Chapter Thirty-Six: The Powerful Ally

The middle-aged man's actions stunned Zhu Yu, who blurted out, "A Taoist? Died unjustly? Then don't come to me! Don't worry, I'll uphold justice for you. Just tell me—who is your enemy? Tomorrow I'll send his whole family down to accompany you, as long as you leave me alone. Anything else, I'm happy to oblige."

The middle-aged man couldn't help but smile at this and began to explain.

"Your Majesty, you misunderstand. I am not a ghost; I am a civil official in the Wen Yuan Pavilion."

"A civil official? A living person? Then what was that just now? Martial arts? Doesn't quite seem like it... Oh, I see, you're cultivating immortality here, aren't you?"

As a transmigrator, Zhu Yu's imagination was vast; he didn't even need the man to explain, he filled in the blanks himself. At the same time, his heart surged with excitement: this world allows for cultivation! Why bother with the Northern Darkness Divine Skill now? He must cling to this powerful figure!

Seeing Zhu Yu's misunderstanding, the middle-aged man clarified, "I do not cultivate immortality. What I used just now was merely ordinary martial arts."

This statement left Zhu Yu dumbfounded. Not cultivating immortality? Just ordinary martial arts? And that's all?

Is there something fundamentally wrong with my understanding of this world?

"You—then with such high martial arts, why are you a civil official here?" After a string of shocks, Zhu Yu's speech faltered.

"I committed some errors and was punished by being sent to the Wen Yuan Pavilion to organize books," the middle-aged man replied.

"Punished? Who could be so blind as to leave someone as skilled as you here? Who did it?" Zhu Yu found it unbelievable.

The man simply smiled and remained silent.

"Tell me, who did it? I'll help you get even!" Even if he wasn't an immortal cultivator, this was still a big shot—an opportunity to gain favor must not be missed!

"Zhu Wu." Unable to resist Zhu Yu's persistence, the man answered.

"Zhu Wu? That's a royal surname. Sounds familiar, but I can't recall any high-ranking officials named Zhu—just Zhu Wushi..."

As he spoke, Zhu Yu's voice grew softer, his eyes widened, and his words trembled until he fell silent.

After a while, Zhu Yu swallowed hard and, summoning his courage, asked in a shaky voice, "Zhu... Zhu Wu? Emperor Jingwu? Wait, isn't that... my great-grandfather?"

He remembered that when he first transmigrated, he'd gone to pay respects to his ancestors and had studied the family genealogy carefully, thinking there might be some hidden cheat codes within it.

Seeing the middle-aged man nod and smile, Zhu Yu's vision darkened.

And you still claim you're not a ghost!

"Well, brother, about what I said earlier—sending your enemy's whole family down to accompany you—that was just a joke, you see? My great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father—they've all gone down to be with you already, so please don't come for me! Besides, they had plenty of concubines, so there are enough people!"

---

If Zhu Yu hadn't recently experienced life and death, having faced great storms, he would surely have cried by now. Even so, he struggled to keep his legs from trembling.

"Your Majesty, you've truly misunderstood. I am really alive!" The middle-aged man, both amused and helpless, reached out toward Zhu Yu.

To Zhu Yu, it seemed the ghost, enraged by having its lie exposed, was about to kill him. He closed his eyes in despair.

After a while, he realized he was still alive, and felt warmth at his wrist.

Warmth? He's really alive!

"Trying to scare me? Do you know what the punishment for deceiving the emperor is? Just because you're skilled in martial arts, you think you can get away with it? Such nerve!" Zhu Yu, having discovered the truth, was indignant.

Yet all of this was merely Zhu Yu's own imagination; he never realized it.

"Every word I have said is true. I have not deceived Your Majesty," the man replied, bowing respectfully.

"You haven't deceived me? Then let me ask you a few questions—you'd better think carefully before you answer."

"Of course, Your Majesty, please ask."

"You say Emperor Jingwu sent you here?"

"Yes."

"How old are you now?"

"This year, I am two hundred and forty-five," the man answered after a brief recollection.

Hearing this, Zhu Yu sneered inwardly. Still making things up!

At this point, Zhu Yu had largely given up on recruiting this man. Knowing he was the emperor, yet brazenly spinning tales—such a person had no loyalty to the royal family. Besides, Zhu Yu himself knew nothing of martial arts; keeping this man close would be like holding a ticking bomb.

As for why he trusted Yu Huatian and the other two, despite their martial prowess—they were eunuchs, forever barred from the throne. Their sole reliance was the emperor.

Having thought it through, Zhu Yu lost interest and decided to ask one last question before dismissing the man.

"Oh, you truly have a long life. What's your name?"

"My name is Huang Shang."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yu laughed in disbelief.

---

"Hey, you call yourself 'Emperor'—aren't you planning to kill me now and ascend the throne tomorrow?"

"Your Majesty, you misunderstand again," the man said with a bitter smile, continuing, "My name is Huang Shang—'Huang' as in the Yellow River, 'Shang' as in clothing."

"Twisting words! Huang Shang, you say—wait, Huang Shang? Huang Shang!" Zhu Yu nearly cursed aloud. Suddenly he remembered: he was in a world of martial arts, and in Jin Yong's novels, there was indeed a legendary figure named Huang Shang!

His attitude shifted instantly, and he asked cautiously, "Your name is Huang Shang?"

"Yes," Huang Shang replied with certainty.

"You created the Nine Yin Manual?"

"Your Majesty, how do you know about that? Right, when I traveled outside the palace in my youth, I taught the Nine Yin Manual to others and left a copy outside the palace," Huang Shang began answering his own questions.

Hearing his confirmation, Zhu Yu's heart almost leapt out of his chest; he suppressed his excitement and continued asking, "What is your martial arts level now?"

"I suppose people in the martial world call it 'Grandmaster'," Huang Shang replied.

"Why 'suppose'? Please be certain," Zhu Yu unconsciously slipped into respectful speech.

"When I reached the Celestial level, I had a breakthrough, but I couldn't be sure if I'd become a Grandmaster. I seldom duel with others, so there is no way to judge."

Zhu Yu nodded. The big shot spoke with reason—so rigorous, befitting someone who could derive the Nine Yin Manual from Daoist scriptures.

But Huang Shang's next words nearly stopped Zhu Yu's heart.

"However, more than fifty years ago, a man named Di Shitian kept coming to the Wen Yuan Pavilion to steal books. I often fought him, and each time I barely managed to win two or three moves. I don't know what his level is, but I suppose it's similar to mine," Huang Shang recalled.

Clutching his chest, Zhu Yu asked, word by word, "You say Di Shitian came to the palace? You drove him off? You fought him—and won?"

"Yes," Huang Shang replied matter-of-factly.

PS: Please recommend and bookmark! Bookmarks usually grow slowly but steadily, but today they've started to drop. Is there something off in these two chapters? If there are shortcomings, please leave a comment—I will do my best to improve, but please, no cursing...