N-A-A Chapter 209 Demons Eat People, People Eat People!
Chapter 209 Demons Eat People, People Eat People!
Chapter 209 Demons Eat People, People Eat People!
The crime of deceiving the emperor can be serious or minor, depending entirely on the emperor's mood.
Compared to the legendary Nine Clans Elimination Game, Gu Santong believes that beating one's son is more cost-effective.
Cheng Shifei covered his head and ran away in the blink of an eye, disappearing from sight outside the main hall. Gu Santong followed him out, and the noise of the father and son arguing grew quieter and quieter.
"What an invincible rascal! His ability to crack jokes is truly exceptional."
Zhuge Zhengwo could easily see that Gu Santong was deliberately making a fool of himself.
"Let him be."
Chu Yang shook his head and chuckled.
"Gu Santong underestimated His Majesty's magnanimity. However, Cheng Shifei is too unruly and needs to be strictly disciplined. It would be better to place him in the Dragon Guard Manor and let the Divine Marquis educate him for a period of time."
Zheng Dongliu smiled maliciously and, with a single sentence, passed the troublesome Cheng Shifei to Zhuge Zhengwo.
Surprisingly, Zhuge Zhengwo nodded in agreement, seemingly considering taking Cheng Shifei under his wing. "Cheng Shifei is not inherently bad; he simply went astray due to circumstances. With proper guidance, he might just become a pillar of society."
"Moreover, given Gu Santong's personality, he can't even take care of himself, let alone educate people to be right and wrong."
Zheng Dongliu looked at Zhuge Zhengwo suspiciously, thinking to himself, "Has the old man taken the wrong medicine today? He just started taking on disciples like that. Which of the Four Great Constables isn't a person with extraordinary talent and character? How can Cheng Shifei compare?"
"Shenhou's real intention is not what it seems; he wants to use the controversy to control Gu Santong, the future grandmaster."
Chu Yang saw through Zhuge Zhengwo's little scheme in one sentence. In fact, he could understand it. Among all the institutions in the Ming Dynasty, the Divine Marquis's Mansion was under the greatest pressure because they were facing enemies outside of the human race.
Demons and monsters, individually, are not easy to deal with, but the Divine Marquis's Mansion has to deal with two at the same time. If it weren't for Grandmaster Zhuge Zhengwo overseeing things, the people of the Divine Marquis's Mansion would have all died long ago.
That's why Chu Yang thought of having the Six Doors share some of the pressure on the Divine Marquis's Mansion, and let them take charge of the great demons roaming the human world.
The direct battle against the demon race was left to great generals like Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang.
In this way, the Divine Marquis's Mansion can deal with demons with peace of mind.
"Your Majesty is wise. The Divine Marquis's Mansion does indeed need Gu Santong. For no other reason than that, exploring the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom without a Grandmaster in charge is simply nonsense."
"This old minister originally intended to personally lead a team to find the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, but there are still many problems within the Ming Dynasty. If one thing is done, the whole situation will be affected. It is really not possible to leave easily."
Zhuge Zhengwo sighed deeply, a look of exhaustion flashing across his face. Chu Yang's nominal elder brother had been on the throne for many years, but he only cared about balancing the court and playing power games. He hadn't done much of a proper job. It was he who had been working hard and desperately trying to stabilize the country.
Fortunately...
The situation is changing.
Chu Yang pondered for a moment and said, "It would be better if I went to investigate the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons myself."
"No!"
"Your Majesty, please don't act rashly!"
Zheng Dongliu and Zhuge Zhengwo spoke up at the same time to stop him, their attitudes very firm, determined not to let Chu Yang put himself in danger.
"Your Majesty's martial arts cultivation is exceptionally high, but matters related to demons cannot be judged by common sense. Demons are inherently unreasonable beings."
"Moreover, the demon race was forced to migrate as a whole, leaving their ancestral land. There must have been unimaginable things that happened during this time. Moreover, their first target was not the Central Plains but Japan. This decision itself is quite intriguing."
"Previously, the demon race was unaware of His Majesty's existence. How many demon kings could I, a grandmaster, possibly withstand? At that time, the Ming Dynasty could only rely on its million iron cavalry, but they had lost their home. Why didn't they choose to fight to the death?"
As he spoke, Zhuge Zhengwo's face was full of worry. He said in a deep voice, "This old minister guesses that they may believe that the Great Ming will eventually end up like the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom, so they abandoned this land."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Dongliu trembled slightly and became tense. He had thought about similar questions but had never found an answer. Now, Zhuge Zhengwo's guess seemed reasonable.
Chu Yang thought for a moment and said, "What the Marquis said makes sense. So, what are the chances that the demon race, which occupies Japan, will invade the south?"
Zhuge Zhengwo said, "When animals are hungry, they will naturally look for something to eat. They may not need the land, but they will never let go of people. It's instinct."
Chu Yang nodded and said, "So we still have to kill the demons. If we don't kill them, it means that the lives of ordinary people are always in their hands."
