Chapter 689 283: Hearts Changed, Cities Left Empty (Part 2)

"Oh, right, there's also meat."

After eating another bowl, Scarred Face was not as hungry anymore. He patted his belly, which was as round as a ball, and grinned with satisfaction.

Half of it was because his throat and stomach hurt from the heat, and the other half was because his stomach was content, as was his heart.

He carefully put down the wooden bowl and, stumbling, ran to a jade statue. The statue wore a Flat Heaven Crown, had elegant brows and bright eyes, with flowing robes. It looked both graceful and dignified, but no one knew who carved it. Chen Ping glanced at it and thought it bore at least a seventy or eighty percent resemblance to himself.

After paying his respects, Scarred Face shouted "Long live grandpa" a few times, and in return, he received a large piece of half-fat, half-lean stewed meat.

The meat was from horses that died on the battlefield.

Aside from the dead, at least tens of thousands of horses died as well.

In the clash of battle formations, both sides fought desperately, and no one could control whether they harmed a person or a horse. Having such reservations could easily result in losing one's life to the enemy.

Most of the Beizhou army were cavalry. In life-and-death moments, few people surrendered. Given the ferocious fighting, it's no wonder so many horses perished.

Among those dead horses, many were exotic Dragon Horses, majestic beasts standing eight feet tall, and even they died in droves.

Hence, there was an abundance of horse meat.

Some soldiers got tired of eating it.

So, Zhuo Yunfei allocated some for psychological manipulation.

Scarred Face, despised and looked down upon since childhood, survived this long because of his keen ability to tell edible grass from inedible ones with just a taste, getting it right almost every time.

Out of ten days, he spent seven or eight eating grass.

Can one survive? Yes, one can.

When had he ever had meat? Getting even a whiff of it on occasion was considered exceptionally lucky.

Now, as he ate a piece of meat, his mouth watered instantly. He cried profusely while gulping down his meal.

He ate so ferociously that one might fear he'd bite off his own tongue and swallow it.

Also worried he might choke to death then and there from overeating.

Undoubtedly.

While Scarred Face's eating habits were unsightly, they proved extremely effective.

Immediately, seven or eight brave individuals came forward.

Spitting to get porridge was fine. Since they'd spit, peeing didn't seem much harder.

Having urinated, bowing to Chen Ping didn't seem inappropriate either.

They give you food and drink, and you can't even offer a sincere bow to show allegiance? Are you still human?

Finally, a pitch-black skinny girl couldn't resist and timidly asked, "Can I not pee?"

"That's fine. You're a girl; it's indeed inappropriate to do that in public. Just step over the Great Venerable Black Lotus, and consider it done. However, you must not skip the bow to Emperor Yuu."

"Naturally."

The little girl happily ran up...

She also received rice porridge, pickles, and horse meat.

Watching the process unfold like waves, first one, then two, then eventually connecting into a vast surge.

In the center of the square, the smell of urine and the stench of saliva rose to the sky. Chen Ping shook his head with a wry smile and could no longer bear to watch.

Giving Zhuo Yunfei a thumbs-up, he turned and left.

He knew that not only Dragon City but hundreds of cities in the entire northern region could easily be taken.

Not because of porridge or meat, but because after those people spat and insulted the statue, they had already overthrown the god in their hearts with their own hands.

Just like they once built that god in their hearts little by little.

As for later, having them bow to Emperor Yuu.

It was essentially bowing to Chen Ping himself.

In reality, it was just providing psychological solace for the people of the north.

It is said that the best way to forget a past romance is to start a new one.

The principle is the same.

Zhuo Yunfei didn't quite understand some things.

But he didn't really need to understand much.

He naturally knew how to stir people's hearts.

With just his eloquence, he could turn black into white and white into colorful.

In Chen Ping's view, the northern land might be easier to govern than the south.

Once hearts change, all will voluntarily follow.

At this point, the land could indeed be said to truly bear the Chen name.

...

In the ensuing two months, Chen Ping discovered that after truly unifying the world, especially once his policies were implemented nationwide, the growth of fortune was unparalleled.

Especially in the north, Chen Ping was surprised to find that the speed of fortune growth in the newly acquired regions outpaced that of the prosperous south.

There was a power, not quite fortune, yet not much less impactful.

It could likewise evolve the Dharma Body, enhancing one's Cultivation Realm. Furthermore, by harnessing this power, cultivating various skills felt divinely assisted, with insights much more easily and thoroughly achieved.

"This is..."

"Incense and Candle Power have such an effect?"

Chen Ping remained silent.

He thought, no wonder Daoist Mingxin painstakingly set this up.

Turns out it's indeed very useful.

In legends, incense, merit, and fortune each have their wondrous uses, but now he believes they fundamentally belong to the same category, namely collective cultivation.

Using the power of All Living Beings to help an individual attain enlightenment.

It's easy to obtain and pleasant to cultivate, though likely not without its drawbacks.

One should not indulge in it.

Watching the accumulating fortune and incense power, Chen Ping grew more fervent in his cultivation, but a sense of caution quietly rose in his heart.

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.

The ancients were not wrong.