Chapter 253: Saving People, Deterrence, Surprise

"My child is dying, help, help me!"

"My body is so hot, save me, save me..."

"Help, help, wuwuwu..."

In the largest open space of the Wu Shuang giant rock settlement, a massive crowd was gathered. Desperate cries for help filled the air, punctuated from time to time by the sound of flames igniting, followed immediately by intense wails of agony and screams.

Judging by their attire, these were clearly the people who had fled from Han Qiong.

They were divided into three groups. The largest group was on the right, accounting for about ninety percent of the total, while the two groups in the middle and on the left were smaller, totaling only about sixteen or seventeen hundred people.

Although the scene was chaotic to the extreme, a careful observer would notice that the people in these three sections were not huddled together randomly; there was a distance of at least one meter between each person.

Furthermore, people clad in pale gold armor were constantly moving through the crowd, maintaining order while using a black oily substance in their hands to save people.

"Captain, it's no use. There are too many people, and it's noisy and chaotic. We only have fourteen hundred people in total, and we still have to spare a group to guard those Earth-Digging Realm cultivators. The rescue speed can't keep up; it's simply too late!"

"And there are riots every now and then, requiring us to send men to suppress them. It's impossible."

"The dew is still spreading constantly, and more of our own men have been infected. This can't go on; we must find a way."

"Many people still don't know about the Fire-Condensing Oil and have started to give up, inciting others to riot."

On the high platform at the front of the open space, Lu Yang felt a surge of impatience upon hearing the reports from his four subordinates. Seeing another riot breaking out on the left, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes, and he drew the horizontal blade at his waist and walked over.

"Brothers, being trapped here is a dead end. We might as well follow me and kill our way out, return to Zhaoyang to find the leader; there might still be a chance!"

"That's right, follow Hou Jing and kill our way out, brothers."

"Kill!"

The eight hundred or so people on the left were Zhaoyang's Earth-Digging Realm cultivators. As Lu Yang approached and heard the words of the man inciting the riot, his brow furrowed immediately. Especially seeing seven or eight people stirred by him, all standing up and preparing to resist, he immediately raised his horizontal blade and charged over quickly.

Puchi... Puchi... Puchi......

Lu Yang's blade rose and fell with extreme speed, beheading all eight people preparing to riot, which startled the nearby Great Xia Earth-Digging Realm cultivators.

If even they were like this, the nearby Zhaoyang Earth-Digging Realm cultivators were even more so, instantly falling silent, not daring to make any sound. The few who had originally intended to act were also frightened into returning to their original positions, their eyes cast downward.

Lu Yang turned to look around the square, and seeing another riot at the other end, he raised his voice and shouted:

"Lin Kai, Zhao Hu, Zhao Bao, and all other team leaders, listen well: whoever dares to move again will be killed on the spot. If anything happens, I will take responsibility!"

Puchi... Puchi......

Almost the moment his voice fell, sounds of slaughter erupted one after another in the middle and right areas.

After just three or four waves of slaughter, the entire crowd in the square instantly quieted down. Everyone shut their mouths, including some children who covered their mouths tightly; only a few infants who hadn't been covered in time could still let out a few cries.

Once the square was quiet, Lu Yang immediately returned to the high platform.

Lu Yang's voice had been so loud that everyone knew he had ordered the killings, and they couldn't help but focus their gazes on him.

Knowing that everyone was watching him, Lu Yang didn't dare to waste time. He pointed to a young woman in her twenties holding an infant on the right and ordered:

"Someone, bring this mother and child up here."

"My lord, spare me, I didn't riot, I didn't riot."

"My lord, don't kill me, please spare me, spare me!"

Seeing two Great Xia soldiers coming to pull her, the woman thought Lu Yang was going to kill her child, and fear instantly appeared on her face as she kept begging Lu Yang for mercy.

But the two Great Xia soldiers ignored her completely, dragging her all the way to the high platform and delivering her to Lu Yang's side.

Lu Yang ignored the woman's pleas and snatched the wailing infant from her arms.

The woman thought he was going to kill her child and immediately knelt down to beg:

"Don't kill my child, don't kill my child, please, my lord..."

