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Chapter 523 Flourishing
Yizhou has always been known for its mountainous terrain and poisonous miasma.

Although it's not some remote, secluded paradise, there aren't many people living there either. They're mostly concentrated around a few sects. In places like this mountain forest, it's indeed quite rare to see any human presence.

And now, two people are walking on the narrow animal trail.

Or perhaps, only one of them is a person.

Zhou You slowly trudged through the mud—this animal trail, though called a trail, was actually just a narrow path trodden out by wild animals in the mountains, completely incomparable to a properly paved road. In addition, it had rained yesterday, making the entire trail like a muddy swamp.

If he's like this, then there's no need to say more about the other one.

The guy was walking unsteadily, as if he had been given a slow, deliberate gait. He would dart east and west, never walking in a straight line, and would occasionally stumble and fall in the mud.

Seeing this, Zhou You frowned and said.

"Hey you, we're almost at the True Lord's cave, are you sure you can handle it?"

The crooked-looking man—that is, Chu Cheng—touched his bald head and laughed.

"Brother Zhou, don't rush me. So many days have passed, I'm almost used to it. Look, at least I know that hands are hands and feet are feet, right?"

Hearing this explanation, Zhou You was still not at ease.

To prevent the thin thread from spreading, he had to cut off Chu Cheng's head, and naturally lost his body as well. But the guy's self-healing ability was still there, so he found another one among the corpses scattered all over the ground and reattached his head.

Unfortunately, perhaps due to a mismatch in body type, even though he was pregnant, Chu Cheng was still like an oddball, stumbling and falling along the way, until today when he finally started to feel a little better.

However, he didn't say anything more and just walked on silently.

Instead of remaining silent, Chu Cheng couldn't help but speak first.

"Hey Zhou, can't you be a little nicer to me? What's our relationship like? Right, we've been through thick and thin together, haven't we?"

Seeing that Zhou You did not answer, he continued to ramble on.

"Fine, I know you want to kill me, after all, I committed such a great massacre. But the problem is, I was being manipulated at the time, and I couldn't resist. Besides, you have to understand, we bandits also have professional ethics. We're just in it for the money. Who would do something like this, making enemies and not getting much profit?"

However, at this moment, Zhou You finally spoke up.

It's still those two simple and clear words.

"Shut up."

Chu Cheng could only shut his mouth.

The two walked slowly into the depths of the mountains and forests—but before they knew it, the autumn colors around them had disappeared, replaced by the verdant greenery that belonged only to the height of summer.

Trees, vegetation, and even grass that we usually overlook are growing vigorously and lushly. The animal trails have been completely covered, and all that can be seen is a magnificent forest where everything is thriving.

Zhou You glanced at Chu Cheng.

"Brother Chu, it seems we've finally found a way out."

Chu Cheng opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to protest, but seeing the other person's movement as he touched the hilt of the sword, and looking at his own thin arms and legs, he could only sigh in the end, draw the long sword from his waist, and then slowly cut down the branches, carving out a path.

Zhou You, on the other hand, carefully observed his surroundings.

Aside from being a bit too lush, there doesn't seem to be any problem.

Even the vegetation in the woodlands has improved considerably.

The heavy fruit hung overhead, even bending the branches. If Ma Long were here, he would definitely think it was a blessing from heaven—it meant that the land was fertile, the harvest was good, and after deducting those exorbitant taxes, the whole village could still have a prosperous year.

just
Zhou You shook his head and picked a fruit.

I took a sniff, and instead of the fresh fragrance that wild fruits should have, there was a faint, foul smell.

So he shook his head.

"They're ripe, but..."

He tossed the fruit into the air, then swung his sword to strike.

The enormous fruit instantly split in two.

But what burst out of it was not juice, but a rotten, sticky slurry that was definitely not for the faint of heart.

And it's more than that.

In the instant it exploded, dozens of insects of various shapes, but all equally plump and white, flew out. Whether by coincidence or not, several of them flew directly towards Zhou You's face.

However, while it was in mid-air, it was swept up by the silver light and completely split into several pieces.

Finally, with one stomp, it crushed the one that was still struggling.

