Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 166 Chaos Qinglian
Inside the Changsheng Tower, Yan Hong, the governor of Jizhou, was seated at a banquet with many guests. Among these guests were people from the Immortal Sect, as well as military generals under his command. This military general from Jizhou was said to be the son of a valiant general from the Great Yao; now he had inherited his father's position in Jizhou.

Yan Hong raised his jade cup: "Come, come, let us drink a cup together to clear the mountains and rivers for everyone."

As he began to speak, the guests raised their glasses in a toast. Then Yan Hong raised his second glass. He held it straight, his long sleeves cascading down like a curtain. At this moment, he flattered the sects that had come to support him: "Thanks to all of you venerable immortals, otherwise my Great Yao would have been ravaged by that scoundrel Wu family for who knows how many years!"

The leading disciple of the Wangheng Sect said, "Your Excellency is mistaken. It is His Majesty's wisdom that has led to the discovery of the rampant plague throughout the land, which is why we fellow Daoists have gathered here to investigate the land together."

Everyone drank together again. In the third round, Yan Hong raised his glass to the general of his own camp, encouraging him.

Amidst the harmonious music of string and wind instruments, the alluring yet not seductive maids poured cups for the seated guests.

This military officer is a member of the Long family, a military clan that was the head of a military force dispatched by the imperial court sixty years ago. In recent years, their duty has been to guard the armory.

Guarding the armory is a very important position. In the southern border region, Wu Fei is very careful in assigning such positions, always giving them to his wounded or disabled sons who cannot earn merit.

The "blood reward" for this position within the military family was definitely not low; one had to sit at the front during relevant military meetings. Family members were all housed in the compound, and whenever fresh fruits and other goods were transported from the southern border, the uncles and elders received the same share as those guarding the armory.

This "fruit sharing" activity was originally a "little treat" organized by Wu Fei and various internal departments by pooling their money. Every year, Wu Fei would specifically send trusted people from his department on business trips to the south. When compiling statistics on the empty load rate of carriages on the north-south train lines, these people would take advantage of the off-season to charter a carriage and transport some local specialties back to the north.

However, in recent years, the Wu Family Army system has changed, becoming akin to the Zhou emperor distributing sacrificial meat. Only those who are qualified can receive it, and those who participate in the distribution are merely symbols of "establishment."

Wu Fei's intention in making this arrangement was to ensure that those in these "core positions" remained within the circle, so that any complaints would be immediately known to those within the circle. Humans are social animals, and when faced with major events such as factional defections, there is bound to be a complex psychological process. Wu Fei: By grasping these signs of psychological shifts, we can nip problems in the bud.

However, in Yan Hong's household, the Long family, a military clan ordered to guard the armory, was ostracized by the aristocratic families, led by Yan Hong, for decades simply because they were considered "warriors." They were excluded from all kinds of banquets. Meanwhile, the Long family, in an effort to integrate into the social circle, constantly tried to conform to its refined customs. Generations ago, members of the Long family were instructed on proper seating etiquette and drinking manners. As a result, even after learning so much elegant etiquette from a young age, the Long family's descendants still lack a kind of "pledge of allegiance."

Note: While the powerful families of Southern Xinjiang dare to hold such high-profile private meetings, they also exclude certain individuals. Every time Wu Fei discovers this, he adds taxes to the list! This teaches these money-grubbers what it means to "fear fame, just as pigs fear growing fat." On the other hand, businessmen don't have these public salon meetings. Their children don't have overly frequent social interactions, and their actions in transferring and transforming wealth don't create a "close-knit team" organization. Without an organization to protect their monopolistic acquisition of wealth, their wealth will be lost after two generations due to the breakdown of the older generation's interpersonal channels.

In Jizhou, this is exactly how the Heavenly Gang is reversed! A bunch of ignorant and incompetent people have made it take generations for the sons of military families to integrate into their circle.

But whether a military family can truly integrate is still uncertain. For example, General Long still needs to offer a pledge of loyalty.

Yan Hong, the governor of Jizhou, was invited by many "people" in Zhenzhou to "uphold justice," so he needed military strategists; otherwise, he wouldn't have even placed the Long family in this position.

…However, in the chaos of war, the version changed…

Before Wu Fei returned to Tianchi City, he had already sent someone with a token to convey orders to mobilize the main forces to assemble in his hometown.

