Chapter 329: Zhu Sanya (Three-in-One)

As those strange insects swayed, their wings opened and closed.

The surface of the insect wings was golden, while the inner side was pitch black.

Thus, this set of "armor" shimmered like ripples on water under the starlight of night, constantly shifting between gold and dark gold.

The four arms behind him spread open at a fixed angle, similarly covered in these strange insects.

On every arm, there were also bracelets and arm rings.

Upon closer inspection, they were all evil insects coiled around the arms.

They seemed to share the same origin as the strange insects forming the armor, differing only in form.

Wang Shen walked down the river step by step, stepped onto the shore, and then followed the path the weasel had just pointed out.

Xu Yuan did not follow immediately.

Instead, he slipped upstream to the riverbank and set the leather dragon down.

The leather dragon swam silently to the side of the boat, slowly raised its head, and quietly peeked into the cabin.

Those strange arms had already retracted.

The windows were closed.

The boat had once again taken on the appearance of an ordinary cargo vessel.

Inside the cabin, it was pitch black, yet something unknown emitted a faint, ghost-fire-like luminescence.

Some cabin doors did not close tightly, leaving gaps the width of a finger.

Peering through these gaps, the leather dragon saw that inside the cabin, more than a dozen people wearing Demon-Suppression Army uniforms had their flesh and blood fused into a single mass!

They shared all their limbs and heads.

Moreover, this flesh and blood had grown to cover the entire cabin!

The interior of this ship had become a chamber of flesh and blood.

Where the Demon-Suppression Army uniforms did not cover, the flesh was dark red and constantly writhing.

Their limbs had all turned into a withered, thin, and elongated state.

They were folded and cramped within the cabin.

On the dozen or so heads, the hair was withered and yellow, having fallen out mostly, with the remainder hanging by the sides of their faces like dead grass.

Their teeth had become sharp and slender, their eyes glowed with a dim light, and were filled with bloodshot veins.

The leather dragon then silently sank back into the river water.

These people had been infected by Wang Shen and had undergone severe, eerie mutations.

Xu Yuan recalled the leather dragon and silently followed Wang Shen.

This massive creature moved through the mountains, leaving clear traces along the way.

Xu Yuan took out the "Mud Face" and pressed it onto his face, perfectly blending into the cold and eerie atmosphere of Little Yu Shan.

Da Fu widened its eyes; its brain was not sharp, and it truly could not figure out how Fan Zhezi had changed his appearance.

So it stopped thinking about it.

Da Fu wobbled along behind Fan Zhezi.

Anyway, I am definitely following you.

Xu Yuan also dared not follow too closely, keeping a distance of at least two li from Wang Shen.

Wherever Wang Shen passed, evil spirits and demons retreated in fear.

The several dozen li of mountain road were traversed in just half a shichen.

Then Xu Yuan saw the "dilapidated temple" mentioned by the weasel.

This was a massive ruin covering an entire mountainside.

One could see that when the incense was once flourishing, the temple's mountain gate was at the foot of the mountain.

Then, winding upward, there were various buildings along the way, and at the summit stood three huge palaces.

Upon Wang Shen's arrival, dozens of evil spirits and demons of various sizes darted out from the ruins of the ancient temple, fleeing into the darkness surrounding them.

This place originally belonged to a great evil spirit; last night, Wang Shen swallowed that creature in one bite.

Before dawn, Wang Shen left, and this place became "no-man's land."

Evil spirits and demons from all sides coveted it and rushed over to occupy it.

Who would have thought that tonight Wang Shen had returned!

If you don't run now, what are you waiting for? Waiting to be eaten by Wang Shen?

Wang Shen had no interest in these small creatures; he climbed the mountain step by step, reached the ruins of the largest main hall, and sat cross-legged upon the tattered and broken shrine.

This shrine must have been extremely large back in the day.

The deity statue within was likely over three zhang tall.

Wang Shen appeared cramped sitting upon it, but he could fit.

