Chapter 508: Jian Gui – I am in Control of the Situation
“Lord Jian Gui.” When Cang Xu paid his respects to Jian Gui, he noticed both Qi Ling and Xiao Wang Zi were present in the shack.
This was entirely within Cang Xu's expectations.
In truth, this gathering of the undead had been specifically arranged to await Cang Xu's arrival.
“You finally came!” Qi Ling sneered coldly at Cang Xu, “You still dare to show your face?”
Cang Xu could easily imagine how, before his arrival, Qi Ling had been endlessly slandering him to Jian Gui, painting him as a threat.
Xiao Wang Zi's face also bore a look of wariness.
He turned to Cang Xu, his tone accusatory. “Ku Feng didn't teleport back. Is he dead?”
“You could save the fishmen of the Da Ji Clan. Why didn't you save him?”
Cang Xu sighed deeply, grief-stricken. “After receiving the divine gift once more, I was both shocked and overjoyed. Ku Feng was the first I tried to aid, but I failed.”
“He didn't follow my guidance. His faith was insufficient. He perished at the hands of the saint beast!”
Xiao Wang Zi fell silent.
A heavy silence settled over the hut, the air thick with suspicion.
Cang Xu turned to Xiao Wang Zi, delivering his prepared words: “Therefore, I refuse to let such a tragedy happen again.”
“Henceforth, I shall propose to Lord Zhou Zhang that I participate in every teleportation blood sacrifice.”
"Next, I will accompany you, Xiao Wang Zi. If you fail to convert, I will aid you within the Mother Nest, guiding you to renounce your faith, just as I helped those fishmen of the Da Ji Clan."
Xiao Wang Zi's face lit up with joy.
Suddenly, Qi Ling spoke: "Why did you help our fishmen? Did you not once hate them deeply? You even sent them to the teleportation blood sacrifice!"
“Yet suddenly, you aid them in the Mother Nest, helping your enemies survive.”
“Has faith altered your heart? Are you still one of us?”
Through covert channels, Qi Ling used sharp words to question Cang Xu's loyalty.
Cang Xu replied calmly, “If I had betrayed us, I would have long since revealed the escape plan with the fabricated memories to Lord Zhou Zhang.”
“But I did not do that, did I?”
'If you had, you would already be dead,' Jian Gui thought darkly.
Cang Xu looked at Qi Ling with a mocking smile. "Besides, I saved the fishmen of the Da Ji Clan and pulled you back from despair. Shouldn't you thank me?"
“Bullshit!” Qi Ling erupted in fury. “If not for you, why would my entire tribe have been forced into the teleportation blood sacrifice? Why would so many have died?”
“And you expect me to thank you? Do you take me for a fool?”
Cang Xu shook his head and sighed. “After this ordeal, I've vented all my anger.”
“Qi Ling, I've never considered you an enemy, believe it or not.”
"In any case, moving forward, I'll not only aid Xiao Wang Zi but also help you convert. Of course, Lord Jian Gui, you remain my primary focus."
“Ever since our first meeting, you've shown me kindness. Being able to offer you some small assistance in this situation is the least I can do.”
Qi Ling sneered coldly: “You really have been changed by the Charming Blue Goddess.”
“Now you're a missionary. Let me guess at how much divine favor will you gain for successful proselytizing?”
“What's the rate for silver level? Gold level must be even more, right?"
Cang Xu nodded. “That's correct. Naturally, I wish to gain as much divine favor as possible.”
“Divine favor is immensely beneficial to me!”
“I'm willing to help you all, and I also want to see everyone become believers. Isn't that a wonderful thing?”
“In fact, Lord Zhou Zhang also greatly desires to see everyone convert successfully. Just moments ago, she hinted at this to me.”
“Her attitude has shifted, it's different now.”
"The reason lies in the divine magic I recently acquired. Let me explain, and you'll understand."
After Cang Xu's explanation, Jian Gui and the others fell deep in thought.
“It seems the Charming Blue Goddess is gravely wounded, and the situation is dire. That's why She's willing to make necromancers, or magicians, Her believers!” Qi Ling remarked.
“Perhaps the Charming Blue Goddess recognized this very point, which is why She allowed you to pass the trials twice,” Xiao Wang Zi speculated, looking at Cang Xu.
Cang Xu continued his pitch: “Divine favor is immensely useful to us. We can request for specific divine blessings in our prayers."
"The situation for the Charming Blue Goddess and the Charming Blue Church is indeed dire, but precisely because of this, they are natural allies for our undead faction, wouldn't you agree?"
“To be honest, I don't think it's a bad thing for a necromancer to also be a believer of the Charming Blue Goddess!”
Xiao Wang Zi fell silent.
Qi Ling remained quiet too.
Jian Gui remained impassive, his expression betraying no inner turmoil.
But Cang Xu knew his words had struck a chord deep within the others.
Judging by the series of proselytizing divine spells, the prospects for conversion now seemed far greater than before.
Conversion offered tangible benefits! At the very least, successful conversion meant they could survive.
Qi Ling glared at Cang Xu: “So you're already one of them.”
