Scourge Messenger

Chapter 323 King Ying Su of Changshan

If time could be reversed, Luo Jing and Wei Weiwei would never have come to the Demon Gathering Land again in their lives.

The Bone Scrolls Square has now become the temporary base of the Momobu Guard. All the demons around the square have been eliminated. Even a seven-demon squad with all members at fourth-tier combat power would be instantly melted by the two hundred Momobu Guards. This is the most terrifying aspect of the Momobu Guards; with the right terrain and the right tactics, the burst damage they inflict can far exceed that of fourth-tier members.

Of course, this is on the premise of dealing with demons, who cannot escape or defend themselves, or being able to restrict their movement range. Otherwise, Murong Hui and Ying Rushi are the best examples. As long as they have some ability to move, they can easily get rid of the Baibao Guard's killing trap.

A commander of the Hundred Guard sat on a bench in the square, his back slightly bent and his hands on his thighs. Although he still looked a little stiff, he was undoubtedly the most 'human' compared to the Hundred Guards around him who stood like tombstones.

Before him lay a spear, through which the corpse of 'Chu Yaksha' Chu Lin was impaled. Blood flowed down the spear, like blood being drawn from a pig.

After Bai Baojin took over this area, Luo Jing, Wei Weiwei, and Chu Lin took the initiative to come and pay their respects.

Some might wonder why they would dare to pay homage to the bloodthirsty Momobu Imperial Guards, like a chicken seeking a weasel's New Year's greeting. But aside from the most brutal "kill anyone you see" order, most of the time, as long as you don't stand in their way, the Momobu Imperial Guards won't bother with you.

Ying Le frequently dispatches the Baibao Guard squads on missions. If anyone tries to obstruct them, well, unless your family also has a Foundation Establishment ancestor in charge, you'll have to wait for Ying Le to personally come to your door to offer assistance. Once, a military town burned down a Baibao Guard squad, reporting it as an accidental fire. Then, Ying Le set fire to the town, burning down over 100,000 people for seven days and seven nights until it was all white. In contrast, if someone helps the Baibao Guards along the way, Ying Le will also generously give them money. For example, if a farmer saved an injured Baibao Guard, Ying Le would wave his hand and promote the farmer to a third-tier messenger.

Whether Ying Le was the most tyrannical emperor of Qi is debatable, but she was certainly the most generous. In a sense, she was essentially working for her subjects, because she didn't need the resources Qi offered; instead, she frequently rewarded them with Foundation Establishment resources.

Therefore, the Qi envoy's feelings towards Ying Le were very complex, a mixture of awe and cautious flattery. Among the three kingdoms of the Central Plains, Ying Le was the most approachable Foundation Establishment cultivator. Other Foundation Establishment cultivators never ventured into the mortal world as deeply as she did. The resources she casually bestowed could easily allow mortals to break through the ceiling of their lifetime.

Following Ying Le is an extremely dangerous option, but it's the only one that exists. If you were born in the Zhou or Liang kingdoms, you wouldn't even have this opportunity.

People like Luo Jing had similar thoughts, which is why they took the initiative to come and assist the Baibao Guards' operation. However, they never expected that the Baibao Commander would kill Chu Lin as soon as they met.

As seasoned, three-tiered messengers like Luo Jing and Wei Weiwei were local tyrants in their respective military towns, but at this moment they were terrified. They thought the Baibao Guards were about to unleash a massacre, yet they had willingly stepped into the Baibao Guards' encirclement. Not to mention resisting, they didn't even have the courage to run away. Their hands and feet were cold and their limbs were weak, so they stood there waiting to die.

After an unknown amount of time, Commander Baibao finally made a move.

He unbuttoned his mask, slowly removed his helmet, revealing cascading black hair and an androgynous face with deep, dark eyes that betrayed no emotion.

If what they felt before was terror, now Luo Jing and Wei Weiwei felt utter despair. They had seen this face before; it was the supreme authority that could break the spine of the Qi Kingdom's messenger, the sun, moon, and stars that bestowed grace and judgment!

But how could that be? How could she possibly enter the Demon Gathering Land? Could it be that the rumors about the Demon Gathering Land restricting Foundation Establishment messengers are false? But if she took action herself, why did she let Prince Lanling escape just now?

As Luo Jing suddenly recalled a rumor, he cautiously asked, "The King of Changshan?"

"It's surprising that someone still remembers this name." Commander Baibao's words were devoid of any emotion: "But I am no longer the King of Changshan. You may simply call me by my name, Ying Su."

"Greetings, Prince Su!" Luo Jing immediately knelt down to greet him respectfully, and Wei Weiwei quickly followed suit.

"You need not panic. I killed Chu Lin for a reason." Ying Su said slowly, "Chu Lin once did something very disrespectful to His Majesty. His Majesty was magnanimous and forgave him. But a subject should die for his sovereign's honor. As subjects, we should defend His Majesty's dignity. Do you all agree?"

"That's only right!" Luo Jing and Wei Wei said in unison.

"Tell me what you know."

Luo Jing and Wei Wei exchanged a glance, pondered for a moment, then pointed to the skeletal documents behind them and briefly introduced the bandaged man, the Foundation Establishment Pill, and other related matters. They then said, "If we're not mistaken, the one who just rescued Prince Lanling was Murong Hui, the head of the Murong family, and the bandaged man who appeared on the skeletal documents. Although we don't know how the bandaged man managed to appear on the skeletal documents, if we can capture him, we might be able to find out how the Demon Gathering Land rewards Foundation Establishment Pills!"

As he spoke, even Luo Jing's voice trembled.

