Chapter 3: Great Rats! Great Rats!

At this moment, Jiang Yan felt not so much fear as...

Excitement!

A life that should have been dead, buried deep in history, had not only returned but transformed into a terrifying monster.

As for why it was not a zombie... Jiang Yan was not surprised at all, because that was a stereotype left by modern films, especially the classic image created by Uncle Nine, which led everyone to associate the Qing Dynasty with zombies.

But in reality, before the Manchus entered the pass, their beliefs were similar to the Mongols, centered on Shamanism, yet they did not worship a specific deity, but rather the will of nature—the synthesis of all spiritual beings in the world and the will of Heaven and Earth.

A primitive... concept of Heaven!

Later, the Qing were influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, acquiring many Buddhist elements; the most obvious were the three beasts: "white dove," "snake," and "pig," representing greed, hatred, and ignorance, and many great figures took pride in Sanskrit names.

But at their core, they believed they could draw power from the spirits of nature and ancestors; thus, legends frequently featured corpses, spirits, the living, wild beasts, and other roles.

The protective spirits beyond the Shanhai Pass, the Bianpo of Guishui Province, and others were all related to this.

There were even folk rumors that the Ten Beasts of Xishan reincarnated into the human world as ten great figures of the Qing Dynasty, bringing chaos to the realm.

If one word were to summarize the supernatural system in Manchu legends, it would be...

Chinese Druids!

But tracing history, it is far more ancient than abroad.

Moreover, from their conversation, Jiang Yan learned they were loyal to the so-called Corpse-Release Wang Ting.

Did the Great Qing have such a Wang Ting?

Was this transformation the mighty force of the river of history?

Or was it an eerie change caused by its disease?

Did he have a chance to obtain such power?

If so, then not only could his illness be cured, but he could advance further, touching upon the eternal life that emperors and ministers throughout the ages had dreamed of?

At this thought, Jiang Yan's emotions surged for an instant, his breathing grew slightly heavier, yet he remained calm.

Most urgent now was to follow the hint of the river of history, survive for over an hour, and return safely to reality.

The old street stretched two kilometers, winding and twisting, lined with hundreds of shops; as long as he remained quiet, he would likely not be discovered.

Thoughts flowed, yet only for an instant.

Jiang Yan snapped back to reality, his gaze turning again toward General Lu, but he saw only ten wild boar cavalry; his pupils trembled slightly, and an ominous premonition rose in his heart.

Before he could think, a huge blood-red eye suddenly appeared through the door crack, staring directly at him, reflecting his terrified expression.

"Found..."

"You..."

"..."

"!"

Boom!

A giant hand slammed onto the door, bringing violent tremors and a hoarse, shrill voice that roared through the wood, exploding beside Jiang Yan's ears like firecrackers:

"The scent of fresh flesh from the mortal world—how could it escape my spiritual nose? Looks like a Southern Barbarian."

In the late Ming and early Qing, northern Han who surrendered to the Eight Banners belittled southern Han as Southern Barbarians; over time, it became a derogatory term.

Creak, creak!

Jiang Yan stepped back several paces; fear crawled out like a venomous snake, gnawing relentlessly at his reason, yet he bit his teeth down hard and said nothing.

As mentioned earlier, these buildings, though imitating ancient architecture, were essentially reinforced concrete.

When choosing his location, Jiang Yan specifically picked a shop with a stainless steel door capable of withstanding tremendous force; most crucially...

There were no windows!

Although the shop owner's purpose was moisture prevention, it now saved Jiang Yan's life.

"You Southern Barbarian do possess some courage."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Seeing Jiang Yan did not respond, General Lu sneered, continuing to slap the door with his palm, producing a rumbling sound; the door latch deformed repeatedly yet held firm.

Yet after more than ten fierce strikes that failed to pierce the door, Jiang Yan did not feel relieved; instead, he used this time to run toward the shop's back door.

His grandfather had participated in the design and construction of the old street, showing him the layout map; he knew the back doors of the streets were interconnected, scattered like stars, forming a network.

This was mainly to give tourists a sense of immersion, preventing them from seeing owners changing into casual clothes for work and feeling out of place.

Focusing on an immersive experience.

As a child, he often played hide-and-seek here; leveraging this advantage, he easily found other children, and over time, he became very familiar with these structures.

He immediately prepared to run to the pharmacy, where that shop had a basement below.

Just endure for one hour!

"This farce ends here."

