Chapter 202: Harvest

Qingyue Yang saw the Underworld King Snake swallow the Dharma King of Destruction in one gulp and felt very anxious. He thought, “Why did you let the snake swallow him? I still had great use for this person.”

Zuo Zhicheng helplessly shrugged his shoulders. Standing on the head of the Underworld King Snake, he kicked its head with his heel and said, “This beast isn’t very obedient yet; it swallowed him on its own. I’m not sure if I can make it spit him out.”

As he spoke, he fiercely kicked it a few more times, seemingly trying to make the Underworld King Snake vomit the corpse. At the same time, he vibrated his arm slightly, sending heat signals that secretly commanded the snake not to spit it out.

The Dharma King of Destruction clearly possessed a Life Grove. Although it seemed to be a Life Grove called “Indestructible,” which was not one of the Life Groves Zuo Zhicheng was searching for in his Life Diagram, he still couldn’t easily give up on it.

The Underworld King Snake beneath his feet, having been kicked several times by Zuo Zhicheng for no reason and feeling the conflicting signals transmitted through the heat, seemed a bit aggrieved. It didn’t understand what Zuo Zhicheng really wanted.

Zuo Zhicheng was, of course, just putting on an act. He had no intention of actually making the Underworld King Snake vomit out the Dharma King of Destruction.

Qingyue Yang rode his horse in a wide circle around the Underworld King Snake, watching its hill-like size, and sighed helplessly.

He couldn’t ask Zuo Zhicheng to go inside and pull out the Dharma King of Destruction for him, nor could he demand that the Underworld King Snake be killed.

“Brother Zuo, I need to reorganize the troops, comfort the soldiers, and reassure the civilians. You can go back to the manor first to rest.”

Zuo Zhicheng nodded. He knew the other party had a lot of matters to attend to next, and he couldn’t be bothered with such tedious tasks. So, standing on the Underworld King Snake, he gradually disappeared from everyone’s sight amid a swirl of snowflakes and dust.

Qingyue Yang watched Zuo Zhicheng and the Underworld King Snake gradually shrink into a small black dot in the distance and sighed inwardly, “In just over ten days, this young man’s aura has become even more profound and unfathomable.”

On the way back, Zuo Zhicheng had the Underworld King Snake spit out the Dharma King of Destruction. The body was already badly corroded by stomach acid, but Zuo Zhicheng still retrieved the “Indestructible” Life Grove from the Dharma King of Destruction’s body and sealed it in a small glass vial he had prepared earlier. Once he returned to the manor, he would need to prepare some nutrient solution to preserve the Life Grove’s vitality.

However, Zuo Zhicheng had no plans to transplant this “Indestructible” Life Grove into his own body. It wasn’t one of the four Life Groves he intended to combine for his Life Diagram. Moreover, the state of being impervious to blades and spears had significant limitations; it would greatly reduce his body’s speed and stamina, which didn’t suit his flexible combat style—it was too rigid.

“Even though I can’t implant it into myself, I could choose someone else to receive it. But I’ll have to carefully consider who that should be.”

Over the next few days, Zuo Zhicheng rested in the original manor. He either practiced his Martial Arts or trained in Dao Arts, gradually increasing his strength bit by bit.

He knew that his victory against the three Dharma Kings this time relied heavily on his companions and effective tactics. On a personal level, he still needed more and greater power.

The Dìyù Gate, the Yama Holy Son, and the ever-looming threat of Shen Zong—he had to seize every moment to enhance his abilities.

As for Haijing, he had already stepped forward with Qingyue Yang to kill the Dharma King of Daoyu and the Dharma King of Destruction. He believed it was unlikely the other party would break their promise.

Sure enough, on the third day after the battle, Qingyue Yang personally came to invite Zuo Zhicheng to a banquet that evening, which would be held at Zhu Yuwen’s residence.

There weren’t many dishes at the banquet, but they were exquisitely prepared. Besides Zuo Zhicheng, there were only three others: Zhu Yuwen, his wife, and Qingyue Yang.

As soon as Zuo Zhicheng entered the room, he heard Zhu Yuwen’s hearty laughter: “A Zuo, you really are my lucky star. This operation against the Dìyù Gate was a great success; it truly let us hold our heads high.”

With that, he welcomed Zuo Zhicheng inside. Once at the table, Zhu Yuwen, seeming to have figured out Zuo Zhicheng’s preferences, skipped the pleasantries and directly handed him several stacks of documents.

“These are the assets confiscated from the manor. Who would have thought—who would have thought—that such a small Duan manor could hide so much? Food, cattle, horses, pearls, jade, coral, antiques, calligraphy, paintings… a conservative estimate puts the value at about five hundred thousand coins. A Zuo, thirty percent of this belongs to you. Once you’ve made your selections today, just send the documents to A Yang tomorrow.”

Beside Zhu Yuwen, a slightly plump middle-aged woman smiled and said, “Master Zuo, this is the first time I’ve seen my husband so overjoyed. He’s been talking about you since last night. Now that I see you in person, you truly are young and accomplished, a peerless hero.”

“You flatter me, madam,” Zuo Zhicheng said with a cupped fist salute. Looking at the long list filled with various fields, houses, jewels, and even weapons and armor, a faint smile finally appeared on his usually cold face.

Zhu Yuwen and Qingyue Yang exchanged a glance and nodded inwardly. They weren’t afraid of his unruly nature; they were more concerned if he had no desires.

Then, they saw Zhu Yuwen clap his hands. A servant came forward carrying a tray, on which rested a black jade pendant carved into a fierce, clawing beast about the size of a thumb, emitting a dark halo.

Zhu Yuwen picked up the black jade beast and handed it to Zuo Zhicheng.

“A Zuo, from today onward, you are the deputy commander of the Shadow Corps. Take this jade to the corps headquarters’ library tomorrow, and you’ll be allowed to browse all the materials and secret manuals for a total of four hours.”

“Thank you, sir,” Zuo Zhicheng said, accepting the black jade beast with both hands, a hint of delight in his eyes. This was mainly because tomorrow he could use this item to access Dao Arts manuals and the Shadow Corps’ collected data on Life Groves.

As for the deputy commander position of the Shadow Corps, it was merely an honorary title Zhu Yuwen gave Zuo Zhicheng, as evident from the lack of assigned tasks or responsibilities. After all, he was still a newcomer. Although he was powerful and had contributed greatly, granting him too much authority right away would displease the veterans.

Especially since Zhu Yuwen, through reports from his subordinates observing Zuo Zhicheng, had learned that the young man had no interest in power and was solely focused on Dao Arts and Martial Arts. That’s why he made this arrangement.

“As for the matter of collecting Life Groves, A Zuo, I’m leaving it entirely to you from now on. To be honest, we’ve tried similar things before, but there were too many complications. You can look up the details yourself tomorrow.

But this time, you can proceed however you see fit. I’ll fully support you from behind the scenes.”

Qingyue Yang chuckled beside him and reminded, “Sir, there’s also that matter…”

“Oh, right, look at my memory.” Zhu Yuwen patted his forehead and said loudly, “A Zuo, I heard you still don’t have a proper residence in Haijing. If you don’t mind, I’ll award you Duan Suling’s manor.”

“Since it’s your generous gift, I won’t stand on ceremony.”

“Why be polite with me?” Zhu Yuwen said, grabbing Zuo Zhicheng’s hand warmly. “Come, come, today let’s enjoy our drinks and talk happily. We won’t stop until we’re drunk!”