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Chapter 555 The Jungle of Flesh and Blood
The Grand Canal Administration was actually a very strange entity in the Ming Dynasty.

Although it was an office of the imperial court, the real entity it was responsible for was the Dragon King of the Grand Canal.

All promotions within the canal were controlled by the Dragon King.

The "Shanhe Si" that it extends from is actually the same.

From the Grand Canal Administration to the Department of Mountains and Rivers, all personnel appointments, transfers, policy changes, the excavation of new canals, the dredging of old canals, and other matters had to be reported to the Grand Canal Dragon King in the "Dragon King Temple."

Only with divine approval can it be implemented.

Each canal administration office had a "river supervisor".

The titles remained the same, only the ranks differed.

The highest-ranking official was only called the "Chief Supervisor of the Yellow River" of the Ming Dynasty.

What's strange is that there's a long-standing rumor in the court that even this Grand Canal Supervisor has never met His Majesty the Dragon King of the Grand Canal!

Throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, only two people have actually seen the Dragon King of the Grand Canal: His Majesty and the Supervisor.

"Dragon King Temples" were found all over the Ming Dynasty.

Each canal administration office had one.

Some people suspect that the Dragon King of the Grand Canal uses these Dragon King temples to collect incense offerings and gather faith.

However, these Dragon King temples are subject to strict prohibitions.

Only the river supervisor is allowed to enter and present the memorial to the emperor!
Even the highest-ranking official of the local Shanhe Division couldn't get in.

However, over the past two hundred years, the Grand Canal Administration and the Department of Mountains and Rivers have become entangled with all sorts of cronyism.

Even the Dragon King of the Grand Canal was powerless to help in this situation.

That's why powerful and influential families like the Zhu and Xu families existed, parasitizing the entire canal system.

However, compared to the imperial government offices, the entire canal system remained relatively independent.

Zhao Beichen received the Emperor's decree to investigate Dafu, but progress was extremely slow.

He dared not ask the Emperor for help again—the Emperor was already very disappointed in him, and if he failed to handle this task well and had to bother the Emperor again, he would really have no chance left.

So... Zhao Beichen really went all out, throwing in half of his fortune to bribe the Chief Supervisor of the Grand Canal.

They only managed to obtain some old files.

The reason they are old is that these records document events that occurred shortly after the establishment of the Grand Canal Administration.

These are all things from 150 years ago.

At that time, the Grand Canal Administration was thriving and full of vitality.

It gradually transformed into a massive, rigid, and lifeless organization.

The Grand Canal Administration at that time did indeed accomplish some things.

The "River-Suppressing Beast Project" was launched at that time.

In reality, they did not only choose ducks, geese, water buffalo, water snakes, turtles and other animals that could live in the river.

They even audaciously attempted to include certain evil spirits in this plan.

For example, water ghosts and water monkeys.

Even in these ancient documents, some parts are vague and unclear.

This part represents the various "losses" incurred as a result of this plan.

The attempt to make those evil spirits controllable and then enhance them so that they could take on the task of "patrolling the river"... has resulted in countless deaths.

The main materials used to modify these things at the time were a wide variety.

However, there are two parts that Zhao Beichen is most suspicious of and think might "succeed".

Part of it was a half-corpse from the underworld that the first "Chief River Supervisor" personally obtained from the Supervisor.

Some speculate that the half-corpse was the molted corpse of one of the seated deities of the Six Heavenly Palaces of Luofeng.

However, some say that it was not a molted corpse, but rather that the Venerable One perished when evil spirits invaded the mortal world, and this was His true corpse.

The origin of another part of the main materials is even more mysterious.

In the vast desert of Northwest China, suddenly a thunderbolt struck from a clear sky, followed by lightning and thunder, and then a mysterious object fell from the sky.

There happens to be an oasis nearby.

It is said that the thunderstorm lasted for three whole days.

Everyone in the oasis was so frightened that they hid under tables and beds, not daring to move.

Everyone's hair and beards flew up.

When the thunderstorm finally subsided, they cautiously organized a camel caravan and searched the desert, where they found these objects that had fallen from the sky.

It was a special kind of flesh and blood.

Its black and red markings suggest that life has been completely extinguished, yet it continues to wriggle.

They even transformed thousands of people in the entire oasis into evil spirits with seven eyes!
Each of these eyes embodies a mysterious technique.

