The Shengshan Border Army

Two quarters of an hour later, Xu Xinyao emerged. Xu Yuan looked up. A pale blue dress draped her slender frame, and the expression on her face had already returned to normal. Just like in the past, whenever she felt sorrow, she would only grieve in secret, carefully tucking her emotions away inside her heart so as not to burden anyone else. Looking at her calm face, Xu Yuan asked softly, "All better?" Xu Xinyao replied in a low voice, "Mm, all better." Xu Yuan slowly stood up and stepped half a pace to the side, introducing the two women to each other. "This is Ran Qingmo, and this is my younger sister, Xu Xinyao." "..." Ran Qingmo's cool, quiet eyes turned toward Xu Xinyao. Their gazes met in the air for a fleeting moment. A flicker of emotion passed through Xu Xinyao's eyes, and she whispered to Xu Yuan, "Third Brother, is this sister-in-law?" This was the conclusion she had drawn based on her third brother's past lifestyle. Xu Yuan rolled his eyes. "Just call her Ran Qingmo." Xu Xinyao hesitated slightly, then bowed to Ran Qingmo. "Sister Qingmo." "She's younger than you, only seventeen," Xu Yuan cut in before Ran Qingmo could speak. Xu Xinyao glanced at her third brother with gentle, water-soft eyes and murmured, "It makes no difference." Xu Yuan was taken aback for a second, then grinned wryly. "Suit yourself." Ran Qingmo looked back and forth between the two of them before slowly rising to her feet. "Hello. Thank you for saving Shengshan County." She had just heard from Xu Yuan that Shengshan County would have been beyond saving had they not happened upon Xu Xinyao. At those words, Xu Xinyao froze slightly and subconsciously averted her gaze, whispering, "This matter started because of me. If not for my array, things would never have reached this point." Ran Qingmo tilted her head, her clear voice tinged with confusion. "But wasn't the culprit the Wanxiang Sect?" "..." Xu Xinyao blinked her beautiful eyes at her. Ran Qingmo's eyes held no impurities. "I heard the townspeople say that at the beginning, you—" "Ran Qingmo." Xu Yuan spoke up to interrupt her. "She truly misjudged people. This matter was indeed caused by her." Ran Qingmo glanced at Xu Yuan and said softly, "But..." Xu Yuan hardened his tone. "Ran Qingmo." "..." Ran Qingmo dutifully fell silent. Seeing this, Xu Yuan remarked casually, "Let's go. Head to Shengshan County and see your 'good deeds' with your own eyes." With a complicated expression, Xu Xinyao nodded gently. "Mm..." As the distance wasn't far, Xu Yuan didn't have the Saint's remnant soul carry him as they traveled, but because of that, he got to witness the methods of this fourth sister. Her boots were engraved with a miraculous array formation that briefly boosted her speed to the level of a Grandmaster, while the array patterns on her clothes shielded her from the forces of acceleration. Her reaction speed also seemed enhanced by some array formation, leaving her with enough ease on the road to transmit voice messages to him. No wonder this fourth sister's combat power was so formidable in Cangyuan. The distance of several li passed in no time. Landing before the Illusory Mist Grand Array, which stood like a natural chasm, Xu Xinyao retrieved a pale blue token from the Sumeru ring on her finger. After performing a few hand seals, the Illusory Mist Grand Array before them churned, parting to both sides to reveal a semi-circular passage about a zhang wide. Stepping inside, the mist churned on either side, and the faint roars of demonic beasts could even be heard within. Although manipulating the Illusory Mist Grand Array had averted Shengshan County's fate of being slaughtered, the array was only a trapping formation after all; it could not effectively slay the beasts inside, and those trapped within still remained. Traversing the uneven earth, the trio stepped out of the narrow misty corridor. Looking at the scene before him, Xu Yuan murmured blankly, "It seems the crisis here can only truly be resolved once the surrounding reinforcements arrive." As his words fell, Xu Yuan looked forward. Greeting his eyes was nothing but ruin and corpses covering the ground. The area surrounding Shengshan County's walls had been cleared into open ground, but upon this clearing lay carpeted countless corpses of demonic beasts, interspersed with a few mangled human limbs whose remnants of Shengshan border army uniforms could faintly be made out. Yet this was only the lesser part of it. Following the vast expanse of demonic beasts and border guards along the ground toward the edge of their vision, there stood a wall of flesh and blood. Composed of the shredded remains of demonic beasts and soldiers alike, one could even spot the limp arms of border guards who had struggled desperately before succumbing to death. That was the perimeter of Shengshan County's city-protecting grand array. Countless mountains of flesh and blood piled together in an unbroken line, standing even taller than the walls of Shengshan County! Xu Yuan did not rely on the Saint's soul power to fly over; instead, he walked forward step by step. None of the three spoke. Step by step, they climbed the high wall piled with flesh and blood, bringing the scene inside Shengshan County into view. A large section of the city wall had collapsed. The parts