Chapter 170

Yuncheng, Agronomist Office.

After the meeting ended and the prevention plan for Yuncheng was confirmed, he returned and immediately led people to start working.

First was to set up checkpoints at the various tributary entrances entering Yuncheng along the Canglan River basin.

Not checkpoints in the ordinary sense, but magic arrays.

Before the people were even supplemented, Zhao Xing had Ling Yuan build a batch of magic arrays called "Water-Clearing Origin Arrays."

At this time, Ling Yuan was leading people to set up the arrays at the entrance of the "Mei River."

Zhao Xing asked Xia Jing for a batch of Warriors, and at this time, the Warriors were helping to lift the array bases off the flying boats.

The array base was mainly made of the fifth-tier material "Silk-Azure Crystal Mother," supplemented by third and fourth-tier materials. The exterior looked like a huge black box.

Each one weighed ten thousand tons, and the Mechanist's special dragon boat could only carry twenty array bases at a time.

"My lord, the dragon boat's triple hoist has already lowered forty-five array bases. The magic array at the entrance of the Mei River is expected to be completed tomorrow," Ling Yuan ran over and said to Zhao Xing. "With the help of the Warriors, the progress is much faster than expected."

Zhao Xing scanned the river surface and said to Ling Yuan: "Work the brothers hard to work overtime, finish it today."

"My lord, they haven't closed their eyes for three days, is it..."

"I sent the Warriors over to help so that it would be finished as soon as possible," Zhao Xing said. "The Southern Barbarian Witches will definitely make a move in April. Working overtime and being tired and bitter now is better than being dismissed or even losing your life later."

"Please, Master Ling, explain these reasons clearly to the brothers. You must not cut corners or be lazy and slack. As long as you don't leave, no one will say anything. Work hard for this moment, and your team can rest for a day tomorrow."

"Yes, this subordinate will definitely hold this position." Although Ling Yuan was also very tired, since Zhao Xing had given the order, he could only accept it.

Although he didn't agree with Zhao Xing's grandstanding approach, Zhao Xing didn't need his approval; just following orders was enough.

After looking around here, Zhao Xing ran to the next location.

"What are you defending against with this array?" Long Xiao asked curiously. "I'll make a note of it, maybe I'll use it later."

Following Zhao Xing, he also became eager to learn.

"How much do you know about the Southern Barbarian Witches?" Zhao Xing asked.

"The character 'Witch' has a horizontal line on top for Heaven, a horizontal line on the bottom for Earth, and a vertical line in the middle for the Sacred Mountain, though some say the vertical line is the Sacred Tree."

"Divided by rank, there are Heaven Witches, Earth Witches, and Human Witches."

"Heaven Witch level ones live on the Sacred Mountain deep in the Southern Wilderness. Generally, the tribal chiefs or kings of alien races are also at the Heaven Witch level."

"The Southern Barbarian Sacred Mountain commands all tribes and kingdoms, and there are also sects from outside the region hidden within."

"Divided by type, there are many—Five Elements, Wind, Thunder—that's seven types right there. There are also Blood Witches, Insect Witches, Beast Witches, etc. The most common are Force Witches, similar to us Warriors, but their fighting styles are also diverse."

"Divided by position, it's much more troublesome. Customs vary in different parts of the Southern Barbarians. In some places, like sacrificial rites, any Witch can do it, and even Force Witches have the ability to perform sacrifices. But in some tribes, only specific types of Witches can do it."

"I can remember the fighting styles and Witch specialties of twenty-seven large tribes."

Zhao Xing gave a thumbs up: "Knowing this, the imperial court giving you the title of Military Marquis would be more than enough."

Long Xiao laughed: "Don't praise me, you still haven't said what array you asked the Heavenly Workshop to set up."

Zhao Xing said: "When Southern Barbarian tribes go to war, they must first dispatch Witches to cast spells using the Canglan River basin. Have you ever heard of the Ten Heaven Witch Disasters?"

"I've heard of it—a legendary type of magic: sand turning into lice, grain not existing, clear water turning into blood, livestock and beasts going mad, ice knives falling from the sky, blood rivers flooding the sky, terrifying parasitism, evil gods devouring souls, darkness descending, and the severance of heaven and earth."

"It is said that even a Heaven Witch cannot perform the final step."

Zhao Xing nodded: "The legend you speak of is the Ten Divine Disasters of the Heaven Witch. If performed to the final step, everyone would perish together, and that piece of heaven and earth where the spell was cast would become a forbidden zone. Unless it's a war of extermination, it won't be used."

"We won't talk about that far; what I'm defending against is the Ten Insect Disasters of the Human Witch level."

"Ten Insect Disasters?" Long Xiao rubbed his chin. "Seems like I've heard of it somewhere."

Zhao Xing said: "A Seventh Rank Insect Witch can perform the Ten Insect Disasters. The specific insects and their names vary."

"If it were normal natural disaster means, I wouldn't be afraid. Let's clash and see who wins."

