Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
After he looked at Wang Guan, who was sitting in the seat of honor in the Hall of Great Strength, he said softly, “During the 13th year of the Jiajing Reign, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Wang Kuang, went back to his post after mourning his mother for three years and returned to Nanjing. However, rumor has it that there was a wealthy merchant called Wang Guan in Nanjing.
“Wang Guan came from a very wealthy family. Gold and jade were in glorious splendor in the house, and there were many wives and concubines and thousands of child servants. The family was also on close terms with high-ranking officials.
“According to the rumors on the streets, Wang Guan had been famous for marrying wives and keeping dozens of young ladies as concubines. He would hold a banquet every night for these concubines to spend the night with the guests.
“Once his concubines got pregnant, Wang Guan ordered them to have an abortion. He then carried the dead baby that had yet to be formed into a hidden room in the house.”
Li Ang pushed his glasses up and said faintly, “That room was an alchemy room.”
“Alchemy?” Xing Hechou, who could only feel goosebumps all over, roared softly. “You mean…”
“That’s right. The Records of Submitted Evidence of the Dynasty states that Wang Guan managed to refine a dead baby into a Longevity Elixir thanks to the guidance of a sorcerer called Red Belly and peddled the elixir out.”
Li Ang said, “Apart from aborting the babies of the concubines, Wang Guan also ordered people to purchase dead premature babies from the streets. He even went as far as to bribe midwives who induced abortions and purchase dead babies from them.
“After collecting the pieces of evidence, the furious Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice went around the Shuntian Prefecture to bring Wang Guan to justice, planning to behead him.
“Nobody expected that just when Wang Guan’s charges were determined and the commoners were satisfied, the influential officials in the city of Nanjing would hurry over to the Vice Minister’s residence and plead for leniency on behalf of Wang Guan.
“Besides being on close terms with Wang Guan, these noble high-ranking officials pleaded leniency on Wang Guan’s behalf despite conclusive pieces of evidence instead of severing ties with him. This could only be because these influential officials had purchased the Longevity Elixirs, which had been refined from dead babies, from Wang Guan.
“The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Wang Kuang, was upright and never stooped to flattery. Since he also had the support of the public opinion, he resisted the pressure and ordered Wang Guan, who was all kinds of evil and had caused discontentment among the people, to be executed. As a result, the people rejoiced and spread the word.
“Did things end there? No. Wang Kuang, who had been praised by the people, tried to continue digging this up without regard for his life and uncovered the person protecting Wang Guan.
“Naturally, the resistance was unprecedented. Not only did this resistance originate from the dense network of influential officials, but it also originated from the power of a higher level.
“The 11th Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houcong, was behind it.
“Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houcong was known as the Emperor of Daoism and was keen on immortal cultivation. For the sake of longevity, he invited a lot of alchemists and Daoists into the palace to refine elixirs for him.
“In order to brave the wind and dew like an immortal, Zhu Houcong ordered the palace servants to collect the dew from the hardy banana leaves in the imperial garden during the wee hours so he could ingest them. As a result, the palace servants fell ill from exhaustion and some of them even died. When Zhu Houcong heard what the alchemists had said, he followed the ‘red lead method’. He collected the menstrual blood of the palace servants and took it along with the medicinal powder.
“In order to make the palace servants have a heavier flow of menstrual blood, Zhu Houcong forced them to take a medicine that could promote that, which harmed their bodies or caused them to die from excessive blood loss.
“During the 21st year of the Jiajing Reign, the palace servants, who couldn’t tolerate Zhu Houcong’s harm anymore, teamed up and used a yellow silk cloth to strangle him while he was sound asleep. They even used their hairpins to stab Zhu Houcong. This incident is called the Palace Plot.
“The Palace Plot of the 21st year of the Jiajing Reign failed. We are in the dimension of the 13th year of the Jiajing Reign. This is before the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice ordered Wang Guan to be executed and destroyed the production line of the Longevity Elixir refined from babies in his residence.
“Why could Wang Guan, who was clearly a mandrill, control the Spirit-Gathering Array that was passed down from the Daoists?”
“Why could Grand Master Dao Zhi, who had committed so many evil deeds, easily escape and hide from the Nanjing execution ground that had capable Daoists?”
“How come Grand Master Dao Zhi could only change his name to Wang Guan to easily make a comeback?”
