Surviving the calamity, Qingming was covered in wounds and devastation, draped everywhere in white mourning silk. Most in need of aftermath relief was Yong'an. This central city of Qingming had originally been home to over a hundred thousand people, but under Hongye's curse, tens of thousands had been killed and tens of thousands more maimed; fewer than half of its inhabitants had escaped unharmed.
There had originally been several thousand young children in the city, but enchanted by the beauty of the drifting autumn leaves, they had rashly reached out to touch them—and every single one had died a tragic death.
In addition, across the entire domain, nearly ten thousand more had died scattered under the red leaves. Added together, over sixty thousand people had perished under this single Shaman art of Hongye's, while another forty thousand were crippled.
Immediately after the battle, Wei Yuan rushed to Yong'an and dispatched all his Dao Foundation warriors to aid in the rescue. Several public squares throughout the city were filled with the wounded. Sun Yu and over twenty apprentices possessing Innate Lifegiving Water Dao Foundations were already doing everything they could to treat them, and Xu Henshui had brought his fellow disciples from the Monastery of Creation to assist.
Cai Shizhi and all his disciples were also busy tending to the wounded. Scholars often studied medical texts on the side, and many renowned Confucian scholars were celebrated physicians in their own right.
Upon seeing Wei Yuan, Cai Shizhi stepped forward, looking haggard. "Four of my disciples died under that shamanic curse," he said. "They were still young, and I didn't feel comfortable sending them to the battlefield, so I kept them in the city to teach. Little did I imagine that doing so would only bring about their doom."
Wei Yuan said, "This was the Shamans' doing; you must not blame yourself, Master Cai. The Shamans have lost all sanity to deploy such an atrocious art. Rest assured, sir, I will see justice done!"
Cai Shizhi nodded and said wearily, "Over a dozen students from the academy have died, all of them promising scholars. Alas! Go attend to your duties; I must return to saving lives."
Wei Yuan made his way over to Sun Yu, who was walking through the grounds, inspecting the patients one by one. His medical skill was superb, and with just a single glance at a wound, he rendered his verdict: "Amputate. Amputate. Amputate. Wait for death. Wait for death. Amputate..."
Occasionally, Sun Yu would personally intervene to save someone—for instance, a man whose legs had been severed at the knees and who had lost excessive blood. Sun Yu waved two wisps of pill qi, immediately carbonizing the wounds of his severed legs and sealing them shut. Once the charred flesh sloughed off on its own in a few days, the wounds would be considered healed.
Seeing Wei Yuan arrive, Sun Yu used a Dao art to focus his voice and asked, "These people will all be burdens in the future, and there are far too many of them. Should we save fewer?"
In truth, under normal circumstances, a severed limb meant near-certain death on the spot for a mortal; it was only because they encountered Sun Yu, a True Person of the Dharma Idol realm who was deeply versed in medicine, that they could survive. Yet even if they survived, they would henceforth be regarded as burdens—and in reality, they were indeed an encumbrance.
Wei Yuan said, "Give them the treatment mortals are entitled to. Save as many as can be saved."
"Very well," Sun Yu replied, and resumed his treatments.
The so-called treatment mortals were entitled to meant employing simple Dao arts and ordinary medicine. In truth, applying a cultivator's Dao arts to mortals was no less effective than miraculous spirit pills. With Sun Yu taking action, most of the people present would survive.
In Wei Yuan's eyes, whether they became a burden was a matter for later. If he didn't save them now, what would have been the point of these people coming to Qingming, and what meaning would there be in the deaths of those who had marched forward and laid down their lives on the front line?
Counting the casualties in the rear, Qingming's losses in this battle had already surpassed two hundred thousand. The Shamans' casualties were even more severe; among the severely wounded warriors who retreated, at least tens of thousands would succumb to their injuries.
The Shamans possessed a caste system far harsher than that of the human race. The vast majority were slaves and pariahs, with only a tiny fraction belonging to noble races. At the top were the Shaman Scholars, followed by the nobles. When slaves and pariahs died, they were simply dead; no one cared.
When pariahs were wounded on the battlefield, after being carried back they were left to fend for themselves, surviving solely on their own vitality. Thus, upon reaching adulthood, Shamans of lower castes mostly chose the powers of lizards, crocodiles, or even certain shamanic insects, all for the sake of potent vitality and regenerative ability.
Wei Yuan estimated that the ultimate death toll for the Shamans would be around four hundred thousand. The difference was that the overwhelming majority of Qingming's dead were civilians, with only twenty thousand trained soldiers among them. In contrast, the Shamans who fell were mostly trained warriors, including tens of thousands of battle-hardened elites.
The first major clash between the two sides had claimed more than six hundred thousand lives in total—a truly tragic toll.
Wei Yuan suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the city. The person was dressed in scholar's garb, wearing a bamboo conical hat, with her mouth and nose covered by a silk scarf. With a flicker of motion, Wei Yuan appeared beside her and asked, "Teacher, why are you here?"
