Baiji curled up on the rock, making a sleeping pose. A few seconds later, a terrifying and overwhelming will awakened within her.
At that moment, the beasts and birds of the forest all fell silent. Some fell prostrate on the ground, while others spread their wings to cover their heads.
The pressure of a higher lifeform made all nearby creatures tremble, as if facing the end of days.
On the half-collapsed main peak of Quanrong Mountain, the old man Kou Yangzhou sensed something, frowned, and looked into the distance.
What a powerful yao aura. That white fox beside Xu Ningyan… He focused his gaze for a while, then slowly withdrew it, no longer paying attention.
On the other side, after the dominant will had descended, Baiji opened her eyes. One eye shone with a clear light, while the other was jet-black, pure and innocent.
“Mistress!”
Baiji cried out coyly.
Then, she spoke again, her voice changing into a mature woman’s uniquely magnetic tone:
“The one surnamed Xu isn’t here. Little girl, do you have something to report?”
Baiji’s voice switched seamlessly back to the childish, girlish tone:
“Mistress, I am currently at the Wulin Alliance in Jianzhou. There was just a battle for Dragon Qi here, involving the Buddhist sect, a Church of the Warlock God Master of Rain, as well as arcanists from Yunzhou.”
The mature, magnetic female voice paused for a moment, then laughed:
“It seems the fight was very fierce, or you wouldn’t have contacted me on your own…”
Baiji nodded vigorously and said sweetly, “Silver Gong Xu won. The Buddhist sect suffered heavy losses this time.”
The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox said with a smile, “How did it end?”
Baiji replied, “The Vajras all died.”
After she finished, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox fell silent for a long while. Baiji could not help but ask:
“Mistress?”
Only then did the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox speak, “Tell me what happened in detail.”
Baiji then relayed the information she had heard from Xu Qi’an to Her Highness, word for word. She kept it concise, since Xu Qi’an’s account was itself rather simple, only covering the general course of the battle.
“I can imagine how thrilling it must have been. With the deaths of Vajra Du’nan and Vajra Dufan, among the high-ranked experts of the Buddhist sect, only Agaruka Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Vaidurya Bodhisattva, and Arhat Du’e remain.
“In just over a month, the beyond-mortal experts lost by the Buddhist sect have exceeded their losses in the previous five hundred years. He is most certainly someone who bears half the nation’s fortune.”
Baiji could hear the joy in Mistress’s voice. She raised her paw and tapped the stone, saying sweetly:
“It’s time to march back into the Hundred Thousand Mountains and reclaim the territory of our Wanyao Kingdom.”
The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox snorted with laughter:
“You’re not even into your heat yet, but your words are so bold. Newborn fox cubs fear nothing of the Buddhists.
“But you’re right, the opportunity to retake the Hundred Thousand Mountains is not far off.”
She paused, did not continue this line, and then sighed:
“Who would have thought that the Jianzheng would willingly bear the backlash of Heavenly Dao for him. Now, I’m starting to question the Jianzheng’s motivation.”
From what Baiji had reported, she could not see any signs of Xu Qi’an suffering from the backlash.
Baiji tilted her head: “Backlash of Heavenly Dao?”
“The Church of the Warlock God’s ‘Miracle Rite’ power can summon the heroic spirits of ancestors, as well as those whose karma is entwined with oneself. Ordinarily, one can only summon spirits of the same level; to summon higher, one must rely on external force.
“In Wei Yuan’s campaign against Mount Jing City, he used the Confucian Sage’s carving knife and Lesser Sage’s cap to summon the heroic spirit of the Confucian Sage. He had to pay a price for this.
“That price was not just his body, which would be destroyed by such exalted power, but also the backlash of Heavenly Dao, because such deeds violated natural law.
“Whether or not Wei Yuan succeeded in sealing the Warlock God, he was doomed to die.”
Sudden realisation dawned on Baiji, and she gasped in shock:
“Then Silver Gong Xu…”
The Nine-tailed Fox laughed, “Emperor Gaozu is not the Confucian Sage, so the backlash would not be so great. The Jianzheng, as a first rank arcanist, could withstand it. As for Xu Qi’an, at third rank…”
Even if his fortune was abundant and he survived, the price he paid would be unbearably heavy.
“Then what about Vajra Du’nan, who bore the Vajra Dharma Aspect? Would he suffer the backlash of Heavenly Dao?” Baiji thought of the similarly “cheating” Vajra Du’nan.
“That doesn’t count as summoning a heroic spirit, so there’s no backlash from Heavenly Dao. However, for a third rank Vajra to bear the first rank Vajra Dharma Aspect, he would pay an unimaginable price afterwards. It’s a case of killing a thousand of the enemy, but losing eight hundred yourself.
“Also, the reason he could withstand Agaruka Bodhisattva’s essence blood is that he is also a Vajra. If it had been an Arhat, it would be impossible to manifest the Vajra Dharma Aspect.
