[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-166":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"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},2292129,4481,"Chapter 166: Reception","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-166",166,"\u003Cp>“How amazing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang asked curiously: “What exactly is Punishment? Do all its organs possess sentience? I’ve never heard before that organs can develop consciousness—could they talk to each other?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Heart: “Actually, I can only communicate with Punishment. I asked it the same question, and it told me only I am special.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only you are special?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang raised an eyebrow slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Heart: “Punishment is lying again. In one instant, I clearly sensed energy touching me—as if greeting me. That energy came from within Punishment’s body.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At that moment, Punishment sensed it too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After that, I never felt that touch again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang fell silent. How powerful would a being be, whose every organ could develop sentience?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And because of me, he will inevitably clash with Punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s impossible not to worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had considered this scenario before—facing Punishment directly—but I never expected it to happen so soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It caught me off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Heart: “Don’t worry. I can sense that’s not all of Punishment—probably just one organ, or something similar to me. After only ten years, he likely can’t fully leave that place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang mused: “So the energy we sensed just now is only a part of Punishment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” Demon Heart: “I know you distrust me deeply, but I still must tell you: while that part of the energy is still weak, try to eliminate it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You want me to actively seek out Punishment’s energy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Heart: “I’m certain the energy I sensed is only a tiny fragment of Punishment. If you seize this chance, find it, and let me absorb it, both of us can grow stronger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Otherwise, if you ignore it, that fragment may grow stronger. By time calculations, it arrived here after I did.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It probably hasn’t fully regained its true strength yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now is the best opportunity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once Punishment leaves that place, he will inevitably clash with you. If you don’t strengthen yourself now, it will be disastrous for both of us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if, hypothetically, Punishment takes an extremely long time to leave that place and never meets you, that fragment—once strengthened—will seek me out to absorb me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang frowned tightly: “So you’re saying I should seize the moment—eliminate and absorb it before it fully regains its strength?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” Demon Heart sighed: “I know you’re cautious—especially when I’m the one speaking. Think it over yourself. If I were you, I’d go take a look.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you later feel it’s too dangerous, you can always retreat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t let your fear of me make you timid—that’s a terrible idea.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang coldly smiled: “You overestimate yourself. What do I have to fear from you? I already told you before: don’t try to manipulate my actions with words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t a fool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he couldn’t sense Demon Heart’s hidden agenda, even if he didn’t know which words were true or false,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang still keenly sensed that Demon Heart wanted him to seek out that energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Heart: “Lord Wenguan, you’re a wise man. Decide for yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang already had an answer in his heart, but he had no intention of analyzing it with Demon Heart. He now understood why even Punishment, so powerful, feared Demon Heart and used some method to erase its sentience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time Demon Heart spoke, it subtly influenced one’s subconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You had to guess at its words—it was always present. Even with some restrictions, you couldn’t help but consider them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Lu Fang had a secret method to erase Demon Heart’s sentience, he wouldn’t hesitate a moment. Listening to it was exhausting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lu Fang pondered, Yue You beside him pulled out a message talisman, listened for a moment, then smiled and said: “Lord Wenguan, the scouts ahead report that the group ahead is not a hostile faction.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s an envoy from Luo Sha Kingdom come to welcome us. The commotion is because recently, a wicked little faction has emerged in the Scorched Lands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So Luo Sha sent troops to exterminate it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They deployed large forces, hence the noise. The envoy arrived with a squad of elite troops.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An envoy come to welcome us? Are you certain?” Lu Fang asked, concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue You nodded: “Certain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A military unit clad in armor appeared in the distance—over a thousand strong, composed mostly of Luo Sha soldiers and ghost cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unit did not pause but hurried swiftly into the depths of the Scorched Lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the Luo Sha envoy arrived. Lu Fang froze when he saw Shui Yao walking toward him in full ceremonial attire—he hadn’t expected her. After confirming she was indeed the envoy, he greeted her: “I didn’t expect it to be you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shui Yao smiled: “Princess Xue told me the Zhou envoy was you, so she assigned me to welcome you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After brief conversation, the two boarded the same carriage and headed toward Luo Sha Kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shui Yao sighed: “No wonder you’re Lord Wenguan of Zhou. How short a time since we last met, and now you’re already a Sixth-Rank, Second-Stage Confucian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded with a smile: “Just lucky. By the way, I saw Luo Sha mobilizing troops—were they going to exterminate a wicked faction?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shui Yao solemnly replied: “Three years ago, a powerful faction arose deep in the Scorched Lands. It was utterly wicked, but had always stayed hidden in remote areas.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This year, things changed. The faction called ‘Evil Tiger’ began rapidly expanding—killing anyone who refused to submit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It has also repeatedly raided the borders of Luo Sha Kingdom, ignoring our laws and attacking civilians.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang frowned: “With such boldness, why doesn’t Luo Sha crush them? Where do they get their confidence?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Shui Yao grew angry: “Rumors say Evil Tiger has ties to the Yeman. Evidence suggests collusion between them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for their confidence—the Scorched Lands are vast. Uprooting this faction completely is extremely difficult.”\u003C\u002Fp>",983,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b90747fb0e54b39b5d821d26ad7c0e97807675ecf484ccdea6aa1722af0950d6","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-167","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-165",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]