If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1230 The Demonic Plague Resurfaces
The two sons of the Li family in Western Shu were Li Zhonglong, the younger brother of Li Xianzhi, and Li Ronghuan, the son of the old King of Shu.

They set off ten years ago, traveling a long way to Xianyang. After Xiaoyu killed the demon cicada, the imperial court sent people to Western Shu to reward her and also awarded three positions in the Li family to serve in the court.

In other words, when Grand Tutor Yu came to Xianyang last year, the two young masters Li had already been in Xianyang for several years.

They did consider currying favor with Yu Tianshi, who had become a "true immortal" (at the time, he was still a Tianshi).

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Master Yu worked at the Imperial Observatory and rested at Zhangtai Palace. She never went out to visit people, and it was difficult for outsiders to visit her.

They were just two minor officials, unable to even find a way to send a formal letter of introduction.

"I heard from Brother Xianzhi that there were three of you who came. Besides Li Er, there were his two cousins ​​and two princes," said Grand Tutor Yu after they had met and exchanged greetings.

Li Zhonglong looked about six or seven points similar to Li Xianzhi, and Xiaoyu recognized him as soon as she saw him.

"Only Huan and I arrived in Xianyang alive. After entering the Two Realms Plain, Lan was captured by a demon of unknown origin and eaten alive."

The journey of 30,000 to 40,000 li is too long and too dangerous.

"Although we have formed the Human Immortal Essence Pill, making us quite formidable in the martial arts world of Western Shu, it's not enough for us outside," Li Lao Er said with a gloomy expression.

"The humanitarian civilization of Xiniu Hezhou is indeed incomparable to that of Shenzhou," Grand Tutor Yu said, glancing at Duan Guisheng, who was sitting properly to the side.
Although she hadn't asked yet, she had already guessed why Duan Guisheng had come to Xianyang to find her.

It's certain that the "Great Qin Demon-Suppressing Army" of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Xisha Islands has encountered a major problem, and the demonic threat is out of control.

"What positions do you two hold in Xianyang now?"

Li Zhonglong was a little embarrassed and said, "I am currently serving as a senior official under Lord Zhang Jian, responsible for handling affairs in the Xisha region."

The official position of "Changli" is not low.

Lord Zhang was a man of high status, one of the Nine Ministers, and was in charge of diplomacy and affairs with the surrounding barbarian states.

However, the two young masters of the Li family were of low status and in a very awkward position. The Xisha region was tens of thousands of miles away from Xianyang; what business could they possibly have dealing with there?
If it really comes to an urgent matter that requires the court's attention, it's not their place to care.

However, today, Duan Guisheng from the Xisha region has traveled thousands of miles to see Grand Tutor Yu, which is finally a good match for their duties. It was their turn to receive the "Western envoy," and it was also their turn to accompany Duan Guisheng to see Grand Tutor Yu.

Li Ronghuan said, "When we first set off, the three of us brothers were full of fighting spirit, ready to join the Imperial Guard, make a name for ourselves in China, and bring glory to our ancestors."

Before we even entered the Central Plains, we discovered that the Protectorate of the Western Regions had already lost control of the Eastern Sands.

Eighteen kingdoms in the Western Sea rebelled against Qin, but the Qin's western army was powerless to suppress them.

Or perhaps it was unintentional suppression.

Upon learning that Lord Dongfang Shuo would not be able to return, several military commanders actually established kingdoms and proclaimed themselves kings in the Western Regions.

At that time, we finally realized that the situation in the Qin Dynasty was probably not good.

Lan Di died halfway through his journey, and we lost all our fighting spirit and courage, ending up with only a sinecure in Xianyang.

The government office was relatively quiet, so we rented a shop in the west of the city and did some small business with foreign merchants, which was enough to support our family.

Although they share the surname "Li", they are actually descended from Mi Ba Zi by blood.

They could be somewhat related to the current main branch of the Ying clan. Although they lacked high-ranking official positions and prestigious salaries, they could at least settle down in Xianyang.

"With your abilities, joining the army to gain military merit at this time will certainly not end well. But renting a shop to start a business is too..."

Grand Tutor Yu shook his head. "If you really want to be merchants who have no worries about food and clothing, why have you traveled all the way to the Central Plains?"

