"Daddy... Nezha is hungry..."
As the group raced on horseback to the Capital City, Chen Qing's health inevitably began to deteriorate. After two days of hard riding, he had completely lost his strength, and the group had to rest at an inn for a day.
Weichi Peng was from a ducal family. Although he served only as a Commander, his rank was enough for the innkeeper to fawn over him. A table full of rich meats and fish was laid out, and the Ghost Doll ate until its belly was round. But in the dead of night, as it quietly watched the passersby outside, it said it was hungry...
Chen Qing's expression was grave as he sternly watched the Ghost Doll.
He knew full well that the Ghost Doll wasn't truly hungry but that the desire to eat humans was beginning to break through its restraint.
Human blood and flesh were highly attractive to demons and ghosts, much like the allure of fine wines and cigarettes to humans—not essential, but very tempting...
The Ghost Doll, having been imprisoned for a thousand years, was awakening its hidden desires as it encountered more and more human aura.
In the original story, the itinerant merchant, in an effort to make money, did not restrain the Ghost Doll and secretly fed it blood and flesh. High-ranking as a Ghost General, how could the Ghost Doll's appetite be satisfied with just stealthily consuming a couple of humans?
In the end, it consumed more and more people until the Imperial Court dispatched investigators. Once the itinerant merchants could no longer cover it up, they abandoned the Ghost Doll and tried to flee!
The Ghost Doll, capable of seeing through human hearts, wouldn't possibly let him escape. The moment he decided to abandon the Ghost Doll, he was deemed food by it. With the false father gone, the Ghost Doll's restraint completely snapped. It devoured nearly a million people and ultimately became the fourth Ghost King!
"No!"
Knowing the story, Chen Qing would not allow the Ghost Doll to walk down that path!
"But Nezha is hungry!" For the first time, the Ghost Doll showed a rebellious streak.
"No!!" Chen Qing, ignoring the ferocity on the other's face, sternly said, "If you're hungry, then eat your daddy!"
"I..." The Ghost Doll was taken aback, its fierce look immediately disappearing, followed by an expression of deep grievance. If one only looked at the face and ignored the formidable lower body, this pitiable, adorable face would evoke sympathy...
"Not even crying is allowed!" Chen Qing warned seriously, "And certainly no sneaking human flesh. If you dare, Daddy will disown you!"
"Daddy is mean!" The Ghost Doll huffily turned its back, showing its robust back muscles to Chen Qing...
"Be good, Nezha..." Chen Qing sighed, stroking Nezha's hair, "Endure it for a little while, once we get to Qi County, Daddy will have a way to keep you from being tempted by human flesh."
The Ghost Doll, having lived for a thousand years, naturally knew that eating human flesh would make it hated by humans, after all, Daddy was also human.
But it really was tempting, wasn't it?
Daddy has a way to make him not like human flesh?
As if reading the Ghost Doll's thoughts, Chen Qing smiled, "Don't worry, Nezha, Daddy isn't fooling you. Once we get there, Daddy truly will help you get rid of the demon's bad habits..."
His words were no lie; with the Mirror Demon in tow, once the turmoil in the Capital City was over and he took up his post elsewhere, he could embark on the path he had envisioned: the Divine Imperial Mandate Path!
In this world, there were many ways for humans to become strong, but almost all of them couldn't do so without the aid of demons and ghosts. Warriors relied on the bloodlines of demons and ghosts, magicians used the spiritual power of deceased demons and ghosts, and the players later developed crafts such as artificers, rune masters, and celestial spirits—all of which relied on demons and ghosts.
Essentially, if humans wanted to gain power, they needed to rely on the power of demons and ghosts.
But no matter the method, it was always just obtaining a part of a demon's or ghost's power. Among all these paths, there was one that could utilize all the power of a demon or ghost and even evolve them!
This was the Divine Imperial Mandate Path!
It was the most difficult, with the highest threshold and the longest period of early development in the game design, but once established, it was universally acknowledged as the most comprehensively powerful path!
"Daddy..." As Chen Qing contemplated his future plans, the Ghost Doll suppressed its bloodthirsty desires and looked back at him, "In that cave, Daddy must have obtained the magician's heritage, right?"
"Mm..." Chen Qing nodded.
"Then why doesn't Daddy learn it?" The Ghost Doll asked curiously, "Is it because you're afraid Nezha will hate it? Nezha hates that magician who oppressed me for so long, but if Daddy inherits that power, Nezha won't hate it..."
"Daddy has plans..." Chen Qing said with a smile, stroking Nezha's head, "Daddy won't become a magician."
"Not become a magician? You must be joking!" A strange voice suddenly arose, causing both of them to frown indignantly.
"That is the Azure Dragon Heritage!" The speaker was none other than the Mirror Demon Chen Qing had recently acquired.
"You young'un, do you understand the significance of the Azure Dragon Heritage?" The Mirror Demon's voice was filled with extreme discontent, "The Azure Dragon is one of the Big Dipper and also the leader of the Four Saints, with blood of the Dragon Clan. All these combined, not even that dead puppet's double technique can compare!"
Chen Qing gave him a sidelong glance. As a designer, he knew more than this creature could fathom.
Seeing Chen Qing's unfazed expression, the Mirror Demon was dumbfounded, "You really don't want it? Young man, you better think this through. This is an opportunity of a lifetime!"
In its view, Chen Qing had ordinary fortune, but obtaining the Azure Dragon Heritage would be akin to having his ancestors' graves burning bright. Once obtained, this fellow's fate would change completely. Each of the ancient Four Great Holy Spirits' magicians was a top-tier figure, and even kings and nobles would treat them with the utmost civility.
