The grand formations of each hall in the Palace of Grand Beginning were extraordinary, costing astronomical sums but possessing formidable power. Every grand formation shared one fundamental requirement: it had to draw origin qi directly from heaven and earth, converting it into spiritual qi or other functions.
These grand formations did not draw origin qi from within the mountain gate; rather, they released spiritual qi to replenish the sect grounds. Consequently, the more grand formations there were, the greater the benefit to the sect itself. By installing two grand formations at once, True Monarch Xuanyue had ensured that not only would Sky Azure Hall benefit, but the overall environment of the ancestral mountain gate would also see a perceptible elevation.
At that moment, Wei Yuan naturally prostrated himself in admiration of the Grandmaster's realm.
Yet before his moved feelings could last three seconds, Xuan Yue said, "Come, come, come! Play a game of Go with me, and then I'll leave."
Thus Wei Yuan set out the Go board and pieces, refraining from calling upon his Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World and relying purely on his own skill to play against Xuan Yue.
However, after playing for a while, Wei Yuan discovered that under the influence of the ten consecutive games he had just played, his moves had already taken on a touch of that mortal-world style. His skill had grown significantly without him even realizing it, and Xuan Yue's position was on the verge of collapsing right out of the opening, unable to even hold out until the middle game.
Wei Yuan hurriedly held back, throwing down several reckless moves, which finally allowed Xuan Yue to gradually turn the situation around.
Bao Yun sat nearby watching quietly, not uttering a word.
In the blink of an eye, the two were clashing with sparks flying, displaying the tragic spectacle of two novices pecking at each other to the absolute limit—every swipe of a claw drew blood, yet after half a day of fighting, both had only suffered minor scratches.
In the end, Wei Yuan suffered a narrow defeat.
True Monarch Xuanyue laughed aloud three times. His thoughts flowed unimpeded, his state of mind elevated, and his cultivation subtly nudged forward half a step. Without another word, he stepped out and tore through the void.
In truth, Wei Yuan had fought Qiuyue and Chenzhou to the point where their Dao hearts nearly shattered; how could he possibly have lost to Xuan Yue? Xuan Yue was naturally aware of this deep down, but winning the game simply brought him joy.
Once Xuan Yue had departed, Bao Yun rolled her eyes at Wei Yuan and said, "Shameless!"
Wei Yuan gave a dry chuckle. "If it can make the Grandmaster happy, what does a little bit of my pride matter?"
Bao Yun suddenly reached out and pinched Wei Yuan's cheek. Wei Yuan was taken aback, but did not dodge. Who could have guessed that Bao Yun would keep pinching his cheek without letting go, gritting her teeth as she pulled it left and right, stretching it into all sorts of shapes?
Although Wei Yuan felt no pain, being so close to Bao Yun immediately threw his Dao heart into turbulent peril. In particular, he was no longer an innocent boy who understood nothing.
This sword, having been repeatedly honed by Consort Yuan, was already sharp.
Seeing that Wei Yuan gave no response, Bao Yun snapped in annoyance, "Then can't you be a little more shameless around me?"
Wei Yuan instinctively sensed that this was another lethal question. His hands had already lifted, only to be obediently placed back where they were. He gave a wry smile. "I'll do my best..."
"You had better do your best!" Bao Yun said through gritted teeth, then tried to leave claw marks on Wei Yuan's face, to no avail.
Out of breath from exertion, Bao Yun exhaled warm, sweet breaths against Wei Yuan's face, subjecting him to another bout of torment. Finally, just as Wei Yuan was on the verge of losing his restraint, Bao Yun suddenly let out a soft laugh, pushed Wei Yuan away, and drifted off into the distance.
Wei Yuan gnashed his teeth in frustration, yet could do nothing. Their playful tug-of-war at this moment was not without cause.
Following the great battle, myriad affairs were in disarray. Then, suddenly, a major matter was laid before Wei Yuan: casualty compensation.
Previously, the backbone of Qingming's warriors had consisted of lone cultivators from the Western Regions, refugees, sacrificial victims, and the youths of the Xu family. When casualties occurred, most had been solitary souls without kin. Moreover, the first few battles had been brutally fierce, victories won almost entirely by trading lives. Under the Ephemeral Multitude, mortals too had to take the field and fight to the death; without doing so, there had been no stopping the Shaman army.
Back then, Qingming had virtually no children, and many entire households perished in battle, so casualty compensation had never been an issue afterward. But things were different now. Many refugees had arrived with their entire families in tow. Furthermore, some who could have scraped by where they were had heard the tales of Qingming, sold off their family property, and migrated here with their entire households.
By now, the population within the realm had exceeded 1.6 million. Mortals essentially no longer needed to take the battlefield; families merely needed to provide men of the Body Casting realm. Many cultivators who joined Qingming later, including those from the Palace of Grand Beginning, felt that casualty compensation was only right.
The total number of households requiring compensation submitted by the various generals came to over five thousand. Neither too large nor too small, the figure was impossible to overlook.
Along with the lists of those eligible for compensation, one general had also submitted a memorial. This memorial was written entirely in the style of an official petition to the Western Jin imperial court, yet it came across as an awkward imitation.
