Demon Emperor

Chapter 62 The Evil of Meeting a Ruler
On a clear day, the ginkgo leaves along the official roads in the outskirts of Beijing are a tender green.

Ruan Hu is on an inspection tour of the capital today, with the Imperial Guards carrying black dragon flags protecting him in a grand procession.

After leaving the capital, Ruan Hu went straight to Yangma Town, the seat of the Imperial Horse Administration.

We've arrived at Yangma Town.

The supervisor led a hundred horse-drawn carriage officials to kneel in front of the main gate of the Imperial Horse Administration, which was lacquered in vermilion and studded with copper nails. A red felt carpet laid on the blue brick floor led straight inside.

"Your Majesty, I, along with all the officials of the Imperial Horse Stables, respectfully welcome Your Majesty!"

It was originally called the Imperial Horse Stable, but now it is filled with white-headed donkeys, a rare breed from the mountains.

There were indeed quite a few horses here, but when Ruan Hu came to visit, he was told that all the horses had been moved to another location in the Imperial Horse Stables.

Ruan Hu asked, "Why?"

The supervisor said, "The night before last, a horse was secretly eaten by a donkey."

Ruan Hu was astonished: "This thing eats horses?"

The supervisor said, "This creature is extremely ferocious; if we were alone, we would not dare to approach it."

"When he heard strange noises outside at night, the shepherd dared not come out. In the dark, he was afraid that the evil creature might accidentally eat him as well."

No wonder, they've even eaten horses, so swallowing a few people wouldn't be difficult for them.

Although this thing is a donkey, its bloodline is not as good as its ancestors.

But in the end, it is still a demon.

The supervisor cautiously followed behind Ruan Hu and began to talk about the recent situation of the Imperial Horse Administration.

"Later, following the instructions of the palace priest of the Heavenly Maiden Palace, a statue of the deity was enshrined in the prison."

"After this."

"The white-haired donkeys finally calmed down and didn't dare to make a fuss at night."

Ruan Hu recognized the statue as the White Maiden Goddess at a glance.

Ruan Hu inspected the condition of these white-headed donkeys; they were all plump and strong, and seemed quite comfortable.

But in this Imperial Stables, Ruan Hu saw something that didn't belong here: a monkey.

The supervisor said, "This is to prevent horse plague."

Ruan Hu was startled: "The Keeper of the Heavenly Horses?"

The supervisor nodded: "That's right."

Ruan Hu then realized that the imperial horse stables or horse farms of all dynasties had a custom of keeping monkeys in the stables to prevent horse plague, so these monkeys were also known as horse plague preventers.

Ruan Hu looked at the monkey jumping around and found it quite amusing.

Ruan Hu: "Didn't this white-headed donkey eat the monkey too?"

The supervisor said, "No discrepancy has been found."

Ruan Hu walked around and looked around. The white-headed donkey had only been here for a few days and had now settled down.

According to the method taught to him by the White Maiden Goddess, before he could become a Divine Zou Army, he had to first forge a donkey's head.

The previous donkey head was killed by Ruan Hu, and now a new donkey head must be born.

Just as an army needs to choose a general before going to war, this donkey also needs to choose a leader to control and manage this divine donkey army.

Ruan Hu came here today to see if there are any suitable donkeys among these white-haired donkeys.

Ruan Hu walked around and looked around, and finally chose two white-headed donkeys that looked the most mysterious.

These two white-headed donkeys were not only large in size, but also remarkably similar to the one Ruan Hu had seen in the ancient tomb at Fenghuang Mountain. Their hind legs were incredibly strong, and they were intelligent and cunning, as if they possessed a spirit.

Even an ordinary person could see the strangeness of these two donkeys.

Ruan Hu had the two donkeys brought to him, and he examined them closely.

"Good, you look very energetic."

Ruan Hu knew that these two donkeys were intelligent and could even understand the meaning of human speech.

"Which of you two is willing to obey my orders?"

Actually, Ruan Hu didn't need to ask.

By controlling the White Maiden Goddess, one can also control these white-headed donkeys, which are inaccessible to the White Maiden Goddess and the even more "higher-ranking" Emperor Ruan Hu.

However, Ruan Hu felt that he might have to deal with these white-haired donkeys frequently in the future.

He was different from ordinary emperors.

In the dead of night, Ruan Hu often dreams of leading thousands of troops to conquer mountains and rivers, destroy the ancestral temples and shrines of other countries, and smash the temples and halls of the gods and deities.

Leading a cavalry army to conquer the world—what a liberating and exhilarating experience!

Therefore, he has always paid close attention to these white-headed donkeys and is willing to spend some time taming them.

However, not all donkeys necessarily listen to Ruan Hu.

among them.

The donkey on the right was extremely arrogant and even snorted at Ruan Hu.

He raised his head high and looked at Ruan Hu with disdain.

The demon's unbridled and evil nature was vividly displayed in his large donkey eyes.

This is what it looks like to be ignorant.