“Hm. Summon me again in the evening. I have matters to discuss with him.”
Baiji nodded obediently.
Having dealt with business, she asked sweetly, “Mistress, did you find any kin overseas?”
The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox shook her head:
“The seas are vast and boundless. Finding my kin is like finding a needle in the ocean. However, I did meet a descendant of a divine beast, and learned something interesting from them.”
Baiji eagerly asked, “A descendant of a divine beast?”
“That’s the one who appeared at Baidi City in Yunzhou. He told me some secrets from the age of gods and demons and vaguely hinted at the real reason why the descendants of divine beasts fled Jiuzhou in ancient times.”
Before Baiji could ask further, she smiled and said:
“Heaven’s secrets must not be revealed. With your current cultivation, you’re unfit to pay the price of knowing the answer.
“Enough chatter, take me to see him.”
…
Wen Chengbi returned to the council hall and pushed open the door. Cao Qingyang and the others immediately stopped talking and turned to look at him.
“What did the Old Ancestor say?”
Cao Qingyang paused as his gaze fell on the Deputy Alliance Leader’s face, then smiled:
“It seems the Old Ancestor’s reply suits you very well.”
Fu Jingmen and the others immediately pulled faces. Wen Chengbi advocaated building headquarters in the mountains. Building a city on level ground and building headquarters up on the mountains were entirely different matters.
Wen Chengbi smiled:
“The Old Ancestor said that chaos is near at hand, so the headquarters must definitely be built in the mountains, to hold the high ground.”
Qiao Weng of the Jianzhou Merchants Association pinched the bridge of his nose and laughed bitterly:
“The Old Ancestor doesn’t look after the household, so he doesn’t know how costly running things can be. There’s no point wasting hope, gentlemen, we’d best be prepared to tighten our belts from now on.”
All the fourth-rank sect and gang leaders looked deeply worried.
It wasn’t that they were unwilling to spend, it was simply that the Jianghu factions couldn’t collect taxes like the government, they had to rely on their own businesses.
Because of both natural disasters and man-made ones, the businesses run by the sects had suffered heavy losses, business was bleak. Yet they still had to support the families who depended on them, and on top of that, they had to cooperate with the authorities in distributing porridge for disaster relief.
The financial pressure was enormous.
Now they even had to shoulder the costs of building the headquarters, it was painfully clear how tough life was about to get.
At times like this, a high moral standard simply became a burden.
Ordinary Jianghu sects would never care about the lives of commoners, that was a problem for the officials.
Seeing everyone’s gloomy faces, Wen Chengbi gave a sly smile:
“Gentlemen, don’t be anxious. Building the headquarters, the only real issues are manpower and silver. If we solve these two problems, isn’t everything settled?”
Fu Jingmen rolled his eyes and sneered:
“But we precisely can’t solve the silver problem, are you going to conjure it up for us?”
Everyone simply stared blankly at the Deputy Alliance Leader.
Wen Chengbi remained calm and eloquent:
“All of our clans and sects have to contribute money and food, and work with the authorities to distribute porridge for disaster relief.
“In that case, why not simply gather the disaster victims, have them help build the headquarters in exchange for relief, trading labour for aid? That way, not only is the manpower problem fixed, but we don’t have to pour out extra funds.
“This is called, hmm, work for relief.”
The council hall went still for a moment. The leaders were dazed for half a beat, then suddenly broke into lively discussion.
“It really could work, we wouldn’t need to spend extra silver after all, since we have to pay for disaster relief anyway.”
“Exactly, and there are so many disaster victims, we may as well use them. No need to pay extra either, just feed them well.”
“Work for relief… was this the Old Ancestor’s suggestion?”
The logic was simple, once mentioned, it immediately made sense.
It wasn’t that they’d failed to think of it because they were stupid, but that their thinking was limited by the era. In this time, if the court embarked on public works or other construction, the common people had the obligation to provide labour.
This was called corvée.
In other words, basic construction didn’t actually require much silver, it was meant to be a civic duty.
If you could get it for free, who would spend money willingly?
It wasn’t that the idea of work for relief never occurred to them, it was that there wasn’t really a need.
As for why no one had suggested such a thing during the disaster relief efforts, again, it was the thinking of the times to blame.
The reason was simple: the court was no fanatic for infrastructure. It might not repair walls or roads for decades.
So, if there was no need, there was no context for “work for relief.”
But right now, this idea perfectly solved the Wulin Alliance’s dilemma.
Suddenly, the way forward became clear.
“No wonder he’s the Old Ancestor, living long really does bring wisdom, smarter than all of us.”
“The Old Ancestor has lived through times of chaos, he truly has great wisdom.”
Qiao Weng, Yang Cuixue and the rest did not hold back with their praises, their faces flushed with delight. A vexing problem, solved effortlessly by the Old Ancestor.
