Chapter 338: Gone Too Far

The flying vessel had just taken off and hadn’t yet picked up speed when suddenly, it slowed down.

Another flying vessel caught up and flew alongside it. A young cultivator then leaped over from the other flying vessel.

The young cultivator entered the cabin, bowed to Cui Yu, and said, “Why haven’t you come to see me even though you’ve returned home, Cousin? If I hadn’t found out earlier, I would have missed you again.”

Cui Yu replied with a grim expression, “You and I have no relationship. There’s no need for either of us to go out of our way to meet one another, is there?”

“You’re wrong, Cousin. We are both members of the Cui Clan, and the family is facing difficult times right now. We must naturally stand up and shoulder this great responsibility. This isn’t just a matter between you and me—it concerns the entire Cui Clan.

“I’ve heard that you’ve achieved quite a lot in recent years—you’ve shown skill in organizing armies, preparing for war, and governing regions—and our elders often speak highly of you. That’s why I’d like to ask you to return to the Cui Clan and lend me a hand.”

Cui Yu raised his eyebrows and asked, “What do you mean?”

“The clan elders have recently decided to transfer the position of realm lord in a frontier region to me. However, the borders are in a state of turmoil, and I need help. You are the best candidate I can think of. Once I’ve become an Avatar, I will move onto other places. That region will naturally be yours, won’t it?”

A flash of anger crossed Cui Yu’s eyes, and he replied coldly, “Not interested.”

The young cultivator continued, “I know you’re proud and ambitious, Cousin, but there are limits to human ability—even a slight difference in innate talent can decide it all. We’re of the same generation and share a natural bond with each other. That is why I’ve chosen to come to you. Our past disputes were really meaningless, and besides, the outcome is already clear—why hold a grudge any longer?

“Besides, in another ten years, perhaps a new prodigy will emerge from our family. If we don’t seize the initiative by then, we might just be pushed aside by that newcomer. Please, give my words some serious thought, Cousin.”

With that, the young cultivator took his leave, and the flying vessel accelerated once more, soaring into the sky and heading full speed toward the realm of Qingming.

As soon as the young cultivator was gone, Cui Yu cursed with a stormy expression, “This is an outrage! Who does he think he is, showing up in front of me and acting like a humble lord trying to recruit a wise advisor? How dare he treat me like an underling!”

“Who is he?” Wei Yuan asked.

Cui Yu took a deep breath to calm himself and said, “Cui Tianlin, my patrilineal younger cousin. He’s of my generation and a disciple of the Sword Palace. His Dao Foundation is one of the Seven Guardian Immortal Swords of the Sword Palace.”

Wei Yuan said, “It’s still a bit too early for him to take you under his tent[1] now, isn’t it? Could it be that....”

Cui Yu grunted and answered, “No need to wonder—he’s absolutely doing it on purpose, and the purpose is to humiliate me! His household used to be weak, but since they obtained him, they’ve been vying for everything. My father has already handed over one herb garden, four estates, and more than a dozen properties, but it’s still not enough for them!”

Wei Yuan knew that the internal strife within the great clans was no less intense than the power struggles in the courts, but he hadn’t expected the younger generation to have already escalated their rivalry to this extent; to the point of attempting to forcibly subsume a rival right to their face.

Cui Yu suddenly slammed his palm down on his armrest and exclaimed, “Do I have no path to follow just because I don’t have an immortal foundation? No, I refuse to believe it!”

Wei Yuan signed inwardly, unsure how to console him. All he could say was, “He’s not going to give up just because he failed this time. You’d better prepare yourself early.”

Cui Yu said grimly, “What else could it be besides the same old tune of official challenges and arena duels? If I don’t dare accept the challenge, I’ll lose all face, and I can forget about ever standing on equal footing with him again.”

“Brother Cui, your Dao Foundation is also an Immortal Sword. You can’t possibly be that far behind the Sword Palace.”