The people from the Han Qiong settlement on the right saw this scene, their breathing noticeably heavier. Some Earth-Digging Realm cultivators even took two steps forward, clearly wanting to help the woman and save the child.

But the next moment, the woman's crying stopped, and the eyes of those Earth-Digging Realm cultivators looking at the high platform also revealed a trace of astonishment.

Lu Yang didn't kill anyone; instead, he unbuttoned the infant's clothes to show everyone the small dew drops appearing on its body, then took out a small piece of Fire-Condensing Oil, crushed it, and applied it evenly to the infant's body.

After a short while, the dew drops on the infant's body made a sizzling sound, and then Lu Yang wiped his hand across it, and those dew drops actually disappeared completely.

The infant, who had been wailing due to a high body temperature, immediately stopped crying.

It even let out a crisp laugh.

"That black oil block can dissolve the dew?"

"It's true, I saw it just now, you didn't believe me."

"Those people in pale gold armor have been using Fire-Condensing Oil to save people all along, didn't you see?"

"There's hope, we don't have to die!"

In fact, the Great Xia soldiers had been using Fire-Condensing Oil to save people all along, but because there were too many people, many hadn't seen it. Coupled with the fact that the dew on many people's bodies had ignited, those who saw it became increasingly panicked, which is why riots kept occurring.

But at this moment, because Lu Yang had kept his hands raised throughout the process, the dew on the infant's body slowly dissipated, finally turning into ordinary water droplets that Lu Yang wiped away, which everyone saw clearly.

Discovering that Great Xia really had a way to save them, hope instantly ignited in everyone's hearts. Looking at Lu Yang, their eyes were no longer fearful, but filled with hope and longing.

"See that? We have a way to save people. Now listen to me: everyone line up in three rows—Longshan, Zhaoyang, Han Qiong. You will receive it one by one. I will distribute it to everyone. In addition, I will send people to patrol in the middle. Those in more urgent situations will be prioritized. But I'll say this first: if any team riots again, I will stop the distribution immediately. Don't blame me when that happens!"

Once Lu Yang finished speaking, the ten thousand plus people below made no further sound. With the assistance of the Great Xia soldiers, they all obediently lined up in three long rows and began to receive the Fire-Condensing Oil one by one.

The scene was finally under control. After arranging for everyone to receive the Fire-Condensing Oil, Lu Yang breathed a slight sigh of relief. Seeing Lin Kai, Zhao Hu, and the others in the crowd giving him a thumbs-up, he felt quite proud.

"The Deputy Si Zheng was right: these people won't listen unless they see blood!"

Regarding the rebellion Wu Xiong had caused earlier, Xia Chuan's way of handling it was to stop killing with killing; although bloody, it was very effective.

Lu Yang's method of handling it was a complete replication of Xia Chuan's previous approach.

Seeing that this method was so effective, Lu Yang naturally approved even more of the last sentence Xia Chuan had said.

"That thing can actually eliminate the dew; it's too magical!"

In the middle of the three groups, in the Zhaoyang team, Yang Zhong lined up to receive a small piece of Fire-Condensing Oil. After eliminating the dew on his body, he walked to the back of the crowd with Li Hu, his eyes full of curiosity.

Li Hu had received the Fire-Condensing Oil a step before him, and his legs had already recovered. Hearing this, he nodded and said: "I heard people in Longshan say before that the only thing that can deal with strange monsters is silver, but silver is too precious, and ordinary people can't afford to use it. This Great Xia actually has such a divine object!"

Not many people actually knew about silver's restraining attribute against strange monsters, but Li Hu and Yang Zhong were clearly exceptions, which is why the two of them could better realize the preciousness of the Fire-Condensing Oil they had just used.

"The key is that they are willing to take it out for us ordinary people to use. Tiger, haven't we always wanted to leave Longshan? This is a good opportunity. Shall I go find those lords later?"

Li Hu nodded immediately, a trace of excitement appearing on his face, but then he thought of something. Seeing Yang Zhong's eager look, he smiled: "No need to rush. That leader Xia is risking his life to save us and distributing Fire-Condensing Oil to us. Why do you think he's doing all this?"

