Xu Yuan did not delve any deeper into the sects' grand scheme for the Western Desert.
It was not because he distrusted Tianyan, but because saying too much would only put her in a dilemma.
After all, their stances were fundamentally opposed.
As the legitimate son of the Chancellor's Manor, he wished to see the sects' plot fail completely.
As the Saintess of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, she naturally hoped the entire plan would succeed.
Analyzing the ins and outs of the situation for her was fine, but dragging her into his countermeasures would be putting her over an open flame.
His thoughts drifted. With his bosom brother's fate unknown and their irreconcilable allegiances hanging over them, a flurry of troubled emotions crept through Xu Yuan's heart, ultimately dissolving into a sigh.
Raising his eyes toward the looming fortress city drawing closer, a trace of helplessness flickered in his narrow, phoenix-tail eyes.
Helplessness at the current state of affairs in the Western Desert.
Xu Yuan could see that their opponents' entire plan revolved around the Mu Family Chamber of Commerce, and that every move had been arranged through it.
The economic base determined the superstructure.
The Mu Family Chamber of Commerce already controlled roughly half of the Zhenxi Army's revenue sources, not to mention the deeply intertwined industrial chains. Over the course of several decades, the Zhenxi Army's ranks had likely been fractured from within without anyone realizing it.
Nor was that all the Mu Family Chamber of Commerce had done over the years.
They had consistently maintained trade relations with certain Dachao tribes.
The two major authorities of Great Yan's northwestern frontier—Zhenxi Manor and the Dachao Royal Court—had both been infiltrated by the Mu Family Chamber of Commerce through economic leverage to varying degrees.
After so many years of careful positioning, whoever was behind the chamber could now effortlessly shift their covert conspiracy into an open gambit.
And against this open gambit, the Chancellor's Manor seemed to have virtually no counter.
Just as the sects had anticipated, the Chancellor's Manor had all its forces tied down in the north, leaving it unable to deploy comparable strength to contest this board. By the time the dust settled in Di'an, the Western Desert would already be lost beyond recovery.
His analysis of the whole situation was constantly revised as new information came in.
Based on what he currently knew, Xu Yuan could identify only two potential breakthroughs.
The first was to locate the missing Li Junwu and the Desert Divine Maiden.
Those two were immensely important—important enough to be called the very crux of the storm brewing over the desert.
He had to keep Li Junwu alive so that this daughter, having narrowly escaped death, could personally warn Marquis Zhenxi to guard against the Mu Family Chamber of Commerce.
Granted, that route held great uncertainty because Marquis Zhenxi's stance had never been clear. Xu Yuan had always had the impression that the marquis was an old man who simply wanted to let things slide. Back in Di'an, Xu Yuan had often heard Li Junwu grumble that her old man was constantly looking for a chance to take off his armor and retire to the fields. The Mu Family Chamber of Commerce could never have grown to its present scale without Marquis Zhenxi's tacit consent.
Even if Li Junwu managed to persuade the old man, given how deeply the chamber had infiltrated Marquis Zhenxi's Manor, doing so might instantly trigger a civil war within the manor. Still, either outcome was far better than the manor undergoing a peaceful usurpation.
As for the Desert Divine Maiden, she was even more critical. Back then, Xu Yuan had suggested to his father that they control and support this slender-waisted enchantress to meddle in the internal affairs of the desert. If they held her, the mastermind behind the chamber would see their scheme to subsume the Dachao completely fall apart.
At this thought, waves of helplessness washed over Xu Yuan's heart. The desert was vast, and the two had been missing for months; finding them was practically impossible.
In other words, only the second breakthrough remained before him.
Make use of Mu Xingyi.
Those three Saints were currently the greatest variables in the Western Desert.
Logically speaking, that family of three was unlikely to be aligned with the mastermind behind the chamber.
First, the Mu Family Chamber of Commerce had framed and hunted Mu Xingyi for more than twenty years, making it unreasonable for him to cooperate with them. Second, that whole family had gone utterly mad and was impossible to control.
No planner would allow such an erratic variable to exist in a grand scheme decades in the making.
***
Even on foot, Xu Yuan and Tianyan traveled at no slow pace, arriving beneath Zhenxi Prefectural City in barely forty-five minutes.
Compared to when they had left over a month ago, the majestic fortress city was far busier.
Beneath the colossal city gate, countless carriages formed a serpentine queue waiting for deployment orders. The wide cliffside road connecting both sides of Thousand Thorns Gorge had been placed entirely under martial law, with soldiers of the Zhenxi Army in tan armor inspecting every passing carriage.
