"Can A Cheng turn people into Zombies too?"
Liang Cheng shook his head. "A Ming might have a few First Embrace quotas for turning people into vampires while they maintain their sanity, but the constraints are still too great. I estimate that in less than half a year, those turned into vampires would die. For me, I can only turn people into undead corpses. To turn them into Zombies capable of logical thinking is far from achievable. After all, the difficulty of inheriting Zombie traits is much greater than that of vampires."
A Ming’s First Embrace and Liang Cheng’s "zombification" have always been crucial parts of their discussions when planning the expansion of their power. Theoretically, Zombies and vampires are more akin to a type of virus and are transmissible.
Just envision it, the ability to mass-produce an army of vampires or Zombie legions! The thrill!
However, the crux of the problem lay here: the limited capabilities A Ming granted to those who received his First Embrace were somewhat less restrictive than Liang Cheng’s. But even if A Ming regained more of his bloodline power, it was unlikely he could bestow a First Embrace that created vampires with excellent innate talents and development potential. A Ming himself predicted that he could grant some in the next stage, but the recipients would likely only enjoy the vampire experience for half a year. They would lose their sanity without a sufficient supply of fresh blood, and even with an ample blood supply, they wouldn’t survive more than half a year. And even then, the number was still restricted to the single digits.
As for Liang Cheng, creating Zombies like those in Western horror films would be useless. Stupid and dazed, dozens of them could be taken down with headshots from a spear. Would sending them to the battlefield help in combat, or would it just boost the enemy’s morale?
The most awkward point was that if, one day, Zheng Fan were to reach a realm similar to or even surpassing Shatuo Queshi’s before his death, and both Liang Cheng and A Ming managed to recover most of their bloodline power, then whether they could create an army would be meaningless. It would be like Nuwa idly creating humans from mud out of boredom—purely a pastime.
Xue Three, propped up in his wheelchair, spoke up, "If I regain another level of my power, I should be able to enter the shadows. Regardless, at least we won’t have to face the same situation as this time, where any random expert popping up can beat us to a pulp. It’s so damn frustrating!"
This was the common sentiment of all the demon lords. They yearned to recover more of their strength, to obtain more power, to reclaim their former glory. They were all terrifying beings with profound origins and stories, yet now, in this world, they were being repeatedly thrashed by its natives. Psychologically, it was truly hard to accept.
Blind Bei solemnly reminded them, "When My lord returns from Nanwang City tomorrow, I’ll have an honest talk with him about our power recovery being linked to his strength. It’s time to come clean."
"We should also tell him that if he dies, we might drop dead too. That way, My lord should cherish his own life more," Xue Three added.
Blind Bei nodded. "Yes, let’s tell him everything. There’s no need to hide it any longer; doing so might only cause more problems."
"Are you scared?" Liang Cheng suddenly asked.
Blind Bei didn’t deny it, admitting directly, "Yes, I am. If we try to force My lord to reach the Ninth Rank like last time, it will only magnify the wariness and resentment between us and him. It’s not necessary. Initially, My lord could only rely on one person—his own son, Mo Wan. Actually, I originally thought Mo Wan was a very filial son. But after several incidents, I’ve realized Mo Wan has his own agenda. For now, he has already helped My lord multiple times. Besides, counting Shatuo Queshi and that great hero who might join us, My lord already has his own assets."
Siniang asked, "Mo Wan? What agenda could he have? I always thought he wanted to be a filial son."
Blind Bei shook his head. "There’s no immediate threat. At least, for now, Mo Wan’s power recovery is on par with A Ming’s and A Cheng’s; his time hasn’t come yet. In the short term, we can be sure he doesn’t want My lord to die and will protect My lord’s life. That’s enough."
Xue Three’s face showed a meaningful smile as he said, "I say, you all only see My lord treating Mo Wan like his own son. But have you ever considered that Mo Wan is an existence My lord personally designed? Would My lord himself not know what kind of character Mo Wan is towards his parents? But even so, My lord has always kept Mo Wan by his side, never abandoning him. And Mo Wan has indeed saved My lord several times, never setting him up."
"It’s a father’s love, as vast as a mountain, soothing the child’s heart," Siniang said.
"Tsk tsk, do you even believe that yourself?" Xue Three retorted.
Siniang shook her head. "No, I don’t."
Xue Three then looked at Liang Cheng. "Do you believe it?"
Liang Cheng shook his head.
"Blind Man, do you believe it?"
"You’re blatantly lying with your eyes wide open!"
"..." Xue Three was speechless.
Calming his urge to curse, Xue Three continued, "Exactly! Believing that would be truly deceiving oneself. The six of us are fine; our stories all have a proper beginning and end, right? Although Blind Bei had it rough, becoming blind—that was because he got 404ed, and..."
"You were castrated," Blind Bei interjected.
"Shut up!" If his bones weren’t still mending, Xue Three really wanted to jump out of his wheelchair and hammer Blind Bei’s knees.
"We are all people with stories, with experiences. Whether we did well or poorly, whether it was joyful or bitter, it’s all a part of life. Honestly, there isn’t much resentment or ill will; in fact, there’s even a tiny bit of gratitude.
"But Mo Wan is different. Damn it! Think back on how My lord treated his own son. Was it the resentful infant of the ninth or tenth life? In the story, My lord made Mo Wan experience being repeatedly miscarried, repeatedly abandoned by his parents, repeatedly given hope only to have it crushed by even fiercer despair. He was made to endure torment, driven mad, made violent, and to exhibit a twisted, pathological hysteria.
"Yes, that story had the highest sales and was the most popular, but if you put yourself in Mo Wan’s shoes and identify with him? HISS... Seriously, is that even a father-son relationship? Even the cruelest enemy wouldn’t be that vicious, right?
"Right? And Mo Wan still saved My lord despite all that. Blind Bei, I can understand you saying Mo Wan has other intentions he’s waiting to act on. But for My lord to wholeheartedly treat him as his own son, and be so sure Mo Wan won’t harm him..." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Blind Bei took out a tin box from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and tapped it against his hand. He said slowly, "My lord must have hidden some of the parameters he set for Mo Wan from us."
"Hehehe..." Siniang suddenly chuckled. "Listening to your analysis, why do I suddenly get the feeling that My lord has a very scheming and terrifying side?"
Blind Bei took out a tinderbox and lit his cigarette. "You bet. So scary I cry ’Daddy’ every night."
"..." Siniang was speechless.