Chapter Thirty-Seven: Abhorrent Matters, Entering the Divine and Reflecting Within

"Your Highness, is this not a waste?" Lian Nishang asked cautiously.

This was the Heavenly Fragrant Cardamom, a legendary, life-saving miracle drug that had long been extinct from the world of martial arts! Her Highness had tossed out thirty-six of them at once, equipping each of them with two. Did they truly deserve such a treasure?

Zhu Jinzhen waved his hand calmly. "It is fine. I have plenty of these things."

"Not to mention a mere two Heavenly Fragrant Cardamoms, even twenty would not be as important as your safety."

"If you encounter danger, do not be stingy. Use them as needed."

"Understood!" Lian Nishang and Huang Xuemei nodded quickly.

"I will inform Wangqing later to have these listed in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion for the Secret Guards to exchange with their merit points. If you feel you need more, you can exchange for them later to keep in reserve."

As long as an item fell within the conceptual category of 'food' for the Gourmet's Tablecloth, it became infinite in Zhu Jinzhen’s hands. From the moment Lian Nishang and the others successfully brought back the first Heavenly Fragrant Cardamom, it meant that Zhu Jinzhen possessed an inexhaustible supply. Thirty-six pills might sound staggering, but to Zhu Jinzhen, this was mere child’s play. If he wanted to, he could produce so many in a single day that they would fill sacks like common soybeans.

Seeing this, Lian Nishang felt a weight lift from her heart. She said gratefully, "On behalf of my sisters, I thank Your Highness for the reward."

Huang Xuemei also took the box carefully and offered her thanks.

"You have traveled a long way and are exhausted; I will not keep you any longer. Go back and get some proper rest. Once you have rested, you may set out. If a situation truly proves impossible to overcome... just pull back."

To Zhu Jinzhen, the Sun Moon Holy Cult was an important piece in his strategy for the Southwest. However, before he had fully consolidated his control over that faction, the Sun Moon Holy Cult as a whole was not as valuable to him as Huang Xuemei, Lian Nishang, and the two units of Black Armor Secret Guards they commanded.

Yet, faced with Zhu Jinzhen's care and protection, Huang Xuemei and Lian Nishang were uncommonly firm. "We shall certainly not fail Your Highness's expectations."

"Stubborn fools. Do you not understand the principle that if you hold onto the land but lose the people, you lose both?" Zhu Jinzhen flicked his fingers, sending two wisps of internal energy tapping against the foreheads of the two women, who bore a slight resemblance to one another, as if trying to wake them up.

"I have no need for foolish talk of repaying me with your lives, nor do I want you performing self-righteous acts of martyrdom. I only need you to live well."

The two words Zhu Jinzhen detested most were "sacrifice." Four years ago, he had witnessed countless soldiers falling one after another on the battlefield, seen bones scattered across the land, and seen every household in Jiayuguan—and indeed, throughout Shaanxi—clad in mourning, weeping night after night. To the Ming Empire and their families, those soldiers were heroes, bravely slaying the enemy without fear of sacrifice.

But Zhu Jinzhen still hated sacrifice. Otherwise, why would he be content to remain in a corner as a frontier prince, despite already possessing the strength to topple the Ming Empire? War meant sending thousands upon thousands to their deaths. He had seen enough of the saying: "The success of one general is built upon ten thousand withered bones." He was still young, and he could wait. He would wait until his army possessed the profound foundation to sweep across the world without the need for further bloodshed and sacrifice, and only then would he realize his ambitions.

Lian Nishang and Huang Xuemei met Zhu Jinzhen’s gaze and could not help but tremble inwardly.

"Your Highness..."

"We understand."

"I need you to remember it," Zhu Jinzhen glared at them. "Keep it firmly in your hearts."

"Yes!"

...

Elsewhere, the newly freed Wan Sanchen returned to the temporary lodging he shared with Zhu Wushi in Jiayuguan, still feeling a lingering sense of terror. Being blocked at the door by a group of Heavenly Phenomenon Grandmasters leading soldiers at the Finger Profound stage, and then being dragged into the Tiance Mansion—a veritable dragon’s den—would have broken a lesser man. That he hadn't lost control of his faculties was a testament to his strong constitution.

