Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"I never imagined that Protector Zhao could conceal his inner strength so deeply!"

After a moment of silence, Wu Nian let out a long sigh.

"If I'm not mistaken, your internal strength has been advancing by leaps and bounds over the past two or three years, and you even broke through the bottleneck quite early."

But after you pretended to have found the feeling of Qi, your internal strength never improved again!

On Blackwood Cliff, Wu had sparred with every elder.

When Protector Zhao attacked Wu with a palm strike, it was naturally a full-force blow, and he held nothing back.

Wu could sense that your skill level was already comparable to Elder Bai's.

Even if you already possessed internal strength before joining my sect, but you were simply hiding it, to have cultivated internal strength to such a level at around thirty years old makes you a martial arts prodigy no less than the sect leader in his prime.

Even if he hadn't been injured, Wu wouldn't have had much of a chance against you. Now, he's no match for you anymore.

Well, the current leader only took the position after the previous leader, Wang, was defeated and martyred. He gathered the surviving followers and rebuilt the headquarters.

Now that Black Cliff is surrounded by the imperial army, it's hard to say what the future holds for my sect.

As for Wu's left arm, it's not even worth mentioning.

"It's not impossible for Protector Zhao to have Wu pledge allegiance, provided he agrees to two conditions."

"Elder Wu, please speak freely."

Zhao Xixian glanced at Wu Nian.

"I, Zhao, have always been a reasonable person. As long as Elder Wu's conditions are reasonable, I will certainly agree."

"Protector Zhao is indeed a man of few words."

Wu Nian spoke up,

"The first condition is that unless Blackwood Cliff falls and the leader of the sect is martyred, Protector Zhao will still be the Right Protector of my sect. He cannot lead the followers to establish a separate branch sect in the border region, let alone declare himself the leader!"

The second condition is to ensure the safety of Li Man, the daughter of the Left Protector, and never to harm her!

The death of the Left Protector is no fault of Protector Zhao.

We were fighting to the death just now. Protector Zhao was ambushed, so naturally he didn't dare to hold back. It was because he was less skilled and also because he was unlucky.

Li Man was different; she was just a ten-year-old girl and posed no threat to Protector Zhao.

Now that the Left Protector is dead, and Li Tong and his pregnant concubine have disappeared without a trace, Li Man is the only remaining bloodline of the sect leader.

"I failed to protect the Left Protector, which is a disservice to the leader, but under no circumstances can Li Man be allowed to suffer any more harm."

"I have no problem with Elder Wu's first condition."

Zhao Xixian pondered for a moment,

"As long as the leader and Black Cliff are still alive, I, Zhao, will never openly declare myself independent. I will only lead my followers in the border regions as the Right Protector."

As for the second condition, Elder Wu didn't mention it, and Zhao didn't even know that the sect leader had the Left Protector bring Li Man to the border region as well.

The cult leader and the left protector had both verbally promised that once Li Man came of age, they would marry her to Zhao.

Li Man is Zhao's fiancée, so why would he harm her?

Zhao had no reason not to agree to this condition.

However, Elder Wu has to agree to one condition from Zhao!

"Protector Zhao, please state your conditions without hesitation!"

Seeing that Zhao Xixian had agreed to the two conditions he had proposed, Wu Nian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The two sides have just clashed. It doesn't matter that a few subordinates died, but the most important thing is that the leader's only son, the Left Protector Li Dali, died at the hands of Zhao Xixian.

Zhao Xixian and the cult leader have a blood feud.

As for himself, he lost his left arm in a sneak attack. Although it wasn't a fight to the death, it was still a huge grudge.

The only reason he's willing to recruit me now is because he sees I only have one right hand left, which poses little threat to him anymore.

As an elder, he knew many secrets of the sect, which was of great value to Zhao Xixian.

The two conditions I just proposed were partly because I didn't want to let the leader down, and partly for my own protection.

The requirement that Zhao Xixian continue to act only as the Right Protector until the fall of Blackwood Cliff and the news of the sect leader's death is meant to demonstrate his unwavering loyalty to the Maitreya Sect.

As for protecting Li Man, he was loyal and devoted to the leader and the Left Protector.

People tend to show more respect and less suspicion to those who are loyal and righteous, even if they are their opponents.

Ideally, if possible!

If Zhao Xixian agrees without hesitation and doesn't mention any conditions, then the credibility of his guarantee is probably very limited.

"Zhao's conditions are very simple, and Elder Wu is sure he can meet them."

Zhao Xixian spoke up,

"Although the death of the Left Protector was not my intention, he ultimately died at the hands of Zhao."

Li Man will be Zhao's wife in the future, and I don't want her to one day find out that her husband is the murderer of her father.

"Protector Zhao, please rest assured, I, Wu, swear to Maitreya Buddha that I will never reveal what happened today."

Wu Nian raised his right hand,

"I will tell Li Man that the Left Protector has important business to attend to and has gone elsewhere alone, and asked me to entrust her to the care of Protector Zhao."

"It's just the two of us here. As long as we don't say anything, no one will know what happened today, or how the Left Protector died."

"Li Man is already ten years old, and she's very clever; she's not a clueless toddler anymore."

Zhao Xixian waved his hand.

"If the Left Protector wants to leave alone to handle matters, he will definitely say goodbye to her."

Her father's sudden disappearance left her young and perhaps unable to understand what was happening at first, but in any case, it would certainly plant a seed of doubt in her heart.

Rather than letting her secretly investigate the reason for her father's disappearance when she grows up, it's better to leave her some clues now.

Zhao had heard Elder Bai mention on Blackwood Cliff that Elder Wu had a unique finger technique that he rarely used in public. It was extremely powerful; when infused with internal energy, the index finger could pierce a person's forehead directly, killing them instantly.

Those who know Elder Wu's trick are basically the middle and upper management. In Fengzhou Beach, it's just the two of us.

Li Man is so young, and she's a girl, so the sect leader and the left protector wouldn't tell her these things.

Zhao naturally trusted Elder Wu's oath.

However, Zhao preferred to keep the initiative in his own hands.

Zhao wanted Elder Wu to use his index finger to poke a hole in the left protector's forehead and then take the left protector's body back to Fengzhou Beach.

We told Li Man and your entourage that the Left Protector had gone into the mountains alone and had not returned. We went into the mountains to search for him and finally found his body in a ravine.

As for the murderer, he has long since vanished without a trace.

On the way back with the body of the Left Protector, Elder Wu, overwhelmed with grief, lost his footing and fell off a cliff, breaking his left arm.

As the daughter of the Left Protector, Li Man naturally wanted to see her father's remains.

As long as Elder Wu keeps his promise and faithfully assists Zhao from now on, he will never go back on the two conditions agreed to by Elder Wu.

Li Man would never have the chance to know that Elder Wu knew this unique finger technique.

Elder Wu, if you are willing, please act quickly.

Your left shoulder injury is quite serious. If you receive timely treatment, although a full recovery is impossible, you will at least be able to hold light objects with your left hand.

If this continues, it's hard to say whether he can save his left arm.