Li Zhonglong said awkwardly, "The expenses in Xianyang are high. I do business just to make a living, but I don't intend to make it my lifelong career."

Grand Tutor Yu said, "I'll show you a place. Do you want to hear it?"

Without the slightest hesitation, the two Lis immediately rose and bowed, saying in unison, "Thank you for your grace, Grand Tutor!"

Grand Tutor Yu waved his hand and said, "It's nothing much, just a small suggestion."

The two returned to their seats and adopted a respectful listening posture.

Grand Tutor Yu said slowly, "Now that you have left Western Shu, you must have plans to settle down in Shenzhou, right?"

The two nodded slightly.

Having come to the land of China, the legendary land of China, they naturally wanted to stay, make achievements, expand their families, and establish their own clans.

What can they gain by returning to Western Shu?
The title of Prince of Qinghe was given to Li Xianzhi, and there were even more competitors for the throne. Now the new king has already ascended the throne.

Grand Tutor Yu continued, "The Great Qin should contend with the Hidden Dragon of the Divine Land for the Mandate of Heaven, rather than simply fighting for victory on the battlefield."

The Mandate of Heaven may sound mysterious, but it can be summarized in eight words: follow the principles of Heaven and conform to the hearts of the people.

The greatest principle in the world is to ensure that ordinary people have enough to eat.

The most popular approach is to ensure that ordinary people eat well and live well.

Therefore, the current strategy of the Qin Dynasty is to implement benevolent governance, allow the people to recuperate and rebuild, and win the hearts and minds of the people.

If this is true for a nation to stand firm, then for an individual, establishing virtue is more important than establishing merit.

Instead of thinking about making a name for yourself, you should first think about what you can do for the people of China, or at least for the people of your local area. When your reputation spreads far and wide, your roots will be firmly planted in China.

Even if one day the Qin Dynasty ceases to exist, you will not lose your support.

Li Zhonglong and Li Ronghuan seemed to understand something, and rose again to express their gratitude.

Grand Tutor Yu was pleased that they were intelligent people who had listened to his words.

She added, "While the Qin Dynasty still exists and your relationship with the Ying clan remains, try to be transferred to a local post as an official."

The magistrate of Xianyang is in charge of the land reclamation affairs in Hanzhong, Longxi, and Jiuyuan.

Your martial arts skills are probably not even as good as some villagers in the countryside of the Central Plains.

But the royal education you received means that even if you come to the Central Plains, you will still be considered superior to others.

He would be more than qualified to be a land reclamation official or a people-governing official.

With the Central Plains in chaos, food is more important than ever before.

"When the imperial court urgently needs grain for disaster relief, that will be the day you are rapidly promoted."

If they could become famous for their expertise in land reclamation and grain management, even if the Qin Dynasty truly fell and Grand Tutor Yu fled with the Ying clan, the feudal lords of the Central Plains would not kill them, but would instead give them important positions.

"Thank you for your guidance, Grand Tutor. We will focus on planning this matter from now on," Li Zhonglong said earnestly.

"No need for planning, just go directly to the Prefect of Xianyang. Repeat what I said, and he will make arrangements for you," said Grand Tutor Yu.

The two Lis thanked him again, chatted for a few more minutes, and then tactfully withdrew, leaving Duan Guisheng alone.

"Guisheng, how have you and your father been doing these past few years?"

When facing Duan Guisheng, Grand Tutor Yu's smile became noticeably more sincere.

Duan Guisheng also looked delighted and said, "Thank you for your concern, benefactor. My father and I are fine, but sometimes we worry about you, benefactor."

We often heard news from Western Shu, including about our benefactor, while we were in Jinyang, Xilu.

Fortunately, my benefactor is blessed with good fortune and has always turned misfortune into good luck. Now he has become the Grand Tutor of the Qin Dynasty.

After receiving the news from China, my father was completely relieved and even took me for two jugs of wine.

Xiao Yu asked a few more trivial questions. For example, whether Duan Yuhan had been harassed by the ghost messengers upon arriving in Jinyang, and what Duan Yuhan had done at the City God's shrine, and whether things had gone smoothly for him.
Unlike the polite conversation with the Li family's son, when talking to Duan Guisheng, the topics delved into all aspects of the father and son's lives and work, showing concern for everything.

