Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 584: Prophecy and chaos!
In a room in the backyard of the fur shop, a magical artifact capable of preventing the Four-Eared, Five-Eyed Beast from eavesdropping had already been activated, emitting a faint magical light that enveloped everyone.

With their worries gone, everyone began to discuss the unexpected news, deeply shocked by it.

After a moment's thought, Zishu Xunshou asserted decisively, "It seems that the Chu prince we met in 'Baiyujing' is not this eldest prince."

Lu Yang could not hide his surprise: "How did you determine the extent of the inspection tour?"

Shang Lu interjected, explaining on behalf of Zi Shu Xun Shou: "That young master, before even arriving at Xing Shan, was able to orchestrate the destruction of the rotten and ominous land, demonstrating his exceptional skills and numerous informants. How could such a person be so easily captured without any precautions?"

“That makes perfect sense,” Zishu Xunshou nodded.

According to Steward Sun, the eldest prince of Chu did nothing to deal with his imprisonment and punishment. If he were truly the one who destroyed the rotten and ominous land, he would never have been so helpless.

Lu Yang immediately understood: "The young master behind the scenes not only shifted the blame to his elder brother, making him take the fall, but also eliminated a formidable enemy in the process? What a brilliant plan to kill two birds with one stone! Among the princes of Chu, who exactly possesses such ruthless methods?"

"Who it is is no longer important."

Upon hearing the words "Rat on the hunt," not only was Lü Yang stunned again, but Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren also showed surprise.

"What does the inspector mean by that? Are we not going to seek his help?"

"Such a cunning and ruthless person, seeking his help?" Zi Shu Xun Shou sneered, "I'm afraid he'll agree to our request to our faces, but then turn around and betray us completely!"

Upon careful consideration, everyone was horrified, realizing that this concern was extremely valid.

"What should we do now?" Lü Yang pressed.

Zishu Xunshou stroked his beard silently, pondered for a moment, and then instructed Steward Sun: "Go and find out which prison the eldest prince of Chu is currently being held in."

"Yes!" Steward Sun clasped his hands in acceptance, turned and left the room.

After about the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, he returned: "It's all been found out. The eldest prince of Chu was initially imprisoned in the imperial prison, but was later taken away by the palace eunuchs and brought to the Chu royal palace."

The rat on patrol wasn't surprised and even snorted, "Just as I expected."

He said coldly, "It seems that King Chu must have encountered a problem! The monstrous flesh in the Rotten Perilous Land can enhance cultivation, but it is also highly poisonous! The Great Master once brought out a small amount of monstrous flesh, and after testing, he confirmed that once the monstrous flesh is eaten, it is addictive and difficult to break! If one cannot continue to eat it, at best one will go mad and fall in cultivation, and at worst one will be corrupted and transformed!"

Shang Lu nodded slightly. This situation was also mentioned in Chu Yun's notes.

The bizarre celestial meat contains extremely strong chaotic pollution. If one does not know how to purify it, one will inevitably become addicted to it and must constantly consume it. Once this is stopped, the addiction will kick in, enough to drive one mad and cause bizarre transformations!

The King of Chu is probably already suffering from a "carnal addiction".

At this point, ordinary elixirs are useless. Only by forcibly seizing the cultivation and lifespan of others to suppress the pollution, or even devouring the flesh and blood of one's own relatives, can the pain and strange changes be delayed!
The rat on patrol was unaware of what the pokeweed was thinking; it simply analyzed the situation quickly:
"The King of Chu sent eunuchs to bring the eldest son into the palace, surely intending to 'eat' him in order to delay his own corrupt and treacherous actions."

The young master hiding behind the scenes, although he made his elder brother take the blame this time, must have known very well that after the King of Chu had eaten the eldest son, he would eat the second son, the third son... sooner or later he would be the one to eat him.

