Chapter 109: The Short Video

The sandalwood incense, newly replaced by palace maids, had burned halfway when hurried footsteps sounded outside the study.

The Crown Prince Ying He entered the study accompanied by a eunuch.

He bowed deeply to Ying Huan, who stood with his back to the door.

“Your Majesty, your son pays respects!”

Ying Huan turned around and handed the silk scroll, on which the spy had recorded intelligence, to his eldest son.

“Take a look.”

Without a word, Ying He accepted the scroll and began to read it carefully.

He furrowed his brow as he finished, then pondered thoughtfully for a moment.

“Father, you summoned me late at night because you want me to go to Jiangzhou?”

“That’s right.”

Ying Huan regarded his composed son.

“I want you to go with the Grand Minister of Agriculture to Jiangzhou, to oversee disaster relief and stabilize the people. This will set an example of the royal family’s concern for the common folk.”

He paused before continuing.

“Also, make contact with that immortal and extraordinary being. Since they rid the mortal world of demons, perhaps they might lend support to the mortal realm. Our Ying family, as the sovereigns of the world, naturally represent the mortal realm.”

Ying He now understood clearly the main purpose of his journey to Jiangzhou.

“Very well. The Grand Minister of Agriculture will handle the specifics of disaster relief. Once preparations are complete, we will depart together. You shall leave a day earlier.”

“Your son obeys the imperial command.”

After his eldest son left, Ying Huan returned to his desk and took up his brush to continue writing the previous manuscript.

But the words no longer possessed the same carefree vitality as before.

Yet Ying He did not wait until the next day to depart. As the heir apparent since before the uprising, and now firmly established as Crown Prince, he knew his father too well.

So after leaving the study, he merely tidied up briefly in the Eastern Palace before setting out directly for Jiangzhou.

Upon receiving the message relayed by the palace eunuch, Ying Huan’s lips curved into a faint smile, and his writing regained its former liveliness.

Compared to the Ying family’s decisive actions, other powers in the realm lacked the convenient veneer of the imperial court, yet they too dispatched agents at once upon receiving the news.

Still, their hope of being the first to meet Wu You was doomed to fail.

The ruins had been almost entirely cleared thanks to the efficiency of the alchemical creatures, and reinforcements from towns near the capital had already arrived, aided by doctors and martial artists.

The situation in Jiulu City had essentially stabilized.

Given this, Ying Huan saw no reason to remain in Jiulu any longer.

Before the people in Jiulu could fully react, the “monstrous creatures” that had run rampant through the city vanished in groups, as if by habit.

When even the most conspicuous ancient tree spirit and the Azure Flood Dragon disappeared, the people realized the immortal being was leaving.

By the time representatives of various factions in the city began searching, Wu You’s figure was nowhere to be found.

A few vampires remained behind to observe developments, though these creatures typically ignored humans and certainly would not reveal the whereabouts of their lord, which even they did not know.

Wu You stood once more by the banks of the Tiansha River.

After a moment, twenty merfolk appeared beside him.

“Find those remaining little red snakes. Kill them all and preserve the bodies.”

“Lord, should we deliberately avoid the attention of ordinary people?” one merfolk asked.

Wu You glanced toward the distant, barely visible Jiulu City.

“If it interferes with the mission, then yes; otherwise, no.”

With a series of splashes, the twenty merfolk plunged into the river, swimming away swiftly in both directions to search.

Wu You then proceeded to Leping City, where Wang Fugui was already waiting at Wu You’s private residence.

Before Wang could speak, Wu You handed him three mushroom-sized alchemical creatures.

“Lord, what are these?”

Wang Fugui asked with some puzzlement.

“These are seven-colored coral worms. I have specially marked these three. If an emergency arises, show one to it; it will self-terminate to notify me.”

“Your wisdom is unmatched, Lord!” Wang Fugui praised, gratefully accepting the coral worms.

Each possessed eye-like organs.

He exchanged a gaze with the small creatures in his hand.

Strangely, from the expressions of the coral worms’ eyes, Wang perceived a readiness to sacrifice themselves for a noble cause.

Had Wu You not been present, Wang might have thought he was hallucinating.

Usually, creatures made from such simple materials exhibit no such complex intelligence or emotion.

For example, the moss-like beings in the private chambers of the Drunken Immortal Tower can communicate simply but cannot express emotion.

Wang could only marvel silently at his lord’s ever-growing mastery in creating life.

Wu You ignored Wang’s astonishment.

“Keep watch here. I have dispatched merfolk and vampires to search for all remaining abominations. I will leave now.”

“Rest assured, Lord!”

After speaking, Wu You chose to return to the Myriad Beasts Mountain, then teleported home.

He greeted his family briefly before inspecting the progress of the construction near the mountain trees.

Back in his room, Wu You took out many camera memory cards and copied all the footage onto his computer.

The recordings comprehensively documented the entire battle between the Azure Flood Dragon and the Crimson Flood Dragon from start to finish. Naturally, Wu You’s opening display of prowess was captured in close-up as well.

Wu You planned to produce a serialized short video series for his own amusement.

He was confident that the genuine footage would surpass all Hollywood blockbusters’ special effects.

However, there was one small problem: Wu You knew nothing about video editing.

Fortunately, his company employed graduates from various specialties.

He recalled that some employees’ resumes listed expertise in short video production.

Glancing at the clock, it was just 2 p.m.—a perfect time to visit the company.

Half an hour later, in Wu You’s office at the company headquarters, several supervisors and employees with film-related backgrounds gathered around Wu You’s computer.

The first clip showed Wu You’s cool entrance, with the Azure Flood Dragon at his side and the Qiongqi beneath his feet, glaring fiercely at the hideous Crimson Flood Dragon below.

“Wow, this guy is awesome!” a female employee exclaimed.

“Boss, where was this video shot? Which actor played this? Can we really reveal the flood dragons and Qiongqi?” Wang Hui asked the crucial questions.

“Clears throat—these are company employees. You’ll have a chance to meet them. As for the location, it’s a special place.”

But as the various angles of the video continued to play, they were left speechless.

Beyond the spectacular and thrilling scenes, they realized Ao Guang was genuinely fighting, not merely performing for entertainment.

The final devastating strike that nearly destroyed the ancient city caused a shock that could almost be felt beyond the screen. The red serpent in the video was certainly doomed.

The ancient city was almost completely demolished.

If this were just filming, the sacrifice for that scene would be too great.

Everyone present understood these were real recordings, not special effects or CGI.