Then he sat motionless, waiting.

Xu Yuan hid in the distance, watching, and muttered to himself: Could it be that what Wang Shen is waiting for is... the Great King of the Naga?

The night was incredibly silent.

Xu Yuan kept his head bowed.

Today, gazing at the stars is forbidden; under no circumstances should one look up at the starry sky.

Da Fu, behind Xu Yuan, accompanied him in waiting for a while, then grew bored and simply lay down.

Then, twisting its neck, its head somehow glanced up at the night sky.

Immediately, its two goose eyes widened sharply, revealing a look of terror.

No one knew exactly what it had seen; it was so frightened that it quickly lowered its head and dared not look again.

Dafu felt increasingly bored and simply closed his eyes to sleep.

By the middle of the night, Xu Yuan suddenly sensed something amiss, touched his eyes with his hand, and opened Wang Shen.

In an instant, the "fates" of countless evil spirits floated up from the valley to the north.

Dark blue, tinged with black.

They were the fates of Yin Ghosts.

Gathering together, they resembled a great river, flowing ceaselessly toward the ruined temple.

The King of Ghosts' body moved slightly.

Xu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately, those Yin Ghosts were not passing from his direction.

The river of Yin Ghosts stopped at the foot of the mountain and began to accumulate continuously.

Every single Yin Ghost appeared utterly broken and tattered.

Eroded by the long passage of years, their soul-bodies resembled wind-rotted, decaying wood.

All the Yin Ghosts gathered together, stuck by some special power, forming a Yin Ghost as massive as a mountain.

Xu Yuan frowned secretly.

The power凝聚ing these Yin Ghosts had its source right within this ruined temple!

"Back then... were all these Yin Ghosts devotees of this great temple?"

The mountain-sized Yin Ghost spoke, its voice a convergence of countless sounds: "Get down!"

The voice carried suppressed anger: "That is not your place!"

"You are committing sacrilege!"

Emotions fluctuated within the two eyes of the King of Ghosts' body.

It spoke stiffly: "You have finally arrived."

"What do you intend to do? For over a hundred years, why do you still come to disturb us?"

The King of Ghosts' body said: "I have come to save a group of cowards!"

Within the mountain-sized soul-body, countless Yin Ghosts raged: "Insulting us? You will not walk out of this great mountain!"

The King of Ghosts' body said: "When Fang Fufei was beheaded by the Purification Bureau, where were you? Is it wrong to call you cowards?"

The soul-bodies sneered together: "We have never forgotten the hatred of our nation's destruction and our race's extinction! But that woman long ago forgot her identity; what she wanted was to integrate into the world of Huang Ming and continue to enjoy the wealth of the mortal realm!"

"So what now? I can give you a chance to restore your nation."

"On your strength?"

"My homeland has been resisting all along. And what are you doing? You cower in these mountains yet look down on the warriors fighting outside?"

The soul-bodies fell silent.

The King of Ghosts' body continued: "Look at your ghostly forms! In a few more decades, you will be completely eroded and dissolved by time.

Even now, do you still lack the courage to make a desperate gamble?"

The wills of the soul-bodies unified, and they asked in a deep voice: "Tell us your plan."

"Tomorrow night, here, I will help you enter the dreams of your descendants..."

The soul-bodies erupted in chaos: "No! If we invade our descendants' consciousness, we will replace them..."

"Silence!" The King of Ghosts' body roared in anger: "What exactly are you afraid of? Those descendants are now obedient subjects of Huang Ming; they have already forgotten their ancestors!

Such descendants are not worth saving! Borrowing their bodies to restore the glory of our forebears—what is wrong with that!"

The soul-bodies fell silent for a moment, then spoke together again: "If we fail, we cannot escape either."

"How much longer can you persist in your current state? Twenty years? Rather than dragging out a half-human, half-ghost existence, why not take a desperate gamble!"

