Longzang

Chapter 381 No Help Needed
For millennia, Hanyang Pass has been one of the most famous passes in the world. During the long-standing war in the Broken Realm, it was Hanyang Pass that ultimately stopped the eastward advance of the Wu tribe's army.

The most formidable weapon at Hanyang Pass is undoubtedly its eight giant crossbows, each capable of shooting ten thousand feet. After special enhancement, their range can be increased up to three times. However, a single strike from these crossbows would consume all the magical power of a Dharma Aspect cultivator.

Although the cost is enormous, once enhanced, the entire area within two hundred miles of Hanyang Pass will be within the range of the giant crossbows, and if necessary, this open area, which is hundreds of miles wide, can be completely sealed off.

It was thanks to Hanyang Pass that the Xu family was able to cut off east-west transportation and prevent a single flying boat from leaving the pass. This time, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Wei Yuan would also have to detour through Zhao, adding 200,000 li to his journey back to Qingming.

In recent times, the number of refugees wanting to leave the pass has been increasing. These refugees are poorly informed; they only heard that the Western Regions are now stable and that people are distributing porridge along the way, so they flock here. The matter of the Great Mantra of Cause and Effect is not widely known, and even if the refugees heard of it, they wouldn't understand it.

Tens of thousands of refugees remain in Hanyang Pass. Many line up at the city gate early in the morning, waiting to leave. But in the last few days, the exit checks have suddenly become stricter, with only a few hundred people allowed to leave each day. Any disturbance from the refugees is met with a severe beating by the guards, and some are even beaten to death on the spot.

Countless refugees were stranded inside the pass, while a continuous stream of refugees arrived from the eastern inland areas, resulting in an ever-increasing number of refugees inside the pass.

Inside the garrison headquarters, Fan Donghe, after listening to his subordinate's report, frowned deeply and went to the headquarters. A guard led him directly to the backyard, where he saw an old man admiring fish in the pond.

Fan Donghe bowed and said, "Greetings, Elder Chunyuan."

The old man took a handful of fish food and slowly scattered it. The koi in the pond thrashed about, vying for the meager amount of food. The old man said leisurely, "What brings Garrison Commander Fan here? Surely not again for those refugees?"

Fan Donghe said, "Yesterday alone, we counted over five hundred bodies of refugees inside the pass. Now the number of refugees inside the pass is increasing, and we've halved the amount of porridge and food we're providing. If this continues for a few more days, I'm afraid over a thousand people will die every day!"

The old man slightly raised his eyelids and said, "What's wrong, is Commander Fan heartbroken?"

Anger flashed across Fan Donghe's face, but he knew he was from a different family, and the old man in front of him was named Xu Chunyuan, two generations older than Xu Zhongxing. After Xu Zhongxing was imprisoned, it was Xu Chunyuan who took over as the garrison commander.

Upon assuming office, Xu Chunyuan's first act was to purge Xu Zhongxing's cronies. Many deputy generals, brigadier generals, and colonels were reassigned to guard city gates, repair camps, or even clean latrines.

As a Dharma Minister, Fan Donghe possessed formidable combat power, so Xu Chunyuan maintained a relatively polite demeanor on the surface. Fan Donghe, being sensible, relinquished most of his military and financial authority, focusing solely on the two thousand veteran soldiers who had always followed him.

However, the two sides have increasingly diverged on how to deal with the refugees.

Hearing Xu Chunyuan say this, Fan Donghe said, "Elder Chunyuan, we used to let thousands or even tens of thousands of people out of the pass every day, but now we're suddenly limiting it to a few hundred. These refugees are penniless and have no food for the night, and they've been surviving by begging for porridge along the way. They can't get out of the pass, and we can't afford to support so many people. Now we're halving the amount of porridge we give them. Aren't we trying to force them to their deaths?"

Xu Chunyuan said calmly, "I intend to force them to their deaths. These refugees are heading west beyond the pass, aren't they all going to join the Azure Netherworld? This is their path to death. Hmph, in the past, you let people out of the pass at will; to put it bluntly, you were aiding the enemy!"

