State Preceptor Sun's Objective

State Preceptor Sun lowered his voice.

"—When the Coiling Dragon Wilderness became a dead zone once more and the Great Wind Army had reached the end of the road, Zhong Shengguang performed a blood sacrifice to the gods!"

He Lingchuan blurted out, "A sacrifice to the gods!"

Nian Songyu raised a finger to his lips and softly shushed him. "Keep it down. Talking carelessly about that can get your head chopped off."

He Chunhua's expression turned grave, and he likewise lowered his voice. "Since it was a sacrifice to the gods, it was naturally kept secret."

A sacrifice to the gods was a blood sacrifice offered to divine beings.

The Yuan Kingdom had written a ban on sacrifices to the gods into its national law. This was a fundamental law, and the punishment was severe. Once discovered, beheading was the lightest sentence; at worst, the entire clan would be executed, with no pardon even for dukes and ministers.

In truth, it was not only the Yuan Kingdom. Every nation in the world was much the same; the only difference lay in the severity of the penalties.

Of course, He Lingchuan had not forgotten that his own family had been beheaded because his grandfather had been falsely accused. The charge had been "sacrifice to the gods." Those two words were thorns in the hearts of every He family member.

Yet the so-called prohibition against sacrifices to the gods did not include worshipping the spirits of mountains, marshes, and waters; demons of the wild; Door Gods, Kitchen Gods, Gods of Wealth, or Gods of Fortune—such folk deities were too widespread. After all, people had an instinctive desire for promotion, wealth, health, and vigor. That could not be suppressed.

What the nations explicitly prohibited was secretly worshipping specific, concrete deities—the "evil gods" and "wicked gods" of official terminology.

For example, the charge that had sent He Lingchuan's relatives' heads tumbling to the ground was worshipping True Lord Tongming.

Here was the key point—whether something counted as a "sacrifice to the gods" depended chiefly on whether the ritual used living sacrifices, human sacrifices. If all one did was mutter a few words in one's heart or offer the god a few plates of roast chicken and cured fish, the state could not be bothered to care whom one worshipped.

"Which deity did Zhong Shengguang worship?"

"Mitian."

Sun Fuping immediately explained, "There was no honorific title, because the original text was simple: 'He bowed in worship, seeking relief from Mitian.' Xiluo also banned sacrifices to the gods. Zhong Shengguang had acted out of desperation, and I imagine He Jian would not have recorded the entire process in detail."

The name was far too unfamiliar. He Chunhua pondered. "Had the State Preceptor ever heard of this deity?"

"Never." Sun Fuping shook his head. "But Zhong Shengguang performed a blood sacrifice, and the offering was his own biological daughter!"

He Chunhua's face changed. "What?"

Zhong Shengguang truly was ruthless, offering even his own flesh and blood to a god.

He Lingchuan clicked his tongue inwardly. No wonder it was an evil god—it actually demanded human lives.

"Then what did this deity give in return?"

"The deity was greatly pleased and bestowed Great Square favor. With it, they met the enemy and killed one to cow a hundred." Sun Fuping spread his hands. "Those are all the words that can be made out. The rest has been damaged and cannot be read."

"It might as well have said nothing. If the god was so generous, what divine object did it grant them to repel the enemy?" He Lingchuan was dissatisfied. "You two came all this way—surely you have some leads?" This was no time to keep them in suspense.

He felt a faint sense of melancholy. No matter how valiant and formidable Zhong Shengguang had been, when human strength was exhausted and there was no power to turn the tide, he too had been unable to resist seeking the gods' aid.

Conversely, what means had the god possessed to let the Great Wind Army, trapped in a dead end, turn the tide against the wind and hold firm for another twenty years?

The boy knew nothing, yet dared disrespect the State Preceptor. Sun Fuping glanced at him. "He Jian's book alone revealed nothing, until not long ago, when the Grand Marshal found an ancient letter—a final letter handwritten by one of Zhong Shengguang's personal guards. Comparing these two ancient artifacts finally made the truth clear!"