The King of Ghosts' body added: "The Yi Army of Siam is rising everywhere; Huang Ming can no longer hold back. As long as an uprising breaks out in Southern Jiaozhi, within three months the beacon fires will spread across the land!

Huang Ming will surely be driven away by us; now is the best opportunity!"

Within the mountain-sized soul-body, a buzzing sound arose.

It seemed they were deliberating internally.

After a moment, all the soul-bodies spoke together: "In our current state, the success rate of entering dreams will not be high."

"Tomorrow night, come again. I have a way to ensure you succeed in entering dreams."

The mountain-like soul-body then dispersed, reforming into a great river that flowed northward: "See you tomorrow night."

After they departed, the King of Ghosts' body descended from the shrine and returned to the boat along the original path.

It lay down in the cargo hold, and those arms extended again, covering the wooden planks on the cargo hold one by one.

Xu Yuan did not reveal himself; after the King of Ghosts' body returned to the boat, Xu Yuan picked up Dafu and fled quickly.

Then, following the location the weasel had mentioned, he indeed found a large nest of weasels.

He immediately spent silver to "buy" their entire family, turning them into servants.

He then ordered them to watch the cargo ship at the river bend.

Only then did Xu Yuan depart with peace of mind.

When he walked out of Little Yu Shan, dawn had already broken.

The members of the Purification Bureau had spent the night at the dock.

The previous night, Xu Yuan had instructed them to leave the mountain first.

Upon seeing Lord Xu, Di Youzhi immediately rushed forward; before he could speak, Xu Yuan said: "Return to Huicheng immediately!"

After entering the city, Xu Yuan instructed Di Youzhi: "Go back and have everyone prepare!"

"Yes!"

Xu Yuan went alone straight to the Shanhe Bureau's yamen.

Arriving outside the yamen, Xu Yuan said to the Captain of Shanhe on guard: "I wish to see Miao Yu; lead the way!"

The Captains, with strange expressions, said nothing and led Xu Yuan inside.

Xu Yuan felt he might have seen wrong; why did it seem that a hint of... schadenfreude was hidden in the expressions of those Captains?

Miao Yu also lived in the courtyard behind the yamen.

The Captains led Xu Yuan through a courtyard that felt somewhat "familiar"—Xu Yuan suddenly remembered, this was the place connected to the Purification Bureau yamen by a "rat path"...

Xu Yuan felt a pang of guilt.

Then a clear, pleasant voice was heard, speaking as fast as a sparrow chirping: "... How dare I manage you? You are of the Miao family, I am of the Zhu family, you aren't even our brother-in-law yet; besides, even if your affair with my sister truly succeeds, I still can't manage you, right?

My sister chose the person herself; even if you really are this kind of scum, she can only swallow her teeth and endure it in her belly.

But—"

The voice suddenly rose in pitch and accelerated once more: "You can't just hang out with Old Little blindly! The uncles and aunts of the Miao family hold extremely high expectations for you; you must strengthen yourself, you must strive, you absolutely must not degenerate like this. Old Little has a rotten mud nature; both Big Sister and I have already given up hope..."

"Zhu Sanya!" Zhu Zhanlei's angry voice drowned hers out: "You are going too far!"

But that voice quickly rose even higher to suppress him: "Say it again?!"

Then came the sound of something whipping; Zhu Zhanlei cried out "Aiyo, aiyo" repeatedly, and the sound rapidly moved toward Lord Xu.

The two Captains who had brought Xu Yuan in covered their mouths, snickering, said a sentence: "They were just dragged out of the White Moon Pavilion by Zhu Jianxiao's sister," and then ran off together.

Clang!

The moon gate of the side courtyard was猛地 pulled open; Zhu Zhanlei was running with his head in his hands, nearly crashing headfirst into Xu Yuan.

"Ah?!" Zhu Zhanlei's face turned red then white in turns.

Chasing behind him was a woman with a slender waist, long and straight legs, wearing a Shanhe Bureau Inspector's uniform.

