The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 176 BUG
After a full afternoon of negotiations, Yang Ying and Wang Wen finally reached a consensus.

As agreed, after Yang Ying returned to the capital, the Crown Prince's Palace would immediately begin to arrange for Wang Wen to serve as the military commissioner of Yangzhou, as a reward for Wang Wen's allegiance to the Crown Prince's Palace.

Subsequently, at the beginning of the following year, the Crown Prince arranged for Wang Wensheng to be appointed as the Pacification Commissioner of Huainan.

In exchange, Wang Wenhui will ensure that the position of Transport Commissioner of Huainan Circuit falls into the hands of the Crown Prince's faction.

Both parties were very satisfied with the solution...

That evening, Wang Wen invited Yang Ying to a feast at the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, where the five hundred Demon-Slaying Guards of the General's Mansion enjoyed a hearty meal of fine wine and meat.

The next morning, the two parted ways, and Yang Ying returned to the capital.

Wang Wen, carrying the rations and pay that had been withheld from the General's Mansion, set off back to Yangzhou.

Three days later, the fleet passed by Hongze Lake. As usual, Ao Qing led his entire naval force out of the water and held a grand banquet on the shore to reward the accompanying Demon-Suppressing Guards and the Yin Messengers of the Yin Messenger Camp.

At the banquet, there were many hilarious and memorable scenes.

A drunken demon guard dragged a equally drunk crab spirit along, and they played a drinking game, shouting, "The crab has eight claws, and it's this big with two pointed ends."

A curious demon-suppressing guard dragged along a carp spirit cook with a fish head and a human body to find out if the carp spirit ate sweet and sour carp. As a result, he was chased by the carp spirit with a shovel and kept getting tied up...

The naval troops and the Demon Suppression Guards of the General's Mansion had seen many such banquets before, and they had also eaten at several such banquets during the training exercise around Huainan Road. They were already familiar with each other and were not afraid at all.

But the most common sight at the banquet was the drunken demon-suppressing guards dragging along the dark-faced underworld officials, creating a scene of wailing and lamentation in the netherworld...

The underworld officials they were dragging along were all their former comrades.

Prior to this, only officers of various ranks within the General's Mansion were aware of the existence of the Underworld Battalion.

The demon-suppressing guards below had more or less guessed that there were ghosts working for their own government, but they didn't know exactly how many there were, how they existed, or what specific tasks they were responsible for.

Wang Wen has never made public the fact that the Demon-Suppressing Guards who died in the previous training exercise around Huainan Road were all incorporated into the Underworld Battalion after their deaths.

Wang Wen felt that making this public might cause the Demon Suppression Guards to become greedy and reckless in future investigations and conflicts because they would have a way out!
Anyone who has played games knows that the one-life mode and the normal mode where you can revive without taking damage after dying are completely different gameplay!

Moreover, he also detested using this method to win people's hearts...

This was the first time the Yin Messenger Battalion had appeared in formation before the Demon-Suppressing Guards of the General's Mansion.

Then, to their surprise, they discovered that their fallen comrades were among them!

Previously at the Shanyang County dock, when the Demon Suppressing Guards on the ship saw those figures they thought they would never see again in their lives, countless people almost burst into tears on the spot.

A banquet was held, bringing together humans, ghosts, and demons, and the atmosphere was unusually lively and harmonious!
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, this is probably a one-of-a-kind occurrence, like a scorpion defecating!
Wang Wen was also drinking.

But he drank very restrainedly, taking small sips from a thumb cup.

With his current physical strength, he could drink for three days and three nights without getting drunk at this rate.

Ao Qing stayed with him and personally poured him wine...

"How's the registration of mountain spirits and wild monsters going?"

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Wang Wen turned his wine glass upside down and got down to business: "Any difficulties?"

Ao Qing put down the silver wine pot, pondered for a moment, and replied, "My lord, this matter is not difficult, but the results... may not meet your expectations!"

Wang Wen smiled and said, "What? Did all the mountain spirits and monsters flee to other places when they heard that they needed to be registered?"

Ao Qing breathed a sigh of relief, clasped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty's wisdom and strategy are truly admirable!"

Wang Wen waved his hand with a smile: "Stop flattering me, let's get down to business... The mountain spirits and monsters running around, were they acting on their own? There are no monsters organizing them behind the scenes, are there?"

"This……"

Ao Qing stole a glance at him, her heart tightening again, but she could only nod obediently and say, "As far as I know... yes, there is!"

Wang Wen leaned comfortably back in the armchair and gently raised his chin: "Tell me about it!"

Ao Qing pondered for a moment, then crossed his hands and said, "As you know, my sphere of influence is mainly concentrated in the Grand Canal. Currently, our General's Mansion's work of registering mountain spirits and wild monsters has only been carried out up and down the Grand Canal and along the main streams."

Wang Wen smiled and nodded.

Ao Qing continued, "Currently, there are two powerful demons interfering with the registration and record-keeping of mountain spirits and monsters in our General's Mansion: one is the River God of the Yellow River, and the other is the Corpse King of Taihu Lake!"

