Nanyang City:
All seven prefectures along the river have been attacked, but if we were to say which prefecture has suffered the most severe attack, it would undoubtedly be Nanyang City!
Since the attack on Nanyang by the living corpses, this was the most decisive and efficient counterattack. Faced with the evil forces, the Shen Family activated many defensive spells set up outside the city, wiping out the first wave of tens of thousands of living corpses almost without losing a single soldier.
This once gave General Hong Rui, who was stationed here, a huge sigh of relief.
The reason is simple: they lack troops and therefore lack confidence!
Nanyang has the largest area among the seven states, but it has the fewest troops stationed there by the imperial court. This is partly due to the trust placed in the Shen Family, and partly because there is no need for them.
Neither outside forces nor bandits dared to cause trouble on the Shen Family's territory.
But because of this, Nanyang is now in a very awkward situation.
On the city wall, watching the horde of zombies recede like a tide as the sun rose, Hong Rui almost collapsed to the ground, his legs giving way. Unlike the relief he felt during the first attack that night, he now felt a strong sense of lingering fear.
Not to mention him, even the Shen Family on the city wall were still feeling lingering fear.
The number is outrageous.
Just by looking at the corpses below the city, one could tell that countless living corpses had been killed by the Shen Family's techniques, piling up like mountains of flesh, which looked quite spectacular. Especially the last wave at night, Hong Rui estimated that there were at least 200,000 of them!
A massive, dark mass of people surged towards us like a tidal wave; I was so scared I almost peed my pants!
Heaven has mercy on him. Although he is Hong Household, he has never been to the battlefield because of the pampering of his elders. The job in Jiangnan was also arranged by his family, who planned to let him gain some local experience in the area so that he would have an excuse to take a salaried but not prestigious position in the capital.
Unlike Yuchi Peng, who was suppressed by being sent to Jiangnan because of his outstanding abilities, he was the kind of person who truly lacked talent.
After all, a capable imperial court wouldn't let the Shen Family's territory go.
"General, you've had a long day." A hoarse voice came from behind. It belonged to a refined middle-aged man in a wheelchair, his face pale. He was none other than Shen Yimiao, the Laosan of the Shen Family.
"Now that the horde of corpses has retreated, would you like to return to the city to rest for a while, sir?"
"It's alright, it's alright," Hong Rui said with a forced smile, his laughter betraying his unease.
What hardship did he endure?
I spent the whole night watching a play. It was quite thrilling, but he had nothing to do with it.
" Mr. Shen San," Hong Rui swallowed hard, "Given the current situation, should we request reinforcements from the imperial court?"
In Nanyang, the imperial court only stationed 500 troops as a symbolic gesture. Since there was virtually no risk involved, enlisting was essentially a matter of coasting along and collecting pay. Those who could get into the Nanyang army were almost all people with connections, and they had absolutely no fighting ability.
Those on the city wall yesterday were even worse off than me; they were so scared during the third wave that they ran down the wall. According to military law, they should all be executed!
The Shen Family's magic array looks really powerful, but if it continues as it was yesterday, things might be in trouble!
"Ask for help?" Shen San shook his head with a rare wry smile, "It would be good if we could ask for help."
Yesterday, the Azure Dragon Inheritance appeared, and all six heads of the Shen Family family went out. However, they spent half a day wandering in the white mist. Some of the mysteries inside were simply unbelievable. The six heads tried every means but could not get out of the mist. In the end, they had no choice but to return in disgrace. Their bold words before setting off became a joke.
But now it seems that this white mist is not a method used by the imperial court, and whether it comes from Cloud Capital remains to be seen.
"In that case, I'll head back to rest now," Shen San said with a smile. "Please let me know immediately if anything happens, General."
"Alright, alright, Mr. Shen San, you've had a long journey. Let me see you off."
"No need for that. General, you should also take a break. After all, you've been standing all night."
"Hehe, not at all," Hong Rui said, waving his hand guiltily.
Shen Yimiao didn't stand on ceremony. Several metal claws appeared on his wheelchair, and like an eight-legged spider, he leaped off the city wall in a very strange manner in front of everyone.
Hong Rui could see that Shen Yimiao wasn't heading back to rest; she was clearly heading towards the river to meet up with the leaders who had chased after her earlier.
He didn't care about that. He knew that although he held the title of general, he wasn't qualified to participate in the defense of Nanyang. Now he should think about what excuse he could use to escape without being held accountable by his superiors if the Shen Family couldn't hold out.
And it seems he can't escape alone right now, because he still has a errand to finish.
About half a month ago, I returned from doing business in the north. My older Hong Lie, wrote to me and asked me to escort the family of a civil official to Jiangnan. I was having fun along the way, so I took the waterway through Lijiang and went around in circles. I didn't expect to get stuck as soon as I arrived in Nanyang.
Now things are really messed up. If those terrifying zombies from yesterday had stormed into the city, would I be expected to abandon those few women and children from the countryside and run away?
My brother will probably break his own leg, won't he? After all, the letter emphasized the importance of escorting him properly, saying that the man surnamed Chen was a close friend of the Hong Household, someone who had saved my brother's life, and that his family must be taken care of.
