Countermeasures

Xu Xinyao hesitated slightly, then quietly stopped in her tracks and stood to the side. After finishing his manipulations methodically, Xu Yuan casually sealed the Saint's remnant soul with a restriction and offhandedly remarked, "By the way, Xu Changge might be with Father." Hearing this, Xu Xinyao froze for an instant and subconsciously glanced down at the wound on the back of her hand. "Third Brother... are you worried I'll tattle to Eldest Brother?" "Tattle?" Xu Yuan glanced at her and murmured the word, a hint of amusement surfacing in his eyes. He recalled some memories of the past. Boys were naturally mischievous when they were young, and since their father didn't bother disciplining them, Eldest Brother had to step in. As the only girl in the family, Xu Xinyao was deeply doted on by Xu Changge, the eldest brother. Meanwhile, Xu Xinyao had the disposition of a born punching bag who only ever wept in secret when wronged. The trouble was that Xu Changge could tell she had been crying the moment he saw her, and every single time, he would haul Xu Yuan out and thrash him without another word. Because in the entire Chancellor's Manor, Xu Yuan was the only person who would ever pick on Xu Xinyao. Eldest Brother had always been rather eccentric growing up; facts never mattered to him—all that mattered was what *he* thought, not what *you* thought. A textbook domineering CEO. Whenever all four brats were at home, situations like this usually devolved into Xu Yuan running for his life while cursing Xu Changge, Xu Changge calmly matching his pace to beat him up, Xu Xinyao clutching Eldest Brother's sleeve and pleading for peace, and Second Brother Xu Chang'an stepping in front of Xu Yuan, trying to reason with Eldest Brother. Second Brother Xu Chang'an loved reasoning with people above all else, and he practically never lost an argument. The problem was that even though Second Brother could out-reason Xu Changge, he couldn't outfight him. In the end, the battle of words turned into a battle of fists. With Xu Xinyao crying and pleading on the sidelines, both brothers took a beating together. Who knew how many times that exact scene had played out in the Chancellor's Manor. Later... Later, he was gradually left all alone in the manor, while everyone else had departed... Thinking up to this point, Xu Yuan shook his head faintly. "Whatever. Tell him if you want. It's not like I'm heading back to the Imperial Capital anytime soon anyway." Xu Xinyao lowered her eyes to the wound on the back of her hand. "This was Xinyao's fault. Third Brother was right to strike me." Xu Yuan paid her no further mind. About two quarters of an hour after the array was activated, the call was finally answered on the other end, the voice as composed as ever: "Changtian?" Xu Yinhe seemed to be in a bustling district, as his voice was accompanied by a faint undercurrent of clamor. "Yes, Father, it's me," Xu Yuan replied. The moment he spoke, the noise from the communication crystal abruptly vanished, likely because the other party had used some method to isolate the surrounding sounds. "I was occupied just now. You're contacting me now regarding Shengshan County, I presume?" Xu Yuan nodded. "Yes." "Because Shengshan County has fallen?" Xu Yinhe asked in a deep, calm tone devoid of any ripple of emotion, as though he had already prepared himself for the slaughter of the entire county. Xu Yuan paused in surprise. Earlier, when he had contacted his father via the communication crystal at Huanglong Market, he had clearly explained the general situation and estimated how long Shengshan County could hold out. At the time, his father had merely listened quietly; Xu Yuan hadn't expected him to have already calculated what would happen here with such precision. Had he not run into Xu Xinyao along the way, Shengshan County would indeed have most likely been slaughtered to the last person by now. After a brief pause, Xu Yuan replied softly, "No." "No?" Xu Yinhe's voice remained calm as he continued, "It seems something unexpected occurred." "I ran into Fourth Sister at Huanglong Market," Xu Yuan said straightforwardly. "Little Fourth?" A trace of surprise colored Xu Yinhe's voice, followed by a faint smile in his otherwise unflappable tone. "That is quite a coincidence. Is she beside you right now?" "Yes," Xu Yuan said. Beside him, Xu Xinyao spoke softly: "Father." Upon hearing her voice, the other end of the communication crystal went quiet for a moment before speaking gently: "Don't blame yourself too much. This has nothing to do with you, and Father will handle it. Have a good talk with your third brother; you two haven't seen each other in a long time." Xu Xinyao clenched her fists and said nothing. Listening from the side, Xu Yuan shook his head faintly. Their father was always like this toward family. When his children made a mess, he cleaned it up; even if the heavens collapsed, he would be there to hold them up. Still, Xu Yuan spoke up, "Father, Little Fourth should reflect deeply on this. She trusted the sect too blindly." "Hm?" Xu Yinhe murmured in mild surprise, then chuckled. "Don't be too hard on your sister. Your eldest brother can't stand