Chapter 182: Untrustworthy

There was only one source for the secret letter from the Ningxi Xu family, and that was the current head of the family, Xu Xu Jingfeng.

In the letter, Xu Xu Jingfeng said that both merchant teams had arrived at Hanyang Pass and had also received the pre-ordered grain. But just as they were about to leave the pass, they suddenly encountered a ban: large quantities of grain were not allowed to be transported privately out of the pass without the permission of the Garrison Office. Only merchant teams escorted by government soldiers were allowed to transport grain, and private merchant teams were strictly forbidden.

Wei Yuan knew that the Garrison Commander Xu Xu Zhongxing was a member of the Xu family, and his blood relationship with Xu Xu Jingfeng was not too distant. Originally, the Ningxi Xu family could transport all kinds of contraband at will, and routine supplies like grain were not an issue at all.

Ever since Ningxi became a Fragmented Realm, the human realm stones had either been uprooted or destroyed; there had long been no realm here, and grain could no longer be self-sufficient. Mortals living in the Fragmented Realm had to rely on grain transported from within the pass to survive.

Therefore, the two merchant teams Wei Yuan asked Xu Xu Jingfeng to arrange seemed perfectly normal, except that the grain transported this time was a bit more, totaling three million catties.

The eighty thousand people in Quliu Town had just arrived in the realm and were in dire need of grain; he didn't expect something to happen at this very moment.

The letter also mentioned that Prefect Yuan Yuan Qingyan had sent a letter to the three counties in the east, asking them to block the east-west grain routes; at the same time, he sent the government troops under his jurisdiction to block the north-south passages, threatening that not a single grain of food was allowed to cross the border.

Wei Yuan understood that this was Yuan Yuan Qingyan's revenge.

North of the Fragmented Realm were thousands of miles of continuous mountains, everywhere were cliffs and precipices thousands of feet deep, and there were even a few ten-thousand-foot abysses, which were completely impassable. To the west was the Shaman Domain, so as long as the east and south were blocked, the realm would not be able to get grain supplies.

Just looking at the blockade line mentioned in the letter, Wei Yuan estimated that there were at least thirty to forty thousand people scattered in various places within the line. These people usually hid in the depths of the mountains and forests, and would send people to the market towns at regular intervals to exchange for grain, salt, and sugar. Cutting off the grain route was slowly cutting off the survival path of these people.

Wei Yuan crumpled the letter into a ball and slowly rubbed it into fly ash.

Originally, Wei Yuan still had some expectations for Yuan Yuan Qingyan, after all, he had a natural good feeling for scholars. But now, just this one thing made all of Wei Yuan's expectations and good feelings vanish. It could only be said that there were many scholars in the world, some good and some bad.

Fortunately, Wei Yuan moved fast, and Yuan Yuan Qingyan didn't know that the three counties in the east had already been moved to the west by Wei Yuan. Then, with the help of the blank areas left behind, he bought a million catties of grain, barely enough to support for a while longer.

It would take another two days for Yuan Yuan Qingyan to know that the three counties in the east no longer existed. However, this matter was not easy to deal with. Including Niu Niu Jinbao, the county magistrates and captains of the four counties were all still alive, and the government soldiers sent were also still alive, only the jurisdiction had changed location.

As for whether to directly dismiss them and appoint others, or to retain some of their official positions and re-establish the four counties, it all needed to be reported to the imperial court, and it would take at least a month to go back and forth.

This was according to the normal process, but what if they didn't follow the process?

Wei Yuan began to ponder how he would do it if he were in Yuan Yuan Qingyan's position. Thinking about it, he broke out in a cold sweat.

At this time, someone flew rapidly toward him. Wei Yuan looked up, the door opened automatically, and he saw Xu Yi fly in. This sweet and lovely girl had red and swollen eyes at this moment, crying like rain.

Seeing Wei Yuan, her full grievances could no longer be suppressed, and she threw herself into Wei Yuan's arms and burst into tears.

Wei Yuan was at a loss for a moment, a scorching heat rose behind his back, as if he were being pointed at by several immortal swords at the same time, and in fact, it was almost the same. However, Wei Yuan knew that the more this happened, the more he had to be calm.

At the moment, he slowly raised his hand, as if he didn't know at all that someone was watching from afar, gently patted Xu Yi's shoulder, then helped her stand straight and asked: "What happened?"

Xu Yi wiped her tears and choked: "I was scolded by someone."

So it was this kind of thing... Wei Yuan frowned slightly, trying to make the matter as big as possible: "But there was a riot in the city?"

Xu Yi shook her head.

Wei Yuan secretly called it bad; if she threw herself into his arms and cried just because of a little grievance, then it would really be unclear.

Xu Yi said: "The new prefect sent an envoy, who was particularly arrogant. I happened to pass by and met him, so I reasoned with him for a few words, but he scolded me, and it was particularly ugly! He said... he said I was mixed up with bandits and had long been a wife to everyone, and no one would want me even if I were sold to a brothel!"

The envoy of the new prefect? Wasn't that Yuan Yuan Qingyan's envoy?

This kind of words could not be tolerated even if it were placed on an ordinary girl, let alone Xu Yi, who was also from the direct line of the famous Xu family. What she relayed should be gentle, and she didn't know how much uglier the original words were.