Zhou You put away his weapon, then turned his head to look at Chu Cheng.

Could you explain that?

Chu Cheng touched his bald head and smiled helplessly.

"I don't know the principle behind it either. I only know that where True Lord Donghua is, all the vegetation grows like crazy, and he doesn't allow anyone to touch it. Otherwise, they'll either get a beating or be made into blood food and buried in the ground."

Zhou You didn't speak, but instead glanced at Chu Cheng.

Honestly, he still doesn't understand this guy's purpose.

Having finally escaped control, most ordinary people would try to run as far away as possible, but Chu Cheng did the opposite, insisting on staying close to Donghua Zhenjun no matter what.

revenge?

Judging from his attitude towards his own brothers, it doesn't seem like it.
Want to break free from control completely?
Given his body, which was forcibly connected to another body, he could live for another five or six years if left to do nothing, but once he was forced into a fight, he would probably only last a few days.

So what's the point anyway?
Zhou You just stared at Chu Cheng until the guy started to feel a little uncomfortable and awkwardly turned his head away with a laugh.

"Brother Zhou, what are you looking at?"

Zhou You shook his head, and then said.

"It's nothing, I was just wondering how much of what you said was true and how much was false, and whether we really should go to Hanshan Temple and kill that True Lord Donghua."

Upon hearing this, Chu Cheng immediately protested his injustice.

"No, Brother Zhou, I haven't hidden a word from you, I'm telling you the truth—you asked when you passed through town before, and this True Lord Donghua is blocking the way to Hanshan Temple. If you don't kill him, you'll have to take another ten days or so of travel time. And although I don't know, what are you planning to do here, Brother? You made an enemy of the True Lord in the village before, what if you get stabbed in the back at a crucial moment? It's not worth it, is it?"

Zhou You glanced at it, but neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply shook off the remains of the fruit and continued walking into the woods.

—I don’t know how much time has passed.

After struggling to climb over yet another earthen slope, we finally saw the plains again.

It's not very big, though.

However, it looks quite nice. The grass is lush and the birds are singing, and hundreds of butterflies are dancing among the flowers. Under the sunlight, it looks like a fairyland from a legend.

And in the midst of that sea of ​​flowers, there was a mountain stronghold—unfortunately, compared to the surrounding scenery, this place appeared much cruder, with its buildings and layout all in a mess, looking at it at first glance like a bandit's den.
Wait, no, this place is a bandit's den. Zhou You had good eyesight and spotted a plaque that read "Qingniu Village" from afar—the characters on it were crooked and messy—then he glanced sideways at Chu Cheng.

This person rubbed his hands together and chuckled awkwardly.

"You flatter me. The third leader of the village is the only one who has read a little, but only a little. He wrote this plaque. It's a bit ugly, but at least it's readable, isn't it?"

Zhou You didn't dwell on that; instead, he pointed to the distance.

"That doesn't matter. The problem now is how to get in."

Chu Cheng immediately burst into laughter.

"What are you saying, Brother Zhou? Of course, you're going in."

"."

Zhou You sized up Chu Cheng, then said.

"Okay, I understand you mean to sneak in, and with your status you certainly could, but your abscess is all gone, won't you give yourself away if you just sneak in like this?"

Chu Cheng laughed.

"Don't worry about that, brother. I have a plan."

After saying that, he pressed one hand against his neck and put the thumb of his other hand into his mouth, then puffed out his cheeks and blew air out.

Strangely enough, even though there were no holes in his body, a transparent bubble suddenly appeared on his back as he inflated himself, and it just happened to blow up like that.

Then, he pulled out a bronze mirror from somewhere, looked at the bubble, and then took out a wad of treated stiff peach fuzz from his pocket. Frowning and enduring the pain, he stuck the fuzz in one by one.

Finally, he slapped his neck.

The peach fuzz mixed in with the accumulated fluid looked exactly the same as when it was parasitized, if you didn't look closely.

Zhou You, who was watching from the side, suddenly spoke up.

"Is this a transformation technique from a side stream?"

Chu Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.

