Uniting All Forces

What else could he say?

Even if Chen Zhou was lying to him, spending the next three months with hope before dissipating was better than vanishing in endless pain filled with guilt and regret.

He should be grateful to this lord.

Even if it was just a glimmer of hope.

Even if it only gave him something to look forward to before he died.

The True Lord of Purity and Filth took a deep look at Chen Zhou, then bent down and gave a solemn bow.

"Thank you, Lord."

He said nothing more.

In the next moment, he closed his eyes and returned control of the body to Lord Rat.

Lord Rat suddenly snapped his eyes open and shook all over as if he had just been fished out of water.

He looked around, then looked at Chen Zhou and asked urgently, "Lord, what did that old fossil Purity say?"

"He didn't use this rat's body to do anything disrespectful or bad to you, did he?"

Chen Zhou shook his head. "No."

Lord Rat breathed a sigh of relief, but then he felt something was wrong.

He took off his mask and touched his face, finding it was actually wet.

Lord Rat was shocked.

What?

The old fossil actually used his body to cry?

Chen Zhou smiled and suddenly asked, "Little rat, do you want to return home in glory?"

Lord Rat was stunned.

"Return home in glory?"

He scratched his head with a look of confusion.

"What do you mean by that, Lord?"

Chen Zhou smiled slightly.

"Achieving success and not returning home is like wearing fine silk while walking in the dark."

"Look, you are already at the seventh-stage now, and you are a remarkable evil spirit."

"Now that you have achieved fame and success, think of how majestic you will be once you return to Tianchi Province."

"There were demons who looked down on you before, right? Don't you want to make them kneel before you and call you Lord Rat?"

Lord Rat listened, completely dazed.

He began to imagine the scenes in his mind.

Those great demons who used to bully him, those monsters who looked down on him, those beings who flaunted their power in front of him...

All of them kneeling before him, trembling, and crying out, "Lord Rat, please spare our lives!"

The corners of Lord Rat's mouth couldn't help but curl upward.

Then the arc of his smile grew wider and wider.

Finally, his entire body began to shake.

"I want to! This rat wants to so much!"

He grabbed Chen Zhou's sleeve, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Lord, when are we going? Can we leave now?"

"This rat wants to go back and make all those bastards' faces rot off!"

Chen Zhou patted him on the head.

"What's the rush?"

"Go and consolidate your strength. In a while, we will take a trip to your hometown."

Lord Rat nodded frantically and then vanished in a flash.

After Lord Rat left, Chen Zhou called Wu Gou over.

Wu Gou walked in calmly, his potbelly leading the way.

"Devil, what do you want with this monk?"

He plopped down on a chair and patted his belly with a look of satisfaction.

Chen Zhou glanced at him and recounted the matter regarding the True Lord of Purity and Filth.

Wu Gou was stunned for a long time after hearing it.

"I've realized you are truly wicked."

"You won't even let an old man go."

Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Wu Gou chuckled and began counting on his fingers.

"Look, that old man Purity was originally just a remnant soul waiting to dissipate."

"In the end, you sold him a dream and made him feel deeply grateful to you."

"Now you're even eyeing his person. Are you planning to keep him around to do unpaid labor for you too?"

Chen Zhou also sat down, his expression natural.

"Not at all."

"This is called uniting all forces that can be united."

Wu Gou choked on his words.

Chen Zhou continued, "Purity wants to rest in peace, Tianchi Province needs to be purified, and I need resources."

"Everyone gets what they need, so why not?"

Wu Gou smacked his lips, wanting to argue, but found there was nothing to refute.

"Fine, fine, you're right."

Chen Zhou looked at him and asked, "How is Diting's growth? Can it carry people across realm barriers yet?"

Wu Gou thought for a moment and said, "It still lacks a bit of heat."

"The little guy is only at the sixth-stage right now. If it crosses a realm barrier, it can barely carry one person. Any more and problems might arise."

"How long until it can carry more people?"

Wu Gou said, "Normally, after another year or so of nurturing, it should reach the seventh-stage."

"It will be stable then."

Chen Zhou shook his head. "Too slow."

"If it eats more Golden Buddha meat, can it be raised up within a month?"

A month's time was just enough for everyone to rest and recuperate, and he could also wait for the sacrifice cooldown.

The True Lord of Purity and Filth wouldn't dissipate for another three months, so there was plenty of time.

Wu Gou's eyes lit up. "Golden Buddha meat?"

He swallowed hard and stated righteously, "Yes, absolutely!"

"If it eats Golden Buddha meat every day, I guarantee that Diting will reach the seventh-stage within a month!"

"I'll go talk to the young benefactor Yu He right now!"

Chen Zhou looked at him and suddenly laughed.

"You don't need to go."

Wu Gou was stunned. "What?"

Chen Zhou said, "I will arrange it myself."

Wu Gou grew anxious. "Wait, Devil, what do you mean by that?"

"I am Diting's master, do you still not trust me?"

Chen Zhou nodded sincerely. "I indeed do not trust you."

Wu Gou: "..."

Chen Zhou: "I'm afraid you'll steal all the fodder the Heavenly Chef prepares specifically for Diting."

"Am I that kind of person!"

Chen Zhou looked at him without saying a word.

Wu Gou felt aggrieved under his gaze.

Fine, he really was that kind of person.

..................

In the days that followed, the City of the Wrongfully Dead returned to tranquility.

After the New Year passed, the citizens went back to their daily routines.

Some went to work in the spirit fields, some to the workshops, some to the schools, and some to patrol outside the city.

Everything was in perfect order.

Jian Huaishuang helped Xiaoyun reconstruct her paper body.

Because Xiaoyun couldn't leave Jian Huaishuang for too long, and Lian had become Chen Zhou's Ghost General, both of them stayed in the City of the Wrongfully Dead.

With both his daughters staying, Tuoba Feng naturally stayed as well.

Every day, he carried that stone coffin on his back and wandered around the city to see if there was anything he could help with.

Later, Hong Ling saw that he was truly bored, so she assigned him to the patrol team.

Xiaoyun and Lian started playing with Jiu'er and Erya.

The children were of similar ages and quickly became close.

Jiu'er took them to the school to read and learn characters together.

Xiaoyun was incredibly happy, telling Tuoba Feng every day what she had learned and what they had played.

Sometimes, Piao would also come to the school.

Every time Piao came, she would first go to see Ugly Hag.

The population of the City of the Wrongfully Dead was booming, and Ugly Hag was very busy every day.

Piao would squat at the door, watching her busy herself in and out without saying a word.

After watching Ugly Hag, she would go find Lian.

When Lian saw her coming, she would stand up and summon several black-spot monsters.

Those monsters were thirty or forty feet tall with hideous appearances, and their ranks were all at the seventh-stage level.

However, they were as obedient as puppies in front of Piao.

Piao would walk up, open her mouth, and take a bite.

Black mist surged and the monster let out a scream, but it still didn't dare to move.

Piao chewed and nodded.

"Delicious."

Lian would then smile.

Her stitched lips pulled back, making the smile look somewhat distorted, but Piao didn't mind.

She just looked at Lian seriously and then made a note in her little notebook.

【The snacks Lian feeds me taste like caramel. My mood improves after eating them.】

After writing, she looked up again.

"Another one?"

Lian nodded and summoned another one.

Piao continued to eat.

The two of them spent the entire afternoon like that, one summoning and one eating.