Chapter 1141: Five Gu, Nine Poisons, Twenty-Four Shas

"Hum-hum-hum."

A small red clay stove, two pieces of red charcoal used to simmer it, the clear water in the clay pot bubbling and boiling.

Shen Zhongliang hummed a little tune, picked up a ceramic jar, selected some well-soaked salted *bian'an* from it, pinched out a piece to taste—it was full of salty, savory flavor. Satisfied, he nodded, took out the *bian'an*, and cut it into lengths the size of scallion segments.

"Old Song, you must get this right for me. The autumn taxes for the Profound Heaven Sect this year absolutely cannot have any mistakes. The beads on an abacus may be small, but they are bigger than my head—the head of an Elder of the Finance Department, Shen Zhongliang. You must remember, what you are clicking in your hands is my head."

"Please rest assured, Elder Shen." The accountant of the Finance Department, with his white beard, clicked the abacus, carefully calculating the blood treasures. "I followed you back when we were at the Profound Bright Sect. I've been eating blood treasures for thirty years; I've already calculated it carefully."

Shen Zhongliang's face stiffened. "Profound Bright Sect, Profound Bright Sect, what Profound Bright Sect? Now there is only the River God Sect! Does the Profound Bright Sect have anything to do with you?"

"Nothing to do with me, nothing to do with me!"

"Mm, be careful in all things, and there won't be any mistakes."

"Understood, understood."

Shen Zhongliang put the cut *bian'an* into the clay pot. The boiling water cooled down and went still. After waiting for a while, it boiled again, and the fragrance drifted out.

"Eating salted vegetables while rolling in blood treasures, the Sect Master's father is no match for me."

Before Shen Zhongliang could stuff the *bian'an* mixed with blood treasures into his mouth.

The sound of the abacus stopped.

"Something wrong?"

"Elder, the accounts don't match." The accountant was trembling with fear.

Shen Zhongliang frowned and slammed down his chopsticks.

"Where don't they match? Don't you go spouting nonsense."

"I wouldn't dare." The accountant was terrified. "From September this year to September next year, we are to hand over a total of 1,500 portions of second-grade blood treasures. The Profound Heaven Sect has already granted many reductions, but now, for the three months of September, October, and November, after deducting necessary expenses, the total in the treasury is only 300 portions. In other words, we are short by 75 portions of blood treasures."

Short by 75?

Shen Zhongliang was shocked. He didn't remember taking that many.

"How can it be short by so much? Don't tell me you calculated wrong."

"It's not wrong..."

"Can you check the accounts?"

The accountant flipped through quickly. "Found it, found it. Last month, the River God Sect Master hosted a banquet for the Profound Heaven Sect and drew 80 second-grade blood treasures, but the River God Sect Master didn't fill it back in. It has been missing ever since. If we fill this gap, the numbers match."

Shen Zhongliang let out a long sigh of relief.

So it wasn't him; it was the River God Sect Master.

He knew he had always had a sense of proportion and wouldn't touch the tax money.

But 80 second-grade blood treasures—how did it cost so much? What dishes did the River God order?

Was this treating guests or bribery?

He didn't feel anything unusual when he organized the banquet...

He paced in a circle.

"Is there a way to make it up?"

"The Sect Master should have received gift money from the Profound Heaven Elders. If we fill the gap with the gift money, it should be fine."

"Of course there is gift money! I'm asking you if there's a way to not touch this gift money!" Shen Zhongliang was not very satisfied and patted the table. "If you make the Sect Master take out gift money to fill the hole, how does that show the ability of our Finance Department? Who doesn't know how to calculate accounts? If all we do is calculate accounts, why keep us? Wouldn't it be better to find a school teacher? The key is whether we can increase revenue and reduce expenditure to squeeze out this missing part!"

The accountant looked troubled. "The sect is relocating, relatives are being settled, expenses are huge, and we still need to expand our manpower. The Profound Heaven Sect calculated the reductions precisely. If we squeeze from other places, many projects will have to be shelved. It's a case of pulling one hair and moving the whole body..."