The dozen or so sects that originally surrounded the Lingnan region had also set up feng shui formations. Above the white clouds, cultivators, led by their sect's Golden Core cultivators, rode spirit boats and planted array flags along the hundred-mile-long mountain range. They also used hand seals to command the local earth gods and mountain spirits to coordinate their actions.

These local gods and mountain spirits were all disciples of the sect in their lifetime. When they were young, they traveled around the local areas and left behind shrines that were worshipped by the people. After their deaths, the sect reported to the imperial court, and they were enshrined in various places. Therefore, they were of one mind with the sect.

These immortals created a great deal of fog and illusion in the Lingnan region. However, these immortal sects did not expect that Wu Fei would arrive so quickly.

The defensive focus of this Heaven and Earth Formation is on the planar dividing line of the formation's boundary, where it creates a large number of clouds and rain to block communication. However, the formation does not defend against the heavens above or the netherworld below.

Above the nine heavens, the east wind blows, and stars fall like rain; below the nine netherworlds, earth fire surges, and mountains are burned.

When the formations of all the major sects were impacted, the cultivators who were in charge of feng shui across the three thousand miles of mountains and rivers suddenly suffered.

On the summit of Mount Jiuniu, the array master Qianyuan of the Shaoyang Sect sensed something. He looked at the granite beneath his feet when suddenly a crack appeared. As a feng shui master, one must stand on the mountain to take measurements, but he had fallen into the crack. Before he could pull his foot out, the rock suddenly closed up, clamping his foot tightly shut.

A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the empty mountains, causing the surrounding wild animals to look up at the mountain peak.

But then the Taoist priest sensed something was wrong. He turned his head and saw that the feng shui compass at his feet was spinning wildly. He quickly began to chant incantations, summoning the mountain god and the local earth god.

However, at this moment, the entire mountain was moving as if it were being tickled. The animals that had been looking up panicked and scurried around in the jungle like grasshoppers startled in the grass.

A great fire broke out in the mountain god's temple in the distance, and the statues inside were shattered! When the mountain god died, he didn't even know why the stars in the upper realm wanted to annihilate his soul.

He looked down at the trembling mountains and rivers, calculating that an extraordinary force was surging from the depths of the earth. "Earth Escape?" That was the cultivator's first thought, but he quickly dismissed it, realizing that earth escape couldn't possibly accomplish all this.

Compared to Earth Escape, this scorching gliding deep into the earth is like the difference between a butterfly flying at low altitude and a meteor gliding across the sky.

The tremors of the mountains and rivers grew increasingly violent, spreading over a radius of hundreds of miles. Daoist Qianyuan sensed that the tremors were spreading along the array that formed the three thousand miles of mountains and rivers. He immediately realized something.

After struggling to pull his foot out and barely activating the manipulation technique, Daoist Qianyuan took the compass and calculated the true cause of the trembling mountains and rivers: the presence of "military aura" within the three-thousand-mile-long mountain and water formation. His mind was in turmoil. How could "military aura" appear in this desolate place, untouched by human hands?
Moreover, this military aura is no ordinary force. It can now create a grand scene that can cause the collapse of a feng shui formation spanning three thousand miles of mountains and rivers. This aura must have originated from a famous general who has "traversed multiple states".

After a short while, a landslide began, like dominoes, with huge boulders rolling down the entire mountain range. While mountain and water formations generally don't backfire, once they do, it's a top-tier natural disaster. The Feng Shui master of the Wangheng Sect, who was sealing off the Zhen region from the due north, was instantly killed by the falling boulders. His most treasured artifact, the Fantian Seal, which suppressed the mountain's dragon head, was precisely positioned beneath it by a crack. The crack, like sucking in noodles, drew the Fantian Seal, the formation flags, and other magical artifacts used in the formation into the ground. Then, the crack instantly closed. The entire mountain seemed to suddenly come alive, opening its greedy mouth to steal the cultivators' magical treasures.

As Wu Fei's journey drew closer to the Earth's surface, the Vermilion Bird constellation appeared above it.

Upon seeing the blazing flames and auspicious clouds, the sect leader of Qingyuan Sect recognized them as the "clouds" that had appeared when one of the Wu family's twins was in Bo County. He immediately said, "Everyone, the military strategist from the Wu family has arrived. Stop him and don't let him touch that evil spirit."

