Now, let's talk about Wang Hai.
This trip was for a secret investigation, and bringing along someone with poor martial arts would only be a burden. Wang Hai, supported by his internal energy foundation, traveled alone, changing horses along the way, and reached his destination in less than a day and a half.
Although that person spoke, he knew very little, only saying that someone had given him the secret manual, claiming it was the Right Envoy's instruction, and that he only needed to keep it there and not ask anything else.
After losing the secret manual, he had reported it, but received no response. Since then, he had lost contact with the Ming Cult.
Unable to withstand Little Four's torture, he racked his brains and said, "Since the secret manual was lost, there were a few times I left the city for business, and it seemed like I was followed. The methods looked like they were from someone within the Ming Cult."
"My trips out of the city were very sudden, and they were able to follow immediately, so this person should live near my home. I didn't dare to investigate, so I don't know which family it is."
Wang Hai came here to investigate, wanting to find that Ming Cult member who was monitoring him, to see if he could figure out the Right Envoy of Ming Cult's plans.
This place was a village and town under North Zhili, with a small population, close to the mountains and forest.
Few people came and went in such a place, so to avoid attracting attention, Wang Hai dismounted early and tied his horse in the woods by the roadside.
Then, he took out some clothes and disguise items from his luggage, and spent about an incense stick's time tidying himself up.
In a short while, he transformed from a heroic young military officer into a weathered, travel-worn merchant.
Wang Hai entered the town and strolled around, roughly getting a sense of the layout of the surrounding buildings. He also took the opportunity to chat with a few idlers, roughly identifying a few suspicious households.
Afterward, he left the village and town, found his horse and luggage, changed into a night-traveling outfit, put on his hooked-blade gloves, and sat on a bluestone slab to meditate and rest, waiting for night to act.
The sun set in the west, and in the blink of an eye, it was midnight.
After half a day of meditation, Wang Hai had completely dispelled the fatigue accumulated from his journey. He stood up, stretched his limbs, and then, using his Qinggong, headed towards the suspicious households he had identified during the day.
According to the information he extracted from those idlers, there were three households near the person being interrogated, and they had moved in recent years and had no familial ties with the local residents.
Wang Hai silently climbed over the wall and landed in the first household's courtyard.
He first quietly entered the bedroom, pointed a finger at the homeowner's neck, and knocked him unconscious. Then, he meticulously searched inside the room and under the bed, and also tapped the floor tiles and wall panels, finding no hidden doors or secret rooms.
Finally, he grasped the person's pulse to check for internal energy. He also carefully felt the muscles and bones to see if there were any signs of martial arts training.
Having basically ruled out this person's suspicion, Wang Hai climbed over the wall again and investigated the second house in the same manner, still finding nothing.
By this time, Wang Hai actually held little hope.
According to the Ming Cult's modus operandi, it was highly likely that this lead had already been cut off.
If it weren't for the connection to the Right Envoy of Ming Cult, and the Five Mountains Sword Sect's mission being related to the Ming Cult, plus the subtle connection between the events along the way, Wang Hai would not have been so eager to personally investigate.
Wang Hai placed a hand on the wall, about to climb over the courtyard wall of the third household.
The moment he showed his head over the courtyard wall.
In an instant, a cold glint had already reached his face!
Wang Hai, however, was delighted: "Caught him!"
He propped himself against the wall with his left hand, and with a mid-air grab with his right hand, he caught the incoming flying dart. His gloves were inlaid with refined iron pieces, so he wasn't afraid of the object being poisoned and cutting his skin.
As soon as Wang Hai landed, he saw a figure flip onto the roof and flee outwards.
Wang Hai sneered and directly threw the flying dart back the way it came.
Whoosh—thud!
"Ah!"
The person cried out, blood bloomed on his knee, his body lost balance, and he immediately fell onto the rooftop.
Wang Hai flipped onto the roof, wasted no more words, and directly reached out to grab the person's jaw, dislocating the joint with a crisp snap.
Then he grabbed both hands, and with two sharp 'snaps,' he directly twisted them. His legs were dealt with in the same manner.