Wang Wen quickly located the two waterways in his mind, then chuckled and said, "Interesting!"

Seeing that he was not angry, Ao Qing felt much relieved and continued, "Ever since our General's Mansion started registering mountain spirits and monsters, there have been rumors in various waterways of the Grand Canal that I am a 'lackey of the human race' and a 'traitor of the demon race.' The Yellow River God and the Taihu Lake Corpse King will soon launch an attack on me. The aquatic creatures of various waterways have been misled by these rumors and have secretly fled to the Yellow River and Taihu Lake. Although I have repeatedly tried to stop them, the Yellow River and Taihu Lake are densely packed with waterways, and I... am powerless to do anything about it!"

In fact, if Bai Zimo hadn't mentioned that Wang Wen didn't care if these mountain spirits and monsters fled to other places when he sent the official document about registering the mountain spirits and monsters back to Hongze Lake, he would have come to Wang Wen to discuss this matter long ago.

"Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice, so this isn't your fault!"

Wang Wen waved his hand and then said with great interest, "The Yellow River has the River God, and Taihu Lake has the Ghost King, but what about the Yangtze River? Doesn't the mighty Yangtze River have any powerful demons dominating it?"

Ao Qing replied, "Of course there is. I heard about the name of the Yangtze River Water God at the beginning of last year. I heard that he is a white snakehead spirit... I heard that he is currently fighting a black dragon in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Both sides have gathered thousands of aquatic creatures and have been fighting for almost three months!"

Wang Wen scratched his forehead, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Where did you all get these titles? They're all demons, so why is the demon who dominates the Yellow River called the River God, while the demon who dominates the Yangtze River is called the Water God?"

Ao Qing looked at him in surprise and asked in bewilderment, "Has this matter not been reported to the Lord?"

Wang Wen gave him a disapproving look: "What do you think?"

Ao Qing pondered for a moment and then laughed, "This is indeed my oversight... There are currently two sources for the titles of the demon kings in various regions."

“One is bloodline inheritance. For example, on the day I successfully transformed into a dragon, I awakened part of the dragon clan’s inheritance. I knew that as long as I continued to cultivate according to the dragon clan’s cultivation method, I would eventually shed my dragon form and transform into a true dragon… So I presumptuously called myself ‘Dragon King’.”

He glanced at Wang Wen somewhat embarrassedly.

Wang Wen nodded, signaling him to continue.

Ao Qing: "There is another way, which is derived from the meaning of mountains and rivers, such as the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. These two great rivers are the dragon veins of China, carrying the flow of the land's energy, and have their own divine will. By cultivating with the energy of these two dragon veins, one will naturally touch upon the divine will and obtain the authority of the Water Lord. However, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River are endless, and the authority of the Water Lord is divided into countless forms. Only by combining the thousands of Water Lord authority into one can one prove the supreme position of the Water Lord!"

"Is there such a thing?"

This was the first time Wang Wen had heard this argument, but after careful consideration, he realized that it was indeed reasonable.

Just like the Five Sacred Mountains of China, whose revered names have been passed down for generations and praised by hundreds of millions of people, their names have likely been embedded in the Heavenly Dao and certified by it. Even if the Heavenly Court and the Underworld no longer exist, the gods of the Five Sacred Mountains will still be called the Five Sacred Mountain Emperors. Only by obeying the commands of the Five Sacred Mountain Emperors can the full authority of the Five Sacred Mountain Gods be exercised!
The names of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River are no less impressive than those of the Five Sacred Mountains!

"Since there are such great benefits to cultivating oneself in the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, why don't you go and compete for the positions of water lords of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River?"

Wang Wen asked curiously, "What, are you afraid you can't defeat the great demon that has taken over the Yellow River and the Yangtze River?"

"My lord, we cannot fight back, and that is only one aspect..."

Ao Qing answered honestly, "The main reason is that I possess the Dragon Clan's heritage, so there's no need to compete for the position of Water God."

Wang Wen understood that this guy looked down on the positions of the water deities of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, and immediately teased, "You haven't even shed all your snake scales yet, and you're still being picky..."

Ao Qing chuckled and quickly said, "Besides, our Grand Canal is a thriving commercial and religious center, no less so than the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. Why bother going through all that trouble and getting hurt in a fight with them?"

Wang Wen smiled and nodded: "You understand the ways of the world!"

Ao Qing didn't understand and thought he meant 'dog way', so he immediately flicked his tongue to show his loyalty: "That's right, I am the most loyal lackey of my lord!"

Wang Wen ignored it and pondered its words before continuing, "According to what you just said, the position of the water lord of the Yangtze River is still in contention. What about the position of the water lord of the Yellow River? Has that giant mudfish already swept up the upper and lower reaches of the Yellow River?"

Ao Qing sensed something amiss in his words and asked in surprise, "Has Your Majesty met the Yellow River God?"