Wei Yuan said: "Where did you meet the envoy? Take me there."

"Okay." Xu Yi wiped her tears and took Wei Yuan to fly rapidly toward the southwest.

On the way, Wei Yuan asked clearly about the process. The envoy was intercepted and questioned by the patrol team at the edge of the realm, and the two sides clashed. How could the patrol team be the opponent of the envoy group? Xu Yi happened to pass by nearby, so she was furious and took action, fighting four Dao Foundation cultivators in the envoy group alone.

He didn't expect that the envoy couldn't fight, but his attitude was extremely arrogant, and he began to insult Xu Yi. Scholars had many tricks when scolding people, and Xu Yi was from a big family after all, where had she seen this? She was scolded to tears on the spot. Later, someone from the realm came to stabilize the scene, and she was too angry, so she ran to find Wei Yuan at the first opportunity.

Wei Yuan had the blessing of Qingming in the realm, and his flight speed was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the edge of the realm and saw from afar that more than a hundred realm cultivators were confronting a small team of government soldiers. Among the government soldiers were a civil official and three military generals, all of whom were Dao Foundation cultivators. The official opposite saw Wei Yuan landing with Xu Yi and said: "Sure enough, it's a person who can be husband to anyone. In the blink of an eye, you've found another lover!"

Wei Yuan said coldly: "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

The official originally wanted to say a few more words, but when he met Wei Yuan's eyes, he suddenly shivered, and the series of words he had prepared couldn't be said at all.

He felt a chill in his heart, knowing he had met a big shot, so he said: "I am ordered by Prefect Yuan Yuan Qingyan, Lord Yuan, to summon the Realm Master of this realm, Wei Yuan! Who are you, get out of the way if you are irrelevant, and quickly call that Wei Yuan out to see me?"

"Why do you want to see the Realm Master?"

The official widened his eyes and sneered: "Of course, to ask for guilt! You people collude with bandits and rob the people. If you don't bind yourself and plead guilty quickly, are you really waiting for the army to arrive before you are willing to give up?"

Wei Yuan said: "The Realm Master couldn't bear to see the people suffer, so he took action to buy those people. Since you claim to be parent officials, you can't even protect the people under your jurisdiction, so what face do you have to sit in the public hall, and what face do you have to see the Prince of Jin? Why don't you hit yourself to death early, what are you waiting for?"

The envoy was furious, pointed at Wei Yuan, and shouted: "Bold madman! How dare you be so eloquent! I think you are..."

Before the envoy finished speaking, the hand pointing at Wei Yuan suddenly flew into mid-air! The next moment he felt the piercing pain and immediately screamed.

It wasn't just the envoy; the right arms of the other three Dao Foundation cultivators among the government soldiers were all cut off, and they had no reaction at all until the arms fell to the ground and they began to scream.

Wei Yuan stood on the spot as if he hadn't moved, and said lightly: "The Western Regions are just not good in one point, there are too many bandits! Look, several lords accidentally had a hand cut off by bandits."

!.

The envoy was tough, endured the scream, and said angrily: "Nonsense, it was clearly you who did it! Don't worry, you cut off one of my arms today, and I will wipe out your nine clans another day!"

Wei Yuan sneered: "Which eye did you see me do it with?"

"I saw it with my own eyes..." Before the envoy finished speaking, there was another scream, and his two eyes had turned into two bloody holes.

And Wei Yuan had a pair of bloody eyeballs in his hand, saying: "No, you can't see anything."

Wei Yuan looked at the group of government soldiers again and asked: "Who else saw me do it?"

The group of government soldiers were pale and shook their heads one by one.

"Alright, you go, don't run into bandits on the way back."

The envoy tore off his lapel with one hand, tied his eyes, and then wrapped his severed arm wound tightly. He didn't scream in pain again during the whole process. The government soldiers hurriedly pulled his horse and walked along the way they came.

The envoy suddenly looked back and shouted: "After I go back, I will definitely report the truth to the Prefect! You wait for death!"

Wei Yuan said lightly: "In this place, if I say it was done by bandits, then it was done by bandits. You can say whatever you want after you go back, it's useless to say it."

Watching the envoy's team gradually go away, Wei Yuan suddenly asked Xu Yi: "Did you tell him you were from the Xu family?"

"I said it, I originally wanted to suppress him..." Xu Yi lowered her head.

Wei Yuan didn't wait for her to finish and said to the cultivators: "Chase them, kill them all, leave no one behind!"

The realm cultivators immediately caught up with the team of government soldiers and hacked everyone to the ground in an instant. Wei Yuan's figure moved and he stood in front of the envoy, asking: "Do you have any last words to explain?"

The envoy was covered in several knife wounds at this moment and was on the verge of death. He recognized Wei Yuan's voice and said angrily: "Shameless villain, you are untrustworthy!"

"I just think it's more interesting to let the Prefect rack his brains to guess your whereabouts. Do you have any last words?" Wei Yuan asked again.

The envoy gasped a few times and said: "Tell my son to avenge me when he grows up!"

"Okay, I know, but I don't have time to pass the message for you, just go on your way like this." Wei Yuan flicked his finger and broke the envoy's sea of consciousness.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 188 =====