"But Insect Witches are very troublesome. Occupying the geographical advantage, they only need to stand upstream and cast insect spells, letting the water-borne insect eggs flow downstream, and they can secretly enter Yuncheng territory."

"If it's an Earth-level Insect Witch, a single mother insect could kill all the people and livestock in Yuncheng, and military physicians wouldn't be able to save them in time."

"Even if I could use the 'Hou Bian' method to kill these mother insects, their reproductive ability is too strong, and it would be very troublesome to deal with. If they really got in, the Agronomist Office and the Physician Office wouldn't have to do anything else, so we must defend against it."

"The fifth-tier Water-Clearing Origin Array is the best means to defend against Insect Witches."

"Ling Yuan doesn't understand because he thinks this magic array is too obscure and there's no need to build such a high level."

"Insect Witches are hard to cultivate and don't appear often on the battlefield."

"But it's better to be prepared. The prefecture gave Yuncheng so many materials, I certainly won't let them sit there and get moldy."

"I'll give you a book, take a good look at it; it's all related to Insect Witches."

Long Xiao nodded: "I have indeed seen few Insect Witches, but you are the expert, you call the shots. Water-Clearing Origin Array? I've noted it down, I'll read it when I get back."

Zhao Xing telling Long Xiao so much wasn't purely to clear up his confusion, but because he knew that Insect Witches, which had rarely appeared in the past two hundred years, would appear in large numbers in this great war!

Great Zhou is progressing, and the Southern Barbarian alien races are also progressing. In fact, the pressure on the Southern Barbarian alien races is even greater. To guard against this behemoth that is Great Zhou, they are racking their brains to develop various secret techniques.

Insect Witches also erupted with astonishing energy in this great war of pacifying the barbarians, dealing heavy blows to the pacification army.

Long Xiao will definitely have the opportunity to go deep into the Southern Wilderness, and so will Old Chen. Zhao Xing didn't want these two to have any problems, so he took this opportunity to give Long Xiao a reminder.

In fact, this book still has to rely on Old Chen to see it. There aren't many ways for a Warrior like Long Xiao to think of, but Old Chen is the magic expert.

Because all five offices in Yuncheng were unified on the front line, and the chief officials of each office strongly supported the actions of the Agronomist Office.

Zhao Xing's progress in getting things done was quite fast.

Even if he used such obscure magic arrays and used luxurious materials to have the Mechanists make arrangements, no one dared to say anything.

He didn't need the people below to understand; he only needed the support of the chief officials of each office.

To what extent did each office support Zhao Xing?

"Souls, return!"

At the hour of the Tiger (3-5 AM), Zhang Yi stood at the head of a bridge, holding a soul-guiding lamp and shaking a bell.

A sacrificial altar was placed in front of him, and many masters of ceremonies were sitting and repeating the same actions as him.

The yellow paper in the copper furnace burned fiercely.

The chief official of the temple, Shen Mingyu, was willing to stay beside Zhang Yi and assist him in casting spells.

The firelight illuminated the dark night, and in a short while, the light turned green.

Zhao Xing and Xia Jing were standing behind Zhang Yi.

Both of their "Clear Eye" spells were very high, and they could see that the surroundings were already filled with ghostly shadows. Although it still looked like an empty space, it was actually a ghost army.

If an ordinary person were to stay in this empty space, they would probably soon be eroded by the heavy Yin energy, leading to the exhaustion of their physical blood and Qi.

After a while, the ritual was completed.

Zhang Yi walked down from the altar. "Why are you here?"

"Saw you were about to finish, so we came to take a look," Xia Jing smiled. "Efficiency is very high, Brother Zhang. A hundred-meter-high mountain, you said you'd dig it through in ten days, and you did."

Zhang Yi said helplessly: "Isn't it because Zhao Xing wanted to dig? I never thought that one day I would use ghosts to move bricks."

"If my classmates at the 'Yuan Yin Dao Academy' knew I was doing this after graduation, they would laugh me to death."

Zhao Xing patted Zhang Yi on the shoulder. He knew that this person had entered the army after graduating from the Dao Academy, and as soon as he entered the army, he came to the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven for training, so he was still a bit unaccustomed to such things.

"Being an official is nothing to be ashamed of. Another day, when Brother Zhang returns home in glory and visits the Dao Academy again, who would dare say anything to you? The beauties of the past will definitely look at you with new eyes. Those who mocked you will eventually bow down under your cloud-climbing boots and respectfully call you Lord Zhang!" Zhao Xing habitually described a beautiful future for Zhang Yi.

Beside him, Shen Mingyu looked at Zhang Yi's moved expression and called him an expert. Even he, the nominal chief official, wanted to follow Zhao Xing.

"By the way, how much longer can these ghost laborers last?" Zhao Xing asked. "Can they finish tomorrow?"

"Yes," Zhang Yi said. "But the incense medium of the temple is running low. It can support these ghost laborers for at most half a month."

"Half a month, huh." Zhao Xing rubbed his chin. "Can these ghost laborers do anything else? Like fighting or something?"

