Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly started to cough violently, and the dark purple blood on his handkerchief splashed onto the golden dragon embroidery on the hem of his dragon robe. He pointed at Zhu Han with trembling voice: "Are you... accusing me of raising a tiger to cause trouble?"

"I dare not." Zhu Han kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the gold brick with a dull sound, "But the sulphur that Shanxi merchants secretly colliding with Japanese pirates, the bloody words on the account books of the Ministry of Works, and the orphans from Huaixi who were fed the heart-eating poison in the iron mine - the source of all this was on that rainy night of the Hu Weiyong case 20 years ago!"

The locust flowers outside the Fengtian Hall rustled in the night wind, and a few petals floated into the hall and landed on Zhu Yuanzhang's gray temples.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly stumbled towards the hall, his Panlong boots stepping over Zhu Han's bloodstained robes: "Biao'er... was he really poisoned?"

"The one that was infected was the heart-eating poison." Zhu Han's voice suddenly choked, "but the real killer... is the Taotie in the dragon vein.

"He trembled and took out the blood-written letter that the prince had given him before his death. On the yellowed paper were written crookedly: "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, Dragon Vein, Hu..."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly snatched the blood letter and stroked the wet blood with his skinny fingers: "Hu Ji'an...he actually set his sights on the dragon vein?"

He raised his head suddenly, his eyes sparkling, "Go to the Imperial Observatory! I want all the observation records of the Battle of Mobei!"

Zhu Han was about to stand up when he heard the sound of hurried horse hooves outside the Fengtian Palace. A blood-stained Jinyiwei smashed open the carved wooden door and said, "Your Highness! A giant whirlpool appeared in Bohai Bay... Bohai Bay!"

The blood-stained letter in Zhu Yuanzhang's hand fell to the ground, and the pages flew in the wind. Zhu Han's pupils shrank suddenly - twenty years ago, the chief envoy of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory had reported that when the dragon vein awakened, there would be strange phenomena in the East China Sea.

"The Taotie is coming out." He held the Seven-Star Sword with his backhand, and the pearl on the sword tassel glowed in the darkness. "I request to go to Bohai Bay and reinforce the coastal defense embankment!"

"You're going?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly started to cough violently, his jade belt clanging against the wall. "The Taotie isn't even afraid of firearms, what can you use to stop it?"

Zhu Han pointed his sword to the east, and the morning light was penetrating through the broken window frames: "Use the loyal souls of the Huaixi Army." He suddenly thought of the prisoners deep in the iron mine. Before they died, they drew the word "Huai" on the wall with blood, which was exactly the same as the handwriting on the prince's palm.

"Pass on my order!" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly shouted, "Mobilize the Shenji Camp, the Wujun Camp, and the Sanqian Camp, and immediately follow Prince Ning to the Bohai Bay!"

He staggered and held onto the throne. The pearl curtain on the crown swept across the pile of memorials on the desk. "Brother Han, if we lose this battle..."

"The Ming Dynasty will surely fall." Zhu Han knelt on one knee, the tip of his sword lifting up his bloodstained robe, "But I believe that the spirits of the twenty-four generals of Huaixi will protect this land."

The salty sea breeze blew sand and gravel onto Zhu Han's face. He looked at the huge whirlpool at the end of the sea level. The dark wall of water was approaching the coastline at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Bluish-black scales could be vaguely seen surging in the waves, accompanied by a deafening roar, and even the beach underfoot was shaking.

"Your Highness!" Jiang Lin rushed over from behind with the Jinyiwei, his armor stained with salty sea water. "The fire musket team of the Shenjiying is already in place, but..."

He swallowed and looked at the blue flame in the center of the vortex, "That beast is not afraid of fire!"

Zhu Han pointed his sword at the vortex, and the Seven Star Sword suddenly emitted a clear dragon roar. When Taizu bestowed the sword 20 years ago, he said that this sword would roar when it encountered a glutton.

He suddenly remembered the crazy prisoner in the iron mine, who had said before his death: "The dragon vein awakens... the Ming Dynasty will perish... unless..."

