Chapter 281: Disaster Warning, Emergency Mission, The Headache-Inducing Lord of Mingyue!

"Please forgive our previous rudeness, my lord."

Zhou Cheng, Hu Yang, and Guan Shanhai apologized to Zhao Xing the moment they entered.

Zhao Xing could not fathom the thoughts of these three, for their realms were not low; using his avatar to open the Heavenly Eye, he could not see through their minds.

Zhou Cheng and Guan Shanhai were both opponents he had noted in his little book.

Especially Zhou Cheng; he had been the loudest in opposing his seizure of resources and attacking him as having only a hollow name.

Why such a tremendous change now?

As for Hu Yang, Zhao Xing had no impression of him.

"I was ignorant and foolish; I questioned my lord's ability to govern the classics and spoke many rude words. I have come specifically to beg for punishment." Zhou Cheng bowed and did not rise.

"The 'Treatise on the Great Zhou of Three Yin, Three Yang, and Six Qi' unifies the Heavenly Stems and the four seasons, divides the seasonal cycles, and uses the six qi and six steps,"

"precise to the ke, to expound the transformations of the five elements' qi; it is truly admirable." Guan Shanhai said.

"I also apologize to my lord for my previous reckless words."

Hu Yang did not apologize, for he had not participated in the wave of attacks against Zhao Xing at that time, having been busy with affairs in the Blessed Land.

Pointing at the two, he spoke in an old-fashioned manner: "My lord, if you are not yet appeased, shall I help you beat these two up?"

Hearing him say this, Zhao Xing looked at Hu Yang with surprise: "I have not yet asked for your honorable name."

"Hu Yang, courtesy name Shaodong, Director of the Heaven-Monitoring Bureau of the Tianyuan Blessed Land."

"So it is Director Hu; this subordinate has been disrespectful." Zhao Xing immediately clasped his hands.

Although both wore the robes of a Doctor of the Classics, this Hu Yang's rank within the Blessed Land was already Third Rank.

Like Gu Changqing of the Kunyuan Academy, he was also a Doctor of the Classics, and he too was a Third Rank official.

Doctors of the Classics who also held real power were generally proficient in both law and reason.

They were well-versed in their sect's spells and had cultivated their spells to a profound level.

The Heaven-Monitoring Bureau of the Blessed Land was mainly responsible for monitoring abnormal weather changes.

That is to say, this was an official of the Weather-Change faction.

He was not even from the Tianyuan Prefecture, for the Tianyuan Blessed Land was not located here.

"Please rise, both Doctors; there is no need to mention past matters." Zhao Xing made a gesture of support and used magic to lift Zhou Cheng and Guan Shanhai up.

Hu Yang was clearly here to reconcile relations.

Considering this was not a major issue, and these two were Doctors specializing in the classics, holding no power, and sincerely apologizing, Zhao Xing, out of respect for a Third Rank official, simply let the matter slide.

"Thank you, my lord." Zhou Cheng and Guan Shanhai breathed a sigh of relief and then rose accordingly.

They did not apologize out of fear of power, but were genuinely convinced by Zhao Xing's great treatise.

"Please be seated."

"Hahaha, my lord indeed has excellent magnanimity and a great heart," Hu Yang laughed.

"Director Hu overestimates me," Zhao Xing said modestly.

"My lord, you must not be modest," Hu Yang said. "Your Great Zhou Treatise divides the inner and outer six qi, uses the master qi to narrate the normal, and the guest qi to measure changes; the three yin and three yang combine with the six qi to measure, balance, and reverse weather changes. This principle has already been verified in three Blessed Lands."

Hu Yang clasped his hands and said: "I have come today to inform my lord that your Treatise on the Great Zhou of Three Yin, Three Yang, and Six Qi has been collected by the Temple of our Dynasty, the Great Zhou Library, and the Heaven's Secret Pavilion of the Martial Realm."

"Oh?" Zhao Xing realized; no wonder Hu Yang had traveled all this way.

Hu Yang was not from the Tianyuan Prefecture branch; the Tianyuan Blessed Land was two or three hundred thousand li away, and now that it was wartime,

it would take at least a month to travel.

"Originally, we planned to implement it throughout the world immediately, but given this special period and the involvement of confidential matters, we can only choose another auspicious day," Hu Yang said.

"I have already communicated with Dean Lu; he asked me to inquire about your opinion."

Zhao Xing's heart stirred as he said: "I naturally have no objection; everything should prioritize the overall situation, but I do not know what this confidential matter refers to—"

Hu Yang glanced at Zhou Cheng and Guan Shanhai: "Both Doctors hold no official post; please step aside for now."

The two had been pricking up their ears, intending to hear the founder, Zhao Xing, expound his high theory personally, but Hu Yang had asked them to step aside.

There was no choice; the two had to rise and take their leave: "My lord, we will take our leave for now and visit another day."