seeing her wronged." Xu Yuan chuckled softly. "So what if he can't stand it? She was truly in the wrong this time." Xu Yinhe laughed at that and spoke three words: "You've grown." Pausing, Xu Yinhe steered the conversation back on track. "Since Shengshan County was saved, you're contacting me now regarding the Wanxiang Sect, I take it." "Yes," Xu Yuan nodded. Xu Yinhe asked in a low voice, "Lou Ji's people just arrived at Huanglong Market and collected the captive you mentioned. Changtian, how do you want Father to deal with the Wanxiang Sect?" Xu Yuan did not answer right away. Instead, he glanced sideways at Xu Xinyao beside him, gesturing for her to speak. A flicker of light crossed Xu Xinyao's eyes. Biting her lower lip, she said softly, "Father, there must be many people in the Wanxiang Sect who were kept in the dark." Xu Yinhe said nothing; only steady breathing came through the line. Xu Xinyao continued, "The ones who wanted to attack Shengshan County were likely the higher-ups. Could we perhaps..." "Sigh..." Xu Yuan let out a low sigh at this moment, looking at Xu Xinyao with a touch of disappointment in his eyes. Catching her third brother's look, Xu Xinyao swallowed the rest of her words. Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan said in a low voice, "Father, I agree with Xinyao that we shouldn't strike the Wanxiang Sect immediately, but my reasons are different from hers." Xu Yinhe's voice came through the communication crystal: "Let's hear them." Xu Yuan glanced at his fourth sister, who stood with downcast eyes and clenched fists, and spoke in a low tone: "Right now, our primary concern shouldn't be revenge, but disaster relief and damage control. Given Shengshan County's current state, less than a tenth of the border army remains, and the administrative system is completely paralyzed. On top of that, medicine and grain are desperately needed. With so many dead humans and demonic beasts, a plague will likely follow. Every single one of these matters requires silver." "..." After a brief silence, Xu Yinhe's voice came through: "Changtian, you mean we refrain from striking the Wanxiang Sect and instead use this as leverage to demand silver and supplies as compensation?" Xu Yuan's eyes were dark and quiet as he said calmly, "Only that we don't strike *for now*. "Father, you must know that both Pingning Prefecture, where Shengshan County is located, and Xize Province suffer from massive fiscal deficits. They couldn't possibly provide disaster relief funds. If relief is to come, it can only go through you. Setting aside the time it takes, after layers of skimming and embezzlement along the chain, Shengshan County would be fortunate to see even half of the relief funds and grain. "What's more, the current situation is ill-suited for taking action against the Wanxiang Sect." Xu Yinhe fell silent for a moment, his voice taking on a tinge of intrigue: "Go on." Xu Yuan pondered slightly before continuing, "First, this year's spring beast tide hasn't subsided yet, so the official army in Xize Province can hardly spare enough elites to take on the Wanxiang Sect. If troops are mobilized from elsewhere, the sects will most likely catch wind of it. Once exposed, the Wanxiang Sect won't simply stretch out their necks for the slaughter; they will be prepared to fight back like cornered beasts. They have operated in Xize Province for centuries. If we strike and they incite a rebellion, the resulting losses will be immense. "Never start a war when the enemy is fully prepared." "..." When he finished speaking, Xu Yinhe chuckled. It was very faint, but Xu Yuan heard it. The spacious secret chamber remained quiet for a few moments before the communication crystal flickered once more: "Continue." Xu Yuan thought for a moment and continued, "Second, massive reparations will likely trigger infighting within the Wanxiang Sect. When facing shared interests, they stand united, but when it comes to paying reparations, they will never be a solid monolith. They will only scramble to pin the blame for the exposure on someone else's head to minimize their own losses." Having listened carefully, Xu Yinhe asked placidly, "What if they refuse to pay?" Xu Yuan shook his head. "They won't refuse. At most, they will demand that we hand over the witness and all related intelligence. Furthermore, the moment an agreement is reached, we become accomplices. If the matter is ever brought up again and they leak the truth, we too will be implicated." Xu Yinhe's voice remained leisurely and unhurried: "In that case, how will we move against the Wanxiang Sect in the future?" Xu Yuan chuckled softly. "In the future, we won't need a reason." "..." Following his words, complete silence fell. And then, Xu Yinhe laughed. This time, his laughter echoed clearly through the silent stone room. "Heh... Indeed, in the future, we won't need a reason. Changtian, is there more?" "Naturally," Xu Yuan replied, glancing at Xu Xinyao, whose expression was conflicted. "Third, and most importantly, just like what you did before, Father, this action will send a signal to the sects: the Chancellor's Manor has softened its stance, you have abandoned the notion of purging the