The world is like a prison, my body is holy

"Pfft."

The headless corpse fell heavily to the ground, and crimson blood gushed out like a fountain, its color even blacker than the scarlet official robe he wore.

The audience was silent.

Aside from a few state officials who, witnessing the fate of the headless corpses, struggled in terror to get up only to be ruthlessly pushed back to the ground, desperately groaning and squeaking with bulging veins on their foreheads.

They each had a sock stuffed in their mouths...

Without turning to look at the officials, Zhang the blacksmith shouted at the top of his lungs to the dark crowd of refugees, "Fellow men and women, we are from the Yangzhou Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, here on orders from our great general to oversee disaster relief and aid to the people!"

"As early as the beginning of February, my general foresaw that this year's drought would likely lead to a food shortage!"

He clasped his hands and bowed to the southeast: "For more than half a year, my great general has been running around trying to find grain to deal with this matter. He has repeatedly instructed the officials in Huainan to stabilize grain prices and ensure the supply of grain. For this reason, my great general has even taken great responsibility to intercept the imperial grain shipments for the people of Huainan!"

"All for the sake of ensuring that the old and young men have something to eat..."

At this point, he raised his gleaming sword, pointed at the headless corpse beside him, and shouted angrily, "But these corrupt officials, with the audacity of bears and leopards, actually withheld the life-saving rations that my general had obtained for the young and old, and used those moldy, stale millet to appease them. Others may tolerate them, but my Demon-Slaying General's Mansion will not tolerate them!"

"The general has ordered..."

"Those who try to raise prices arbitrarily or take advantage of the chaos will be killed!"

"Those who hold positions without doing their jobs and stand idly by, kill them!"

"Those who fan the flames and incite unrest, kill them!"

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and immediately a general's mansion demon-suppressing guard dragged a fat, chubby official dressed in a red official robe, who looked like a pig, and forced him to kneel down beside him.

This pig was none other than Zhou Zhusheng, the prefect of Haozhou!

As shrewd as Zhang the blacksmith was, he certainly wouldn't kill the prefect of Haozhou right off the bat; that would be too unsettling!

So, he first killed Cao Shangjian, the prefectural magistrate of Haozhou, to warm things up...

Right now, Zhou Zhusheng is the main course!

As Zhou Zhusheng struggled in terror, Zhang the blacksmith, his face ashen, brought the blade of his waist knife to Zhou Zhusheng's neck and gripped the hilt with both hands.

In an instant, the group of Demon-Suppressing Guards from the General's Mansion behind him also drew their gleaming swords and gently placed them on the necks of the criminal officials at their feet.

"kill!"

Zhang the blacksmith roared, and with a swift, sweeping motion, his blade cut smoothly across Zhou Zhusheng's neck.

"Pfft..."

The group of generals' guards behind him also swung their swords and chopped off the heads of the criminal officials at their feet.

With a few muffled thuds, bloodied heads rolled down the steps and gathered in a ball between the two majestic stone lions.

The whole place was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

But amidst the absolute silence, a deafening cheer seemed to rise straight to the heavens...

The endless, dark mass of refugees, like a wildfire spreading, came alive instantly with their bright, fiery eyes.

Of course, they couldn't understand the political struggle and high-level power play behind what was happening in front of them.

But they understood that someone had come to their aid and support them.

Zhang the blacksmith raised his long sword, pointed at the two headless corpses stacked beside him, and roared fiercely, "Anyone who dares to obstruct the public service of disaster relief and help the people, or who embezzles food from the disaster victims, shall be executed without mercy!"

His roar was like magic, making all the refugees' eyes burn and their skin crawl.

Someone trembled and shook, forcefully pressing the half-grown child beside them down to kneel, and kowtowed silently to Zhang the blacksmith and the others.

In an instant, the seemingly endless crowd of refugees, like dominoes falling to the ground, knelt down one after another...

……

Just then, on an unnamed mountain peak at the border of Haozhou and Luzhou, a black crow with multicolored markings spread its wings and descended from mid-air, landing on the edge of a cave with a wide entrance.

Before it even landed, it called out loudly, "Old Black, Old Black... are you home?"

A huge wild boar poked its head out of its burrow. The boar was as big as a water buffalo, its flesh as coarse as a rock, and its pair of curved tusks looked like two scimitars, which was quite frightening.

The wild boar looked up at the crow preening its feathers on a branch, then stood on its hind legs, transforming into a nine-foot-tall, boar-headed, human-bodied man with skin as black as iron. With a forced smile, it clasped its hands in a fist and said, "So it's Manager Crow! It's been a while! Please come in and have a seat. I just got a pot of monkey wine from Old Monkey of East Mountain a couple of days ago, which I'll treat you to..."

