Chapter 346 - Seeking Benevolence and Attaining it
Chapter 346 of "Red Heart Patrols the Sky" opens introducing the plot: Thousands of images rotated through Liu Huaiâs mind.One moment, it was Yang Jiande brutally slaughtering... Continue exploring!
Thousands of images rotated through Liu Huaiâs mind.One moment, it was Yang Jiande brutally slaughtering his close kin on the court.
The next, it was him, Liu Huai, who, having mastered demonic arts, sought revenge for his master, stormed Linzi, cleansed the Qi palace with blood, and killed the old Jiang sire in the court.
And then, it was he standing before the corpse of Yang Xuance, while his former master Yang Jiande, with a face smeared with blood, looked at him, âYou mongrel servant, I ordered you to protect my only remaining son, yet you killed him?â
âAh!â
Liu Huai broke free from his frenzied delusion, gasping violently.
His face and body were already covered with thick beads of sweat.
However, that blood-colored text kept swirling in his mind, becoming clearer and clearer.
âNo, no, I cannot!â
He screamed crazily a few times, then suddenly flipped his hand and struck his own head, causing it to burst open!
Red and white, spattered all over the ground.
Liu Huaiâs corpse lay on the floor, but the flesh on his body slackened, no longer in the tense state induced by terror.
HoweverâŚ
The window was shut, yet somehow a breeze managed to sneak in.
This wind picked up the ashes of the animal hide book that had burned on the table and lightly scattered it over Liu Huaiâs corpse.
The ashes gradually disappeared, and Liu Huaiâs corpse slowly vanished.
In the end, not even a spot of the red and white stains remained on the ground, nor any flesh or bones.
Only the clothes Liu Huai wore during his life were leftâand on the clothesâ
A scroll of an ancient animal hide book!
The Love Dying Desire Blood Demon Skill created quite a stir in Rong Country, but it had no effect whatsoever in the Yang Realm.
The people here welcomed the rule of Qi Country amidst their panic and uneaseâŚ
but it didnât take long for them to adapt.
There were, of course, many reasons for this.
Such as Huang Yixing, âthe last backbone of the Yang Court,â such as the âpeerlessly benevolentâ man from Qingyang Town.
Both exerted their strength to arrest the butcherâs knife of the Fierce Beasts; Huang Yixing ensured the peace of Hengyang Prefecture, while Jiang Wang established Jia City in Sunshine County as a haven amidst national chaos.
They saved countless lives.
Of course, the reason Jiang Wangâs reputation was able to match the former was mainly due to Zhongxuan Shengâs relentless efforts to promote him.
Now in the three prefectures of the Yang Region, only the position of the Governor of Sunshine County remains undecided, which shows the significant resistance, yet the public support for Jiang Wang is already substantial.
Jiang Wang also had some expectations regarding this.
After being ennobled as a man of Qingyang Town, he truly began to enjoy the benefits it reciprocated to him.
Title and position are never just simple honors.
They profoundly impact a courtâs rule over the nation; correspondingly, they naturally also enjoy the nourishment of national fortune.
Specific to an official position, it affects the power of the official and also determines the âfeedbackâ the official can receive.
For instance, Xi Munan, as the City Lord of Jia City, can issue imperial decrees by virtue of the peopleâs hearts in Jia City.
Gathering the peopleâs hearts not only aids in military campaigns but more importantly, it can assist in spiritual cultivation.
Take Jiang Wang himself for example.
He had long since effectively taken control over the territory of Green Sheep Town, but it wasnât officially recognized, and he hadnât come by it through legitimate means.
It was only during the calamity of the Whirling Snow that he accidentally received some feedback.
Still, it wasnât a traditional method.
That red flag adorned with carp patterns could have helped him gather the peopleâs hearts and minds for his use, a pity that before he could fully integrate with the domain of Green Sheep Town, it was destroyed by those who faced off against the dragon bones.