Even today, the pernicious influence persists, and such evil spirits that devour people frequently appear in that vast desert.

Apart from that place, there are absolutely no other such evil spirits anywhere else in the entire Huangming territory.

Zhao Beichen explained the whole story to Xu Yuan, and then said, "This plan to suppress the river beast has, of course, completely failed."

Even some so-called successfully bred river-suppressing beasts, once released into the canal, immediately became uncontrollable. They did devour evil spirits, but that was merely an instinctive predation.

After consuming those river evil spirits, they transformed into even more powerful river evil spirits.

Thirty years after the failed plan, the Canal Administration paid a heavy price in its efforts to eradicate these powerful evil spirits in the river.

At this point, Zhao Beichen's tone changed, and he said, "But no one knows whether those river-suppressing beasts were really all eliminated back then."

Xu Yuan nodded.

The records from the Grand Canal Administration must state that the entire operation was completed.

"Since some of the river-suppressing beasts were originally domesticated animals, I suspect that even if they have transformed into evil spirits, some of their ancient habits are still difficult to change."

Therefore, it is highly likely that they went ashore and reproduced with livestock.

At this point, Zhao Beichen looked at Dafu.

The meaning is self-evident.

Xu Yuan was somewhat puzzled by Zhao Beichen's purpose: "Lord Qianhu, are you worried about Dafu? Are you afraid that it will become as unpredictable as those river-suppressing beasts?"

Zhao Beichen shook his head: "That's not it."

He couldn't say what came next: Dafu had already been to the capital.

If it were going to be a trick, it would have happened long ago.

But he also bears some responsibility for this...

Zhao Beichen said, "I would like to ask, where did Lord Xu receive such great fortune? We would like to go and see."

If Dafu has any "brothers and sisters", they must be just as extraordinary!

If we take it back and present it to the Emperor, that would be a great achievement.

Zhao Beichen might regain the Emperor's trust and even get promoted.

Xu Yuan did not hesitate and told him about Dafu's origins.

Because this can't be kept secret; too many people know about it.

Zhao Beichen's eyes lit up, and he immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Could you please accompany me, Brother Xu?"

"Do you want me to come with you?"

“You two are close, and with you around, Aunt Wang can finally let her guard down.”

Xu Yuan certainly didn't want to go.

Not to mention Aunt Wang was wary, Xu Yuan himself was also wary.

Xu Yuan had already made plans. Although he had told Zhao Beichen about Dafu's origins, as soon as Zhao Beichen left, Xu Yuan would immediately send someone to inform Aunt Wang so that she could go out and avoid the area.

Zhao Beichen saw Xu Yuan's concerns and said, "All we want are the offspring of those river-suppressing beasts."

Your elder has done nothing wrong, only good.

Besides, our Imperial City Guard has a much better reputation than the Two Factories and One Guard, right?

Xu Yuan still didn't agree immediately, saying, "Why don't I go and ask for you first?"

Zhao Beichen frowned slightly, his attitude turning colder: "Since Lord Xu is unwilling, then this commander will not force him."

He stood up, gave Xu Yuan a slight bow as a farewell, and then quickly left with his men.

Xu Yuan immediately called Lang Xiaoba: "We must get the message to Miaopo Village Office before the Imperial City Guard!"

"Don't worry, sir!"

……

As Zhao Beichen and his group emerged, his subordinate Qi Baihu said sarcastically, "Commander, this Xu fellow is getting a bit out of line."

Zhao Beichen also felt the same way.

Mao Qi added fuel to the fire: "The lord values ​​him because of the friendship we had when we went north together. Otherwise, why would a mere law master be worthy of our Imperial City's Master of Ceremonies' humility?"

Zhao Beichen knew that everyone had worked hard during this time.

First, they rushed from Beidu to Champa to pick up Xu Yuan, and then they rushed back day and night.

As a result, after completing the mission, all because of a goose, he was not only not rewarded, but also punished by being sent all the way to Jiaozhi again to investigate the origin of Dafu.

The brothers under his command all felt that they were implicated by Xu Yuan and harbored resentment.

He did not stop everyone from complaining, allowing them to vent their anger.

But he was more cunning and did not follow suit by badmouthing Xu Yuan behind his back.

Although he also felt that Xu Yuan's repeated rejections were somewhat due to underestimating the Imperial City Guard.

