Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 605 Suspicion
"Speaking of the Jin Clan, they have a long-standing feud with our Hanhuang Barbarian Clan. We cannot stand their arrogance, and they cannot tolerate our boldness. However, Bai Zhaoju, the White Emperor of the Jin Clan, is indeed a remarkable figure. He is powerful, sincere, and has a close relationship with our eight chieftains. It was under his mediation that we made a pact on Mount Xihuang, with the eight chieftains submitting to the Jin Clan and becoming friends forever. From then on, the war ceased, with Langya Pass as the boundary, and we will not interfere with each other. The Hanhuang will be peaceful, and the Western Regions will be at peace."

Xiong Batian put down the honey jar in his arms, stood up, and slowly said, "As far as I know, the Western Sea demons repeatedly invaded the border a few years ago, stirring up trouble and abducting countless Jin people. The Jin clan elders could not bear the disturbance and immediately raised an army. The clan's first elite force, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, showed its prowess and repelled the invading water demons in less than three months, stabilizing the border. If these water demons had not relied on the Western Sea and had not been able to supply the border continuously, preventing the White Emperor from leading his army to mediate the war in the Great Wilderness, how could the Water and Wood Calamity have escalated to this point?"

"As for why the Tu tribe did not participate in the war between the water demons and the wood spirits, it is simply because their tribe is too chaotic, with power struggles and endless infighting, resulting in no one of sufficient authority to make a decision on which side to take."

Xiong Batian paced slowly in the hall, looked at Qin Huai, and chuckled, "The Tu tribe and the Mu tribe have a deep-seated grudge, even more so than the old feud between the Jin and Man tribes. However, because there is no territorial dispute, they have a good relationship with the Water Demons. The current Tu tribe's Yellow Emperor has a concubine who is a member of the Water tribe. Their son is the eldest son of the Grand Elder, who is related to him as a father-in-law. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he will become the future crown prince. Their stance is self-evident. However, the Yellow Emperor himself has many old friends in the Mu tribe, so he can't bring himself to betray them. He can only keep delaying at the Elders' Meeting and has not yet intervened in this Water-Mu disaster."

"Playing it safe and not giving up easily is a wise move."

Qin Huai said thoughtfully, "If I'm not mistaken, the Tu tribe must be the most well-preserved force in terms of strength, right?"

"Pretty much. Ever since the Fire Clan and the Wood Clan made an alliance and started a great war against the Water Demons, the elites of the three clans have been almost wiped out. If it weren't for the endless stream of Water Demons from all four seas, this Water-Wood calamity would probably have ended long ago."

Xiong Batian nodded and said nothing more.

"The Fire Clan has chosen to side with the Wood Clan? Could it be that they have some inside story we don't know about?"

Qin Huai was somewhat surprised. His mind raced, and he suddenly asked, "Did the God Emperor have any children? According to the law, who should succeed him after his death?"

"The God Emperor had no children, and this position was not established by design. If the God Emperor had not unified the Great Wilderness with overwhelming force decades ago, the elders of the five clans would not have pushed him to this supreme position. However, before his death, the God Emperor did establish a rule that the successor God Emperor must be elected by the elders of the five clans, be the person with the highest prestige among the five clans, or be someone who defeats the five emperors at the Five Emperors Alliance. But even so, he must have great prestige and win the hearts and minds of the people."

Xiong Batian was taken aback, and then reacted.

"Oh? When will the next Five Clans Elders' Council be held, and how can the Five Emperors' Alliance be facilitated?"

Qin Huai's eyes flashed, and a bold idea came to mind.

"The Five Clans Elders' Council was originally held every ten years, but since the death of the God Emperor, the Water and Wood Clans have broken off relations, and the Five Clans Elders' Council has not been held for more than thirty years. As for the Five Emperors Alliance, it is also difficult to arrange. In the Great Wilderness today, the Black Emperor is in seclusion, the Green Emperor is missing, the White Emperor is obsessed with the path of immortality, the Yellow Emperor is weak and incompetent, and the Red Emperor is also in seclusion for cultivation. It will be extremely difficult to bring them together."

Xiong Batian seemed to have guessed what Qin Huai was thinking, and immediately asked with some surprise.

"I see. Lord Batian, I think that the Xuan Shui True God Zhulong's act of standing up for the God Emperor was a pretense; his true intention was to gain fame and fortune and seize the God Emperor's throne. It's just that something unexpected happened, and someone from the five clans saw through his scheme and didn't follow his plan, which led to the current situation and prevented his conspiracy from succeeding. Otherwise, Zhulong, whose supernatural powers and martial arts were already unparalleled in the world, would probably have taken advantage of the aftermath of the God Emperor's death to rise to prominence."

"If we follow your speculation, it is indeed possible. However, although Zhuzhen Shen's magic power is strong and he can defeat the four emperors, the Black Emperor, the White Emperor, the Yellow Emperor, and the Red Emperor, the Azure Emperor Ling Yang is the number one person below the God Emperor. Once he makes a move, Zhuzhen Shen will have no chance of winning."