Cui Yu replied with a sigh, “I know. I, too, was bestowed an immortal sword by the Founder himself. It’s just that I’m unable to unleash its full power because my aptitude is lacking. The Founder’s immortal sword is really not inferior to the Sword Palace’s in the slightest; I’m the one who failed to live up to the legend.”

“Are there any restrictions on the types or number of mystic treasures in those arena duels?”

Cui Yu paused for a moment before answering, “There are no such restrictions. However, he has more mystic treasures of better quality than me since he’s specially groomed by the Sword Palace. Even if the elders of my household were to bestow their treasures upon me, the best result I can realistically hope for is a draw.”

Wei Yuan declared, “As long as there are no restrictions, it’ll be fine. It’s too late this time, but once the next batch of trainees is ready, I’ll accompany you back to the Cui Clan to challenge him to a one-on-one duel!”

Cui Yu gave a wry smile. “Do you think I’m you? To be honest, I’m not confident that I can beat him at all. I’d probably lose.”

Wei Yuan smirked. “Don’t worry. So long as there are no restrictions on the types of mystic artifacts and treasures, we can’t lose!”

Since the third term concluded earlier than expected, the Cui Clan hadn’t yet finalized the fourth batch’s name list. It would take a couple more days for it to arrive.

Wei Yuan guessed that this batch would likely include significantly more elderly clansmen than the third batch. Not only did these elders pay much more handsomely than the younglings, they had no reservations about cultivating the Radiant Devil-Subjugating Sword whatsoever. Therefore, in addition to the existing Radiant Devil-Subjugating Sword, Wei Yuan had carefully prepared a new Dao Foundation for them this time. He called it the Ten Directions Lapis Lazuli Golden Fire.

However, despite numerous attempts in the Great Realm, the temperature of this fire was still somewhat high. Why was this a problem? Because the hotter the fire was, the harder it was to cultivate it. If he were to measure them using the standards of Xu Wenwu’s world, a fire with a temperature of several hundred celsius would be a Human-tier Dao Foundation, and one with a temperature of tens of thousands of celsius would be The Sun’s true fire, an Immortal-tier Dao Foundation.

Therefore, as soon as he returned to the realm of Qingming, Wei Yuan sought out Yu Zhizhuo and consulted him on the issue regarding the fire’s temperature. When it came to the properties of matter, Yu Zhizhuo was indeed a rare genius. He had grasped the concept immediately and left to fetch a jar of strong liquor. He then purified it directly with his Dao energy and set it ablaze. Sure enough, the temperature of this fire had taken a nosedive, and its properties became clear, straightforward, and easy to understand.

Wei Yuan was deeply impressed. Thus, the scope of the human race’s Dao Foundation was once again expanded.

Just then, news arrived from the Bianning Commandery. Commandery Administrator Xu Xi had taken office.

Wei Yuan immediately set out for Bianning Commandery, while simultaneously ordering his men to bring 100,000 catties of grain to set up food relief centers at the border between Ningxi and Bianning.

At Bianning’s commandery office[2], Commandery Administrator Xu Xi had gathered every official—high and low—in one place and was flying into a rage.

“Why are there so many refugees in the commandery, and how are we supposed to accommodate all of them?! Worse, you’ve launched relief efforts and distributed porridge to them! Do you think we’re overflowing with grain? Now, not a single grain is left in the granaries! What are we going to do about these refugees now? Lord Sun!”

Sun Chao’en quickly rose to his feet and bowed. “This humble official is here!”

Xu Xi had a fair complexion and a pair of thin, neat mustaches. He glared coldly at the vice administrator and asked, “So many refugees have gathered in the commandery before I even took office—are you trying to send me a message?”

Startled, Sun Chao’en fell to his knees with a thud and exclaimed repeatedly, “This humble official would never dare, my lord, please!”

Some of the officials were shocked, while others looked on with subtle disdain.