Zhao Beichen glanced back at the Zhancheng government office from horseback and ordered, "Administer the medicine, hang the document, and head to Miaopo Village at full speed."

"Yes!"

The Imperial City Guard's mounts were not custom-made animals, but they were special breeds of fine horses bred by the Imperial Horse Administration.

The Imperial Stables also provided a specially made medicinal pill that, when taken, could greatly stimulate the potential of the horses.

With calligraphy scrolls hanging from their legs, this group of people moved faster than anyone could have imagined.

……

Lang Xiaoba returned the next afternoon, looking extremely anxious.

"Sir, something has happened at the Miaopo Village Office!"

Xu Yuan's expression changed: "What's wrong?"

Lang Xiaoba quickly said, "I rushed to the government office this morning, but when I got to the government office three miles away, I was blocked by a thicket of flesh and blood and could not get close!"

I tried to break it open and almost got hoisted up by a bone branch.

I called out from outside a few times, but there was no response from inside.

I dared not delay and rushed back to report to you as quickly as possible.

Xu Yuan's brows furrowed deeply.

Zhao Beichen found out Dafu's origins, and then something happened at the Miaopo Village Office. Was this a coincidence?
Xu Yuan asked, "What kind of flesh and blood jungle?"

Lang Xiaoba recalled, "The trees inside looked like skeletons, and the leaves and weeds were made of flesh and blood."

Moreover… I have a feeling that although that forest is very large, it is like a single entity, meaning that it is actually an evil spirit that covers an area of ​​six or seven miles and has trapped the government office inside!” Xu Yuan nodded. He came out and patted “Dreams Come True”.

"Come with me. Only you can help me quickly this time!"

He was immediately smug, feeling "his dream had come true".

Xu Yuan didn't have time to make too many arrangements. He quickly sorted out the matters in the yamen and then instructed Fu Jingyu: "While I'm not in the yamen, you cooperate with Ban Lan Gong and make sure to ensure the safety of Lord Wei and his family!"

Fu Jingyu nodded: "Go ahead without worry."

Xu Yuan boarded the carriage, flicked the reins, and the two hand-crafted horses neighed and charged off.

If something happens to Aunt Wang, Uncle Mao will probably regret it for the rest of his life!
Xu Yuan had another concern: what would the Imperial City Guard do if they saw the city hall in that state?
Given the Imperial City Guard's style, they'll probably storm in without hesitation.

Aunt Wang might still be alive, just trapped. What if the Imperial City Guard angers the evil spirit and attacks her...?

After leaving Champa and crossing the canal, it got dark.

Xu Yuan did not stop, and continued his journey through the night.

Night fell, and the cold moon rose.

The evil spirits in the wilderness opened their blood-red eyes.

It started as just some minor evil spirits.

Most minor evil spirits would be intimidated by the "fierce aura" emanating from "Dreams Come True" when they saw a carriage speeding by.

Before they could even think about it, the carriage had already sped past at an extremely fast speed.

They couldn't catch up even if they wanted to.

But gradually, some minor evil spirits began to block the way in front of the carriage.

Grinning and snarling, baring its teeth and brandishing its claws.

Then they were either hit by the carriage or crushed in two by its wheels.

The carriage rumbled past, followed by a series of eerie screams.

But as night deepened, those great evil spirits also emerged.

Xu Yuan then returned to his seat in the carriage.

Various strange cries were heard rapidly approaching from afar in the night sky, crashing against the carriage with a thud before turning into a scream.

These impacts became increasingly frequent and intense.

Gradually, the impacts became not only from the sky, but also from the ground.

The impact caused the train carriage to shake violently.

The howls of the evil spirits outside grew increasingly shrill and high-pitched.

Two handcrafted horses galloped at full speed.

They felt fear and wanted to escape these "dangers" as soon as possible.

However, the faster the craftsman's horse runs and the faster its blood and qi circulate, the more the evil spirits can smell its rich, sweet aroma!

The more evil spirits are attracted, the more powerful they become!
Suddenly, the carriage lurched violently with a thud, then screeched to a halt.

In the darkness, a giant tree, dozens of feet away, stretched out several thick roots from the ground, like a giant python, and suddenly sprang out, slamming heavily onto the carriage and then firmly binding it!
The two handcrafted horses in front exerted all their strength, foaming at the mouth, but still couldn't pull the carriage.