Fan Donghe suppressed his anger and said, "Elder, if this continues, I'm afraid it will lead to a popular uprising."

"A popular uprising?" Xu Chunyuan's lean face sneered. "Even if tens of thousands of refugees from within the pass rise up together, do you think your two thousand old soldiers can't defeat them? They're just insects. You can wipe them all out in half a night, can't you?"

Fan Donghe took a deep breath and said, “Elder, since you also know that they are just insects and ants, and are not worth mentioning except for wasting food, why not let them go? Even if they surrender to Qingming, aren’t they still eating Wei Yuan’s food? Some time ago, Prefect Yuan of Ningxi County used a plan to cut off the food supply and drive the refugees to Qingming to increase Wei Yuan’s burden.”

Xu Chunyuan's face twitched slightly, as if he had already smiled, and he said, "I don't want to know whether Yuan Qingyan's plan will work, nor do I want to know why Wei Yuan wants to take in refugees. I only know one thing: whatever Wei Yuan wants to do, I will make sure he fails! Since Wei Yuan wants to take in refugees, then I will not let a single refugee reach Qingming alive!"

“But these refugees have already arrived here and can’t go back! I’ve already sent people to persuade the refugees along the way inside the pass to turn back. After a while, when spring plowing begins, the number of refugees will gradually decrease. For now, it’s better to let these refugees go outside the pass to fend for themselves. Anyway, they won’t live long in the Witch Domain.”

Xu Chunyuan raised his eyebrows, his eyes flashing with a twisted light, and his voice suddenly rose: "Let them go?! Haha, how could that be? Since they can't go back, then let them die! Anyone who wants to join Qingming deserves to die!! I'm not afraid to tell you, all those people you sent out to persuade the refugees to return have been captured by me! I just want to see just how many people want to go to Qingming, and I'll kill as many as they want!"

He squeezed out the last sentence through gritted teeth.

Fan Donghe sighed inwardly. Xu Chunxing's most beloved grandson had died in the war with Qingming, and given his vengeful nature, he naturally hated Wei Yuan to the core.

"Elder Xu, how can you bear to kill hundreds of thousands of refugees just for your own personal grudge?"

Xu Chunyuan sneered: "If Lord Fan can't stand it, why not resign? But it's easy for you to just leave. Why don't you think about your old subordinates? What will happen to them after you leave?"

Fan Donghe's temples throbbed with veins, but he finally restrained himself and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Elder. I will take my leave now!"

Xu Chunyuan gave a forced smile and said, "Goodbye, don't bother seeing me off!"

Back at his official residence, Fan Donghe picked up the teapot on the table and gulped down most of the cold tea, but he still couldn't suppress the anger in his heart.

He suddenly picked up the teapot and smashed it on the ground!

The servants and maids were terrified and kept their distance, none daring to show their faces at this moment. This made Fan Donghe even more furious, and some of them even considered killing him.

The sky was overcast today; although it was noon, the light was like dusk. The wind was also chilly.

The main hall, study, and corridors were all dark and cold, with no lights on.

Fan Donghe didn't want to stay in such a house for even a moment longer. He flicked his sleeves and planned to go to the military camp. Moreover, there was another thorny issue: the people he had sent out to persuade the refugees to return had been captured by Xu Chunyuan, and getting them out would probably be quite complicated.

He was about to leave when he suddenly stopped and slowly turned around. There was actually another person standing inside, looking at the banner hanging on the wall.

Fan Donghe was so caught up in his emotions that he hadn't even noticed there was another person in the room. Had that person not revealed a hint of their presence, Fan Donghe might have left already.

The man turned around, dressed in a long black robe, holding a cat in his arms, and smiled, "General Fan, how have you been?"

"Wei Yuan!?" Fan Donghe took a step back, his aura suddenly rising, then slowly receding.

"You... you're still alive?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint General Fan. But when I came back a few days ago, I made quite a commotion," Wei Yuan said.

Fan Donghe was overwhelmed by the refugees these past few days and had no interest in anything else in the west. Seeing that he was in a bad mood, no one around him dared to provoke him and told him about Wei Yuan's return.