"That's true."

Yang Zhong quickly realized and nodded immediately.

Great Xia was doing all this to absorb this group of people. He didn't need to take the initiative to find anyone; Great Xia would probably have someone say it soon. But Yang Zhong scanned the people around him and looked at the Longshan team, smiling: "Except for the ten thousand plus people from Han Qiong, there shouldn't be many among us Longshan and Zhaoyang groups who are truly willing to join Great Xia."

Both Longshan and Zhaoyang were Earth-Digging Realm cultivators. Not to mention their loyalty to their own camps, the vast majority of these people had families in tow. Just based on this point, it was not easy for them to have the idea of changing their allegiance.

Li Hu certainly understood the meaning of Yang Zhong's words, but he turned to look at Lu Yang and the other Cold-Resisting level experts on the high platform. Thinking of their act of using killing to deter everyone present just now, he sneered immediately:

"Of course not many, but I reckon it won't be up to them!"

Just from Lu Yang's actions just now, one could tell that this Great Xia was clearly not a pushover. With the leader personally taking action to save people and spending so much Fire-Condensing Oil to help them with treatment, one could imagine it was impossible for them to let people go for no reason.

"Hearing you say that, my impression of this Great Xia isn't as good as it was, but being able to break away from Longshan is a good thing for us. Let's stay in Great Xia for now; if it doesn't work out, we can always move somewhere else."

Hearing Yang Zhong's words, Li Hu nodded.

"Look, that leader Xia is back!"

"That strange monster should have been killed by him, right?"

"Nonsense, didn't you see him smiling so happily?"

Hearing the voices in the crowd, Yang Zhong and Li Hu immediately turned to look at the high platform.

On the high platform, there were seven more people at some point. The man in black leading them was none other than Xia Hong, who had just saved their group in Gourd Valley.

!

Just as the crowd said, Xia Hong appearing here with a smile on his face proved that he had likely won the great battle in the valley.

Thinking that the strange monster capable of scaring away Li Ying Xuan Ling and all the Cold-Resisting level experts had actually been defeated by Xia Hong, a trace of admiration appeared on Li Hu's face. Especially seeing Lu Yang and the others, who had been so full of themselves just now, acting so obsequiously in front of Xia Hong, a trace of longing rose in his eyes.

"The young master brought so many Cold-Resisting level experts and over a thousand Longyou troops, yet still couldn't kill him. Looking across Longyou, I'm afraid no one can compare to this leader Xia's strength, except for Li Tianhua!"

Hearing the name Li Tianhua, Li Hu's expression flashed with unnaturalness, but he soon sneered and said: "How old is Li Tianhua? Even if he's stronger than him, it's useless. Look carefully, how old is leader Xia?"

Yang Zhong, who had never paid attention to Xia Hong's age, was reminded by Li Hu and immediately stared at Xia Hong's face. At this look, his expression instantly froze.

"Why do I feel like he's even... than the young master?"

Before Yang Zhong could finish his sentence, Li Hu pulled him down to lower their heads together.

The two of them looked at each other, their expressions slightly nervous.

"Did I see that right? Was he looking at us just now?"

"Nonsense, look at his strength. With us so close, if you stare at him, how could he not feel it? Stop talking nonsense."

"Big brother, do you know those two?"

On the high platform, noticing Xia Hong's gaze focused on the two people not far away, Xia Chuan took a look and asked curiously.

Xia Hong shook his head and smiled: "The names of these two are very interesting!"

Just as Xia Chuan was about to continue asking, Qiu Peng walked up, his face full of confusion: "Leader, are we really going to let all these people go? The Earth-Digging Realm cultivators of the Longshan and Zhaoyang families total 1672 people. If these people are released, they might all turn against us in the future?"

"If you can't figure it out, think about it later. Just do as I say for now."

In the secret passage earlier, Xia Hong hadn't wanted to explain too much, and now that he was back in Wu Shuang, he had even less desire to explain.

Even though a group of Cold-Resisting level experts, including Xia Chuan, clearly expressed their agreement with Qiu Peng, he still chose to act decisively. Leaving only one sentence, he left the square and walked toward the main building of Wu Shuang.