The giant tree trunk was as thick as an ancient pagoda, and its bark began to writhe like flesh and blood. Suddenly, it opened a pair of blood-red eyes!

Then—hundreds and thousands of wronged souls flew up from under the tree roots!

A series of ghostly screams rang out, accompanied by crying and laughing, and the person was acting crazy!
They all rushed towards the carriage.

"The flesh and blood of living beings—"

All the wronged souls went mad with excitement and let out roars.

Countless fleshy tendrils sprouted from the thick roots that had wrapped around the carriage, ready to squeeze into the gaps between the carriage walls—

"Dreams come true" enraged!
A burst of rapid and exciting music began to play.

But before this special artifact could be used, a sword and a handkerchief flew out of the carriage.

The sword pellet transformed into a straight bolt of lightning, accurately striking the giant tree while simultaneously multiplying into countless sword threads.

The giant tree was instantly shredded by these sword-like threads with a deafening roar!

The hundred-foot-tall body instantly collapsed, turning into countless broken pieces of wood that scattered down and piled up into a small mountain of firewood on the spot!
The sword threads, however, did not stop. After shattering the giant tree, they drilled into the ground and crushed the hidden roots one by one!

Some of the sword threads even reached the thick roots that were entangled in the carriage.

These roots were powerless to resist and turned into a pile of wood chips with a whoosh!
The wronged souls that flew out from under the tree roots vanished without a trace the moment the handkerchief was placed over them.

Thousands of vengeful ghosts howled and cried, and in an instant, all was silent!

"Dreams Come True" was about to make its move, but the master unleashed his fury, and the strange locust tree was completely pulverized without any resistance.

Inside the "Dreams Come True" carriage, another burst of joyful music drifted out.

My husband is so impressive!
Xu Yuan's icy voice rang out: "Go!"

The reins on the two craftsmen's horses jerked automatically, slapping against their bodies.

The craftsman's horse exhaled white breath from its nostrils, accelerated once more, and dragged the carriage away into the darkness.

When the evil spirits around saw the strange locust tree entangle the carriage, they were originally excited and about to rush up from all directions to get a bite of the living creature's flesh and blood.

Then, after taking just one step... the infamous, ferocious, evil, and eerie locust tree within a radius of a hundred miles was reduced to a pile of debris...

The vengeful spirits that had been accumulating for hundreds of years were also wiped out in one fell swoop.

These evil spirits suddenly stopped.

Its claws slid several feet across the ground, leaving deep marks.

Then some of the quick-witted ones took the opportunity to lie down on the ground.

He covered his face with his hand: "I didn't see anything, I didn't do anything..."

Only after the carriage had rolled away and the sound was no longer audible did they get up, dust themselves off, and furtively look around before disappearing into the darkness.

Then he set a rule for himself: never approach a carriage that runs at night!
……

As dawn approached, Xu Yuan had already arrived at Miaopo Village.

The village was eerily silent.

Even the most common sounds at night, the whispers of evil spirits passing by in the darkness, were nowhere to be heard.

The carriage slowed down and gradually approached the government office.

Originally, it was still five miles from the village to the government office, but this time, as soon as Xu Yuan passed through the village, he saw a patch of shimmering green light in the distance.

After walking for more than a mile, we saw the forest of bones and flesh that Lang Xiaoba had mentioned!
The phosphorescence was emanating from the enormous, white-boned trees within.

It indeed covered three miles outside the government office!
A ghost, carrying a tortoise shell on its back, crept up from the canal beside it.

As soon as he raised his head from the grass by the river, he saw the enormous jungle of bones and flesh!
Instantly frightened, he tried to shrink back into the river—

A white bone branch shot towards them like an arrow.

The ghost's shell offered no protection whatsoever; it was pierced with a soft "poof!"

Then the white bone branch, like a fishing line, hooked the tortoise-shell ghost and pulled it back.

The ghost was still struggling and writhing in pain, but after falling into the flesh and bone forest, its eerie, emerald light was submerged like dark water.

The ghost then silently melted into it.

On the ground, the flesh and weeds writhed and wrapped around the tortoise shell, forming a bump that soon subsided.

Xu Yuan sat in the carriage, silently watching all of this.

That thicket of flesh and blood also sensed him.

A white bone tree, even larger than the strange locust tree that Xu Yuan had killed not long ago, was moved out from the depths of the forest with a "crackling" sound.

