Chapter 166 Incitement

Mu Chen made a lot of noise, and many people around him cast curious glances at him.

Without even looking up, Qiu Qianling took a sip of the cold tea from the tea bowl, his voice cooling. "Mu Chen, if you don't want Liu Dazhong to know you've come to Zhongzhou, please sit down."

She knew without thinking that this story must have been spread intentionally by Liu Dazhong.

She had long known that every storyteller had a purpose. Furthermore, the one telling this story was the ruler of Zhongzhou, so his purpose was undoubtedly not simple.

At present, the new tax order is difficult to implement and the opposition is gaining momentum, but such a false story has been spread to everyone.

She really wanted to know what Liu Dazhong's plan was and what he wanted to achieve through this story.

Seeing Mu Chen sit down with an angry look on his face, Qiu Qianling turned to look at Ying Huang, "Sister Ying, what do you think?"

Ying Huang pondered for a moment before whispering, "I suspect this story is definitely related to Liu Dazhong. Only he has the ability to spread this tale so quickly throughout Zhongzhou."

Qiu Qianling smiled and nodded. She and Ying Huang thought the same thing.

Mu Chen, however, looked surprised.

She was not surprised because she knew Liu Dazhong. He was a cruel and ruthless man who had no regard for his family. He was indeed someone who could do such a thing.

She just couldn't understand, "Why did he say I was dead? He knew that I killed Liu Xiaozhi with my own hands. Is he afraid that the truth about my patricide would spread and affect his reputation as the governor?"

Shadow Phoenix pondered, "It's probably more than that. I've read human history. Whenever unrest or drastic change is imminent, folk songs and poems will inevitably circulate in the marketplace, stirring people's hearts. This is always driven by those with ulterior motives. Right now, Zhongzhou is on the eve of a storm, and drastic change could be imminent. This story is clearly meant to unsettle people."

After hearing this, Qiu Qianling gently bit the tea stem in his mouth with his molars and thought quietly.

Shake people's hearts? Whose hearts are being shaken?

In this story, Miss Liu is an ignorant victim, Yongye is a shameful traitor, the demons are the embodiment of evil, and that law is a bloody trap that lures people into harming their loved ones and falling into the abyss. Those who step into this trap will die in regret and guilt.

Qiu Qianling frowned. This story was more of a threat than a deception.

Threaten those women who know nothing about the demons, telling them that if they accept the temptation of the demons, they will end up with the same miserable fate as Miss Liu.

Thinking of this, Qiu Qianling looked at Zhang Jiuxiao and was about to ask her something when he suddenly heard a burst of excited shouts from all around.

Turning around, I saw that the people sitting on the first floor stood up one after another and looked up at the platform on the second floor that was half-hanging in the air. Their reverent eyes were as if they were looking at some important person.

Qiu Qianling didn't want to stand out in the crowd, so he stood up. The other three also stood up and followed everyone to face the platform.

A woman of medium build, dressed in lake blue, walked up to the platform. Before Qiu Qianling could even see her face, he heard Mu Chen whisper, "Is that my... mother?"

Along with Mu Chen's puzzled voice, the surrounding crowd kept shouting the words "Madam Li", which was almost deafening.

Until someone shouted loudly: "Everyone, be quiet and listen to Madam Li."

Only then did everyone quiet down.

Mu Chen opened his mouth wide, staring in disbelief at the young woman standing on the second-floor platform. She looked extremely dignified and elegant, with her hair combed meticulously and a gentle smile on her round face, which made people feel friendly when they saw her.

No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't match the woman in front of her with the gentle and timid mother in her memory.

She had only been away for a month, how come her mother had changed so much?

Li Jingui bowed calmly to the crowd and spoke softly, "Thank you all for your trust in me. Today, I will tell you why we cannot join the demon tribe and how we will fight for our interests at the upcoming Zhongzhou Conference."

Her voice was very slow and steady. As she spoke, her eyes slowly swept over the people downstairs, trying to draw everyone's attention to her.

Mu Chen subconsciously lowered his head, covered his mouth and nose with his hands, and took a few rapid breaths, unable to calm down.

She never imagined that meeting her mother again would be like this.

My mother actually used her status as the governor's wife and the leader of the ladies to incite the women to oppose the demons, and promised to secure a place for them in the upcoming Zhongzhou Conference.

She had thought that her mother would be miserable, painful, and even regretful, like a dying cub, bruised and battered, waiting for her rescue.

But she was wrong, very wrong.

My mother is the wife of the governor. She has a high status and is highly respected. Even the women in the restaurant regard her as a role model for women and take her words as their guiding principle.

As for her, she was nothing more than a lowly demon who was hated by everyone. She had neither a high status nor great strength.

She had nothing but freedom.

Mu Chen now understood why his mother had preferred to endure Liu Xiaozhi's occasional violence rather than leave him. It was because she had always wanted the status of a state lord's wife, a status that was envied by the world.

A self-deprecating smile curled up the corners of Mu Chen's mouth. How could she be so self-indulgent as to think she was qualified to save her mother's brilliant life?!

