Chapter 699 - 428: Returning Home! Fuyuan Temple! (2)

Chapter 699: Chapter 428: Returning Home! Fuyuan Temple! (2)

Ping’an Town is just thirty miles away, not far, about an hour’s drive.

Moreover, Fuyuan Temple is also there, just the right time to verify my thoughts.

What?

With these words, everyone was stunned, their astonished gazes fixed on Lu Xuan, even the three Taoists who thought they were doomed were no exception.

The elder Taoist’s cloudy eyes flickered with a hint of incredulous delight, thinking to himself: Could it be... could my earlier words about the dangers of the ancient tomb really have persuaded this lawless warlord?

May the ancestors bless!

The Feng Shui Master beside him was also frozen on the spot, his mouth slightly open, almost thinking he misheard.

The marshal mobilized such a great force, bringing almost all his possessions to the foot of Jiangjun Mountain, set up the formation, and even pointed the gun at the Taoist’s forehead, forced the cultivation technique out, and now... now he’s just going to withdraw?

Coming back in a few days? What’s this about?

"M-Marshal?" The adjutant cautiously confirmed, doubting if he misunderstood.

Lu Xuan glanced at him indifferently, his gaze calm and unflustered, yet it instantly made the adjutant swallow all his questions back.

"Didn’t hear clearly?" Lu Xuan’s tone remained calm.

"Heard it! Heard it clearly!" The adjutant shivered, straightened his back, and shouted to the soldiers on standby behind him, "The marshal orders! Gather everyone, withdraw to Ping’an Town! Quickly! Move swiftly!"

Despite their confusion, orders are orders, and the thousands of soldiers quickly began to organize their equipment and line up to prepare for departure.

Lu Xuan no longer paid attention to everyone’s reactions, his gaze swept once more over the dark red stone hill and the deep crevice.

The reason for withdrawing to Ping’an Town was certainly not because Lu Xuan was frightened by the elder Taoist’s words.

On the contrary, the elder Taoist’s description of "ghost soldiers passing through" made him even more eager for this place.

This could mean a lot of system points.

But currently, Lu Xuan felt powerless, only able to watch with empty hands.

Because the "Yangyan Symbolic Fire True Scripture" was only a fragment, and there were not enough system points to immediately perfect and deduce this scripture.

Forcing his way into the tomb, with his current power, might be effective against some ghosts with physical forms.

But if he really encountered the "corpse returned to life" nourished by "yin-yang reverse shamanism" for hundreds of years, or the hordes of ghost soldiers,

even with these thousands of soldiers, the loss would be dire, and his life might be at risk, which was not the outcome Lu Xuan wanted.

He needed more preparation.

Fuyuan Temple in Ping’an Town, since it could have such true capabilities like the "Yangyan Symbolic Fire True Scripture," must possess magic artifacts to suppress those ghostly entities.

His intent to "verify his thoughts" was to thoroughly search the heritage of Fuyuan Temple, to see if he could find a method to eradicate these ghostly entities.

"Coming back in a few days..."

This general’s tomb, Lu Xuan was determined to obtain, but certainly not by recklessly leading a group of cannon fodder to their deaths.

He turned around, striding toward the military vehicle parked at the foot of the mountain, while commanding the adjutant keeping pace beside him, "Don’t forget, bring these three ’experts’ into the car as well, back to the town, I have some questions to consult with them."

The convoy raised dust, slowly driving away from the endless, haze-shrouded mountains of Jiangjun.

About an hour later, the outline of a sizable town appeared on the horizon.

Ping’an Town is large, one of the largest towns among several nearby counties.

It just happens to be at the junction of several counties, with convenient water and land transportation, naturally becoming the trade hub within a radius of hundreds of miles.

Though called a "town," its prosperity is almost on par with some small county seats.

A wooden checkpoint was set up at the town entrance, where a few soldiers dressed in light blue uniforms, holding outdated rifles, stood listlessly.

However, today’s atmosphere at the town entrance was completely different.

The town mayor, who had received the message in advance, along with several wealthy merchants from Ping’an Town, had long been waiting anxiously with their servants.

Seeing the prominent "Lu" character flag atop the lead vehicle of the convoy from afar, they immediately straightened their attire, their faces adorned with humble yet fearful smiles, and quickly stepped forward to greet them.

Who didn’t know that Lu the Marshal was the warlord controlling Limnan County and Lin County, whose territory bordered Ping’an Town?

Although Ping’an Town, due to its special geographical location and trade status, temporarily maintained a delicate independence, everyone understood that when this heavily-armed neighbor sneezed, Ping’an Town would tremble thrice.

In chaotic times, human life was less than that of a dog, lives held in the hands of these militarily powerful warlord leaders, the true local emperors.

Therefore, the influential families and notable figures of Ping’an Town usually had to carefully serve Lu Xuan’s former self, fearing he might suddenly flare up and find a reason to "take over" the town.

"Welcome back in triumph, Marshal Lu!" The town mayor, a lean middle-aged man, dressed in a silk robe, was the first to bow in salute.

The merchants behind him also bowed one after another, their faces full of flattery.

Lu Xuan sat inside the car, without even rolling down the window, merely glanced indifferently at the group through the glass, then slightly nodded to the adjutant.

The adjutant understood, poking his head out, waving impatiently, "Alright, alright, the marshal is tired and needs to return home to rest, disperse! Don’t block the road!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you for your hard work, Marshal!" The town mayor and others felt as if they received a great pardon, quickly clearing the way, bowing as they watched the convoy rumble into the town, not daring to show the slightest complaint.