They thought themselves wicked, unaware that there are even more wicked beings in the world.

Ruan Hu laughed immediately, and after laughing, he said to the guard beside him.

"Kill it!"

The donkey seemed to understand; its ears perked up, and it let out a strange braying. But it was too late.

Several soldiers shut his mouth, tied his feet, dragged him away, and killed him.

If I wanted to kill you, I did.

The previous generation of donkey heads were made into baked buns, and now it is enjoying the same treatment.

The eunuch in charge of the supervision was of such low status that he dared not speak from beginning to end. The previous eunuch had met a tragic end for asking Ruan Hu why, so the other eunuchs present dared not speak either.

A young official following behind sighed, "It's a real pity to kill such a strange creature."

Ruan Hu said, "This donkey is so fat and strong, it must have stolen the horse from it."

The young official raised his hand: "His Majesty's insight is truly remarkable; he caught the culprit in no time."

Ruan Hu glanced at him immediately; he seemed to have taken it seriously.

Even without this reason, Ruan Hu could say that when the dog was first released from the pen, it took its right leg, and then he killed it.

The remaining white-headed donkey was trembling with fear.

He actually knelt down on the ground, and the donkey brayed so urgently that it almost spoke human language.

It seemed to be saying, "I am willing to serve Your Majesty."

Ruan Hu seemed to understand and nodded.

"That's it."

"I hereby appoint you as a Divine Chariot General!"

The donkey bowed repeatedly to Ruan Hu, its face beaming with the joy of escaping death.

That face didn't look like a donkey's; it looked exactly like a treacherous minister in the imperial court.

Ruan Hu: "Very good, a promising young man."

Then, two shamans from the Heavenly Maiden Palace came out and led the donkey away.

The donkey thought it was going to be slaughtered and brayed loudly in fear.

Never thought about it.

The shaman placed it on a cart and then tied it up.

"Ugh... Ugh..."

The donkey was forced to sit down, and it was coiled up like a person.

"Somebody come!"

"Armor!"

The armor that had already been ordered was put on the donkey general, and then the shaman pulled the cart toward Fenghuang Mountain.

That was the ancient tomb that Ruan Hu had visited before, and now all of these tombs had been cleared out.

The forging of a new donkey head also has to take place there.

Looking at the donkey that was forcibly clad in armor and disguised as a human, Ruan Hu suddenly remembered what the Celestial Maiden Miaoxiang had told him before: the key to divine arts lies in resemblance.

At this moment, isn't this donkey just mimicking a human?

It now appears that the method of creating this demonic creature is also somehow related to the divine way.
-
Now that we've made arrangements for the donkey, it's time to get down to business.

Ruan Hu: "I remember, Shiqiao Village isn't far from here, is it?"

The middle-aged eunuch serving on the side knew that Shiqiao Village was thirty or forty li away from their place, but since the emperor said it wasn't far, it must be.

Eunuch: "Indeed, Your Majesty, would you like to go and take a look?"

Ruan Hu: "Let's go take a look."

After leaving the Imperial Horse Stables, Ruan Hu traveled along the main road outside the capital and arrived at the Shiqiao Manor of the Chen family in Langfeng.

Ruan Hu saw the stone bridge of Shiqiao Village from afar. In front of the stone bridge, the Chen family, along with their relatives and servants, came to greet him with utmost respect.

Minister Chen went to greet the emperor, and upon seeing Ruan Hu, he immediately knelt down before the horse, not even caring that the horse would trample him.

"His Majesty!"

"Your subject Chen Guang, along with the entire household, respectfully welcomes Your Majesty."

When Ruan Hu saw the stone bridge, he realized that this was where he had experienced his first crisis. If the ghostly soldiers hadn't been missing their donkey heads and hadn't summoned the white-headed donkey, his situation would have been unpredictable.

Ruan Hu: "Speaking of which, this place can be considered one of my blessed lands."

Chen Guang quickly replied, "It is because His Majesty is blessed with boundless good fortune and is protected by gods and Buddhas."

As Ruan Hu entered the manor, the first thing he saw was a young girl holding a long zither. Ruan Hu immediately turned his gaze to Chen Guang.

Ruan Hu came to talk to Chen Guang about serious matters, but Chen Guang presumptuously speculated about the will of Heaven.

His heart can be killed.

Chen Guang: "Your Majesty, I have recently heard that Your Majesty enjoys performing arts."

"In the past, the Duke of Zhou established rites and music to harmonize the world; Emperor Wu of Han established the Music Bureau to collect folk customs."

"I have a daughter who is not very talented, but she has some knowledge of this art and is quite proficient in the arts of string and wind instruments, singing and dancing."

"I humbly request Your Majesty to grant me a brief respite to showcase my daughter's talents, so that Your Majesty may smile upon me. I would be most grateful."

Faced with such vulgar flattery and sycophancy towards the emperor, Ruan Hu remained cold-faced.

Then, with a wave of his sleeve.

"It won't happen again."

(End of this chapter)