" Seventh Brother, do you really think he can do it?"
At the port, watching Chen Qing sail away, the Laoshiyi looked at his Seventh Brother with suspicion. In his memory, his Seventh Brother was the least trusting person, but this time... something seemed different.
And wasn't Chen Qing's promise a bit exaggerated?
The other party promised that they would arrive with reinforcements within five days at most, and that if he were given control of Nanyang City for three months, he would be able to recover all Nanyang surrounding prefectures and counties!
Given the current situation and such boasts, is it really possible for that man surnamed Chen to make such empty promises?
"What can we do if we don't believe him?" Seventh Master Shen shook his head and smiled bitterly as he watched Chen Qing's retreating figure. " Lao'er is gone, off to try his luck. Without him, the magic array in Nanyang simply can't withstand the next zombie attack. If we don't find a solution soon, we'll really be waiting to die. Chen Qing's boasts are a bit too ambitious; he might even get Lao'er and Laosan to cooperate with him. He must have some ability. We have no other choice now, do we?"
"Uh..." The Laoshiyi frowned, realizing for the first time the fragility of the Shen Family. The Shen Family, which had once protected Jiangnan from war, was now helpless?
Previously, the main branches of the Shen Family were so powerful that they didn't need an army; now they realize that this seems to be a wrong path.
"Even if Nanyang City can be held, we won't have enough food in the long run," the Laoqi sighed. " Nanyang only has enough food for three months now."
"We can go out of the city and search for food in the countryside!" Laoshi interjected.
"How much can we find with just a few people? Even if we do find it, what then?" Laoqi looked at the vast fog over the river. "What if this Nine Heavens Mirror Valley continues to seal us off like this for another year? We can't guarantee safe farming, and no matter how much food there is in the countryside, we'll eventually run out."
The Laoshi and Laoshiyi brothers remained silent.
The Laosi shrugged indifferently. "Let him try. It's just an administrative power anyway. The prefect of Nanyang City has always been a member of the Shen Family, and the officials in the prefecture are all supported by the Shen Family. We can take it back anytime we want!"
"I'm more concerned about something else," Shen Laoqi said with some doubt. "Logically speaking, the other party should also know the situation in Nanyang City. My Shen Family's word is law. Since we agreed to let him govern, it must be effective. Why is he so insistent on that official seal?"
The other party's condition for cooperation was that the current prefect of Nanyang willingly hand over his official seal, something Shen Laoqi couldn't understand.
That thing was merely a formality by the imperial court; within the Shen Family, seeing the seal didn't equate to seeing the person. So what was its true significance?
"At least the risk wasn't in vain!"
Chen Qing patted the official seal in his hand, feeling the abundant Power of Divine Investiture within, and immediately felt much more at ease!
Under the Shen Family's thousand-year management, Nanyang was a place of good governance and harmonious people. The Power of Divine Investiture accumulated over twenty years of prefectural administration was more than that of three prefects of Liuzhou. Most importantly, the other party had agreed to give him administrative authority and military recruitment authority in Nanyang, provided that he could fulfill his promise.
Is it possible to complete?
Chen Qing said he could definitely do it. He had handled a game with only a few hundred people in Liuzhou, so how could he not handle a game with a million people in Nanyang City?
As long as the Divine Path Style spreads throughout Nanyang City, I am 80% confident that my plan will be realized!
" Chen Qing, Mother is seasick!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Qing quickly put away his official seal and rushed into the cabin. He hurried to his mother's side, whose face was ashen, and said, "Mother, how are you? I told you to stay in Nanyang, but you insisted on coming with me!"
"You heartless brat, you still want to abandon your mother?" The old woman immediately cursed, spraying the foreign matter left in her mouth from vomiting all over Chen Qing's face.
Helpless, Chen Qing didn't even bother to wipe her face, and quickly used a handkerchief to wipe her mother's mouth first. "Mother, don't get excited, didn't I take you with me?"
"Heh, if your mother hadn't threatened you with her life, would you have planned to run away?"
Chen Qing: "."
He actually had that idea.
Although the river is passable thanks to Princess White Jade's cooperation, and it's confirmed that the remaining insects are all in the West Sea, danger still exists. First, one Ancient Insect hasn't been found yet, and second, there are other Ancient Insect' hidden relatives in the river. If I were to run into one, the risk for a mere mortal on the boat would be extremely high.
Staying in Nanyang, with the protection of the Shen Family family, would actually be safer.
Seeing Chen Qing's concern despite the dirt on his face, the old lady's heart softened. She took a towel and wiped Chen Qing's face, saying, "With just one word from you, our whole family rushed up north to wait for you. With another word from you, we rushed back to Jiangnan. But now you're clearly doing dangerous work. If you don't let your mother see you now, who knows, one day I might never see you again!"
"What nonsense are you talking about, Mother?" Chen Qing sighed, "I understand, Mother. I'll take you with me wherever I go from now on."
"Oh, right." The old woman suddenly remembered something and looked at Chen Qing, saying, "Son, is Liuzhou like Nanyang? Are there monsters like that everywhere there?"
"Don't worry, Mother. Liuzhou is doing very well now. The monsters are all outside the city. Although Liuzhou City is not as lively as Nanyang, it is safer than Nanyang."