"You are welcome anytime."

Seeing Zhao Xing about to rise, the two said again: "Please do not see us off, my lord; official business is more important."

Seeing this, Zhao Xing sat back down on the buttocks he had just raised.

After the two left, Hu Yang waved his hand, and a gentle wind enveloped the entire hall.

Watching the other cast a spell, Zhao Xing nodded inwardly; the wind spell the other cast casually was extremely profound, involving not merely simple yang wind or yin wind, but the high-level True Meaning of the Five Elements.

Within the small space, his wind could instantly transform into fire or lightning, allowing arbitrary switching among the five elements, and even using wind spells to induce weather changes in a specific area.

This was the power of a master who, after mastering the 【True Meaning of the Five Elements】, could influence the rules of heaven and earth!

Yet this was merely Hu Yang casting a spell casually to prevent eavesdropping.

The foundation of the Profound Heaven Academy was even greater than imagined.

"My lord, your Treatise on the Great Zhou of Three Yin, Three Yang, and Six Qi divides the timing and meteorology into a thirty-year cycle, a sixty-year week, a three-hundred-and-sixty-year great cycle, and a three-thousand-six-hundred-year great Zhou."

"It also uses the seasonal cycles of the five elements, based on the degree of abundance of the three yin and three yang, to predict the great heavenly cycle, the execution of the four seasons and the generation of the five elements, with each step executing for seventy-three days and five ke."

"It further assigns the twenty-four solar terms to the six qi and six steps, starting from the Great Cold day of each year, following the order of generation of wood, fire, earth,"

"metal, and water."

"Each step is divided into sixty days and eighty-seven and a half ke; when a certain qi commands, it will display the five-element characteristics related to it."

Zhao Xing listened quietly; combining Hu Yang's background, he vaguely guessed what the other wanted to say.

"My senior brother and I discovered that your Great Zhou Treatise can predict the strength cycles of the Martial Realm channels, making it more useful than the original 'Treatise on the Tianyuan Era' and the 'Treatise on the Method of Qi Transformation in the Grotto-Heavens'."

"This is a Small Zhou Treatise written by my senior brother and me based on your Great Zhou Treatise, adopting the calculation methods from the Tianyuan Numerology Treatise."

Hu Yang took a Juan Sect out of his sleeve and handed it over.

Zhao Xing took it, glanced at it, and immediately understood why Hu Yang had treated the matter with such solemnity.

Because the passages to the various cave heavens in the Military Realm had entered a weak cycle, coupled with the turmoil in Pinghai Prefecture and Lvliang Prefecture causing interference, only seven passages in Pinghai Prefecture remained open for entry and exit.

Hu Yang and his senior brother Zhang Tianxing were originally masters of numerology; they were responsible for calculating when the remaining passages would reopen under the interference.

Do not underestimate this calculation of time; it concerns the specific timing for troop deployment.

Whether the main army enters Pinghai Prefecture one day earlier or one day later makes a huge difference.

If they enter one day earlier, how much less damage would Pinghai Prefecture suffer?

This was indeed a secret, and a very important one; Zhao Xing's Great Zhou Heaven Treatise was not yet suitable for large-scale promotion.

"Impressive." After reading it, Zhao Xing could not help but nod silently in approval. His own great treatise did not mix in numerological calculations, but Hu Yang and his senior brother had found another calculation method from the Heavenly Origin Numerology Method.

Zhao Xing knew the specific period; upon comparison, he found that Hu Yang and his senior brother were already very close to a precise prediction, with an error of only two double-hours and four quarters!

"Duke Yuan, when you wrote this scripture treatise, did you create a numerical public theory regarding the heavenly cycle of the cave heavens?" Hu Yang asked with hopeful anticipation; this was also his main purpose for coming here.

What he and his senior brother calculated was, after all, not as precise as that of the founder.

Zhao Xing pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, but I need time to verify it."

When he wrote this Great Zhou Heaven Treatise, it was before Liang Wang's rebellion, so at that time he had not actually released the numerological deduction section, nor had he written out the calculation formula for using the Five Elements, Four Seasons, and Six Qi to reverse-calculate the cycle of the cave heavens.

Hu Yang nodded: "I do not know how long Duke Yuan will need?"

Zhao Xing said: "That depends on how sufficient the data provided by the Sky-Watching Bureau is. If the data is sufficient, I only need three to five days."

"So fast?" Hu Yang was overjoyed, rose, clasped his hands, and bowed: "I have already brought all the data. If we succeed, it will reduce the casualties of hundreds of millions of common people. Please, Duke Yuan, accept my bow!"

"I dare not; Minister Hu speaks too highly." Zhao Xing also hurriedly rose. "I am also an official of the Ministry of Agriculture; this is within my duty."