He would never sit idly by and wait to be killed. He would secretly accumulate strength, waiting only for his rivals to be eliminated before raising the banner of avenging his brother, ridding the people of a scourge, and vanquishing the nation, storming the palace, and killing the treacherous King of Chu! Then, he wouldn't be seen as patricide and usurping the throne, but as someone who turns the tide of war!

Everyone nodded in unison.

Based on the clues we have so far, it is highly likely that such a "kind father and filial son" and "friendly and respectful brother" relationship is possible.

"He wants to wait for the right opportunity, but we won't let him have his way; we'll force him to take action!"

Shang Lu saw through Zi Shu's plan and replied, "As long as the capital of Chu is in chaos, and as long as someone attacks the palace, we can sneak in during the chaos and rescue Da Xingren and the others!"

"Not bad!"

Zishu Xunshou gave Shang Lu an approving look, then turned to Xu Zhen: "You are an expert in Gu creatures, do you have any echoing insects?"

As he asked this question, he glanced at Shang Lu out of the corner of his eye, but Shang Lu pretended not to notice.

"Have."

Xu Zhen reached behind his back and pulled out a black clay pot from somewhere.

Lifting the lid of the jar revealed rows of plump, white maggots with blurry human faces—the very same echoing maggots. They raised their heads, mimicking Xu Zhen's earlier tone, chattering incessantly, "Yes, yes," their noise grating and unpleasant.

Xu Zhen quickly covered the clay pot, and the echoing insect's voice abruptly disappeared.

The Rat, on patrol, nodded in satisfaction and made his deployment in a deep voice:

"Feed these words to the echo chamber: 'The King of Chu has turned into a monster and needs to eat people to prolong his life,' 'The King of Chu practices evil arts, devouring souls to achieve immortality,' 'Xingshan's collapse was all because the King of Chu ate too many people,' 'The King of Chu captured the eldest prince to eat his own son; next he'll eat the other princes and court officials'... Make up these stories as horrifying as possible! The accent must be a mix of Chu and southern barbarians. Those barbarians are stirring up trouble everywhere, making our trip much more difficult. I won't be satisfied until they take the blame!"

"Yes!" Xu Zhen solemnly accepted the order.

The Rat, during his inspection tour, instructed Steward Sun: "It's time to awaken all the spies you've cultivated in the Chu capital for so many years. Have them spread the nursery rhyme and prophecy: 'The Bamboo King weeps blood, and the Chu palace is shrouded in miasma. The King of Men is possessed by a nightmare, devouring his children and subjects. Only when the blood stains the Chu capital will he be satisfied.'"

The Bamboo King is a deity revered by the various barbarian tribes of the south, and he also has a certain number of followers in the Chu region. Legend has it that the prophecies and divinations bestowed by the Bamboo King are all incredibly accurate.

Without a word, Steward Sun clasped his hands and accepted the order.

The Rat Hunter followed up with a question: "Is it possible to avoid being watched from the watchtower?"

"Yes, I can!" Manager Sun said confidently.

The Rat, having ceased his words, waved his hand and said, "Then go quickly, and be sure to be cautious!"

He then sneered, "In the past, the State of Chu sent people to spread nursery rhymes and prophecies in our country, attempting to undermine the morale of the army and the people. Today, we are giving them a taste of their own medicine."

After a moment's hesitation, Lü Yang couldn't help but ask, "These lies and prophecies... will anyone believe them? Can they really disrupt the capital of Chu?"

The Rat, on his hunting expedition, laughed and said, "Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant. What matters is whether it's useful! Once the prophecy is made, someone will 'confirm' it for us. Even if it's false, someone will 'make' it true!"

Lü Yang understood.

The purpose of the Rat's hunting expedition was not to incite chaos in the Chu capital with nursery rhymes and prophecies.

He wanted to incite fear, greed, and other such thoughts in people's hearts... to make the people of Chu capital and the officials in the court fall into chaos.

Lü Yang said no more. Xu Zhen, Cheng Ren, and the Yin Tong also understood.

Everyone immediately sprang into action. Some helped Xu Zhen instill rumors and prophecies into the echoing insects, while others prepared for the upcoming fierce battle.