In just two or three breaths, this person was deprived of all ability to move, wriggling on the rooftop like a maggot, emitting gasping cries of pain from his mouth.
Wang Hai lifted the person by his clothes, jumped off the roof, entered the house, threw the person into a random corner, and then meticulously searched the room.
In less than an incense stick's time, in a hidden compartment under that person's bed, he found a scripture, several silver notes, and a waist token.
Wang Hai picked up the waist token and examined it carefully. Some words were written on it in Persian.
The Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards), having hunted Ming Cult disciples for years, were intimately familiar with certain specific Persian phrases.
"Thick Earth Banner," Wang Hai read aloud.
The Ming Cult's hierarchy, from top to bottom, consisted of the Cult Master, two Right and Left Envoys, four Protectors, and five Banner Lords. Disciples within the sect were under the jurisdiction of the five Banner Lords, namely the Sharp Metal, Giant Wood, Flood, Blazing Fire, and Thick Earth Banners.
Fifteen years ago, in that major event, the Ming Cult was severely weakened, its main headquarters destroyed, and Cult Master Ji Tianrui died.
Below the Cult Master, one Right Envoy, two Protectors, and three Banner Lords died.
Among them, one Right Envoy was later replaced, but there has been little news of him/her to this day, and it is unknown whether he/she is male or female. One Protector was replaced.
However, there have always been only two Banner Lords, those of the Thick Earth Banner and the Flood Flag, and the others have never been replaced.
The reason is simple: the five Banners of the Ming Cult each had their own division of labor. In that battle, the disciples of the Sharp Metal, Giant Wood, and Blazing Fire Banners, who faced the enemy directly, were completely wiped out. Only the Flood Flag, responsible for the operation of various branch altars, and the Thick Earth Banner, responsible for covertly investigating news and gathering intelligence as undercover agents, were preserved.
Without disciples, there was naturally no need for Banner Lords.
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The Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) have mostly dealt with people from the Thick Earth Banner over the years.
And this person, possessing a Thick Earth Banner waist token, held a certain status within the Ming Cult; he should be a mid-level figure of the Thick Earth Banner.
The Ming Cult had been operating underground for over a decade, and those who remained were loyal hardliners who would not easily speak. Wang Hai was accustomed to dealing with Ming Cult members, so he wasted no words. He dragged the person over and began to torture him.
The person was also tough, enduring two full hours of torture before finally speaking in a dying breath: "Stop... I'll talk..."
Wang Hai stopped, wiped the blood from his hands on the person's body, and asked, "What is your name, and what is your connection to the Right Envoy of Ming Cult?"
"I... my name is—"
The person was about to speak.
Pfft.
However, a cold glint suddenly shot from the courtyard, directly impaling the person's neck!
Blood spurted, and the person slumped down, losing all signs of life.
Wang Hai's pupils constricted slightly. He immediately turned to look into the courtyard, his internal energy poised, fully on guard.
He had served under Li Miao for many years, handling countless assignments, so how could he not secretly guard against an ambush by Ming Cult members at this moment?
But he clearly hadn't heard a single sound, and the speed of the hidden weapon was eerily fast; he didn't even have a chance to intercept it!
Wang Hai focused his gaze on the courtyard, only to see that at some point, two people had appeared in the courtyard, one young and one old.
The younger man had a feminine, effeminate face. At this moment, he was calmly saying to the older man, "Banner Lord Zhou, how long did your subordinate last?"
The older man's face was expressionless, and he coldly replied, "Two hours."
"Ah, then you win, I guess."
The young man smiled and said, "But, Banner Lord Zhou, isn't this cheating?"
"I even bet with you on how much he would reveal, so why did you kill him?"
The older man did not reply, only looked coldly at Wang Hai.
The young man turned to Wang Hai and smiled, "Hello, young man."
"After he was captured by you, I've been waiting here for you for a long time.
"You're Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards), aren't you? Do you recognize someone—who should be in his thirties now, with a heroic face, and martial arts at or above the peak level? His name should be... Li Miao?"
"My name is Yun Zelin. I met him fifteen years ago and have been asking about him for a long time."
"If you know, please tell me."