Monster

[The monster from Puhai stood on the walls of Jinling City]

Accompanying comic: A green-faced, fanged monster eating people stood on the city wall, surrounded by Qing soldiers bravely firing back. A little further away were the Emperor's imperial carriage and the guns of the foreign powers, as if an arrow shower could be unleashed at any moment to shoot the monster dead on the spot.

This was the front-page headline of many newspapers in the north.

It was also a hot topic across the Star Han today.

Such exaggerated journalism, such horrifying stories, such explosive news – newspapers in major cities sold out instantly upon release.

In contrast.

The Martial Artist group had just gotten started. The popular science articles about Innate Qi, psionic energy, and technology were boring and too dangerous. While their distribution was smooth within their own territories, any attempt to send them north was immediately met with a double ban by both the imperial court and foreigners.

They denounced them as seditious, heretical texts that incited chaos.

"Innate Qi," "psionic energy" – it was all fake.

The foreigners' strong ships and sharp cannons were real.

Descriptions of psionic energy were met with the strictest attitude, forcibly erased. The very words "psionic energy" were forbidden, with collective punishment for any discovery. Erasing all traces of psionic energy and then disseminating the revised descriptions of Martial Artist cultivation could indeed achieve a very effective deception.

At least for a short while.

As the psionic radiation spreading from the south couldn't reach the north, this crudely woven lie could continue until the Martial Artists arrived with sinister smiles.

This kind of self-imposed isolation.

It was truly breathtaking. Even Lan Yi couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle upon hearing the news.

"As expected, no matter the world or the era, when psionic cultivators appear, there are always these ignorant clowns spouting nonsense and doing absurd things, thinking their shells offer comfort and safety."

Lan Yi was extremely happy.

He had seen this kind of play more than once, and he never tired of it. There were always fools finding new ways to court death based on local conditions. "Ancestral laws cannot be changed," they cried, but when the Martial Artists' fists shattered their smug smiles, these seemingly conservative and rigid things were often the first to kneel.

And once they knelt, they would completely deny everything they had previously proclaimed, wishing they could wag their tails and accept everything.

"Immortal Master! These people are showing you great disrespect, they deserve death! Annihilation of their clans!" Zhao Sikong, usually calm, was filled with murderous intent. He genuinely cared about Immortal Master Lan Yi's reputation.

Seeing Lan Yi holding the newspaper nonchalantly.

Zhao Sikong wished he could act on his own, head north alone, and cleanse the ants in the major cities who were speaking so presumptuously and disrespecting the Immortal Master!

"Why are you in such a hurry? I'm not in a hurry. If verbal attacks were effective, they would have cursed me to death long ago."

Lan Yi appeared very Zen.

To be honest, he didn't feel much when reading the newspapers circulating in the north.

Their insults were so literary.

And they dared to call themselves critics?

This level of online trolling wouldn't even protect their own parents on the Star Han's internet in the main world, let alone their own behinds. Compared to the cyberbullying he had endured, the overwhelming malice, the constant harassing phone calls, the fabrications, the distortions of facts, the insults that disregarded facts – this was child's play.

Speaking of which.

It wasn't surprising that after Lan Yi returned to the main world.

Without a word of nonsense, he took advantage of the immense chaos sweeping the world to go on a killing spree. At that time, the honest man had been pushed to his absolute limit. He didn't care about any dog breed's life; it was just about killing. Lan Yi was very happy then, feeling the joy of being reborn.

What made him even happier.

He was reborn, and this good thing was going to happen again!

"Alright, stop nagging at me like a resentful woman. The more joy they get from scolding now, the more pain they'll feel when settling the score later. This newspaper, keep it for me. When we get to Yanjing, it might even make a good Immortal Master joke."

Lan Yi signaled Zhao Sikong to step down.

Zhao Sikong clearly had more to say, but facing Lan Yi's command, he chose to obey.

Since the Immortal Master said they would settle the score later, he would choose to settle it later.

Compared to the pigs, dogs, and white devils further north who deserved to die, Zhao Sikong now had more important matters to attend to.

The day after the Punishment Fleet was annihilated.

Lan Yi had already brought the Spirit Cultivation Practitioners Shadow Heavenly General and Fierce Heavenly General, numerous accompanying reporters, several party members like Chen Qimei, and a contingent of three hundred Qi Cultivation Practitioners armed with guns, and headed north.

His first stop was Jinling.

Jinling, the ancient capital of six dynasties.

This place was truly blessed with talented people and auspicious energy, a treasure trove of feng shui. Although it lacked the bold and rugged spirit of the north, the gentle charm along the Qinhuai River was exceptionally intoxicating.

Such an important strategic location.

The imperial court naturally had heavy troops guarding it, with ministers in residence.

This minister was unfortunately already in the hands of the Martial Artist group, namely the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Zhang Ji. Although the Governor-General of Liangjiang had been captured, the heavy troops guarding this place still had one leader: the Jiangsu Governor and Nanyang Commander Liu Bian, who had been rapidly promoted to clean up the mess. He held the second-rank official position, overseeing both military and political affairs, making him a heavyweight minister.

It also reflected the imperial court's "fire sale" of official positions.

Liu Bian was indeed loyal to the Qing court.

Upon learning that Lan Yi had dealt with the Punishment Fleet and was preparing to head north, this Han minister immediately wailed facing north. He had heard how Lan Yi had dealt with the Punishment Fleet in the Yellow Sea and knew that his several thousand new recruits, with only a few cannons, could not possibly stop the man-eating monster from Puhai.

Since a defensive stand was impossible, he decided to try a softer approach.

This Governor-General did two things.

The first was to send people with explosives to the railway, the path Lan Yi would take, preparing to do something big and attempt to blow up the marked demon daoist Lan Yi and his cronies.

The second was to order the city gates opened, withdraw all guards, and put on a show to await the arrival of Immortal Master Lan Yi, preparing a feigned surrender and a Hongmen Banquet.

Clearly, this Lord Liu had not read the newspapers from the rebellious southern faction.

He hadn't seen the reports from Madam Philia about how Lan Yi had endured all sorts of attacks that day.

The ambush explosives failed to detonate.

They were dealt with by Liu Baiyuan and Guo Decheng, two Martial Artists at the peak of Qi Cultivation, who had sensed something was wrong beforehand. Along with them, a squad of assassins of unknown identity but with obvious training marks was also handled.

Although these two Martial Artists were still in Qi Cultivation, their skills were considerable.

One possessed the ability of "Shooting Sound," with extremely sharp senses. The other was proficient in various assassination techniques, preemptively seeing through many of the tricks of the demons for Lan Yi.

The Hongmen Banquet was when Xiang Yu invited Liu Bang.

Clearly, Lord Liu lacked King Xiang's strength and a reliable army. And Lan Yi, who happily accepted the invitation, employed methods that directly exceeded the imagination of this loyalist of the Qing Dynasty.

After Lan Yi consumed the poisoned food and drink.

Liu Bian, tears and snot streaming down his face in excitement, stopped pretending and laid all his cards on the table!