As he spoke, Xiong Batian looked at Qin Huai, who had a half-smile on his face, and immediately realized something. He muttered, "No wonder, no wonder, no wonder the True God of Candlelight wanted to take advantage of the Azure Emperor's disappearance to attack the Empress and target the Wood Clan."

"Lord Batian, what we just said were all speculations. As for whether the truth of the matter is as described, we still need to investigate further."

Qin Huai smiled slightly, pointed to the corpse slave in the center of the hall, and said quietly, "But the most important thing is to find out who used the Gu poison and solve the danger that the people of Juyan City are constantly facing."

"Does our distinguished guest perhaps possess knowledge of Gu poison and pharmacology?"

Xiong Batian's spirits lifted, and he asked excitedly.

"I understand a little bit, I understand a little bit."

Qin Huai waved his hand, not denying it.

Admittedly, his status bar did not show any related specialization, but Qin Huai had not forgotten that his right-hand man, Ye Kui, possessed the supernatural power of Ancient Yue Witchcraft, and was proficient in hundreds of witchcraft and evil arts, including the method of Gu poison.

Even if [Night Demon] is helpless, there's still off-site support, right? Let the main body ask around in the Yan Zhao Association's large group; surely they can find a suitable expert among the many talented people in Yanfu. Finding some relevant clues then, isn't that easy?
Thinking of this, Qin Huai cupped his hands and said, "Lord Batian City, if I may be so bold as to ask, how many people in the city are infected with the Corpse Gu and suffer from this Fine Snow disease?"

Xiong Batian said, “The barbarian soldiers and generals in my city are all as strong as furnaces. Ordinary witchcraft cannot harm them. At present, only more than 1,800 commoners, wandering knights and peddlers who have migrated from various places are seriously poisoned and there is no cure. They are all gathered in the secret cave in Lieyang Mountain. If you wish to visit, I will immediately send my trusted men to lead the way.”

"Thank you."

Qin Huai nodded slightly, without declining.

"Bear, come out!"

Xiong Batian roared towards the back of the hall, and several muffled thuds shook the ground. A burly giant, with a waist as thick as a pillar and shoulders wide enough to run a horse, crouched down and ran in, respectfully kneeling before the two men.

Elder!
"Go and treat our distinguished guest well. Do whatever he asks you to do, and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Xiong Batian waved his hand and threw out a black iron token.

"Yes!"

The giant, called Api, took the token, his voice booming, and his brown eyes stared straight at Qin Huai.

【Api】: Xiong Batian's confidant, with 1,900 years of cultivation. His true form is Xuanyuan Pi, born with divine strength, capable of carrying mountains on his shoulders. His vital energy is as strong as a blazing furnace.

"Let's go, take me to see the secret cave."

Qin Huai stood up and patted Api on the shoulder. Soon the two left the city lord's mansion, where the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and bees, and followed the forest path deep into Lieyang Mountain. They arrived at a cave with strange rocks, barren vegetation, and various kinds of smoke drifting around it.

"Please wait a moment, esteemed guest. I need to open the barrier here first." Before he finished speaking, he took out the black iron token that Xiong Batian had just given him, slapped the token hard, and threw it away.

The token in the sky ahead transformed into a huge silver-gray pattern, resembling a raging bear with a single horn on its forehead, roaring and majestically overlooking the earth.

As the smoke dissipated and the clouds parted, the entire secret cave appeared before the two. At the end of the black jungle filled with thorns and strange branches, there was a cave illuminated by magical light, its dark entrance resembling the gaping maw of a prehistoric beast.

After Api issued the token, a short while later, a slender woman, completely covered up and wearing a ramie neck protector and an oil-silk face covering, flew out of the unbearably hot cave and arrived in front of the two.

"Brother Bear, who is this?"

The woman seemed quite familiar with Ah Bi, and her gaze quickly shifted and settled on the unfamiliar Qin Huai.

"Aunt Shenluo."

Api gestured to Qin Huai and said with a simple smile, "This is the city lord's distinguished guest, the totem sacred beast of the Yan family, Lord Taotie. We wish to enter the secret cave to carefully examine the condition of those corpse slaves and try to find out the despicable person who used Gu poison."

Having said that, he waved his hand in the air, and the bear pattern turned back into a token, which he then handed to Shinra.

【Divine Fairy】: A holy maiden of the Luo clan among the eight barbarian clans, with 2,600 years of cultivation. Her true form is the Senluo Bird. She is naturally knowledgeable about medicinal properties and can identify hundreds of herbs. She is the number one pharmacist in Juyan City. She has been staying in the secret cave for a long time to cure Xixue's illness.

"I see. Lord Taotie, please follow me."

The Fairy of Shenluo nodded slightly. Although she was a little curious as to how the fierce and warlike Taotie, who was always ready to fight to the death, could be knowledgeable in pharmacology and Gu techniques, she didn't say much and turned around to lead the two into the cave.

"Within the secret cave, the corpse worms are everywhere. Axi is exceptionally gifted, with blood and qi as strong as a furnace. Even without protection, he will not be in any serious danger. However, Lord Taotie is of noble birth, so we should still be careful."

