According to Zhao Gou, the practice of Zhege Caisheng is not an organization, a sect, or a power, but rather a collective term for numerous practitioners of evil arts and sorcery.
Within it, there are various factions, each independent and often in conflict with one another.
However, its largest gathering place and influence lie in the underground drainage system of Dongjing Bianliang, specifically in two organizations: Gui Fan Lou and Wuyou Dong!
“... Since our dynasty established itself, we have been hunting down and exterminating the three evils of the world, namely, shadow puppetry, witchcraft, and Zhege Caisheng.”
When Zhao Gou spoke of serious matters, he truly appeared to be a person of substance.
Regardless of anything else, he was a prince; even if he was not the crown prince, royal education was indispensable.
He was well-versed in the arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and understood the political landscape of the court.
Although he rarely had the opportunity to showcase his knowledge, when he spoke of these matters, he did so with clarity.
Zhao Gou continued, “There are only two real forces in this world: one is the strange and eerie Yin spirits, and the other is the blood courage and murderous aura. Our Great Song naturally masters the blood courage and murderous aura, gathering many to specifically combat the evil and strange. In battle formations, whether you have ten years of cultivation or fifty years, as long as you do not exceed one hundred years of cultivation to trigger the first qualitative change, wherever we go, there is no one who can rival us.”
Wu Qifu asked in a deep voice, “The first qualitative change?”
Zhao Gou realized, “Ah, yes, the three of you are descendants of immortals, so you are not subject to this limitation... The suffering of the mortal world is great, and mortals also suffer. The three of you have lived in the Penglai Immortal Realm for generations, so you naturally do not know this pain.”
“After a person dies, they possess a soul, which carries obsessions, whether good or evil. Once the body dies, the obsessions of the soul can become distorted. If the obsession is too strong, it can transform into a zombie or a ghost, which are the lonely souls and wild spirits of the world.”
“Ghosts, after death, transform into Lian, which is the source of the birth of Yin and ghost lands.”
“Lian, after death, transforms into Xi, and Xi, after death, transforms into Yi, and Yi, after death, transforms into Wei. These Xi, Yi, and Wei are all powers of the Yin attribute, the foundation of all law cultivation in the world.
Whether from the three teachings or the nine streams, all must connect their own soul and intent to the Yin attribute to cast spells. They must also contain the Yin attribute to cultivate and enhance their own magical power.
Without righteous and benevolent laws, one will be influenced by the Yin attribute, and over time, as evil thoughts grow stronger and righteous thoughts weaken, one will inevitably transform into a stream of evil demons.”
Wu Qifu and the others listened attentively.
When Wu Qifu heard this, he frowned and asked, “Is it all like this? What about the righteous sects like Daoism and Buddhism?”
Zhao Gou smiled bitterly and said, “It is all like this. The three teachings are like this, the nine streams are like this, and the heterodox paths, demons, and ghosts are also like this. However, the three teachings have righteous and benevolent laws, so they can mitigate the influence of absorbing Yin attribute power.
The nine streams, although lacking righteous and benevolent laws, still have some methods to alleviate the influence. But the heterodox paths, demons, and ghosts have no such methods, or rather, they believe that this influence can actually enhance the power of their spells and sorcery, so they are instead quite pleased with it.”
Wu Qifu roughly understood that the three teachings referred to Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, but he was not very clear about the nine streams.
However, he could tell that the heterodox paths and demons were clearly bad.
Zhao Gou continued, “It is precisely because of this that, aside from the three teachings, the court will only confer titles to righteous gods and beliefs. If there are no great evildoers among the nine streams, and if they have contributed to the people and can protect a region, the court will also recognize them.
However, other things have been continuously exterminated since our dynasty established itself. Alas, the power of the world is such; for every one exterminated, ten will emerge. For every ten exterminated, a hundred will appear...
The suffering of the mortal world is great, and the people suffer.”
Wu Qifu and the others watched Zhao Gou perform, all three silently sipping tea and watching the show.
After Zhao Gou finished speaking, he surprisingly did not feel embarrassed, only smiling as he said, “So if the three immortal descendants can exterminate Gui Fan Lou and Wuyou Dong located underground in Bianliang, it would undoubtedly benefit the common people. I thank the three on behalf of the world’s populace.”
Is that all?
Wu Qifu and the others were all pondering in their hearts.
After talking for so long, he had not explained why there was a major headquarters of Zhege Caisheng beneath the capital of the Zhao Song dynasty in Bianliang.
However, Wu Qifu and the others could imagine the reason, likely due to official compromise, some interests, or collusion between officials and private entities.
Naturally, Zhao Gou would not openly declare it.
At that moment, several officials appeared from outside the hall, and then the housekeeper of the Wang residence approached and whispered a few words in Zhao Gou's ear.
Zhao Gou smiled at the three and said, “The underground survey maps collected by the Ministry of Works over the years have arrived. Would you like to see them now?”
The three naturally nodded.
Soon, several officials entered the hall.
Upon seeing the three, they were momentarily taken aback, then their faces naturally revealed flattering smiles.
They first bowed to Zhao Gou, then to the three.
Immortal descendants, the National Master of the Great Song—such identities were not something these minor officials could overlook.
Before long, dozens of maps were laid out on the round table in the hall.
Wu Qifu and Xu Shilan immediately gave way to Yamada, allowing her to lean over the paper to examine it closely.
“How strange...”
After Yamada glanced over a few maps, she pointed to several of them and asked, “Why do these maps clearly depict the same area, yet the internal structures are completely different?”