The woman had her black hair wrapped in an official cap; her face was Bai Xi and clean, with apricot eyes and peach cheeks, her appearance absolutely beautiful and her temperament capable.

She was holding a freshly broken bamboo stick, chasing after her little brother to beat him.

Seeing there was still someone outside the door, her face immediately flushed red; she quickly lowered her hand, hid the bamboo branch behind her back, and quietly discarded it.

Zhu Zhanlei's eyes rolled, and he quickly hid behind Xu Yuan, sticking only his head out: "Zhu Sanya, on what grounds do you say I corrupted the brother-in-law? Couldn't it be that the brother-in-law corrupted me?"

The woman before him pouted: "Zhu Old Little, everyone in the whole family knows what kind of character you are."

"That still doesn't mean I corrupted him!" Zhu Zhanlei jumped and shouted: "He wasn't good stuff to begin with; did he need me to corrupt him? The White Moon Pavilion is where his old lover is!"

Miao Yu felt like crying but had no tears.

Sold out completely.

This marriage is ruined.

"Enough, I cannot discipline you; when we return home, I will inform mother and father..."

"You only know how to tattle!"

Xu Yuan clasped his hands and asked: "Are you Zhu Police Inspector of Luocheng?"

Zhu Zhanmei clasped her pale hands in a fist: "Indeed. May I ask, sir..."

Zhu Zhanlei spoke quickly: "This is the brother-in-law's friend; the brother-in-law asked him to help investigate the matter of the Ghost King's Body. His tastes differ from ours; last night that Miss Bai said, Lord Xu's preference is for the two young girls in her courtyard who haven't had their hair combed yet."

Xu Yuan:...

He felt Miao Yu's pain as if it were his own.

Zhu Zhanmei's eyes indeed took on a few shades of scrutiny.

Xu Yuan waved his hand, pulled Zhu Zhanlei back into the courtyard, closed the door, and asked: "Several of you... especially Zhu Police Inspector, I wish to ask: Will the Ghost King's Body develop self-awareness?"

Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanmei both straightened their expressions; only Zhu Zhanlei still looked carefree and unruly.

"What do you mean by that?" Zhu Zhanmei asked urgently.

"I saw the Ghost King's Body last night..." Xu Yuan then recounted the events.

Zhu Zhanmei's cherry lips parted in surprise: "It really was the Demon-Extermination Army..."

Zhu Zhanlei, full of pride, extended a hand toward Miao Yu: "Brother-in-law, what did I say? Honor your bet."

Miao Yu waved a hand: "Don't interrupt; once this matter has a result, if you truly guessed correctly, I will not renege. Is what Brother Xu says true?"

"Absolutely true."

Zhu Zhanmei then glanced at her brother-in-law and her little brother, letting out a cold laugh: "Look, on the same night, some seek pleasure while others investigate the case with dedication!"

Zhu Zhanlei was very unhappy, muttering to himself: Since childhood, you've always thought I'm not as good as this one or can't compare to that one.

Miao Yu said: "Follow me."

He returned to his room to fetch a string of keys, led the group around several bends, and arrived before a small tower inside the yamen.

He unlocked the door and entered; it was the Shanhe Bureau's Champa yamen library.

Miao Yu quickly flipped through the records and soon discovered in a yellowed log: "The broken temple on Little Yu Shan should be the 'Tianfu Temple' which had the most flourishing incense back then; the nobles of Champa back then were basically all believers of this temple."

He continued following the records down, pointing to another passage and saying: "And here it says: After Champa City fell, the entire army was on guard against evil spirits causing chaos, yet unexpectedly the aftermath was extremely peaceful.

Indeed, those yin spirits hid inside Little Yu Shan, lurking around that temple."

Zhu Zhanmei thought for a moment and said: "I have also heard that there are certain strange arts in Southern Jiaozhi that use bloodlines as a medium to cast spells—I imagine their so-called 'entering dreams' is just that.

And for such strange arts, the thinner the bloodline, the more difficult it is to cast. The Ghost King's Body was so confident; it is highly likely it truly found some method to significantly increase the success rate of the strange art."