I'm afraid that in her mother's eyes, she is the pitiful one.

"...Indeed, my husband and daughter both died at the hands of the demons," Li Jingui's voice suddenly rose. "I can assure you, they are not human, and absolutely not ones we can cooperate with! If we choose to rely on the demons, then everyone here—your mothers, sisters, and even your children—will suffer the same misery as my daughter."

"The demons want to massacre all of us humans! Don't believe the lies of those demons. They are all women with unfortunate lives and low moral character. They want to trick us into killing our loved ones and make us their executioners. But think about it, if all the men die, who will protect us? Who will teach our next generation? Who will guard Zhongzhou? The conflicts among humans should be resolved by humans, not by the demons!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd applauded and cheered, "Madam Li is right. The conflicts among humans should be resolved by humans!"

Some people also raised the question, "So, Madam, are you going to support the new tax order?"

Li Jingui didn't shy away from this pointed question and answered frankly, "Yes, I support the new tax order. It's not because my son is the governor, but because I think the new tax order isn't a bad thing for us. It's a great opportunity for us women to have a say! Isn't it more important to fight for a position in the governor's mansion, to allow all women the opportunity to enter the academy for cultivation, and to ensure that female cultivators make up more than half of the immortal race?!"

"Also, you all know that I voluntarily paid sixty spirit beads. Look at me, don't you see any signs of aging? On the contrary, I look younger. The damage caused to us by digging spirit beads is actually not as terrible as the rumors say. As long as we take good care of them, it can be said that there will be no impact at all..."

As she spoke, Li Jingui raised her plump, rosy face, without a single wrinkle on it.

So, everyone started whispering. Looking at the expressions on each of their faces, it was obvious that they had been persuaded, and some even asked Li Jingui about the secret of her beauty.

"Your Highness, this is why I asked you to meet here. Ever since that story spread, these ladies who value their husbands and children have changed their stance. They want to compromise with the State Lord's Mansion," Zhang Jiuxiao said in a low voice, looking at Qiu Qianling. "And people are easily instigated. All it takes is a story to change their minds."

Qiu Qianling thought for a while and asked Zhang Jiuxiao, "Then why does Miss Zhang believe in the demons?"

Zhang Jiuxiao was stunned for a moment, then whispered, "It's also because of a story."

Qiu Qianling was about to ask what the story was when he saw Li Jingui leaving the second-floor platform out of the corner of his eye. He said, "When you have time, you can tell me."

He then ordered Mu Chen and Zhang Jiuxiao to stay in the restaurant and continue observing these people, while he and Ying Huang left the restaurant together to follow Li Jingui.

Mu Chen originally wanted to follow Li Jingui, but when he thought of his own identity and that she and his mother were already enemies with opposite sides, he gave up.

She didn't know what to do with her mother.

As soon as Qiu Qianling and Ying Huang left, Mu Chen grabbed a nearby person and said to her, "Can't you hear? Madam Li is lying to you. The demons aren't that bad. As long as we unite, we can definitely force the immortals to abolish the spirit stone tax."

The woman glared at her fiercely. "Are you crazy? Do you know how much effort we put into gaining Madam Li's help? You say the demons aren't that bad? How can someone who forces a woman to kill her loved ones be a good person? Madam Li is right. The demons are trying to sow discord among us humans! If you don't understand, get out of here."

She pushed Mu Chen hard, and Mu Chen staggered. The hood on his head fell off, revealing his sharp horns.

The woman exclaimed, "Oh my god, look, there's a demon sneaking in, get her out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the women looked towards Mu Chen. Their eyes were icy cold, and they shouted in unison, "Get out!"

Mu Chen stood still, she wanted to explain to them.

But they didn't want to listen. Instead, they picked up the tea bowls on the table and threw them at her. "Get out now, you are not welcome here!"

All the women gathered together, like wolfhounds seeing the enemy, baring their fangs for attack.

Mu Chen suddenly felt very painful, a pain that was even deeper than knowing that her mother was standing against her.

She didn't know how to describe this feeling, she only knew that they didn't want it and she wanted to give them freedom.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed her tightly.

The man took her hand and walked out of the restaurant quickly.

Outside, the sunshine of Zhongzhou is bright and beautiful.

Her pale face bathed in the sunlight soon became warm and rosy, but those cold and hateful gazes still followed her like a shadow.

————

At the same time, in the hall of the state lord's mansion, there were more than a dozen patriarchs of immortal cultivation families sitting.

Everyone looked at Liu Dazhong, who was standing at the head of the group, with displeasure, and demanded in a stern voice, "Master Liuzhou, what did you promise the Sect Master back then? You promised us three times the spiritual stones, but what happened? Now that things have turned out like this, if you don't calm the people's anger, are you going to drag us down with you?!"

"I don't think we need to hold a general meeting. We should report this to the Sect Master as soon as possible so she knows. Because of your poor decision-making, tens of thousands of demons have appeared in Zhongzhou in just ten days. Our family has lost sixteen cultivators, and countless civilians have been killed or injured!"

Beads of sweat the size of beans suddenly appeared on Liu Dazhong's forehead.