"I’ve heard, these bandits are too rampant, simply lawless, even daring to attack the patrol team. If caught, they must be executed by a thousand cuts," Zuo Nian said.
"Very well, the small task I assign to you is to catch the bandits who attacked the patrol team for me. This city will then fall within your jurisdiction," Chen Mo said.
Seeing that it was only to catch bandits, not something he dreaded, Zuo Nian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I will definitely bring these bandits to justice."
"I knew Lord Zuo wouldn’t disappoint me." Chen Mo walked up to Zuo Nian, patted his shoulder, and said, "From now on, you are one of my Great Wei’s people, no need to always refer to yourself as an outsider, it sounds distant."
"Yes."
"Although the Jin Xia Court has disbanded, order must not be disrupted. Those former Jin Xia ministers, I had a kind heart and spared them, yet they remain ungrateful, constantly causing trouble for me. The governmental officials and constables below are just a bunch of good-for-nothings," Chen Mo said slowly.
Zuo Nian nodded silently, not responding.
As if seeing his thoughts, Chen Mo said, "Are the people under you still obedient?"
Chen Mo referred to the batch of defectors previously assigned to Zuo Nian, who also became Zuo Nian’s subordinates.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, they follow orders from me... no, from Your Majesty implicitly," Zuo Nian hastily replied.
"Since that’s the case, as a Governor, you need some staffing for governance. Simply dismiss those good-for-nothings from the city’s government office and replace them with your people," Chen Mo said.
Zuo Nian was shocked, it’s finally here.
If the government office was replaced with his people, should something happen in the city, he would be held responsible.
This way, he would constantly offend people to maintain this position.
By then, the city’s common people and the dismissed clerks would hate him, allowing Chen Mo and the others to distance themselves.
"I will follow Your Majesty’s orders." Although aware of the peril, Zuo Nian had no choice but to jump in.
...
The time soon reached the end of November.
In the Jin Xia Imperial City, it was already very cold, with the plum tree branches in the palace covered in glistening white snow.
In the palace where the Great Khan of Jin Xia usually rests, a censer was placed, emitting a lingering fragrance.
Nalan Yiren, dressed in a moon-white palace attire, sat beside Chen Mo, untying the bandage around his chest, her peripheral vision sweeping the red seal on the desk, and said, "Have you figured this thing out?"
"I’ve understood some of it. According to the ministers who did the experiments, this seal is called the Blood God Seal. Martial Artists of Middle Grade and above can feed it blood, and the Blood God Seal will give feedback. The Blood God Seal is sentient. If you feed it blood, it will obey your control, and the more blood you feed it, the greater the power it exerts.
Of course, the higher the cultivation of the person, the stronger the power it will exert after being fed," Chen Mo said.
"What if several people feed it blood at the same time? To whom does it listen, have you tested this?" Nalan Yiren asked.
"I did test it. It depends on the cultivation strength, and if they are of the same realm, then it’s who feeds it more blood,"
"So it doesn’t recognize an owner," Nalan Yiren thought of some novels she had read, where the immortal artifacts once recognizing an owner cannot be used by others, then murmured, "No wonder the Tuoba Clan hid it so deeply, passing it down verbally through generations of Khans. If other tribes knew the details, it would be hard to keep."
After all, as long as the cultivation is sufficient, anyone can use it.
"Given this, why does the Tuoba Clan take such an extreme approach? They could regularly store blood, using it when needed, without exhausting themselves."
Nalan Yiren, being a healer, knew that drawing a little blood regularly, as long as the quantity was controlled, would not harm the body at all.
This way, drawing blood periodically, over time, the stored amount would surpass the blood in one’s entire body.
Moreover, with the Tuoba Clan’s status and ability, they could easily preserve the blood without it coagulating.
"I asked Tuoba Zhi about this later on. The Blood God Seal is quite particular; it only drinks fresh and warm blood. Stored blood is useless. Also, although more blood fed means greater power, its minimum requirement is almost half of the blood in the human body. Imagine losing that much blood in a battle; how many could withstand that," Chen Mo said.
Nalan Yiren nodded and asked, "Did you try it?"
As she spoke, she picked up the small porcelain bottle on the ground, poured some potion onto her hand, and applied it to the place where Chen Mo was previously injured: "You’ve recovered well. The rib I helped you reattach has healed and fused. This potion is for scar removal. Once applied, the wound will not scar."
Casting a grateful glance toward Nalan Yiren, he then shook his head and said, "I didn’t try. Trying even once would consume at least half of my blood. At the time, I was still injured and dared not attempt it."
Saying that, Chen Mo grasped Nalan Yiren’s hand, pulling her into his embrace, holding her slender shoulders, and kissed Nalan Yiren’s lips.
Nalan Yiren was suddenly dazed, then instinctively responded, capping the small porcelain bottle in her hand and placing it on the ground.
Just as Chen Mo intended to take things a step further, Nalan Yiren suddenly came to her senses and pushed Chen Mo away, chiding, "You’ve just recovered a bit, and you’re already being unruly."
"With a beauty in my arms, how can I resist?"