that remained standing were pitted and gouged; the array patterns on some sections were still functioning, but their spiritual light had dimmed to a faint glimmer, on the verge of collapse. And deeper in lay a living hell on earth. Beyond the collapsed walls, human corpses increased drastically. Severed limbs and broken arms littered nearly every corner, alongside countless bodies torn in half by the grotesque mouthparts of demonic beasts. These horrors stretched along the battered streets, penetrating all the way into the city. The border town of Shengshan, which had flourished with such difficulty, was now bathed entirely in blood. As dawn broke, along the deathly silent streets, remnants of the Shengshan border army led a scattering of martial apprentices from knight-errant bands and merchant caravans, searching through the streets for survivors that almost certainly did not exist. At this moment, Xu Yuan truly understood the meaning of "rivers of blood." Beneath his feet was soft, squelching flesh. Xu Yuan clenched his fists slightly, turned his eyes to his adoptive younger sister in her pale blue dress, and asked, "How does it feel?" Xu Xinyao clenched her fists, her breathing ragged. "I... I only wanted to save them." With every step sinking into viscous gore, the gruesome sights and the waves of metallic stench relentlessly assailed Xu Yuan's senses. He said in a low voice, "Doing evil with good intentions is still doing evil." "Mm..." Xu Xinyao pressed hard against the two wounds on the back of her hand, the piercing agony barely keeping her lucid. "I... I understand." Xu Yuan stepped down toward the base of the flesh mountain, murmuring, "Xiao Si, the array techniques you have learned and your status as Fourth Miss of the Chancellor's Manor mean your every move touches the lives of countless people. Think more about the consequences of what you do. I've already reported this matter to Father. He'll deal with the Wanxiang Sect, but next time you won't be so fortunate." Xu Xinyao followed behind Xu Yuan in silence. After a while, she asked softly, "Father... is going to move against the Wanxiang Sect? Does he have evidence?" Xu Yuan replied coolly, "Why, do you have evidence?" Xu Xinyao shook her head. "No. They only supported me with resources and silver to construct the array. They knew nothing else, and even that array control node cannot be traced back to them at all." Xu Yuan shook his head and said in a low voice, "Earlier, I captured someone from the Wanxiang Sect who was in the know and handed him over to the Black Scale Guards at Huanglong Market. Once the interrogation yields substantive evidence, Father will act." "Thank you," Xu Xinyao said, her voice filled with guilt. Xu Yuan glanced at her. "If you're truly remorseful, take what I said earlier to heart." "..." A peculiar glint flickered in Xu Xinyao's lowered eyes. The three stepped onto the crumbling city wall. Xu Yuan stood in place, gazing into the distance and shuddering for a long while before a dark silhouette swept rapidly out from within the city toward them. Channeling his cultivation technique into his eyes, he clearly saw that the newcomer was Colonel Wang, whom he had not seen in days. Landing before the three, Colonel Wang exchanged a look with Xu Yuan. Without a second word, he dropped to his knees, cupping his fists in a salute. "This Wang gives thanks to Young Master Zhou for your great kindness on behalf of the people of Shengshan County!" "..." The air fell still for a moment. Xu Yuan stepped forward slowly and helped him up. Compared to when Xu Yuan had left, the middle-aged man with greying temples now looked utterly haggard. A bloody gash tore almost completely across his waist and abdomen, and heavy exhaustion filled his eyes. Over the past few days, the slaughter of his comrades and his own physical wounds had worn this burly man down, body and soul. With a sigh, Xu Yuan said quietly, "Colonel Wang, I merely did what I wished to do." Colonel Wang looked at the young man, emotions churning in his weary eyes. "Young Master Zhou, it may be nothing to you, but if not for you, Shengshan County might no longer exist in this world..." Xu Yuan shook his head and shifted the topic. "Tell me, how did things turn into this in just three days?" Colonel Wang fell silent, his fists clenching until the knuckles cracked. Gritting his teeth, he said, "The Wanxiang Sect planted deathsworn agents among the merchant caravans in the city. They detonated small Source Crystal bombs to destroy several critical array nodes." Xu Yuan frowned, glancing around to spot several scorched marks on the inner side of the wall. He sighed. "The Wanxiang Sect truly kept back a trump card." With that, Xu Yuan patted Colonel Wang's shoulder and murmured, "The reinforcements from neighboring counties should arrive within ten days. When they do, they will deal with the demonic beasts remaining in the array. Rest well for now." Saying this, Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Xu Xinyao. "Miss Xu, hand the array control token over to Colonel Wang." Hearing this, Colonel Wang was taken aback. He turned to look, and the instant he saw Xu Xinyao, a flurry of complicated emotions flickered across his eyes. Anger, and also gratitude. In the end, the burly man bowed his head in a salute