Chapter 19

In the nineteenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, Li Chengliang was impeached by the censor officials and dismissed from his post in Liaodong.

This great mountain, which had been pressing down on Nurhaci, finally disappeared. Old Li's dismissal lasted six years.

So, starting from the end of the nineteenth year of Wanli, Nurhaci actively managed the Liaodong area. Relying on his identity as Li Chengliang's adopted son, and his genuine title of "Commander-in-Chief," as the commander of the Jianzhou Left Guard, he was even granted the title of "Dragon-Tiger General."

This Dragon-Tiger General was an extraordinary title. Although it carried no real power, it was the highest rank among the Ming Dynasty's honorary military titles!

The honorary title also enjoyed the protection of the empire, and it was a genuine second-rank position!

With the great mountain of the Ming Dynasty as his support, the process of unifying the Jianzhou Jurchens went very smoothly!

But even though Old Li had been dismissed, he could be reinstated at any time. Nurhaci knew that it was not yet time to rebel, and he did not have the strength to do so.

Last night, around five in the morning, when Nurhaci opened his eyes, he did not see the sky of the Great Ming.

It was a realm of nothingness, surrounded by tall, illusory figures. One of them spoke with great dissatisfaction, and in his words, one could hear complaints about the Ming Emperor's failure to appreciate their kindness.

Of course, Nurhaci did not panic, because this was not the first time he had encountered these people.

The reason he was paying tribute ahead of schedule this time was because these people had told him that he could find a loophole if he went to Shuntian now.

Sometime before, around the beginning of June, on a relatively warm night, Nurhaci had met a figure that emerged from the void. He summoned a realm of magic, drawing Nurhaci into it, and told him certain things.

Finally, they gave him a treasure.

That thing was called "Celestial Marrow," and they said it could help him be reborn and completely transform.

Celestial Marrow was the name used after the Song, Liao, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. In the Qin and Han dynasties, it was called Gan Ye Yu Ying (Sweet Dew Jade Essence). The golden bronze figure cast by Emperor Wu of Han had a dew collecting plate, which contained these things.

Taking Celestial Marrow could prolong life, rejuvenate, achieve immortality, and completely transform a person. Of course, the effects were different. Celestial Marrow was the great essence condensed from the heavens, earth, sun, moon, and stars, and each type of Celestial Marrow had different effects, naturally with varying degrees of quality.

The lowest grade was the Qi of mountains, rivers, trees, and grasses. Taking it could prolong life and greatly increase one's spirit and vitality. Weak people would become strong, but they would still be unable to escape the changes of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

A higher grade was the essence of the stars, called Gan Ye Yu Ying, the primordial water descended by the Big Dipper constellation at midnight. Taking it could transform a person and cure all diseases.

A grade higher was the essence of the moon, called Di Liu Jiang (Emperor Flow Paste), which was most suitable for spirits, mountain demons, ghosts, and immortals to cultivate. It could manifest supernatural powers, create immortal bones, and save hundreds or thousands of years of arduous cultivation.

The highest two grades were more mysterious.

One was the essence of the sun, which could revive the dead and restore youth.

The other was the essence of heaven and earth, which could grant immortality and immediate ascension to immortality.

The changes brought about by Celestial Marrow were not instantaneous, but required long-term cultivation to achieve full refinement. The amount required also varied depending on the individual's physique.

Therefore, to truly defy fate, one had to follow their will and obtain Celestial Marrow from their hands.

Biao Shanhe could no longer condense Celestial Marrow, so this treasure could only appear in Li Shanhe.

Unless one could find Emperor Wu of Han's dew collecting plate!

Of course, those illusory figures also mentioned a heterodox Celestial Marrow, which used the essence of the human body to refine a great elixir, gathering the changes of yin and yang, and could achieve an effect surpassing that of moonlight.

They mentioned a person who had used this method to change his aptitude, and that was the Jiajing Emperor, but this heterodox Celestial Marrow had serious negative effects.

They showed Nurhaci the superiority of genuine Celestial Marrow, which did not require taking any risks.

One only needed to pay a certain price.

That person said some things to Nurhaci that moved him greatly, and with which he partially agreed.

If Nurhaci were to rule the current Great Ming, would he be ruling the people here, or the land?

So, thinking about it that way, the price that needed to be paid did not seem particularly unacceptable.

The empire's prestige, the Great Dao, what did these have to do with him? Besides, that was just a hypothetical.

Nurhaci recalled the scene at that time, and he almost laughed out loud.

The unification of the Jianzhou Jurchens was a small goal. Ruling the Great Ming was a large goal, the sum of who knew how many small goals.

The road is long and full of obstacles!

They gave him cultivation techniques, the Celestial Marrow that could transform him, and they made a Great Dao oath with him. These oaths were terrifying. Nurhaci knew the power of these oaths, which were similar to the divine punishment in shamanism.

This was a powerful constraint, and according to those people, there were many others in this vast world who had taken Celestial Marrow.

But their camps might not be the same as his.

Of course, Nurhaci also had a question in his heart that he could not understand.

Why did they always come at night?

Faced with Shurhaci's suspicion and questioning, Nurhaci did not hide anything, but told him most of the story, only concealing the part about the Celestial Marrow. After all, this thing was his little secret, and even his own brother could not be told.

"I seem to have received guidance from Yinjiang Gege, but how is that possible? Those figures asked me if I hated the Great Ming, and they want to give me great power, but there is a price. What is the price? They didn't say..."

Yinjiang Gege was the legendary first human great shaman of the Jurchen tribes. She received guidance from the supreme deity Abukahehe, shook a divine drum, fought against evil, relieved suffering, and created the Jurchen shamanism.

"Brother, the price that cannot be spoken now proves that this price is one that you cannot afford, and even one that you will not want to pay in the future. If you are really just thinking about it during the day and dreaming about it at night, I advise you to give up this idea."

"If there really is such magical power, then why are they targeting us small Jurchen tribes? Why don't they go to the Great Ming, or the Tatars... Of course, it is also possible that they have already approached the Great Ming and the Tatars, but are you saying that the current Ming Emperor is also a pawn of Li Shanhe?"

Shurhaci tried to persuade Nurhaci. His tall figure faced the rising sunlight, leading the pack horse.

"There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. You should know that."