Jiang Wusheng's growth story was more convoluted and bizarre than Yan Shouyi had imagined. He had started as an insignificant figure in a remote village of the Fish Shu Kingdom, scorned and bullied by everyone, only to eventually become a High Priest highly valued by an enemy nation.
Perhaps it was precisely these past experiences that had transformed Jiang Wusheng into a devil who killed without batting an eye and regarded human life as worthless.
"When the National Teacher first pursued us, he sent his three disciples, of whom Jiang Wusheng was the most formidable. The Princess and I encountered them in the Dali region. We fought for hundreds of rounds without a clear victor. Jiang Wusheng then released the蛊 worms he had cultivated in the Fish Shu Kingdom, poisoning and killing the populace within a hundred-mile radius. It was the Princess who finally found the original 蛊 worm. Not only did she neutralize Jiang Wusheng's蛊 poison, but she also seized the opportunity to defeat him. To punish him for his actions, I severed his hands and cast him into the Insect Valley to die."
At this point, Yan Shouyi began to understand why Jiang Wusheng harbored such hatred for the Princess of Fish Shu.
Firstly, Jiang Wusheng was from the Fish Shu Kingdom, and after submitting to the Qing Jiang Kingdom, he deeply detested Fish Shu, naturally disliking its Princess.
Secondly, although the National Teacher had dispatched Jiang Wusheng to hunt down the Princess, he had failed his mission. Not only had he been soundly defeated by the General and the Princess, but he had also been humiliatingly disarmed. Even if he survived in the Insect Valley, he would have had no face to return to the National Teacher.
Jiang Wusheng had endured immense humiliation throughout his life. His final battle had resulted in his hands being severed and him being thrown into the Insect Valley. It was only natural that he would harbor an inextinguishable hatred for the General and the Princess.
After recounting Jiang Wusheng's story, the General, with a hint of curiosity, asked,
"Why did you inquire about Jiang Wusheng?"
Yan Shouyi could only tell the General about the Jian King's tomb.
Upon hearing this, the General also found it strange. King Jian was a figure from the Song Dynasty. Judging by the timeline, he lived at least a century after the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Could it be that Jiang Wusheng had truly lived for hundreds of years?
Furthermore, how did Jiang Wusheng, who had been cast into the Insect Valley, end up in the Jian King's tomb in Jianzhou?
Had Jiang Wusheng usurped the tomb, claiming it as his own, or was he, in fact, King Jian himself?
The General could not answer these myriad questions, and Yan Shouyi could not get any answers from him.
However, at least Yan Shouyi now had a general understanding of Jiang Wusheng. If he were to meet King Jian himself later, he could ascertain whether King Jian still had his hands, thereby confirming if King Jian was indeed Jiang Wusheng.
At this moment, the General suddenly recalled something and hastily warned Yan Shouyi,
"There is something I must tell you, and it is very dangerous."
"What is it?" Yan Shouyi also sat up straight, his expression turning serious.
The General said, "There was an ancient secret manual in the Qing Jiang Kingdom called 'Wuji Zhuan Sheng' (Infinite Reincarnation). It is said to contain methods for reincarnating with one's memories intact. While I do not know if it is true, if it is, then the Qing Jiang nobles with whom I had past grievances might still be alive today, including Jiang Wusheng!"
Hearing this, Yan Shouyi was astonished.
To reincarnate with one's memories intact – what an extraordinary ability!
The experience gained over decades in a previous life would carry over to the next. While others were still in their late teens or early twenties, the nobles of the Qing Jiang Kingdom would possess memories spanning a thousand years!
This group of people could completely leverage this ability to achieve supremacy in later eras!
"Could Jiang Wusheng have also learned this technique and become King Jian in his next life?" Yan Shouyi suspected.
The General nodded, "It is not impossible."
"But what does this have to do with me, and what is the danger?"
"This..." the General hesitated for a moment and then said, "The Princess and I ultimately died on the Kunlun Mountains. Before our deaths, we sought help from the gods and cast a curse upon the nobles of the Qing Jiang Kingdom. The curse stipulated that they would only awaken their memories at the brink of death."
"You possessed such abilities?" Yan Shouyi exclaimed in surprise.
The General snorted, "The world in those days was far more exciting than it is now."
Yan Shouyi had to agree with this point. Modern technology had brought about immense changes and development for humanity, fulfilling all basic needs. Even if gods could fly in the past, what of it? Nowadays, if one wished to fly, they could simply buy an airplane ticket.
The curse of the gods limited the Qing Jiang nobles. If they discovered they were about to die, even with a thousand years of memories, they would no longer be able to cause much disruption.
However, they would undoubtedly resent the General and the Princess even more, and would try every means to kill their descendants as revenge.
In other words, Lin Zitong was in danger.
Thinking of this, Yan Shouyi became even more worried.
Seeing his concern, the General added, "Jiang Wusheng is an extremely difficult opponent. Even when the Princess and I joined forces, we could not kill him easily. However, since we have defeated him before, winning against him again would be a simple matter. If you encounter him, you only need to..."
Just as the General was about to reveal the crucial information, Long Feicheng's voice suddenly echoed from above the small hut: "Brother Yan... Brother Yan! ... Wake up quickly... I can't hold on anymore!"
The General's eyes widened as he looked up at the sky, his face filled with disbelief. "Whose voice is this? Why can his voice penetrate here?!"
For so many years, the General had never heard any sound from the outside world!
Yan Shouyi said awkwardly, "That's my good brother, Long Feicheng. This guy is everywhere. He's probably in trouble outside, and I need to hurry out!"
The General appeared somewhat bewildered but also understood that the situation was urgent.
He urged Yan Shouyi to drink the tea and simultaneously said, "Jiang Wusheng fed himself to the蛊. All his power originates from a snake 蛊. As long as you find the snake 蛊 and absorb its power, you will be able to slay Jiang Wusheng!"
"Understood!"
Yan Shouyi stood up, thanked the General, and as he did, a guiding light once again floated out from the teacup, pointing the way for Yan Shouyi.
With time pressing, Yan Shouyi could not linger. After bidding farewell to the General, he hurried out, following the light.
The General watched Yan Shouyi's retreating back, seeming to anticipate their next meeting.
...
At this moment, Long Feicheng was thoroughly panicked.
He realized that Boss Zhou and the other four extraordinary individuals had noticed that Yan Shouyi was closing his eyes and remaining motionless.
Especially the four extraordinary individuals; they were gathered together, whispering to each other, and their eyes held a distinctly malevolent gleam.
If they were to make a move at this point, Long Feicheng would have absolutely no power to resist.
Ma Jinxuan also sensed this. She quietly walked to the side of Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong, her stance clearly signaling to the others not to harbor any ill intentions.
Just as one of the extraordinary individuals was about to speak, Yan Shouyi suddenly opened his eyes.
The faces of the four extraordinary individuals immediately stiffened, and they looked around distractedly, shifting their attention.
"Brother Yan, you finally woke up!" Long Feicheng exclaimed excitedly.
Yan Shouyi nodded silently. After his conversation with the General, he had gained a deeper understanding of Jiang Wusheng and felt much more confident, even while within the Jian King's tomb.
Simultaneously with Yan Shouyi's awakening, Lin Zitong also came to.
She held the snake-shaped lock in her hand, her expression confident, as if she already knew how to unlock the snake-shaped lock.