult to cultivate the ‘covering the mountains and rivers’ (表山河) aspect. This was normal; there were too many trivial matters in the court. Gaining power through divine positions was common. If one neglected personal cultivation, even if they could invoke powerful divine positions, they could not exert their original strength.
The civil officials’ insults towards this Old Shen as a common rogue were related to his personal conduct.
As the saying goes, a master’s slovenliness is unconventionality; a commoner’s slovenliness is rogue behavior.
“No need for ten thousand years. I have heard everything you said just now. Originally, I came to find you regarding the Korean situation, but now, I have more topics to discuss.”
Emperor Wanli recounted the strange occurrences on the Korean battlefield.
Shen Weijing pushed aside the hair covering his face with his hand. “Those divine and ghostly beings are certainly not local spirits and monsters of the Japanese pirates. Judging from the state of many Onmyoji holding books, it should be a printed edition of the ‘Golden Crow Jade Rabbit Collection’.”
“However, the only books that can truly carry wishes are the original manuscripts. Printed editions theoretically do not possess such power. The appearance of gods and ghosts first requires the shaping of their forms and spirits through wishes. Without forms and spirits, it is like a house without a foundation, or a soul without a body.”
Ji Xiang listened from behind, nodding secretly.
It was like talismans from a printing factory, only usable in various rituals, but not in subduing demons and ghosts.
Furthermore, wishes were not easy to control. Especially with books, without a sufficient number of people reading them, it was impossible to generate great power. From the emergence of the Jade Emperor’s position, one could infer that the lower limit was at least ‘the wishes of ten thousand people.’
Moreover, printed books could not condense wishes, because they inherently lacked the initial ‘wish of the author.’
In simple terms, it was something produced by an industrial assembly line; it had no soul.
“In other words, the problem is not with the books, but with the printed publications. Why do they have the ability to summon gods and ghosts… These things should be in the trash heap, not held by those people…”
Emperor Wanli pondered.
Then, should he really start writing books to counter them?