sects, and we are already preparing our way out." "Very well said," Xu Yinhe praised softly, but then countered, "However, Changtian, you overlooked the most crucial point." Surprise flickered in Xu Yuan's eyes. "What is it?" Xu Yinhe's voice was even: "The sects will only back down when a blade is held to their throats. Even if they agree to pay ruinous reparations, they will only squeeze them out bit by bit. They might take ten years, perhaps twenty, and still never finish paying. Never overestimate their bottom line; their bottom line has no lower limit." Xu Yuan frowned. "Father, then this matter..." Xu Yinhe said softly, "I have already ordered Yuan Hao to lead forty thousand troops of the Black Scale Army to secretly depart from Anfeng Province in batches under the guise of reinforcing the border." Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyes flickered. Over the years, the Wanxiang Sect had long lost the founding patriarch's resolve to 'defend the nation's borders on behalf of the Son of Heaven,' having relocated their sect's headquarters to the easternmost edge of Xize Province, near the border with Anfeng Province. Moreover, he knew this Yuan Hao from Cangyuan. A high-ranking subordinate under his father, whose personality was so extreme that Xu Yuan distinctly remembered this mid-to-late-game boss. An out-and-out war fanatic. With that in mind, Xu Yuan reined in his thoughts and asked with slight hesitation, "Won't such a maneuver provoke the Wanxiang Sect into desperate retaliation?" Xu Yinhe replied: "No one can approach the military encampment. These forty thousand Black Scale Army troops are moving out in batches counted by platoons of fifty men, only rendezvousing near Wanxiang City." Xu Yuan was slightly dumbfounded upon hearing this. Armies in this world actually dared to march like this, breaking up into small units under such rudimentary communication conditions? Besides, marching like this, what about the baggage train? What about siege weapons and war machines? What if a squad got lost along the way? Yet after thinking for an instant, Xu Yuan understood. A fifty-man unit could preserve basic formation and discipline while ensuring stealth. As for baggage and war machinery, they could be transported via Sumeru rings and aerial demonic beasts. After all, this troop movement took place within imperial borders, so there was no danger of ambush. Moreover, Great Yan's official highway network was exceptionally well-developed, dotted with post stations along the way; so long as they didn't deliberately plunge into deep mountain forests, getting lost was virtually impossible. On top of that, most of these soldiers were likely trained at the Tian'an Martial Hall. One couldn't measure this extraordinary world with the ancient warfare models of his previous life. Pondering for a moment, Xu Yuan asked softly, "Father, marching like this, roughly how long until they arrive?" Xu Yinhe naturally had everything under his grasp. "Calculating the time, the vast majority of the troops will converge before Wanxiang City in about twenty days." With that, Xu Yinhe paused. "When the time comes, Changtian, you will negotiate with the Wanxiang Sect." "..." The corner of Xu Yuan's eye twitched. After a long pause, Xu Yuan blurted out a single word: "Me?" "Naturally," Xu Yinhe said leisurely. "Yuan Hao has a violent temperament, making him unsuited for negotiations. Therefore, you will go." Xu Yuan cleared his throat. "Father, are you sure you want me to go?" Xu Yinhe's voice was gentle. "Originally, I wasn't sure whether to send you, but now I am. "Of course, "if you don't want to go, Changtian, you may refuse." Xu Yuan thought it over and replied, "I'll go." Xu Yinhe lightly tapped the desk before him. "Don't put any psychological pressure on yourself. Even if the negotiations fall through, it won't matter." Pausing, Xu Yuan asked, "Father, may I take Xinyao with me?" "..." Xu Xinyao fell silent. Xu Yinhe did not agree immediately, asking instead, "Xinyao, are you willing to go with your brother?" Xu Yuan turned to look at her. Xu Xinyao nodded gently. "Since this started because of Xinyao, of course I am willing." Xu Yuan smiled faintly. "In that case, Father, I'll go make some preparations." Yet Xu Yinhe showed no intention of cutting the connection right away, saying only, "No need to rush. Father happens to have another matter to discuss with you." Xu Yuan paused at that, pondering for a moment before asking, "Father, please speak." For the first time, Xu Yinhe hesitated slightly, then said in a low voice, "I just came out of Marquis Wucheng's Manor." "Marquis Wucheng?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, instinctively thinking of that Commandery Princess named Mu Zhiyun. "Does it concern me?" Xu Yinhe did not deny it. "Yes, it concerns you." "Father, speak plainly." "You have already reached the age of twenty." "..." Hearing this familiar phrasing, Xu Yuan's heart gave a sudden thump, and he remained silent. Seeing that Xu Yuan didn't speak for a long time, Xu Yinhe cleared his throat softly: "Marquis Wucheng has agreed to your return to the Imperial Capital, and Father has also secured a marriage for you."