As the vice administrator, Sun Chao’en held a position second only to the commandery administrator and above all others in the commandery. Should the commandery administrator be unable to perform his duties, the vice administrator could even act as his proxy. Theoretically, there was only a half-rank difference between them, so such a formal kneeling gesture was entirely unnecessary. However, Sun Chao’en had bent the knee at the slightest hint of intimidation from Xu Xi. From their perspective, he truly lacked even a shred of backbone.

Xu Xi hadn’t expected this either; he paused in surprise before saying, “Lord Sun, please rise. I was merely asking a question; I meant no offense.”

“Thank you, my lord.” Sun Chao’en replied before rising tremblingly and returning to his seat. Even then, he only dared to sit on one side of his buttocks.

Seeing how pathetic Sun Chao’en was acting, Xu Xi found it difficult to continue his outburst. His expression softened somewhat as he said, “We cannot continue distributing grain, but we cannot stop it immediately either. What should we do? Let’s discuss a plan together!”

One official suggested, “We could adopt a strategy of gradual reduction. We reduce the daily amount of porridge distributed by ten percent each day and cease distribution entirely after ten days. When the refugees can no longer find food, they will naturally move on to other places.”

But Sun Chao’en countered, “It’s a sound plan, but it’s a bit too slow. Every extra day we distribute porridge means tens of thousands of catties of grain gone. Instead, I propose that we cut the amount by half each day!”

Xu Xi pondered for a moment before saying, “Cutting it in half would be too abrupt. Let’s reduce the amount by thirty percent instead. Also, tell the soldiers to stay vigilant. If any refugees try to cause trouble, they are to be severely punished without exception!”

“Your carrot-and-stick approach is truly masterful, Lord Xu!” Sun Chao’en was the first to lick Xu Xi’s boots.

Xu Xi stroked his beard with a smile, thinking that the western regions weren’t nearly as terrifying as the legends made it out to be. This was only his first day in office, and he had already brought the entire bureaucracy to heel. Things could only get better from here.

Once the meeting concluded, the officials dispersed. Several of them exchanged furtive glances, clearly harboring some resentment.

Xu Xi had berated them mercilessly the moment he arrived and made everything they’d done in the past sound utterly foolish. Although it was true that these officials hadn’t done anything commendable in the past, being spoken of in such a manner obviously left them feeling resentful.

In the afternoon, the food relief centers opened as usual, and the area outside was already packed with people, many of whom had been waiting even before dawn had broken.

Barely an hour had passed, and only a small portion of the line had been served when the food relief centers suddenly shut his doors. The refugees immediately began to protest, but there really was no more porridge left inside. Moreover, several dozen burly soldiers had joined the guards, swinging their clubs and beating the crowd until they fled. Those who hadn’t managed to get any porridge scattered and ran off toward other food relief centers.

As night fell, the newly appointed commandery administrator hosted a banquet for his personal confidants whom he had brought with him on this assignment. A large number of the commandery’s original officials including Sun Chao’en himself were not invited.

Sun Chao’en wasn’t perturbed when he learned this. On the contrary, he had sent over a batch of chickens, ducks, fish, and meat, causing Xu Xi to nod approvingly and think that Vice Administrator Sun was a sensible man.

The next day, the food relief centers opened an hour later than usual, and they ran out of porridge just two ke later. They told the people to come earlier the following day.

This time, five hundred official troops were stationed around the food relief centers, each radiating a murderous aura. The moment the refugees grew restless and began to clamor, the commanding officer grew annoyed and ordered the soldiers to swing their clubs. Over 100 refugees were left bloodied and battered in an instant.

Suddenly, a scream broke out from among the refugees. “The troops are killing people!”

The scream was as shrill as it was heart-wrenching. At the same time, a knife suddenly shot out from the group of refugees and plunged deep into the officer’s abdomen. The officer stared in shock at the knife in his stomach before looking up, trying to spot the audacious assailant. However, he could not tell who had struck the blow with all the refugees around him.

Seeing their officer struck down, the soldiers—who at this point were well accustomed to abusing the common folk—immediately dropped their clubs and drew their swords and sabers. In the blink of an eye, they had cut down dozens of refugees.