Xu Yuan still asked the question from before: "Why did the Ghost King's Body develop self-awareness?"

According to Xiang Qinghuai's words, the "Ghost King's Body" was more like a weapon.

Every use required someone to sacrifice themselves, controlling it with their soul.

Zhu Zhanmei thought for a moment, shook her head: "I cannot guess. Only the people of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau could answer you. Our understanding of the Ghost King's Body is very little; previously captured Ghost King's Bodies were all destroyed by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau."

Zhu Zhanlei then said: "Why think so much? Report to the superiors quickly. We only have one day; who knows if their conspiracy will launch tonight!"

Xu Yuan held the same meaning, so he looked at Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanmei.

Zhu Zhanmei immediately made arrangements: "Lord Miao, immediately send someone, at the fastest speed, to Hue City to request reinforcements.

The two of us will go to the dock together; if the reinforcements from Hue City cannot arrive today, the only force we can rely on is the River Camp!"

"Good." Miao Yu agreed, and just as he was about to arrange for people, Zhu Zhanlei called out, "I can go to Hue City!"

"Don't add to the chaos." Zhu Zhanmei left him no face at all.

Zhu Zhanlei thought for a moment; indeed, the matter was of great consequence. What if something unexpected happened along the way... He had never borne such a heavy responsibility in his life, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

So he gave up arguing and obediently shrank to one side.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then said, "Hue City is too far; perhaps this official should also request reinforcements from Luocheng?"

Zhu Zhanmei pondered briefly, then nodded and said, "Good! Remember not to leak this to the Demon-Subduing Army."

"Good."

Xu Yuan immediately returned and sent Fu Jingyu on a trip to Luocheng.

Because the matter was urgent, Fu Jingyu borrowed several letter sheets from Song Lu.

These letter sheets were left to Song Lu by Fifth Aunt, allowing for faster speed.

Xu Yuan waited in the Chengnan Patrol Station, outwardly calm but inwardly extremely anxious.

If the method of the Ghost King Body was feasible, a large-scale uprising of the local natives would erupt tonight!

Although the Ming Dynasty had been immigrating people to Southern Jiaozhi for over a hundred years, the local natives still constituted the majority.

Many servants in the households of officials within Champa were also local natives.

If they truly stirred up trouble, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Moreover, they were led by an unfathomably deep "Ghost King Body."

Not long after lunch, Zhang Police Inspector, one of Miao Yu's subordinates, arrived.

"My Lord Xu, my lord requests your presence at the dock."

Xu Yuan nodded, took Di Youzhi and Lang Xiao Ba, left the city, and spurred their horses to the dock.

This time, they went straight into the Canal Office.

The local River Supervisor sat at the head seat; to his left was a military general, and several important officials of the Canal Office sat around, with Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanmei seated separately among them.

"River Supervisor, Patrol Officer Xu has arrived."

The River Supervisor raised a hand, pointed to a map of clothes hanging on the wall beside him, and said indifferently, "My Lord Xu, please indicate the specific location of that ship."

Xu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and circled the approximate location on the map.

The River Supervisor then said again, "Good, thank you, My Lord Xu. 来人, escort My Lord Xu out."

Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanmei immediately showed displeased expressions.

Miao Yu questioned, "Does River Supervisor intend to exclude My Lord Xu?"

The River Supervisor did not speak; the "River Patrol Envoy" on his right spoke coldly, "This is fundamentally a case of our Canal Office. What business does the Purification Bureau have meddling in it?"

Xu Yuan could not help but sneer.

Zhu Zhanmei's voice then rang out, "I discovered this Ghost King Body during my patrol. It was not lost under my watch."

The entire Canal Office, high and low, mobilized together, appearing very diligent and devoted, yet found nothing.

My Lord Xu found the Ghost King Body, a contribution of supreme merit, yet you cling to factional prejudices and wish to exclude him?"

