Chapter 46
To the west of the Yun Kingdom, the border city has been razed to the ground by the cavalry.
The last ray of sunlight falls on the distant mountains, and the souls killed by swords and spears can no longer rest in peace.
It's eerie and filled with floating lanterns and decorations.
The boundary between the Yin and Yang worlds reverses as the sun sets.
A ghost official floated out of the darkness and headed for the decapitated corpse. A ghostly green ghost lantern approached the bloody mess, and the chains of death swung across the corpse, drawing out the soul within.
Overnight, the border town fell.
Thousands of civilians died. Due to inaction in the Ming capital, the war gradually evolved into an invasion.
The vast number of dead souls were driven forward by hundreds of ghost officials and left for the other side of the world.
Crying, screaming, despair were no longer of any use. The resentment turned into the sound of the wind, sharp and miserable.
The remaining obsession with the human world becomes in vain.
The barbarians in the Western Regions were brutal and cruel, leaving rivers of blood wherever they went.
And this is exactly what someone wants.
As the souls of the innocent people who died unjustly followed the ghost officials, the bats in the shadows were also waiting for their chance to move.
Swords and knives have no eyes, and the sound of cannons is still close to my ears.
The people who migrated overnight to escape the disaster walked inwards, and when they looked back at their former hometown, they had no choice but to cry.
A mother held her young child, an old man supported an elderly woman. They fled the city, unsure of where to go or how to find shelter.
Fortunately, I survived and my family still has support.
Then there is still hope.
Until the shadow of the bats enveloped them in the firelight, everyone still had some hope in their hearts.
The red eyes fixed on this place. The small animal's fangs pierced the refugee's neck.
The so-called human essence must be fresh human blood. A corpse that has been taken away by the dead and stripped of its soul is empty and cannot become a human essence. A corpse that has been dead for more than four hours is dried and cannot become a human essence.
Silver Bamboo roamed outside every city on the frontier. Bats, satiated with human blood, flew out from the sky and from the shadows, offering him the human essence they had sucked.
Yin Zhu looked at the red human spirits in his hand that looked like pills, counted them carefully, and then put them into his robe.
After the death battle at the Hong Kong Coliseum, he had gained more than two hundred elite men, and had hunted dozens of lone men in Mingjing at night.
He then massacred a village in the outskirts of Mingjing and captured several hundred elite soldiers. A month had passed since he arrived at the western frontier, and he had acquired another four thousand elite soldiers.
All together.
There was a softness in those blood-red eyes.
Now, the Soul-Breaking Soup is still missing one last ingredient—the flowers and leaves of the century-old yew vine that has become a spirit.
As the sky grew brighter, Yin Zhu no longer stayed at the western border. He hid in the shadows, disappearing with the shadows of all things, and headed towards Mingjing.
·
"Report! There's good news from the front line. The army is marching southwards with great momentum!" The infantryman who delivered the message reported in the military camp, his face showing an expression of excitement that could not be concealed.
Duke Dongxuan of Zhenbei looked up from the battle map, his brow furrowed, a trace of joy hidden in his eyes. His deputy, Zhen Zheng, turned and said to Dongxuan, "General, you continue to lead your troops south towards Mingjing. The fighting in the west is becoming increasingly intense. I will lead the newly recruited Central Government Army west to fight the barbarians."
"No, the news of the war in the west has been cut off, and the situation has changed too much. It is best for me to lead the troops there." Dong Xuan looked at Zhen Zheng, "Deputy General, you have important matters to attend to. I will guard the west."
"General..." Zhen Zheng was silent for a moment, then started arguing again: "We are raising an army for the world and for the people of Yun. The invasion of our Yun territory by the barbarians in the west should be my business! I should be the one to lead the battle and wave the flag. Let's not argue about this anymore, let's just settle it like this, and when I return victorious, we will meet up in Mingjing." Zhen Zheng waved his arms, and was about to step out of the tent without a doubt.
It was the Duke of Zhenbei who called out to her, "Your Highness!"