There was no need for the anxious officials to answer; Zhao Gou spoke first, “This is also why we have been unable to exterminate Gui Fan Lou and Wuyou Dong. The underground structure, rooms, caves, and layouts are constantly changing. This is because the long-term existence of Zhege Caisheng has transformed this place into a Yin land, even crossing into the realm of the dead. The blood courage and murderous aura within are greatly suppressed and negated. Even the National Fortune Golden Dragon can only limit its spread, merely able to suppress it underground.”
This left Wu Qifu and the others stunned.
They had not expected that the reason the Zhao Song court had not suppressed it was this.
The expressions of the three immediately grew serious.
Xu Shilan used lip language to say two words to Wu Qifu.
Nightmare!
Wu Qifu nodded slightly and said to Zhao Gou, “Today, we have been graciously hosted by King Kang and have received information about the location of this evil. We are truly grateful. It is already late, and it is inconvenient to disturb you further. We must return to discuss our plans for slaying demons and eliminating evil. We take our leave.”
Zhao Gou solemnly clasped his fists and said, “You three must be cautious. Although Zhege Caisheng consists of some lowly evil arts, they are indeed extremely vicious. A moment's carelessness could lead you astray. Although you three are descendants of immortals and surely possess magical artifacts bestowed by your elders, you are here to experience the mortal world, so you must be extra careful.”
The three took their leave, and on the way back, they began discussing their next course of action in the carriage.
“Exploration is certainly necessary, but we don’t need to rush into it immediately.”
Xu Shilan spoke first, “We have five years to kill Guo Jing. What we need is to grow, grow, and grow. We have laid a solid foundation in this dream world, but we are still too weak, and our mastery of our skills is insufficient. Therefore, I do not recommend going to the underground of Bianliang anytime soon; it is too risky.”
Wu Qifu remained silent, but Yamada asked, “So what is your plan?”
Xu Shilan had nothing to hide: “Continue to maintain our current routine and practice our skills diligently. My shadow puppetry, your iron refining record, and Wu Xiaodi’s national martial arts and human-immortal martial arts. After five days, we will return to Gaia, and then we will explore the dream world at baseline reality 0.8, establishing a sanctuary.
Given our strength, the 0.9 world would waste our sanctuary quota, while the 0.7 world is too dangerous. Therefore, our best choice is actually to establish another sanctuary in the 0.8 dream world to enhance our strength and foundation, and then we will decide based on the situation.”
Yamada fell silent, and both turned to look at Wu Qifu.
Wu Qifu was deep in thought.
After a moment, he said, “My thoughts differ. It is not about recklessly advancing, but rather, I fear that the tree wishes to be still, yet the wind does not cease.”
Xu Shilan and Yamada frowned, pondering.
Wu Qifu then said, “Consider this: Guo Jing and we are already in a life-and-death struggle. He faked his death to escape, and regardless of whether the emperor helped him or if his evil arts are at play, he will undoubtedly harbor resentment and will try every means to kill us, right?”
Yamada nodded, while Xu Shilan frowned and said, “He might also flee far away.”
Wu Qifu shook his head, “That is naturally the best scenario, but what if it is not? What if he truly wants to kill us?”
After a long contemplation, Xu Shilan also nodded, “Indeed, we cannot gamble on whether he will flee or retaliate. If we consider it from a fully cautious perspective, assuming the maximum danger, then what we need to guard against most is Guo Jing making a move in the shadows.”
“No.”
Wu Qifu shook his head, his expression grim, “Guo Jing himself is not the real concern. What I truly worry about is that Guo Jing might transform into a nightmare, or that the forces behind him might become a nightmare!”
Xu Shilan and Yamada were both puzzled.
Wu Qifu explained, “I do not know where nightmares come from, but I have indeed heard about them from my seniors and have encountered them myself. Ordinary grotesques or evils in certain dream worlds can rapidly grow stronger and evolve into nightmares after encountering us, the maintainers.”
“I worry that Guo Jing or the forces behind him might transform into nightmares and then ambush us in the remaining three days. At that time, I would be facing an open enemy while being attacked from the shadows, and we might very well be annihilated!”
Xu Shilan and Yamada both felt a chill in their hearts.
Suddenly, at that moment, Wu Qifu's expression changed.
He abruptly stood up from the carriage, stomped his foot, and broke through the top of the carriage, leaping at least three meters high, colliding with a shadow descending from the sky with a palm strike.
At the same time, an object fell from the shadow towards the carriage.
With a clash, Wu Qifu's expression changed, and he fell back into the carriage.
Xu Shilan and Yamada simultaneously looked up, only to see a human skin with eyes and eyebrows, revealing a strange and terrifying smile, drifting away in mid-air.
“Three days later, the Gui Fan Lou grand auction will open its doors to welcome guests. We cordially invite the three immortal descendants to arrive on time.”
A sinister and eerie voice echoed in the night sky, accompanied by faint moans, howls, cries, and... chilling laughter.
Wu Qifu landed back in the carriage.
He raised his hand to look, and faint black gas was corroding his flesh, causing his palm to redden slightly.
Xu Shilan and Yamada both looked at him.
He nodded to the two, then suddenly stomped his foot again, jumping out of the carriage to chase after the drifting human skin.
In the next moment, a faint silver light surged from Yamada, and she also jumped out of the carriage.
Although Xu Shilan remained seated, upon closer inspection, one could see that her shadow had already vanished.
“Since you have come...”
“Then do not leave!”
Wu Qifu shouted to the heavens, channeling his national martial arts and blood energy.
In just a second or two, he leaped more than four meters high, reaching out with one claw to grab at the human skin!
(End of Chapter)