But now, with Yang Region entirely under Qi Countryâs sovereignty, Jiang Wang has become the legitimate lord of Green Sheep Town, following an imperial edict from the Qi Court.
He now truly understood the saying, âThe peopleâs hearts and minds can either weigh heavy or make one float.â
In terms of spiritual cultivation, the peopleâs will from the domain of Green Sheep Town continuously flowed into his lordship sealâan insignia two fingers wide and as long as two joints, engraved with the words âGreen Sheep Male Seal.â
Wearing this seal, one can feel the Divine Soul Strength being nourished and growing stronger, of course, this process is extremely slow.
However, should it be sustained over many years, the progress could be significant.
And if one were to secure the position of governor in Sunshine County and manage it well, it would mean more of the peopleâs hearts and minds and faster growth of the Divine Soul Strength.
Many bureaucrats do not pursue good governance precisely because they see these benefits.
However, as the nourishment is a slow, steady trickle, and corruption and extortion offer immediate and substantial rewards.
Generally speaking, the more prosperous and strong a country is, the more officials diligently attend to the people, aiming for long-term planning.
The more unstable the country, the more short-sighted bureaucrats abound since they cannot be sure of long-term benefits; they prefer to take what they can and flee.
The common saying, âIn a strong country, literati set the boundaries of the mountains and rivers; in a failing country, civil officials are worse off than chickens,â speaks to this very truth.
Itâs about the difference in the level of power they wield and the disparity in the reinforcement they receive.
Moving back to Qi Countryâs administration of Yang Region.
In Jiang Wangâs view, the quick acceptance of Qi Countryâs rule by the people of Yang Region is certainly due to Qi Countryâs persistent infiltration and the cultural assimilation over the years, benefited from the strategies of the former chancellor, Yan Ping.
But the most direct reason lies in the Qi Army swiftly clearing the entire Yang Realm of Fierce Beasts immediately after the de facto occupation, resolving an issue that caused many inhabitants of Yang Realm immense hatred and suffering.
For the majority of the people living in the Yang Region who had never left it in their lifetimes, it was the first time they realized that Fierce Beasts could be entirely eradicated, that the wilderness need not be so perilous, and that venturing into the fields for leisure wasnât limited to a few miles from the outskirtsâŚ
they experienced the secure life of being part of Qi Country!
This may not seem like much to the Qi people themselves, but having gone from Zhuang Country to Yang Country, and having witnessed the valiant defense of San Shan City and countless tragic scenes, Jiang Wang understood it better than anyone.
If a nation is willing to eradicate the plague of Fierce Beasts, like what Dou Yuemei, a city lord who has the peopleâs hearts in mind, did, how could that ensure oneâs loyalty to Zhuang Country?
The issue of Fierce Beasts, while a common sight, involves too many secrets in the background.
Jiang Wang still hasnât figured out the root of it to this day.
He found no clear answer when asking Zhongxuan Sheng, indicating itâs hard to say whether itâs understood.
Within the quiet chamber of Green sheep town.
Jiang Wang slowly ended his cultivation practice, controlling his meridian dragon to return to Heaven and Earth Lonely Island, and concluded his exploration of his bodyâs ocean for the day.
While the fog of ignorance was terrifying, the areas he had explored were memorized in his heart, forming a map only he knew.
With more areas being explored, one day he would be able to comprehend the full scope of the bodyâs ocean.
When directions were all mapped out in the mind, the frightening nature of the fog of ignorance would diminish greatly.
âMaster,â Dugu Xiaoâs voice came from outside the door.
She was sensible; she wouldnât disturb Jiang Wang during his cultivation practice without good reason.
âWhat is it?â Jiang Wang asked.
âThere is an old monk waiting for you in the courtyard!â
âA monk?â Jiang Wang was puzzled.
Apart from dealings with people from all sects in the Taixu Illusion Realm, he didnât recall interacting with anyone from Buddhism in this life,
And it was an old monk at that!
But Dugu Xiao seemed puzzled as well, âHe says he has a karmic connection with you!â