bookbashuk Page 364
Page 364
He had once seen someone cut a river in two with a single sword stroke.
I've also seen people punch the sky, and the heavens are ripped open.
Someone was floating in mid-air under the moon, like a banished immortal descending to earth.
Even more terrifying, he had witnessed a great demon appear out of nowhere, only to be beheaded by an unparalleled expert with a single sword strike, before drifting away unscathed.
all in all.
Something's wrong with this world!
Chapter 167. The Political Landscape of the Imperial Court! Demons Attack!
167.
Several decades ago, a strange event unfolded silently, and then the world's style began to change.
These days, there are amazing people everywhere who can fly and escape into the air.
It's hard to judge the level of martial prowess in this world, but the legends of top experts shattering the void with their martial power have never ceased.
It's not uncommon for demons to take human form and mingle among the common people.
Once discovered, they would be arrested by the Divine Arrest Bureau and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, where they would be tortured until they were completely destroyed. Chu Yang had once witnessed the scene of the Divine Arrest Bureau arresting demons, which had a wide impact, with no fewer than ten civilians dying or being injured.
This is the Divine Arrest Bureau, led by Zhuge Zhengwo, and under his command are the Four Great Constables.
Although Chu Yang had been pretending to be a playboy all these years and dared not inquire about outside affairs for fear of arousing the emperor's suspicion, he was still in the capital and knew a little about what was happening in the court.
In the current court structure of the Ming Dynasty, aside from the increasingly weakened civil official group, there are six top-level forces that truly hold the power of life and death.
Two marquises and one family.
Two factories and one sanitation station.
The "two factories and one guard" are easy to understand; they are familiar figures from the history of the Ming Dynasty, namely the Eastern Depot, the Western Depot, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Cao Zhengchun, the supervisor of the Eastern Depot; Yu Huatian, the supervisor of the Western Depot; and Zheng Dongliu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard was responsible for investigating all officials, the Eastern Depot was responsible for investigating the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Western Depot was responsible for investigating the Eastern Depot. This was a typical nested structure in the Ming Dynasty's political system.
The tripartite balance of power is a situation deliberately created by His Majesty the Emperor. He enjoys watching his subordinates fight amongst themselves; it's a kind of perverse pleasure. Moreover, he usually acts more subservient than Chu Yang.
Facing such a cunning emperor, it was fortunate that Chu Yang was a good actor, otherwise he would have been blacklisted long ago.
Compared to the internal responsibilities of the two factories and one guard, the two marquises and one gatehouse had more external responsibilities.
The two marquises refer to Zhuge Zhengwo, the Divine Marquis of Zhuge mentioned earlier, and Zhu Wushi, the Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis who came from the Zhu family.
One is the Divine Arrest Bureau, and the other is the Dragon Guard Manor. The Divine Arrest Bureau is responsible for capturing demons hiding in the human world, while the Dragon Guard Manor is responsible for gathering relevant information and is an intelligence agency.
There is no conflict between the two; on the contrary, they complement each other.
The problem is that Zhuge Shenhou and Tiedan Shenhou are at odds, and can even be described as mortal enemies.
The real conflict of duties between the Divine Arrest Bureau and the Six Doors, one of the two marquises and one family, is with the Divine Arrest Bureau.
The Divine Arrest Bureau is mostly responsible for eliminating demons, while the Six Doors are responsible for apprehending criminals. You should know that after the great changes in the world, the most heinous criminals in the martial arts world have become more and more ruthless.
It's like how supervillains in movies need superheroes to successfully capture them.
The Six Doors were the "Avengers" of the Ming Dynasty, and were very popular among the people. Guo Juxia, the chief constable, was a star among stars. In comparison, the Divine Constable Bureau was much more low-key.
Human hearts are made of flesh and blood. Over time, the Divine Arrest Bureau will also become envious of the treatment of the Six Doors. So they will overstep their bounds and interfere in the work of the Six Doors from time to time, under the guise of helping their colleagues.
The conflict between the two sides thus began, and the Four Great Constables of the Divine Constable Bureau and the Four Great Constables of the Six Doors were often compared by busybodies.
Although the people below were making a big fuss, Zhuge Shenhou and Guo Juxia never lost their temper in the court. On the contrary, they got along quite well because they both knew that it was the emperor who was secretly manipulating things.
In short, the layouts of the two marquises and one gate and the two factories and one guard are similar, mainly relying on the stability of a triangle. Chu Yang felt that if his elder brother hadn't become emperor, he would definitely have been an outstanding mathematician.
Whether it was due to deliberate secrecy or not, the capital was very isolated from the outside world. While demons roamed outside, the capital was a place of peace and prosperity, where civil and military officials indulged in pleasure all day long.
If it weren't for this unexpected journey through the martial world, Chu Yang probably would never have known what the outside world was like until his death.
After lost in thought for a while, Chu Yang turned around and found that Guo Furong had fallen asleep, with tear stains on her face, as if she had cried herself to sleep.