As the three continued to venture deeper, Fairy Shenluo, seeing Qin Huai without any protection and whose aura was no different from that of an ordinary person, couldn't help but offer a reminder.

"It's alright, this mere poison can't harm me."

Qin Huai waved his hand, feeling the increasingly high temperature, and suddenly asked, "That Fine Snow Corpse Gu seems to be very afraid of heat. Did Fairy Shenluo place the patients in the belly of Lieyang Mountain to suppress their illness?"

"Lord Taotie has keen insight. Although the belly of Lieyang Mountain is full of miasma and fire, which is not conducive to healing, its intense heat can destroy the corpse worms and suppress the mutation of the corpse slaves. That is why the city lord allowed me to place them here."

The Fairy of Divine Luo nodded, and considering that Qin Huai was ultimately an outsider, she did not continue, but told him that the location of the secret cave was not far from the core of the protective formation of Juyan City.

As the three ventured deeper, a foul, stench assaulted their nostrils. Qin Huai frowned and stepped into the nest-shaped mountain cavity that housed hundreds of sick people. There, they saw hordes of mutated corpse slaves chained to the stone walls that resembled hanging coffins. The firelight illuminated them clearly, revealing that each of the corpse slaves was muscular, with multiple arms and eyes, and purple-blue tentacles covered with sharp teeth and bones. They occasionally let out eerie and chilling cries, making the place seem like a living hell.

Everything felt like a nightmare, eerie and terrifying. The strong stench of corpses permeated the fierce wind, making one want to vomit.

Qin Huai opened the app and found nothing wrong, so he had to summon [Night Demon] to gather clues under his guidance.

"This is... Lord Taotie's seal?"

The Fairy of Shenluo was slightly startled when she saw the suddenly appearing fierce and valiant general, and she also thought of the seals that all the races in the Great Wilderness had.

Each tribe in the Great Wilderness possesses divine artifacts, which are divided into three types: First, artifacts for praying to Heaven, generally controlled by the tribe's holy maiden. Second, artifacts for controlling beasts, generally controlled by shamans. Third, artifacts for killing, generally controlled by the Five Emperors.

The wonder of the sealing artifact lies in its ability to seal spirit beasts and even humans (demons), and to collect and transform them into various objects. Looking at the giant coffin of Night Darkness that released Night Demon, Fairy Shenluo couldn't recall which of the Five Elements Great Clans this seal was lost. Judging from its carving style, it didn't seem to be the work of the Cold Wilderness Barbarians, but rather more like the characteristics of the Li people of the Southern Frontier.

"I suppose so. Ye Kui is knowledgeable in Gu techniques and pharmacology, and can treat all kinds of poisons. He should be able to find something different from these corpse slaves. The main reason I volunteered to come here to investigate is because of his presence; he can be of great help."

Qin Huai nodded, without offering any further explanation.

Ye Kui walked to the side of a corpse slave, pointed his finger like a knife, and decisively cut off a small piece of purplish-black flesh mutated by the Fine Snow Corpse Gu. Without thinking, he stuffed it into his mouth and began to chew and savor it.

The next instant, Ye Kui, who had closed his eyes and focused his mind on examining himself, indeed discovered something unusual about his blood. It seemed that thousands of tiny fungi were moving upstream and rapidly multiplying, but they were wiped out by the Blood Fiend Refining Light and died completely.

"Master, although the poison of this Fine Snow Corpse Gu is deep-seated, because the person who cast the Gu is too far away, its power is only one ten-thousandth of what it was. Even for the person afflicted, it is not incurable. As long as the person who cast the Gu is killed, their blood is replaced, and they recuperate for a few days, they should be completely cured. However..."

Ye Kui paused, then pointed to the corpse slaves in the nest and said, "However, if these corpse worms are allowed to multiply and become powerful enough to control the brain and cause mutations, I'm afraid I'll be powerless to stop them with my limited abilities."

"General Ye is right. Although the Fine Snow Corpse Gu is not as powerful as the Nine Nether Corpse Gu, it is still one of the most vicious and domineering Gu poisons. Moreover, it has the advantage of covering a wide area, making it difficult to find the person who cast the Gu and kill the mastermind. This is why our eight barbarian clans have been helpless to this day."

Seeing that Ye Kui was indeed knowledgeable, Fairy Shenluo finally breathed a sigh of relief and added, "I don't know how this Fine Snow Corpse Gu was made, but it mostly relies on the corpses of humans and beasts as cultivation materials. The fine snow has been covering the Cold Wasteland for more than six months without stopping for a moment. If this fluttering fine snow is entirely composed of these Corpse Gu, I really don't know how powerful the person behind the Gu must be, or how many materials it would take to cultivate such a large number of Corpse Gu."

"With someone in mind to accomplish such a great feat, does Fairy Shenluo have someone in mind?"

Qin Huai stroked his chin and asked casually.

"Such a feat could probably only be accomplished by the world's number one Gu master, the Goddess Mu Zisu, in the entire Great Wilderness."

The Fairy of Shenluo sighed, then changed the subject, saying, "It's just that she's not skilled in water magic, so she couldn't possibly stir up this massive snowstorm."

(End of this chapter)