Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 93 Crab Generals and Crab Roe, Treasures Left by the Dragon Palace!
Zhou Yuanjun stood with his hands behind his back on a blue rainbow sword, deliberately slowing down his sword speed by three-tenths as his clothes fluttered.

Behind them, amidst a thousand feet of rosy light, three hundred scholars carried on the clouds, and a thousand young students were carried by the wind, following them like stars surrounding the moon.

Five scholars from the Imperial Academy followed closely behind, their red-tinged robes fluttering in the breeze. The black jade nameplates at their waists hummed and trembled, carving five vermilion streaks in the clouds.

Suddenly, he saw a thin, faint cloud pierce through the wind, swimming against the current like a fish, chasing after the group of scholars—it was none other than the young scholar Jiang Xingzhou!

The elusive cloud, as thin as a cicada's wing, shimmered like water in the setting sun.

What ordinary scholars could not see, they could not escape the insight of the scholar Zhou Yuanjun.

"A stealth cloud? That's interesting!"

Zhou Yuanjun lightly tapped the hilt of the sword with his fingertips, and the azure sword tassel suddenly moved without wind. The sword light suddenly contracted by another three points, becoming level with the wisp of invisible cloud.

He glanced sideways, his gaze sharp and penetrating, piercing through the clouds and landing directly on Jiang Xingzhou.

"Nephew Xingzhou, are you having a hard time?"

He laughed heartily, his tone containing both a sense of testing and a hint of appreciation.

"Uncle, there is still some strength left."

Jiang Xingzhou chased after the scholars and officials, his feet treading on clouds. Although he was a little tired, he still kept his back straight and his voice clear.

Zhou Yuanjun nodded, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "Alright! In that case, you will temporarily serve as a soldier, stay by my side, and do not stray far."

He was a scholar who had passed the imperial examination, possessing both literary talent and keen insight. His combat prowess was such that he was not at a disadvantage even when facing a powerful demon general.

Having Jiang Xingzhou by his side would not only protect him but also hone his skills.

After all, if this top student, who was highly likely to win the prefectural examination, were to suffer even the slightest mishap, the Prince of Jiangzhou would be heartbroken!
Thousands of scholars rode the wind and sped across hundreds of miles, with Wuxi County in sight, while Taihu Lake remained hidden a hundred miles away.

Suddenly,

Everyone froze, staring at the sky above Taihu Lake, speechless with astonishment.

Above Lake Tai, dark, swirling clouds obscured the sky and sun. Countless water demons stirred the waves, roaring and frolicking, their cries echoing across the land.

Even more terrifying, at the center of the lake, there are giant waves hundreds of feet thick that surge upwards against the sky, like an inverted Milky Way, drawing the vast expanse of lake water into the heavens.

The mist filled the sky, condensing into dark clouds that pressed heavily down on the surrounding city.

"Lord of the Academy, this is an omen of all demons gathering together to establish a court and a government!"

A scholar who had passed the imperial examinations and served as an instructor had a solemn expression and his voice trembled slightly: "Judging from this demonic aura, there are probably thousands or even tens of thousands of demon soldiers and generals who intend to occupy this place for a long time!"

Another scholar stood with his hand on his sword, and said in a deep voice, "The demonic forces are so vast that they cannot be eradicated without mobilizing the heavily armored troops from all the prefectures. Our strength is insufficient to contend with them!"

Professor Zhou stood with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed.

Somewhat puzzled,

Why are there so many demon soldiers and generals?
Although there were a thousand Jiangzhou students behind him, only about three hundred of them were truly capable of fighting.

The rest are mostly students who have never fought in battle. If we rashly send them there, it would be no different from driving sheep into the jaws of a tiger.

His gaze swept over the young faces behind him, and he finally made a solemn decision: "The young scholars will line up at the rear to aid the disaster victims and assist with logistics. Those who have passed the county-level examinations and above will follow me to slay the demons and prepare for war!"

With her robes fluttering, Zhou Yuanjun suddenly landed on the city wall of Wuxi.

His gaze swept across the ravaged city, and the sounds of battle echoed in the distance. He shouted in a deep voice, "Wuxi County is adjacent to Taihu Lake. The demonic calamity is rampant and extremely serious. Seven out of ten houses are already empty!"

