Wuxia: Ning Zhongze, who became a disciple of Mount Hua, is shrouded in blue silver.

Zhao Qing was fighting two grandmasters alone. He wasn't guaranteed to win, but he had a chance.

Because these two are not top-tier experts.

Duan Tianya's cultivation level far surpasses that of these two, and he can easily defeat them even without using the Illusion Sword Technique.

"Prepare to die!"

Liu Xi roared and charged at Zhao Qing.

Wang Zhi remained silent and attacked simultaneously.

The two men each struck out with a palm strike from the front and back, attacking Zhao Qing from both sides.

Despite being attacked from both sides, Zhao Qing remained calm and immediately used the Water-Dirty Thunder, unleashing his old move once again.

"boom!"

Just then, a dark figure suddenly appeared from the side.

He kicked Liu happy away, then flashed behind Zhao Qing like a ghost, and met Wang Zhi's attack with a palm strike.

They exchanged a palm strike with Wang Zhi, and both of them retreated.

Wang Zhi retreated more than ten steps, while the other man only retreated eight steps, immediately revealing the difference in their strength.

The sudden appearance of a helper left Zhao Qing puzzled.

He definitely hadn't seen this person before, so why would this person help him?

"Eunuch Wang, Eunuch Liu, please stop."

The man calmly spoke to Wang Zhi and Liu happy.

Liu happy glared at the man and questioned sharply, "Zhang Cai, is your Embroidered Uniform Guard going against our Eastern Depot for this man?"

"Zhang Cai wouldn't dare, but Young Hero Zhao is my friend, and he hasn't done anything wrong."

"If the two eunuchs want to take him away, I won't stand idly by."

Zhang Cai spoke politely, but his attitude was clear, stating the stance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is much worse now than before.

Caught between the Eastern and Western Depots and the Dragon Guard Manor, the Embroidered Uniform Guard found itself in a precarious situation.

Both the Eastern and Western Depots and the Dragon Guard Manor could easily control the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been operating for many years and still possessed some strength.

It is still able to maintain its independence and has not completely become a lackey of the East and West Factories.

However, Shi Wenyi, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, knew this.

If the Embroidered Uniform Guard continues like this, it will sooner or later become an appendage of the Eastern and Western Depots or the Dragon Guard Manor.

"Hmph! We, the Eastern Depot, will remember what happened today!"

Zhao Qing could have killed Liu happy, but Zhang Cai stopped him, saying...

"Young Master Zhao, killing an official of the imperial court is a serious crime. You must think twice."

Zhao Qing suppressed his anger and did not make a move.

Killing Liu happy would be simple, but it would bring a lot of trouble.

Cao Zhengchun of the Eastern Depot was highly skilled in martial arts.

If Zhao Qing kills Liu happy, neither Cao Zhengchun nor the imperial court will let him off the hook.

The same goes for Wang Zhi of the Western Depot.

Liu happy and Wang Zhi both had powerful backers who relied on the imperial court's influence. Killing them would be easy, but it would have endless consequences.

"Thank you for your help, Lord Zhang."

Zhao Qing politely thanked Zhang Cai.

Zhang Cai smiled and said, "Young Master Zhao, there's no need to thank me. I'm here today to protect you."

Zhao Qing smiled and said, "Lord Zhang also wants me to submit to the imperial court and join the Embroidered Uniform Guard, right?"

Zhang Cai smiled and said, "Young Master Zhao is highly skilled in martial arts and has outstanding talent. Joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard will benefit both of us."

"Would you like to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Zhao Qing knew that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was trying to win him over in order to counter the Eastern and Western Depots.

Zhang Cai valued him highly and treated him with great courtesy.

However, the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was not comparable to that of the Eastern and Western Depots and the Dragon Guard Manor.

The Eastern and Western Depots and the Dragon Guard Manor were both more powerful than the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"What position can I hold if I join the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Zhao Qing asked.

Zhang Cai said, "If you join, I'll give you a direct position as a 'dry household' (a type of employee).

"After you achieve merit, I guarantee you'll be promoted quickly in the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Offering dry goods right away shows great sincerity.

However, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was not under Zhang Cai's sole command, and he could not be directly given such a high position as the Commander-in-Chief.

Even though Zhang Cai appointed Zhao Qing as the garrison commander, Zhao Qing was unable to convince everyone.