Night fell in the blink of an eye, and the night fog once again enveloped the capital of Chu.

That night, everyone in the capital of Chu was unable to sleep.

Just after midnight, a strange sound suddenly rang out from the depths of the thick fog. It was sharp and elusive, like the wailing of evil spirits in the night, shouting alarming words such as: "The Chu Palace is afflicted by miasma, the king is possessed by a nightmare, and he devours his sons and ministers."

The news of the eldest son's imprisonment spread in broad daylight. Even with the four-eared, five-eyed beasts listening and the sorcerers and soldiers suppressing it, it was difficult to silence the gossip.

Awakened by the ghostly sounds in the mist, everyone connected the two events.

The most terrifying thing was the King of Humans who devoured children.

Before people could recover from their shock, even more voices emerged from the night fog.

Their accents were mixed, including the dialects of the Chu region and the dialects of southern barbarians. Although their contents varied, they all revolved around the core of the prophecy: the King of Chu, seeking immortality, transformed into a monster and needed to eat people to prolong his life…

In the night fog, the once quiet capital of Chu was thrown into turmoil by these strange noises.

People dared not go out to find out who was spreading the news; they all stayed at home, discussing it in hushed tones or exchanging messages in writing.

Some people think this is nonsense, but others believe that there must be a reason behind any rumors!

Some insiders, who were already suspicious of the King of Chu's recent situation, became even more suspicious after hearing the various sounds coming from the night fog!
Some people recognized the "southern barbarian" accent in the nursery rhyme and prophecy, and thought of the recent events when the southern barbarian tribes sent envoys to the Chu capital to bring back their high priest.

These messengers, aside from running around for the first few days, all disappeared afterwards... Could it be that they were also eaten by that person in the palace?
Some even speculated that the prophecy contained both the Chu dialect and the accent of the southern barbarians, suggesting that the southern barbarians might have already reached an alliance with the eldest prince's followers.

All these circumstances made some people secretly happy, but also made others frown, feeling that things had developed in a way that was completely different from what they had expected!
"Who is it? Who is ruining my plans?"

The man gritted his teeth, knowing full well that his plan had to be changed.

He darted to the window and roared through it, "What are the Black-Clad Guards doing? Quickly seize all those traitors who are spreading rumors and slandering my father!"

Turning around, he used a secret telepathic technique to command a shadowy figure in the corner: "Pass on my order, the situation has changed, prepare to act ahead of schedule!"

The shadow flickered and then disappeared.

That night, it wasn't just the Black-Clad Guards who came out in full force. The entire city guard also mobilized, ignoring the dangers of the night fog. Teams of ten or more men, carrying torches, frantically searched for the source of the rumors, guided by the Four-Eared, Five-Eyed Beast.

Although the Four-Eared Five-Eyed Beast feared the night fog, it also understood that if it couldn't catch the person spreading the rumors, it wouldn't survive until tomorrow.

A night passed in the blink of an eye.

The Black-Clad Guards and City Guards, who had been running around the Chu capital all night, were unable to catch the culprit who spread the rumors and prophecies.

All rumors and prophecies are either uttered by echoing insects or come from the mouths of straw figures or paper figures.

Although traces of life remained on the straw figures and paper figures, when the sorcerers in the Black-Clad Guards, who also practiced Legalist arts, analyzed the clues using Legalist laws, they managed to track them all the way to the residences of several young masters and the nine ministers of the court.

Even though the Black-Clad Guard was directly under the command of the Prince of Chu, they dared not rush in to arrest the person in this situation.

The princes and high-ranking officials who were implicated were either surprised and astonished or furious and immediately defended themselves, striving to prove their innocence.

"Someone must have deliberately framed me!"

Several young masters and high-ranking officials made solemn vows.

"First they spread rumors and prophecies, then they tried to shift the blame onto us... Clearly, someone wants to plunge the capital of Chu into chaos!"

Everyone here is intelligent, so naturally they could see the oddity at a glance.