"All students, listen to my command—"

"Immediately eliminate the monsters in the city and hold your ground while awaiting reinforcements!"

A thousand students responded in unison, their voices resounding through the sky: "We will obey the Dean's command!"

Just as everyone landed on the city wall, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted from outside the city.

Looking back,

A newly built dragon-bone waterwheel, constructed last year, was crumbling and falling apart amidst the raging torrents. Its iron frame was twisted and broken, resembling a giant dragon being skinned and dismembered, its remains bobbing and sinking in the flood.

Looking around the city, one sees dilapidated houses and streets turned into rivers. The turbid floodwaters have already submerged half of the city, and floating beams and furniture collide with the current, making a teeth-grinding creaking sound.

The city's streets and alleys have long since been transformed into a battlefield of carnage.

Groups of oddly shaped demon soldiers, wielding various rusty blades and tridents, kicked open the broken gates of the city and roamed among the ruins.

Where the blade flashed, blood splattered on the ruins.

Amidst the wailing, corpses lay strewn across the ground.

"kill!"

County Magistrate Zhao Zhen led his men in a desperate defense of the county government office within the city.

Hundreds of yamen runners and over a thousand soldiers formed a dense forest, and the county's students, trembling with fear, turned their brushes into swords. The servants of various prefectures also took up arms to defend against the demonic troops.

In front of the government office, a blue-armored crab general was wielding two bronze hammers, the hammerheads as big as millstones, which crashed down with a whistling sound, accompanied by a foul wind.

"boom--"

The stone steps shattered with a crash, and amidst the flying debris, hundreds of demon soldiers roared and charged behind him, their sharp claws and fangs gleaming coldly in the firelight.

The group was covered in blood and mud, looking extremely disheveled from their battle.

As Zhao Zhen was fighting desperately, surrounded by demon soldiers and generals, he was already in despair when suddenly the sky brightened.

Looking up, one could see thousands of sword rainbows piercing through the clouds, like a cascading rosy glow, gilding the blood mist that filled the city with a golden light.

I wonder where these reinforcements came from!

Take a closer look,
Upon closer inspection, the person in the lead, with his green robe fluttering and his sword twirling in the air, was none other than Zhou Yuanjun from Jiangzhou Academy!

He couldn't help but be overjoyed.

"Heaven will not forsake Wuxi!"

Magistrate Zhao Zhen cried out hoarsely, his bloodied fingers almost crushing the hilt of his sword: "Brother Zhou! Quickly save the people and soldiers of my county—!"

"kill--!"

Zhou Shanchang's eyes were bloodshot, filled with extreme rage, and his voice boomed like thunder.

With a flick of his sleeves, a cold light shot out, and the flying sword roared like a dragon's cry!
Before the crab demon general could even raise his hammer, the sword light had already pierced through his skull.

The demon blood had not yet splattered.

The demon's body crashed to the ground, creating a three-foot-high wave of turbidity.

"Teams of ten, forming formations to support each other!"

"Sweep away all the demons, leave no one alive! If you encounter a demon general, call for reinforcements!"

The thousand students of Jiangzhou Academy, who were already bloodthirsty, immediately transformed into a hundred sharp arrows upon hearing the command, shooting in all directions into the city!
Ten people form a team, arrayed like a sharp spearhead.

His scholar's robe was stained with blood, and the sword's aura pierced the sky.

In the long streets and narrow alleys, wherever a three-foot-long sword flashes, the demon's head rolls off.

"[wind]!"

"[ice]!"

The spells and talismans exploded, and corpses flew everywhere.

The city was filled with angry shouts of "Exterminate the demon!" which silenced the previous wails and howls of ghosts!

now,

The demon generals within the city were incredibly fierce. Their strength was comparable to that of a scholar, but their numbers were few, only a dozen or so.

More numerous were the demon soldiers, though not as fierce as the demon generals, they still numbered in the hundreds.

Those demons at the lowest level, comparable only to novice scholars, were numerous and spread all over the mountains and fields, making people's hair stand on end.

In a narrow, chaotic alleyway, the blue bricks were cracked and blood and mud mingled together.