…Those entangled in blue cannot recognize the filth within themselves…

As the earth's surface drew ever closer, Wu Fei faced a choice: return to Tianchi City or Lelang City. He decided that his troops would land in Tianchi City, while he himself would land in Lelang City. To this end, Wu Fei instructed Peacock to open a portal between Lelang City and Tianchi City that would allow him to travel between the two cities.

Below Lelang City was a patch of green markings. Although you couldn't smell it, you could sense a foul odor. This markings were faintly connected to the evil moon high in the sky. This connection was like the accretion of a high-density neutron star onto a low-density but massive star in a celestial model.

Wu Fei: "Fall down."

However, the peacock nuzzled Wu Fei's head, not wanting to drop a single feather there.

Wu Fei then said to it, "Stop when you are 6,000 feet away from there."

The peacock hesitated for a moment, seemingly trying to persuade Wu Fei not to go to that filthy place. As a sacred bird, it would not land in places devoid of treasure, much less go to a cesspool.

Wu Fei sensed the peacock's hesitation, stared at that spot, and activated the exchange system.

Xuan Chong: "System, search on Baidu for how to clean this up."

System: "One credit is required for redemption. Please answer 'Yes' or 'No'."

Xuan Chong: "Yes." The system hourglass seemed to have spun twice, as if it were picking and choosing from a treasure trove, and finally, after comparing a few things, it chose one.

Xuan Chong: "What are you picking? Just give me whatever you have!"

System: "One credit can only be exchanged for something worth one credit. Those items costing more than one percent or three percent of the credits, well, I can't let you get a bargain. This one is worth 0.86 credits, so I'll round it up to one credit."

Xuan Chong gritted his teeth and said, "Whatever the price is, that's the price we'll pay."

System: "Items delivered to your door incur a delivery fee. Just tell me if you want it or not."

Xuan Chong gritted his teeth and nodded, "Yes!"

The system completed an unknown warp, and then, in a state of dizziness, Xuan Chong saw a seed-like object in his perception, which was then reflected in his palm.

Xuan Chong: "What is this thing?"

System: "To ensure you are unaffected by the pollution below, go ahead; you have been enhanced."

…System: Tsk tsk, should we give him something else? No, no, we still need to test his firm materialist beliefs. …

Wu Fei appeared in the center of Lelang City, where he saw sick people and soldiers covered in syphilis looting the streets. Meanwhile, the common people were fearfully avoiding these festering soldiers.

Wu Fei shouted, and the soldiers froze in their tracks, staring at him, momentarily speechless. They recognized the second-in-command of the Wu family. However, instead of immediately kneeling, they chuckled foolishly and walked over, vomiting on the ground as they went, waiting to see Wu Fei's reaction. Having witnessed the collapse of order, they didn't believe Wu Fei could restore it.

Wu Fei recognized the team leader; it was this guy who had watched him eat snake meat when he was making jerky with snake meat years ago. Now the guy had gotten fatter and had a few more sores on his face, but Wu Fei would still recognize him even if he were ashes.

The squad leader laughed and said, "Young Commander, the old marshal is gone, but you've come. Fight alongside us for the old marshal!"

Wu Fei put on a mask, and at the same time, the flames on his body radiated to their highest point. A blue dot appeared in his palm, which was the reflection of the "exchange item" on Wu Fei's body.

The squad leader walked over and grabbed Wu Fei's hand. The red sore seemed to be alive, crawling along Wu Fei's palm and spreading to the side. The soldiers, who had been intimidated by Wu Fei's identity, showed an expression of "he's nothing special."

But the next moment, as the light shone on Wu Fei's chest, it was as if some green veins were piercing into the red sore, and then the red sore began to darken and scab over.

Wu Fei squinted, raised his head, and through his own perspective, looking across countless stars, saw something sprouting on a blazing planet.

Here, the team leader who tried to spread the disease to Wu Fei had all the blisters on his body burst. Instead of oozing pus, the bursting areas emitted bluish-white flames like those from an electric arc welder.

Wu Fei grabbed the guy, making him writhe on the ground in pain for a while before he calmed down.

