A thousand scenes flashed through Liu Huai’s mind.

One moment, it was Yang Jiande on the palace steps, unleashing a massacre, personally slaying his blood relatives.

The next, it was Liu Huai, his demonic powers fully realized, avenging his master, storming into Linzi, painting the Qi palace red with blood, and killing that old Jiang dog in court.

Then, he stood before Yang Xuance’s corpse, his former master, Yang Jiande, staring at him with a blood-smeared face, “You dog slave, I told you to protect my last remaining son, how could you kill him?”

“Ah!”

Liu Huai broke free from his crazed fantasies, gasping for breath.

His face and body were covered in a sheen of sweat.

Yet, the bloody text flowed back and forth in his mind, becoming ever clearer.

“No, no, I can’t!”

He shouted a few words madly, then suddenly struck himself on the head with a backhand blow!

Red and white matter splattered everywhere.

Liu Huai’s body lay on the ground, his skin and flesh slackened, no longer tense with fear.

However…

The window was closed, but a wisp of wind somehow found its way in.

This wind stirred up the ashes of the burned animal hide book on the table, scattering them lightly over Liu Huai’s corpse.

The ashes gradually disappeared, and Liu Huai’s body slowly vanished.

In the end, not a trace of red or white stain remained on the ground, no flesh, no bones.

Only Liu Huai’s clothes lay there, and upon them…

An ancient animal hide book!

The ripples caused by the Emotion-Severing Blood Demon Art in Rong State had no impact whatsoever on the Yang Region.

The people here welcomed the rule of Qi in fear and unease… but quickly adapted.

There were, of course, many reasons for this.

Such as Huang Yihang, “the last backbone of the Yang Court,” and Qingyang Town Marquis, “Unrivaled in Benevolence.”

Both had exerted themselves to stop the butcher’s knife of the fierce invaders. Huang Yihang ensured the peace of Hengyang Prefecture, and Jiang Wang established a haven in Jiachang City in Rizhao Prefecture amidst the chaos of war, saving countless lives. The reputations of both grew greatly because of this,

Of course, the reason Jiang Wang’s reputation was able to catch up with the former was mainly due to Chong Xuan Sheng’s tireless efforts to create momentum. Now, in the three prefectures of the Yang territory, only the position of Rizhao Prefecture Pacification Commissioner remained unresolved, demonstrating the extent of the resistance. Even so, public opinion in favor of Jiang Wang was already very strong.

Jiang Wang also held some hope for this.

After being ennobled as the Qingyang Town Marquis, he was truly able to enjoy the benefits that Qingyang Town bestowed upon him.

Rank and position were never just simple honors. They were directly related to the court’s governance of the country, and naturally, they could also enjoy the benefits of the nation’s fortune.

Specifically, a certain official position affected the official’s power and determined the “feedback” that the official could receive.

For example, Xi Munan was able to issue edicts with the Jiachang City Lord’s seal by leveraging the people’s support in Jiachang. Gathering popular support could not only be used for conquest, but its more practical effect was in assisting cultivation.

Taking Jiang Wang himself as an example.

He had long ago effectively controlled the Qingyang Town, but it was incomplete in terms of propriety and could not be justified. Only when his soul was trapped in the Flying Snow Calamity did he unexpectedly receive feedback. But in the end, it was not an orthodox method.

That carp-patterned red flag could have helped him gather the hearts and minds of the people and used them for his own purposes, but unfortunately, before it could be completely integrated with Qingyang Town, it was destroyed by the Dragon Bone Masked One.

But now that the Yang territory was entirely Qi land, with a decree from the Qi court, Jiang Wang became the rightful master of Qingyang Town. The saying “the hearts and minds of the people, floating and sinking,” he could now truly understand.

In terms of cultivation, the will of the people of Qingyang Town constantly converged towards his marquis seal—a small seal, two fingers wide and two finger joints long, with the four characters “Qingyang Marquis Seal” engraved in intaglio.

Wearing this seal on his body, one could feel the power of the divine soul nourished and strengthened. Of course, this process was very slow. But if it could be done over many years, it would be a considerable improvement.

And if he could obtain the position of Rizhao Prefecture Pacification Commissioner and manage this place well, it would mean even more hearts and minds, and faster growth of the divine soul.

Many officials did not pursue their duties in their positions, not because they could not see these benefits. Rather, the feedback was slow and steady, while corruption and extortion often had immediate gains.

Generally speaking, the more prosperous the country, the more officials would be diligent in serving the people, seeking long-term gains. The more precarious the country, the more short-sighted officials, because they could not be sure they would get long-term gains, and they only wanted to seize wealth and run away.

As the saying goes, “A strong country’s scholars stabilize the country, while a weak country’s officials are worse than chickens.” The principle is the same.

It speaks to the fact that the forces mobilized by the two are not on the same level, and also to the vast difference in the feedback they receive.

And returning to Qi’s rule over the Yang territory.

In Jiang Wang’s view, the reason why the people of the Yang territory were able to accept Qi’s rule so quickly was certainly due to Qi’s long-term infiltration, the influence of customs, and the effects of the former Prime Minister Yan Ping’s policies.

But the most direct reason was that after the Qi army completed the factual occupation of the entire Yang territory, they immediately cleared all the fierce beasts in the territory, solving the fierce beast disaster that countless Yang people hated.

Most Yang people had never left the Yang territory in their lives. They discovered for the first time that fierce beasts could be wiped out, that the wilderness was not so dangerous, and that outings were not limited to a few miles in the suburbs… experiencing the stable life of being a Qi person!

This was something that the Qi people themselves might not have noticed. But from the State of Zhuang to the State of Yang, having personally experienced the tragic events of Sanshan City and witnessed countless tragic scenes, Jiang Wang understood it best.

If a country were willing to eliminate the scourge of fierce beasts, would city lords like Dou Yuemei, who had the people’s interests at heart, still be able to maintain their loyalty to the State of Zhuang?

The matter of fierce beasts, although common, involved too many secrets behind it. Jiang Wang had not yet been able to understand the root of the matter, and even when he asked Chong Xuan Sheng, he was evasive and difficult to say that he understood.

Qingyang Town, in the quiet room.

Jiang Wang slowly finished his cultivation, controlling the dragon of his Dao Meridian to fly back to the isolated island of his inner world, ending today’s exploration of his torso ocean.

The fog of ignorance was certainly terrifying, but the areas he had explored were recorded in his heart, forming a map that only he knew. As the explored locations increased, sooner or later, he would be able to see the entire torso ocean. When the direction was clear in his mind, the terror of the fog of ignorance would be greatly reduced.

“Lord,” Du Gu Xiao’s voice sounded outside the door.

She was a sensible girl, and she would not easily disturb Jiang Wang when he was cultivating.

“What is it?” Jiang Wang asked.

“There is an old monk waiting for you in the courtyard!”

“A monk?” Jiang Wang was puzzled.

Apart from having fought with all kinds of people in the Taixu Illusionary Realm, he did not remember having any dealings with Buddhist monks in the real world.

And an old monk at that!

But Du Gu Xiao also seemed puzzled: “He says he has a connection with you!”