She turned around, her feminine spirit revealed in her hearty smile: "Since you call me Your Highness, you must obey my will."
"General, this is a great disaster for us. I cannot bear to see the people suffer like this."
"If I were the Son of Heaven, this would be my responsibility."
After saying that, Zhen Zheng called on the infantryman who delivered the message to follow him, and they walked out of the tent together.
She said to the infantryman, "Go back to the front quickly and give me orders to gather the Central Government troops and march west to fight the enemy!"
"Yes!" The infantryman saluted and rode away on horseback.
Zhen Zheng looked up at the sky and finally said nothing. He quickly put on his helmet, mounted his horse, and rode away, holding the reins.
·
In the front hall of the Ming Palace, all the ministers were terrified and at a loss.
News of the Right Prime Minister's death had already spread, and the monarch in the palace remained completely silent about the matter. Finally, an old minister could no longer sit still. He lifted his sleeves and knelt, asking the person behind the scenes, "Your Majesty, public resentment is rising. The rebels in the north are pressing forward, and the west has been lost and is being plundered by barbarians. The most urgent task is to select a new Prime Minister to manage state affairs."
The person behind the curtain said, "Then how about you be the Left Prime Minister?"
After hearing this, the old minister, sweating profusely, crouched even lower. "No, Your Majesty! I am only a tax collector in charge of land and houses. I am truly unworthy of such a huge national task."
The person sitting behind the curtain stood up, and a chill spread throughout the hall. She said in a cold voice, "I will give you one stick of incense to choose a minister to take the position of Prime Minister. If there is no one after one stick of incense, I will kill everyone I met today."
She waved her sleeves and left. The young emperor was frightened and cried out. The ministers under his seat were so frightened that their official robes were soaked with sweat, and none of them dared to leave.
The ministers debated and recommended candidates, which later turned into mutual accusations and insults. When the debate subsided and both sides took a breath, they saw helplessness and fear in each other's faces.
The Right Prime Minister was indeed the one who received the most favors from the royal family. The thousand-year-old treasure he was rewarded with made him even more different from other ministers.
But the fact that he was able to hold the position of right prime minister under two emperors is a real skill.
Qian Qiuxue was treacherous, but he possessed the ability to govern a country. Now that the Right Prime Minister was dead, there was no one left in the court who could take on the important task.
Some cowardly officials burst into tears and cried out, "It's over, it's over, everything is over!"
The emperor was quickly carried away by the palace servants. Once his emotions were aroused, he could no longer restrain himself. Waves of tragic sobbing erupted from the front hall. The palace servants went about their duties, paying no attention to the wailing.
After one stick of incense, death will come.
Despair seemed to be the final solo of this Ming Palace.
·
In Dulian Mountain, shadows swept across the earth, bat wings flew, and accompanied by the pale moonlight, Yin Zhu's figure condensed from the darkness and appeared in front of the cave entrance of Penglai Peak.
Everything seemed to be the same as before, the mountain was still quiet, without any loud noises. Yin Zhu stepped into the cave, and the bat that was sleeping soundly on the top of the cave opened its eyes, flew straight down, and merged into Yin Zhu's body.
His expression changed for a moment, and then he stopped going deeper into the cave.
Suddenly he turned around and walked out. After crossing the stream, he saw the vines clinging to the yew tree.
The red in Yin Zhu's eyes faded a little, and he called out in a calm voice, "Xiao Fu."
The vines clinging to the trunk and branches seemed to sense the change and began to grow downwards, blooming bright red and purple flowers.
The tiny roots climbed up Yinzhu's legs and swam around his fingertips with affection.
Yin Zhu frowned, then cut a wound on his palm, letting his dark black blood soak into the thin roots.
"Who hurt you? You were injured so badly that you can no longer transform."
The red and purple flowers swayed slightly, and the petals trembled, as if telling something.
He softened his voice: "Drink Xiaofu, drink big brother's blood, and you will be able to transform."
Then the root turned from resistance to absorption, until all the blood oozing from Yinzhu's palm was sucked clean, and the flowers on the vine began to shine.
