Hyper-Dimensional Player

Chapter 671 - 26: Beastly Dynasty, Demon Sect Enchantresses

The river flows like a green silk ribbon, and mountains resemble strands of jade.

Guilin, that is, the jade palace of the southern borderlands, with scenery unmatched in the world.

Peaks clustered like scepters, soaring from the earth to touch the heavens, the Lijiang River wraps around the city, cleansing it with jade-like purity.

Lady Jade Face has a secret villa in Guilin, and upon entering the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, she began telling the young man about the affairs of the Southern Han dynasty.

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was rife with demons and monsters of all kinds.

The Southern Han was later known as the Beastly Dynasty, with each generation of rulers marked by collective indulgence in debauchery and cruelty, excessive use of torture, eunuch dictatorship, and so on. To strengthen his authority, the Founding Monarch Liu Yan first introduced six forms of brutal torture, including nose irrigation, tongue extraction, and disembowelment, turning the spectacle of execution into a form of entertainment, thereby establishing a tradition of pathological rule.

His successors Liu Bin, Liu Sheng, and others inherited this proclivity, with records even noting physiological excitement evidenced by salivation during executions.

The Southern Han also pioneered a 'castration for office' policy, stipulating that those who aspired to be civil officials must become eunuchs, leading to an explosion in eunuch numbers to twenty thousand.

As for female officials governing, eunuchs holding military power, those need no further elaboration.

From its founding to its downfall, the Southern Han executed its royal brothers with escalating cruelty, historical texts noting 'many former generals of the Southern Han were killed due to slander, and the Liu family members were almost completely eradicated, leaving only eunuchs in control of military power.'

"Young master."

"There are three formidable demonic women in this place; you must be exceedingly cautious!"

"Even I cannot discern their origins!"

After finding a place to stay, Lady Jade Face knocked and entered, followed by Fu Jianhan and others—the Valley of Villains was right here, having intricate ties with the Demonic Sect.

The others present were unfamiliar with the southern borderlands, and they all sat down to listen as Lady Jade Face explained in detail.

Duncan also curiously asked, "Which three demonesses?"

Lady Jade Face pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Last year, the Han Emperor Liu Sheng passed away, and Prince Wei Liu Chan ascended the throne."

"The man is talentless, mediocre, incapable of governing the country."

"Hence he entrusted governmental affairs to eunuchs and female attendants, appointing palace maids as political officials."

Liu Chan believed that his ministers all had families and would be unwilling to be entirely loyal, fearing for their descendants, so he only trusted eunuchs, making it mandatory for officials to castrate themselves to be employed.

Lady Jade Face elaborated in detail, speaking softly, "That Lu Qiongxi is Liu Chan's favorite."

"I once met her face to face."

"This person is highly skilled in martial arts, and it's unknown why she is lurking by Liu Chan's side; she has significant ties to the Demonic Sect, but it's unclear which branch."

"Moreover, this person practices mysterious sorcery, adept at Mind Control."

"One must be vigilant!"

Lu Qiongxi has a graceful physique, skin like snow, akin to a white lotus blooming in a turbid world.

The martial world in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions is unfathomably deep, with six branches of the Demonic Sect active here, and the Valley of Villains also has some affiliations with the Demonic Sect.

After listening to Lady Jade Face's words, Duncan felt slightly moved, and thought to himself, "Highly skilled in martial arts?"

"Also adept in mysterious techniques, can control minds?"

"Related to the Demonic Sect?"

This is the Guangdong and Guangxi region, to be honest, Lady Jade Face's description reminds him of a notorious rebel organization.

Currently, that group happens to be in Guangdong and Guangxi, intricately linked with the Demonic Sect.

Lady Jade Face is very skilled in martial arts, second only to Lu Shanjun among those present; she said the opponent's martial arts were very high, so it's likely slightly stronger than hers, and can basically be confirmed as a five-star gold marked unit.

"Who are the other two demonic women?"

Fu Jianhan curiously asked; anyone who even Lady Jade Face would frankly call a demoness must be extremely monstrous and sinister in nature.

After contemplating for a moment, Lady Jade Face slowly said, "Another demoness is named Fan Huzi."

"She is a witch."

"This person claims to be the incarnation of the Jade Emperor Daoist Monarch's fallen beard, hence named 'Huzi' (beard)."

The Jade Emperor's beard?

Could there really be such an absurd thing?

Hearing this, Duncan immediately became interested and asked Lady Jade Face to elaborate.

According to rumors, Liu Chan highly respected Fan Huzi, setting up a tent for her in the inner hall, filled with gold, silver, and jewels; Fan Huzi wore a wandering crown, dressed in a purple haze robe, and sat inside the tent, proclaiming her prophecies of fortune and disaster. She also called Liu Chan "Crown Prince Emperor," implying the son of the Jade Emperor.

Liu Chan was pleased to revere her like a deity, with many state affairs heeding Fan Huzi, leading the entire court to vie in currying favor with her.

The son of the Jade Emperor?

Isn't that title supposed to belong to Emperor Huizong of Song, the Daoist Monarch?

Is it possible for someone to take this title too?

This era indeed is full of oddities, like how Li Yu of the Southern Tang also seemingly fell for a demonic monk's deceit.

Observing Duncan's apparent interest, Lady Jade Face continued her introduction, "There is yet another favored concubine by Liu Chan's side, quite unusual; she is a Persian woman, called Meizhu."

"I am unsure of her background but suspect a connection to the Great Ming Zun Sect."

Meizhu?

This is indeed somewhat unfamiliar.

After some inquiry, Duncan could only lament that the Southern Han's monarch indeed surrounded himself with a swarm of demons and monsters.

——"Liu Chan, indulgent and unrestrained, obtained a Persian woman, youthful and voluptuous, enchanting in her beauty, skilled in seduction, mastering its art.

Chan favored her, granting her the title 'Charming Pig.'

He sought Taoist methods to enhance his vitality, and, having finally found them, would exceed himself in excess. He took pleasure in watching people fornicate, selecting vile youths and matching them with palace maidens, all of whom were handsome, beautiful, and robust, stripping them to perform under his gaze, called 'Great Double Bodies.'

Moreover, he chose newly sourced exotic performers, pairing them with Meizhu, and even birds and beasts, familiar with them, would follow suit."

Goodness gracious.

The ancients truly knew how to indulge.

After gaining Liu Chan's favor, Meizhu recruited nine plump palace maidens for him, each bestowed with titles like Charming Ox, Charming Sheep, Charming Fox, and so on, collectively known as the "Ten Charming Women."