Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 666 Preparation
"The spirit of the Gu is immortal; it is called the Mysterious Female. The gate of the Mysterious Female is the root of heaven and earth, where something is formed from chaos and existed before heaven and earth."

Seeing that Qin Huai was sensible, Ba Hui nodded in satisfaction and said, "This is a doctrine fabricated by mortals who believe in Gu. I have made an agreement with Shura that snakes and serpents will not leave Sichuan and Shu, and butchers will not enter the underground cave. Therefore, only you can find Gu and kill him."

'Is it really from the Tao Te Ching? No, this phrase seems to have been adapted, but it better reflects the current state of this fruit.'

Qin Huai pondered for a moment, then asked, "The deity only mentioned two things. What about the last one?"

"Finish these things first. The final matters are beyond your knowledge right now."

After saying this, Ba Hui raised the scepter in his hand, and everything in front of Qin Huai shattered.

"You saw Bhadra? How is He now?"

Upon seeing Qin Huai awaken, Yi Bo and King Yu stopped talking and both turned their gazes toward him.

"Clear-headed, seems perfectly normal?"

Qin Huai got up from the ground, and only after he spoke did he vaguely realize that something was wrong.

In this mad fruit, normalcy is probably the greatest abnormality, yet Ba Hui's words and actions just now were indeed without any faults to be found.

"He's alright, that's good."

King Yu sighed and said nothing more, but instructed Yibo to continue the unfinished trials.

"The final test, the Serpent God. As the name suggests, this is the most important and also the most difficult test for you to become a priest. Originally, it required me to teach you step by step how to create Zisomo and understand how to sacrifice pain to the Bahui in exchange for divine power. But now..."

Iber pointed to the Zisomo that had appeared in Qin Huai's hand at some point, and said with a hint of envy, "Bahui personally used your molted skin to make the best Zisomo, so now, as long as you wear it again, you will be a priest recognized by the Serpent City."

Qin Huai did as instructed and found that Zisomo had actually transformed into a large cloak similar in style to Iber's, covering his entire body.

Just then, Qin Huai could clearly sense that this host body was different. It seemed to be able to integrate the five senses at any time, transforming into that wonderful feeling of being able to see the Ba Hui, drawing in powerful pure pain from beyond the heavens.

“The Báthir told me to take the Embrace of Pain with me and leave Sichuan to serve Him. I wonder, Priest Ib, where is it?”

Having experienced the various power enhancements brought by the snakeskin cloak, Qin Huai remembered something important and asked the silent Iber.

"take it."

Yu the Great took off a black and red bracelet with sharp spikes on the inside from his wrist and threw it directly in front of Qin Huai.

"this?"

Upon seeing the bracelet's inhuman design, Qin Huai's pupils contracted. He quickly reached out, grabbed it, and carefully put it away. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly realized that he didn't know how to enter or leave Snake City.

"As long as you enter any cave in the mortal world and use Zisomo to enter the [Super Senses], Ba Hui will descend with divine power to lead you into the Serpent City. However, apart from the land of Sichuan, if you cross other historical places, you will enter the kingdoms of other deities. What will happen then is unpredictable."

Iber seemed to have guessed what Qin Huai was thinking and gave his instructions directly.

"Strange history? What's that? Does it mean that the Serpent City isn't in the mortal world?"

Qin Huai found it strange when he heard these snakes talking about the mortal world, because when he came to Snake City from Nanyu, he did not perceive any change in space from his senses. It was as if he had simply walked from a cave into a deeper underground cave. But according to Yi Bo, things did not seem to be like that.

"You do not know?"

Iber looked at Qin Huai, whose face showed an expression of ignorance, with some surprise.

"Since the beginning of time, everything that has been created has been collectively called history. All history is governed by the various deities of the outer heavens, who determine what can become history. The deities have woven the past into seven layers of history, and these seven layers of history have thousands of branches, which are controlled by the God of Fate and the Great Demon, and are called alternate histories. With the power of the deities, one can travel through different alternate histories and arrive at the kingdom built on the basis of nature and form."

Seeing Qin Huai shake his head, Iber patiently explained, "Whether it's called Snake City, Valusia, Yous, or Tulian, they all refer to the Kingdom of Bahui, a history of suffering and torment."

"So, the alternate history is a reflection of the mortal world?"

Having spent so much time in the world, Qin Huai was very receptive and immediately shared his understanding.

“Every piece of history, and those thousands of branching histories, are all things that truly existed, and they are no different from the mortal world.”

