"Lord Net?"
King of Yue closed the book, his eyes thoughtful.
"Precisely. In the year since this student went to the Imperial Capital, the matter of the Eight Beauties of Jianghuai has caused a tremendous stir throughout Southern Zhili. I made inquiries along the road here and found that Ning Jiang Prefecture has similar rumors. Elder Southern Frog also glimpsed a few mysteries in the Eastern Region. Thinking of Lord Net, the Snake Clan's fourth great general, I came to ask Teacher about the giant snakes and get to the bottom of it, lest something unexpected happen."
Liang Qu laid out the reasons piece by piece.
"I have indeed heard of the Eight Beauties of Jianghuai, but I never sensed anything amiss. I merely assumed it was something idlers in a prosperous age had stirred up. There are countless similar rumors in the world; there always has to be a beginning. Hearing you put it this way, it does seem as though someone is fanning the flames from behind."
"My lord, could this also be the Ghost Mother Sect's doing?" Steward Zhang Xu spoke up.
Liang Qu frowned. "The Ghost Mother Sect again?"
"A baseless guess." Zhang Xu cupped his hands. "Since the beginning of last year, demon cultists have often preached in Ning Jiang Prefecture, spreading that Vacuum Hometown doctrine of the Ghost Mother Sect. The Pingyang River Conservancy Office sent quite a few experts to investigate. Those who should be arrested were arrested, and those who should be killed were killed, yet the source has not been found to this day. We have only managed to contain it.
"Besides, water and land do not connect, and humans and demons differ greatly in appearance. To quietly influence matters on land from the water, there are very few forces capable