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"The general trend is like a river, vast and mighty; those who follow it prosper, and those who oppose it perish."

Yi Huawei's voice regained its calm, overarching tone: "Xiao Xian's regime, the Liang dynasty, has lost the hearts of the people and its foundation is rotten. Lin Shihong's Chu army, colluding with foreign powers, is acting perversely. Both of them are like withered bones in a tomb, their downfall imminent."

"General, you are a fine general of our time, knowledgeable in military affairs, and able to distinguish right from wrong. Are you truly going to sacrifice yourself for a walking corpse, letting the loyal and valiant name of the Dong family be nailed to the pillar of historical shame along with this filthy puppet dynasty?"

"A family of loyal martyrs..."

Dong Jingzhen's eyes widened in shock, as if struck in his most vulnerable spot. His Dong family had been a family of generals for generations, their reputation for loyalty and righteousness heavier than Mount Tai! If what the man before him said was truly true…

Yi Huawei's voice softened slightly, but became even more direct: "General, a great building is about to collapse, and a single pillar cannot support it. A general should understand the overall situation, know when to advance and retreat, and protect the people of the region and preserve the bloodline of his family. I am here not to coerce you, but to offer you a way out, a choice that can preserve your loyalty and righteousness and continue the Dong family's legacy."

He paused, his gaze sharp, staring directly into Dong Jingzhen's struggling eyes:
"Abandon darkness and embrace light, in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people. I can protect the lives of your soldiers, spare the people of Jiangling from the ravages of war, and ensure that your Dong family continues its glory under the coming new heaven, instead of... being destroyed and left with only infamy."

Finally, the eight words, "Too good to lose everything, leaving only a bad reputation," struck Dong Jingzhen's heart like a final judgment. He seemed to have all his strength drained away; his straight back hunched slightly, and the fingers gripping the sword hilt loosened one by one, falling limply to his sides. He closed his eyes, his facial muscles twitching violently, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. The study was deathly silent, broken only by the faint crackling of the burning oil lamp wick.

After a long while, Dong Jingzhen slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with struggle and a hint of relieved despair. She looked at Yi Huawei, her voice hoarse and dry, carrying endless complexity:
"Who...who are you? And how can you guarantee that?"

Yi Huawei did not answer directly. He raised his hand and pointed at the military report on Dong Jingzhen's desk that read "Strange Events in Baling".

laugh!
A condensed, invisible finger-like wind shot out. Beside the military report, a heavy jade paperweight used to weigh down maps silently turned into a cloud of extremely fine powder, falling down and piling up into a small jade mound, while the military report beneath the paperweight remained completely unharmed!

Dong Jingzhen gasped, her pupils shrinking sharply again! This was beyond human capability! This was almost a divine or demonic act!

"You will know who I am in the future, General."

Yi Huawei's voice rang in his mind again, carrying an air of utter composure: "As for guarantees... General, you only need to know that the filth of Baling will be swept away within three days. The likes of Xiang Yushan, Ren Shaoming, and Yan Ni Changzhen deserve to be executed. This is the beginning of a great trend. Will you go with the flow, preserving your reputation and family, or... resist against the tide and perish with it?"

He gave Dong Jingzhen one last, deep look, his eyes seeming to already know her final choice. Then, like a reflection in water, under the dim, flickering light, Yi Huawei's figure began to blur and become transparent without warning. In the blink of an eye, he vanished completely into the stagnant air of the study, as if he had never been there.

The terrifying pressure that had enveloped the study vanished without a trace.

Pfft!
Dong Jingzhen's legs buckled, and he collapsed onto the cold, blue-brick floor, gasping for breath. His back was already soaked with cold sweat. He stared at the pile of jade powder on his desk, then at the Yangtze River defense map on the wall that bore witness to half his life's military exploits, his eyes shifting dramatically. Finally, his complex gaze settled on a corner of the desk, upon an ancient seal representing the head of the Dong family.

Outside the window, the night was deep and the dew heavy. The night in Jiangling City seemed even colder and more... unpredictable than before.

……

In contrast to the desolate atmosphere of the Marshal's Mansion, another secluded mansion near the Yangtze River wharf presents a completely different scene.

This is the residence of Lei Shimeng, the naval commander of the Liang Kingdom. In stark contrast to Dong Jingzhen's simple and austere residence, the mansion is adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, and brightly lit. Inside the warm pavilion, the sounds of string and wind instruments drift lazily, and the air is filled with the aroma of wine, perfume, and a languid warmth.

Lei Shimeng leaned back on a soft couch covered with brocade rugs. He was about fifty years old, and his well-maintained face was flushed with the glow of wine, his eyes somewhat glazed. He wore a comfortable brocade robe, which was open, revealing his round belly. He had a charming concubine in one arm, while waving his other hand casually, signaling the singers to sing another song.