As the He father and son focused their attention, the answer was finally revealed. "The treasure bestowed by the Mitian Deity was called 'Great Square'! Zhong Shengguang called it the 'Great Square Pot,' but it was actually the nest of the Mind-Beguiling Insect."

Mind-Beguiling Insect? He Lingchuan greatly admired whoever had named it. It was straightforward and easy to understand; anyone who heard it knew exactly what the insect could do.

But his own father promptly complicated the simple matter again. "Does this thing have another proper name—'Three-Corpse Insect'?"

"Correct, it is the Three-Corpse Insect." Nian Songyu smiled. "It is fundamentally formless and insubstantial, dwelling separately in the human head, abdomen, and feet, drawing forth evil delusions and oppressive agitation. Whether warrior or spellcaster, the first step toward attaining the Dao is to sever the Three Corpses and break attachments and delusions. But ordinary soldiers in an army have no way to deal with it. Used in battle, it becomes a great killing weapon."

"The bloody, fierce aura of an army is exceptionally strong, and it is protected by national fortune. It naturally restrains all kinds of spells and evil entities."

He Lingchuan did know that much.

Military camps never had ghosts. Moreover, large-scale spells and divine abilities found it difficult to take effect on the battlefield, unless the spellcaster or general wielding them was also strongly bolstered by the nation's fortune.

Ordinarily, only a State Preceptor could accomplish that—for instance, State Preceptor Sun before them.

Sun Fuping clapped his hands. "But the Three-Corpse Insect is something inherently possessed by humans. It is not repelled by blood aura or vital force, and can smoothly attach itself to the enemy, forcing them to obey its master, turn their weapons around, and attack their own side. It truly is a divine artifact!"

He Chunhua finally understood and let out a long breath. "In other words, you came for this divine object?"

"Precisely." Sun Fuping had finally explained everything. "It helped Zhong Shengguang defend the city back then; now it can help us repel the enemy. You need not worry that the Three-Corpse Insects in the nest have died. That thing needs neither breath nor food or drink."

He Lingchuan suddenly asked, "The Grand Marshal you mentioned just now—who was that?"

When they had heard the words "Grand Marshal," both father and son had felt their hearts skip a beat.

"Who else could it be?" Nian Songyu raised a brow. "Of course, it is the current royal father-in-law, Pillar of the State General, Grand Marshal Dong Haoming!"

There it was! He Lingchuan exchanged a look with his father, and both thought, Just as expected.

In barely two months, guards from the Pillar of the State General's residence, the son of the Governor of Xun Prefecture, and the Yuan Kingdom's State Preceptor had all appeared in Blackwater City one after another. This was absolutely no coincidence.

Only now did the connection among them emerge clearly.

He Chunhua looked astonished. "So it was the Grand Marshal who found the clue. Then the reason you two have come is...?"

"The King and the Grand Marshal discussed it and dispatched me to the Coiling Dragon Desert. Before the bandits of Woling Pass finish building their ships and launch them, we must retrieve the Great Square Pot!" Sun Fuping pointed at Nian Songyu. "I passed through Xun Prefecture, where General Nian sent skilled men under his command to assist me, led by Commandant Nian. But in Blackwater City, we need guides, manpower, and other assistance!"

"Retrieve the Great Square Pot?" He Lingchuan looked at his father's expression, then put on a face of shock. "Wait, you do not mean to charge into the Coiling Dragon Desert, do you? Red Cliff Road is about to close. Every three-year-old in Blackwater City knows that going in now is suicide!"

The louder he spoke, the more it was both an act and genuine agitation.

He had only enjoyed fifty-odd good days. Was trouble already upon him?

He hated earth-shattering crises and turning the tide. He only wanted to be a useless, mediocre second-generation official, coasting through life on food and idleness!

He Chunhua also pondered. "Entering the Coiling Dragon Desert at this time truly means nine chances of death for every one of life. You two are not from Blackwater City and have never seen the ferocity of the Coiling Dragon Desert. Even divine abilities do not work well there."