I bear witness to immortality in the human world.

Chapter 86 Shen Lian
Just as Wu Ming was attending a banquet at the Chen residence.

The southern part of Jingye City.

A secluded courtyard sits here, one of the properties of the Xuanyu Sect in Jingye City, and also the location of a branch.

Under the dim light, a figure cloaked in the night quietly arrived. He knocked lightly on the door, then pushed it open and entered the courtyard.

"Brother Wang, what brings you here today?"

Inside the courtyard, beside the stone platform, Shen Lian calmly sipped his tea. Upon seeing the figure entering, he spoke in a nonchalant tone.

Wang Wuzheng gently lifted the hood of his cloak, looked at Shen Lian, and said, "I came to see Brother Shen because I have something to ask of you... Brother Shen, you still owe me a favor. If you help me get rid of someone, we'll be even."

Shen Lian leisurely sipped his tea and said:
"who?"

"Wu Ming, Deputy Inspector of the Censorate."

Wang Wuzheng spoke indifferently.

Shen Lian put down his teacup and said, "So it is this person. I have heard of him before. With Brother Wang's abilities, dealing with this person should be a piece of cake. Why do I need to take action?"

Wang Wuzheng said calmly, "There are too many people in the Shenxing Division watching our Wang family, so it's inconvenient for me to take action."

After ordering his men to investigate Wu Ming's intelligence, he carefully considered the matter and decided to get rid of Wu Ming. On the one hand, Wu Ming had repeatedly trampled on the prestige of the Wang family, and if he did not retaliate, people would look down on the Wang family. On the other hand, there was an opportunity that would not involve him and the Wang family, namely, Shen Lian happened to be in the city.

Shen Lian was a true disciple of the Xuan Yu Sect, and someone owed him a favor. This favor was neither small nor large. Asking Shen Lian to kill a master who had just reached the third stage of Blood Condensation was slightly beyond the scope of the task, but it was just right to deal with Wu Ming.

"Row."

After a moment's thought, Shen Lian nodded and said, "I have something to do and will be staying in the city for a while, about a month. I will look for an opportunity to make my move within this month. Postponing it a little would be more suitable for you."

"That's perfect."

Wang Wuzheng nodded slightly.

The conflict between Wu Ming and Wang Wufeng has only recently occurred. If something happens soon, even without evidence to implicate him, people will inevitably suspect him. If it can be delayed, it will be less likely to cause a stir.

Actually, he originally wanted to find an opportunity to see if Guo Xiang of the Black Fiend Sect could deal with Wu Ming, because according to the information he had, Wu Ming had killed Guo Xiang's younger brother and had a grudge against Guo Xiang. If Guo Xiang killed Wu Ming, it would be very reasonable and no one would suspect the Wang family.

The problem is that Prime Minister Guo is not even in Jingye City, and he doesn't know Prime Minister Guo. Moreover, Prime Minister Guo's breakthrough to the third stage of blood condensation was only recently. If they were in the wilderness, he could defeat Wu Ming by suppressing him with his physique. But if they were in the city, they would often need to resolve the situation quickly, and it would be difficult to find an opportunity to assassinate him. Prime Minister Guo might not be able to do that.

Shen Lian was different.

As a true prodigy of the Xuan Yu Sect, Shen Lian's strength was comparable to his. Both were top experts among martial artists who had mastered the integration of skills and techniques at the third stage of blood coagulation. They had a chance to kill ordinary martial artists at the third stage of blood coagulation, so dealing with Wu Ming would be a piece of cake.

After reaching an agreement with Shen Lian, Wang Wuzheng quietly left the Xuan Yu Sect's headquarters. For the next period of time, he would act as if nothing had happened and continue working normally in the Shen Xing Division. When Wu Ming got into trouble, it would have nothing to do with him.

……

Anning Lane.

Wu Ming returned from the Chen residence.

After he was promoted to deputy inspector, he was eligible to live in a separate courtyard in Anning Lane. For convenience, he moved to the new residence as soon as possible and settled Wu Qi and the two elders, Liu, in the new courtyard.

When he returned, the lights were still on in Wu Qi and Liu's room.

"came back?"

Since Wu Ming did not conceal the noise, Wu Qi heard the sound, pushed open the door, and looked at Wu Ming walking into the courtyard.

"Dad, haven't you and Mom rested yet?"

Wu Ming walked over, glanced into the room, and saw Liu sitting on the edge of the bed.

Wu Qi pulled Wu Ming into the house and said, "Your mother and I are talking about something. These past two days, people have been coming to us to ask about your marriage. Now that you've become a high-ranking official, things are different from before. Your mother and I can't make a decision on our own, so we thought we'd ask for your opinion first."

“I know that you, Ming’er, are engrossed in martial arts training and are currently striving for improvement, so you don’t want to be distracted by other things. But your mother is getting old, and it’s inevitable that she has some concerns.”

Hearing Wu Qi's words and looking at Liu's hair, which was more than half white, Wu Ming felt a little embarrassed. He was not afraid of any external threats, but his two elders at home were his weakness.