Cang Xu shrugged, spreading his hands. “I'm both a Charming Blue believer and a necromancer!”
Qi Ling gritted her teeth in frustration. She hadn't expected Cang Xu to be so shameless, openly admitting his shift in allegiance.
This rendered her carefully prepared interrogation utterly pointless.
Qi Ling instinctively glanced at Jian Gui.
Jian Gui stared expressionlessly at Cang Xu.
Cang Xu's behavior hadn't surprised Jian Gui.
Even before this, Jian Gui had assessed Cang Xu, concluding he had deepened his faith in the Charming Blue Goddess. He was both a necromancer and Charming Blue believer.
His identity as a necromancer, along with shared interests and bonds of loyalty, still made him a viable partner for cooperation.
His newly embraced faith, however, hadn't yet grown strong enough to make him willing to expose the secret of the fabricated memories.
This situation was not uncommon.
The specific factors depended on the deity being worshipped. At the very least, the Charming Blue Goddess wasn't like the Light God, she wasn't the sworn enemy of the undead and could coexist with them.
Moreover, the current situation provided a foundation for cooperation between the two sides.
In truth, even believers of the same deity could become enemies. Take the beastman race's mightiest principal god, the Berserker God, as an example. He was the god of chaos, madness, and frenzied combat, championing frenzy, disorder, and melee.
His believers honored him with blood sacrifices, typically a massive brawl where they slaughtered each other until only one survivor remained.
The surviving believer would then receive the Berserker God's bountiful divine blessing.
Jian Gui noticed that Zhou Zhang had already removed the seal from Cang Xu.
"But it doesn't matter. The hidden trap I planted within him remains. The situation is still under my control."
With this understanding, Jian Gui accepted Cang Xu once more and continued assigning him the task of fabricating memories.
Simultaneously, Jian Gui sternly warned Cang Xu and Qi Ling, making it clear he did not wish to see conflict between them again.
Qi Ling and Cang Xu hastily agreed.
Snow Bird Harbor, the docks.
The retired warship of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom now served as the flagship of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
In the flagship's forecastle, the big guy encountered Tripleblade.
He clutched his stomach in distress and pleaded, “Hungry... need food...”
Tripleblade looked troubled.
After communicating with Zi Di and Zong Ge, they'd decided to temporarily ration the big guy's food to prevent his strength from advancing too rapidly.
Following this measure, the big guy's total food allowance had instantly been cut in half.
His cries of hunger were perfectly understandable.
Tripleblade explained, “The corps' finances are tight right now, big guy. You can't keep eating like this, it's costing too much gold.”
“Let me break it down for you...”
Tripleblade spread his fingers wide, standing before the big guy as he detailed the precise calculations.
The big guy, of course, couldn't understand a word. He stared wide-eyed, his expression pure innocence and confusion.
After a lengthy explanation, Tripleblade shrugged regretfully. “So, for now, this is all the food you'll get...”
The big guy was furious, but unless pushed to the brink of life and death, where immense pressure drove him, he wouldn't resort to violence.
At heart, the big guy was timid.
So, faced with this outcome, he puckered his lips as if to protest, but ultimately only asked, “Father, Xiao Guai wants Father...”
Tripleblade sighed. "The commander is out on business. He won't be back for a long time. The big guy, you have to be good. If you're not, when the commander returns, I'll report it to him."
The big guy shrank back, his eyes brimming with hunger for food.
Just then, his stomach growled again.
“Xiao Guai is hungry...”
“Xiao Guai is hungry enough to eat a whole cow.”
“Xiao Guai wants to eat too. Give me one more bucket, please.”
At the thought of rice, drool began to drip from the big guy's mouth.
Tripleblade revealed the true purpose of his visit: “I can't give you more food, but I can make you feel less hungry!”
“The reason you get hungry easily and eat so much is because you're constantly cultivating.”
"Every time you fall asleep, you activate the Mindless Sleeping Posture Technique. As long as you stop cultivating, you won't feel this hungry anymore."
The big guy shook his head at the suggestion: “No, help, Father, practice, hard!”
“Xiao Guai can practice, Father, happy.”
“Xiao Guai not practice, Father, not happy.”
Tripleblade tried to persuade him: “It's just to pause your practice. Once the mercenary corps has money, you can practice again.”
“The commander isn't back. If you pause your cultivation, I won't tell him this secret.”
The big guy shook his head repeatedly: “Xiao Guai, honest child. Deceiving Father, wrong!”
Tripleblade's face darkened as he threatened: “But if you keep cultivating like this, you might starve to death.”
“Starve... to death?” The big guy froze.
Tripleblade wore a solemn expression: “I don't want to ration your food, and I certainly don't want to halt your training.”
“But training like this, starving yourself like this... you'll starve to death easily!”
“If you starve to death, and the commander returns to find you dead... he'll be heartbroken.”
The big guy froze for a moment, his face clouding with sorrow before he burst into tears. “No... can't starve, death.”
“Starve to death... can't meet Father anymore...”
“Xiao Guai can't starve to death. Xiao Guai has to see Father!”