Chapter 339: Observations

"Brother Meng, I've heard that over in Dongzhou City, the government is being crushed by the Demon Race. I reckon the Dongzhou Inspector wants us to fight the Demon Race for Dongzhou and use us as their pawns. We shouldn't fall for his trick."

Meng Qingshan has a very low opinion of the Great Wu Heavenly Dynasty and naturally does not want Meng Yifan to agree to the amnesty, but Meng Yifan is the one who calls the shots in Luolong County.

If Meng Yifan were to truly agree to the government's amnesty, although Meng Qingshan would be unhappy in his heart, he would still follow Meng Yifan and continue working with him.

Meng Yifan laughed heartily, patted Meng Qingshan on the shoulder, and said, "Qingshan, you've done well. The books you've read during this time haven't gone to waste; you see things quite thoroughly."

Meng Qingshan grinned and asked, "Brother Meng, shall I go and blast that bird-messenger away?"

"No, bring the messenger to my county office; I will speak with him," Meng Yifan said.

"Is Brother Meng going to accept the amnesty?" Meng Qingshan asked, somewhat incredulous.

"Let's first hear what conditions the Dongzhou Inspector has to offer. We'll decide based on the situation."

Meng Yifan is utterly disappointed with the Great Wu Heavenly Dynasty. This ancient dynasty, which has lasted for a thousand years, is like an old man on the verge of death, already rotten to the core.

Since Meng Yifan has already chosen to kill officials and rebel, he will see it through to the end and will absolutely not accept amnesty. However, he is currently lacking a few types of Spirit Medicine and Spirit Stones. If the Dongzhou Inspector can provide them, Meng Yifan could temporarily cooperate with the Dongzhou Inspector to deal with the Demon Race together.

After all, the Demon Race invasion is the common enemy of the entire human race. Meng Yifan and the Demon Race have already forged a blood feud; helping the government deal with the Demon Race and getting rewards for it is something Meng Yifan is willing to do.

…………

Tan Laosi is a Third-Grade High-Level Martial Artist who practices a Mysterious-Grade Low-Grade Lightness Skill. He is Tan San's own younger brother, a servant born into the Tan family, and a trusted subordinate of Tan Qingyang. This time, he bears a heavy responsibility, representing Tan Qingyang to come to Luolong County to offer amnesty.

Along the way, it was truly a thousand miles with no sign of human life, with white bones exposed in the wilderness. Many cities that were originally bustling had also turned into broken walls and ruins, piled high with dense masses of human remains.

These remains had been torn to pieces by Demon Beasts, a truly unbearable sight.

Tan Laosi also saw many Demon Beasts still slaughtering the common people, which made him furious. He wanted to go and have a great battle with the Demon Race, but he had a mission to fulfill and dared not cause extra trouble. He could only suppress the anger in his heart, sneaking along the way to avoid the Monster Army, and headed toward Luolong County.

After Tan Laosi entered the territory of Luolong County, he was surprised to find that the Demon Beasts that had been rampaging everywhere had suddenly disappeared, as if the entire Luolong County were a forbidden zone for the Monster Army.

Meng Yifan has fought the Demon Race several times, killing nearly one hundred thousand of them, striking such fear into the Demon Race that they shiver at the mere mention of Luolong County.

Those Demon Beasts that escaped Luolong County exaggerated even further, describing Meng Yifan's strength as extremely formidable, scaring other Demon Beasts from daring to step into Luolong County.

"To kill the Demon Race until they retreat three stages, how imposing!" Tan Laosi was thoroughly convinced. If Meng Yifan could be used by Lord Tan, then the war situation in Dongzhou might just be turned around.

Tan Laosi hurried toward Luolong City. Soon, he arrived at Heixiazi Mountain and saw the valley that had been blasted until it looked like glazed glass, as well as the hundred-meter-wide crater at the bottom of the valley.

The area around Heixiazi Mountain is filled with intense nuclear radiation, causing birds and beasts to vanish and not a blade of grass to grow; for living beings, it is a barren desert devoid of life.

As Tan Laosi approached this valley, he felt as if his body were being pricked by needles and had to use his True Qi to protect his body to feel a bit better.

"What a powerful immortal art. It is said that when a Sword Immortal's sword energy surges, it leaves behind sharp sword intent after cutting into mountain rocks. Even after decades, passersby can still feel the sword energy piercing their bones. Could it be that Meng Yifan has also reached such a realm, with the residual power of an immortal art remaining within Heixiazi Mountain?"

Tan Laosi was secretly shocked. Looking at this valley, he could imagine that Meng Yifan's methods were truly unfathomable.

Such an expert would be a proud and arrogant person; would he really be willing to accept amnesty?

Tan Laosi stopped overthinking and ran quickly toward Luolong County. Soon, he arrived at the foot of Luolong City. The first thing he saw was a sturdy city wall fifteen meters high.

Strangely, this city wall was not built with Blue Stone, nor was it rammed with yellow earth. The entire wall looked like one huge piece of blue stone, seamless and whole, without even a single crack on it.

"What kind of building material is this? How can it be so magical?" Tan Laosi had traveled far and wide and was considered knowledgeable, but he had never seen this kind of building material before.

"Bang!" Before Tan Laosi could get close to the city wall, he heard a bang, and a bullet hit the ground at his feet. Someone on the wall shouted, "Stop right there and identify yourself."

Tan Laosi looked up and saw thirty-five soldiers on the city wall holding Flintlocks, their dark muzzles pointed straight at him. If he made any hostile move, these soldiers would fire without hesitation.

"They are all well-trained elite troops. No wonder they could defeat a Monster Army of over one hundred thousand under Meng Yifan's leadership. Huh! Why don't their firearms have matchlocks?"

Tan Laosi had sharp eyes and immediately saw the difference between the Flintlocks in the hands of the Salvation Army soldiers and the Bird Guns.

"They can fire bullets without matchlocks; this will definitely increase the rate of fire significantly."

Tan Laosi saw the power of the Flintlock at a glance. He was a Third-Grade High-Level Martial Artist, so even with thirty-five Flintlocks pointed at him, he was not afraid.

Tan Laosi was confident that his Lightness Skill could dodge the shots of these thirty-five soldiers. However, he was here to represent the Inspector to offer amnesty, not to provoke Meng Yifan, so he did not move recklessly. Instead, he said loudly, "I am representing Lord Tan, the Dongzhou Inspector, to offer amnesty to Lord Meng. Please, brothers on the city wall, pass the message along."

The one defending this section of the wall was Zhao Jincai. Having performed meritorious service in battle, he had been promoted to Platoon Leader. Hearing that the person below the wall was a messenger from the Dongzhou Inspector coming to offer amnesty to Lord Meng, he was ten thousand times unwilling, but the final decision still had to be made by Lord Meng.

Zhao Jincai dared not delay and quickly trotted off to report to the officer above.

Not long after, the city gate creaked and slowly opened. A spirited young man walked out and said to Tan Laosi, "Messenger, please follow me into the city. Lord Meng is waiting for you in the study."

Tan Laosi felt a surge of joy. Since Meng Yifan was willing to talk, it showed that he might be willing to accept the amnesty; otherwise, he could have just ordered the messenger to be blasted away, rather than wasting his breath meeting with him.