Zhuge Zhengwo shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I still believe that the threat posed by the demon race is still smaller than that of the demons. There should be a hierarchy of importance and urgency in the matter."
"It would be better to quell the rebellion first, and then make further plans."
Chu Yang laughed and said, "What the Divine Marquis said makes perfect sense, I have no choice but to listen..."
Zhuge Zhengwo breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, but his smile vanished when he heard Chu Yang's next words.
"In exchange, I will go to find the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons."
Zhuge Zhengwo and Zheng Dongliu got impatient again. Why is it that they keep saying the same thing? Other emperors would love to build a fortress to surround themselves, but why do you always think about blowing up bunkers?
"His Majesty……"
"Listen to me first."
Chu Yang knew what they were worried about. The hope of the human race to turn the tide rested entirely on him, so naturally they couldn't bear to let him risk his life.
"I'm not going right away; I won't set off until the south is pacified."
Chu Yang laughed and said, "I still have a lot of things to do. Even if you begged me to go now, I couldn't get away."
Zheng Dongliu and Zhuge Zhengwo exchanged a glance. Fearing that further persuasion might backfire, they naturally moved on from the topic. As long as Chu Yang wasn't in a hurry to leave, they were confident they could persuade him to change his mind.
"What could be troubling Your Majesty?" Zhuge Zhengwo quickly changed the subject. "Why don't you tell this old minister?"
Chu Yang said, "I talked to General Qi last time. We usually use the corpses of the demon race to make weapons and armor, and discard the rest of the flesh and blood. I'm thinking about how to make this useless flesh and blood valuable."
"In this way, the world will be bustling with activity, all driven by profit, and the sects in the martial arts world will work even harder to kill demons, helping General Qi and his men relieve their pressure."
Zhuge Zheng thought Chu Yang was up to something, but suddenly realized that he was still too young to be an emperor. People had already tried to take advantage of the demon race's flesh and blood, but the results were not good.
The flesh and blood of demons contain extremely violent demonic power. Ordinary people will be affected if they come into contact with it, let alone if they eat it. No matter how strong a martial artist is, the moment they devour demon flesh, their true essence will clash with the demonic power.
Dry wood, raging fire, and a blazing inferno—even the King of Heaven himself would explode!
Another point is that eating demons is one thing, but how can one bring oneself to eat those powerful demons that have transformed into human form?
Zheng Dongliu said with a wry smile, "If Your Majesty wants to make a fuss about demon flesh, I advise Your Majesty to give up."
Chu Yang had anticipated their reactions. When faced with the unknown, people tend to become biased, habitually using their own knowledge as the absolute standard, and harboring a certain degree of resistance to new things.
Although people had tried eating demon flesh before, it was a new thing that was both strange and familiar to Zhuge Zhengwo and Zheng Dongliu.
"Your reactions are similar to General Qi's. Can you let me finish what I have to say?"
Chu Yang shook his head helplessly and said, "I'm not going to eat it directly, but use it to refine pills. I'll use the art of pill refining to neutralize the demonic power in the flesh and blood of the demon race and turn it into true essence and spiritual energy that can be used by the human race."
Zhuge Zheng was not surprised, but rather had an expression that said, "I expected this all along." He said, "There are many exceptionally talented people in both Buddhism and Taoism. What you can think of, they can naturally think of as well."
"Whether you use cinnabar, arsenic, or even lead oxide, silver, or mercury, the effect is the same!"
"It simply cannot dispel the demonic power within the flesh and blood!"
Chu Yang was speechless.
What you're talking about has absolutely nothing to do with alchemy. That's what you're refining—compounds. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were making explosives by hand.
"The alchemy you're talking about isn't the same as mine. You'll find out once I'm done. Don't try to take it from me then."
Chu Yang was too lazy to explain to them any further. Cultivating immortality was still too advanced for Zhuge Zhengwo and his group.
Moreover, his alchemy methods not only incorporated the alchemy techniques of the Shu Mountain Sect, but also integrated the potion-making science of the magical world, making it a true fusion of East and West.
Zhuge Zhengwo and Zheng Dongliu hesitated, looking at Chu Yang who was making a firm vow, and they didn't want to say anything sarcastic or hurtful.
grab?
Your Majesty, once you've mastered that thing, it'll be very difficult to give it away.
Without the two needing to say anything more, Chu Yang could tell what they were thinking just by looking at their expressions. So, with a wave of his sleeve, he left alone, determined to refine the pills in the next few days!
Zheng Dongliu quickly chased after him and escorted Chu Yang back to the Forbidden City.
Only Zhuge Zhengwo and Duan Tianya remained in the main hall, the latter having kept his head down and remained silent since the beginning.
Zhuge Zhengwo glanced at him and said, "Just say what you have to say, don't beat around the bush."
Duan Tianya took a deep breath and said, "My lord, I plan to leave the Dragon Guard Manor for a while to find Guihai Yidao."