Upon hearing the words "monkey wine," the crow couldn't help but open its beak and turn its head, but then it spread one wing and waved like a human waving his hand: "I won't drink the wine. I have important business to attend to today and can't afford to be late!"

Because Ao Qing and Bai Zimo frequently interacted with Wang Wen and the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, they both learned a great deal about human etiquette.

Following the example set by their superiors, the demons of the two great water palaces also learned human etiquette from their king.

This directly led to all the fairies in Huainan who were registered in a hierarchical system learning human etiquette.

In terms of strength, the overall level of demons in Huainan Province may not necessarily rank among the top five in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

But in terms of cultural quality, the fairies of Huainan Road are definitely the best in the entire Great Zhou!

The pig demon stepped aside to make way for the cave entrance, gesturing with a beaming smile to invite them inside: "No matter how important the matter, let's drink! Steward Wu, please come in and have a seat..."

The crow spirit kept shaking its head, barely managing to suppress its craving. It flapped its wings and said, "There will be plenty of opportunities to drink monkey wine later. Let's get down to business first!"

After a pause, it suddenly raised its head and stood at attention, and said loudly, "The Great General has ordered that in the face of this great calamity, the people of the human race are displaced and in imminent danger. All demons and monsters are urged to behave themselves, guard their caves and cultivate in peace, and not take advantage of this opportunity to cause chaos and bring disaster to the human world!"

"But if anyone tries to take advantage of the chaos, the Great General will mobilize the entire Demon-Slaying General's Mansion to destroy mountains and temples, and slaughter them all. There will be no innocent people killed, and no guilty people let go!"

The pig demon looked up at him, scratching the bristles on the back of his neck in a daze: "Which general?"

The crow spirit flew into a rage upon hearing this, flapping its wings and swooping down on the pig demon's head, pecking and slapping at it: "Which general are you talking about? Which general are you talking about? You fool! You fool... Remember, remember, there is only one general in Huainan, and that is General Tiger King, the Demon-Slaying General of Huainan!"

The pig demon covered his head with his hands, not daring to retaliate at all: "I remember, I remember..."

The crow spirit, having calmed down, flew back to the branch, its eyes haughty as it smoothed the ruffled feathers on its neck with its claws: "Just remembering isn't enough, you have to do it exactly as instructed. Although I know you, Old Black, are a dutiful demon, you absolutely cannot make any mistakes at this crucial moment, or no one can protect you!"

"Yes Yes Yes……"

The pig demon nodded obsequiously, "It's thanks to Steward Wu that I understand me so well. I never leave this forest. I always take a detour when I encounter woodcutters in the distance, especially that old mountain ghost from the West Mountain..."

The crow spirit stiffened its neck and loudly questioned, "What about that old mountain ghost?" The pig demon hesitated and remained silent.

Crow Spirit: "Speak!"

The pig demon hesitated and whispered, "I just heard it, just heard it... That old mountain ghost kidnapped a few souls from somewhere a few days ago."

"A living soul?"

The crow spirit instantly raised its voice: "Are you sure?"

The living soul is the spirit that remains in a dazed and confused state before the seventh day after death.

A living soul, it could be said, was encountered by chance.

However, several living souls can usually only kill and steal souls!
The pig demon inwardly groaned, "I already said it was just hearsay, how can I be sure... Please don't tell anyone that I, Old Pig, said it, I still have to survive in this forest!"

"What are you afraid of?"

The crow laughed: "Whether it's true or not, that old mountain ghost is doomed. You, Old Black, are lucky. That forest in the West Mountain is quite large."

"what?"

The pig demon raised its head blankly: "Am I doomed?"

The crow spirit said, "Are those two pig ears of yours just for fanning the wind? Didn't you hear what the general said? 'Kill the innocent, but let the guilty go free!'"

The pig demon lowered its head, the image of the old mountain ghost's smug and arrogant grin flashing through its mind. Instead of feeling any joy, it felt a pang of sorrow for its own kind...

'No matter how great or arrogant you are, what can you do?'

It muttered to itself, 'It's just that if someone wants you dead, you have to die...'

The crow spirit seemed to have guessed its thoughts and sneered, "Don't be ungrateful. Although the Great General is a bit domineering, he is also reasonable. Since you started registering, have any human cultivators come to your door and want to kill demons without distinguishing right from wrong? Have any evil demons come to your door to bully the weak? Have you forgotten what kind of life you used to live?"