"Give it here, let me see." Shen Zhongliang took the account book, flipped through it slightly, and wielded his brush with iron-like strokes. "Here, here, and here—change them all, and won't it come out?"

"Halve the salaries for March?"

"The sect relocation has difficulties; everyone needs to tighten their belts."

"Postpone the housing for relatives?"

"Anyway, there's a place to live back home. It's no problem to come two months late. Men, you know, they won't die from holding it in. Later, I'll go make an agreement with the flower boats at the foot of the mountain; we can still make a profit."

The accountant read through it from top to bottom. Before he could reconcile the accounts, another disciple hurried up the mountain.

"Reporting to Elder, someone from the Profound Heaven Sect has arrived!"

"Who?" Shen Zhongliang stood up abruptly.

"It's the envoy who delivered the super-grade blood treasure to us last time, named Fu Ruo'an. He represents the Profound Heaven Sect and is stationed at the River God Sect."

"How so fast..." Shen Zhongliang was secretly shocked.

As a sect directly under the Profound Heaven Sect, a first or second-grade sect naturally wouldn't act as a hands-off manager. There would be Profound Heaven Sect personnel stationed inside the sect to supervise, but he didn't expect them to come so quickly.

"You go call the Elders to go out and welcome them."

"Yes!"

"Elder Shen, what about our accounts..." The accountant approached worriedly. With someone from the Profound Heaven Sect here, checking the accounts was an unavoidable key point. If they felt something was wrong and intervened, it would be troublesome.

"What are you panicking about!" Shen Zhongliang flicked his sleeves, calm and composed. "I, Shen, have reached today not by bootlicking. Let's go, let's go meet this envoy!"

If the River God doesn't fill the hole with the gift money, he already understands what that means.

Lao Yingtian twisted the super-grade blood treasure, its brilliance surging.

It was too beautiful, breathtakingly gorgeous.

How to use it?

Exchange it for many first-grade blood treasures and directly bribe the Elder of the Genealogy Department? That was absolutely the most wasteful approach. Without a middleman, the outcome would likely be that they took the blood treasure but didn't do the work. But if he didn't exchange it, he had only one super-grade treasure in his hand. Where should it be used?

Strike the snake at its seven inches.

Used well, perhaps he could achieve his goal in one step, and keep the remaining seven first-grade treasures for himself. Used poorly, all his efforts would go down the drain.

"Brother, didn't you say yesterday you would introduce me to some young talents? Why is there no sound now?" Lao Mengyao lay on the table, imitating handwriting, copying the sect regulations.

"Oh, he got scared."

"Scared? Scared of what?" Lao Mengyao was confused.

"Who knows? He probably felt inferior after seeing my sister."

Lao Yingtian thought of Bao Jiaxiang's reaction.

That day after leaving the Sixth Treasure Vault, Bao Jiaxiang was scared out of his wits and didn't dare to have any contact with him again. The matter of introducing his sister naturally came to nothing.

Cowardly as a mouse.

*Pa! *

Gripping the super-grade blood treasure, Lao Yingtian had a plan in his heart again.

"Did your master say when he would return from the River God Sect?"

"No."

"Be more diligent when you have nothing to do. Wash your master's bedding and clothes. Don't be unobservant. Elder Yu is a man who does big things."

"Aiya, I'm not stupid. I know, I know."

The Blood River Realm was changing dynamically.

In the world of the living, it was grand and mighty, intentionally creating more vengeful spirits. The team of over forty Perfected Form experts led by the River-Lake Office had already arrived at the center of the Nanhai Commandery main city to accept a banquet hosted by the Nanhai Prince.

From the ship to the Prince's Mansion, the short journey of over ten *li* attracted countless gazes.

"Hot, so hot."

The bat hung on a tree, hiding in the shadows and shouting. The wild boar was covered in mud, its tail swinging like a small whirlwind, dripping as it walked. Tatta Kai carried a Zen staff on its shoulder, carrying the luggage, its tail dragging on the ground, its facial features drooping, the whole river otter half-melted.

