Longzang

Chapter 236 The storm is coming
Quliu Town.

By the time dawn broke, Yuan Qingyan had already completed his morning prayers and dealt with official duties for half an hour. He would rise before daybreak every day, wash and change his clothes, then meditate for an hour. Once he finished his practice and his mind was clear, he would handle official business.

Since taking office, he has done this every single day. In terms of diligence alone, few in the entire court can compare to him.

A servant brought in some congee and side dishes, which was Yuan Qingyan's breakfast. The only unusual thing was that the rice was spirit rice and the vegetables were spirit vegetables. This was a special allowance issued by the Western Jin Dynasty to officials of certain ranks. As a prefect, he would receive a fixed amount of low-grade spirit food every month, which was one grade higher than millet.

In the dim light of day, Yuan Qingyan ate his meal with utmost concentration, chewing each bite seven times before swallowing, his devotion bordering on affected. His political enemies even impeached him for this, accusing him of "pretending to be something he's not, and seeking fame and fortune."

But during this most precious time, when he should not be disturbed, the attendant suddenly pushed open the study door and said, "My lord, someone outside requests an audience."

The attendant entered without knocking, which would normally be enough to have him beaten to death. But Yuan Qingyan didn't get angry. Sure enough, a soft, charming voice came from outside the door: "Don't blame him, he can't control himself right now."

A woman wrapped up so tightly that only her eyes were visible walked in. With a wave of her hand, her attendants left and closed the door behind them. She seemed to serve Yuan Qingyan even more diligently than she had served Yuan Qingyan.

Yuan Qingyan grasped a scroll and said slowly, "Cultivation as a great shaman is not easy. Do you have a death wish to enter my study?"

The woman chuckled softly, her laughter melodious: "I came here to make friends with Lord Yuan."

"Friends?" Yuan Qingyan chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "Who in the entire court doesn't know that I, Yuan, am a tyrant who doesn't even have a single friend? And now a great shaman wants to be my friend?"

"It is possible for two intelligent individuals to become friends, in the form of limited cooperation."

"How do you want to cooperate?"

"I have brought news that the Wu Clan is about to launch a major attack on Qingming. This time, the scale of the attack is unprecedented, and the military strength is similar to that of the last battle against Yue Jinshan. Qingming will most likely not be able to hold out."

Yuan Qingyan remained calm and said, "I understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' If this important military intelligence is true, what do you plan to replace it with?"

The woman said, "Giving you this message is enough to get what I want in return. You clever humans always like to say the opposite of what you mean, don't you?"

Yuan Qingyan asked slowly, "May I ask the name of the great shaman?"

“Phantom. I come from a small tribe. Although I am a high shaman, I am ostracized everywhere and cannot obtain resources. My future is hopeless.” After the woman finished speaking, she added, “Just like you.”

After the woman left, Yuan Qingyan sat still, lost in thought.

At that moment, a cry of alarm rang out from outside the door, and the steward came over to report: "Sir, your personal attendant has just committed suicide by jumping into the well."

"Oh, let's find a place to bury him."

Yuan Qingyan spread out his brush and ink, and wrote a letter to Chen Dao: "Recently, the Wu tribe has been making unusual moves, seemingly preparing to advance on Qingming, and their military strength is formidable, with the intention of continuing their campaigns..."

The entire letter contains not a single mention of Yue Jinshan.

Outside the Xu family mansion on the north side of Quliu Town, a woman with only her eyes showing stood several dozen feet away, gazing at the numerous mansions in the distance. Inside, the sounds of stringed instruments filled the air; early in the morning, a lavish feast and dance were underway, a display of extravagance and indulgence.

The woman stood there for a while, but did not approach; instead, she turned and disappeared.

Inside that secluded courtyard, the aged face reappeared on the ancient tree, saying, "This place is already so desolate, why are there still witches coming and going? What does she want?"

The alluring woman in red was still sitting by the window. Without looking up, she said, "She thinks she knows humans very well and wants to sow discord."

The old tree chuckled and said, "Foolish witch. Relationships between people are so complicated; how could she possibly sow discord?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, she has succeeded."

The old man's smile froze on the tree trunk. Fortunately, he was slow to begin with, so the freeze wasn't very noticeable.

The old tree's smile faded considerably as he said, "Should we lure her in here and kill her? I've been feeling a bit malnourished lately."

The woman remained silent, and the old tree dropped the subject. The woman turned a page of the storybook and asked, seemingly casually, "Since you've already discovered me, why didn't you mention it when people from the main family came?"

"I want to live for two more years."

"You can accept Xu Jingfeng sitting in that position?"

Old Tree smiled again and said, "Jingfeng was never bad to begin with, and he's become even more outstanding after going through hardships. He naturally deserves this position. As long as he still bears the surname Xu, it doesn't matter which side he sits on. I'm getting old, so I like to have one black piece and one white piece."