Another roar rang out from the crowd. “We’re going to die either way—let’s fight these sons of bitches to the death!”

Only the strong could have made it all the way to Outer Jin, whereas the locals were naturally hot-tempered. Above all else, they had nothing to lose. As soon as someone handed them a saber or a sword, they did not hesitate to tighten their grip and charge forward.

The soldiers numbered several hundred, but the refugees numbered over 10,000. Consequently, they were slaughtered in the blink of an eye. At this point, many refugees were thinking the same question: Where did the saber/sword in my hand come from?

Just then, someone kicked open the gate of a food relief center, revealing thousands of catties of rice piled on a cart by the back door. Suddenly, a man leaped onto the cart and shouted, “These corrupt officials are even stealing our lifesaving grain! We’re not going to survive anyway—let’s fight them to the death!”

“Follow me!” roared several burly refugees as they strode ahead toward the commandery administrator’s office.

Some of the refugees were still hesitating, but someone nearby said, “We already killed the soldiers, and there’s no way we’re going to survive this. We might as well go all out!”

And so the horde of over 10,000 refugees turned into a surging torrent and rolled toward the commandery administrator’s office.

Similar scenes were unfolding in many parts of the city. Seeing the situation turn dire, most of the official troops and military officers chose to flee. After that, at every food relief center, the refugees discovered carts that were loaded with grain. This completely ignited their fury, and they all charged toward the commandery administrator’s office.

The officers who had narrowly escaped cursed their bad luck under their breath. They had been temporarily assigned to guard the food relief centers, and their supervisors had naturally withheld a portion of the grain in secret and split the profits with them. It was because this was actually a long-standing practice. Unfortunately, trouble broke out today of all days.

Like a mudslide, the refugees surged forward from multiple directions and quickly reached the commandery administrator’s office. The official troops hurriedly rushed to the scene to block their advance, but arrows kept flying out of the shadows and killing their officers one by one. Eventually, the official troops scattered in panic.

Tens of thousands of refugees surrounded the commandery administrator’s office and pushed open the gates together. The second the doors swung open, they saw that a grand feast hosting numerous officials were being held in the courtyard. Naturally, their fury only intensified.

Xu Xi, his face contorted with rage, soared into the air and unleashed the terrifying aura of an Avatar, instantly forcing the group of over 10,000 refugees to prostrate themselves on the ground. He roared, “You dare to rebel? Do you wish to lose your heads?!”

His voice boomed like thunder, heard clearly throughout the entire commandery city.

The refugees were just ordinary people. Forget tens of thousands, Xu Xi alone could have slowly slaughtered hundreds of thousands of them eventually. That was why he faced these tens of thousands of refugees without any fear whatsoever.

Just then, a tiny black shadow suddenly darted out from behind and silently appeared behind his back. Then, it slammed him into the ground with a single swipe of its claw!

Two hours later, Xu Xi slowly came to.

By then, the commandery administrator’s office looked as if it had been struck by a natural disaster. Every valuable item, even the chamber pots[3], had been carried off. Everyone in the estate—from the personal guards to the steward, maids, and housekeepers—had vanished without a trace. His eight wives and concubines were nowhere to be found either.

As for himself, he had been stripped completely naked and laid bare on the muddy floor.

Overcome by a mix of shame and rage, Xu Xi suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and cried, “These scoundrels have gone too far!” Then, he passed out once more.

1. Basically the phrase “take you under your wing”, but I just changed it to “tent” because that’s the Chinese version. ☜

2. The word 府 is so fucking versatile it borderlines or even exceeds some of the incoherence I’ve encountered in English grammar. It can mean an office, an estate, a residence, a seat of governance, a fucking immortal’s abode, even a palace given the right context, yada yada blah blah. Like WTF it has to be one of the most overused words in the history of Chinese words. ☜

3. Pots used for defecating purposes. ☜