The River Patrol Envoy, having been rebuked, sat with a face ashen as iron and said no more.

Zhu Zhanmei was merely a small patrol officer with little weight, but the Zhu family behind her carried immense weight!

After Zhu Zhanmei finished speaking, she looked one by one at everyone present.

Yet, apart from Miao Yu, everyone else maintained the same attitude as before.

Zhu Zhanmei shook her head repeatedly.

A group of people clinging to the broken and shortsighted!

Xu Yuan discovered the Ghost King Body first, so naturally he understood the situation best.

With him following, he could provide valuable reference opinions.

Moreover, this merit could not be escaped; even if they did not let Xu Yuan go now, they would have to grant him commendation in the future.

Excluding Xu Yuan would also invite ridicule from the court and the public for narrow-mindedness.

It would be better to let Xu Yuan participate, and顺势 turn this case into a joint operation between the Canal Office and the Purification Bureau.

The Canal Office would not lose face because of this, and could also leverage the power of the Luocheng Southern Office.

Why not do it?

The River Supervisor, seated at the head, never spoke. Xu Yuan let out a light laugh, turned, and departed with flair: "No need; indeed, this is fundamentally your Canal Office's case."

Your case is your responsibility!

Patrol Officer Zhang waited outside and escorted Xu Yuan out again.

Patrol Officer Zhang could not help but whisper, "These official lords! They are incapable of success but fully capable of failure!"

After Xu Yuan left, the Canal Office began discussing how to deal with the Ghost King Body.

A Vice General from the River Channel Camp had arrived; outside the military camp, there were a thousand camp soldiers.

He was extremely confident: "We should strike first and prevent the enemy from striking. We need not wait until nightfall; let us dispatch troops now, advancing by both water and land, surround that ship, and capture the Ghost King Body!"

The others nodded repeatedly: "According to what Xu Yuan said, those ghosts of the former dynasty are all cowardly. As long as we capture the Ghost King Body, those fellows will not dare to rise up. In another ten or twenty years, they will automatically dissipate into these mountains and wilds."

The crowd was fervent; Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanmei offered some opinions, but they were all refuted one by one by the others.

Thus, in less than half an hour, a decision was made: advance the troops!

This camp of the River Channel Camp had half its forces on water and half on land, with three warships: one large and two small.

The Vice General quickly returned to camp to recruit soldiers and set out, his heart also burning with passion.

Who would have thought that a miraculous merit would fall upon this general!

The Ghost King Body went missing, and the Canal Office feared it was the work of Siam rebels.

Therefore, they dispatched four thousand camp soldiers from the River Channel Camp.

The main force is at Luocheng; his unit is a diversionary force.

For soldiers, how can there be merit without battle?

The diversionary force was stationed at Zhancheng; the Deputy Commander had assumed this would be a wasted trip, yet he still managed to claim the first victory!

That's why he strongly advocated advancing—once the main force at Luocheng arrived, there would be nothing left for him.

Three warships sailed on the river, five hundred infantry marched on land, advancing side by side along the canal.

It took only one hour to reach that river bend.

They had already spotted the cargo ship, its sail lowered and anchored at the shore.

The Deputy Commander ordered: "Form ranks here, prepare for attack!"

"Beat the drums!"

As the drumming began, the windows of the cargo ship opened simultaneously, and twenty-four thin, bony, elongated legs extended out into the water, paddling together.

The skin and flesh of those legs writhed, transforming automatically into duck webbing.

With one powerful stroke, the cargo ship shot forward a hundred zhang, moving at astonishing speed toward the three warships of the River Canal Camp.

Though separated by five li, the cargo ship reached them in an instant.

Immediately after, twenty-four thin, bony, elongated arms emerged from the ship's cabin—twelve on one side, all thrusting into one of the River Canal Camp's two small boats.

Crack—crack—crack—

The wood of the warship, its iron plating, and everything else crumbled like paper under those arms.

The arms pulled together with force, tearing the warship completely apart.

(End of Chapter)