Chapter 123 Eating

As expected, Zhou Yun had a trick up his sleeve.

Because of Zhou Yun's tendency to keep things under wraps, they made many preparations in advance.

The unyielding sword sliced ​​through the fine rain as Lin Mingshan met the tall monster. Behind him, many more martial artists emerged, from all corners of the land, wielding various weapons. But at this moment, these martial artists had only one target—King Qi, Zhou Yun, or rather, the monster beside him.

Although she couldn't tell the three elders about the belongings and the past, that didn't stop Shang Yuji from finding Huo Shengge and asking her to make an urgent request at the Fulai Inn's service post:

We earnestly invite all the extraordinary talents and heroes of the martial arts world to gather in the capital and together capture the evil thieves who are wreaking havoc on the world.

Half a month is a bit of a rush. Perhaps by the time the message is delivered to the various Fulai Inns, the battle in the capital will be over by the time they receive it. However, it's good to have another Jianghu traveler, as he can share the pressure and reduce casualties.

As for the involvement of Jianghu figures in the power struggle?

The Jianghu heroes are simply avenging their predecessors from twenty years ago! It was King Qi, Zhou Yun, who first targeted the Jianghu people. Since they dared to do it, they must accept the Jianghu heroes' revenge.

The Jianghu traveler's actions were not an attempt to seize power, but rather a legitimate and justifiable way to settle a long-standing grudge in the Jianghu.

Why go it alone when you can outnumber the enemy?

The truth that "unite all forces that can be united" applies everywhere.

Inside the Zhengqing Hall, Shang Yuji openly and brazenly persuaded He Zhong to defect, believing that if the Eldest Princess won, he wouldn't have to die. Since his former master was no longer useful, he might as well try switching sides...

What she really wanted to say was that the culprit behind the Empress's misfortune was the Emperor. If the Eldest Princess won, they wouldn't let the Emperor off easily. If He Zhong was willing to help, he could also stab the Emperor twice to avenge the Empress.

Unfortunately, the emperor was present, so he had to scold him indirectly and veiledly.

For some reason, the emperor suddenly summoned Shang Yuji to his side to watch the conflict together.

The rain poured down relentlessly, showing no regard for those being rained on, continuing its downpour with abandon.

"..." Upon hearing the emperor's words, Shang Yuji stared at him silently for a moment. Before the emperor could get angry at her disobedient attitude, she walked closer with her hands clasped in her pockets, lowered her eyes, and responded.

"yes."

As soon as we stepped out of the Zhengqing Hall, the sky brightened instantly, and a moment later, thunder suddenly roared in our ears.

Shang Yuji walked behind Zhou Yin, but was then pulled to his side by him.

After a deafening clap of thunder, the sound of rain continued incessantly.

Although the eaves can keep out the rain, raindrops still occasionally splash onto your face.

Zhou Yin spoke as if reminiscing: "In my memory, Chaoyun was still the same as when she was a child, obediently following behind me. I never imagined that she would grow up to be a capable young woman."

Shang Yuji remained expressionless and translated his words: "I simply don't care about Zhou Chaoyun. I only have a vague impression of her from her childhood and have never paid attention to her growth!"

"You are Chaoyun's person. I wonder what Chaoyun has been enjoying lately? Her birthday is coming soon, and I would like to make some preparations for her."

When his words reached Shang Yuji's ears, they automatically switched to: "Now I need her. In order to make Zhou Chaoyun work for me, I have to coax her with good things. Unfortunately, because I don't care about her, I don't even know what she likes!"

"Hehe..." His worried look, as if he were thinking of his children, amused Shang Yuji, who couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The emperor, like a offended lion, had a gloomy and unpleasant expression. Shang Yuji quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Your Majesty, I have no connection with the Princess and do not know what Her Highness likes. Since Your Majesty is Her Highness's father, Your Highness will gladly accept whatever you give her."

Even though everyone knows she is the eldest princess's person, they can't let it become a topic of conversation and give others a reason to criticize her.

She didn't know the princess at all! She was just a money-grubbing palace maid who had gone blind to the prospect of a bribe that was much higher than her annual salary, and had taken the risk of doing a small favor for the princess who was very good at judging people!

Hearing her bluff, Zhou Yin felt a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath. His already weak and sick body felt even more congested, his head spun, and his vision went black. He almost collapsed.

He understands perfectly well. This guy is here to bring him down!

Most of the martial arts enthusiasts who came were young people, at the prime of their lives, and upon seeing the urgent requests from the job postings, they gathered in the capital with great enthusiasm.

Everyone already knew how troublesome the monsters were; even Wu Yue and the three elders had difficulty dealing with them, so they wouldn't think of letting these relatively young martial artists kill them.

Before the battle, the martial arts practitioners were told to lure the monsters to one place, and then Lin Mingshan would use his secret weapon.

Having communicated beforehand, the group tacitly led the two monsters, one thin and one tall, toward the large monster that the three elders were holding back. The thin one was fast, so the martial arts practitioners in charge of it had to limit its speed and prevent it from escaping the encirclement. The tall one was quick, and with a flick of its long arm, it used its arm length as a radius to start spinning like a windmill, rushing into the martial arts practitioners and creating an open space within the encirclement.

The martial arts masters, each displaying their unique skills, lured the monsters together by either provoking them or setting traps, eventually bringing the three monsters to a single point.

As the leader of the younger generation in the martial arts world, Lin Mingshan's words carried weight, and no one would object to his orders. Upon hearing the sharp whistle, the martial arts practitioners obeyed his commands without question, pushing their footwork to the limit and distancing themselves from the Three Eccentrics.