Along the way, all the other bones and flesh gave way.

The Bone Tree arrived at the edge of the Bone and Flesh Forest, and suddenly its whole body burst into blazing green flames, like a giant torch!

This is a protest against "dreams coming true"!
How could someone who has "dreamed of it all" tolerate this?

Xu Yuan quietly entered the carriage and reassured her, "We'll talk about it at dawn."

A powerful melody rang out in the "Dreams Come True" carriage, sounding somewhat unconvinced.

Xu Yuan laughed and said, "Let it run rampant for now. There will always be a time for you to show your power."

Before long, it was dawn.

However, the village behind Xu Yuan remained quiet.

Xu Yuan knew that the villagers were still alive, but they were afraid to go out because of the huge forest of bones and flesh that had suddenly appeared on the edge of the village.

Xu Yuan waited until the sun was high in the sky and the emerald flames of the Bone Tree had become less dazzling before getting out of the carriage and approaching the Bone and Flesh Forest step by step.

The sword pellet flew out and transformed into a finger-length "sword needle," sparkling and shimmering above Xu Yuan's head.

Xu Yuan had prepared various crafting tools, and the fire in his abdomen had also condensed into a ball inside his stomach.

"Keep up!" Xu Yuan called out to "Dreams Come True".

"Dreams Come True" suddenly turned into a stirring battle melody, shaking off the two craftsmen's horses and closely following the master.

The two handcrafted horses are now "dream come true" pets, and they certainly don't want to die here.

Xu Yuan's approach and "Dreams Come True" immediately alerted the Bone and Flesh Forest. On that bone tree, hundreds of bone branches swayed and rustled.

Each one was like a spear pointing at Xu Yuan.

Just as Xu Yuan approached within five zhang, a gaping maw suddenly split open on the white bone tree, revealing its fangs—

But he spoke in human language: "Ah Yuan?"

Xu Yuan was taken aback, stopped in his tracks, and, trying to decipher the voice, asked uncertainly, "Aunt Wang?"

The skeletal creature opened and closed its large, fanged mouth with a crackling sound, letting out a burst of laughter: "Hahaha, it really is A-Yuan! You wait here, Auntie is coming to pick you up."

Xu Yuan was completely confused. What was going on?
"Crack!" The white bone and fanged mouth snapped shut.

Then, the flesh and bone jungle parted to the sides, revealing a passage in the middle.

It's a normal passage; the ground is just dirt.

Wang Laoshi came out from inside, his face beaming with joy, and went straight to Xu Yuan's side: "Why are you here? Is there something you need from your fourth uncle?"

Xu Yuan secretly opened the "Wang Ming" (a system for checking one's fate) and saw that Aunt Wang was perfectly fine and had no problems whatsoever.

If Aunt Wang couldn't leave the area of ​​that flesh and blood jungle, Xu Yuan would suspect that she was being controlled by evil spirits.

But since she was able to walk out, and "Wang Ming" couldn't see anything wrong, it means that Aunt Wang is really alright.

“Uncle Mao is alright,” Xu Yuan replied, then pointed to the flesh and blood thicket: “How come…”

Aunt Wang said, "This is my handcrafted item."

"Your work of art?!" Xu Yuan exclaimed in surprise. Wasn't the quality of this work of art far too extravagant?
I always thought you, Aunt Wang, were just a forgotten water supervisor in the canal government, but it turns out you are a master craftsman who specializes in crafting with flesh and blood!

Aunt Wang said, "A group of people came over earlier, saying they were from the Imperial City Guard. Humph, they tried to fool me. When did the imperial court create an Imperial City Guard?"
However, those people were quite skilled, and I couldn't subdue them without using my true abilities, so I released the artifact.

But I was worried they might have accomplices, so I haven't taken the artifact back yet..."

Xu Yuan grabbed Aunt Wang's arm, about to tell her that the Imperial City Guard was indeed an official government office, but then a thought struck him, and he asked first, "Aunt Wang, what exactly is the origin of Dafu?"

Aunt Wang looked at him strangely: "Why are you asking me? Didn't your fourth uncle send you to take Dafu away?"

"Uncle Mao Si?"

"Yes, Dafu was one of the eggs that hatched from a basket of eggs that your fourth uncle secretly sent over."

(End of this chapter)