Jiang Xingzhou, along with the Xue brothers, Han Yugui, Cao An, Lu Ming, Li Yunxiao, and more than ten other students, slaughtered the demon soldiers and demon civilians in the alley. "Be careful!"

Han Yugui's Seven Star Sword suddenly rang out three inches from its sheath.

A puddle of water, about three zhang away, suddenly burst open.
Three rusty harpoons burst from the water, and three fish soldiers, their scales gleaming with a fishy, ​​eerie light, their gills bulging violently, lunged at them like ferocious demons.

From the houses on the left and right, four or five demonic beings pounced down.

If it were an ordinary student, he would probably panic if he were suddenly attacked.

But they had already faced death and were completely unfazed.

"[thunder]--!"

Jiang Xingzhou lightly exhaled, his fingertips hovering in the air, displaying the Thunder Character Technique.

"Crack——!"

A bolt of lightning struck down from mid-air.

In an instant, they convulsed from the electricity, and lightning spread within a ten-foot radius around them.

Han Yugui, Lu Ming, and the others flew up with their swords, severing their throats and splitting open the remains of three demon soldiers.

Before the harsh shout had even finished, the Xue brothers' furious roar erupted behind him, "Leave the left side to me!" Their double maces slammed down, crushing the heads of the charging demons like melons.

"boom!"

Cao An's pupils contracted sharply, and he slapped out a jade fan, sending the demon's brains and scales flying, splattering the alley walls with a foul-smelling slime.

The bloody battle raged until sunset.

The demon soldiers and generals in the city's alleys were finally wiped out.

The remaining demon generals and soldiers, seeing the overwhelming force of the reinforcements, abandoned their armor and fled in disarray toward Taihu Lake.

As dusk settled over Wuxi, the city finally fell silent.

The people of Jiangzhou Prefecture gathered among the remaining buildings of the prefectural government office and lit bonfires.

As the firelight flickered, the aroma of roasted shrimp soldiers and demonic fish filled the air above the campfire grill—the flesh and blood of these demonic creatures contained rich essence, far more nourishing than ordinary fish and shrimp, and could aid in cultivation.

The trip was rushed, and no supplies were prepared.

The group then used what was available to feed on the flesh and blood of the demon soldiers, which both satisfied their hunger and increased their cultivation.

The night was deep.

Under the glow of the campfire,
Zhou Yuanjun held a golden-brown roasted crab claw, took a bite, and the oil dripped from his fingertips.

Jiang Xingzhou held up a huge crab shell, full of crab roe, plump as gold, and glistening with moisture—this was the essence of the demon general's cultivation, and eating it could greatly increase one's cultivation level.

The rich aroma filled the air, drawing frequent glances from onlookers.

Surprisingly, Zhou Yuanjun bestowed all these precious items upon Jiang Xingzhou.

The scholars and literati around them could not hide their envy.

"It seems that Lord Yuanjun truly regards Jiang Xingzhou as his own nephew," someone murmured, their tone a mixture of envy and understanding.

The academy's headmaster, Zhou Shanchang, looked up at Lord Zhao and asked in a deep voice, "Lord Zhao, when exactly did this demonic calamity begin? How many people in the city have been injured or killed?"

"At dawn today,
Suddenly, demonic clouds rose above Taihu Lake. Amidst the churning black mist, demon soldiers roared with drums and gongs!
In just a moment, dark clouds rolled in!
"I knew something was wrong, so I immediately ordered the evacuation of the people and their refuge in Changzhou Prefecture."

Magistrate Zhao's voice trembled slightly, and in the firelight, a hint of fear appeared in his bloodshot eyes.

His rough fingers gripped the hem of his official robe tightly, his knuckles turning white: "But before half of them could evacuate, thousands of demon soldiers had already breached the city walls!"

"Wuxi is but a small city, how could it withstand such a calamity?"

Magistrate Zhao's throat bobbed, and he bowed deeply to the crowd. The cracks on his official hat were particularly glaring in the firelight. He wept and said, "If it weren't for your timely assistance, there probably wouldn't be a single survivor in the city right now!"

He looked out the window, where the tattered flags on the city walls fluttered in the blood-red sunset.

"Currently, within the city of Wuxi."