“That’s because there was someone above this mandrill who used the babies to refine the Longevity Elixirs. Since the high-ranking officials were involved, Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houcong also had to be involved. Due to Zhu Houcong’s protection and secret support, Wang Guan had become wealthy, run amuck, and even studied the orthodox inheritance of the Daoists.”
After these layers of truth were unraveled, Li Ang said with a sigh, “Unfortunately, I understood this too late.”
Then, he looked at the woman called Hong Niang, who was screaming in horror in the Hall of Great Strength while struggling to break free from Wang Guan’s embrace and staggering to leave.
“Don’t go.”
Wang Guan smiled slightly and reached out to grab her.
An unidentified demonic wind blew in from outside the temple and rolled up the sedan chair’s curtain outside.
An antique-looking copper cauldron that was enveloped by the demonic wind flew out of the sedan chair and landed in the center of the Hall of Great Strength.
Hong Niang was also swept up by the demonic wind and suspended above the cauldron.
“Help, help!”
Hong Niang’s dress swayed upward as she wailed. On the other hand, the demons in the hall smiled without restraint. Only the group of foxes that were dragged down by having a family to feed and two or three demons and monsters, who could not stand the sight of that, turned their heads around without daring to look at her.
“Everyone!”
Wang Guan stood up and said clearly, “Our Daoist Senior has obtained a new prescription. As long as we take out the unborn baby that has not been contaminated by the mortal world and the 100 kinds of demonic blood overflowing with Spirit Qi, we can refine a mysterious elixir pill called the 100-Demon Elixir.
“Once ingested, it can allow commoners to experience a hundred years of power. Even a demon at the Transformation Realm can have a cultivation boost.
“Just now, I indeed suffered an attack at the pagoda. The perpetrator is very likely hidden among us. However, I’m willing to let this enmity go and enjoy the 100-Demon Elixir with everyone.”
After he said that, he opened the wooden box in his hand and a dense soaring fragrance that was visible to the naked eye appeared. It drifted along with the wind, causing all the surrounding demons and monsters to get intoxicated by it and feel their internal demonic power surging. They were only one step away from breaking through their cultivation obstruction.
The 100-Demon Elixir had a well-deserved reputation.
Bam.
Wang Guan closed the wooden box and said with a smile, “As long as everyone is willing to donate a drop of blood all year round, I can steadily produce elixirs and we can benefit mutually. What do you think of that?”
The group of demons looked at each other and turned their heads to shout in unison, “Daoist Priest Wang Guan will arrange it!”
“Alright!”
Wang Guan broke into a peal of loud, clear laughter and told Hong Niang softly, “Dear, when I redeemed you from the nest of devils in the brothel, you said that you would be willing to do anything for me. Right now, it’s time for you to offer your body.”
When Wang Guan waved his hands, a gale poured down from between his fingers toward Hong Niang.
He was about to open Hong Niang’s stomach with that and let the baby drop into the cauldron!
Clang…
A bronze halberd shot out of a corner as fast as lightning. With just one move, it broke up the gale!
The halberd, which remained powerful, dug deeply into the red roof pillars of the Hall of Great Strength. The group of demons turned around to look at the corner.
“…”
Xing Hechou stood in that spot for a long time and maintained the posture of tossing his halberd out.
“Team leader.” Hanging Sword for Ten Thousand Miles knocked his head and said in frustration, “Just now, you kept saying that we should calm down.”
“Ha ha ha…” Xing Hechou stood up with a laugh. He clapped boldly and said, “I have no choice. I can’t tolerate it any longer.”
The strong, square-faced man turned around and told everyone sincerely and apologetically, “My apologies. I’ve implicated all of you.”
“Don’t say that.” Monk Hui Bing put his palms together and said with a faint smile, “If I don’t enter hell, who will? The people around me died for a just cause.”
Liu Wudai drew her composite longbow silently and said calmly, “Let’s get started.”
“Hey, hey, hey.” Li Ang sighed helplessly and took off his glasses before he put on the Face-Changing Mask. “All your lines are so cool. It’s hard for me.”
“So…” Wang Guan floated and his Daoist robe surged. He looked at the quest team with a smile at the corner of his mouth and an indifferent gaze. “So you guys want to become my enemies?”
The patterns on Li Ang’s mask kept changing and circulating before it was finally stabilized into the face of Ultraman Tiga.
He cranked his neck and Wang Guan’s snow-white hair and amiable face were reflected in his Cat’s Eye. He said softly, “If a monk is stupid, he can still be educated. If a demon becomes a treacherous spirit, it will be a disaster.”