Wen Chengbi was momentarily taken aback, then hastily waved his hands:
“This really wasn’t the Old Ancestor’s idea…”
Everyone stared at him suspiciously: “You?”
Wen Chengbi still shook his head:
“Not me.”
A light flashed in Xiao Yuenu’s eyes.
As expected, Wen Chengbi went on:
“It was Silver Gong Xu’s suggestion. He just came out from talking to the Old Ancestor and happened to offer me the idea in passing.
“Tut tut, truly worthy of being versed in military strategy and poetry, and skilled in both the civil and martial arts, Silver Gong Xu is truly a man of statecraft.”
Silver Gong Xu… Everyone looked at one another, feeling, Ah, it’s him, then there’s no reason for me to be surprised.
“If we’d known, we wouldn’t have wracked our brains, we should have just asked Silver Gong Xu straight away.”
Fu Jingmen slammed the table with feeling.
With such a genius among them, they had ignored him and argued here for so long.
Yang Cuixue commented emotionally:
“Indeed, he has the makings of a statesman. Silver Gong Xu is Wei Yuan’s disciple, truly, the pupil surpasses the master.”
The atmosphere in the council hall suddenly became light-hearted and cheerful.
…
Rongrong, along with her fellow disciples from Wanhua Tower, was tasked with boiling medicine and directing soldiers in clearing rubble, so that order could be restored to the military garrison as swiftly as possible.
“Master, why are you so downcast?”
Rongrong turned her head and looked at the beautiful woman picking through medicinal herbs.
The great disaster that struck the Wulin Alliance was naturally saddening, but with the enemy repelled and Silver Gong Xu’s dazzling display, the Wulin Alliance’s followers were mostly exhilarated, except for those who had lost loved ones.
Especially for disciples from affiliated sects like them, their mood was much lighter.
After all, headquarters was not their own sect’s mountain gate.
But since the battle, this beautiful woman had been wearing a deep frown, evidently troubled.
“Nothing’s wrong. Don’t chatter idly, get on with your work,” she reproved, brows furrowed.
Rongrong made a face, helping to sort the herbs while muttering:
“I’ve walked around the area, but never saw Silver Gong Xu. Maybe he doesn’t live in this part of town.”
The beauty’s brow creased even tighter, and she said earnestly:
“Rongrong, don’t cling to wishful thinking. There are as many girls who like Silver Gong Xu as fish in the river, but a man like that isn’t someone you could handle.
“If you’d be content as a slave or concubine, would you want that?”
At this, the beauty’s face became filled with sorrow.
Rongrong was startled into shock, her face paling:
“Master, I’m not heartbroken, why are you sad? Don’t tell me… don’t tell me you have feelings for Silver Gong Xu? He could be your son!”
The beautiful woman became furious, just about to retort, when suddenly, sword light flashed overhead. Several figures rode their swords through the sky, landing somewhere within the garrison town.
She gazed upwards in a daze, her expression complicated.
…
A courtyard on the southern side of the garrison town.
Chu Yuanzhen, Li Miaozhen and Li Lingsu pressed down on their flying swords, landing lightly in the courtyard.
Sitting atop a small stool in the yard was a woman of ordinary looks, washing clothes.
She cast them a languid sidelong glance, then turned her head and called into the house:
“Oi, Xu, your ne’er-do-well friends are here for you.”
What a way to speak… Li Miaozhen’s expression soured.
Princess consort? Chu Yuanzhen stared repeatedly at the plainly featured woman, unable to be sure of her identity.
He knew the legendary Zhenbei princess consort had followed Xu Qi’an in his wanderings.
But the plain face before him made it hard to connect with the most beautiful woman in all the Great Feng.
Inside, Xu Qi’an, who was changing the bedsheets, heard the commotion and emerged, his manner as friendly as ever:
“All settled?”
His eyes lingered briefly on Dongfang Wanqing.
Li Lingsu cleared his throat and said:
“Brother Xu, Sister Qing never intended to be your enemy, she was loyal to her own side, that’s all…”
Xu Qi’an waved it off: “For your help, I’ll let her off.”
Dongfang Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief.
His main enemies were the Buddhist sect and Xu Pingfeng. In this Jianghu journey, though the Dongfang sisters had also opposed him, they hadn’t really clashed much with him.
Compared with her elder sister Dongfang Wanrong, Dongfang Wanqing’s presence was almost negligible.
Xu Qi’an held little animosity toward her, in truth, she simply wasn’t skilled enough to catch his attention.
Li Lingsu stood with his hands behind his back, poised and proud, and smiled:
“Sister Qing, see? I told you, you should have faith in me, I do have a bit of influence.”
Xu Qi’an gave him a glance, then turned away expressionlessly and called into the house:
“Chai Xing’er, come out for a moment.”
Li Lingsu’s expression froze instantly!
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