But they weren't sure who was doing this.
Are they the eldest son's cronies? Or the southern barbarians? Or perhaps the treacherous rats of the Ba Kingdom lurking in the shadows?

Or... their political enemies?

Although the Black-Clad Guards dared not rashly arrest the young master and the nine high-ranking officials, they also dared not let their guard down. They quickly mobilized their forces to seal off the mansion and strictly prohibit entry and exit, waiting to report to the King of Chu before taking any further action.

The young nobles and high-ranking officials spoke righteously, claiming they were upright and honest and unafraid of investigation. But secretly, none of them wanted to sit idly by and await their doom.

What if the story of "eating one's own child and devouring one's minister" is true?
Who would willingly become fish on the chopping block?

Although they did not forcefully break through the Black-Clad Guards' blockade, they were all secretly mobilizing their respective forces.

A new chaos is quietly brewing in the capital of Chu.

Many court officials had connections with the princes and the Nine Ministers. Upon hearing that they had been blocked in their residences by the Black-Clad Guards, they immediately made arrangements, gathered at the palace gates, and requested an audience with the emperor.

However, the ministers waited outside the palace for a long time but did not receive a royal summons.

Finally, a eunuch came forward and conveyed the King of Chu's decree: "The King is unwell and will not see me for the time being."

The courtiers were in uproar, their indignation palpable.

"What exactly is wrong with Your Majesty?"

"He hasn't attended court for months and refuses to see his ministers... Your Majesty is a third-grade Divine Ascension Realm cultivator, what illness could have plagued him for so long?"

The courtiers were agitated, their voices clamoring with questions, almost directly asking whether the king had truly become a cannibalistic monster.

The palace guards, witnessing this scene, were all on edge, gripping their weapons tightly, fearing that the ministers might impulsively try to force their way into the palace.

In truth, their hearts were also filled with doubts.

They had also heard the rumors and prophecies from last night.

In recent days, people have indeed been disappearing one after another within the royal palace...

This made the palace guards somewhat believe the claim that "the King of Chu wanted to eat people."

If the King of Chu really turned into a man-eating monster, wouldn't they, the imperial guards, become nothing more than food for his mouth?
When loyalty becomes impermanent, then it becomes absolute disloyalty.

With the ministers unable to enter the palace to meet the King of Chu, the rumors in the Chu capital that "the King of Chu has become a man-eating monster" instantly reached a new peak.

The city guards couldn't find the source of the rumors and prophecies, but they were ruthless in suppressing the people who discussed the matter.

They've done similar things many times in the past.

Every time they arrest someone, they can suppress the matter forcefully.

But this time, as soon as they started arresting people, new rumors and prophecies began to circulate in the shadows, saying that they were capturing "blood offerings" for the King of Chu.

Many people who initially doubted the claim that the King of Chu had become a "man-eating monster" have now become somewhat skeptical.

The overwhelming public opinion cannot be controlled by simply suppressing and arresting people.

Soon, the storm sweeping through the capital of Chu intensified, which in turn fueled the prophecy.

A prophecy!
The King of Chu in the palace was immediately corrupted by the power of the prophecy, and became increasingly frantic and distressed!
At this point, the chaos had little to do with Shang Lu and his group.

Throughout the Chu state, countless forces, both overt and covert, whether fanning the flames or taking advantage of the situation, were drawn into the affair.

No subject wants a king who is immortal and needs to devour his subjects to prolong his life!
An immortal tyrant, as his cultivation grows stronger, will inevitably have his desire for control expand infinitely.

At that time, the interests of the powerful clans and factions will inevitably be crushed!
For these ministers from powerful and influential families, a declining monarchy and a weak puppet regime were the best options!
Nobody wants to cook that Chinese food!
The atmosphere in the capital of Chu had suddenly shifted from chaos to tension, to a point of imminent danger!

Shang Lu and his men were sharpening their knives, all ready.

In the blink of an eye, another night has fallen...

(End of this chapter)