"You have returned?" Zhu Wushi’s calm voice echoed from behind him.

Wan Sanchen bowed and cupped his hands. "Divine Marquis."

"Pack your things. We prepare to leave Jiayuguan."

With the Heavenly Fragrant Cardamom in hand, Zhu Wushi did not want to stay in Jiayuguan for a moment longer. Furthermore, he had to immediately investigate the conspiracy involving the Emperor and the Mongol Yuan, and deploy his countermeasures in advance.

"So soon?"

After Wan Sanchen spoke, he immediately realized his slip of the tongue and quickly added, "There is nothing much to pack. If the Divine Marquis wishes, we can leave right now."

Zhu Wushi narrowed his eyes as he looked at Wan Sanchen. "This time, I may require your full assistance."

To investigate the inner workings of the Prince Su Mansion would require an astonishing amount of resources. Without Wan Sanchen’s financial backing, Zhu Wushi could not sustain the effort on his own or with the help of the Dragon Guard Villa alone.

"Whatever the Divine Marquis intends to do, Sanchen will provide absolute support!"

"Good!" Zhu Wushi let out a satisfied shout. "That is exactly what I needed to hear. Once the task is accomplished, in addition to the hereditary peerage I promised you, I will also bestow upon you the Iron Certificate of Merit."

"Thank you, Divine Marquis!" Wan Sanchen bowed in pleasant surprise.

A flicker of cold, murderous intent passed through the deepest part of Zhu Wushi's eyes, though his face remained wreathed in smiles. "We leave at daybreak. The matter is urgent; we have no time to linger here."

"Understood."

...

At night, the Prince Su Mansion was still brightly lit. In front of Zhu Jinzhen, several Tiance and Cangyun soldiers were working tirelessly, constantly sweeping Heavenly Fragrant Cardamoms from a table that appeared out of thin air into large wooden crates. Zhangsun Wangqing and Cao Xueyang accompanied Zhu Jinzhen.

"Your Highness, is this the 'Divine Illumination Classic' that is said to be capable of bringing the dead back to life?" Zhangsun Wangqing gazed at the manual in front of Zhu Jinzhen, wonder flashing in her beautiful eyes.

Zhu Jinzhen nodded with a smile. "Indeed. The primary purpose of Xuemei and the others' trip to Jingzhou was to retrieve this."

Sending Huang Xuemei and the others to Jingzhou had only two goals: the treasury of Emperor Liang Yuan and the Divine Illumination Classic.

"Entering the divine and reflecting the truth, cycling through the infinite. Following the ways of heaven and nature, the wondrous enlightenment is self-attained. The way of heaven is the affair of man; what man cannot achieve, the will of heaven surely can."

"The intention behind this technique is truly marvelous, possessing a somewhat transcendental power."

Zhu Jinzhen had already reached the realm of a Terrestrial Celestial, and with his mind in harmony with nature, the "way of heaven and nature" posed no challenge to him. He easily grasped the essence of the Divine Illumination Classic, using it to deduce truths that existed in its underlying philosophy rather than just the martial techniques themselves.

"Your Highness, can this manual really bring the dead back to life?" Cao Xueyang’s eyes shimmered with intrigue, though she remained somewhat skeptical.

After all, even among those at the Terrestrial Celestial realm, there had never been rumors of a method to resurrect the dead. If the manual truly could do this, its creator, Mei Niansheng, should have been far more than a mere Finger Profound or Heavenly Phenomenon expert.

"Its concept is too lofty, while the ceiling of the technique itself is quite low."

"I suspect that Mei Niansheng encountered some ancient, fragmented scrolls and, adding his own interpretations, created this technique."

Zhu Jinzhen couldn't help but shake his head with a laugh as he spoke. "As for bringing the dead back to life, it is indeed possible. It cultivates the human path to seek the intent of heaven, borrowing the marvelous power of the natural world. As long as the subject has not been dead for too long, it can indeed save them."