A way to reliably obtain Foundation Establishment Pills sounds exciting, but a little deeper thought reveals how terrifying this vortex is. Not to mention getting involved, even knowing about it is enough to get them silenced!
This is why they took the initiative to visit. Under Ying Le's rule, caution and self-preservation had long been the instinct of Qi's messengers. Anyone who harbored any illusions would have been exterminated along with their entire family in the past ten years.

As Luo Jing had been secretly observing Ying Su, despite the fact that it concerned the Foundation Establishment Pill, Ying Su's face remained completely unmoved, showing no greed or excitement. He seemed to have removed his mask, yet it was as if he had always been wearing one. Ying Su raised two fingers: "I'll give you two choices. First, take everyone and leave the Demon Gathering Land. If it's not time to leave yet, stay put in the houses near the entrance. If you venture out on your own, you'll be responsible for your own lives."

"I choose the second one!" Luo Jing said immediately. Wei Wei hesitated for a moment, but did not object.

"Alright." Ying Su said, "Leave a rough map and mark the area where the Prince of Lanling and the other two might stay. You can also gather people to search for them, but the Prince of Lanling, the head of the Murong family, and the bandaged man must be captured alive. The Imperial Guards will not show any mercy if they encounter you, but I will report all your achievements to His Majesty truthfully. Do you have any objections?"

"none!"

As Luo Jing and Wei Wei took their leave, upon returning to their stronghold from the ranks of the Hundred Guards, they instinctively reached out and grabbed each other, their legs nearly giving way to their knees. They hadn't known each other well before, and even had some disagreements due to conflicts in their family businesses. However, after witnessing Chu Lin's assassination before their eyes, and then taking on a mission related to the Foundation Establishment Pill together, where a slight misstep could have resulted in their immediate deaths, they couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at escaping death. Their relationship naturally grew closer quickly.

"Are you really sure?" Wei Wei asked. "The Prince of Lanling and the bandaged man don't matter, but Murong Hui has the Purple Tribulation True Person behind her. Even if we capture her, she can definitely go home safely. If she holds a grudge..."

"We're just helping to find their trail, not capturing them ourselves—besides, we don't have that kind of power," Luo Jing said calmly. "I know Murong Hui's temperament. Even if she holds a grudge against us, the worst she can do is kill us. Compared to His Majesty's reward, this risk is nothing. As long as we stay in Nevernight City, His Majesty will protect us."

Wei Weiwei recalled the information about Murong Hui and nodded slightly: "That's right, she's a good person."

The key reason why Luo Jing was able to choose to help the Hundred Guards without hesitation was that Murong Hui was a good person. Compared to the violent and cruel Ying Le, the cost of offending Murong Hui was very low, but the benefits of dealing with Murong Hui were enormous. If they could really help Ying Le obtain a stable source of Foundation Establishment Pills, it wouldn't be surprising if Ying Le rewarded them with Foundation Establishment Pills.

This isn't about bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Murong Hui isn't a foolishly kind person who wouldn't retaliate against murder. As the granddaughter of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, how good could her temper be? It's just that compared to Ying Le, Murong Hui's moral standards immediately stand out.

"Who is Prince Ying Su of Changshan?" Wei Wei asked curiously. "I've never heard of this member of the imperial clan before."

“It’s normal that you haven’t heard of him. If my family didn’t have some connections with the palace, I wouldn’t know either.” Luo Jing considered for a moment and said, “Ying Su is His Majesty’s younger brother.”

"What!?"

“Ying Su is nine years younger than His Majesty. When His Majesty began to rise to fame, he had not yet been transferred to another post and had been living in the deep palace for a long time.”

"Why would such a member of the imperial family disappear without a trace, and even remain in the Imperial Guard?" Wei Wei asked incredulously, "Does His Majesty truly have no regard for family ties at all?"

The powerful clans of the North were no strangers to the Momobu Guards. Although the Momobu Guards were renowned throughout the three kingdoms, in return, their minds and bodies were completely controlled by Ying Le. At Ying Le's command, they would completely lose their sense of self. They were less like people and more like weapons that occasionally possessed self-awareness.

Unless driven to desperation, no one would choose to become a member of the Hundred Guards if given any other option. If you lose your sense of self, what's the difference between that and death? What kind of sister would strip her brother of everything?
"Hey, don't you fucking splatter blood all over me." Luo Jing looked around in a panic, pulled Wei Weiwei to a corner and whispered, "I just heard that if you don't want your whole family to be implicated, you can tell others... When the late emperor passed away, he actually hoped that the Prince of Changshan would succeed him."

Wei Wei was slightly puzzled. "What's wrong? His Majesty was a Foundation Establishment seed back then, so there's nothing wrong with this decision, right?"

The throne is important, but it pales in comparison to Foundation Establishment. What if passing the throne to Ying Le causes her cultivation to be delayed by state affairs? That would be putting the cart before the horse.

"Don't rush, this is just the last thing that happened." As Luo Jing recounted the story, it seemed he had long been eager to share this palace secret: "Before this, two other things happened. First, the Prince of Changshan never married or took a concubine, and for this he repeatedly opposed the late emperor; second, many young talents hoped to marry the princess, and even I had fantasies, after all, His Majesty back then... However, the Prince of Changshan opposed it very vehemently, and even used kerosene to drive his suitors out of the Nevernight City. By the way, Chu Lin was one of his suitors back then."

Wei Weiwei was stunned: "You mean—"

"I didn't say anything." Ru Luojing quickly shook his head: "Hurry up and gather everyone to draw a map, the King of Changshan is waiting for it."

In the Bone Script Plaza, Ying Su sat on a bench, pulling a golden key from around his neck. He gripped the key tightly against his chest, his lips twitching slightly, like a thousand-year-old stone statue trying to break free of its seal.

"If I can reach the Foundation Establishment stage, will I be able to feel your pain?"

"elder sister……"

(End of this chapter)