Not wanting to draw unwanted attention at a sensitive time like this, Xu Yuan did not show his Chancellor's Manor token, choosing instead to blend into the long queue entering the city alongside Tianyan.
The clatter of demonic beasts' hooves and their occasional snorts mingled with the noisy chatter of nearby merchants.
A man with a black cloth wrapped around his head spoke in a deep, rough voice: "Old Liu, did you folks just come back from the Monan Protectorate too?"
The man surnamed Liu was bare-chested, his bronze muscles sharply defined. He rubbed his hands together with a grin. "You know me, I only run small-time goods. How would I dare venture out that far?"
"So there's no fighting around Jintong City?"
"It was safe enough along the way. Why do you ask? Did something happen over by the Monan Protectorate?"
"Nothing major, just martial law."
"Martial law? Then didn't you make a killing on your run out there?"
"Just a modest profit. Normal rice is six wen a jin, but it's hit ten wen over there." The black-turbaned man's rough voice carried a hint of smugness as he smiled. "Once I head back and restock this time, Old Ma and a few others are planning to pool our money for a bigger load of grain and oil to take to the protectorate. You want in? More men means looking out for each other."
"..."
"..."
The chatter of the peddlers revolved mostly around trade. For these common merchants at the bottom, business opportunities relied almost entirely on word of mouth.
Listening to the lively market banter, Xu Yuan subconsciously stroked his chin.
In Great Yan, rice generally went for five wen a jin. The Monan Protectorate was further from grain-producing regions, so the price typically rose to about six wen.
Now that war had broken out, the rice price over there had not even doubled?
It seemed the campaign on that side was proceeding quite smoothly.
With that in mind, Xu Yuan glanced at the young woman beside him, whose head was concealed under a veiled hat, and sent a quiet transmission: *What do you plan to do once we enter the city?*
As a crucial border garrison, Zhenxi Prefectural City was secure enough that his safety would essentially be guaranteed once inside. There would be no further need for Tianyan to protect him.
Tianyan stared at Xu Yuan through the white gauze for several breaths before murmuring, "You don't seem to believe Mu Xingchen's words at all."
*You mean the three Saints attacking the city?*
"What else?"
*I think it's very unlikely,* Xu Yuan replied slowly. *Mu Xingyi may be a Saint now, but he forced his breakthrough by devouring his own father through ancient beast bloodlines. His combat prowess hasn't genuinely reached the Saint threshold. Not to mention Madame Wan hasn't returned to her peak since childbirth. With three watered-down Saints trying to assault a heavily fortified garrison like Zhenxi Prefectural City, at least two of them would end up dying here.*
Tianyan fell silent for a moment before retorting coolly, "Have you forgotten that the Insect Saint could command insect swarms? What if Mu Xingyi inherited that ability? You should know how many demonic insects dwell in Thousand Thorns Gorge."
*What would be their motive?* Xu Yuan said at a leisurely pace. *Do they have any reason to attack the city? Yes, devouring living beings helps their child grow quickly, but their lifespans are virtually endless. Why not take their time? Morals and order haven't completely collapsed yet; if they attack the city, they'll face the full pursuit of all of Great Yan.*
Tianyan naturally understood this reasoning, but she was trying to point out something else: "Then why did he tell Mu Xingchen that? Have you thought about that?"
*Of course I have.* Xu Yuan sighed softly, slowly moving forward with the snaking queue as he replied in a hushed voice, *The problem is, I haven't found an answer either.*
Tianyan paused, then replied coldly, "I hope you know what you're doing. In half a month, I will attend to my own affairs."
Hearing this, a wave of warmth rose in Xu Yuan's heart. Stepping closer, he reached out to wrap an arm around her waist. "Worried about me?"
Tianyan furrowed her brows and slipped away, glaring at him through the veil with her striking golden eyes. "With so many people around, can't you drop your shameless womanizing habits for once?!"
With a soft huff, the young woman added in a quiet mutter, "Besides, that was Tianye's opinion just now."
"..."
Xu Yuan completely failed to hold back his laughter.
Tianyan went quiet for a moment, then puffed out her chest and snorted fiercely, "Laugh again and I'll tear your face off! I... I never said my opinion was different from Tianye's!"
Toward the end, her fierce tone noticeably softened.
***
Without pulling strings, the entry procedures were extremely tedious. It took a full two hours before Xu Yuan and Tianyan finally entered Zhenxi Manor.
