A Method of Contact

Gazing at the endless sea of three hundred thousand heads, Wei Yuan genuinely felt he had bitten off more than he could chew. In this temporarily enclosed clearing, all the laborers, prisoners of war, and wounded were penned together. A crude barbed-wire fence encircled the perimeter, punctuated every few dozen zhang by a watchtower, forming an instant prison of massive proportions. The prisoners within were clearly divided into four sections: laborers, private retainers, regular imperial troops, and the wounded, each occupying their own turf. Wei Yuan walked among the throngs, his voice ringing through the entire compound. "Now that you are here, put any thoughts of returning home out of your minds. An army of three hundred thousand failed to take my Qingming. How many do you think it would take to break you out? Six hundred thousand? A million? "As a Military Commissioner, I am an official appointed by the imperial court as well, vested with the right to establish a command office and command military affairs. Serving under me still makes you government soldiers—and you won't suffer such humiliating defeats. "If you want to go back, there is a way. In a few days, once the roads reopen, you may write home and have your families pay a ransom. If you truly have no money, that is no problem either. Work here for ten years, or serve in my military for five, and you will regain your freedom." At this, Wei Yuan offered a radiant, sunny smile. "Once we spend more time together, you'll learn that I rarely lose my temper and am quite easy to reason with..." A shout suddenly rang out from the crowd. "Who wants to listen to your drivel! When our Immortal Ancestor arrives, he'll crush you with a single finger!" Wei Yuan walked over. Sitting on the ground amid the crowd was a young man whose face brimmed with arrogance and hostility. Seeing Wei Yuan approach, he showed not the slightest fear, spitting on the ground and snarling, "The blood of the Immortal Ancestor flows through my veins! Dare to capture me? Sooner or later, I will slaughter every last one of you!" Wei Yuan patiently heard him out, then pressed the barrel of his gun against the youth's skull and channeled his Dao power. Bang! The young man's head vanished entirely. The headless corpse slowly collapsed into the pooling blood. Wei Yuan flashed a smile at the crowd, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth, and continued, "...I am quite easy to reason with. But if you provoke me, I can't guarantee what might happen." Wei Yuan retrieved a cartridge, reloaded the chamber, and continued strolling through the camp. "Next, there will be new arrangements for all of you, along with new rules. So long as you remain here, breaking the rules carries only one consequence: this." Wei Yuan raised his gun and fired, blowing a man's head to pieces. "Concealing a weapon and attempting an assassination. I must say, he wasn't particularly bright." Wei Yuan loaded another round and went on, "This being the first time, I have explained why I killed him. In the future, there will be no explanations. Perhaps some among you wonder what happens if my people make a mistake, or if they use their authority to settle personal vendettas. The answer is simple..." Wei Yuan smiled again, flashing his white teeth. "As long as you are here, and as long as they are my people, no matter what they do, you have only one response: endure it!" Suddenly, someone lunged toward Wei Yuan, bellowing, "I'll take you down with me!" A gunshot rang out. The headless body staggered forward a few more paces before pitching onto the ground. "Refusing to fight for your life on the battlefield, yet choosing to go mad now? Too late." Finally, Wei Yuan said, "If you truly cannot bear it, then find a way to leave as quickly as you can." After Wei Yuan departed, a large detachment of fully armed domain cultivators poured into the prison camp. They began re-sectioning the grounds, assigning ten thousand men to each plot. No one was permitted to leave their designated area without authorization, and barbed wire separated the enclosures. To the prisoners' surprise, the structures erected next were not barracks, but latrines! Though each plot received only two latrines, even that was something unheard of to the captives. Outside the compound, Wei Yuan instructed Xu Yi, "Keep a tight watch on them. For the next three days, give each person only half a jin of food a day. After three days, they will behave. However, you must ensure everyone gets their share. Anyone who still tries to throw their weight around or act like a prison boss—beat them ruthlessly!" "If we break them, won't it be hard to ransom them?" Xu Yi asked. "A good beating only makes them fetch more." From the start, Wei Yuan had no intention of keeping those of noble birth or supposedly exalted bloodlines. What the domain could offer was beneath the contempt of such pampered scions, so Wei Yuan wished only to milk them for hefty ransoms. The ones who might genuinely stay were the laborers; the rank-and-file soldiers among the private retainers and regular army would likely remain as well. As for the officers, it was hard to say—most would probably opt for ransom. After Wei Yuan left, Xu Yi made a sweep of the compound, quickly noticing many prisoners acting restless, biding their time for a chance to escape. Xu Yi summoned a dozen captains and ordered, "Strip them all bare!" The captains froze. One asked, "The women too?" "I said, every single one of them!" The captains immediately led their squads to carry out the order, throwing the camp into sheer chaos. A moment later, Sun Yu hurried over. Stepping into the camp, he was greeted by the glaring spectacle of hundreds of thousands of bare-skinned pigs. Outside the enclosure stood several hundred women lined up, weeping as they signed blood contracts. "What's going on here?" Sun Yu asked. Xu Yi replied, "A minor tactic. Without clothes, they won't survive a single day outside the domain." The Wu domain was rife with venomous pests; an ordinary mosquito was often the size of a human palm, and a single bite left a bleeding hole. Without clothing, commoners couldn't even survive the insects. "Splendid idea! So why did you call me here? Want me to poison them so they can't move, or release a plague to keep them burning with fever for seven days straight until they're thoroughly weakened?" Sun Yu inquired. "Do you have any medicine we can mix into their meals so they can't