Chapter 399: Encounter on the Road (2)

A cracked clay pot sat over another campfire, the water inside already at a rolling boil, bubbling furiously.

“Sir, this is all we have to offer. I hope you don’t find it lacking.”

Elder Weng took out his cleanest bowl and ladled some water from the top of the clay pot. It was the clearest of the lot, yet still had a yellowish tinge, as he brought it over to Fang Rui.

“Of course not.”

Fang Rui shook his head slightly, took a sip, then turned and asked, “Xue’Er, would you like some?”

“Yes.”

Xin Xue’Er gave a little nod.

She had been living well under Fang Rui’s care for the past two or three months, but it hadn’t made her spoiled—not to the point where she couldn’t bring herself to drink such water.

“Since I’ve drunk your water, it is only right I offer something in return.”

After a moment’s thought, Fang Rui took some hardtack from his Spirit Ring, preparing to hand it out to the refugees.

“This… this is too precious! We couldn’t possibly accept!” Elder Weng waved his hands in refusal.

“You offered me the best you had to welcome me. What I’m giving is a trifle in comparison. If anything, I’m the one taking advantage here.”

Fang Rui shook his head and distributed the hardtack among the people.

“Such a fragrant aroma! This is wheat… This is the smell of wheat!” someone cried, pressing the hardtack to their nose and inhaling deeply, so moved they began to weep.

“And it’s made from white flour, pure white flour! Even in the best of years, my family could rarely afford to eat something like this even once.”

“Thank you, sir! Thank you so much, sir!” The man kowtowed, his forehead thumping against the ground.

…

Amid a chorus of gratitude.

Fang Rui noticed, however, that most of them didn’t eat. Even those who did only broke off a tiny crumb to taste the flavor before carefully stowing the rest away.

Elder Weng explained, “Something this good must be saved. It could save our lives later!”

“I understand.”

Fang Rui smiled and sighed to himself. ‘Such is the life of the unfortunate.’

‘In times like these, it’s inappropriate to simply judge these refugees as good or evil. They must be viewed from a broader, more nuanced perspective.’

‘Survey the lands from above and empathize with the people below. Only by refusing to see oneself as some transcendent Immortal, God, or Saint can one retain one’s humanity and stay grounded.’

All sorts of thoughts surfaced in his mind.

“This is bad, Elder Weng! The Black Yamas are here!” someone suddenly cried out.

Fang Rui looked up and scanned the horizon.

On the horizon, a battalion of over a thousand soldiers from the Black Flood Dragon Army appeared. Savage grins stretched across their faces as they herded another group of refugees, loosing arrows at them from time to time.

However, the arrows rarely found their mark. It seemed they were merely for sport, to drive the refugees along. The soldiers’ gazes weren’t those of men looking at their own kind, but at wild animals.

“The Black Flood Dragon Army… they’re like lingering ghosts, impossible to shake off!”

A glint flashed in Fang Rui’s eyes. ‘Are they doing this to drive the refugees into deeper despair? To make the “blood food” they produce more… flavorful?’

‘But in the process of carrying out their orders, these soldiers have become fully immersed in their roles. They act as if they are high and mighty members of a Half-Immortal Family, no longer seeing the refugees as human either.’

Just then.

As Elder Weng’s group of refugees spotted the Black Flood Dragon Army, the army in turn spotted this new group of prey. A squad broke off to encircle them, but they didn’t move too quickly, savoring their game of cat and mouse.

Over here, everyone’s expressions changed drastically.

“Oh no, those Black Yamas have spotted us! They’re coming over!”

“Run!”

“It’s no use! They’re on horseback, we can’t outrun them…”

…

“This is a disaster!”

Elder Weng stumbled, his face turning deathly pale. He sighed and looked to Fang Rui. “Sir, you may not be aware, but these Black Yamas are utterly savage! They kill on sight!”

“You have a Spiritual Crane! Fly away, quickly! If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!”

He figured Fang Rui must have some skills, but he never imagined one man could take on so many soldiers of the Black Flood Dragon Army.

How could that be possible?!

“Hm?!”

Fang Rui suddenly sensed something. He looked up at the sky. “Looks like I won’t have to make a move after all. Your saviors are here.”

The words had barely left his lips.

“SCREEE!”

High in the sky, a black cloud came whistling over.

No, it wasn’t a cloud. It was a unit of soldiers riding Tribulation Demon Black Eagles. A battle standard emblazoned with the character “Pan” whipped in the wind as they charged toward the Black Flood Dragon Army.

“It’s Marquis Pan’s Wudang Flying Army!”

“Marquis Pan’s Wudang Flying Army is fighting the Black Yamas!”

“We’re saved!”

…

With this sudden turn of events, Elder Weng’s group of refugees cried tears of joy, cheering their survival.

‘Marquis Pan? Oh, he’s one of the Gu Insects I’m raising.’