Wu Fei dusted off his hands and walked towards the soldiers. Facing these cowardly soldiers, he slapped them across the face. The smiles that had just appeared on their faces froze, each slap leaving raw, bloody wounds. But the next second, these wounds burst into flames; Wu Fei's slaps were like a match striking a firecracker, igniting whoever they touched.

Legend has it that this is how the Vermilion Bird purified the Southern Frontier. Specifically, it burned all heretics. If you could withstand it, the purification was complete; if you couldn't, it meant you weren't strong enough. Because the burning was so painful and only one in ten survived, the elders of the Hundred Tribes of the Southern Frontier secretly collected and ate the ashes that fell from the Vermilion Bird. This had the effect of restoring them to human form and allowed them to pretend that they had already been burned.

After Wu Fei ignited the entire street with his "wipe, wipe, wipe," Wu Fei did not decay or pollute. The bloodstains on his palms fell to the ground like ashes, returning to dust.

The sick soldiers, filled with fear and hope, immediately knelt down before Wu Fei.

Wu Fei, with his foot on the team leader who had initially held his hand and invited him to join, kicked him hard in the head: "Get up, you bastard! My Wu family doesn't raise cowards!"

The squad leader struggled to his feet and said fearfully, "Commander, Wu Kaichuan, reporting for duty."

Wu Fei slapped him across the face again, yelling, "No spirit! Say it again!"

The squad leader could only shout, "Reporting to the commander, I'm up!" Wu Fei then slapped him twice more as instruction. The loyal Wu Xiaoque swore on her great fortune that these two slaps were not out of personal grudge, but a reminder to discipline her soldiers properly.

People on the street knelt down despite their pain, and the marks on their bodies began to steam.

…Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young person's potential.

At this moment, on the other side of the distant Milky Way in this universe, a seemingly ordinary celestial motion is taking place.

Neutron stars were originally absorbing massive celestial bodies, much like massive celestial bodies were nourishing neutron stars.

Massive objects gradually weaken and are eventually consumed. Although their initial mass is much greater than that of a neutron star, the difference in density in such binary systems means that the continuous loss of mass slows down the rate at which the massive object becomes a red giant. Meanwhile, the neutron star's lifespan is greatly extended through this process of mass loss.

Within this unique orbit, the negative entropy of a neutron star is greatly increased.

Under the laws of physics, "life" can thrive on neutron stars.

Upon closer inspection, lotus flower patterns appear on the neutron star's fiery surface! These lotus patterns are symmetrically distributed along the star's powerful magnetic field, and as the orbits of the neutron star and its accompanying giant star draw closer and circle, the lotus patterns bloom and close.

Therefore, this thing is codenamed Chaotic Green Lotus, and it is part of the ecosystem in this universe. — Every neutron star is the silt left by the death of a star, and the green lotus falls into this silt, takes root, grows lotus leaves, and then condenses into lotus seeds.

As the neutron star eventually explodes, the energy from the explosion scatters the lotus seeds in all directions. Many of these seeds will choose other promising stars to germinate, lie dormant and develop until their final moments of nuclear fusion collapse, when they will blossom and bear fruit.

However, there is a special case: when a planet contains a super-being like a "Star God," the lotus seed is happy to follow the Star God and develop on the planet for a period of time, especially if the planet where the Star God's larva resides contains a complex collection of information such as a civilization.

The lotus seed in question was forcibly teleported here by an "unknown force" (the system). It is currently falling with Wu Fei as its coordinate. Before landing, it scanned the situation on Xiren Star and discovered that Xiren Star has a special circumstance: there are some mysterious moons orbiting around it.

These moons don't have much mass in the real universe, but the "information" seems to connect thousands, no, tens of thousands of planets that have been corrupted by similar information, making them worth eating for the lotus seeds.

Xuan Chong had no idea why his own system had named this "evil-repelling" object "Chaotic Green Lotus".

The redemption list describes it as follows: "This item has the medicinal effect of clearing heat and reducing internal fire; no, it is like emerging from mud unsullied."

Isn't it a way to accelerate the decomposition of the most corrupt substances and return them to interstellar dust, thus clearing away heat and reducing internal fire?
The system added a note in small print: "This is a valuable item worth 0.86 credits. Even the secure packaging from the time it's delivered to you costs 0.14 credits."

(End of this chapter)