"Unless what?" He shouted, and the sword cut through his palm. Blood dripped onto the beach, and strangely seeped into the sand, forming a dark red line that pointed directly to the abandoned Mazu Temple behind.

The temple door creaked, and Zhu Han kicked open the rotten wooden board. A musty smell mixed with the smell of blood hit him in the face.

The upside-down bronze mirror on the altar reflected his blood-stained face. Three small characters "Huaixi Army" were engraved on the mirror frame, and the cracks on the edge of the mirror were exactly the same as the ones on the jade pendant that the prince had left before his death.

"Your Majesty!" Jiang Lin suddenly exclaimed, "There are blood words on the wall!"

Zhu Han held up a torch and looked over. On the mottled wall, a ferocious Taotie was painted in dark red blood, with the words "Feed it with blood, and subdue it with soul" written next to it.

"His pupils suddenly shrank - twenty years ago, before the death of the chief envoy of the Imperial Observatory, he had also stuffed him with the same blood letter!
"Send a message to the Shenji Camp!" He rushed to the coast like crazy, "Soak the shells in blood!"

Jiang Li was stunned: "Blood? But where did we get it..."

"Use mine!" Zhu Han's sword cut across his wrist, and blood gushed out. He suddenly remembered that snowy night twenty years ago, when he had pressed the young man against the wall and let the hot blood drip into the porcelain bowl.

The Jinyiwei on the beach looked at each other, and finally bit their tongues and dripped blood into the gunpowder barrel.

Zhu Han looked at the blood-stained shells and suddenly laughed wildly: "The blood of the Huaixi Army has fed Taotie for twenty years. Today, it is time for it to taste its own blood!"

The sound of cannons was deafening, and blood-stained shells exploded in the center of the vortex. The dark blue flames were instantly swallowed up by the blood mist, and dark red foam was boiling on the sea surface.

Zhu Han pointed his sword to the sky, and the dragon roar sound from the Seven Star Sword pierced through the waves, which was exactly the same as the "Dragon Roar Suppresses Taotie" reported by the chief envoy of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory twenty years ago.

The vortex suddenly stopped, and the dark blue scales surged in the blood mist. Zhu Han saw the outline of the glutton twisting and struggling in the blood mist, and the scar with the word "Buddha" on its chest was exactly the same as the scar on his palm.

"Impossible..." He staggered back, "Hu Ji'an said that Taotie was raised by the blood of the Huaixi Army, how could it be..."

Suddenly, a sharp claw stretched out from the sea, covered with dark purple lines. Zhu Han's pupils shrank suddenly - that was clearly the heart-eating poison that the prince had been poisoned with before his death!

"Biao'er..." His voice trembled, but the sword tip was firmly against the sharp claws. On a snowy night twenty years ago, he had also hugged the bloody prince like this, using his body temperature to warm the boy's cold body. The Taotie suddenly let out a deafening roar, and the water level of the entire Bohai Bay was rising sharply.

Zhu Han saw a bronze coffin floating in the center of the vortex, engraved with Japanese wave patterns, and the coffin lid was exactly the same as the coffin in the iron mine!
"Hu Weiyong!" he roared, and the sword cut off the sharp claws.

In the roar of Taotie, he seemed to hear the dying roar of the Huaixi general who was silenced on that rainy night twenty years ago: "Tell His Highness... the blood of the Huaixi army... will not be shed in vain..."

The coffin suddenly exploded, and a dried corpse wearing Japanese armor flew into the sky. Zhu Hanjian rushed over with a torch, and the firelight illuminated the hideous face of the dried corpse - it was clearly the appearance of the Wala wizard Batur in the battle of Mobei twenty years ago!
"Wu Liangfu!" He slashed at the mummy with the sword, and the sparks splashed on the other party without any injury. Suddenly, the scar with the word "Buddha" on the chest of the mummy split open, and dark purple blood gushed out, which was exactly the same as the symptoms of the prince before his death.