Over the past two or three months, Fang Rui had been emulating the Heifeng Stronghold model in Liangzhou, investing in and supporting numerous factions. This so-called Marquis Pan was one of them.

“Retreat! Retreat!”

The soldiers of the Black Flood Dragon Army, on the other hand, paled. Gone was their earlier composure of a cat toying with mice. They abandoned the refugees and turned tail to flee.

They were old rivals of the Tribulation Demon Black Eagles and knew full well how terrifying their opponents were. Therefore, they didn’t even think of engaging, choosing to retreat immediately.

But how could those running on the ground possibly outpace those flying in the sky? They were quickly overtaken, hunted down, and annihilated.

The tables had turned. A moment ago, the Black Flood Dragon Army had been slaughtering refugees; now, they were the ones being slaughtered.

A soldier from Marquis Pan’s Wudang Flying Army broke away and flew over. “Listen up, all of you! The Pan Clan offers a path forward! Those who pass selection may join the army and receive a monthly stipend, with additional rewards for spoils of war and meritorious deeds! Those who do not qualify may join the farming colonies…”

“Thank you, Grand Marshal Pan! I want to enlist…”

“I’m a bit old, so the army is probably not for me, but I can work the farms. It’s far better than being a refugee. This is a path to survival!”

“Yes, we can finally live.”

…

“Sir?!”

Elder Weng turned his head, overjoyed, to look for Fang Rui, only to find that he, the girl, and the Spiritual Crane had vanished without a trace.

…

The setting sun was the color of blood, and a cool evening breeze began to blow.

“SCREEE!”

The Purple Feathered Crane carried Fang Rui and Xin Xue’Er, soaring high on beating wings.

“Uncle, what are you smiling at?”

“I’m smiling because I’m on the right path. A path where, while pursuing my own goals, I’ve also managed to save many people.”

Fang Rui took the Yellow Gourd from his waist and took a swig of wine.

“Oh.”

Xin Xue’Er nodded. “I don’t understand.”

GRUMBLE!

Her stomach rumbled.

“Haha, it’s fine if you don’t understand. You’re still just a little girl! Hungry? Let’s have some meat for dinner…”

…

As dusk settled, the last glimmer of light had yet to fade. The sky was not yet truly dark, and the air felt as if it were shrouded in a thin, grainy, black veil.

The campfire flickered, bright then dim.

CRACKLE!

With the crackling of firewood, a shower of sparks shot ten feet into the air before fizzling into darkness.

Over the fire, meat stew bubbled in an iron pot.

“Uncle, it’s ready!”

Xin Xue’Er served the first bowl of stew to Fang Rui, only then taking the second for herself.

The rest, pot and all, was for the Purple Feathered Crane. After all, it had caught the roe deer.

“Is it good?”

“It’s delicious.”

Xin Xue’Er’s big eyes sparkled.

Fang Rui watched the little girl with satisfaction. Over the last two or three months, her once-yellowed hair had turned a glossy black and her skin had regained its luster. It was like watching his own little kitten grow more beautiful.

After dinner.

After washing the bowl and tidying up, Xin Xue’Er obediently snuggled into her blanket, her big eyes occasionally glancing over at Fang Rui.

“Do you want to hear a story?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“Because… Momma said that if you cause trouble for people, they’ll come to hate you… I don’t want you to hate me, Uncle.”

“Silly girl.”

Fang Rui patted Xin Xue’Er’s head, told her a story, and lulled her to sleep.

Afterward, he opened his panel.

[Tribulation Points: 112938]

“My endeavors in Yuanzhou and Liangzhou have been quite fruitful. The panel doesn’t show a large balance of Tribulation Points, but that’s because I’ve been constantly creating Tribulation Demons and diversifying my investments.”

“It’s like using war to fuel war. The total number of Tribulation Demons I’ve created in Liangzhou is now around seven or eight thousand. That’s an investment of a hundred thousand Tribulation Points—a terrifying sum!”

Fang Rui thought for a moment. “It’s time to Limit-Break a Military School legacy.”

“‘Sun’s Military Manual’… you’re the one.”

Tribulation Points -11870.

As countless insights flooded his mind.

BUZZ!

The panel trembled. Amidst spreading ripples, the words of a new Divine Technique materialized: More is Better·Fragment.

“The Divine Technique ‘More is Better’ I can understand, but what’s with this ‘Fragment’ part? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Fang Rui immersed his consciousness in the panel, absorbing the feedback it provided. “The fundamental Rules of this world’s way of warfare, unlike something like a Saber Technique, are incredibly vast and complex. So, I need more legacies from different Military Schools to perfect this Divine Technique?”

“In its perfect state, the Divine Technique will allow me to consume Tribulation Points to enter a Soldier Immortal state, granting control over an incalculable number of troops.”

“For now, because the Divine Technique is incomplete, activating it can only temporarily boost my command limit to twenty thousand troops? Still, that’s more than enough for what I have planned!”