Wei Yuan smiled slightly and said, "It's alright, it's normal that General Fan doesn't know, and Elder Xu doesn't know either. Reporting good news and not bad news is a tradition of your Xu family."

Fan Donghe lowered his voice and said, "Since you're not dead, why aren't you staying in the realm? What are you doing here? Are you tired of living?"

"You'll find out soon enough what I'm here for."

Wei Yuan stroked the cat in his arms and said to it, "You stay here and watch over him. This guy still cares about the lives of refugees, so he's not too bad. If a fight breaks out later, don't scratch him too hard, just enough to kill him half to death."

The cat meowed and licked its paw.

Wei Yuan put the cat on the ground and turned to leave.

Fan Donghe's unease grew stronger, and he called out, "Where are you going?"

"Find a few elders to perform the flag-raising ceremony." Wei Yuan didn't even turn his head, passing directly through the wall and disappearing from there.

Just as Fan Donghe was about to give chase, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned his head and saw the cat squatting on the ground, revealing a claw that gleamed coldly. It pointed at Fan Donghe and then pointed to the spot where he had been standing.

Fan Donghe had already recognized the cat. He hadn't thought it was that powerful on the battlefield, but now the cat seemed much stronger than before, as if it had been empowered by something extraordinary. He was even finding it hard to muster the will to fight back!

Fan Donghe tentatively asked, "Brother Cat, do you really want to be my enemy?"

The cat let out a cold laugh, flicked its tail, and summoned Fan Dong and his sword hanging on the wall. Then it revealed a sharp claw and sliced ​​the magic sword into half-inch strips, as if it were slicing scallions.

Fan Donghe completely abandoned the idea of ​​taking action.

In the rear garden of the garrison, Xu Chunyuan slowly walked into the warm pavilion. Inside, maids had already set out a table of food and wine, with wine warming on a small red clay stove. Although it was chilly outside, the pavilion was warm and cozy. A dozen or so candles illuminated the interior, dispelling any gloom in people's hearts.

Xu Chunyuan settled into the main seat and glanced at the dishes on the table.

Today's lunch was a simple meal, consisting of eight large bowls, eight small bowls, six small dishes, and a pot of slow-cooked soup. However, several of the dishes were Xu Chunyuan's favorites, which pleased him greatly. Most of the staff in the garrison had been replaced, with only Xu Zhongxing's personal maids and the cook remaining.

Just then, the door to the warm pavilion opened, and someone lifted the curtain and entered, bringing in a gust of cold, damp wind. This person's arrival was certainly ill-timed, and the gust of wind was quite unpleasant.

Xu Chunyuan stared at his wine glass, and without looking up, shouted, "Get out!"

The person who came in didn't speak; the door remained open, and gusts of cold wind continued to blow in.

Xu Chunyuan still didn't look up. Suddenly, a drop of wine floated up in his cup, then flashed across the spot where the person had entered the room, and returned several times in an instant! Whether it was a maid or a steward, whoever entered would be pierced through multiple times and turned into a honeycomb.

However, Xu Chunyuan suddenly felt something was wrong; the drop of wine hadn't hit anyone at all! He finally looked up and saw that the spot where the person who had entered the room should have been standing was empty; there was no one there at all.

He looked around and finally saw that there was indeed someone sitting at the table.

The man was sitting to his right, but Xu Chunyuan had no idea when he had entered or sat down. Moreover, although he could see the man sitting there, the seat still felt empty to him, as if the man didn't exist at all.

Xu Chunyuan felt a chill run down his spine, but remained outwardly calm. He took a closer look at the man and exclaimed, "Wei Yuan!"

Even though they had never met him, all the elders had seen Wei Yuan's portrait. Xu Chunyuan immediately looked around, wanting to see just how many assassins Wei Yuan had brought.

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "Elder Xu is getting old, and it seems his eyesight is indeed not very good. There's no need to look anymore; there's no one else here. Just a few Dharma Images; we don't need any help."

(End of this chapter)