Hu Yang continued to thank him profusely. Although Zhao Xing said he was an official of the Ministry of Agriculture, such heavenly cycle numerological deductions and the mathematical calculations of the various cave heavens in the Military Realm were not work Zhao Xing should be doing, but rather work for an official like Hu Yang.

In Hu Yang's view, Zhao Xing was a person with both talent and great breadth of mind!

Zhao Xing, however, felt it was nothing; the spells of Fate, specifically the 【Appearance】, 【Destiny】, and 【Numerology】, inherently contained vast amounts of mathematical calculation.

Back when he entered the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, the first sentence he heard the Heavenly Fate Black Bird say was "Multiply, divide, deduce, and expound; strive to exhaust the source of creation."

Now that Zhao Xing had cultivated the first layer of the Expansion Divine Art, his soul had split into 49,999 strands, and his brain was comparable to a supercomputer; calculation was still very easy.

On the side of the Profound Heaven Academy, Hu Yang had entrusted him with calculating the cycle of the passages to the various cave heavens in the Military Realm.

In Tianhe Prefecture, Zhao Xing had also received a request.

It was issued by the United Front chat group established by Luo Wang.

【Mingyue Prefect: The Sky-Watching Bureau of this prefecture predicts multiple natural disasters will erupt in our prefecture. We urgently need powerful officials of the Ministry of Agriculture. Can the eastern prefectures spare any extra Ministry of Agriculture officials?】

【Yanyang Wang: I need them! Damn it, the Ministry of Agriculture officials in the various commanderies here say that the five great rivers of Jiujiang Commandery have all erupted in rebellion. Didn't they say the aquatic creatures of the Eastern Sea had not yet come ashore?】

【Jiujiang Wang: Yanyang Wang, the civil and military officials at all levels of our prefecture have done their utmost. There are hidden outsiders and demons secretly instigating them, casting spells with their lives. What can be done? Alas—...】

【Chu Muyun: Yanyang Wang, Mingyue Prefect, what level of natural disaster did your Sky-Watching Bureau predict?】

【Mingyue Prefect: Level Seven rebellion, totaling fifteen types of natural disasters.】

【Yanyang Wang: Level Eight rebellion, saying there are twenty-four types of natural disasters and nine types of epidemics.】

【Chu Muyun: Mingyue Prefect, I am closer to Yan Prefecture, so I will go to Yan Prefecture first. You can ask others if they are available.】

【The two Great Agriculture Commissioners, Jiang Shaoqiu and Xia Yun, might be able to free up their hands.】

【Jiang Shaoqiu: No time.】

【Xia Yun: Cannot free up hands.】

【Mingyue Prefect: I will think of other ways then.】

Information flowed quickly; Zhao Xing did not see these conversations immediately.

It was a message sent by Luo Wang.

"Zhao Xing, abnormal celestial phenomena are about to appear in Mingyue Prefecture. Mingyue Prefecture is right next to Tianhe Prefecture. Do you have time to help the Mingyue Prefect resist the natural disasters?"

"Yes." Zhao Xing nodded.

The suppression of rebellion in the Tianhe Prefecture where he was located was the fastest, and the turmoil was also the smallest.

Even Zhan Tian Xia Wang had not caused any major commotion.

Unlike other prefectures, where the fighting was so intense it seemed the sky was collapsing and the earth was cracking.

Battles between high-rank experts, or a Fourth Rank leading a large army, or the use of some powerful divine weapons, all caused violent destruction to the environment.

Therefore, the Great Zhou's elite armies basically trained within the cave heavens, where there were many uninhabited zones to fight in freely.

The Nineteen Prefectures were different; if a high-rank expert dared to fight on a large scale, the heavenly cycles and earth veins of the Nineteen Prefectures would dare to erupt in rebellion right before your eyes.

Mingyue Prefecture is right next to Tianhe Prefecture; if Mingyue Prefecture had a major problem, Tianhe Prefecture would also suffer.

A Level Seven natural disaster was no joke; after the disaster, massive plagues would follow, and the deaths and injuries of the common people would be counted in the tens of millions. "Good, prepare quickly. You may draw supplies and personnel directly from Tianhe Prefecture." Luo Wang wasted no words and immediately assigned this task to Zhao Xing.

"Yes."

The call was very short. After ending the communication, Zhao Xing immediately set off, flying to the Prefect's official residence.

"Prefect, I need to draw a batch of Ministry of Agriculture officials, physicians, and craftsmen to go to Mingyue Prefecture." Zhao Xing went straight to the point.

"What is wrong with Mingyue Prefecture?" He Zhengchen immediately grew tense.

"A natural disaster is about to descend, and the level is very high." Zhao Xing said.

"How many personnel do you need?"

"Ministry of Agriculture officials, physicians, and craftsmen of official Sixth Rank and above in the Prefecture City; I need to take ten thousand of each."

He Zhengchen showed a look of difficulty.

Tianhe Prefecture had only just restored stability in terms of public order, and it had suffered considerable damage itself.