"Yes, leader!"

Although Qiu Peng and the others didn't understand, seeing Xia Hong leave directly, they didn't say anything more. After nodding in agreement, they all began to act according to his orders.

Great Xia's most important organizational unit at present was the hunting team. The rule in the hunting team was that members could raise different objections, but once the captain made a final decision, everyone else had to comply unconditionally. This rule could be said to have permeated every aspect of the camp.

Therefore, they had to comply unconditionally with Xia Hong's decision at this moment.

Even if they didn't understand, they could only do so.

The Cold Ruins Cauldron certainly had the effect of clearing the dew, but it required substantial contact. Just staying within the range of its temperature radiation could only suppress the dew on the body and prevent it from heating up and igniting. To clear it completely, Fire-Condensing Oil was still needed.

When he took out the Cold Ruins Cauldron in Gourd Valley, Xia Hong had realized this point.

Of course, it was impossible for him to let people line up to touch the Cold Ruins Cauldron. There was so much Fire-Condensing Oil brought from Xia City this time that it was completely enough.

Before he arrived just now, there were still many people in the Wu Shuang square who were burned to death after the dew on their bodies ignited. Once he arrived and placed the Cold Ruins Cauldron behind the main building of Wu Shuang, no one else in the square died.

"So warm, why is it suddenly so warm?"

"The warm current is coming from the main building. I saw leader Xia Hong go in."

"The dew on my body doesn't seem to be heating up anymore."

"No one is dying. It must be leader Xia Hong who used some method, right?"

"It must be. He could even kill that strange monster; it must be him."

The rise in temperature and the suppression of the dew plague happened simultaneously.

Everyone turned to look at the main building, and after discussing it with surprised expressions for a while, reverence and gratitude rose in their eyes without exception.

In Gourd Valley, the rout and flight of Li Ying Xuan Ling and the others, combined with Xia Hong's timely appearance carrying that giant cauldron, had already formed a sharp contrast in their hearts. Coupled with the Fire-Condensing Oil distributed by Great Xia just now, the reverence and gratitude everyone felt for Xia Hong suddenly reached its peak.

Of course, not everyone felt this way.

For example, the Earth-Digging Realm cultivators of the Longshan and Zhaoyang families mostly had hesitant expressions at this moment, as if they wanted to say something to Xia Chuan and the others on the high platform, but didn't dare.

"May I ask, lords of Great Xia, how do you intend to deal with us?"

Finally, after a long time, an Earth-Digging Realm cultivator from the Zhaoyang camp couldn't help but speak to Xia Chuan and the others on the high platform.

As soon as this person spoke, the square instantly fell silent. Everyone's gaze converged on the high platform, their faces full of tension.

Especially the Earth-Digging Realm cultivators of the Zhaoyang and Longshan families were even more uneasy.

"Rest assured, we will let you leave. There is only one hour left until dawn. Even if you leave, you won't get far. When it gets dark tomorrow night, the settlement gate will open. Those who want to leave can leave on their own!"

But soon, following Qiu Peng's answer, the tension and uneasiness on these people's faces instantly disappeared. Everyone's expression was first stunned, and then became incomparably complicated.

Great Xia is actually going to let us go?

Not to mention the Earth-Digging Realm cultivators of the Longshan and Zhaoyang families, even the Earth-Digging Realm cultivators of Han Qiong and those ordinary people were clearly caught off guard by this answer.

"My lord, we have nowhere else to go. Can we join Great Xia?"

On the Han Qiong side, someone reacted first and hurriedly asked.

Hearing this, Qiu Peng's tense expression relaxed slightly, and he smiled: "Of course you can. Whether to stay or leave is entirely up to you. We in Great Xia never force anyone to join!"

The expressions of the ten thousand plus people on the Han Qiong side instantly became much more settled.

As for the one thousand plus people on the Longshan and Zhaoyang side, the vast majority still had complicated expressions, looking at Xia Chuan, Qiu Peng, and the others on the platform, lost in thought.

In the crowd, Yang Zhong and Li Hu had even more astonished expressions.

After the two looked at each other, their eyes clearly became much firmer.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 254 =====