toward Xu Xinyao. "Miss Xinyao." Xu Xinyao stepped forward slowly and presented the token. "Colonel Wang, I'm sorry..." Bowing his head, Colonel Wang took it and said softly, "Miss Xinyao, you were merely being used. However, before entering the city, it would be best to veil your face, just like Miss Ying'er." "..." Hearing this, Xu Yuan interjected with mild curiosity, "Oh? Is it because the townspeople are so grateful to her?" Colonel Wang paused and glanced at Young Master Zhou beside him, but answered honestly in a somber voice, "No, Young Master Zhou might not be aware, but the city now views Miss Xinyao as an accomplice of the Wanxiang Sect. Her living shrine has already been torn down. We in the border army did our best to dissuade them, but the unrest among the common folk is a small matter compared to the martial apprentices among the itinerant merchants and knight-errant bands. The Shengshan border army is... no longer capable of maintaining order. With public fury running high, Miss Xinyao could be in grave danger if she enters like this." Hearing this, Xu Yuan rubbed his temples, understanding the situation well enough. People loved to create gods, but they also loved to drag them down from their pedestals—especially when their own lives were threatened and their emotions needed an outlet. He looked sideways at her. "Seems your efforts were all in vain, weren't they?" The person who strove to save the people had instead become the target of their resentment. She fell silent for a moment, then managed a strained smile. "Young Master Zhou, this is what Xinyao deserves." Xu Yuan looked at the smile on her face, shook his head, and turned to ask Colonel Wang in a low voice, "Colonel Wang, could we borrow the city's communication crystal?" Colonel Wang hesitated slightly and whispered, "Young Master Zhou, the array has already failed." Xu Yuan raised a finger and pointed at Xu Xinyao beside him. "Look, isn't there a grandmaster of arrays right here?" Colonel Wang did not hesitate. "If needed, Young Master Zhou may use it as you please." Xu Yuan smiled faintly. "Then let us go." With that, Xu Yuan hopped straight down from the wall. Colonel Wang glanced back at Xu Xinyao, opening his mouth as if to say something, but said nothing and leapt down after Xu Yuan. Just as Xu Xinyao was about to follow, she suddenly felt a tug at the hem of her clothes. Ran Qingmo silently retrieved a brand-new muli veil from her Sumeru ring, tugging at her, and asked softly, "Um... don't you want one?" Xu Xinyao looked at the veiled hat and bit her lip. "I... I'll just—" "She wants it," Xu Yuan's voice called from below the wall. "Ran Qingmo, put it on for her." As they ventured deeper into the inner city, living people gradually grew more numerous along the streets, though the stench of blood did not diminish in the slightest. Countless wounded lay laid out on both sides of the streets, while figures resembling physicians rushed among them. Painful groans and tumultuous curses rang out without end. Most of those maintaining order were martial apprentices from merchant caravans, as the Shengshan border army had practically been wiped out defending the city. The well-dressed trio of Xu Yuan and his companions drew quite a few eyes, but in the agony of bereavement and death, most people merely cast them a numb glance before looking away. Xu Yuan withdrew his gaze and asked in a low voice, "Has there been a count of the wounded?" Half had meant half of them were dead, not counting the injured. Under Shengshan County's current medical conditions, most of these wounded would likely succumb to illness and agony. Walking in front, Colonel Wang answered in a heavy voice, "It can't be counted—there are simply too many. The walls to the south and west were breached. Even though we reached an agreement with the caravans and knight-errant bands, we couldn't possibly kill them all fast enough. If Young Master Zhou had been even half a day later, Shengshan might already have become a city of the dead." Without another word, they walked along until they entered the county yamen. Passing by the drill grounds, Xu Yuan's nearly numbed thoughts froze once again. Upon the vast drill grounds lay countless corpses. The white cloths used to cover the bodies had long run out, replaced by mismatched patches of colorful fabric spread across the ground, beneath which lay many mangled remains. Blood blossomed like red spider lilies across the fabric. Xu Yuan asked quietly, "Colonel Wang... how many are left in your Shengshan border army?" Colonel Wang paused in his tracks, sweeping a glance across the drill grounds, his lips pulling into a strained grimace. "Four... four hundred and thirty-seven." Two hours later. Inside the silent stone room, as the array runes charged and illuminated, a massive spherical crystal floated up from the floor. Standing before the Source Crystal, Xu Xinyao looked back and murmured, "Third Brother, the communication crystal is repaired." Xu Yuan said nothing. Stepping forward, he gently laid a hand upon the crystal's surface, pouring his intent-soul and Source Qi into it simultaneously. Seeing this, Xu Xinyao lingered in silence for a moment and prepared to quietly exit the stone room, but Xu Yuan's voice suddenly called out: "I am going to speak with Father. You stay."