After Jian Huaishuang stepped down, he found Shitou, who was helping a new batch of refugees build shelters.
After handing over the instructions Chen Zhou had just issued, he went to settle the paper-doll junior brothers he had brought back from the sword sect.
Shitou’s face was glowing with health, his eyes bright.
This was not just because he was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see his own kind slaughtered by demons, but even more so because this was a task given by his lord—an opportunity to walk the earth as a divine messenger and expand the deity's glory.
A fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy, thinking about how he could be like the divine messengers in stories, sweeping away evil by divine decree, was filled with an inexpressible excitement.
Hong Ling witnessed the whole thing and slapped the back of his head with considerable force.
"Ouch—" Shitou clutched his head and looked at Hong Ling aggrievedly. "What did you hit me for?"
Hong Ling crossed her arms, looking at him as if he were a fool. "What are you grinning about? I’m asking you, what do you think of Jian Huaishuang?"
Shitou rubbed the back of his head, confused, but answered honestly.
"Brother Huaishuang is a great person! He’s strong, has a firm heart, and values loyalty. He even gave you pointers back in Shideng Village. Now that he has the lord’s favor, he’ll definitely be top-tier combat power under the lord’s command in the future. He’s an important companion!"
He counted off on his fingers, using every word of praise he could think of.
Hong Ling punched him in the head again. "You’re going to be the death of me with your stupidity. Don't you have any sense of crisis?"
"Sense of crisis?" Shitou was dazed.
"Use your brain!" Hong Ling lowered her voice, her tone carrying a hint of frustration. "Jian Huaishuang—his character, talent, and strength—which of them isn't top-notch? Most importantly, haven’t you noticed the lord is paying too much attention to him? He personally stepped in to stabilize his state, bestowed power upon him, and is now directly assigning him to lead such an important expansion mission."
Hong Ling stared into Shitou’s eyes, her voice a devilish whisper: "You wouldn't want him to replace your position in the lord’s heart, would you?"
The smile on Shitou’s face froze.
Hong Ling snorted coldly. "So, let’s have a temporary truce, you idiot. In the face of external rivals, we must present a united front. I’m going on this mission too."
Usually, the two of them competed in cultivation and work, neither willing to back down. Now, they had reached a consensus on the goal of resisting an external threat.
Although Shitou felt Hong Ling was overthinking it, he had always acknowledged her intelligence. He hesitated, "But... what about the territory? There’s so much to do..."
Hong Ling waved her hand, the corners of her mouth curling into a sly smile as she continued to egg him on.
"The construction and management of the City of the Wrongfully Dead are basically on track, and all the rules have been established. It doesn't matter if I leave for a while. Besides, with the lord himself presiding here now, what trouble could possibly arise?"
"I suppose you're right..." Shitou’s fighting spirit ignited as he prepared to gather people.
Meanwhile, after assigning the tasks, Chen Zhou returned to the center of the Blood-Prison Pool, into a jade pavilion naturally formed from Blood-Essence Jade.
With a wave of his hand, a pile of classic jade slips and books looted from the White Jade Sword Sect’s secret vault appeared on the jade table. Many of them looked ancient.
Lord Rat had returned to his original form—a rat the size of a peanut. He was currently struggling to gnaw on a roasted duck several dozen times his size, uncaring that the grease was soaking his grey-black fur.
Widow Li’s culinary skills were becoming increasingly exquisite. The heat and seasoning of this roasted duck made Lord Rat feel like his previous three hundred years had been lived in vain.
As he chewed, he muttered indistinctly, "That new pretty boy just got back, and he still has a bunch of messy things to sort out, yet you’ve already given him more work?"
Chen Zhou, who was picking up a dark gold jade slip to investigate, paused for a moment before realizing the 'pretty boy' Lord Rat was referring to was Jian Huaishuang.
He recalled Jian Huaishuang’s paper-white face. Well, he was indeed quite pale.
"Jian Huaishuang is now an evil spirit. He knows no fatigue and fears no pain. Is there any psychological burden in working him hard?"
Lord Rat rolled his eyes. "I’ve found that you’re truly an old bastard."
Chen Zhou smiled, his gaze returning to the classics, his voice deepening slightly.
"The boy just experienced the destruction of his sect, the collapse of his faith, and his own transformation. No matter how firm a person's heart is, they will inevitably feel lost or even turn to extremism.
"Giving him something concrete to do gives him a clear goal to pursue and people to protect. That way, he won't have the spare time to overthink or fall into a spiral of negativity. Only then can he climb out of the mire more quickly.
"Moreover, clearing out nearby demons and gathering scattered humans is a good way to accumulate merit and become familiar with his new powers."
Lord Rat froze, subconsciously shifting his gaze to Chen Zhou’s blurred face.
For some reason, an inexpressible complexity welled up in his heart.
It was this kind of talk again—the kind of logic he had heard more than once but still couldn't fully understand.
Survival of the fittest, the loser eats dust—wasn't that the natural order of things? If you get hit, you get back up yourself; if you can't, you deserve to be eliminated. Why all these twists and turns of care and guidance?
Fiends wouldn't do this. Those weaklings were only fit to be stepping stones on his path to advancement!
Lord Rat shook his head, forcefully suppressing the strange emotions in his heart, and continued to bite into the roasted meat ferociously, as if he had a grudge against the delicious food.
"Hmph, just keep spoiling him. The man is in his twenties and you still treat him like a kid?"
Chen Zhou glanced at him slowly. "You’re over three hundred years old, and don't I spoil you like a child as well?"
Lord Rat: ???
"If you think otherwise, give the roast duck back. It belongs to my territory."
Lord Rat really wanted to be stubborn and throw the duck in Chen Zhou’s face, but after licking his paws, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it.
Ignoring the rat’s antics, Chen Zhou quickly browsed through the remnants in his hand while asking seemingly casually, "By the way, have you ever heard of the Golden Buddha?"
Lord Rat was still indignant about the 'child' comment, but instinctively replied, "Are you referring to the 'Descent of the Golden Buddha' that White Jade Old Ghost mentioned?"
Chen Zhou nodded.
Lord Rat thought for a moment. "I’m not too sure. I just know there’s a Buddhist sect in Gloomlight Province."
"Gloomlight Province? Isn't that where we are?"
Lord Rat was stunned. "What? Isn't this Tianchi Province?"
"Gloomlight Province, Thousand Isles County, Qudao County, Dead Man’s Forest," Chen Zhou corrected calmly.
Lord Rat looked as if his worldview had been shattered. "No, then how did you do it? How did you bring me all the way from Tianchi Province to Gloomlight Province in an instant? Even a seventh-stage expert wouldn't have the power to cross provinces like that!"
Lord Rat wanted to press further, but he saw Chen Zhou’s brow suddenly furrow as he put down the remnant slip.
Chen Zhou’s gaze sharpened, turning toward the entrance of the Living Dead Secret Realm.
Just now, he had suddenly sensed that one of the skeletons he had left in the secret realm to diligently farm materials was gone. Its connection to him had been abruptly severed.
Chen Zhou checked the system panel.
【Current Ghost Servant count: 99/100】
Rate on N.U.
