Secret Transmission!
Although the original owner of this body had been a wealthy good-for-nothing, he still knew a bit about the miraculous abilities of Body Cultivators in this world.
Zeng Anmin took a deep breath, suppressing his dizziness, and understood the cue. His eyes darted around as a plan formed in his mind. Feigning an expression of absolute agony, he let out a blood-curdling scream.
"AHHH!"
Wang Daoyuan's eyelids twitched upward, a fleeting smile vanishing from his face in a flash. He then strode over to Zeng Anmin, hauled him up into the air, and spoke in a feigned cold tone.
"What's wrong?"
"My old illness is acting up. I need some medicine. Can you do me a favor, General?"
"Don't play tricks!" Wang Daoyuan glared at him gloomily.
Zeng Anmin's expression stiffened. "I wouldn't dare. If I die halfway there, it'll be hard for you to report back, General..."
"Hmph." Still carrying Zeng Anmin by the collar, Wang Daoyuan tugged at the horse's reins and slowly headed toward a nearby apothecary.
A short while later, the two moved away from the crowd.
Only then did Zeng Anmin dare to speak. He asked in a very low voice, "Uncle, do you truly intend to help me?"
"Lord Zeng showed me great kindness and recognized my worth. Naturally, I want to help." Using Secret Transmission, Wang Daoyuan continued, "In a moment, when I'm not paying attention, run toward South Street. I've arranged for people to meet you there."
Zeng Anmin let out a soft sigh of relief, then frowned at Wang Daoyuan. "How exactly is my father doing now?"
Uncle Qi's claim about secretly colluding with the Demon Race was far too vague. He had to seize this limited time to gather enough information.
Wang Daoyuan waved his hand impatiently. "The case is already closed. What's the point of telling you?"
Zeng Anmin smiled bitterly. "At least let me die knowing the truth."
Wang Daoyuan paused. He took a deep look at Zeng Anmin and spoke rapidly, "The original scroll of the Dragon Inspection Map for Fengqi Road was lost. Lord Zeng failed in his supervisory duties, which enraged the imperial envoy."
"The original scroll of the Dragon Inspection Map is lost?!" Zeng Anmin's heart immediately skipped a beat.
The Holy Dynasty was founded on martial prowess, with the lineage of Body Cultivators serving as its primary foundation. And the very core of a Body Cultivator's progress was comprehending the artistic conception within a Visualization Map.
The original scroll of the Dragon Inspection Map in his father's possession was the lifeblood of all advanced Body Cultivators across the three commanderies of Fengqi Road!
Such an important Visualization Map was lost?!
"According to Lord Zeng's own confession: Last night at a quarter past the rooster hour, while inspecting the Observation Department, he suddenly noticed a demonic mist rising and his consciousness blurred. When he woke up at three-quarters past the hour, the Dragon Inspection Map was gone, and there were no traces of tampering on the protective grand array at the scene.
"We don't have much time. We need to head back immediately."
Expressionless, Wang Daoyuan grabbed Zeng Anmin by the belt, clutching him in a highly awkward posture.
[Martial Art Traits Loaded]
[Please select one of the following three Martial Art Traits.]
"[Silver] Silver Spoon: Instantly gain First-Layer Cultivation as a Body Cultivator."
"[Silver] Set but not Rotten: Cultivation will not progress an inch for three years. After three years, you will be rewarded with the Third Level of Martial Arts Cultivation."
"[Silver] Rapid Enlightenment: Intelligence, Enlightenment, Enlightenment, and other attributes will increase several-fold. Duration: five hours."
[Note: Unselected traits will permanently disappear. Countdown: 30, 29, 28...]
Better late than never!!!
It was here! It was finally here!!
His Golden Finger!!
Zeng Anmin was ecstatic! He wasn't starting with absolutely nothing!
It was just... why did this reek of a trashy mobile game?
With no time to overthink, Zeng Anmin stared straight at the three options before him.
[Silver Spoon]
This one was filtered out first. At this point, a tiny bit of Martial Arts Cultivation wouldn't help matters at all. After all, even someone with Uncle Qi's level of Cultivation had been forced to swallow a bitter defeat just moments ago. Skip it.
[Set but not Rotten]
Same as the last one. Let alone waiting three years for the Third Level of Cultivation, even if it were given to him right this instant, it still wouldn't be enough. Even with Wang Daoyuan's help, he might be able to escape temporarily, but he absolutely wouldn't make it far.
[Rapid Enlightenment]
Increases intelligence and Enlightenment...
Reading this, a sharp gleam flashed through Zeng Anmin's eyes.
He had always felt there was something fishy about the original body's father being arrested, but with so many sudden, shocking changes, he simply hadn't had the mental capacity to think it through.
But if he had this...
Without any hesitation, he silently declared, "I choose Rapid Enlightenment."
[Selection complete. Talent trait loading... Loaded.]
The next moment, time seemed to stand completely still for Zeng Anmin.