Chen Qing curled his lip, he naturally knew the position of Azure Dragon Heritage within the array of techniques but still looked down upon it. Sorcerers had strange abilities, but their flaws were too obvious, too vulnerable, such glass-cannon mages were, in Chen Qing's eyes, not even as esteemed as ADCs.
Of course, the Azure Dragon Heritage was also a good thing. If he didn't use it himself, he could cultivate others with it...
Compared to the Azure Dragon Heritage, he was more interested in Wang Ye's situation at the moment and asked curiously, "Wang Ye's current situation, is that really him?"
"How would I know?" the Mirror Demon said irritably, "I was scared myself, that guy is very strange. The theories are also suspect, how could it all be such a coincidence? You'd better stay away from him."
"You're quite concerned about me?" Chen Qing said with a hint of amusement.
"I don't know why the Ghost Doll likes you so much," the Mirror Demon spoke indifferently. "But if you can be so sincere towards the Ghost Doll, then you will surely treat me well. Moreover, for some reason, I always feel that since following you, my own fortune has been improving..."
"Is that so?" Chen Qing smiled happily, the Mirror Demon was very sensitive to fortune - if it said it was improving, it meant things would probably go smoothly for him in the future.
"But it also feels very dangerous..." the Mirror Demon looked at Chen Qing with curiosity, "I don't know why you would want to wade into the muddy waters of Capital City. The forces behind Mister Hua Pi are not as simple as you think, one Ghost Doll can't protect you!"
"What kind of forces are behind him, do you know?" Chen Qing asked eagerly.
"I know some, but I can't tell you..." the Mirror Demon shook its head, "Mr. Miao has placed a Forbidden Technique on me, I'll die a terrible death if I reveal anyone from their organization even a single person will do me in. Ali is also a member of their organization, so I can't help you with the Thousand-Faced Fox matter!"
"That really is troublesome..." Chen Qing held his head, a look of helplessness on his face, "Can't you let me have it easy for once?"
"Mr. Miao, the one who's already dead, does his Forbidden Technique still work?" the Ghost Doll asked curiously.
"The Azure Dragon Sorcerer died, and it didn't stop him from locking you away for so many years, did it?" the Mirror Demon retorted without good humor, "Some techniques, once formed, will continue to be executed by the ominous spirit power of the world, regardless of whether the caster is dead or alive."
"Is that so?" the Ghost Doll gave the Mirror Demon a mischievous look, "You'd better not be lying to us, or else..."
"Master, do something, aren't you afraid he'll break me? And letting him hold..."
Chen Qing couldn't be bothered with these two clowns and was pondering in his mind how to handle the situation after entering the Capital.
As the Mirror Demon said, the forces behind Mister Hua Pi were immense, and the longer he delayed, the more dangerous it became for him. He needed to find the Thousand-Faced Fox as quickly as possible and then leave the contentious land of the Capital City to develop peacefully outside.
He was for the late game, and in such a contentious place as the Capital City, the sooner he could leave, the better.
But the problem was, without the Mirror Demon's help, how could he find the Thousand-Faced Fox?
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"Your Majesty, the unworthy disciple has replied. The matter in Lyuzhou is settled, and he is now heading to the Capital with Weichi Peng and Chen Qing!"
Inside the Imperial Study, Liu Yu reported the latest developments.
"It was a miscalculation on our part..." the Emperor, looking at the memo Liu Yu presented, had an extremely grave expression on his face.
He had originally thought it was just a case of demons invading, but never anticipated that such a vast network of power stood behind that fox demon, capable of setting a trap for Wang Ye in the Capital, almost resulting in his demise in Lyuzhou.
Although Mister Hua Pi was now dead, the situation in Lyuzhou was in turmoil; who could have imagined that the high officials of a provincial-level city in Jiangnan were all puppets?
Plus, with those civilians killed and replaced by Mister Hua Pi over the years, the rough records indicated over a thousand households affected. With Mister Hua Pi's death, the revelation caused a massive uproar, an impact that was impossible to cover up!
"Is your disciple doing well?" the Emperor asked with narrowed eyes.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty!" Liu Yu responded seriously, "I will conduct a thorough inspection, and if the unworthy disciple shows any issues, I will act immediately!"
"It's tough on you, my loyal subject..." The Emperor sighed helplessly. The case of Wang Ye was too strange; even though he had slain Mister Hua Pi, one couldn't help but be wary of him.
"I suggest delaying the selection of the Crown Prince's concubine!"
The Emperor looked at Liu Yu's serious expression, hesitated for a moment, but then slightly shook his head, "We cannot delay. I have already declared the date by imperial decree; a ruler's words are like gold, and they must not be broken lightly!"
Liu Yu sighed upon hearing this; he had anticipated this response from the Emperor. The new dynasty wasn't well-established, civil matters were unstable, and the majority that followed the Emperor were subordinates of the former King of Qin. Although the Emperor was also a hero, he was somewhat less charismatic than the King of Qin had been.
Moreover, the Siao Family was able to unite the land largely because of inheriting the King of Qin's legacy; many of the great families that had followed the King of Qin with the Siao Family were somewhat resentful.
At this time, it was crucial to establish authority.
"But perhaps it's for the best…" Liu Yu inhaled deeply and said, "If that's the case, let's use this incident to thoroughly see just how many people are involved behind Mister Hua Pi!"
The Emperor also revealed a cold sneer, his eyes twinkling gold yet filled with intense chill.
He had already tolerated those great families time and again; if they were also involved in such treason... ha, then they couldn't blame him for being ruthless!