The table was littered with cups and plates, laden with delicacies from land and sea. As the naval admiral in charge of the Yangtze River waterway, Lei Shimeng was well-versed in the ways of survival in chaotic times—playing both sides and enjoying life to the fullest. He was loyal to Xiao Xian on one hand, while secretly colluding with Lin Shihong's Chu army on the other, and maintaining "good" business relations with the Xiang family of the Baling Gang. He carefully maintained a balance among the various forces, like a slippery eel.

"...Good! Well sung! A reward!"

Lei Shimeng let out a burp, laughed heartily, and tossed a gold ingot to the songstress.

"Thanks……"

Just as the golden ingot landed with a crisp sound, and the songstresses murmured their thanks—

All sounds inside the warm pavilion came to an abrupt halt.

It wasn't that they were stopped by a shout, but rather that it was as if an invisible hand had instantly extinguished them! The sounds of stringed instruments, giggles, and even the crackling of candlelight vanished without a trace. A cold, viscous, deathly silence, seemingly capable of freezing the soul, instantly enveloped the entire space. All the courtesans and concubines, including the one in Lei Shimeng's arms, were frozen in place, their eyes fixed on their previous poses, completely still.

The drunkenness on Lei Shimeng's face vanished instantly, replaced by a horrified deathly paleness! He sat bolt upright, the smell of alcohol turning into a cold sweat that poured down his face. He looked around in terror, trying to call for help, but found himself unable to utter a sound! His body felt as heavy as lead, even moving his eyes was incredibly difficult. Fear, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly tightened around his heart.

A figure appeared without warning in the center of the warm pavilion, no more than five steps away from his soft couch.

The man was also dressed in a dark robe, with a tall and straight posture. His face was somewhat blurred in the flickering candlelight, but his eyes, as deep as black holes that swallowed all light, calmly gazed at Lei Shimeng with an indifference as if looking down on an ant.

Lei Shimeng felt a chill run through his body; immense fear caused his obese body to tremble violently.

Yi Huawei's gaze swept over the extravagant scene in the warm pavilion, past the frozen beauties, and landed on Lei Shimeng's terrified face. His eyes were devoid of any emotion, only a faint, barely perceptible look of disgust.

He didn't use telepathy to communicate with Dong Jingzhen, but spoke directly. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the absolute silence. Every word was like an ice pick piercing Lei Shimeng's heart:

"Admiral Lei, what a refined taste you have."

Lei Shimeng made a strange "hoarse" sound in his throat, but couldn't utter a single word. He wanted to struggle, to beg for mercy, but his body wouldn't obey him. Yi Huawei slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward. A faint but eerie emerald green light shone in his palm, and then, a pill the size of a longan, perfectly round, and with an ominous dark red hue, appeared out of thin air, silently hovering above his palm.

As soon as the elixir appeared, an extremely complex and indescribable aura instantly spread. It mixed a strange sweet fragrance, a nauseating fishy smell, and a faint, almost imperceptible, putrid odor, as if emanating from the depths of the netherworld. The singers and concubines frozen in the warm pavilion seemed to have a flicker of instinctive fear in the depths of their eyes.

"This item is called the 'Three Corpse Brain God Pill'."

Yi Huawei's voice was flat and emotionless, as if he were introducing an ordinary object: "It is made by extracting the Yin energy of the Nine Netherworlds, fusing it with the eggs of the Three Corpse Strange Insects, and supplementing it with secret medicine. It transforms upon entering the body and lies dormant deep within the Niwan Palace. Without a unique antidote to suppress it..."

He paused slightly, his gaze piercing like a blade as it went into Lei Shimeng's face, contorted with fear.
"On every full moon night, when the yin energy is at its peak, the corpse worms inside the pill will awaken and gnaw at the brain marrow. Those who are poisoned by the pill will initially feel as if thousands of ants are crawling in their hearts, causing unbearable pain; then they will become delirious, disowning their own family, and bloodthirsty as madmen, resembling a demon; finally... their brain marrow will be exhausted, and they will die bleeding from all seven orifices. The manner of their death... hehe, I will not describe it further, lest I disturb the Admiral's drinking mood."

Every word was like a heavy hammer, shattering the last shred of hope in Lei Shimeng's heart. He had never heard of such a vicious and terrifying pill! Just imagining the scene described made his soul fly away, and his crotch became wet and hot—he had lost control of his bladder! The stench of blood permeated the deathly silent warm room, adding to the eeriness and despair.

