Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

Great, it seems they've been rescued!

Xue Ting found himself lying in a large carriage.

He had seen and ridden in such large carriages before; many high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and magnates in the capital owned them.

Serving the imperial court as a courtier in the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) offered extremely generous benefits.

Xue Ting, who held the honorary title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard (rank 4), was actually capable of acquiring one.

However, as a master of internal martial arts, Xue Ting usually prefers to ride a horse rather than a carriage when traveling.

"You're finally awake."

A voice came from behind.

During his years in the capital, Xue Ting met and heard officials from the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty.

Although the person spoke Northern Mandarin, a distinct Lingnan accent was still noticeable.

Xue Ting turned around. The person who had just spoken was a young man dressed in a plain-colored long robe, who looked to be between twenty-five and thirty years old.

"Thank you for saving me."

Xue Ting used his hands to brace himself against the carriage floor and managed to sit up. He then cupped his hands in greeting to the other person.

"May I ask your esteemed name? I, Xue, will certainly repay you handsomely in the future."

"How can we stand idly by when we see someone collapse on the roadside?"

The young man laughed.

"I only did it on a whim, Lord Xue, you don't need to take it to heart."

"Lord Xue, please don't be offended. I, Zhao, have already seen your waist token."

"So it's Brother Zhao. Now that I've seen Xue's badge, I won't hide it from you."

Xue Ting didn't pay any attention.

"Xue came to Shanxi on official business."

I was injured and have some difficulty moving around. Could you please trouble Brother Zhao to escort me out of Taiyuan Prefecture?

Once Xue returns to the capital, he will certainly report Brother Zhao's merits to the court.

"Forgive my bluntness, but what Lord Xue needs most right now is a place to recuperate in peace."

The young man seemed to consider it for a moment.

"Zhao examined your injuries while Lord Xue was unconscious."

You suffered internal injuries, and your internal organs were severely damaged. If it weren't for your profound internal strength, you would probably have died long ago. It's really not advisable for you to continue traveling.

Zhao is currently on his way to Pingding Prefecture. It won't be difficult for him to escort you out of Jingxing Pass and get you to Zhending Prefecture.

However, given Lord Xue's current physical condition, forcing him to continue his journey would likely worsen his injuries.

This place isn't far from Taiyuan City. Why don't I, Zhao, escort you there? With Lord Xue's status as the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you're sure to receive the best treatment."

"No, we can't go to Taiyuan City."

Xue Ting quickly shook his head, but then something else occurred to him.

How did you know I suffered internal injuries?

You also know that I have profound inner strength?

Could it be...?

"To be honest, Lord Xue, I also have some knowledge of internal martial arts."

The young man sighed softly.

"Zhao practiced the technique for less than half a month and found the feeling of Qi, and developed a trace of internal strength."

At that time, several friends who also practiced internal martial arts praised Zhao for his exceptional talent.

Unfortunately, after that, no matter how hard Zhao tried to cultivate, he could not make any further progress. To this day, he still only has that trace of internal energy he had cultivated back then.

In retrospect, Zhao's aptitude for practicing internal martial arts was actually quite mediocre, even poor.

Among the several internal martial arts masters Zhao knew, although their cultivation speed varied, none of them remained stuck at the stage of just finding the Qi sensation.

"That's not right!"

Upon hearing the young man's words, Xue Ting frowned.

"Xue has met at least a dozen masters of internal martial arts. Those who can find the feeling of qi after two or three months of practice can be considered to have extraordinary talent."

Brother Zhao found the feeling of Qi and developed a trace of internal strength in just half a month of practice. Such speed is unheard of by Xue. He deserves to be called a martial arts genius.

How could it be that there's no further progress?

Forgive me for speaking frankly, but either Brother Zhao's cultivation method is flawed, or he's simply practicing it incorrectly!

I cannot go to Taiyuan City. Brother Zhao, please don't ask why. Just take me to Zhen Ding Prefecture instead.

If Brother Zhao trusts me, you might as well tell me about the cultivation method you practice.

Mr. Xue has been practicing internal martial arts for more than 20 years. In addition to the martial arts he practices, he also knows several other different martial arts.

"Perhaps this can help Brother Zhao find a way to break through his bottleneck; that would be a way of repaying his kindness in saving me."

. . .

Yangqu County.

Near the county town, in a makeshift military camp.

"Father, have we found the escaped Imperial Guard yet?"

Li Dali entered the tent.

"This man is so badly injured; without his horse, where could he possibly escape to?"

"The people who searched along the official road in two different directions had walked twenty miles and checked all the caravans and pedestrians they encountered, but they still couldn't find it."

Zhang Yin's face showed a hint of worry.

"In that case, the only possibility left is to escape into the mountains."

These mountains are full of cliffs and deep valleys, and there aren't many paths that people can walk on. After searching for so long, we should have found it by now.

I'm afraid he might have accidentally fallen off a cliff somewhere; finding his body wouldn't be so easy then.

"After being discovered during his nighttime intrusion into the mansion, this man managed to escape from his father's clutches, which demonstrates his exceptional martial arts skills."

Li Dali looked puzzled.

"How could there be such a master among the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Do you think all masters of internal martial arts are in the martial arts world?

Throughout history, there have always been skilled individuals who were willing to serve the imperial court.

As far as I know, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, and the Four Guards of the Imperial Palace have all recruited some masters of internal martial arts from the martial arts world.

These masters were called "officials" and received very generous treatment, including honorary military titles bestowed by the imperial court.

This person should be a "court attendant" belonging to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhang Yin nodded.

"When he tricked his way into opening the city gate, he used the waist tag of a deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

This is a fourth-rank official, whose position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard is second only to the Commander and the Deputy Commander.

To have such a rank, one must be one of the strongest among the "officials" of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This person's internal strength is quite formidable, roughly equivalent to my level twenty years ago.

The only person who could send him to Taiyuan should be Lu Bing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This man has already recognized my true identity. If he escapes from Taiyuan, we will have no choice but to launch our uprising ahead of schedule!

We must find him no matter what, alive or dead!

. . .

At the same time.

On the official road twenty miles away.

"We've been searching for so long and haven't found him. Could it be that he didn't take the official road?"

We've carefully checked all the caravans we've encountered, and there's definitely nothing there.

One of the armored knights complained to his companion.

"Maybe they escaped into the mountains and fell off a cliff to their deaths!"

"Do you think that person might be hiding in Protector Zhao's group?"

Another knight suddenly blurted out a sentence,

"Don't forget, we also encountered Protector Zhao leading his men back from beyond the Great Wall. That group wasn't checked!"