Tianyan swept a brief glance over the towering city walls and murmured, "Zhenxi Prefectural City seems to have brought in quite a few new troop reinforcements. Counting the ones we saw outside the walls, there are at least four battalions stationed here."
Walking along the broad thoroughfare, looking at the bustling crowd around him, Xu Yuan relaxed considerably. Taking in the passing pedestrians, he remarked casually, "Zhenxi Prefectural City occupies a pivotal position. It's the most vital grain route for the Monan Protectorate. Now that the war has begun, it's only natural they take it seriously. But since martial law hasn't been declared inside the city, everything should still be under control."
"..."
Just as Tianyan was about to reply, she noticed the strange direction of Xu Yuan's gaze.
Customs in the desert were bold and unrestrained, and many women walked the streets clad only in wrapped chest cloths and loose trousers.
And this damn man beside her was staring straight at them.
Before her temper could flare, Xu Yuan anticipated her move. Turning with a beaming smile, he said softly, "You won't let me look at you, yet you won't let me look at others either. How can you be so unreasonable?"
For a split second, Tianyan felt as though he were complimenting her, but she immediately sneered, "Did I say anything?"
"No, you didn't. I was just talking to myself."
With that, Xu Yuan returned his gaze to the slender waists and full bosoms of the young women on the street. "If you were willing to let me look, why would I bother looking at these common beauties?"
Before Tianyan could thoroughly blow her top, he retracted his gaze and said seriously, "Next, I plan to look up an old acquaintance. Care to come along?"
Tianyan's chest heaved beneath her clothes, her voice turning icy. "An old-fashioned girl like me trailing behind Young Master Xu... I wouldn't want to ruin your fun, would I?"
Xu Yuan shrugged and chuckled. "Not at all. I'm going to see a man."
Tianyan blinked, her brows knitting. "You have acquaintances here?"
Xu Yuan took it for granted. "The Black Scale Guards, of course. After being out of touch for so long, I have to check in with home first."
At the mention of family, the light in Tianyan's golden eyes dimmed. After several beats of silence, she said softly, "I'll walk you there, but I won't go in."
"..."
Xu Yuan remained quiet, offering no reply.
The streets and alleys of Zhenxi Prefectural City were far from desolate due to the war; on the contrary, they were even more bustling than before.
People in all manner of colorful attire came and went, and the architecture bore Western Region influences that lent an exotic charm absent from Great Yan's heartland.
As they walked, Xu Yuan and Tianyan chatted idly, his gaze wandering over their surroundings.
Passing by a relatively quiet street, he suddenly paused in his tracks.
His gaze came to rest on a shop along the roadside.
It was a slave-trading establishment, specializing in selling deeds of sale for attractive young men and women.
No, that was not right—Great Yan no longer had deeds of sale. They were now called long-term labor contracts.
When Li Yaoxuan ascended the throne and consolidated his power, the very first reform he and Xu Yuan's father undertook was the gradual abolition of indentured servitude.
The motivation had nothing to do with so-called human rights; it was simply that slaves were not considered legal persons and therefore could not be taxed.
Now, they were called long-term labor contracts.
Tianyan followed his gaze with mild curiosity, her brows furrowing slightly.
This time, however, she did not jump to jealousy, knowing that Xu Yuan held little interest in the slave trade, and that many intelligence rendezvous points were disguised as similar establishments.
After a brief pause, she asked softly, "Are we here?"
"No," Xu Yuan murmured, shaking his head. "I just saw an old acquaintance."
"Huh?"
Tianyan reflexively looked over, but saw only the quiet storefront.
The cultivator inside had no small measure of cultivation; such a figure would likely prefer not to reveal their face to her.
Pondering for a moment, Tianyan chose not to make things difficult for him. She patted his back gently and said in a low voice, "It's probably best if I don't go in. I'll wait for you at the entrance."
After a brief hesitation, Xu Yuan nodded. "I'll be out shortly."
The slave shop was not particularly large, decorated in a Western Region style. There were only three people in the main hall: a manager looking down at a book, and an attractive young man and woman shackled by iron chains around their necks as living signboards.
Seeing someone enter, the burly manager seated behind the counter closed his book and slowly stood up, as though he had long anticipated Xu Yuan's arrival.
Their eyes met for an instant.
Xu Yuan nodded at him, sending a voice transmission laced with mild perplexity: *Mr. Huang, what are you doing in Zhenxi Prefectural City?*
Chapter 613