Soldiers cleared the road.

Commoners poked their heads out from the alleys, looking in surprise at this team with strange forms.

Long Eying couldn't stand the noise, so she created an iceberg for them, letting the wild boar drag it along. The water beasts pounced on it, hugging it tightly, overjoyed.

"Haha, an iceberg! Look at my Heavenly Dragon Drill! *Shua-shua-shua! *" The little mirage dragon twisted its body, spinning crazily, turning into a small whirlwind, drilling inside to swim, sticking to the ice surface to make faces at Tatta Kai.

"I've come back to life..."

The bat wiped away sweat, stuck out its tongue, swung its hot butt, and sat into the iceberg with all four limbs spread.

A black bat shouldn't come out during the day.

"It's really strange, the people here actually all have short hair? And tattoos!" Long Li looked around.

"'Cutting hair and tattooing, accustomed to water and warlike, using boats as transport'—this is the characteristic of the Southern Frontier." Liang Qu looked around. "Nanhai Commandery is adjacent to the Southern Frontier, and opposite is the sea, so it's inevitable to be influenced by its customs."

In the Central Plains, cutting hair and tattooing were operations with a punitive nature, but near the Southern Frontier, it was the norm.

Since everyone was like that, there was no shame in being an exception, and gradually it became a habit.

"Why is there such a custom?" Long Li was curious.

"First, the weather is too hot. If you don't cut your hair short, the lice in your hair alone would be enough to make you suffer. Second, it faces water on three sides and sky on one. Such an environment is more likely to give birth to ancestor worship and special customs.

The so-called 'tattooing a dragon on the body so that fishing boats have no worries about dragons'—if one says the water of the Jiangnan is soft, the water of the Southern Frontier has become fierce.

The main reason inside is still the hot climate. Jiangnan has four distinct seasons, while the Southern Frontier is like summer all year round. The environment is humid, and there are many snakes, insects, rats, and ants, which has caused a more difficult and harsh survival environment.

When the environment is harsh, people are more accustomed to huddling together to fight the environment, while at the same time excluding outsiders from grabbing the limited living space. What is manifested is clan-based and fierce."

"So that's how it is." Long Yanrui suddenly realized.

He liked listening to the Elder's analysis. Listening to it, he could always hear a truth—everyone in the world is the same, and the differences among them are all caused by the acquired environment.

Although he didn't know if it was right, the meaning expressed made people feel comfortable, completely different from the arrogance of others.

Hearing about snakes, insects, rats, and ants, Long Yao and Long Li felt nauseous and lifted their feet to avoid the grass.

Liang Qu developed a bit of mischievousness. "The Southern Frontier uses mayflies to collect blood, taking a different path. You breathe them in with every breath. Nanhai Commandery is so close. After coming for a whole night, maybe many invisible insects have already drilled into your bodies, living in your flesh and breeding eggs!"

"Eww!"

The two got goosebumps, held their breath, and gripped the herbal sachets on their bodies tightly.

"You just scare them. If you scare them away and they cry to go back, you'll be happy? Who will clean your room? Tatta Kai?" Long Eying said irritably.

"Exactly, exactly." Long Yao and Long Li echoed repeatedly. "Tatta Kai cleans your room, it's all fur!"

Liang Qu shrugged.

Entering the Prince's Mansion, there were ice platforms everywhere spitting out cold air, and the water beasts cheered and scattered.

Asking the Prince's Mansion steward and getting permission, the water beasts all soaked into the pond, sighing with relief.

Comfortable.

Before the meal, the Nanhai Prince never showed his face. Only the Prince's Mansion steward, Shi Wei, sent a map and a sand table.

"Everyone, Generals, please look. This is the current situation map!"

Liang Qu and Ji Yanyu stood at the very front, others followed in order, stretching their necks.

Liang Qu was the Marquis of Baron Xingyi, the strongest in strength; Ji Yanyu was the leader of the Nanzhili, the theoretical head.