"Brother Zhou is indeed knowledgeable. That's right, this is what I learned in the army. It's nothing special, but it's enough to fool these idiots."

He didn't say anything more after that, but led Zhou You toward the gate of the village.

There was no one standing guard at the door, only two puddles resembling flesh and blood, neatly pasted on either side of the door.

Chu Cheng tilted his head slightly and said in a low voice.

"Although Donghua Zhenjun occupied this house, we are not the only ones under his command. After he came out, he also took in several bandits. However, those of us who are good at judging people are ultimately a minority. Many people have angered Zhenjun and were turned into various objects by him. This gatekeeper is one of them."

After saying that, he got up, walked forward, and knocked on the door frame.

The flesh on it writhed, and several buds sprouted out from it as if they were sprouting—and after they bloomed, they became several miniature heads.

Chu Cheng coughed lightly, struck a boss-like pose, and then spoke.

"Why is the response so slow today? Never mind, I'm back. Where is the True Lord? What is he doing?"

Except for the mouth, all the holes in the head were sewn shut with fine thread. However, for some reason, it seemed to still be able to sense the living things around it. After a while, it slowly opened its mouth.

"Tomorrow is the opening ceremony of the sect. The True Lord is resting and recuperating in preparation. Where are the rest of your team? Why did you come back alone?"

Chu Cheng didn't reveal any flaws, but said with extreme impatience.

“There were two heavy rainstorms a few days ago, making the roads very difficult to travel. And blood offerings are not very durable, so I had those kids carry the things and take a detour, while I rushed over to report to the True Lord.”

The head nodded, but still didn't let them through; instead, it peered out again.

"And what about the one next to you? He looks unfamiliar. Who is he?"

Unexpectedly, Chu Cheng was stunned for a moment when faced with this question, and then cursed directly.

"Are you blind? The True Lord's Grand Ceremony has invited many guests, and this is one of them. He is the nameless True Man known as the Blood Butcher in Qingzhou. The True Lord sent him a personal invitation. Can you afford to take responsibility if he delays the True Lord's good deed?"

Blood Butcher? Me?

Seeing Zhou You frown, Chu Cheng nudged him, seemingly casually turning his head to give him a very low whispered instruction.

"Blood Butcher is a real person. He cultivates a technique that uses human lives to nourish his vital energy, so he looks very young, which matches you quite well, brother. The True Lord did invite him, but we brothers found it troublesome and didn't send out the invitation. It just so happened that you were invited."

Zhou You nodded and said nothing more.

The head seemed hesitant, but Chu Cheng had already spoken sternly.

"Hurry up and open the door! Do you want to be punished by the True Lord again and have to work in the latrine from now on?"

This statement finally hit the nail on the head. Thinking about the fate of his colleagues, his head ultimately manipulated his own flesh and blood to open the gate.

At the same time, Zhou You also prepared to meet the enemy.

Although Chu Cheng's life was in his own hands, if he was truly loyal, or if he wanted revenge, then now was the best time to lure and kill him.

Otherwise.

Nothing happens.

The two walked in casually, without any sign of an ambush.

Instead, there were many more people inside, including many bandits like Chu Cheng with huge swollen bumps on their heads, but there were also all sorts of strange-looking 'beings'.

So these are the so-called guests?
Chu Cheng seemed to know some of them well, greeting them with a smile, and then subtly pulled Zhou You away, intending to take him to a more secluded place.

Otherwise.

Unexpectedly, at this very moment, an unexpected event occurred.

Suddenly, a commotion arose in the distance, and the crowd began to gather in that direction.

With everyone watching, it was inconvenient for Chu Cheng to run away—especially as the head of the household—so he could only go with the flow and walk in that direction with Zhou You.

Upon arrival, they discovered that it was just two guests arguing.

One of them was emaciated and still wore a thick cloak even in the sweltering heat. It was unclear what kind of creature it was, as several purplish-blue arms could be seen dragging out from it—it certainly didn't look like a living thing.

And the other one.
Zhou You was taken aback.

He was a Taoist priest.

—The dead Taoist priest.

To be more precise, he was a Taoist priest who had been dead for a long time and looked like a zombie.

(End of this chapter)