The pig demon thought about what it said and realized that it did make sense.

These days have indeed been the most peaceful in its short demonic life...

"Alright, you can stay here. I still have to go to Dongshan to deliver the message!"

The crow spirit flapped its wings, leaped into the air, and disappeared in mid-air as a streak of black light.

The pig demon stood at the cave entrance for a long time before transforming into its true form as a wild boar, shaking its head and wagging as it walked into the cave: "Manager Wu is right..."

Compared to its human form, it feels more free and unrestrained in its true form!

Just then, a gruff voice came from inside the cave: "Master, what's the matter?"

Before he finished speaking, a group of piglets, about the size of mongrel dogs, darted out of the hole, squeaking and squealing, and playfully swishing their little tails as they ran around the pig demon.

Immediately afterward, a spotted boar demon, not much smaller than the boar demon but with much rounder tusks, slowly walked out, swaying its big belly.

The pig demon briefly recounted the orders conveyed by the crow spirit, then asked, "Wife, is what you said about Steward Crow making sense?"

The flower pig demon gently knocked it to the ground and scolded, "Are you out of your mind? Do you even need to ask that? If it weren't for General Wang and King Bai taking charge, how many of you kids would be alive?"

A group of piglets grunted and squealed as it jumped around, egging it on: 'Father's brain is covered in poop, Father's brain is covered in poop...'

The pig demon grunted and slowly got up, grinning as he said, "My dear wife, you're so smart!"

The family of more than a dozen people swung their big butts in unison as they crawled into the burrow: "That's right, I'm the smartest kid in our litter... Husband, I think the kids will have to go and rely on King Bai in the future to live a good life."

"Isn't life pretty good now?"

"But this forest is only so big, how can it support so many chicks?"

"Manager Wu just said that from now on, that forest on West Mountain will also belong to us..."

"Really? You're so strong, sir..."

"That's not..."

……

Centered on Yangzhou, batches of demon-suppressing guards from the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion rushed to surrounding prefectures and counties, leaving a trail of heads rolling wherever they went.

In some areas, things were better; they only killed a few unscrupulous grain merchants who were secretly diverting grain elsewhere, as a warning to others.

In some areas, the entire population was wiped out at once, with the executioner's blade striking down from the local officials all the way down to the lowest-ranking constables, yamen runners, and landlords!
No procedures are followed.

There was no room for argument.

If they find out, they're dead!

Catch them and kill them!

Waves of bloodshed and violence, like a dense, slowly spreading dark cloud, gradually dragged the surrounding prefectures and counties under Wang Wen's shadow.

Wherever the Demon-Slaying Guards of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion passed, all officials, gentry, and merchants trembled at the mere mention of Wang Wen's name and turned pale at the mere mention of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion.

Local officials, gentry, and merchants once spread outrageous rumors that Wang Wen was 18 feet tall and 18 feet thick, had three heads and six arms, a blue face and fangs, and ate four living people a day, one in the morning, one at noon, and one in the evening, and had to eat a midnight snack.

Among the common people and the refugees affected by disasters in various places, Wang Wen gradually rose to a divine status. Countless people erected longevity tablets for him and kowtowed before the Buddha. Some said he was the reincarnation of Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, while others said he was the reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Yangzhou gradually became a sacred place and a paradise in the hearts of millions of people from Huainan and Jiangnan. Countless refugees would rather travel long distances with their families to seek a living in Yangzhou...

In the cultivation world, the three major water palaces—Hongze Lake Water Palace, Chaohu Lake Water Palace, and Taihu Lake Water Palace—joined forces to launch a new round of great purges.

Under Wang Wen's iron-fisted rule, the three masters of the Water Palaces implemented the six-character policy of "killing the wrong person but not letting anyone go" to the fullest extent!
No concrete evidence is needed. As soon as the three major water palaces receive even the slightest rumor that demons or monsters are harming or cannibalizing people in some place, they will immediately send a large army to the border and exterminate them all...

Similarly, Wang Wen's shadow gradually enveloped the entire cultivation world of Huainan and Jiangnan, causing countless demons and monsters to tremble and flee in panic at the mere mention of Wang Wen or the name of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion.

……

Just as the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion and the three major water mansions were simultaneously carrying out a bloody purge.

The three sects of Fulu also agreed on the details of the "Luotian Grand Ritual", and the high-ranking priests of the three sects went to Huangshan respectively.

Meanwhile, Zhao Dadan's troops, heading south to Hangzhou, were finally about to arrive after more than ten days of arduous water travel... (End of Chapter)