In a breath, more vines emerged from the ground, and the flowers gathered together, slowly turning into the face of a young girl.
She was too impatient and couldn't completely transform her body.
So she appeared in front of Yinzhu in a half-body posture, with vines covering her body. Xiaofu smiled at Yinzhu, and more and more flowers bloomed on her body.
"Brother! You are finally back! Xiaofu has missed you so much!" Xiaofu's hands could not transform yet, so vines replaced his hands and hugged Yinzhu's arms.
She was very excited, but because she was restricted by the roots, she could not leave or walk. So the vines swayed more vigorously, and the flowers released fragrance, attracting night insects.
A look of grievance suddenly appeared on her face as she complained, "Brother, someone broke into Penglai Peak and killed the bats in the cave. It's Xiaofu's fault. Xiaofu failed to guard this place well."
Yin Zhu looked at her, reached out and touched Xiao Fu's head, "I'm glad you're okay."
Xiaofu pursed her lips and smiled secretly. Her face flushed and her eyes sparkled. She decided not to dwell on the past anymore. She asked Yinzhu, "Brother, what are you doing back today? Is there anything I can do for you? Just let me know! How long will you be staying in the mountains this time?"
Yin Zhu looked at her, his eyes devoid of emotion. He said to her, "Only for one night, not for long."
"Oh..." Xiaofu felt a little disappointed, but soon he calmed down and began to conjure up flowers, trying to make Yinzhu happy.
Yin Zhu suddenly spoke again: "Xiao Fu, how long has Big Brother raised you?"
Xiaofu thought for a moment and replied, "It's been almost one hundred and twenty years. It was thanks to my elder brother's care that I became a spirit and was able to chat with him like this today!" She was truly grateful and always wanted to do something for Yinzhu.
Yin Zhu finally smiled and nodded, saying, "You absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to grow, have never eaten humans, and have never done evil. You are indeed a spiritual herb."
Xiaofu chuckled, thinking that Yinzhu was praising her.
The red in Yinzhu's eyes suddenly lit up, and the shadow was dragged very long in the moonlight, covering Xiaofu completely.
He whispered to Xiaofu, "Xiaofu, it's time for you to repay your brother."
"If you need anything from Xiaofu, just do it, big brother..." Before she could finish her words, her neck was twisted by a hand that stretched out from the shadows.
There was a dull look in her eyes, a look of fear, and she still didn't understand what was going on.
The darkness pounced on Xiaofu like a wolf or a tiger, tearing her body into pieces, pulling out her roots, destroying and withering her flowers. Her head fell to the ground, and she trembled as she stared at Yinzhu who was doing all this in front of her.
Without a throat, she could no longer make any sound, but the mouth on her head continued to open and close: "Brother...Brother?"
The flower spirit that had been practicing for a hundred years was torn into pieces. Finally, after digging three feet into the ground, Yin Zhu found what he wanted among the roots.
The silver wisteria flowers are blooming, as tender as babies.
He squatted down and picked up the seedling-like flower leaves.
When he left, he didn't even look back at Xiaofu.
The head on the ground saw Yin Zhu shaking his shoulders and laughing wildly.
The ingredients for the Soul-Breaking Soup were finally gathered, and his Zhier, Liu Rujian's Zhier was finally going to be saved!
The day when the fairy gave the prescription seemed to be still before his eyes: take a golden chicken that has been practicing for a hundred years and boil it into soup, then add two leaves of a yew tree that has become a spirit for a hundred years, refine it with the essence and blood of more than five thousand people, and finally put the emperor's heart in a bowl, which is the soul-breaking soup.
The shadow is gone.
Fog began to rise in Dulian Mountain.
Xiaofu looked into the distance, looking at the figure that had long disappeared.
She shed tears of despair.
The remaining vine roots began to wither, along with the head.
The mouth opened and closed one last time:
“Brother, brother…”
There was no sound, everything was scattered in the wind.
The vine completely rotted away and returned to the earth, leaving nothing behind.
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