Zhao Xing's more than a month of campaigning had also damaged many places; supplies were easy to handle, as Tianhe Prefecture had plenty of supplies.

However, regarding personnel, He Zhengchen found himself in a dilemma.

【119】 【Correction: He Zhengchen found himself in a dilemma regarding personnel.】

Our own prefecture's affairs are not yet settled; besides, if Mingyue Prefecture has a disaster, do we not also need to keep some people to prevent problems?

Zhao Xing saw He Zhengchen's hesitation and immediately urged, "When one side is in trouble, help comes from all directions; moreover, Mingyue Prefecture is our neighbor. If Mingyue Prefecture suffers a major natural disaster, how can Tianhe Prefecture remain unaffected?"

"Helping them is helping Tianhe Prefecture."

"As for our own prefecture, please rest assured, Prefect. Tianhe Prefecture's geographical position is relatively stable and rarely troubled; under current circumstances, large-scale high-intensity natural disasters will absolutely not occur."

It was still the same saying: the earlier the rebellion is quelled, the smaller the damage, and the lower the probability of natural disasters. Among the prefectures in turmoil, Tianhe Prefecture was the least likely place to experience large-scale natural disasters.

He Zhengchen hesitated only for a few breaths before deciding, "Chen An, you are the Agricultural Officer; regarding this matter,

you understand it better than I. Since you believe we can go to their aid, then go. This Prefect fully supports you."

"For specific planning, you may simply consult with Zhang Ping, Medical Commissioner Zheng, and Elder Liu."

"Your Excellency's righteousness! I, your humble official, take my leave first."

Having secured He Zhengchen's support in the fastest time possible, Zhao Xing then found Zhang Ping, Medical Commissioner Zheng, and Elder Liu.

These three were precisely the highest-ranking Agricultural Officer, Medical Officer, and Artificer of Tianhe Prefecture.

"Ten thousand physicians of Sixth Rank and above is far too many!"

"I cannot pull them all away at once. Seven days ago, I already sent five thousand down to the various commanderies and counties to perform official duties;

Marquis Yuan, if you need people now, I have no way to help."

Medical Commissioner Zheng had graying hair, yet his complexion was ruddy and he looked very spirited.

He spoke slowly and somewhat strangely.

This was because Medical Commissioner Zheng had retired as early as the tenth year of the Jingxin Era.

He had previously served as an Imperial Physician in Jingcheng until half a month ago, when the imperial court urgently recalled this old physician.

Having not practiced any profound medical arts for twenty years, now that his fortune had returned to his body, Medical Commissioner Zheng felt slightly unaccustomed.

"Old Mr. Zheng need not worry; the physicians can depart later," Zhao Xing said. "Mingyue Prefecture does not currently lack physicians."

"Oh, oh, then how much time can you give me?" Medical Commissioner Zheng asked.

"Is one month enough?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Hmm, let this old man think." Medical Commissioner Zheng stroked his beard. "It will do."

The physicians need not depart urgently, but the Artificers and the Agricultural Officer must be gathered immediately.

For preventing natural disasters and managing local earthquakes and floods, these tasks cannot be accomplished without the Artificers' tools.

Mingyue Prefecture naturally has them, but at this time, the more people, the better.

This is because pacifying Haizhou is unlike other places; its territory is simply too vast.

Typically, a single province contains only twelve to eighteen prefectures.

But Pinghai Province has a full seventy-nine prefectures!

A large territory also makes major disasters more likely, because Pinghai Province's earth veins are stronger, containing a greater total amount of primal energy.

Even a simple 【Primal Energy Tide Disaster】 would be more violent here than in other provinces.

"I will go immediately to mobilize personnel," Zhang Ping said. "Assembly can be completed within one day."

"There is no need for such haste," Zhao Xing said. "Assembly within three days will suffice."

The Agricultural Officer can move quickly, but one must also consider Artificers like Elder Liu; Artificers usually need to carry many supply ships.

"Three days is enough," Elder Liu nodded. He was a burly man, fully two meters tall, wearing purple-framed detectors on both his earlobes and eyes, and his right hand was a silver mechanical arm, possessing a strong sense of technology.

Zhao Xing stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "Then I ask the three Excellencies to act swiftly."

After assigning the tasks, Zhao Xing leaped into the sky.

He activated the Inch-of-Heaven Technique to patrol all areas of Tianhe Prefecture.

His main focus was observing the celestial phenomena in various regions and surveying the earth veins, rivers, and spirit mountains.

Since he was going to Mingyue Prefecture in three days, he still needed to take one last look at Tianhe Prefecture.

"Five days make a Hou, three Hous make a Qi, six Qis make a Season, four Seasons make a Year."

"Yin, Yang, Wind, Rain, Darkness, and Brightness."

Zhao Xing felt the sunlight, wind, and drizzle between heaven and earth.

