Longzang

Chapter 509 Unsolvable Problem
Although Wei Yuan's face was burning like fire, it was not visible on the surface. He simply stood with his hands behind his back and quietly put away the Dharma Dragon Guard.

Wei Yuan intently observed the noble young man below. He hadn't seen anyone so arrogant in a long time. Since achieving the Dharma Aspect stage, even True Monarch Yu Jing had to treat him with respect. This noble young man was indeed a rare breed and needed careful observation.

The young nobleman glanced at the sky and said, "There's no need to bother anymore, we've already been discovered."

Then he walked into the courtyard and looked at Wei Yuan indifferently.

Before he could speak, Wei Yuan asked, "Who is your father?"

The young nobleman was about to say, "Do you know who I am?", but he swallowed it back.

He answered instinctively, "Who my father is is not important, but my eldest brother-in-law is the Marquis of Ping'an of the Great Zhao! My second brother-in-law is the King of Zhao!"

Wei Yuan scrutinized the young nobleman's face, having already retrieved all his information. He was the owner of this caravan, and this time, probably out of curiosity, he had personally come to Qingming.

The real boss behind this caravan was actually Marquis Ping'an. As for the second sister, she was just an ordinary concubine of the King of Zhao, belonging to the lower-middle tier among the concubines.

Although the risks of traveling to and from Qingming are high, the profits are also astonishingly high. It seems that this young master is here to Qingming to gain experience and make a name for himself. He will be able to complete two caravan trips and then go back to secure a lucrative position.

Wei Yuan was puzzled. This young master was both incompetent and arrogant. He had no ability and could only rely on his family. His eyesight was also not very good. How could this young master manage to win over so many people, from the supervisor of the transportation team to the head of the soup kitchen, in such a short time?

Wei Yuan didn't intend to put in too much effort and planned to simply sweep them aside. He glanced at the fully armed and luxurious guard and said, "It's impressive that you dare to confront my troops."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Yuan cast a heavy earth spell on them, making each guard's body suddenly weigh over a thousand pounds. Their legs couldn't withstand the pressure and snapped one after another with a cracking sound. All the guards instantly collapsed to the ground, wailing in pain.

An old man in the caravan snorted, leaped into the air, and angrily said, "Isn't it beneath the dignity of the Realm Lord to lay a hand on these servants?"

He had only spoken half a sentence when Wei Yuan pointed to the sky, and instantly a bolt of lightning struck the old man!
At the last moment, the old man used magic to defend himself, but before he could make any further moves, lightning struck one after another. In the blink of an eye, Wei Yuan used dozens of lightning bolts to shatter the old man's defenses, and then used dozens more to severely injure him.

To onlookers, it was just a flash of lightning, lasting a little longer, before the old man was suddenly charred black and collapsed.

This old man was also a Dharma Aspect cultivator, the pillar of the caravan, and even that noble young master had to give him some respect. Unexpectedly, he was beaten unconscious in a single move by Wei Yuan.

While the old man still had a sliver of consciousness, Wei Yuan said calmly, "Even though you are a Dharma Aspect, you haven't lasted a single breath longer than these guards."

The old man was so angry that his vision went black and he completely lost consciousness.

Wei Yuan raised his hand and chopped, intending to split the warehouse in two to reveal the grain stored inside. But then he thought that according to the laws that had not yet been promulgated, the caravan had committed such a serious crime that all its assets should be confiscated. So, with this strike, he actually chopped off Wei Yuan's own property.

So Wei Yuan withdrew his hand, which was halfway outstretched, and reluctantly gave up such an imposing gesture, ordering someone to open the door and inspect the warehouse.

The warehouse door opened, and sure enough, it was full of rice. With all the evidence now in place, Wei Yuan didn't bother arguing with the caravan members and arrested them all.

After the initial review, by evening, the transport team supervisor and deputy supervisor, along with the twenty soup kitchen managers, were all hanged with irrefutable evidence, and their bodies were displayed in the southern town.

As for the people in the caravan, it was necessary to carefully investigate who was the mastermind, who was an accomplice, and who was unaware of the situation. Wei Yuan ordered his men to conduct a thorough investigation and compile a detailed record, ensuring that nothing was overlooked. This record was intended to be used against the State of Zhao.

The incident was considered closed, but Bao Yun noticed that Wei Yuan was in low spirits, so she quietly came over.

In the darkness of night, Wei Yuan stood atop the main peak, gazing at the vast sky and the shifting stars, lost in thought.

Bao Yun came to his side and asked, "Are you still angry about what happened during the day?"

"I'm not angry. I just don't understand why, in such a short time, all the managers of the twenty soup kitchens were taken down without exception?"

Bao Yun sighed softly and said, "Human greed is innate; no one can change it."

"Both incidents were instigated by members of the caravan, and both were from the State of Zhao!"