channel their magic power?" Xu Yi asked. Sun Yu chuckled. "That's easy enough. Off the top of my head, there are seven or eight options, each with its pros and cons..." *** Just as Wei Yuan returned to his residence, intending to survey the feng shui of his courtyard and plant a Dragon Blood Tree, a report arrived. "County Magistrate Niu Jinbao of Yong'an County and two other magistrates request an audience." "Niu Jinbao?" Wei Yuan had nearly forgotten the man existed. "Yes, they are currently waiting in Zhike Town. Magistrate Niu said that back then, you personally demarcated his borders and chose the site of his county seat. According to court tradition, that makes you his patron master. Since nearly half a year has passed, he came specially to report on his duties and pay his respects to his teacher." The cultivator delivering the message wore a bizarre expression, and Wei Yuan looked equally taken aback. Back when Western Jin created the commanderies and offices, Niu Jinbao had strutted aggressively into the domain to assume his post as Magistrate of Yong'an. If not for sheer luck, he would have lost his head on the spot. In those days, Wei Yuan had still felt somewhat constrained, hardly acting with unrestrained boldness. Unlike now, where he would strip even a Dharma Idol commandery governor stark naked without leaving him a pair of undergarments. To be fair, Xu Xi's situation wasn't entirely Wei Yuan's fault. A commandery governor's undergarments were made of fabric far finer than an ordinary family's wedding attire, so it was only natural for someone to strip them off and wear them in the chaos. As for Niu Jinbao, back then Wei Yuan had merely wanted to spite Western Jin, so he had tied him and the officials of two eastern counties up and dumped them in the west to serve as the front line against the Shamans. Afterward, Wei Yuan completely forgot about the matter. Who would have thought that just after wiping out the Xu family's army of three hundred thousand, these fellows would come to pay their respects on their own initiative—and even try to claim him as their patron master? Wei Yuan was only seventeen this year; Niu Jinbao was at least thirty-seven. On the way to Zhike Town, Wei Yuan inquired about their situation. Back then, Niu Jinbao had been casually dumped in a village, yet the man hadn't given up in despair. Instead, he established a county yamen, traveled between the surrounding settlements, and led the villagers in clearing land and farming. Whenever the Shamans attacked, if their numbers were large, Niu Jinbao led everyone into the mountains to hide; if their numbers were small, he laid ambushes. Through this, he had managed to win several minor skirmishes. His jurisdiction now encompassed several villages totaling over seven thousand people, and he had even organized a militia of a hundred men. Out in the wild barrens, he had actually managed to make quite a flourishing go of things. Hearing this, Wei Yuan felt that behind the man's uncouth exterior lay a shrewd mind; he possessed genuine talent. Moreover, his karmic luck seemed remarkably good. Surrounded by roving Shamans, he had eked out an existence in the cracks—not only surviving himself, but keeping his people out of harm's way as well. Upon arriving at Zhike Town, Wei Yuan took the seat of honor and ordered Niu Jinbao and the two other magistrates brought in. The moment the three entered the main hall and saw Wei Yuan, Niu Jinbao fell to the ground in a grand kowtow, crying out, "Patron Master above, please accept your disciple's bow!" This sudden bow caught Wei Yuan off guard, and the other two magistrates were stunned as well. But they quickly reacted, diving forward like leaping fish to prostrate themselves, likewise addressing him as patron master—their voices even louder than Niu Jinbao's! Wei Yuan had intended to inquire about developments in their respective domains, but the three completely disregarded that, launching into a torrent of shameless flattery right off the bat. After a brief while, even with Wei Yuan's thick skin, he found it hard to parry. By now, a faint flush tinged Wei Yuan's cheeks. His blood flowed faster, body and mind felt utterly clear, thoughts unimpeded, Dao power pristine, and origin soul flawless—he had fully tasted the intoxicating joy of holding high office. Basking in fifteen minutes of praise from these subordinate officials was genuinely better than an entire night of meditation. Only because Wei Yuan had far too many pressing matters on his plate did he have to cut them short to move to his next appointment, parting with considerable reluctance. Before leaving, however, Wei Yuan called Cui Yu over and introduced him to Niu Jinbao and the others. "This is Brigade General Cui, from the direct lineage of the Cui family, and also my senior brother. Keep him good company." Niu Jinbao and the magistrates were instantly struck with awe! Cui Yu, entirely bewildered and having no idea what was happening, was shoved into the room by Wei Yuan, who shut the door behind him. *** The chunks of flesh formed from True Monarch Qiuniu's blood essence were gradually losing their vital energy. Although they could keep for quite a long time, they needed to be handled promptly. Wei Yuan summoned Sun Yu and Perfected Chuhe, sliced off a small piece, and gave a portion to each to study. Old Daoist Chuhe suddenly remarked, "This old Daoist has heard that such blood and flesh is in high demand among the Shamans and can be traded for many good things. However, sending flesh and blood to the Shamans might invite trouble down the line." Wei Yuan's eyes lit up. The old Daoist's hint was far too obvious, lacking any subtlety whatsoever. On the Shaman side, the only person Wei Yuan could communicate with normally was Tianyu. Thinking of him, Wei Yuan realized that he didn't even have a way to contact him. After completing their last transaction of offerings, the two had gone their separate ways; Tianyu had had no desire for a second encounter and hadn't mentioned meeting again. Still, this matter was easy enough to solve. Wei Yuan rushed to New City, selected five hundred sacrifices with pure souls and decent origin spirits, and led them into an incense-shrouded hall. By now, a statue of Tianyu had already been placed upon the altar. Wei Yuan announced, "His name is Tianyu. Though he is of the Shamans, he is your savior. Hold gratitude in your hearts and worship him well!" Half a day later, Tianyu came rushing over.