In this world, it is considered a long life for ordinary people to live to seventy. As the saying goes, "Life is rare at seventy." Most ordinary people are considered fortunate if they can live to fifty or sixty. His father, Wu Qi, did not show signs of aging, but Liu's legs were weak and her health was poor. Although she had been taking good care of herself after he rose to power, she was still growing old day by day.

“I’m too busy with other things right now to think about this. I’ll make plans when I have more free time in the future, once I’ve established my own residence in the city.” Wu Ming said thoughtfully, “My sister is already several months pregnant. After she gives birth, I’ll accompany you to Xucun to visit her and let you see her newborn baby, Mother.”

"Good, good." Liu Shi listened to Wu Ming's words and showed a hint of joy. At her age, seeing Wu Ming rise to prominence and become a high-ranking official, she had no complaints. The only things she couldn't let go of were her longing for Wu Yu and her desire to see Wu Ming have an heir.

She knew that Wu Ming was busy with many things, so she would only nag Wu Qi about it often, but never said anything in front of Wu Ming. This time, Wu Qi couldn't help but tell her about it.

I walked out of the old couple's house.

Wu Ming looked up at the night sky and felt that the sky was so high and far away that it was hard to reach. He sighed in his heart. Even though he had been born twice, the weight of family ties was still heavier than Mount Tai.

However, he still has a long way to go and has only taken a few steps so far. Perhaps Wu Qi and Liu Shi both want to see him marry and have children and enjoy family life, but he cannot stop here.

"Let's get the three clotting processes done as soon as possible."

A thought flashed through Wu Ming's mind.

Although the mastery of skills has changed his status, it is not enough for him to truly establish a residence. As for the realm of the third refinement of the primordial spirit, it is not advisable to expose it. If he wants to change his public identity and status, he still needs to rely on the cultivation of martial arts.

Thinking of this, Wu Ming reached into his pocket and grasped the Ice Soul Jade. This thing did have the effect of suppressing the restlessness of blood energy, but it was of little use to him. He had refined his primordial spirit three times, and even if his blood energy was restless, he could suppress it with a single thought. He did not need such a treasure. Instead, he could exchange it for silver to obtain resources to nourish his blood energy.

now,

The treatment he receives is vastly different from what it used to be. Now he eats spirit rice for every meal, and medicinal cuisine is served every few days. The amount of blood and qi he accumulates each day is basically the limit that his aptitude can reach.

This cultivation progress can be described as extremely fast. Based on his judgment, he estimates that in a few more months at most, he will be able to accumulate blood energy to the limit of the second coagulation stage, and then try to break through to the third coagulation stage.

Back inside.

Wu Ming closed his eyes, silently practiced the "Lin" mantra, and began his cultivation.

……

Ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The Department of Cautious Punishment.

It was late at night, and in a certain government office, the dim candlelight flickered.

Wu Ming sat behind a desk, reviewing several newly delivered case files, which contained details of heinous incidents such as robbery and theft that had occurred in the past few nights, including the events leading up to and following clues.

After being promoted to deputy inspector, his scope of authority and duties changed. He no longer needed to personally lead patrols every night; most of his time was spent sitting in the yamen, reviewing cases.

"The night was as restless as ever."

After glancing through the files on the table, Wu Ming shook his head slightly. The Night Patrol Division's patrols could only reduce the crime rate at night to a certain extent, but they could not eliminate petty theft at its root.

The situation in the inner city was slightly better, but in the outer city, there were various thefts almost every night. When he was a patrolman, his understanding of the situation was very limited. Now that he had been promoted to deputy patrolman, he had a comprehensive view of the situation and knew that such problems could not be completely solved.

"These days, the Wang family has been quite quiet. I wonder what they're secretly plotting."

Wu Ming closed the file, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Since his last encounter with Wang Wufeng, which marked a complete confrontation with the Wang family, he had been prepared to face their suppression. However, nothing has happened recently.

Previously, Wang Wufeng had tried to take down Chen Gui, but was thwarted and failed. He was even beaten in the street, suffering serious injuries and a great loss of face. Given the deep-seated grudge, the other party should not have let it go so easily.

but.

Given his current status and position, it wouldn't be so easy for the Wang family to touch him. After all, there's only a difference between a patrol officer and a patrol commander, and the difference in power and status is completely different.

Just as Wu Ming was pondering this, a minor official hurried in and reported to Wu Ming:
"Sir, there is a fire in the north of the city."

Where is Lord Zhou?

"Lord Zhou has gone out and is not in the office."

Upon hearing this, Wu Ming raised his eyes and said in a deep voice, "...Pass on my order to mobilize troops and extinguish the fire immediately!"

The term "fire" refers to an incident that occurs occasionally at night. Compared to theft, robbery, or other similar incidents, fire is a more serious matter that the Night Patrol is concerned about and needs to be dealt with immediately. After all, if a fire is not controlled, the consequences will be far more severe than those caused by theft or robbery.

With Zhou Huai'an not in the yamen, he was in full charge of everything.

At Wu Ming's command, many of the minor officials stationed in the yamen were mobilized, each carrying their own equipment and tools, to go to the fire site in the northern district. After arranging the actions of everyone, Wu Ming also rushed to the fire site.

(End of this chapter)