He wasn't worried about safety. There were no bad people in Tongfu Inn, and even those people wouldn't dare to do something like double-crossing.
Everything should be fine once the officials arrive tomorrow morning.
After a long day of running around and staying up half the night, Chu Yang was also a little exhausted. His eyelids were drooping, and he fell into a deep sleep with his head tilted to the side.
In the main hall, Tong Xiangyu and the others were discussing reporting to the authorities the next day when suddenly, a rapid knocking sounded at the door, startling them.
"Zhan Tang, go open the door..."
Tong Xiangyu silently retreated behind the crowd.
"It's me again!"
Bai Zhantang looked worried. He had already been quite frightened by the "Male and Female Duo" earlier. Who knew what it would be this time?
Despite his complaints, he knew that as the most skilled martial artist here, if there were any real danger, sending someone else would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths!
Bai Zhantang approached the gate shakily. The past two years have been turbulent. In addition to scum like the "Male and Female Duo," there are also demons wreaking havoc on the world.
There was a squeak.
The inn's main door opened, and standing outside was a black-robed constable with shifty eyes who looked like a monkey.
"Old Xing, you're back again! You scared us!"
Bai Zhantang excitedly pulled Xing Yusen, who was outside the door, inside.
"Old Xing, aren't you going back to the yamen?"
Tong Xiangyu sensed that something was off with Lao Xing. Because he was afraid of the Twin Demons, he hadn't stayed no matter how much she begged him, but now he had slunk back.
"I'm so sorry, Lao Bai, and Manager Tong too." Old Xing, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, clasped his hands together in a pleading manner, "Please let me stay at Tongfu Inn tonight!"
"Old Xing, you're really something else. Why leave your perfectly good home and come stay at an inn?" Li Dazui teased with a silly grin, "Looking for something new here?"
Old Xing immediately waved his hand, "That's not what I meant."
Lu Xiucai whispered a reminder: "As a civil servant, you can't get involved in any shady dealings. Corruption always starts with small things..."
Old Xing was trembling with anxiety and shouted angrily, "What are you talking about? Can you shut your mouths!"
Tong Xiangyu couldn't help but shout, "Old Xing, can't you just tell everyone what's going on?"
Old Xing gritted his teeth and said, "On my way back, I felt like something was following me. I was too scared to go back alone, so I thought I'd come here to hide..."
"Take shelter?" Tong Xiangyu was shocked and cursed, "You, Xing Yusen, are you trying to kill us? What if you really bring something evil over here?"
"Little Beckham is still here; she's just a child!"
Old Xing's face changed several times, turning red and green, before he finally shook his head and sighed, "Well... I'd better leave."
Seeing his appearance, Tong Xiangyu couldn't bear it in the end. "Alright, let's all squeeze together in the lobby later. More people means more energy, and we won't be afraid of anything dirty."
Old Xing's face lit up with joy.
The next second, as if realizing something, Bai Zhantang exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no, there are two more people in the backyard!"
Half asleep, Chu Yang kept feeling someone licking his face. The wet touch felt very real, reminding him of Qingyue, the top courtesan of the Red Sleeve Pavilion.
What does it mean if it smells fishy or foul?
Qingyue doesn't smell like that at all...
Chu Yang suddenly woke up, and what came into view was not the Qingyue girl, but a huge demon that was neither snake nor cow, licking him with its tongue, just like licking a Want Want ice pop.
Judging from the other person's blissful expression, they must have gone without food for quite some time. If it were me, I would be so hungry that I would even swallow shit.
"No matter what, I smell better than shit. I'm doomed now!"
Chu Yang, who was facing a life-or-death situation, still had the leisure to joke around. His composure surprised even himself; he thought he would be so scared that he would wet his pants.
But then I thought, I've enjoyed all the riches and honors in this life, so dying wouldn't be a loss, so what's there to be sad about?
"I only have one request: could you brush your teeth before you eat?"
Suddenly, the demon stopped, looked at Chu Yang with a strange expression for a while, and then moved its head towards Guo Furong.
Chu Yang's expression finally changed.
"Are you out of your mind? With her tiny body, she's more like dessert. You might as well eat me first."
Seemingly sensing Chu Yang's urgency, the demon's lips curled up, revealing a playful, anthropomorphic smile.
"You son of a bitch, you tricked me!"
Chu Yang then realized that the demon was teasing him, and the demon seemed to enjoy this feeling of toying with him, just like a cat playing with a mouse.
No matter how much Chu Yang cursed, the demon ignored him and stuck out its tongue to lick Guo Furong's face.
Guo Furong's body trembled uncontrollably.
She had been awake for a while, but had been pretending to be asleep, afraid of disturbing the demon.
She heard every word Chu Yang said, and feeling extremely ashamed as she thought about all the trouble she had caused him along the way.
"Senior brother, are we really going to die here today..."