Nearly a hundred people suddenly scattered. Zhou Yun naturally noticed the strange behavior of the Jianghu people, but he didn't know what they were up to until a loud bang shook the earth, even more powerful than the thunder from before.

The loud noise drew everyone's attention. Even though Zhou Chaoyun's side knew the power beforehand and was prepared, they only realized how terrifying the power was after seeing it with their own eyes.

Shang Yuji's eyes lit up. How could a war be complete without the essential firearms?

She knew the gunpowder ratio, and with the added benefit of Master Xuanqing's status as a Taoist priest, she finally produced stable gunpowder after months of research.

After keeping it hidden for so long, it's time for it to make its debut.

The power was perfect. The cavalry's horses were frightened, but because they had expected it, they were quickly calmed down by the cavalry. Zhou Ao's soldiers were not so lucky. The frightened horses threw the soldiers off their horses, and the horses' hooves kicked them high in the air. Many people died under the frightened horses' hooves.

Zhou Ao's horse was also startled, running wildly around the field. He was jostled on the horse's back, not daring to let go, holding the reins tightly, for fear that he would also become a victim of the horse.

The martial arts practitioners breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully they had run fast, otherwise they would have been among the injured.

No wonder the secret treasure was entrusted to Lin Mingshan. As a strong young talent, he was the only one capable of undertaking such an important task.

The rain suppressed the smoke from the explosion, and the dust, wet with rain, became heavy. Soon, the smoke from the center of the explosion dissipated, and upon closer inspection, the three monsters were covered in wounds, with not a single piece of unscathed flesh on their bodies.

The painless monster rises up, and even with broken legs and arms, and its wounds soaking in water, it continues to swing its axe endlessly.

Yi Sha's joy was short-lived; he cursed under his breath, "What a troublesome, disgusting guy."

Even after tearing its skin apart, they couldn't stop its movements. This was only because its thick skin and defenses were difficult to break through. They used a secret treasure to launch a surprise attack and inflict huge injuries.

With his longsword sheathed on his back, Howe calmly said, "Crush it into mincemeat and see if it can still move."

As soon as he finished speaking, he pressed forward again, and Yi Sha, not wanting to fall behind, chased after him.

Unaware of what they had used, the situation changed drastically in an instant, and Zhou Yun realized that if he didn't act now, it would be too late.

Zhou Yun's movements were subtle and would go unnoticed unless one looked closely. However, Zhou Chaoyun, who had been watching him closely, quickly noticed his unusual behavior and immediately shouted to the crowd:

"Retreat! Everyone, stay away from King Qi and the monster!"

Before they could even process the instructions, everyone instinctively moved away, instantly clearing a space around the two.

The monsters growled softly, their flesh half-hidden, the debris washed away by the rain. They had no blood, only shattered flesh and the grotesque, terrifying writhing beneath it.

They obey commands, grabbing anyone nearby, whether alive or dead, and stuffing them into their mouths.

Upon seeing it clearly, a wave of nausea washed over Xiang Fengyun, and he nearly lost his grip on the knife.

Even when they recall the past and know that the monsters feed on human flesh, seeing such a scene again now still makes them want to vomit, let alone the younger generation who are seeing such a horrific sight for the first time.

"Stop them!" Howe shouted. "Feeding will speed up their recovery; we can't let them succeed!"

With a sudden crack of the whip, Yi Sha struck the monster's back with all his might. Beneath the torn fabric, one could vaguely see faces burned and hollow, with two dark holes where the eyes should have been, and mouths wide open, as if they were suffering unbearable agony before death.

These were all once living, breathing people...

The sound of whipping continued incessantly. Yi Sha swung the long whip in his hand so fast that it was invisible, and the whip scraped off chunks of flesh from the monster's back.

The monsters continued eating without interruption, and even when they were more seriously injured, they ate faster. Various weapons and attacks struck their bodies, leaving them dented and battered, making them look even more inhuman.

Enraged, the largest monster grabbed five or six corpses with both hands, including one or two fallen, half-dead soldiers who watched helplessly as the monster split open its abdomen. The split abdomen then became an even larger feeding hole, quickly devouring the corpses that had just entered, spitting out tough bones. In the blink of an eye, it finished feeding, reached out and grabbed more, ready to begin its second large-scale feast.

The martial arts practitioners were utterly astonished. The urgent commission issued by Fulai Inn claimed that a man-eating monster had appeared in the capital, a terrifying vicious dog bred by a wicked noble family. If it could not be dealt with, it might bring disaster to countless people.

At the same time, we warned that the ferocity of this creature is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, and urged all martial arts practitioners to carefully consider before deciding whether to come to the capital to assist in its capture...

The martial arts practitioners never expected them to be so vicious! And the King of Qi who created them was utterly depraved!

The monster's belly was ripped open, revealing no internal organs, only black worms wriggling inside!

As soon as they entered the corpse, the flesh and blood were devoured clean, and the flesh supporting the monster's body visibly filled up.

They are using the flesh of corpses to fill the gaps in the skin and flesh that were just destroyed in the explosion!

Huo Shengge's martial arts skills were somewhat lacking, but she was a disciple of Huo Wei, so in terms of skill, she was naturally stronger than half of the martial arts practitioners present. Therefore, she also participated in the slaughter of the monsters.

Her gaze was fixed on the black worms that were rapidly devouring flesh and blood. These worms were the monster's most terrifying feature, but also its weakness.

"How much gunpowder do we have left?" she asked Lin Mingshan as she slashed at a black insect that flew out with her sword.

"Three."

"That's enough."

Enough for them to kill the monster!