Iber's words were somewhat abstract, which reminded Qin Huai of the Jambudvipa Fruit and parallel worlds, but after a moment of thought, he raised a new question.

"Where are the soldiers who transformed into snake demons before?"

"Naturally, it is the Serpent's Lair of the mortal world. To enter the Serpent City, one must gain the approval of the Ba Hui, and the suffering they have endured is far from enough."

Iber looked at Qin Huai and said meaningfully, "After all, not every believer can complete the skinning ceremony and enter the snake city on their own like you."

Having said that, Qin Huai had no further questions. He immediately bid farewell to King Yi Boyu, activated his snake-skin cloak, and returned to the vast cavern.

The peculiar, fishy stench remained, but Qin Huai found it delightful. He retraced his steps along the cliffside walkway, organizing his observations from his trip to Snake City.

"Strange history, strange history".

"First of all, it can be confirmed that alternate history is a kind of subordinate space that does not interfere with the mortal world, similar to a small world, but independent of normal history, and controlled by many powerful deities."

"Ba Hui said that Di Ting once searched for the fallen Ksitigarbha, and then disappeared in Da Shun. If he was just captured, that's fine, but what if he died, or got lost among the many strange histories? How can we find him then?"

Having been in the Fruit Realm for some time now, Qin Huai knew the significance of a peak Seven Palaces cultivator here. To be honest, the Di Ting, who wasn't good at fighting, was no different from a small fish or shrimp here.

In Qin Huai's view, those two painful saints who had cultivated for countless years—Iber and King Yu from Snake City—alone possessed at least the strength of the Six Ministers.

"This is truly like finding a needle in a haystack."

Qin Huai recalled what Ba Hui had told him before, so he wasn't too anxious. He felt that as long as he found an opportunity to ascend to the Outer Heaven, he would eventually find clues left by Di Ting.

“If a normal person knew they were in a difficult situation and unlikely to return to Yanfu, they would definitely leave some clues to let Yan Zhao know so that he could arrange a rescue plan. As an elder on the list of special talents, Di Ting couldn’t possibly be unaware of this rule, so there must be something that I haven’t explored yet, or rather, that I’ve overlooked.”

Qin Huai closed his eyes and went through everything that had happened since he entered the fruit in his mind, only to find that his best entry point was the already fallen Si Chen [Dizang].

"Why is Di Ting looking for Ksitigarbha? Is it related to the Jambudvipa incident? Or is it being chased and looking for a big tree to protect it?" Because there was too little information, Qin Huai still couldn't figure it out even after returning to the Yazhou government office.

"The Pain-Controlling Bhadra and the Slaughter-Controlling Blood Asura seem to be allies. He heard a lot of information from the Blood Asura. If that's the case, is it possible that the Blood Asura knows more about the Listening Beast?"

Qin Huai's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately decided to return to the Killing Department to study the blood-receiving ritual.

"And that bull that stole a portion of [Pain]."

After clearing his mind and deciding what to do next, Qin Huai met with the prefect and had the five recruits' households cancelled. Then, he took the official approval stamped with the official seal and headed straight for Xijing.
-
Huhuhu~
The jagged, bony wings pierced the air, the whistling wind they created carrying raindrops up and then letting them fall again.

The slightly chilly rain pattered against the cloak and also against Qin Huai's face.

Qin Huai looked up at the gloomy sky above, and the distant capital city of Xijing was already in sight.

A quarter of an hour later, the Great Western Army guarding the city saw Qin Huai descend from the sky, his entire body shrouded in a large cloak.

"who?!"

Before the wary general could draw his sword and point it at Qin Huai, he saw the assassin's badge pressed against his face and those golden eyes that gleamed in the rainy night.

The garrison commander, who was aware of the status of the Killing Department, was immediately terrified and quickly sent someone to take Qin Huai to the Killing Department's office.

Wei Xiaolian walked into the courtyard with practiced ease, knocked on the door of the secret room leading to the underground hall, and came out yawning. He stared at Qin Huai for a while before exclaiming, "Qin Wu? I didn't expect you to be back so soon."

"Brother Wei, what's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"

Qin Huai flicked out his purplish-red snake tongue, the fine scales of which were faintly visible under his hood in the candlelight.

"It does look quite unfamiliar now. You have to admit it, that old fisherman's eyes are really sharp."

Sensing the pain emanating from Qin Huai, Wei Xiaolian withdrew his gaze from Qin Huai and directly revealed his silver token. Accompanied by the distinctive cracking sound of wood striking wood, the two entered the underground hall through the secret passage.

"Did you see Ba ​​Hui?"