"If I join the Embroidered Uniform Guard, must I go to the capital immediately?"

Zhao Qing had always wanted to pledge allegiance to the imperial court.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard's power was not as great as the Eastern and Western Depots, but their influence was comparable.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had a wide jurisdiction and a number of subordinates far exceeding those of the Eastern and Western Depots.

Zhang Cai immediately replied, "According to the commander's instructions, Young Hero Zhao is in charge of handling affairs in the martial arts world, so he doesn't need to go to the capital to take up his post."

"Of course, if Young Hero Zhao wants to go, I won't stop you."

This shows that the Embroidered Uniform Guard gave Zhao Qing a lot of freedom and not many restrictions.

"Yes, I am willing to serve the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Zhao Qing thought for a moment and immediately agreed, because she had no other choice.

The East and West factories have already set their sights on him and will definitely not let him go.

With Zhao Qing's current strength, he is no match for the East and West Factories.

Hulong Villa was not on Zhao Qing's radar.

Zhu Wushi is a cunning old fox with a deep mind; it would be foolish to work for him.

Zhao Qing had no other choice but to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

After joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard and obtaining an official position, the Eastern and Western Depots dared not openly deal with him.

At the same time, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could also protect him.

Zhao Qing understood that background and powerful connections were fundamental to his survival and extremely important.

No matter how high your martial arts skills are, you can't get anywhere without a powerful background.

Of course, martial arts skills are still useful in this world.

However, Zhao Qing's martial arts skills were not those of a true master.

There are many people who are better at martial arts than him, and there are many people everywhere who can kill him.

Only those with connections and influence can help Zhao Qing safely navigate this period of weakness.

Although he has now made it onto the list of innate masters, in the eyes of true experts and powerful figures, he is nothing at all.

……

Zuo Lengchan received a message from Laudenau via carrier pigeon.

Lin Pingzhi's martial arts skills did indeed improve by leaps and bounds; he went from a third-rate master to a first-rate master in just a few days.

Zhao Qing also broke through from the third-rate level to the acquired level within half a month.

He himself practiced the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, but made no progress.

It seems that the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual requires self-castration to be effective.

Zuo Lengchan was certain that the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual in his possession was fake, and that the real manual was circulating in the world.

To cut or not to cut, that is the choice before us.

He paced back and forth in the main hall, finally looking at the Buddha statue and putting his hands together in prayer.

"The Five Sacred Mountains Gathering is coming soon. I have been preparing for so many years, and I cannot afford to make any mistakes."

"It's just a little bit of flesh, cut it!"

Zuo Lengchan immediately decided to give it up.

……

The next day, Zhao Qing and Zhang Cai left together.

Last night he agreed to Zhang Cai's suggestion to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and today he completed the onboarding procedures.

The procedures were very simple; they went directly to the Jinyiwei's stronghold.

Zhao Qing completed all the onboarding procedures within half a day.

He was given a flying fish robe, a sword, and a thousand-household token on the spot.

After finishing these tasks, Zhao Qing left immediately.

Zhang Cai will arrange for someone to contact them for follow-up work.

Zhao Qing can arrange her own free time.

[Ding! System notification: Joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard, betraying your sect, becoming a henchman of the imperial court, triggering the Darkening System.]

[Congratulations, host, you have received the reward: Ten years' worth of pure internal energy.]

As the internal energy entered his body, Zhao Qing immediately felt the internal energy in his dantian surge violently.

His cultivation level improved once again, and he broke through to the late stage of the Innate Realm!

During this period, Zhao Qing gained a large amount of internal energy.

Because of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, many people actually castrated themselves.

Just as Zhao Qing had predicted, these people blamed him for their self-harm.

Although the rewards may be small each time they are triggered, they add up to a great deal.

Zhao Qing's martial arts skills have reached the late stage of the Innate Realm, and he will soon become a Grandmaster.

At the Innate Realm, one is already capable of fighting against Grandmasters and defeating those at a higher level than oneself.

Once he becomes a Grandmaster, no one can threaten him except for Great Grandmasters.

Having become a Grandmaster and with the support of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhao Qing was able to move freely in the Ming Dynasty.

He will settle all grudges in due time.

Cao Zhengchun, Yu Huatian, Liu happy, Wang Zhi... none of them can escape.