This person was none other than Zhang Sheng in disguise. She said, "I need to walk around the battlefield and see for myself to find an answer to a question. It is my final doubt; once I find the answer, I will begin casting my foundation."
"Have you found the answer?"
Zhang Sheng nodded. "More or less. Now it is merely a matter of final verification. Oh, right—I heard that last time someone named Su Xuejing came from the Sword Palace and was quite a big talker... er, has a very profound understanding of the sword Dao. If fate allows us to meet again, bring him to see me. It would be a fine opportunity to discuss the Dao with him and perhaps glean a bit of inspiration."
Wei Yuan said, "There is also someone from the Sword Palace named Shangguan Qianmo, who also cultivates one of the seven palace-guarding immortal swords, Blossoms on the Pathway. Should I call her over as well?"
"Shangguan Qianmo? Never heard of her. Those so-called seven immortal swords of the Sword Palace are rigidly outdated and flashy without substance—nothing worth seeing, and of no help to me at all."
Just then, a cold snort sounded from midair: "What brazen arrogance! How dare you claim our Seven Palace-Guarding Swords are nothing worth seeing! If you don't explain yourself clearly today, don't dream of walking away from this!"
Wei Yuan looked up and saw Shangguan Qianmo standing in midair, glaring down coldly at the two of them, her expression looking as foul as could be. Sword cultivators were notoriously short-tempered to begin with; how could she tolerate someone criticizing her lineage right to her face?
Wei Yuan felt a splitting headache. He had already noticed Shangguan Qianmo earlier and was wondering whether to bring her over to discuss the sword Dao with his teacher so Zhang Sheng could gain some insight. Who would have guessed that Zhang Sheng would show utter disdain for the Sword Palace's Seven Palace-Guarding Swords? That was practically a slap in the face—unbearable to anyone.
Although Wei Yuan also felt that the techniques of the Sword Palace's Seven Swords he had seen were nothing special, the Sword Palace was renowned far and wide, so he had always assumed it was the practitioners who were lacking, not the swords themselves.
Zhang Sheng looked up and asked, "May I ask which senior from the Sword Palace I am addressing?"
"Senior? Am I that old?!" Shangguan Qianmo's face darkened even further.
Zhang Sheng replied calmly, "In learning, there is no senior or junior; whoever attains mastery is the teacher. Since your current cultivation realm is higher than mine, addressing you as 'senior' is only proper."
Standing beside them, Wei Yuan could only bury his face in his hands.
It had to be said that aside from being weak at the knees, Shangguan Qianmo was exceptionally good-looking, and she grew only more stunning the angrier she became. However, when it came to a battle of words, the disparity in cultivation between her and Zhang Sheng would be completely reversed.
Thinking of this, Wei Yuan couldn't help feeling a wave of relief that Su Xuejing wasn't around—wait, no! If Shangguan Qianmo was here, how could he not be?
A jolt went through Wei Yuan's heart just as a gentle voice rang out from the sky: "Su Xuejing of the Sword Palace greets Master Zhang Sheng. I am delighted to hear that you wish to discuss the Dao and talk swords with me. Since fate has brought us together, why don't we find a quiet place right now to discuss the sword Dao? If I can be of any help to you, I would be more than happy."
Wei Yuan's vision went dark, and he sighed inwardly in lamentation. His only remaining hope was that Su Xuejing hadn't heard the full conversation.
From what Wei Yuan knew of Zhang Sheng, purely in terms of the sword Dao, she was definitely superior to Shangguan Qianmo, but against Su Xuejing, there was no telling. To be more precise, she wouldn't have a single shred of a chance.
Wei Yuan immediately spoke up: "The great battle has only just ended, and my teacher and I both have many matters to attend to. Perhaps another time?"
Zhang Sheng had only just rebuilt her Dao heart, and Wei Yuan did not want her clashing with Su Xuejing like this. Zhang Sheng needed to cultivate an invincible heart, and when facing other top cultivators—especially a peerless genius like Su Xuejing—one had to be cautious to the extreme.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Sheng said, "Nothing could be better. It will be the perfect chance to observe an immortal sword beyond the Seven Swords."
With Zhang Sheng speaking up, Wei Yuan could only let out a long sigh. He escorted everyone to the main peak and invited them into his cultivation chamber.
Shangguan Qianmo entered first, her face black with displeasure the entire way. The young lady clearly couldn't hide her thoughts; her likes and dislikes were written all over her face. Zhang Sheng followed her inside, leaving Su Xuejing and Wei Yuan bringing up the rear.
Su Xuejing suddenly murmured softly, "In all my years out in the world, this is the first time I've ever heard someone say I'm a big talker. Haha!"
His voice reached only Wei Yuan's ears. Su Xuejing patted Wei Yuan's shoulder and strode into the cultivation chamber.
Chapter 497