He then descended to the ground, removed his clothes, and plunged into the earth like diving into water.

Not long after, Zhao Xing drilled out again.

"Wind, Cold, Heat, Dryness, Dampness, and Fire; the six Qis of the inner and outer heavens unite."

Fingertips pinching, Zhao Xing closed his eyes again. Using the Dream-Walking Method, he selected various commanderies as samples to observe the six Qis within the people's bodies; this was big-data prediction.

"In all areas of Tianhe Prefecture, excluding the nine commanderies previously involved in warfare where the timing and terrain are slightly chaotic, the Five Elements and Five Movements are normal. In these regions, even children and the elderly who have never gathered primal energy will at most suffer from a common cold."

"Given the level of physicians in the Great Zhou, every county and commandery has a Medical Office; the problem is not significant," Zhao Xing thought silently.

Of course, if both the timing and terrain become violent, even a minor cold could form a 【Cold Disaster】.

Even martial artists who have entered the ranked realm, after taking medicine, would suffer headaches, dizziness, and sore limbs; and even if they survived, they would suffer sequelae, never regaining their previous level of health.

If a Level Seven Heaven-Earth Turmoil occurred, forming a 【Great Cold Disaster】, it would be even more terrifying; basically, entire cities would die.

Furthermore, under a major disaster, the chaos of various illnesses would leave even high-ranking physicians helpless, truly not knowing where to begin treatment. Strong medicine is too much for ordinary people to bear, while weak medicine is useless.

Therefore, the terror of natural disasters lies not in the damage occurring during the disaster, but in the endless epidemics that arise afterward.

After spending two days on sampling inspections, Zhao Xing returned to the Prefecture City.

He gazed far toward the east, then looked south.

"I wonder how Long Xiao and Xia Jing are doing. The Eastern Sea Legion has seized the initiative; leveraging the might of the Blue Sea, landing amidst the chaos is now a certainty."

"The Five Great Caverns, including the Ten Yang Cavern, were occupied in early February; most of the south has become enemy-occupied territory."

"Except for Xia Jing, Tian, Lu Bang, Zuo Zuo Zizhi, and these teachers from the Geography Institute have all gone silent."

"As for their contemporaries Shi Yong, Zhuang Ziqing, Feng Yuan, Han Bing, Wang Ji, Che Shihai, Guan Junyang, and Yuan Yang, they did not participate in the later stages of the war and were transferred elsewhere long ago; it can now be confirmed they are still alive."

Since most of the south is enemy-occupied territory, even the enhanced Earth Mirror is intermittent, mainly because the enemy's Earth Mirror version is too low.

As for Nanyang Commandery and its surroundings, these were actually under the control of the imperial court, and the strategic value there was not high.

Zhao Xing took out the Earth Mirror and sent the message to these friends again: "If you do not know where to go, you may go to the following locations—perhaps come to Tianhe Fucheng to find me."

A few breaths later, Long Xiao replied first, his face appearing in the Earth Mirror.

"Zhao Xing, are you sending messages in bulk again?"

"Yes."

"You are already somewhat famous in the east, having even killed Xia Wang." Long Xiao said enviously, "I just don't have that opportunity."

"How is the situation with your pursuit of the Hong family?" Zhao Xing asked.

"The men I brought are only enough to harass the flanks, luring the enemy out to kill me; I cannot get too close." Long Xiao shook his head and said, "For over a month, I have only slain one Wu Hou named Haibufali and more than ten thousand of his guards."

Over a month of pursuit on the vast sea, facing a massive army, the things Long Xiao and his vanguard could do were indeed limited.

Actually, such achievements were already considered quite good.

Placed elsewhere, they would be very good indeed.

But compared to Zhao Xing, they were unnoticeable.

Zhao Xing had pacified Tianhe Fucheng in less than two months, and also slain multiple Wu Hou and one Wang Jue.

"They will eventually have to split their forces; such a huge army cannot be piled all together." Zhao Xing said, "What the Hong family needs to do is cause destruction. With so many troops attacking a single prefecture, it is a complete waste; they must split forces everywhere, absorbing rebels and attempting to constantly roll up the snowball."

"This will also bring trouble to the suppression efforts, but as long as they can stand firm, afterwards they can respond to Liang Wang's assembly of feudal lords to serve the king and punish the thieves."

"So, you just wait patiently; your time for revenge will come."

Just at the beginning of the rebellion, seizing the initiative, it was indeed very difficult for other places to resist Liang Wang's forces.

At this time, Li Boqian had not yet made his move; according to Emperor Jing's intention, unless he had clearly seen through all rebel forces inside and outside the country, he would not start acting immediately.

"Hmm, I will pay attention. You be careful too; I heard the Hong family has already sent a vanguard to infiltrate and execute secret missions, with the goal of destroying local administrative structures and creating chaos."