His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice hoarse. "Less than three hundred soldiers remain in the county government, and nearly half of the scholars in the county school have been wiped out. The household servants of each prefecture are reduced to less than one-tenth, and one hundred thousand people have been displaced and suffered devastating losses!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill of fear.

If it weren't for the fiery temper and public-spirited nature of Prefect Zhou of Jiangzhou, who couldn't tolerate the slightest delay—he would have led the students to rush to the aid before the prefectural troops had even finished assembling.

If we follow the usual procedure, it would be half a day later.
Looking at the still-wet bloodstains on the city wall, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. If they arrived in Wuxi County half a day later, it would probably already be a fallen city inhabited by aquatic demons.

Zhou Yuanjun frowned, eating a golden hairy crab claw, his knuckles tapping unconsciously on the hilt of his sword.

"This is truly bizarre."

He gazed at the churning black mist in the direction of Taihu Lake, his voice filled with suppressed anger, "Why are these monsters so insanely determined to establish their government and court here? Aren't they afraid that the Great Zhou Dynasty will once again send a large army to besiege and suppress them?"

In the distance, on the surface of Taihu Lake, a beam of blood-red moonlight pierced through the dark clouds, revealing a mirage that reflected the four gilded characters "Taihu Demon Court" on a newly erected archway of a demon's palace, which was extremely eerie.

"Damn it!
They even erected the plaque for "Taihu Demon Court"!

Zhou Yuanjun's pupils contracted sharply, and his sword suddenly drew three inches from its sheath as he gritted his teeth in hatred.

Magistrate Zhao's face was solemn, and his fingers unconsciously twisted the cuffs of his official robe.

"This humble official...this humble official truly cannot fathom the mystery within."

He gazed at the churning demonic clouds over Taihu Lake, his voice hoarse with bewilderment. "Since our dynasty annihilated the Taihu Demon Court, the demon race has not established a court here for over a hundred years—yet now they have chosen this very Taihu Lake."

After all, the establishment of a demon court by the demon race is a major event that only happens once every few hundred years.

Moreover, why choose to settle in Taihu Lake!

No matter how I think about it, I can't explain it.

"Perhaps, my nephew has a guess in his heart!"

Jiang Xingzhou hesitated for a moment.

"say clearly."

Zhou Yuanjun's gaze sharpened.

"My nephew once observed unusual behavior in the bee colony—"

Jiang Xingzhou said, "When there are too many queen bees in the hive, the dominant one will tear the hive apart, take its trusted soldiers, and fly elsewhere to establish a new hive."

Could the establishment of this Taihu Demon Court be due to internal strife among the East Sea demons?
The Demon Court of the East Sea split, with one of the demon kings leading his demon soldiers and generals to flee. Therefore, a separate Demon Court was established here in Taihu Lake?

"Boom——!"

A thunderclap boomed outside the window, and the flash of lightning illuminated Zhou Yuanjun's astonished face.

"Using bees and insects as a metaphor for the demon race. The demon race splits and establishes a separate demon court?"

A glint of light flashed in Zhou Yuanjun's eyes. "This kind of analysis is the first time I've ever heard of it. It's refreshing."

I was wondering if the Demon Court of the Eastern Sea was preparing to declare war on our dynasty again, sending these pawns to disrupt our Jiangnan Circuit!

But Jiang Xingzhou's analysis sounds quite reasonable.

As for why Taihu Lake was chosen in particular, Jiang Xingzhou had no idea why!

He had very limited information.

I once saw a strange record in an ancient book called "Jiangnan Daoshi" (History of Jiangnan Circuit), which was only a few words long: "In the twelfth year of Jinglong, the governor of Jiangnan Circuit led a large army of ten prefectures to wipe out the Taihu Demon Court. They dug three zhang into the ground and returned empty-handed."

The sudden rain outside the window had just stopped, and the sound of dripping water from the eaves could be clearly heard.

Perhaps something lies hidden beneath the surface of Taihu Lake, something that still captivates this powerful demon king, who has established his own demon court, and drives him to take the risk?
Once this thought arises, it lingers like a persistent, intractable disease.

Jiang Xingzhou pondered to himself.

"Treasures left behind by the Dragon Palace?"

(End of this chapter)