"Is that so?" The old woman thought for a moment, then finally asked, "What about the people in Chen Household Village now?"
Chen Qing: "."
Seeing Chen Qing's expression suddenly turn pale, the old woman's heart skipped a beat. "Son? Has something happened?"
"Mother will know when we get there." Chen Qing sighed, still not mentioning what had happened on the ship. After all, her mother was old and prone to seasickness, and her current state was not suitable for extreme joy or sorrow.
" Chen Qing," the woman next to her finally managed to interject, "Where's your older brother? How is he?"
Chen Qing didn't know what to say for a moment, so she could only keep it a secret for now. "He's fine, sister-in-law, you'll know when you go and see for yourself!"
My older brother seems to be doing quite well, all smiles every day.
--
"Brother, you're back so late again."
Inside the mansion, Chen Yuan complained about her eldest brother who had just returned. Chen Ye chuckled and pinched Chen Yuan's cheek, "You've eaten so much you're practically a ball! Just wait until Mother gets here, she'll teach you a lesson!"
"Uh..." Upon hearing her mother's name, Chen Yuan immediately shrank back guiltily and weakly said, "Those meat worms really smelled delicious!"
In the past, her family had tofu at every meal, but meat was a rare treat, only once or twice a year. When her second brother first became a scholar, life was relatively good, but later, in order to support him to go to the capital for the imperial examination, the family tightened their belts again, and she hadn't eaten meat for several years.
Besides, those meat worms taste so good, even better than beef, and they're an unlimited supply from our own family. How could I not eat more of them and make up for all the hardships I've endured in the past few years?
"You..." Chen Ye shook his head, took Chen Yuan's chubby hand and led her into the inner courtyard of the government office, carefully wiping his silly girl's oily hands with a tissue.
"Brother, I've seen you several times during the day. You look so majestic when you're flying in the sky!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Ye smiled sheepishly, his eyes filled with smugness!
To promote the Underworld, the Day Wandering God and Night Wandering God would occasionally appear in crowded places. They would also deliberately appear when they were patrolling in the sky, and the people passing by would bow to them from a distance. They were even more popular than the warriors!
After all, he was in charge of the spirits of the dead, and everyone hoped that he could find their tragically deceased relatives and settle them in the Underworld. Now that the new City God had been built, he had a place in the temple. Every time the residents offered incense and worshipped the City God, they would also worship him, the Day Wandering God. His hard work had not been in vain!
"If my sister-in-law comes, she'll be so happy!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Ye froze.
Chen Yuan seemed oblivious to his elder brother's unusual behavior, and said enthusiastically, "Seeing how imposing you are now, I'm sure I won't curse you behind your back anymore."
"I'm not afraid of her scolding me," Chen Ye said with a wry smile. "I'm just afraid... Xiao Yuan, do you think your sister-in-law will like me as I am now?"
"Huh?" Chen Yuan was taken aback. "Why don't you like it? Your older brother is so impressive now! This time when he goes to Nanyang, he'll definitely bring Mother and Sister-in-law back. Oh, and my little nephew too! He'll be so happy to see you, older brother!"
"Really?" Chen Ye looked at the river, feeling a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.
Is that really the case?
Chen Ye wasn't the only Underworld in the government office. Wei Gongcheng, the Principal God of the Liuzhou Underworld, was also there, Shen Yimiao, the third master of the Shen Family.
" The City God seems to have plenty of money lately, able to use the Power of Karmic Fruit to do this?"
"Haha, a little bit, a little bit," Wei Gongcheng chuckled.
The situation has been good recently. As Xu Hu's Fighter Army expands, the rescue process is accelerating, and more and more spirits are entering Liuzhou. Liuzhou's belief in the Underworld has been well established from the beginning. Newcomers are guided by the elders in the city and will soon come to worship the City God to commemorate their relatives.
Every now and then, the underworld would grant a mortal soul with high virtue one or two opportunities to enter its dreams. As the newcomers spread the word, their faith in the Underworld grew stronger, resulting in an almost continuous flow of Power of Karmic Fruit these days.
This also allows him to indulge in a little luxury now, using the Power of Karmic Fruit to make some small things he likes, such as this exquisite Underworld chessboard.
" Chen Qing's elder brother seems very afraid to see his relatives."
"Really?" Wei Gongcheng smiled upon hearing this, "I'm quite looking forward to seeing my family."
Honestly, I wonder what kind of expression my stepmother, who almost killed me back then, would have if she saw me now. I'm really looking forward to it.
It would be even more interesting if she died and ended up in the Underworld under her jurisdiction.
"I've heard Lord Wang mention that before." Shen Laosan looked at the smiling Wei Gongcheng: "I heard that some members of the Yuchi Household came with the army this time? According to the rules, the Wei Household is the most important close family of the Yuchi Household. Did your brothers come along this time as well?"
"Probably," Wei Gongcheng said with a smile.
No wonder our City God has been so happy lately!
"Hahaha," Wei Gongcheng into laughter, "Whether we can have fun in the end depends on whether Lord Wang can really manage to swindle some benefits from the chaos. Otherwise, even if things develop rapidly here, it might be too late."
Upon hearing this, Master Shen San's smile faded slightly, and he nodded, saying, "That is indeed important business!"