Chapter 36: Treasure Token

Zhuo Qingfeng quickly pressed, "Why didn't Master Wang inform the authorities about this beforehand? If we had known this secret earlier, our Six Doors would have taken it much more seriously than just focusing on Silver Fox!"

Madam Wang shook her head. "I asked my husband the same thing. He said that if he had informed the authorities beforehand, they would certainly have tried to use the Silver Fox connection to track down the descendants of King Mu. He didn't want that because, although he wasn't willing to join the King Mu descendants in rebellion, he still acknowledged King Mu's past kindness to our ancestors. He still wanted to give the King Mu descendants a chance.

So, he used the death notice to sensationalize the matter. Whether he lived or died, he intended to use this upheaval to reveal the King Mu treasure to the public and hand over the treasure tokens to the authorities. This way, the King Mu descendants would completely lose hope, abandon their rebellious ideas, and live peacefully. As for himself, he would repay the family's kindness with his life. The matter of the three great guardians would also be exposed to the world, preventing the King Mu descendants from secretly using the guardians' descendants for rebellion, and freeing our Wang family from this ancestral teaching forever."

"This..."

For a moment, everyone was speechless.

If Wang Yuanbao had informed the authorities about the King Mu treasure earlier, they could have used that lead to track down and arrest the King Mu descendants. Yet, Wang Yuanbao chose to forgo this permanent solution and sacrificed his own life. No one knew how to evaluate Wang Yuanbao's choice, but from a moral standpoint, his actions were indeed honorable and compassionate. Despite the passage of many years and several generations, he still preferred to die himself rather than allow King Mu's lineage to be severed.

Xiao Xuan, standing nearby, suddenly said, "But the King Mu descendants might not accept this so easily. Then Master Wang would have died in vain."

Everyone agreed that Xiao Xuan had a point.

According to Wang Yuanbao's plan, he would sensationalize the matter, make it public, and hand over the treasure tokens to the authorities. This would ensure the King Mu descendants completely lost the King Mu treasure, and the descendants of the three great guardians would be exposed to the public, rendering them useless to the King Mu descendants. After all, the guardians' descendants could only gather rebellious strength if they remained hidden and unnoticed by the authorities. Once the authorities were aware of them, even a wealthy family like the Wangs couldn't offer any help for a rebellion.

Madam Wang sighed and said, "Perhaps the King Mu descendants won't be content, but having lost the King Mu treasure and without the help of the three great guardians' descendants, even if they wish to rebel, they'll be powerless. They'll have no choice but to go into hiding from now on, ensuring the King Mu lineage doesn't die out. In that way, my husband will have repaid the family's ancestral kindness."

With that, Madam Wang slowly opened an iron box that had been placed on a nearby table. Inside were two blood-red jade stones, both elongated and covered with strange patterns.

"These are the tokens of the King Mu treasure," Madam Wang said. "King Mu commissioned the world's most skilled artificers to create them. Ordinarily, they look like ordinary jade, but once all three are combined, something changes. I don't know what specific change occurs, but according to my husband, once all three tokens are together, they reveal the treasure map."

As she spoke, Madam Wang closed the iron box and handed it to Zhuo Qingfeng. "Master Zhuo, I entrust this to you. After tonight, this matter will surely spread throughout the martial arts world. Please be careful. My personal suggestion is that you destroy them publicly."

Zhuo Qingfeng shook his head. "I don't have the authority to do that. I must submit these tokens to the Governor's Mansion in Yunzhou. Furthermore, I don't agree with destroying them. The King Mu treasure falling into the hands of evildoers would be a disaster, but if the imperial court were to acquire it and use it for the people, it could save countless impoverished citizens from suffering."

Madam Wang didn't press the matter, simply saying, "Of course, Master Zhuo will arrange this as he sees fit."

Zhuo Qingfeng nodded and asked, "There's one more thing: the third token. The fact that Zhao Hai, the holder of the first token, was able to find Master Wang, does that mean the descendants of the three great guardians all know each other's whereabouts? Did Master Wang try to contact the holder of the third token?"

Madam Wang nodded. "He tried, but couldn't find them. Back then, the three great guardians each fled King Mu's residence with their tokens, adopting new identities. However, to ensure they could help King Mu's descendants rise again as soon as they appeared, they agreed to meet at a certain time and share their locations with each other. One changed his surname to Zhao in Qingyang Prefecture, another to Wang in Linjiang Prefecture, and a third to Ma in Dongshui Prefecture. After my husband met Zhao Hai, he went to Dongshui Prefecture to meet the Ma family descendant. However, he learned that the Ma family had experienced a tragedy many years ago; an epidemic had wiped them out, leaving only one girl who vanished into the martial arts world without a trace."

"This..." Zhuo Qingfeng said, surprised. "Have King Mu's descendants found that Ma family descendant?"

"I don't know, but it's likely," Madam Wang replied. "Otherwise, with only these two tokens, why would King Mu's descendants go to such great lengths?"

Zhuo Qingfeng's expression grew serious. "In that case, I must deliver these tokens to the Governor's Mansion as quickly as possible. We cannot linger here, otherwise, King Mu's descendants will surely return. We have no idea how many people they have or how powerful their backing is. The sooner these tokens reach the Governor's Mansion, the better!"

A silence fell over the hall.

Zhuo Qingfeng suddenly turned to the three Blade Wielders and asked, "Sirs, would you be willing to lend a hand and escort these tokens to Yunzhou City with me? I don't have much money, but I would owe you a favor!"

"Master Zhuo's favor is worth far more than money!" Old Man Whitewash said. "Master Zhuo is upright and incorruptible; no one in the martial arts world doesn't admire him. I, Old Man Whitewash, admire you and am willing to help Master Zhuo escort these tokens."

The Scholar also said, "I may not be a great martial arts hero, but I also admire Master Zhuo. At the very least, escorting you for a portion of the journey is no problem."

Everyone then turned their gaze to Gu Mo, who shook his head and declined. "Master Zhuo, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, but I'm simply unable. I am blind and cannot ride a horse; I can only travel by carriage. If I were to accompany you, I wouldn't be able to help and would likely hinder your journey, causing unnecessary trouble."

Zhuo Qingfeng suddenly realized. "I overlooked that. I was only thinking of your formidable martial arts skills, Senior Gu, and forgot your inconvenience. My apologies."

"It's alright," Gu Mo said. "I can't offer assistance, but I wish you all a safe journey and a secure arrival!"