"Rest assured, I have a clear idea in my heart."

The second person to contact Zhao Xing was Xia Jing.

At this moment, Xia Jing was in full military uniform; through the Earth Mirror, it could be seen that he was in a ruin.

"Zhao Xing, Shi Yong, Zhuang Ziqing, and Guan Junyang are with me, including Tian Hou, Lu Hou, and Zuo Zizhi,"

"all are in the Black Armor Army."

"Hmm?" Zhao Xing said joyfully, "You rescued the people from the Ten Yang Cave Heaven?"

"Yes. You reminded me back then, so I kept an extra eye open. Hmph, that scoundrel Liang Wang retreated to the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Prefecture,"

"and I knew something was wrong with him."

"In the second month, he indeed retreated again, dragging the great army back north of the Canglan River."

"My father also supported me in rescuing the generals of the Ten Yang Cave Heaven. Now the remnants of the Tiger and Crocodile Army, the Blazing Sun Army, and the Sea-Suppressing Army—all have been integrated by me to form the temporary 'Ten Yang Army'."

"I have been appointed by the imperial court as a Cavalry General for Suppressing Thieves of the Fourth Rank, Upper Grade, and concurrently as the Fourth Grade Shangyu Official of the Shangyu Office for Pacifying the Three Southern Prefectures of Haizhou."

"My main task now is to gather those scattered remnants of various armies, rescue trapped detached units, and collect intelligence."

Zhao Xing smiled; Xia Jing was currently waging guerrilla warfare in the three southern prefectures.

Moreover, it seemed the results were very good; having received his guidance, Xia Jing had sufficient family assets and influential connections to execute it.

Thus, he now held a temporary official position of the Fourth Rank.

"Very good. You must remember what I said: do not go where you should not. For the people on the list I gave you, you must pay special attention." Zhao Xing instructed. "If something seems wrong, you must escape according to the route I gave you."

"Understood." Xia Jing nodded. "I won't say much more; there is an action coming up immediately."

"Good, take care."

"Take care."

After waiting another half hour, Han Bing and Wang Ji also had responses.

These two had long ago left the battlefield, no longer in the south, but had run to the west.

Learning that the two were safe and sound, Zhao Xing no longer waited for replies from the others, put away the Earth Mirror, and flew towards Fucheng.

In three days, Zhao Xing finished organizing his army, taking ten thousand Agricultural Officials, ten thousand Artificers, and one thousand physicians, heading for Mingyue Prefecture.

To save time, Zhao Xing transported both people and ships through the Li Fire Daoist Academy of Tianhe Prefecture to the Li Fire Daoist Academy of Mingyue Prefecture.

At this time, in the Li Fire Daoist Academies of Pacified Haizhou, the vast majority of the Li Fire Altars were controlled by Liang Wang.

But a small portion was under the control of the imperial court.

"Thank you for your hard work, Dean Peng, and all my lords." Zhao Xing clasped his hands towards the group in front.

"No trouble; this is our duty." Peng Yu said.

The other people of the Daoist Academy also generously returned the salute.

"Thank you." Zhao Xing said it again, then arranged for people to enter the Fire Pit.

There was no other reason; the number of people was too large, and this branch academy was a small branch.

Transporting people and goods, due to the huge scale, still required paying a price.

These prices were borne by Peng Yu and the other mages and scholars, plus him as the branch dean, because they used all their affiliated quotas.

Twenty-one thousand people, plus dozens of large ships of supplies.

After Zhao Xing and the others were transmitted across, Peng Yu led everyone to start running away.

Especially Peng Yu; only he had an unlimited number of quotas, but the price he bore was the greatest.

After everyone had crossed over, he, the dean, turned into a man of fire.

"Whoosh!" A burst of air exploded; he shouldered a mountain and began to walk forward step by step with difficulty within the Daoist Academy.

Although Tianhe Prefecture and Mingyue Prefecture were adjacent, the straight-line distance between their prefectural cities was not short.

Ye Yukong, the lord of Mingyue Prefecture, never expected that Tianhe Prefecture could gather troops to come to support within three days.

He was still asking in the group chat when the troops of Tianhe Prefecture arrived.

"Zhang Ping has arrived?" Ye Ye Yukong received the report and immediately flew from his official residence to the Lihuo Dao Academy branch.

"Your Excellency." Zhang Ping, Liu Bogong, and Zhao Xing bowed.

Ye Ye Yukong was not originally the Prefect; he was merely the head of the Mingyue Dao Academy.

But unfortunately, the Prefect of Mingyue Prefecture died during the Great Ritual Debate.

It was Ye Ye Yukong who quelled the rebellion, stabilized Fucheng, and resolved the crisis of the city's uprising.

Afterward, he assumed the temporary post of Prefect, becoming the nominal Prefect of Mingyue Prefecture.