But if I were to bring those burdens along, with my meager abilities, I'm afraid I'd be doomed in Nanyang.
Why.
Thinking of this, Hong Rui's face was full of bitterness. In the end, he could only pray that the Shen Family would be more helpful, after all, they were a family of sorcerers with a thousand-year history.
--
"Third Brother is here?"
At this moment, several heads of the Shen Family were by the river, carefully observing the retreating zombies.
"Have you figured out anything?" asked Shen Laosan.
"These undead are controlled by insects."
The speaker was none other than Shen Yixin, the current patriarch of the Shen Family.
"Insect?"
"Third Brother, look." Shen Yixin took out a transparent box, inside which were several tiny white nematodes, as thin as hair.
"These are from inside the living corpses?"
"Yes," Laoqi said ominously, "These zombies only lose their ability to move when their bodies are completely blown apart or their brains are damaged. We found it strange at the time, and after careful observation, we found that these worms would crawl out from the top of the zombie's head after it lost its ability to move!"
"The insects control the corpse?" Shen Laosan frowned, then suddenly seemed to remember something, and his eyelids twitched!
"Third Brother, you've remembered something, haven't you?" Shen Yixin said quietly.
"Ah, Father back then." Shen Laosan suddenly remembered a period when the Shen Family patriarch, that is, his father, seemed to be frantically experimenting with Gu worms to control living people. The experiments were so crazy that he remembered that tens of thousands of people died in the experiments!
If it weren't for my mother's dying words of persuasion, my father might have continued.
The Laojiu was born under this background. He claimed to be a poison sorcerer, but in reality, he was an insect sorcerer!
"These things... could they be Father's?" the Laoshi'er asked in surprise.
"Shut up!" the Laosan reprimanded sternly, a rare sight for him.
There are probably hundreds of thousands of living corpses that have come ashore. Judging from the wave after wave, there are probably many more hidden in the water. The initial estimate is over a million. If the ancestor does such a thing, no matter how powerful he is, he will probably be regarded as a demon among men. At that time, the Shen Family will also be pushed to the forefront of controversy!
"Third Brother, things are more serious than we thought." Shen Yixin said, holding the transparent box, "These insects, once they come into contact with flesh and blood, can miraculously split into millions, completely altering the structure of a living person and forcibly transforming ordinary people into demons."
"Isn't this just like that insect demon?" Laoshi'er said, pursing his lips.
"It's different." Shen Yixin shook his head. "It's much more troublesome than the insect demon. The insect demon simply controls living people and uses them as containers, but this thing changes living people, turning them directly into demons. And because of its terrifying ability to split, these living corpses are probably extremely contagious. If you are caught or bitten even slightly, you risk becoming one of these monsters."
Upon hearing Shen Laosan's pupils contracted, and he abruptly looked towards the river.
"It seems Third Brother has also thought of this." Shen Yixin looked at the river and said quietly, " The Nanyang Prefecture River connects more than seventy counties, all of which are densely populated areas with over a million living people."
Shen Laosan: "."
After a moment of silence, the Laosan finally spoke, "Let's split up and try to protect as many people as possible. Second, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with Father; any rumors about it must be eradicated!"
"Of course." Shen Yixin's eyes also flashed with ruthlessness. Even if everyone in Nanyang died, he would not allow his father to be implicated in this matter in the slightest!
--
"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"
Inside the Liuzhou government office, Chen Ying stepped forward and asked Chen Ying Chen Qing, who was preparing to personally lead the team.
"Just make good use of what I gave you." Chen Qing glanced at Chen Ying: "Right now, you're not of much help."
Chen Ying: "."
Is this guy always this infuriating?
"Then why did you take me with you out of the city, sir?"
"I'm afraid you'll die in the city!" Chen Qing rolled her eyes at the other person. "Have you forgotten that Shen Laojiu is still hiding in the city? If I'm not around, do you think he won't come looking for you?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Ying shuddered. She still clearly remembered the look in the Shen Family's Laojiu's eyes as he hid in the shadows on the boat!
"I don't know why," Chen Qing frowned, "That Laojiu of the Shen Family seems to be very obsessed with you."
"Me?" Chen Ying was taken aback, but then she also found it strange. Why did Shen Laojiu single her out when there were so many people on the merchant ship?
Just then, a cute voice suddenly came from inside.
"Father."
Chen Ying, who was about to ask a question, was suddenly stunned. She turned her head and looked at the child. Her heart was instantly filled with affection. What a beautiful child!
Uh... wait, did he just call me "Daddy"?
This person surnamed Chen already has a child?
Chen Ying felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
"Awake?" Chen Qing asked with a gentle smile.
He had also calculated that the Ghost Child should wake up in the next couple of days, so having him stay in Liuzhou would make the trip much more secure.
"My lord," Wei Gongcheng, walking in from outside, "You've brought everyone. Shall we call them all in now?"
Wei Gongcheng didn't understand why he had to personally select each person to go with him and who would stay behind. Was it really necessary?
"Hmm," Chen Qing said calmly, placing the mirror she was carrying on the table in front of her. "Call him in."
The others didn't think much of this little gesture, but Chen Ying, who was standing to the side, was slightly taken aback.
That mirror looks kind of familiar.