Bao Yun said, "Qingming is a treasure trove right now, and everyone wants a piece of the pie, which is normal. Merchants are profit-driven, and sometimes they forget morality for profit and resort to any means, but it doesn't necessarily mean that King Zhao ordered it. If King Zhao were to do something like this, he would have to go much bigger."

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Qingming is still too easy to infiltrate. But I calculated that if we were to pay the managers according to what the caravan promised, even three or four Qingming wouldn't be enough to go around."

Bao Yun said, "It's useless. No matter how much you give, they can always give more, or even several times more. After all, you are facing the entire Qingming, while they are only facing those they want to take down."

"so what should I do now?"

"There have always been ways to address corruption. Establishing oversight mechanisms and investigating and punishing each case may be effective, but it is impossible to eradicate corruption."

Wei Yuan knew that oversight could eventually be corrupted. Historical records are replete with precedents of multiple oversight bodies being established to monitor each other. Some even had four separate bureaus (East, West, South, and North) plus seven guards (the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Black-Clad Guard, the Silver-Clad Guard, the Red-Clad Guard, etc.). In the end, when the bureaus and guards shared interests, they divided the spoils; when they disagreed, they turned on each other, creating chaos and disorder in the court. As for the common people, they were burdened by several powerful figures, making their lives even more miserable.

There is no answer to this question in historical records, and in the end, Wei Yuan could only say, "Let's take it one step at a time."

Both of them had countless matters to attend to at the moment, so Bao Yun didn't linger and said to Wei Yuan, "I have to go. Come here, give me a hug!"

As they embraced, Bao Yun suddenly said, "I'm so afraid that after some great battle I might suddenly never see you again, or that you might never see me again."

Wei Yuan felt a chill run down his spine, hugged her tightly, and then reached out and pinched her waist.

Bao Yun rolled her eyes, took Wei Yuan's hand and moved it down, so that Wei Yuan's hand drew a beautiful, round and somewhat exaggerated arc.

Before Wei Yuan could make a further move, Bao Yun pushed him away, gave him a light kiss on the cheek, and then flew away.

After Bao Yun left, Wei Yuan pondered for a moment, then went to Feng Chutang's residence and talked with him for two whole hours.

Before parting, Wei Yuan said, "I will take care of that matter."

"It might not be effective, you should think it through."

"Even one more chance is good." Wei Yuan pushed open the door and left.

……

Nine hundred miles away in the Wuzu Lake area, Hongye seemed oblivious to the strange looks from the Youwu on either side. She calmly completed her daily ritual, then left the altar and returned to her newly built palace.

The palace was built entirely of black volcanic rock, majestic and imposing. It was dry, warm, and steamy, an environment that ordinary sorcerers would not like.

The Holy Witch, dressed in white robes, sat atop a ball of flame and said, "The human race is determined to fight to the death and refuses to yield an inch. If the fighting continues, even if you manage to conquer Qingming, your Rain Kingdom will be greatly weakened and may not be able to suppress the surrounding tribes. Look at the Desolate Ancestor Tribe; they even dared not to participate in the war this time."

Hongye's face was grim as she said, "They think that by clinging to Long Zhe's coattails, they can disregard me. Soon I will make the Great Wilderness Sun realize just how wrong he is!"

"Even if you conquer the entire Qingming, you won't be able to enter Ningzhou. Beyond that lies Xu Wangu's territory."

"Once I defeat Qingming, I will no longer be afraid of Xu Wangu."

The Holy Wizard's expression shifted. "You mean, you've already found a way out?"

Hongye slowly said, "The will of the Ancestral Witch promises that as long as the vacancy in the heavens can be filled, a position for a Heavenly Witch can be made available!"

The Holy Wizard's expression changed drastically this time, and after a moment he asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"First, find a way to deal with that magical artifact."

"This is acceptable."

"Secondly, I want Long Zhe's weakness!"

The Holy Witch shook her head: "That's impossible. Long Zhe has no weaknesses!"

Hongye suddenly roared, "Impossible! It definitely has a weakness! Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken so long to defeat me last time. I can feel that its power is flawed, and it suddenly drops every now and then."

The Holy Witch pondered, "It sounds like the key lies in the Netherworld. But it's one thing if it's in this world, but in the Netherworld, it's the strongest Heavenly Witch. If it has secretly hidden its weakness in the Netherworld, then there's nothing anyone can do about it."

"If you can't beat them, you can steal them!"

"That would come at a great cost..."

A dangerous glint flashed in Hongye's eyes as she said, "That's why I sought you out. When I was a Nether Witch, I only suffered a narrow defeat against Long Zhe after a hard-fought battle. Once I become a Celestial Witch, do you think Long Zhe will still be a match for me?"

The holy shaman seemed to be deep in thought, then said after a moment, "Alright, I can find a way. I happen to have a suitable candidate. However, I need..."

Hongye interrupted him: "I'll grant you anything you want!"

(End of this chapter)