Simultaneous Transmigration: The Re-merging of 99 Selves

Chapter 38 The Power of the Life and Death Talisman

In the study, a middle-aged man in a purple official robe sat in the main seat, his face displeased; it was Xia Zhen.

Sitting opposite him was a scholar in a blue robe, who was probably his trusted advisor.

Xia Zhen slammed his hand on the table, his voice filled with indignation: "A bunch of ignorant pedants! If I hadn't agreed to help back then, leading the Imperial Guards to open the palace gates, how could Prime Minister Shi have killed Han Jiefu so easily?"

"Now, all I'm doing is erecting a monument to commemorate my achievements in my own home, and several censors dare to submit memorials impeaching me, accusing me of being arrogant and disrespectful of the law? It's utterly ridiculous!"

The aide quickly echoed with a smile, "What the Grand Commandant says is true. In the execution of the traitor Han, the Grand Commandant deserves the greatest credit, and Minister Shi certainly remembers it. Those censors are merely trying to curry favor and gain a reputation for speaking frankly and remonstrating. The Grand Commandant need not take them to heart."

The two chatted away, getting more and more engrossed in their conversation, completely unaware that there was another person in the study.

Zhao Yu silently slid down from the roof beam and landed in the corner of the study. He sat cross-legged on a grand chair and watched the two of them with great interest.

Half a minute passed before Xia Zhen picked up his teacup to drink some water. Only then did he catch a glimpse of a figure in the corner of his eye, and he was instantly terrified.

He abruptly stood up, drew his sword from his waist, held it horizontally in front of him, and shouted sharply, "Who goes there? How dare you trespass into an official residence? Are you here to assassinate me?"

The advisor was also terrified, his face turning pale. He retreated repeatedly, hiding behind Xia Zhen.

Zhao Yu chuckled, stood up, and said casually, "Assassination? Grand Commandant Xia is joking. I'm not here to assassinate you, but to deliver a great gift to you."

Before he could finish speaking and before the two could react, Zhao Yu raised his hand and snatched a cup of hot tea from the table, which instantly flew into his hand.

With a flick of his fingertip, two streams of tea shot out, instantly unleashing the chilling power of the Tianshan Six Yang Palm. The two streams of tea condensed in the air into two crystal-clear ice needles, as fast as lightning, shooting towards Xia Zhen and his advisor's Tanzhong acupoints respectively.

The two only felt a flash of white light before their eyes, and a chill on their skin. The ice needle had already disappeared into their bodies without them feeling any pain.

Alarm bells rang in Xia Zhen's mind. He was about to call for his guards when, as soon as he opened his mouth, an indescribable tingling sensation spread from his Tanzhong acupoint to his limbs and bones.

The feeling was like a million ants crawling all over my body, itchy and painful, indescribable and unbearable.

Zhao Yu slowly walked to the table, poured himself another cup of hot tea, leaned against the table, took a sip, and watched the two people's miserable state with great interest.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the intense itching had already penetrated deep into my bones.

Xia Zhen's sword clattered to the ground, and he frantically scratched at his body, tearing his brocade robe and leaving bloody scratches on his skin.

But the intense itching not only didn't subside, it actually got worse.

The aide was in even worse shape, already screaming and collapsing to the ground, rolling around on the floor, letting out inhuman howls, his fingernails tearing his chest until it was a bloody mess, a truly gruesome sight.

The screams of the two men pierced through the study and echoed throughout the entire Lakeside Villa.

Hearing the commotion, the guards outside panicked and rushed towards the stone bridge.

Zhao Yu slowly finished his tea and praised, "Good tea."

He then flicked his finger, and a stream of Yang energy burst forth, precisely shooting into Xia Zhen's body. This was the method within the Tianshan Six Yang Palm to dissolve the Life and Death Talisman.

Xia Zhen felt a sudden relaxation throughout his body. The intense itching that had penetrated to his bones vanished instantly, and he felt as if he had been pulled out of the water, his entire body soaked in cold sweat.

He collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, staring at Zhao Yu with terrified eyes, as if he were looking at a demon.

After a long pause, Xia Zhen finally spoke, his voice trembling, "Who...who exactly are you?"

"Grand Commandant Xia, now we can have a proper talk." Zhao Yu walked up to him, looking down at him. "I have something I'd like to ask for your help with, but I'm worried that you might be too arrogant to agree, so I've resorted to this tactic to kindly remind you."

He pointed to the staff member on the ground who was still screaming madly and was on the verge of death. His tone was calm, but it carried a chilling coldness.

"Those who are afflicted by my Life-and-Death Talisman, without my unique antidote, will only scratch themselves to death, even tearing their internal organs apart. The Grand Commandant has witnessed this fate."

Xia Zhen shuddered as he looked at the miserable state of his staff, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He had spent half his life in the military, commanding thousands of troops on the battlefield.

He had seen many dead people, but he had never seen such an evil and vicious method.

"I know the Grand Commandant probably doesn't believe it, thinking there are plenty of famous and skilled doctors in the world who can solve this problem."

Zhao Yu smiled and said, "So I've left you a test subject. In these ten days, you can search for all the famous doctors in Lin'an City, and even invite the imperial physicians from the palace. As long as someone can remove the life-and-death talisman from his body, the Grand Commandant will pretend I never came, and I will not make things difficult for you in the slightest."

His voice paused, and his tone suddenly turned cold: "But if you can't solve it, I will come back to you in ten days and tell you what I want you to do."

"Remember, you are not to divulge a single word of what happened today to anyone, including Shi Miyuan. If I hear even the slightest hint of it, you can forget about ever getting the antidote again. You'll end up like this man."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the study door was flung open with a bang, and a dozen guards wielding long swords rushed in.

"Grand Commandant! Are you alright?"

Just before the guards rushed in, Zhao Yu swayed and used the Lingbo Weibu technique, flashing out through the open window like a ghost and disappearing into the night without leaving a trace.

The guards rushed in and found Xia Zhen sprawled on the ground, along with his staff rolling around on the floor. Chaos erupted instantly.

Xia Zhen stared at the empty window, then at the mangled corpse of his staff on the ground. His face turned pale and then flushed, and cold sweat continued to pour down his forehead.

After a long pause, he forced down his fear and regained his usual composure: "What's the panic! Such a flustered state is unbecoming!"

"Grand Commandant, this..."

Xia Zhen stopped everyone, then pointed to the advisor on the ground and said in a deep voice, "The master has suddenly fallen ill. Carry him away and take good care of him. Also, summon all the famous doctors in Lin'an City! Quickly!"

The guards looked at each other, full of doubt, but dared not disobey. They hurriedly carried the dying advisor away.

Xia Zhen was the only one left in the study. He held onto the edge of the table to steady his weak legs.

Looking at the cup of tea that Zhao Yu had drunk from on the table, Xia Zhen's eyes were filled with lingering fear and suspicion.

He knew in his heart that if what that person said was true, his life and death would be in the hands of others in the future.