According to the Tang rites, only documents addressed to the King of Jin could be called memorials, and only court officials of the fifth rank or above were permitted to submit them to the King of Jin. That general came from an irregular background and was not even on the roster of commissioned officers that Wei Yuan had reported to Western Jin.
This petition went on at great length, focusing primarily on how heroically the battalion of soldiers he led had fought and how catastrophic their casualties were, before petitioning for casualty compensation in the form of farmland.
Wei Yuan read the petition over and over several times, his brow furrowing deeper with each pass. He lightly tapped the tabletop, brooding in silence as relevant episodes from the history books flashed through his mind.
Wei Yuan pondered for a full hour before summoning Cui Yu and showing him the petition.
After reading it, Cui Yu remarked, "This seems quite ordinary! What they're asking for isn't much either. Is there a problem?"
Wei Yuan did not answer directly, saying instead, "Go investigate how many men remain in the Left Army's Third Battalion, and what their origins are. Then find out how many other units are similar to the Third Battalion."
"Understood." Sensing something in Wei Yuan's expression, Cui Yu grew solemn and hurried off.
In truth, Wei Yuan had no need to investigate. Every single person in every unit was etched into his memory. During the great battle, he had looked down upon the entire battlefield; with his Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World dharma idol, a single glance was enough to tell him how many in each unit had fallen and how many had been wounded.
The reason he had Cui Yu investigate the personnel himself was merely in the hope that Cui Yu would discover the problem on his own.
After deliberating, Wei Yuan also summoned Yu Zhizhuo, Sun Yu, Perfected Chuhe, Xu Henshui, Bao Yun, and Feng Tingyu, and passed the petition to them.
Having read it, Xu Henshui thought for a moment before saying, "You carved Qingming out with your own two hands. Whatever you wish to do, I will support you—you need not worry on that count. If anyone stirs up trouble, I will naturally stand on your side."
Yu Zhizhuo and Sun Yu chimed in with their agreement as well. Old Daoist Chuhe, exuding a murderous aura, declared loudly, "If anyone dares make trouble for you, this old daoist will be the first to refuse them!"
Feng Tingyu simply stared at Wei Yuan with wide, bewildered eyes, occasionally flexing her chest muscles to show off to him.
Bao Yun remained silent, lost in thought.
At that moment, a cultivator outside announced, "Commandant Liu Fei of the Third Battalion of the Left Army requests an audience!"
Wei Yuan left the Palace of Grand Beginning cultivators in the study and went out to take a seat in the wing room of the front courtyard.
According to Qingming's current military system, a battalion comprised one thousand men; in addition to the commander being a Dao Foundation cultivator, there was generally a Dao Foundation captain for every hundred men. This particular battalion drew partly from surrendered Xu family soldiers and partly from the former imperial army, which together made up roughly seventy percent, while the remaining thirty percent came from refugees across various lands.
Liu Fei was tall and leanly built. Upon entering the room, he gave a salute and sat in a chair to the side.
Wei Yuan asked a few questions about the battalion's casualties, then said, "The Third Battalion fought valiantly this time and will naturally be rewarded according to military regulations. However, there is currently no established precedent for casualty compensation. For now, it will be paid out through conversions of military merit, immortal silver, and advancement quotas."
Liu Fei sprang to his feet, shouting, "My Lord, the brothers don't want anything else—they just want some land! With land, their hearts will be at ease, and they can fight to the death for Your Lordship without fear! Lord Wei, those brothers died in battle, but their families are still waiting and hoping, and the surviving brothers are waiting too!"
Wei Yuan brought out the petition and asked, "Was everything written here your idea?"
Liu Fei said, "That's right, I wrote every word! Lord Wei, the brothers fight with their heads on the line—isn't it all just to build a little property of their own? Besides, we aren't asking for much, just that parcel of fields beside our campsite. I've already scouted it out!"
Wei Yuan asked again, "Does your entire battalion think this way?"
Liu Fei was taken aback, then said, "I haven't asked them, but there shouldn't be any problem. Regardless of what I say, the brothers always listen to me."
"And if farmland is not granted, what do you intend to do?"
Liu Fei dropped to his knees with a thud and said, "If Your Lordship does not grant this, then please allow us brothers to leave. Henceforth, my brothers and I will fend for ourselves, sink or swim."
Wei Yuan's voice turned chillingly cold. "Are you plotting a mutiny?"
Liu Fei pressed himself against the ground, refusing to rise, and said, "This subordinate would never dare! It is just that, Lord Wei, more than two hundred brothers in our battalion fell in battle this time. This humble one can ask his conscience and say we have done right by Your Lordship, done right by Qingming! If Your Lordship is unwilling to give casualty compensation, then this subordinate simply cannot understand it. We would rather take the brothers and seek another path! If Your Lordship feels the brothers in the battalion have bled and fought for Qingming, please grant us a way out!"
"Who taught you to say this?"
Liu Fei hesitated for a moment before saying, "Many people share this subordinate's thoughts. Granting land for military merit is standard practice throughout the world, yet Your Lordship forbids it! This subordinate simply could not make sense of it for a moment, and that is why I said it."
Wei Yuan said indifferently, "You are indeed loyal and steadfast enough, still shielding others even at this point. Go and cool your head. Guards, seize him! Throw him into the dungeon to await sentencing!"
Chapter 443