[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner":3,"chapter-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-40":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm Not Crazy—This Is the Emperor's Banner",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2291380,4480,"Chapter 40: The Corpse","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>DouDou is still too young to express herself clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Shen Siyuan still sensed something amiss from her fragmented words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to Yin Xingyue and said, “Xingyue, go with DouDou and find out exactly what’s going on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Xingyue nodded obediently, then turned her gaze to DouDou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DouDou, clueless, had no idea what was happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you remember where you saw the big bad guy?” Shen Siyuan asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course I remember.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, DouDou stuck out her waist and puffed out her belly, looking quite proud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then take Sister to see it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DouDou suddenly understood, as if only now realizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she transformed into a gust of yin wind, spiraled once inside the room, and flew out the window with Yin Xingyue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching them leave, Shen Siyuan pulled out the [Bao Feng Mian] and began reading, focusing especially on the explanations of wind and clouds, and combined them with what the Nine You  Demon Lord had once studied—he felt a sudden insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In ancient times, the Nine You  Demon Lord possessed a technique called [Juan Yun Shu].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he called himself the Nine You  Demon Lord, the names of his cultivation methods were grand and majestic, showing not a trace of demonic aura; yet since they were demonic arts, their cultivation methods often took unconventional paths, enabling rapid advancement, in direct defiance of orthodox cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, [Juan Yun Shu] sounds like a serene detachment, watching clouds rise and fall, but in truth it is a technique to command yin winds—blazingly fast, accompanied by ghostly wails that shake the soul, capable of directly pulling a person’s spirit from their body—terribly fearsome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet yin wind is still wind, and this gave Shen Siyuan an inspiring insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the spiritual energy in this realm had vanished entirely, cutting off all cultivation methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could use netherworld qi instead of spiritual energy; though the Ten Thousand Souls Banner was already damaged, it was sufficient for his personal use, and once he repaired it, the netherworld qi would be inexhaustible, perfectly aiding his cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, as the master of the [Ten Thousand Souls Banner], he had no fear of being corrupted by netherworld qi and losing his sanity completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there would inevitably be some physical effects, but compared to the benefits, these were negligible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Shen Siyuan did not intend to test it now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he focused his mind and summoned the [Ten Thousand Souls Banner], then formed a hand seal—suddenly, his perspective shifted away from his own body and appeared on Yin Xingyue, seeing what she saw, hearing what she heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a basic ability of the banner master: sharing the vision of the ghosts he commanded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither DouDou nor Yin Xingyue sensed Shen Siyuan’s presence—even Yin Xingyue herself was unaware of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two rode the yin wind, spiraling through the air at incredible speed; given the size of Haibin City, they should have arrived long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan felt puzzled, but quickly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw DouDou spinning in midair, muttering to herself: “It was right here, wasn’t it? How could I possibly forget…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good grief, this little thing had just sworn she remembered the way—utterly unreliable, good only as a mascot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Shen Siyuan said nothing, watching how the two handled it; after all, if he kept them around, they’d need to be useful someday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Yin Xingyue spoke up: “DouDou, where’s your home?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew this one—DouDou immediately turned in a new direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There.” She pointed ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s go there first.” Yin Xingyue guided the yin wind forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, wait for me!” DouDou hurried to catch up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight of the two riding yin wind through the sky naturally caught the eyes of countless ghosts below, leaving them stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some even tried leaping from rooftops, attempting to ride the wind—but they simply floated gently to the ground, unable to rise into the air, let alone ride the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I remember! I remember…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The buildings below finally triggered DouDou’s memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the two landed on a half-finished building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through Yin Xingyue’s eyes, Shen Siyuan suddenly realized—it was the Peninsula Sunshine, Haibin’s largest cluster of abandoned buildings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Construction lasted only three years before funding ran out and work halted; the halt lasted over a decade, with no one ever taking it over, eventually becoming Haibin’s biggest eyesore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two little girls landed on the curved rooftop of one such building—it was meant to be a mall, the entire structure enormous; Shen Siyuan wondered why DouDou had ever come here in the first place, and why she’d seen the big bad guy here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Xingyue had the same question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because JiuJiu,” DouDou said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s JiuJiu?” Yin Xingyue asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“JiuJiu is a little bird I found in the sky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Xingyue: …\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had left home fearing Shen Siyuan might be lonely, intending to find her sweet potato brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But while in the air, she’d spotted a bird, found it adorable, and unconsciously followed it—until the bird led her here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the journey was circuitous, the little girl was truly kind; having parents to accompany her, she still thought of Shen Siyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where exactly did you see the big bad guy?” Yin Xingyue asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Follow me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little girl waved her hand and strode forward, acting like a big shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two descended the rooftop, finally reaching the fifth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t we just fly down?” Yin Xingyue asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DouDou paused, then grinned foolishly: “Hehe, I forgot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Xingyue had no idea how to handle this little sister; she glanced around—the silence was eerie, terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Xingyue was still a child; her body instinctively shrank back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But DouDou, unaware of fear, strode forward boldly—Yin Xingyue hurried to follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they found a woman, bare-chested, tied to a chair, in a dark corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her head hung low, her entire body a bloody mess—she looked dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DouDou, who had shown no fear moments before, instantly hid behind Yin Xingyue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Xingyue too recoiled in fright, yet still shielded DouDou behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Shen Siyuan’s voice suddenly echoed in Yin Xingyue’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Xingyue froze, then instantly lost all fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have DouDou stay nearby. You go closer and take a look,” Shen Siyuan said again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Xingyue turned and instructed DouDou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, DouDou immediately scurried off, darting to a corner and cowering like a guilty dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Banner Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Call me Brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Yin Xingyue smiled calmly, then strode confidently toward the woman in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through Yin Xingyue’s eyes, Shen Siyuan observed: the woman was dead, her body covered in whip marks, flesh torn and bloody; on her chest was a Y-shaped burn scar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This woman had clearly been tortured to death—the killer was extremely cruel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with Shen Siyuan’s reassurance, Yin Xingyue now felt a surge of fear, and this emotion reached Shen Siyuan as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine. Don’t be afraid. Look around some more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan comforted her in her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Yin Xingyue gathered her courage again and scanned the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan then noticed a drum barrel nearby, filled with burnt ash; among the ashes lay a fire poker—the burn on the corpse’s chest must have come from it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing no one else around, and not even the woman’s ghost present, Shen Siyuan ordered the two to return.\u003C\u002Fp>",1230,"2026-06-20T03:53:08.657Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8f1fe9320aa22adedbf91e8bd260b06421b0578336e4f3f91a484577db762576","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-41","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-39",623,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-cover.jpg"]