Duan Guisheng also answered in great detail.

He even recounted the process of how he gradually trained an ordinary ghost into a successful Cao.

He also consulted Master Yu on some difficult questions regarding Taoist practices.

Grand Tutor Yu immediately commissioned a copy of "The Complete Book of Divine Arts of Gong Cao" for him and also gave Duan Yuhan a copy of "The Heart Sutra of the Earth Mother".

After inquiring about the lives of the Duan family father and son over the years, Grand Tutor Yu also shared his own experiences with Duan Guisheng, picking and choosing what to recount. The two talked for a long time before finishing their personal conversation and starting to discuss official business.

Xiaoyu asked, "Is the demon problem in the Thirty-Six Kingdoms very serious now?"

The relaxed and satisfied smile on Duan Guisheng's face disappeared, and he said in a heavy tone, "Lord Dongfang Shuo has been gone for almost three years."

The first year was alright, as Lord Dongfang Shuo still wielded considerable influence, and even the Demon King couldn't figure out his movements.

At that time, our benefactor also carried out a major crackdown on the demonic scourge in the Liusha River area.

The benefactor's reputation resounded throughout the desert.

The situation began to worsen the following year.

News has reached the Flowing Sands Domain that Lord Dongfang Shuo has been caught stealing peaches from the Heavenly Peach Garden and will be imprisoned in West Kunlun for a thousand years!

There are even rumors that Lord Dongfang Shuo has been killed by the Queen Mother of the West and will never return.

Rumors about the Qin Dynasty and the benefactor also reached the West.

It is said that the Qin Dynasty is about to perish, chaos is breaking out in the Central Plains, and it will no longer be able to support the West.

It is also said that the benefactor offended the immortal and was beaten to death.

Amidst various rumors and gossip, there were even demons testing Western Shu.

However, the rumors about his benefactor were soon exposed.

The Li family of Western Shu widely publicized the story of their benefactor slaying the immortal Huang An, and the demons of Western Shu immediately disappeared.

To this day, Western Shu remains the most peaceful kingdom in the Western Sands region.

Alas, all ten demon gods were killed by our benefactor. Our benefactor has mastered great divine skills in the East and is renowned for his power. Even the demons are afraid of him!

Duan Guisheng sighed with deep emotion and continued, "Without the protection of our benefactor, the situation in the thirty-six kingdoms deteriorated rapidly."

When Lord Dongfang Shuo led the "Great Qin Demon-Suppressing Army" into the Thirty-Six Kingdoms, the demon scourge was mostly quelled.

At least the situation has stabilized.

Now, demons and evil cultivators have returned, and in the last six months, they have resumed their massacres of cities.

Just half a month ago, the Crimson Winged Demon King led eight hundred lesser demons into Guangzhou Prefecture of the Giant Elephant Kingdom.

The screams and maniacal laughter lasted all night.

Before dawn, the fairies left. Gwangju Prefecture, which originally had a population of 360,000, was now eerily quiet, without a single sound.

The entire city looked as if it had been ravaged by blood, with corpses and bloodstains everywhere, turning it into a dead zone.

Not only were the civilians slaughtered, but also the 800-strong Qin Jingyao Army and the 30,000-strong giant elephant legion guarding Guang Prefecture were all wiped out.

At this point, Duan Guisheng's face was filled with grief and helplessness, and he began to pant.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "You came to see me this time because the Great Qin Demon-Suppressing Army is about to collapse?"

“At least for now, the Jingyao Army hasn’t collapsed.” Gui Sheng looked awe-inspiring. “They seem to have gone mad, turning from cowering in the city and waiting for Lord Dongfang Shuo to return to taking the initiative and fiercely annihilating the demons.”

Half a month ago, the Crimson Winged Demon King massacred the city of Guangzhou.

Just ten days later, thirty Qin generals led thirty military formations to sweep across Hengpu Dayu Ridge and annihilate the 'Blood Bat Cave'.

A huge fire turned the rocks on the mountain red.