"Rise quickly, no need for such formalities," Ye Ye Yukong said eagerly, helping Zhao Xing, Zhang Ping, and Liu Bogong to their feet.

"With Tianhe Prefecture's aid, I can finally rest easy."

Ye Ye Yukong is a renowned master of the Sword Dao.

To kill, he has no hesitation—but to govern? It gives anyone a headache.

How could a warrior possibly understand balancing celestial timing and terrestrial advantage?

Since his Prefect is dead, Mingyue Prefecture's situation is even more troublesome than Tianhe Prefecture's.

Without a Prefect and a large number of Ritual Cultivators to pacify the populace and issue proper authority orders, the government bureaus took a long time to restore function.

Ye Ye Yukong could only rely on brute force to quell unrest: one word—kill!

Whoever rebelled, he led troops to cut them down.

He certainly enjoyed the killing.

From a month ago until now, Ye Ye Yukong has killed five Commandery Princes.

But he has also devastated Mingyue Prefecture.

A warrior's methods are inferior to those of Ritual Masters, and he cannot possibly eliminate mid- and high-ranking officers silently like Zhao Xing, using Dreamwalking Art to minimize the scale of war.

Ye Ye Yukong led his army in campaigns, and within a month, he destroyed countless mountains, rivers, and forests.

Of course, it's not entirely his fault.

Without Ye Ye Yukong, Mingyue Prefecture would have already fallen, and the consequences would have been worse.

"Gentlemen, please rest at the military camp residence," Ye Ye Yukong said.

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

The group began to orderly move into the quarters Ye Ye Yukong had arranged.

March 21st, the third day of their arrival in Mingyue Prefecture.

Zhao Xing stared at the 【Heaven-Earth Sand Table】, which displayed miniature mountains, rivers, cities, clouds, rain, and Lei Ting.

"It seems they still don't take me seriously."

Though Ye Ye Yukong appeared warm on the surface, he had not assigned Zhao Xing much territory to govern.

Even in meetings, he mostly called upon Zhang Ping, the senior official.

They only learned the situation after Zhang Ping returned from meetings.

Or perhaps he had no intention of relying on this group from Tianhe Prefecture.

After three days, Ye Ye Yukong still had not assigned them any tasks—only listened to suggestions, and made no major decisions.

In truth, while Ye Ye Yukong is a famed Sword Dao master, the imperial court was right to appoint him only as Academy Head.

Making him Prefect? His performance is unacceptable.

But now there is no alternative—so many civil officials are dead, and no one has greater prestige than Ye Ye Yukong; he must oversee all military and civil authority in Mingyue Prefecture.

"Granddisciple, this brute probably can't tell a king from a pawn," Tianyang Zhenjun chuckled. "You're a pearl, and he ignores you—instead, he keeps fawning over Zhang Ping, that old box."

Zhao Xing took it in stride: "Zhang Ping is the nominal superior. Ye Ye Yukong's actions are not inappropriate—he may see me as just another brute like himself, skilled in martial arts but clueless in governance."

Tianyang Zhenjun nodded: "That's the stereotype of the Ministry of Agriculture. Civil Agriculturalists value reason; Military Agriculturalists value law. But in truth, Granddisciple, you master both."

Zhao Xing replied humbly: "Master, you flatter me. Perhaps another possibility is that he doesn't look down on me—he's simply waiting for someone more capable to take charge of prevention and governance."

"Hah! I don't flatter lightly—your Great Zhou Tian Treatise isn't something just anyone could write."

"Talented geniuses with strong magical aptitude are as numerous as fish crossing a river, but those who can write treatises? Rare indeed. Throughout dynasties, how many have ever drawn widely from the sages' classics and authored works?"

"Hey, do you really think Li Boqian asked me to look after you because he saw you copy his ultimate technique? It's your Great Zhou Tian Treatise that's the real reason I've appeared!"

Zhao Xing had never imagined the Great Zhou Tian Treatise had such influence.

He had been too ahead of his time—by the standards of the Qi Era, this treatise might not seem astonishing, but in this era, it was sufficient to be written into scripture, studied by Agriculturalists across the land.

Creating a technique may be beyond everyone's reach, but theoretical guidance? It transcends all ranks.

"Hahaha!" Suddenly, Tianyang Zhenjun burst into laughter again. "This Ye Ye Yukong is truly a character."

"Master, what happened?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Didn't you just say Ye Ye Yukong might be waiting for someone more capable to take charge? You were right."

Zhao Xing wasn't surprised—it wasn't hard to guess. Ye Ye Yukong had already asked Jiang Shaoqiu and Chu Yun in the group chat if they were free.

"Master, who did he invite? Why are you laughing so hard at him?"

"Heh, he invited two people—both connected to you. Guess who?"

