Chapter 13: State Master Sun's Goal

State Preceptor Sun lowered his voice.

“—When the Panlong Wasteland became a dead zone and the Dafeng Army was at the end of its rope, Zhong Shengguang held a blood sacrifice to appease the gods!”

He Lingchuan gasped, “Appease the gods!”

Nian Songyu held a finger to his lips and gave a soft “shh.” “Keep your voice down. Discussing this recklessly is a capital offense.”

He Chunhua’s expression turned grave, and he lowered his voice as well. “Since it was to appease the gods, it was naturally kept secret.”

Appeasing the gods meant a blood sacrifice to a deity.

The Kingdom of Yuan had written the prohibition of such sacrifices into its national law. It was a fundamental statute with extremely severe penalties; once discovered, the lightest punishment was beheading, and the heaviest was the execution of one’s entire clan, with no pardons for nobles or officials.

In fact, this was true not only for Yuan but for every nation in the world; the only difference lay in the severity of the punishment.

He Lingchuan certainly hadn’t forgotten that his own family had been beheaded by the Emperor because his grandfather was falsely accused of this very crime. Those two words were a thorn in the hearts of the He family.

However, the prohibition did not include the worship of folk deities like mountain and water spirits, wild demons, door gods, kitchen gods, or gods of wealth and fortune. After all, people had an instinctive need to seek promotion, wealth, and health, which could not be suppressed.

What nations strictly prohibited was the private worship of specific, concrete deities—what the authorities termed “evil gods” or “wicked gods.”

For instance, the charge that had cost He Lingchuan’s kin their heads was the worship of the “Tongming True Monarch.”

Here is the key point: the primary basis for determining a “sacrifice to appease the gods” was whether the ritual involved live or human sacrifices. If you only muttered a few words in your heart or offered a few plates of roast chicken and dried fish to a deity, the state couldn’t care less who you worshipped.

“Which deity did Zhong Shengguang worship?”

“Mitian.”

Sun Fuping immediately explained, “There is no honorific, as the original text is simple: ‘Prostrate and worship, seeking relief from Mitian.’ Xiluo also bans such sacrifices. Zhong Shengguang was forced into it, so I suspect He Jian did not record the entire process in detail.”

The name was too unfamiliar. He Chunhua pondered, “Has the State Preceptor ever heard of this deity?”

“Never,” Sun Fuping shook his head. “But Zhong Shengguang resorted to a blood sacrifice, and the offering was his own biological daughter!”

He Chunhua’s face changed. “What?”

Zhong Shengguang was truly a ruthless man, sacrificing his own flesh and blood to the gods.

He Lingchuan clicked his tongue in secret. No wonder it was an evil god; it actually demanded human lives.

“Then what did this deity provide in return?”

“The deity was greatly pleased and bestowed a ‘Dafang’ (Great Gift). Using it to face the enemy, one kill was worth a hundred.” Sun Fuping spread his hands. “That is all the readable text; the rest is damaged and illegible.”

“That’s as good as saying nothing. If the deity was so generous, what exactly was the divine object that repelled the enemy?” He Lingchuan was dissatisfied. “You two traveled thousands of miles; surely you have some leads?” Now was not the time to be coy.

He felt a slight pang of sorrow. No matter how valiant and heroic Zhong Shengguang was, when human strength was exhausted and the situation was beyond saving, he too had been forced to beg the gods for help.

Conversely, what kind of means did the deity possess to allow the desperate Dafeng Army to turn the tide and hold out for another twenty years?

“Ignorant brat, daring to be disrespectful to the State Preceptor.” Sun Fuping glanced at him. “He Jian’s book alone reveals nothing. It wasn’t until recently that the Grand Marshal found an ancient letter—a suicide note written by Zhong Shengguang’s personal guard. Comparing these two artifacts, the truth finally came to light!”

As the He father and son focused, the mystery was finally revealed: “The treasure bestowed by the Mitian deity is called ‘Dafang’! Zhong Shengguang called it the ‘Dafang Pot,’ but it is actually a nest for Mind-Confusing Worms.”

Mind-Confusing Worms? He Lingchuan admired the person who named them; it was truly straightforward and easy to understand. Anyone could tell what the worm did just by hearing the name.

However, his father immediately complicated the simple matter: “Does this thing not have a formal name, called the ‘Three-Corpse Worm’?”

“Correct, it is the Three-Corpse Worm,” Nian Songyu laughed. “It is formless and intangible, residing in the human head, abdomen, and feet, inducing evil delusions and agitation. For both martial artists and sorcerers, the first step to enlightenment is to sever the three corpses and break through delusions. But the common soldiers in an army cannot deal with it at all; once used, it is a devastating weapon on the battlefield.”

“An army’s blood-red aura is extremely potent, and they are protected by the nation’s destiny, which naturally suppresses all kinds of sorcery and evil spirits.”

He Lingchuan knew this much.

Military camps were never haunted. Furthermore, large-scale sorcery and supernatural powers were difficult to use on the battlefield unless the sorcerer or general casting them was also strongly bolstered by the nation’s destiny.

Usually, only a State Preceptor could achieve this, such as the one before them.

Sun Fuping clapped his hands. “But these Three-Corpse Worms are things that exist within the human body from the start. They are not repelled by blood energy or vital force, so they can easily attach themselves to enemies, forcing them to obey orders and turn their weapons against their own side. It is truly a divine weapon!”

He Chunhua finally understood and let out a long breath. “In other words, you have come for this divine object?”

“Correct.” Sun Fuping finally laid everything out. “It helped Zhong Shengguang defend the city back then, and now it can help us repel the enemy. You need not worry about the Three-Corpse Worms in the nest dying; that thing requires neither breath nor food.”

He Lingchuan suddenly asked, “Who is the Grand Marshal you mentioned earlier?”

Upon hearing the title “Grand Marshal,” both father and son felt a jolt.

“Who else could it be?” Nian Songyu raised an eyebrow. “Naturally, it is the current Imperial Father-in-law, Pillar of the State, Grand General, and Grand Marshal, Dong Haoming!”

Here it was! He Lingchuan and his father exchanged a look, both thinking, *Just as expected.*

In just two short months, the guards of the Pillar of the State’s mansion, the son of the Xun Prefecture Governor, and the State Preceptor of Great Yuan had appeared in Blackwater City one after another. This was no coincidence.

Only now did the connections between them become clear.

He Chunhua looked astonished. “It was actually the Grand Marshal who found the clue. So, what is the purpose of your visit?”

“The King and the Grand Marshal consulted and sent me to the Panlong Desert. We must retrieve the Dafang Pot before the rebels at Woling Pass finish building their ships and launch them!” Sun Fuping pointed at Nian Songyu. “I passed through Xun Prefecture, and General Nian dispatched his elite subordinates to assist, led by Commander Nian. But in Blackwater City, we need guides, manpower, and other forms of assistance!”

“Retrieve the Dafang Pot?” He Lingchuan looked at his father’s expression, then feigned shock. “Wait a minute, you don’t mean to charge into the Panlong Desert, do you? The Red Cliff Road is about to close. Even a three-year-old in Blackwater City knows that going in now is suicide!”

He grew louder as he spoke, partly for show and partly out of genuine frustration.

He had only enjoyed fifty-some days of peace, and now trouble was already knocking?

He hated earth-shattering crises and turning the tide of history; he just wanted to be a mediocre, pampered official’s son who lived off his family’s wealth!

He Chunhua also pondered, “Entering the Panlong Desert at this time is indeed a nine-out-of-ten death sentence. You two are not from Blackwater City; you haven’t seen the cruelty of the Panlong Desert. Supernatural powers don’t work well there.”