Wang Wen nodded uncertainly: "I think I saw it once before. That thing's dragon form was even more complete than yours. It's just a pity that I scared it away with a bolt of lightning, and I couldn't kill it on the spot!"

Ao Qing stared at him, speechless, thinking to himself that his lord was truly unfathomable...

It swallowed hard and continued, "The Yellow River is swift, and the lord was caught off guard and that fellow escaped... It's not surprising."

Wang Wen smiled casually and said, "No problem. You set a trap to lure that bastard out, and I'll come and kill it!"

Ao Qing swallowed silently again, nodding repeatedly in agreement.

"Leaving aside that giant mudfish in the Yellow River, what kind of creature is this Taihu Corpse King? You don't seem like a snake that submits to its fate!"

Ao Qing quickly replied, "My lord, that old zombie in Taihu Lake is no simple matter. Before I took control of the Grand Canal, I also had the ambition to bring Taihu Lake under my control. However, when I sent troops there, before I even saw the old water ghost, most of my aquatic creatures were killed or wounded, and I had no choice but to retreat."

"Afterwards, I also heard of some ruthless characters who thought themselves fierce and went to compete for the position of Dragon King of Taihu Lake. Apart from two clever demons like myself who retreated on the outskirts of Taihu Lake, the rest disappeared without a trace, their names lost to the sea. No demon even knows how they died... That old zombie is now recognized as the strongest demon in the Jiangnan region!"

Wang Wen listened to this fellow's veiled criticism but didn't expose the fact that he must have been frightened away by the Taihu Lake Corpse King.

"It sounds more like a seasoned diver who has been 'accumulating experience and making a breakthrough'..."

He frowned and pondered for a moment, but couldn't recall any mass casualty incidents related to Taihu Lake.

Although Taihu Lake is not within Huainan's territory, cases of large-scale demons and monsters wreaking havoc on the human world are documented within the Demon Suppression Division's system.

If the Corpse King of Taihu Lake had ever been born and harmed people, he couldn't possibly have been completely unaware of it.

That means there are two possibilities.

Either that zombie king is a good, vegetarian zombie.

Or perhaps someone is covering it up for it...

In comparison, Wang Wen naturally prefers the latter.

After all, believing that zombies can eat vegetables is less reliable than believing that pigs can climb trees!

But is it too difficult to cover up the scourge of a corpse king that can frighten Ao Qing into fleeing at the mere mention of its name?
A zombie king of that level, if it comes out once, wouldn't it devour hundreds of people?

"It's not a big problem..."

Wang Wen pondered for a moment, then quickly said, "You continue with your work as usual. I'll find some time to go and take a look at Taihu Lake. We'll see if we should avoid their sharp edge until I come back!"

"My lord, you must not underestimate the enemy."

When Ao Qing heard that he was going to visit Taihu Lake, he immediately became worried: "That old zombie is definitely not simple. The demons and monsters in Jiangnan all speculate that he may be someone named King Wu!"

"King of Wu? Which Wu? The Wu of Eastern Wu?"

"No, it's Wu, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period!"

"Huh? You even know about the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period? You've read quite a few books!"

"Of course! I am a dragon with a master, so I cannot be like those illiterate mountain spirits and monsters!"

"Excellent, excellent! Keep up the good work! When I become an immortal, I will surely bring your chickens and dogs to heaven with me!"

"Then I must thank you in advance, my lord... My lord, shall we have another drink?"

"I'm not drinking anymore, getting drunk will cause problems!"

Wang Wen waved his hand away from Ao Qing's wine pot, pondering that if the Taihu Corpse King was truly from Wu, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, then it would be a genuine thousand-year-old corpse!
It was at this moment that he suddenly realized that zombies might be a bug in the end times!

Before the Dharma-ending Age, all practitioners, whether human, demon, or ghost, gradually withered away and died out during the long Dharma-ending Age.

When the long Dharma-ending Age ends and spiritual energy gradually begins to recover, all living beings in the world will actually be standing on the same starting line...

Zombies are the only exception; they don't rely on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth at all, though not entirely.

The main source of power for zombies is corpse energy.

While the corpse energy also needs to rely on yin energy and moonlight to grow stronger, its essence lies in the zombie itself.

In other words, zombies in the Dharma-ending Age are at most not very strong, but they do not completely disappear!
In this situation, the long, degenerate age is actually an excellent opportunity for zombies to hone their corpse energy...

So here's the question: if a thousand-year-old zombie, honed to perfection over three hundred years of the Dharma-ending Age, were to be revived by spiritual energy, wouldn't it just spiral upwards to heaven on the spot?
In this situation, during the off-season, while all living things in the world are resting, only the zombies are secretly building motorcycles.

When the race started, everyone stood on the starting line on two legs, except for the zombies who were riding motorcycles and still twisting the throttle hard.

No wonder zombies don't enter the cycle of reincarnation!

After pondering for a while, Wang Wen muttered to himself with lingering fear, "Thank goodness, I also used cheat codes..."

(End of this chapter)