Zhao Xing thought briefly: "Ye Ye Yukong must have invited a high-ranking Third Rank Agriculturalist. If it's someone connected to me, it can only be Geng Shouchang, Sima Yunhai, Academy Head Lu Chunhua, my teacher Liu Tianning, or Wang Wang Xuanyi from Chongming Prefecture—Meng Kun and Gu Changqing aren't in Pinghai Prefecture—"

"My teacher is impossible—Hu Yang is still in Tianyuan Prefecture. So it must be Geng Shouchang or Sima Yunhai?"

"Your analysis is correct, but you only guessed one," Tianyang Zhenjun smiled. "You've overlooked another high-ranking Agriculturalist connected to you."

Zhao Xing frowned slightly—he couldn't think of anyone else.

He couldn't possibly mean Li Boqian or Wang Tianzhi—that made no sense.

"The other one is Pang Yuanzhen," Tianyang Zhenjun roared with laughter. "Isn't that hilarious?"

Pang Yuanzhen? Who is that?

Zhao Xing looked utterly bewildered.

But he remembered immediately.

"Wait, the junior brother of Sima Yunhai is Pang Xianyun?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Yes, it's him. He changed his name, hahaha."

"This fellow is truly talented. He managed to put Sima Yunhai and Pang Xianyun together."

Zhao Xing:

No wonder Tianyang Zhenjun was laughing uncontrollably.

Who is Pang Yuanzhen? He was originally Sima Yunhai's junior brother from the same sect.

In the twenty-seventh year of the Jingxin Era, he was defeated by Liu Tianning in the dojo.

Losing was one thing.

But this fellow was actually converted by Liu Tianning, resigned from all his positions at the Profound Heaven Academy, and ran to the Shangluo Academy to become a preaching mage.

And he even changed his name to Yuanzhen.

Yuanzhen describes lush crops and grains.

By changing his name to Yuanzhen, he was declaring his determination to pursue his own Dao from now on, and he tells everyone he meets that Liu Tianning is his teacher.

A total Liu fanboy, he became Liu Tianning's die-hard fan. Tianyang Zhenjun said he has a connection with Zhao Xing, and he really wasn't wrong.

Pang Yuanzhen could be considered his cheap senior brother. Given for free, isn't that cheap?

"It seems the Master of Bright Moon Palace is not clear about the grievances between them."

"He invited both of them over, it's really—" Zhao Xing didn't know what to say.

He felt that these two coming over wasn't for governance; they might just start fighting.

How should he get along with them?

"Forget it, I'll just play dead." Zhao Xing shook his head.

Just as Ye Yukong looked down on him, this fifth-rank Agricultural Official, he would let Zhang Ping take the order instead and act as the mastermind behind the scenes.

"I think you can't escape." Tianyang Zhenjun smiled. "They sent someone to find you."

"Ah?" Zhao Xing was stunned.

Just what you fear is what comes.

"Where are they?"

Tianyang Zhenjun stopped speaking and turned into a statue.

Zhao Xing then saw two wisps of wind swirling outside the hall door.

He walked over and heard two messages carried by the wind.

"Junior brother, Junior brother Zhao~" A soft voice echoed around his ears.

The second wisp of wind was somewhat violent and angry:

"Zhao Xing, do not see this shameless person! Especially do not call him senior brother! Pang Xianyun, are you not shameless? Ah P Ah Ah!"

"Sss~" Zhao Xing rubbed his ears, shaken by Sima Yunhai's voice. "It seems the old man is truly angry.

He even used Gao wind to send the message."

"Grandmaster, tell me, should I see them or not?"

Tianyang Zhenjun did not respond; it was unknown whether he wanted to watch the show or did not want to see those two people.

In any case, this matter was left for Zhao Xing to decide himself.

"Sima Yunhai has the grace of teaching me; he can be considered my teacher."

"Pang, Pang Yuanzhen, calling me junior brother is not wrong either."

"What is this, a harem of mentors?" Zhao Xing shook his head, sighed, and went out the door.

He couldn't help but recall the scene outside the Ten Thousand Methods Mountain where he saw Princess Youruo and Miss Murong Qing.

This situation was also caused by Old Liu.

"I never expected Old Liu to bring about such a strange relationship." Zhao Xing couldn't help but feel helpless in his heart.

Ye Yukong was also very helpless at this moment.

At this moment, he stood between Sima Yunhai and Pang Xianyun, completely unaware that these two would be so tense.

Aren't these two senior and junior brothers? Why are they like enemies?

Oh, the one surnamed Pang didn't have much emotion, but Sima's face was full of resentment.

"Junior brother Zhao, Pang Yuanzhen has arrived to visit; please come out and meet him~"

"Shut up! You shameless traitor!"

No, why is he called Pang Yuanzhen again? Did I invite the wrong person?

What the hell is this? What does it have to do with Zhao Xing? Why do they all have to come find Zhao Xing?

Ye Yukong, who thought he had invited two allies, looked at this scene and immediately felt his head throb.