"No," Zhang Yi shook his head. "The rules of these ghost laborers are that they only do things for money and don't risk their lives."

"If you don't give them money, doesn't that mean they aren't risking their lives?"

Xia Jing: "..."

Zhang Yi: "???"

Zhao Xing looked at Shen Mingyu and said: "You can ask Lord Shen and see if it's feasible."

Shen Mingyu nodded helplessly: "Theoretically, it is possible. If these ghost laborers dissipate due to an accident, there is no need to consume incense mediums to send them back..."

Shen Mingyu's words stunned Zhang Yi. Can you really play like this? He felt that his path of sacrifice had opened a door to a new world.

Xia Jing also looked at Zhao Xing in surprise. Even though he was already used to Zhao Xing's wild imagination, he was often surprised by Zhao Xing's ideas: "Brother Zhao, how are you so proficient?"

Zhao Xing casually prevaricated: "I also read it in books. The library of the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven has many, you'll know when you go back and flip through them."

What kind of miscellaneous books would teach this? Although Xia Jing was suspicious, he didn't ask much, as he had slowly gotten used to it.

"Ahem," Shen Mingyu said. "Lord Zhao, this method is contrary to the harmony of heaven."

Zhao Xing cupped his hands and said: "I didn't say I wouldn't give it, but don't we have to save a little? If we reduce this incense, can it be extended for a longer time in half a month?"

Xia Jing was also corrupted: "That's true. If it really doesn't work, wait until the incense supply arrives and give it next time."

Shen Mingyu was speechless. He always felt that his thinking was incompatible with this group of young people, especially Zhao Xing, whose rhythm he couldn't keep up with at all.

He even wants to save ghost money, it's just unbelievable!

What is wrong with this world? Is the era changing so fast?

Is it that I am too pedantic, or is Zhao Xing too perverted?

Zhao Xing didn't continue to say much. People change step by step. Zhang Yi can't accept it yet, but he will get used to it slowly later.

"Brother Zhang, Lord Shen, thank you all for your contributions to Yuncheng. After digging through the mountain this time, I will host a banquet to reward the lords of the temple. Please be sure to grace us with your presence."

"Lord Zhao is too polite, this is what we should do." Shen Mingyu was very polite. He was also implicated in the last Shao Wanjie case, and negligence and dereliction of duty were unavoidable, but he was also decisive and chose to stay and work with these young people.

He had no opinion on giving up his position as chief official. The temple was now actually dominated by Zhang Yi, so how could he put on any airs?

"Whoosh~"

Zhao Xing and Xia Jing took a flying boat to the next location for inspection.

After the functions of the government agencies were restored, the energy they exerted was terrifying.

Now they needed people, and they had them—and they were elites!

They needed supplies, and they had them—making up for the amount missing for ten years in one go.

Moreover, the offices in Yuncheng worked together, and the defense of Yuncheng, which was originally leaking like a sieve, was quickly restored.

Amidst the vigorous prevention and restoration in Yuncheng, time soon arrived at the fourth month of the seventeenth year of the Jingxin calendar.

On the first day of the fourth month, Zhaoke was leading ten Human Witches from the Hana tribe to patrol the riverside.

He had arrived at the upper reaches of the Canglan River ten days ago.

"Young Tribe Leader, this place is only a hundred miles away from Yuncheng. We cannot advance any further. If we advance further, we may be discovered or even encounter Great Zhou soldiers."

"Hmm," Zhaoke nodded. "Although it's not the best spell-casting route, let's choose this place."

"Young Tribe Leader, Yuncheng is just a mess, it will collapse at a touch. Why do we need to perform the Ten Locust Disasters?" an elderly Witch asked.

"As long as the mother insect doesn't die, it can lurk in Yuncheng. If we can fight to the Nine Heavens Response Bureau in the future, we can cast spells to activate it at any time," Zhaoke said.

"Fight to the Nine Heavens Response Bureau?" The elderly Witch didn't agree with this statement in his heart, thinking it was wishful thinking. He didn't know if it was good or bad that their Hana tribe had such an ambitious young leader, but he had already questioned it twice, so he couldn't say much more, just stroked his chest and agreed.

"Put the mother insects into the magic boats," Zhaoke said. "Cast spells according to the pre-planned route and let them enter Yuncheng territory."

"Yes."

Ten Human Witches immediately dug boxes out of the ground. In these boxes, mother insects were raised.

"Go!"

Subsequently, fifty mother insects were thrown into the magic boats and drifted downstream along the river.

There was also a method to placing the mother insects. Zhaoke and his men used magic to cover their appearance. The things carrying the mother insects were either a piece of dead wood, a piece of wooden board, or a fish...

After placing them, Zhaoke and the others stood still, their minds attached to the magic boats, carrying fifty mother insects, drifting toward Yuncheng territory according to the planned route.

The guaranteed two updates are delivered. I won't pay back the owed updates today. It's too late. I was normal for a few days, but it's messed up again.

Still owe 14 updates, will pay back slowly this month.