A hint of disdain flashed in Yi Huawei's eyes, and his palm twitched slightly. The dark red "Three Corpse Brain God Pill" seemed to be drawn by invisible threads, slowly drifting towards Lei Shimeng's mouth, which was agape in fear.

"no no……"

Lei Shimeng screamed inwardly, trying his best to shut his mouth and turn his head away, but the invisible force held him firmly in place, and he could only watch helplessly as the ominous pill drew closer and closer!
The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and an indescribable, cold, and sweet-smelling sensation slid down his throat and rushed straight to his head! Lei Shimeng felt as if a cold, venomous snake had slithered into his skull, coiled deep within his mind, ready to devour him at any moment!

"Ugh..."

A suppressed whimper, like that of a dying beast, finally escaped from Lei Shimeng's throat. The power that had imprisoned his voice seemed to have vanished as the pill entered his body, but he was still completely immobilized, left only with endless fear and that chilling, foreign sensation that penetrated to his very bones.

"how is the taste?"

Yi Huawei's voice carried a hint of cold mockery: "Admiral Lei, you're a smart man. You know what it means to 'sit on the fence,' and you also know what it means to 'when the wall falls, everyone pushes it down.' Xiao Xian, Lin Shihong, the Xiang family... they can't even protect themselves anymore."

He took a step forward, looking down at Lei Shimeng, who was slumped on the couch, tears streaming down his face, looking utterly disheveled. His voice was low and deep:

"I have no interest in your pledge of loyalty, nor do I have time to play games with you. This 'Three Corpse Brain God Pill' is your death warrant, and also your only way out. Be obedient, and before the full moon each month, someone will bring you the antidote to suppress the corpse worms, ensuring your safety, and even... ensuring your continued wealth and prosperity in this chaotic world."

"If there is even the slightest disturbance..."

Yi Huawei's eyes suddenly turned icy cold, like the coldest ice in the underworld: "Or you're trying to find some 'expert' to cure your poison and cure your misfortune... Heh, I guarantee you will personally experience everything I just described, and you will watch your wives, concubines, children, and trusted subordinates, one after another, die in front of you in a way a hundred times more miserable... Going mad, devouring, and dying. Remember that?"

The last three words exploded in Lei Shimeng's mind like a thunderclap! All his calculations and all his luck were crushed in the face of this absolute power and unimaginable terrifying poison!
"I...I remember! I remember! Please spare me, sir! Please spare me!"

Lei Shimeng was crying and screaming desperately, his voice distorted by extreme fear:
"I will definitely obey! I will definitely obey! Please, Your Excellency, have mercy! Have mercy!"

Yi Huawei looked at the mess before him without a trace of pity. For such a two-faced, unscrupulous fence-sitter, controlling them with pills was the most direct and effective method.

"very good."

Yi Huawei nodded slightly: "First thing: the navy shall remain stationary. No matter what happens in Jiangling City, no matter whose orders you receive, without my instructions, not a single warship, not even a single plank, is allowed to leave port."

"Yes! Yes! Your humble servant obeys!"

Lei Shimeng kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead slamming heavily against the cold blue brick floor with a dull thud.

"The second thing: restrain your trusted subordinates. If anyone shows any dissent..."

"I understand! I will definitely keep them in check! Anyone who dares to make a move, I will personally kill him!"

Lei Shimeng swore that all he wanted now was to live. Wealth and power were nothing compared to saving his life and avoiding that horrific torture.

Yi Huawei said no more. He gave Lei Shimeng one last cold glance, his gaze as if he were looking at a dead object. Then, his figure faded and disappeared rapidly in the flickering candlelight, like wisps of smoke scattered by the wind.

Pfft!Pfft!Pfft!
With Yi Huawei's disappearance, those frozen in the warm pavilion collapsed to the ground like puppets with broken strings. Most of the singing girls and concubines fainted from fright, with only a few letting out terrified screams.

Lei Shimeng collapsed onto the cold floor tiles, his body soaked through, indistinguishable between sweat, urine, and tears. He gasped for breath, feeling the cold "Three Corpse Brain God Pill" etched deeply into his soul like a brand. He trembled as he raised his hand and touched his forehead, as if he could feel something lurking inside.

Outside the window, the night was still thick and impenetrable.

But Lei Shimeng knew that the world in Jiangling had completely changed. He, this self-proclaimed clever "eel," had been cruelly and mercilessly nailed to the anvil of fate by an unfathomable, venomous dragon. All he could do now was pray that the life-saving antidote would arrive on time before the full moon each month.

Inside the warm room, only the heavy breathing of survivors and suppressed sobs of fear remained. The lavish lights illuminated the mess on the floor and a bloated face, completely drained of color and etched with despair.

(End of this chapter)