Jiang Yan turned back; through the door crack, he could see General Lu grinning wickedly as he raised the flag in his hand.

"Southern Barbarian, you are honored to witness the supreme cutting technique taught to me by the Prince..."

"Vajra Cut!"

The flag fluttered, then suddenly whipped, slicing down like a sharp blade.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Wild wind howled, whipping against Jiang Yan's face, carving out countless blood trails, with dense droplets of blood seeping out.

The next second,

Boom!

The cutting attack transformed into solidified sword qi, instantly tearing through the stainless steel door; countless wood chips, dust, and gravel flew everywhere.

The sword qi did not stop, plowing a nearly ten-meter-long sword scar into the ground.

The swirling gale swept Jiang Yan off his feet, slamming him hard against the wall before he crashed to the ground, curling into a ball. His bones and muscles throbbed with agony, and a metallic, blood-sweet taste filled his mouth. Unable to hold it back, he spat, the blood blooming on the ground like a crimson flower.

Boom!

The stainless steel door collapsed, and the surrounding walls shattered, destroying the building's overall structure. Roof tiles, now unsupported, rained down with a crackling din, shattering across the floor.

Commander Lu stood at the doorway, looking down at Jiang Yan on the ground.

The Wild Boar Cavalry arriving behind him burst into laughter, their eyes greedy, drool dripping from their gaping mouths.

Lying on the ground, Jiang Yan sneered in a weak voice: "If you're going to make a move, hurry up. Stop dawdling."

He did not shout nor kneel to beg for mercy, for such actions would not save his life; they would only please his enemies.

Since death was inevitable anyway, why act like a spineless coward?

Commander Lu's expression remained indifferent, his eyes never caring for the provocations of the weak. He slowly raised the flag in his hand; the air swirled, transforming into a howling gale.

"On your way!"

It had no time to waste on humans of the mortal realm; it must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to anchor itself to the mortal world.

'Am I about to die?'

Feeling the howling gale, Jiang Yan sighed that he was meeting his end so early, truly lacking the fate of a protagonist.

He had not yet seen this interesting world, and now it was ending.

Buzz!

Just as he prepared to close his eyes and await death, the sharp clashing of iron rang out. The expected pain never came, only the wind blowing.

"This is..."

Jiang Yan instinctively opened his eyes, only to see a massive...

Mickey Mouse!

Oh no, it was the fat mouse plushie sent by the Rice God Church.

It had suddenly swollen to four meters tall, its round body like a small hill. A blood-red hue appeared on its forehead, obviously stained with his blood.

It was using the Jade Jade Ruyi made of rice in its hand to block Commander Lu's strike.

It raised its head, whiskers trembling slightly, emitting a "chirp-chirp" sound.

Commander Lu's blood-red pupils narrowed, and he spoke in a cold voice:

"So it is you rats who steal rice. If I recall correctly, you should be a lowly Granary Rat Guard of the Rice God Sect..."

Before he could finish, a tremendous force knocked the flagpole from his hand. The Jade Jade Ruyi whistled through the air, slamming Commander Lu away. His body shot out like a cannonball, crashing into the building opposite.

Crash!

The building collapsed with a thunderous roar. A massive amount of tiles and gravel rained down, and rising dust instantly buried Commander Lu.

Jiang Yan stared blankly at the scene and at the giant rice... mouse protecting him, his heart surging with excitement.

It seemed his own blood had awakened it.

So the Rice God was not part of the Xieshen Sect; it was truly his savior!

Could this be his golden finger?

"Thank goodness you're here. When we get back, I'll join the Rice God Church and burn incense for it every single day..." Jiang Yan stood up, saying excitedly.

"Chirp-chirp!"

Hearing the sound, the Granary Rat Guard turned its head. Its eyes greedily fixed on Jiang Yan as it opened its massive rodent mouth, drool streaming down.

Obviously, it did not see Jiang Yan as one of its own; it looked more like...

Food!

In the next second, the Granary Rat Guard swung the Jade Jade Ruyi in its hand and smashed down fiercely.

Bang!

Gravel flew and danced in the air, transforming into scattered grains of rice on the ground.

Jiang Yan rolled away in a sudden somersault. Seeing the huge crater where he had just been, he completely lost his composure.

"Damn it..."

This Granary Rat Guard clearly intended to turn him into rice!

Just drove away the fierce tiger, and now the hungry wolf arrives!

How is one supposed to play this!?

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(End of this chapter)