To look at the map, naturally, the two of them looked first. Others crowding up was a bit tactless.

"A complete mess." Ji Yanyu was worried.

Three hundred *li* west of Nanhai Commandery was the red-marked front line.

But before the White Ape incident in June this year, this red-marked front line should never have been near Nanhai Commandery, but a thousand *li* further west in Qinzhou and Linjiang, bounded by the two natural moats of the Lao'ai Mountain and the Lucang River!

Now, both Qinzhou and Linjiang were within the red line. Not to mention being occupied, at least the Southern Frontier's control and influence were greater!

"Lucang River..."

Liang Qu's gaze was not on Qinzhou or Linjiang, but crossed the Lao'ai Mountain and fell on a large river with a strange course.

The E River of the Northern Court, the Yellow Sand and Huai River of the Great Shun—the three large rivers, except for individual river sections, were all relatively obvious east-west courses.

The Lucang River of the Southern Frontier, however, was north-south, far greater than east-west!

The reason was none other than the One Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

The existence of the One Hundred Thousand Great Mountains forcibly changed the flow of this great river, making it have to go east in a stepped manner, constantly moving south, looking for an outlet for the river. As a result, when it flowed into the sea, it hadn't gone much east-west, but had gone most of the way north-south.

The Lucang River was precisely the place where the Southern Frontier prepared to let the pseudo-dragon become a true dragon!

The hope for the transformation of the Drought Demon position fruit!

The Lucang River had always been alternately controlled by the Great Shun and the Southern Frontier.

The main difficulty of the Southern Frontier's move was how to firmly bring the Lucang River into its own hands and carry out the dragon transformation ceremony on a large scale.

The steward Shi Wei introduced: "I heard that the Marquis of Baron Xingyi participated in the Northern Court Great War. However, the Southern Frontier is different from the Northern Court. This place has the One Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, with overlapping peaks and complex terrain, and even jungle miasma. Building a Great Wall is too difficult and the cost is too high. Therefore, we are more inclined to use stronghold control and road fortification, and then rely on mutual interweaving in the triangular area."

Among so many Perfected Form Grandmasters present, Shi Wei mentioned Liang Qu alone and spoke to him, showing his high status.

There was no way around it. Liang Qu had a "precedent." The Northern Court Great War the year before last was fought too beautifully. In ten days, three out of eight beasts were killed. One of the key reasons was Liang Qu's timely maneuvering and fierce combat power.

Now Liang Qu's strength was even better—no, several times better. Nanhai Commandery couldn't help but have high hopes.

Liang Qu nodded, signaling the other party to continue.

Shi Wei pointed to Qinzhou and Linjiang, which were already within the red line: "Originally, Qinzhou and Linjiang were our two most important strongholds. Unfortunately, in the middle of this year, everyone knows that a major event happened. The Tiandong and Baicao Ravine brought out two more powerful Gu insects, catching us off guard. At present, these two strongholds have all fallen and are occupied by the Southern Frontier."

"So these two strongholds have Southern Frontier Perfected Form experts?"

"Of course they do." Shi Wei didn't understand what Liang Qu meant.

"Are there Southern Frontier Yao Dragons?"

"This... yes."

"There are."

Liang Qu looked regretful.

The surrounding Perfected Form experts and Shi Wei felt their hearts jump.

No.

So what if there are, and what if there aren't?

If there aren't, are you going to attack?

"Marquis of Baron Xingyi, strongholds are easy to defend and hard to attack, the terrain is complex, and Southern Frontier Gu insects are powerful and extremely difficult to deal with. If we take action, we need to plan carefully." Shi Wei said earnestly.

"I naturally know the difficulties. If it weren't difficult, why would the imperial court send people to support you?"

That makes sense.

Shi Wei fell silent.

The hall was somewhat quiet.

This guy is bragging, right?

The Perfected Form experts from the Nanzhili exchanged glances.