Zhu Han's blood froze. Twenty years ago, he had peeled off Wu Liangfu's skin with his own hands, but the scar on this mummy was exactly the same as the scar on the Prince of Yan's body!
"Who are you?" He shouted, and the tip of his sword suddenly turned to the neck of the mummy. The firelight illuminated a jade pendant, and the cracks were oozing dark red - it was the token he gave to the orphan of the Huaixi general twenty years ago!
The mummy suddenly let out a hoarse laugh that shook the waves down. "Prince Zhu has good eyesight." It ripped open its clothes, revealing a chest covered with poisonous insects. "But guess, am I Wu Liangfu... or Hu Ji'an?"

Zhu Han's pupils suddenly shrank. The poisonous insect on the chest of the mummy suddenly exploded, resonating with the blood scar with the word "Huai" on his palm. On that rainy night twenty years ago, the secret letter that the Huaixi general who was silenced gave him also had the same scar with the word "Buddha" on it!
"Who on earth are you..." His voice was hoarse like a blunt knife cutting bones.

The mummy suddenly laughed wildly, shaking the coffin fragments to pieces. "I am the revenge of the Huaixi Army!" It suddenly jumped up, and its sharp claws slashed at Zhu Han like steel knives, "And you Zhu family members... will all be buried with Hu Weiyong!"

The sword light collided with the claws, sparks flew everywhere. Zhu Han swung the sword like crazy, and every sword mark carried twenty years of blood feud. The mummy was defeated in the sword light, but the scar with the word "Buddha" on its chest became more and more hideous.

Suddenly, the mummy let out a deafening roar, and its sharp claws stabbed at Zhu Han's throat. At the critical moment, a familiar figure rose from the waves - it was Zhu Biao, who was supposed to be recuperating in Jinling!
"Uncle!" The prince was covered in blood, and his golden ribbon fluttered in the wind. The half of the jade pendant he held tightly in his hand suddenly emitted a faint light, and the dark red that oozed from the cracks was exactly the same as the blood on the chest of the mummy.

Zhu Han's eyes were red with anger: "Biao'er! You..."

"Use blood." Zhu Biao suddenly shouted, and the sword cut across the wrist. Blood gushed out, and condensed into a blood arrow in mid-air, shooting straight into the throat of the mummy. The Taotie let out a shrill roar, and its blue-black scales broke inch by inch in the blood mist.

Zhu Hanjian picked up the torch and rushed towards the corpse, the flames illuminating the prince's pale face. On that snowy night 20 years ago, the boy also lay on the haystack covered in blood, using his last bit of strength to draw a blood scar on his palm.

"Biao'er..." His voice trembled, "How could you..."

"The Taotie in the dragon vein needs the blood of the Huaixi Army to suppress it." Zhu Biao suddenly coughed violently, and the dark red blood stains on his handkerchief were exactly the same as the blood on the chest of the mummy. "And Hu Ji'an... he didn't want to revive the Taotie at all..."

The mummy suddenly let out a hoarse laugh that shook the waves. "Your Highness, you are very knowledgeable." It ripped open its clothes, revealing a chest crawling with poisonous insects. "Twenty years ago, in the Hu Weiyong case, the descendants of the twenty-four generals of Huaixi were all fed with heart-eating poison."

Zhu Han's blood froze. The thirty-six babies he had rescued twenty years ago had now become sacrifices to suppress the Taotie!

"So the prisoners in the iron mine..." His voice was hoarse like a blunt knife cutting bone.

"They are all Hu Jian's puppets." Zhu Biao suddenly jumped up and stabbed the mummy's throat with the tip of his sword. The Taotie let out a deafening roar, and the water level of the entire Bohai Bay was rising sharply.

Zhu Hanjian picked up a torch and rushed towards the coffin fragments. The firelight illuminated the dark red blood words on the wall: "Feed it with blood, calm it with soul." He suddenly remembered the secret letter that the chief envoy of the Imperial Observatory wrote before his death twenty years ago, which also had the same eight words written on it!
“Biao’er!” he shouted, “Cut off the Buddhist scar on it!”