The Crimson Wing Demon King is a Blood-Patterned Bat Spirit, and the Blood Bat Cave is his lair, containing hundreds and thousands of bat spirits.

They were all slaughtered.

"Those Qin people are indeed people of a superior state. They are not afraid of death and are particularly good at fighting. It's just that there are too few of them."

Now, casualties have exceeded half, and troop strength is increasingly insufficient.

He sighed and then took out a varnished wooden box from his pocket and handed it to Xiaoyu.

"I came here mainly to deliver a secret letter on behalf of Commander He of the Great Qin Demon-Suppressing Army."

The second purpose was to represent the people and spirits of the thirty-six nations and request the support of the superior state for the thirty-six nations.

"To see my benefactor and fulfill my father's and my long-cherished wish is a final act of selfishness."

Xiaoyu took the wooden box, looked it over for a while, then stretched out her right hand, grabbed a wisp of dragon energy from the ground, and put it into the box lid.

Golden spiritual patterns flashed by, and the box cracked open from side to side with a "crack".

Grand Tutor Yu took out a silk scroll from inside.

A moment later, she put the silk scroll away and said, "Xiao Linzi, go and call the Magistrate of Xianyang and Duke Lu Jin over."

Lu Jin Gong was at the Imperial Observatory. After retrieving the True Form Map of the Water System, he studied the map and sought enlightenment.

He came over first, and then waited for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before Ying Ziying used his lightness skill to rush over.

"You should all take a look at this." Grand Tutor Yu handed the silk scroll directly to Ying Ziying.

"The Jingyao Army suffered such heavy losses; more than 60% of the Qin people were killed or wounded, including Ying Hong and Ying Lei, who were both killed in battle."

Ziying was both shocked and worried. He first handed the silk scroll to Lu Jin Gong, and then said hesitantly, "Commander He has requested instructions from the court to teach the soldiers of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Sands region a more advanced version of the Immortal Martial Dharma and the military formations."

To enhance the overall strength of the thirty-six kingdoms in order to resist the increasingly rampant demonic threat.

This is against the rules, but the situation in the West is too critical now, and the Jingyao Army is about to be completely wiped out.

Grand Tutor, should the court agree?

Lu Jin Gong immediately said, "The secret techniques of Shenzhou cannot be easily passed on to outsiders; this is the rule."

Even the mystical sects on overseas immortal islands abide by this rule.

They resolutely refused to teach advanced immortal martial arts techniques to the mortals on the island.

"Let alone martial arts techniques, even the methods the islanders use to form their core are extremely rudimentary."

He glanced at Duan Guisheng subtly, then said bluntly, "This rule is observed by all Xuanmen sects."

The imperial court in the human world should only more strictly restrict the outflow of advanced martial arts techniques.

Look at the Xiongnu, Donghu, and Yuezhi now. If they didn't possess immortal martial arts techniques, could they pose a threat to the Qin Dynasty?
Only when China firmly suppresses the barbarians and the eight directions can there be peace on earth and stability in human affairs.

As for demons and evil spirits, one can seek the ways of immortals and gods.

Grand Tutor Yu asked, "Would Lord Lu Jin be willing to make a trip to the Flowing Sands?"

"Let me go?" Lu Jin Gong was taken aback for a moment, then realized why he had been summoned.

"Should I go there or stay there? If I go, killing one or two demon kings shouldn't be a problem."

Staying there, I cannot comprehend the true form of the mountains and rivers of China!

Grand Master Yu said, "It's not just you. The newly appointed Celestial Masters are divided into Civil Celestial Masters and Martial Celestial Masters. The Martial Celestial Masters have sworn to fight for the Great Qin on the battlefield."

You are the Martial Celestial Master, but are you willing to stay in the Central Plains and fight to the death with your former Daoist friends from the Fulong Court?

Lord Lu Jin, you and some martial arts masters did not follow Qiu Mingzi and the others in betraying the Great Qin.

Since you are so kind and righteous, the imperial court will certainly reciprocate your kindness.

I can save you from this calamity, allowing you to escape the great catastrophe of the Central Plains and enjoy peace and happiness in the West until the calamity ends. Once I'm free, you will be set free. What do you say?

(End of this chapter)