Zhuge Zhengwo frowned and said, "Why are we looking for him? He's no longer a member of the Dragon Guard Manor."
Duan Tianya had no choice but to repeat what Chu Yang had told him.
"The Three Blades of Avici Hell? That kind of sword technique actually exists..." Zhuge Zhengwo looked at Duan Tianya in astonishment. "Did His Majesty really tell you that the Returning Sea Blade technique carries the risk of demonic possession?"
Duan Tianya nodded and said, "It is absolutely true. I can only ask that Your Excellency give me some time to save Yidao."
"Since that's the case, then go ahead," Zhuge Zhengwo said, looking at the loyal and righteous Duan Tianya. He couldn't think of a reason to refuse, so he pondered for a moment and said, "While you're at it, invite Master Yun Que of Yichan Temple. Just tell him that I sent you."
"Yichan Temple is a secluded temple that does not receive incense offerings. Its abbot, Master Yun Que, is a Vajra in Buddhism. His Mingxin Mantra is skilled at subduing inner demons and has helped many constables from the Divine Marquis's Mansion."
Duan Tianya clasped his hands in gratitude and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Lord Marquis. If this journey goes well, I will certainly repay you."
Zhuge Zhengwo waved his hand, "There's no need to talk about repayment anymore. I only hope that you know how to protect yourself when things are hopeless. The Dragon Guard Manor needs you, and His Majesty needs you even more."
"I understand!" Duan Tianya nodded solemnly. After obtaining the exact location of Yichan Temple from Zhuge Zhengwo, he left Hulong Manor without stopping and headed straight for Yichan Temple.
On the other side...
Chu Yang and Zheng Dongliu still chose to ride back to the capital, but instead of taking the same route, they took a detour. After all, they had made quite a splash yesterday, and it wasn't appropriate to do it again.
Passing by a mansion, Zheng Dongliu suddenly stopped. Chu Yang turned around and found him looking on with a sigh.
The mansion was dilapidated; the plaque had been smashed and broken into several pieces, but the character "严" could still be vaguely seen.
Yan Mansion.
The former residence of Yan Song, the Grand Secretary.
"Times have changed, and I never imagined that the head of the civil service would end up like this..."
Zheng Dongliu sighed deeply. He had always despised Yan Song, such a treacherous minister, but at this moment, he inexplicably felt a sense of impending doom.
Perhaps one day, he will suffer the same fate because of something.
Throughout history, there have been countless examples of loyal ministers and upright officials who did not meet a good end.
"Lord Zheng, although I am unreliable, I still have good eyesight. I haven't stooped to the point of wrongly killing loyal and virtuous people, so you don't need to worry."
A sly smile flashed in Chu Yang's eyes as he deliberately teased him.
"Your humble servant dares not."
Zheng Dongliu hurriedly dismounted and was about to kneel down when Chu Yang lifted him up with one hand.
"Look at you, we've known each other for a while now, you should be able to tell the difference between a joke and a joke, right?"
Chu Yang looked at this somewhat blindly loyal commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and, to be honest, felt quite helpless. The other party was the old-fashioned type that he disliked the most, and was usually very rigid and inflexible.
Li Gexiao's first half of life was influenced by him; he had a terrible temper, as bad as a rock in a latrine, and couldn't tolerate the slightest injustice.
That being said, this kind of personality is most suitable for being a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; one must be tough enough when facing power.
"What happened to Yan Song?"
Since the day he kicked Yan Song out of the position of Grand Secretary, Chu Yang had stopped paying attention to him and entrusted the matter to Li Gexiao.
Zheng Dongliu recounted in detail, "Yan Song was stripped of his official hat by you and should have gone home to enjoy his retirement. Who would have thought that he would be blocked on the road by refugees not long after leaving the city gate?"
"The displaced people hate Yan Song to the bone; it's no exaggeration to say they are irreconcilable enemies. During his years as Grand Secretary, he embezzled countless disaster relief funds, causing many families to be ruined and people to die."
"The common people knew this all along, so when they heard the news of his retirement, they couldn't wait to seek revenge. Usually, high-ranking officials like him would hire bodyguards."
"But nobody in the entire martial arts world is willing to take his job..."
"At first, those refugees, blinded by rage, simply surrounded Yan Song and did nothing out of line. But Yan Song didn't treat them like human beings and said things he shouldn't have, thus needlessly losing his own lives."
"According to the constables who arrived at the scene later, Yan Song was eaten alive by refugees, and his body was not intact."
"Your Majesty, you see, when people are pushed to the limit... they will even eat each other."
Chu Yang's gaze fell once more on the dilapidated "Yan Mansion," and he sighed, "Which is more terrifying: humans eating humans or demons eating humans? I suppose the former is more terrifying..."
"As long as humanity strives forward, and we are not afraid to die, the era of demons eating humans will end sooner or later. But what about humans eating humans?" Zheng Dongliu said blankly, "Day after day, year after year..."
(End of this chapter)