The woman didn't respond, so the old tree tentatively asked, "Why didn't you participate in the previous battles?"

"It's more important to sit here and read."

The old tree asked doubtfully, "There's nothing here. The only secret vault was taken by that kid from Qingmingli. What's the point of you sitting here? Don't look at me. I'm an old man who's afraid of dying. Everything is negotiable."

At this point, the old tree said self-deprecatingly, "When I was a human, I was quite brave. I never thought that now that I've become a tree, I'd be afraid of dying. Girl, if you're willing to tell me why you're sitting here without moving, I'll give you my treasured collection of storybooks, all of them rare editions."

The woman in red said calmly, "Considering the difference in our cultivation levels, is it appropriate for you to call me 'little girl'?"

“Respecting the elderly is an age-old tradition. Besides, you’re not that old; I could easily be your grandfather’s grandfather. Enough nonsense, do you still want to read the storybook?” Old Tree was unusually assertive.

The woman in red said, "This is currently the most important feng shui point, which can affect the fortune of the entire region. Since I'm sitting here, others can't see this point."

"It can affect the fortune of the entire region? I've been here for over a hundred years, how come I haven't noticed anything?"

The woman in red wanted to explain, but then gave up, saying, "Feng shui and fortune are too complicated. You're not very smart, and you wouldn't understand even if I explained."
-
dusk.

Standing atop the main peak, Wei Yuan gazed northwest, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. The verdant landscape to the northwest stretched towards the sky, brimming with menacing energy, poised for battle; a great war might be brewing tonight.

Wei Yuan returned to his room and began to readjust the feng shui array. He added another drop of platinum laurel sap to the array plate, but still felt it wasn't enough. Looking at the dense, ever-growing azure aura, he gritted his teeth and cast hundreds of streams of azure energy into the array in one go.

With a great battle imminent, Wei Yuan needs to infinitely boost his own fortune and create a fortune depression around him, only then will he have a chance to survive against all odds.

As night fell, a mournful horn sounded throughout the heavens and earth. The horn originated from Wucheng, but it could also be clearly heard hundreds of miles away in the center of the realm. The heavy horn sound seemed to have the power to seize souls, and many ordinary people fell to the ground in pain upon hearing it, only slowly standing up when the light of the Jiamu Shengxuan aura began to flash on their bodies.

Bells rang throughout the realm, waking countless people from their sleep. They immediately donned their armor as part of their daily training, picked up their newly issued weapons, and headed to their designated assembly points to await further orders.

The aroma of food wafted through the camps as officers carried baskets of steamed buns to their neatly dressed soldiers. The soldiers devoured the food, finishing it in a few bites, and their spirits noticeably improved.

These steamed cakes are mixed with rice flour made from millet and sorghum, and also contain a medicine concocted by Sun Yu. Eating them not only replenishes vital energy but also invigorates the spirit, allowing one to remain awake for days without rest. Although the effects of the medicine will eventually wear off and cause a serious illness, Sun Yu's exact words were that without the medicine, one might die, without even having the chance to get sick.

The deep, resonant sound of war drums rang out. Wang Yu intended to strike the drum with the mallet, but Xu Yi snatched it away. Her long hair flew as she vigorously struck the drum, appearing from afar like a fairy descending to earth, stirring the blood of the entire army.

Wei Yuan secretly praised Xu Yi, saying that his drumming was far more effective than Wang Yu's.

In the distance, the city of Wu was brightly lit, and the military spirit soared to the sky. Then the main gate opened wide, and a high platform was slowly pushed out. Then, squads of soldiers poured out from the various city gates, merging into a torrent that swept towards Qingming.

Wei Yuan estimated the time and predicted that the Wu Clan army would arrive at the edge of the boundary around midnight, which would be the time when the Wu army was at its strongest.

At that moment, Wei Yuan's pupils narrowed as he saw numerous black shadows, as large as small mountains, appear in the Wu Clan's army formation.

A mad beast?

Wei Yuan immediately pointed to the sky, and a scarlet light shot into the night sky, causing the entire realm to boil over. Originally, Wei Yuan's order was that those over fifty years old and children under ten years old who had not undergone body tempering were not required to assemble for battle. However, now that the summons had been issued, everyone who was able-bodied, except for children under seven or eight, took up arms and marched towards the six cities of Xuanwei.

Gazing at the distant, mountain-like figures, Wei Yuan's expression turned grave. Wild beasts were traditionally used in important battles, primarily deployed in the northern battlefields against the Liao tribes in recent years. The fact that wild beasts had appeared here in Qingming made Wei Yuan wonder if he had added too much luck to the feng shui formation, resulting in an imbalance where his own area had become a low-lying area of ​​luck?

(End of this chapter)