The prince's sword suddenly turned to the chest of the mummy. The sharp claws collided with the sword, sparks flew everywhere. The mummy let out a shrill roar, and the Buddha scar broke into pieces in the blood.

Taotie suddenly let out a deafening roar, and the water level of the entire Bohai Bay was rising sharply. Zhu Han saw a bronze coffin floating in the center of the whirlpool, engraved with Japanese wave patterns, and the coffin lid was exactly the same as the coffin in the iron mine!
"Not good!" He rushed to the coffin like crazy. The firelight illuminated the coffin - it was a dried corpse wearing Ming Dynasty armor, holding half a jade pendant in his hand, which was exactly the same as the jade pendant the prince wore before his death!
Zhu Biao suddenly stumbled back, the face of the mummy in the coffin reflected in his pupils: "Uncle...that is..."

"Hu Weiyong!" Zhu Han pointed his sword at the coffin, and the Seven-Star Sword suddenly emitted a clear dragon roar. Twenty years ago in the battle of Mobei, the dried corpse in the tent of the King of Oirat, who was wearing Japanese armor, was now wearing the official uniform of the Ming Dynasty!

Suddenly, the mummy in the coffin opened its eyes, and a dark blue flame burst out of them. Zhu Han drew his sword, and sparks splashed on the mummy, but it was not hurt at all. He swung his sword like crazy, and every sword mark carried twenty years of blood feud.

"Prince Zhu is so brave." The mummy suddenly spoke hoarsely, and his voice was exactly the same as Hu Jian's. "But guess, am I Hu Weiyong... or Wu Liangfu?"

Zhu Han's pupils suddenly shrank. The scar with the word "Buddha" on the chest of the mummy suddenly split open, gushing out dark purple blood, exactly the same symptoms as the prince's before his death.

He suddenly remembered the rainy night twenty years ago when the Huaixi general who was silenced screamed before his death: "Tell His Highness... the blood of the Huaixi army... will not be shed in vain..."

"You are Hu Ji'an!" Zhu Biao suddenly shouted, and stabbed the throat of the mummy with the sword. The Taotie let out a shrill roar, and its dark blue scales shattered in the sword light.

The mummy suddenly laughed wildly, shaking the coffin fragments to pieces. "Your Highness, you have good eyesight." It ripped open its clothes, revealing a chest full of poisonous insects. "But guess who carved the scar on my chest?"

Zhu Han's blood froze. The scar with the word "Buddha" on the chest of the mummy was exactly the same as the scar on the skin of Wu Liangfu that he had peeled off in the Yingtian Prefecture Office 20 years ago!
"Impossible..." His voice trembled, "Wu Liangfu clearly..."

"Skinned and stuffed with straw?" The mummy suddenly laughed crazily, "Prince Zhu, do you know that under the human skin mask... you can sew another piece of human skin?"

Zhu Han's sword suddenly stopped. Twenty years ago, he personally peeled off Wu Liangfu's skin, but the scar on this mummy was exactly the same as Wu Liangfu's!
"So the prisoners in the iron mine..." Zhu Biao suddenly coughed violently, and the dark red blood stains on his handkerchief were exactly the same as the blood on the chest of the mummy, "Are they all your puppets?"

"The descendants of the 24 generals of Huaixi have all been fed the heart-eating poison." The mummy suddenly jumped up, and its sharp claws slashed at Zhu Biao like steel knives. Zhu Hanjian picked up a torch and rushed towards the mummy, and the firelight illuminated the prince's pale face.

The prince suddenly bit his tongue, and blood gushed out, condensing into a blood arrow in mid-air and shooting straight into the throat of the mummy.

The Taotie let out a deafening roar, and the water level in the entire Bohai Bay surged.

Zhu Han suddenly turned his sword towards the coffin. The firelight illuminated the face of the mummy inside the coffin - it was clearly the appearance of the Wala wizard Batur in the battle of Mobei twenty years ago!
"Wu Liangfu!" He shouted, and the sword cut off the jade pendant on the neck of the mummy. The dark red that oozed from the crack was exactly the same as the prince's blood before his death. (End of this chapter)