It was true that Liang Qu was powerful—he couldn't have killed three beasts if he wasn't—but he didn't seem to see the situation and the overall situation very well.

The current situation was not like the Northern Court of the past. Dealing with the Northern Court, both sides were evenly matched, or even the Great Shun had the advantage, which was why there was so much space left for Liang Qu to operate.

Now the advantageous side was the Southern Frontier. It was not flat ground but a quagmire. Everyone couldn't lift you up, and might even pull your hind legs. If someone really crashed into it, they might be finished.

Shi Wei found it hard to say more. It was useless to say such things, and it was easy to offend the other party, thinking he was looking down on him.

As a steward, what kind of food he ate and what kind of job he did—they were not relatives or friends, was it worth it?

"So all the strongholds are now gathered in Nanhai Commandery?" Ji Yanyu spoke up.

"That's right, everyone has seen the battle line." Shi Wei pointed east. "At present, we are using Nanhai Commandery as logistical support, the Halong Bay as the front line, and the Red River as a barrier for interception."

"Does Halong Bay have a Wu Sheng?" Liang Qu interrupted again.

"Halong Bay..." Shi Wei looked at Ji Yanyu.

This... is there or isn't there?

"Why are you looking at him?" Liang Qu tapped the table. "I'm asking you."

"Halong Bay does not have a Wu Sheng." Shi Wei answered honestly.

No Wu Sheng!

Liang Qu felt happy in his heart.

Shi Wei: "..."

You are happy, right?

"Marquis of Baron Xingyi should act together." Ji Yanyu couldn't sit still.

"I know, I know, I have a sense of proportion." Liang Qu waved his hand. "Does the Southern Frontier have experts like the Northern Court's Eight Beasts and Twelve Wolves?"

"Yes, Marquis of Baron Xingyi, yes." Shi Wei nodded repeatedly. "The Northern Court has the Eight Beasts and Twelve Wolves, and the Southern Frontier has the Five Gu, Nine Poisons, and Twenty-Four Shas!"

Five Gu, Nine Poisons, Twenty-Four Shas!

Liang Qu secretly remembered it in his heart.

That's quite a lot.

"Wait a minute, I have a question." Long Yanrui raised his hand. "Why do both the Southern Frontier and the Northern Court have such domineering titles, but the Great Shun doesn't?"

Everyone was stunned.

That's right.

Why doesn't the Great Shun have them?

Liang Qu was strange: "Why not? Isn't Long Xiang's Northwest King and my Marquis of Baron Xingyi one?"

"This... isn't it a bit different?" Long Yanrui scratched his head.

"Actually, it's the same." Liang Qu pointed to the Southern Frontier on the map. "Eight Beasts and Twelve Wolves, Five Gu, Nine Poisons, and Twenty-Four Shas—do these really sound good? Rather than honorifics, they are bandit names. Ultimately, it is a psychological countermeasure under asymmetric power."

Ji Yanyu was curious: "How so?"

Liang Qu pondered for a moment, walked seven steps, and prepared his draft.

"Facing the powerful comprehensive national strength and cultural radiation of the Central Plains, as relatively weak forces, the Northern Court and the Southern Frontier are at a disadvantage in psychology and culture.

They need a way of 'de-personalization' and 'de-humanization' to describe and resist this behemoth-like oppression, which belongs to spiritual self-protection.

This itself is also a psychological weapon. Like beasts and poisonous things, such titles will be embellished in dissemination, further strengthening fear, spreading fear, and making up for their lack of overall strength and organizational power.

This kind of title system also helps the force to condense a sense of identity and fighting will internally, taking the 'right of definition' of culture back from the hands of us Central Plains people.

Conversely, such titles, in our view, have enough domineering but lack connotation, are heavy with Jianghu spirit, and are barbaric and childish. If one can earn the reputation of a Champion Marquis, isn't it much better than these titles?

A reward from the imperial court, a great victory, the garrison of a famous general—their deterrent power far exceeds a hundred 'Tiger Kings'!"

Everyone's eyes suddenly lit up.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1142 =====