Yu Gongcao, who seemed to have been sitting behind the counter handling official business, looked up and stared at Qin Huai, whose appearance was more imposing than that of a normal snake-man. He looked somewhat surprised, but quickly greeted him.

"The items have been retrieved."

Qin Huai nodded and took out the black and red bracelet with sharp spikes on the inner circle from his pocket.

"Very good. This time, the Emperor received blood, and you in the Geng Banner deserve the greatest credit."

Seeing that Qin Huai had actually brought the item back, Yu Gongcao, who had made the move unintentionally, was overjoyed and reached out to take the [Embrace of Pain] that Qin Huai handed over.

Unexpectedly, Qin Huai suddenly spoke up: "Merit Officer, I obtained this treasure from King Yu of Snake City. Exchanging it for only two thousand merits is somewhat unreasonable. You know how difficult it is for the snakes to ascend; it's no exaggeration to say it's a matter of life and death."

"Four thousand merits. In addition, this bracelet is only borrowed. It will be returned to you intact once the Emperor has completed his blood sacrifice."

Yu Gongcao himself seemed to know that the effort and reward of this so-called black reward were disproportionate, so without saying a word, he directly doubled Qin Huai's reward.

"I see. Thank you very much, Chief Clerk."

Having said all that, Qin Huai was too lazy to haggle anymore, so he simply nodded and handed the bracelet to Yu Gongcao.

"Chief Clerk, can I now access the department's intelligence?"

"Of course, you can access the first four sections of the library. As for the fifth and sixth sections, since you have made a contribution this time, you can also access them as long as you are paid a reward."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huai didn't hesitate: "I need information about sexuality, the celestial bodies, and various religious sects, the more detailed the better."

Know yourself and the enemy, a hundred battles will never end.

Since we have decided to complete Ba Hui's mission, we should naturally use Da Xi's channels to learn as much as possible about the situation of Gu, Da Shun, and Nan Ming.

"It turns out that the so-called Zoroastrianism and Nestorianism are just followers of the god Gu. Although they also use pain to exchange for power from Ba Hui, they do not worship Ba Hui, but instead worship the god Gu who steals fire. Like the god Gu, they all desire to steal and rob Ba Hui's power."

Qin Huai sat behind his desk, with several stacks of books beside him.

"The last time the God of Gu was able to steal a portion of [Pain] in his mortal form, it was a coincidence resulting from the combined effects of the right time, place, and people. If He hadn't voluntarily given up His power, left the Outer Heavens, and hidden in the mundane mortal world, He would likely have been caught by Ba Hui in the upcoming battle of the Divine Stars and suffered greatly."

Qin Huai put down the book containing information about the Zoroastrian and Xianjing religions and pondered it to himself.

'Although this Gu God doesn't have any saints, the Zoroastrian Church does have a Grand Elder who embraces suffering, whose strength ranges from one to nine ranks. My current host body is roughly at the seventh rank; to kill the Gu God, Taotie would probably have to do it himself.'

'The Zoroastrian followers are elusive, and although they have strongholds in the other three kingdoms besides the Western Kingdom—such as the Cross Temple—someone like Gu Shen wouldn't choose to hide there, would he?'

Thinking about what Gu Shen had done, Qin Huai could only describe this madman with eight words.

Bold and daring, yet meticulous in thought.

After studying it for a while, Qin Huai realized that regardless of whether Gu Shen had any ulterior motives, he still had to go to Shizi Temple.

"Since we're going to the Southern Ming, why not find a cross temple within its borders?"

Qin Huai opened the intelligence reports about the Southern Ming Dynasty, and a country that was largely similar to the historical one, but very different in its internal affairs, appeared before him.

The Southern Ming, which also bears this fruit, was a separatist regime established in the south of China by Ming dynasty relatives after the Qing army entered the pass and occupied the north following the suicide of Emperor Chongzhen. In order to resist the Qing and restore the Ming, the emperor attempted to establish the regime.

However, the Southern Ming here relied on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to defend Nanjing, divided the country with the Great Shun in the north, and was locked in a stalemate with the Great Xi in the west, which relied on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Although its territory was not large, it was quite prosperous and could be regarded as a smaller version of the Southern Song.

What Qin Huai was particularly concerned about was the rather strange ecological niche of the Southern Ming court.

Unlike Zhang Xianzhong, the King of the Great Western Kingdom, who built his empire entirely through warfare, the emperors of the Southern Ming Dynasty were more like mascots, revered by officials, gentry, and members of the imperial clan.

(End of this chapter)