Countless details he normally wouldn't have noticed suddenly surfaced in his mind. His thoughts were numerous, but not chaotic. With the help of [Rapid Enlightenment], Zeng Anmin felt as though his brain had been upgraded with a hundred-core processor, processing everything in perfect order!
He had never experienced such a profound sense of clarity.
It wasn't until all his trains of thought converged into one point that, with such a lucid mind, Zeng Anmin figured everything out in mere moments.
Then, a flurry of thoughts welled up in his mind, "Holy shit! So that's how it is! Man, how did I not think of this earlier?!"
When Zeng Anmin raised his head again, his gaze was piercing, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smirk. He had seen through all the mysteries.
At this moment, the two of them were still a fair distance from the main squad.
Wang Daoyuan's expression remained completely unchanged as he continued using Secret Transmission. "In a moment, I'll toss you over to be guarded by my trusted subordinates. I've already briefed them. When you make your run for it, those two won't do much to stop you."
Zeng Anmin put on a look of profound gratitude, but his heart had already turned icy cold.
He thought to himself, "This bastard wants to kill me that badly?!"
With the help of [Rapid Enlightenment], the very first mystery Zeng Anmin unraveled was Wang Daoyuan himself.
If the man truly harbored any intention of saving him, he never would have fought Uncle Qi! Even if they did fight, it should have been nothing more than a superficial show to deceive the onlookers. He wouldn't have struck so ruthlessly! After all, while Uncle Qi was no match for Wang Daoyuan, he was more than capable of protecting Zeng Anmin along the journey.
Furthermore, the real reason he had been willing to share his father's confession was clearly to inflict psychological pressure on him...
Glancing at Wang Daoyuan once more, Zeng Anmin sneered inwardly. He knew that the moment he made any move to run, this despicable guy would use the spear in his hand to execute him in front of everyone, making it look like a completely justified kill in a "moment of desperation"!
It wasn't hard to understand. His father was now facing his downfall, so Wang Daoyuan needed to pick a new side to align with. And the blood oath to his new faction would be Zeng Anmin's very own head!
The squad drew closer and closer to the Observation Department's Imperial Prison.
Along the way, Zeng Anmin kept his head down, maintaining a deeply unassuming demeanor. Whenever he occasionally caught Wang Daoyuan's frantically hinting, flickering gaze, he merely flashed a wide, toothy smile before lowering his head again, trying his utmost to control his behavior and remain utterly submissive.
Wang Daoyuan naturally noticed Zeng Anmin's behavior. His fierce eyes narrowed slightly as a trace of bewilderment surfaced within them.
He wondered, "Why hasn't this kid made a run for it yet?"
His attention had been fixated on Zeng Anmin the entire time, but even after a long wait, the boy made no move to act...
Trailing along with the squad, Zeng Anmin silently calculated in his mind.
The second mystery he had seen through was this: His Majesty the Emperor of the current Holy Dynasty was right here in Liangjiang Commandery!
His father was a high-ranking regional official and one of the few Great Confucian Scholars of the Great Saint Dynasty. No matter how prominent an official was sent from the capital, it was absolutely impossible for them to lock his father up in the Imperial Prison directly on his own turf.
His father wasn't an idiot. If he truly had colluded with the Demon Race, it was even less likely that he would have surrendered without a fight!
As for the capital's imperial envoy arresting his father directly with an imperial edict? That wouldn't happen either, because that would create a paradox regarding the loss of the Dragon Inspection Map. If they had come specifically to arrest him, they must have already grasped solid evidence of his father's past crimes. Naturally, they wouldn't need to use this temporary incident as a flimsy excuse.
He realized, "Unless His Majesty the Emperor came to Liangjiang Commandery in person, and his arrival just so happened to coincide with my father losing the Dragon Inspection Map, causing him to fly into a rage and throw my father in prison!"
That was the only scenario that explained why his father had been imprisoned so swiftly and cleanly.
This also made perfect sense of why Wang Daoyuan was so intent on killing him. Only His Majesty the Emperor could have driven him to such extreme thoughts! No matter which faction you chose to stand with, nothing beat standing in the good graces of the Emperor himself.
It was just a pity that this Martial Artist was so short-sighted. A traitor who betrayed his masters for personal gain wouldn't be welcomed anywhere.
With his thoughts untangled, Zeng Anmin naturally formulated a countermeasure. Thus, his heart was set at ease.
Before long, he followed the squad to the entrance of the Observation Department.
At this moment, the entrance was lined entirely with soldiers clad in Armor. Not far away stood a young man in white robes with a detached expression. Even from a distance, one could see the young man's incredibly silky long hair fluttering in the wind. The air itself seemed to ripple with the fragrance of his hair...
Seeing him, Zeng Anmin felt an overwhelming sense of envy toward that full head of hair.
But before he could take a closer look, a soldier immediately stepped forward to shackle him.
Zeng Anmin glanced at the massive wooden cangue. Naturally, he had no desire to be bound.
He gave a slow, unhurried cough. Then, channeling his qi into his Dantian, he suddenly bellowed:
"I demand to see His Majesty! I know where the Dragon Inspection Map is!!!"
Instantly, the entire scene fell dead silent.