Chapter 444: Relief

The great arrays of each hall in Tai Chu Palace were no ordinary matter, costing immense resources yet possessing formidable functions. All great arrays had one basic requirement: the ability to directly extract primordial energy from heaven and earth, converting it into spiritual energy or other forms.

These great arrays did not draw primordial energy from within the mountain gate, but instead released spiritual energy to replenish the mountain gate; thus, the more great arrays, the greater the benefit to the mountain gate itself. Master Lu Xuan Xuan Yue had invested two great arrays at once—not only did Tianqing Hall benefit, but even the environment of the main mountain gate experienced noticeable improvement.

At this moment, Wei Yuan was utterly awed by his ancestor's realm.

But the feeling of awe had not lasted three seconds when Lu Xuan Xuan Yue said, "Come, come, play a game of go with me, then I'll leave."

So Wei Yuan set up the go board and played without any worldly concerns, relying purely on his own skill against Lu Xuan Xuan Yue.

But after a while, Wei Yuan realized that, having been immersed in ten consecutive games, his moves had acquired a touch of worldly style, and his go strength had grown unconsciously; Lu Xuan Xuan Yue was on the verge of collapse right from the opening, unable to even reach the middle game.

Wei Yuan quickly held back and played a few careless moves, allowing Lu Xuan Xuan Yue to slowly regain control of the board.

Behind Bao Yun sat quietly beside them, saying nothing.

In no time, both sides clashed fiercely, displaying the brutal spectacle of amateurs brawling—claws drawing blood, yet after hours of fighting, both remained lightly wounded.

In the end, Wei Yuan narrowly lost.

Master Lu Xuan Xuan Yue let out three long laughs, his mind cleared, his heart elevated, and his cultivation base subtly advanced a small step. Without another word, he stepped forward and vanished into the void.

In truth, Wei Yuan had nearly shattered Qiu Xuan Yue and Chen Zhou's Dao hearts—how could he possibly lose to Lu Xuan Xuan Yue? Lu Xuan Xuan Yue knew this well, but he was simply delighted to have won this game.

After Lu Xuan Xuan Yue left, Behind Bao Yun glared at Wei Yuan and said, "You shameless brute!"

Wei Yuan chuckled and said, "If I can make the Ancestor happy, what's a little face to me?"

Behind Bao Yun suddenly reached out and pinched Wei Yuan's face. Wei Yuan froze, but did not pull away. Yet Behind Bao Yun held his face tightly, gnashing her teeth as she tugged and twisted it into all sorts of shapes.

Though Wei Yuan felt no pain, being this close to Behind Bao Yun sent his Dao heart into turmoil. Especially now that he was no longer a child who knew nothing.

This sword, after repeated tempering by Empress Yuan, had been sharpened.

Seeing no reaction from Wei Yuan, Behind Bao Yun snapped, "Then can't you be shameless with me?"

Wei Yuan instinctively sensed this was another death trap; he raised his hand, then obediently lowered it again, smiling bitterly, "I'll try."

"You'd better try!" Behind Bao Yun gritted her teeth, then attempted to leave claw marks on Wei Yuan's face—unsuccessfully.

Behind Bao Yun panted heavily, her warm, sweet breath brushing against Wei Yuan's face, tormenting him further. Just as Wei Yuan was about to break, she suddenly let out a soft laugh, pushed him away, and floated off into the distance.

Wei Yuan's teeth ached with frustration, yet he was powerless. This tug-of-war had not come without reason.

After the great battle, affairs piled up, then suddenly a major matter stood before Wei Yuan: relief.

Previously, the core of Qing Ming warriors were lone cultivators from the Western Regions, refugees, sacrificial offerings, and Xu family youths. When casualties occurred, most were solitary figures with no family. And the early battles were extremely brutal, won almost entirely through exchanges of life for life. Under the Instant Life Manifestation, even ordinary mortals had to take the battlefield—otherwise, they could not hold back the Witch Clan's army.

At that time, Qing Ming had almost no children; many families had perished entirely, so there had been no need for relief. But now it was different—many refugees had come with entire families in tow.

Moreover, some people had barely been scraping by, but upon hearing Qing Ming's story, sold their property and relocated their entire households here.

Now, the population within the domain had reached over one million six hundred thousand, and ordinary mortals were no longer needed on the battlefield; only householded men of Foundation Establishment rank were required. Many cultivators who had joined Qing Ming later—including those within Tai Chu Palace—felt relief was due.

The various commanders submitted a total of over five thousand households requiring relief. The number was neither too large nor too small, yet it could not be ignored.

Along with the relief lists, one commander also submitted a memorial. This memorial was written entirely in the style of the Western Jin imperial court's submissions, yet it was strangely inappropriate.

According to Tang Li, only submissions to the Prince of Jin could be called memorials, and only officials of fifth rank or higher in the imperial court could submit memorials to the Prince of Jin. This commander was a self-taught outsider, not listed among the officers Wei Yuan had reported to Western Jin.

The memorial was lengthy, mostly detailing how his battalion fought bravely and suffered heavy casualties, then requesting relief in the form of land.

Wei Yuan read the memorial over and over, his brows tightening with each pass. He lightly tapped the table, silent in thought, recalling relevant passages from history. He pondered for a full half-hour before summoning Cui Yu and showing him the memorial.

After reading it, Cui Yu said, "This is normal! They're not asking for much—what's the problem?"

Wei Yuan did not answer, but said, "Go check how many men remain in the Left Army's Third Battalion, and where they're from. Then find out how many other units are similar to the Third Battalion."

"Understood." Cui Yu sensed something from Wei Yuan's expression, grew serious, and hurried off.

In truth, Wei Yuan had no need to check—every soldier in every unit was etched in his mind. During the great battle, he had surveyed the entire battlefield with his Worldly Form, and a single glance could tell him exactly how many had died or been wounded in each unit.

He had asked Cui Yu to personally investigate the troop numbers only to hope he would discover the issue himself.

After much thought, Wei Yuan summoned Yu Yu Zhizhuo, Sun Yu, Master Chuhe True Person, Xu Xu Henshui, Behind Bao Yun, and Feng Feng Tingyu, and showed them the memorial.

After reading it, Xu Xu Henshui said, "Qing Ming was built by your own hands—I will support whatever you decide, no need to worry. If anyone causes trouble, I stand firmly with you."

Yu Yu Zhizhuo and Sun Yu also agreed. Master Master Chuhe growled with murderous intent, "Whoever dares trouble you, I'll be the first to crush them."

Feng Feng Tingyu simply stared at Wei Yuan with wide, confused eyes, occasionally flexing his pectorals at him.

!.

Behind Bao Yun said nothing, lost in thought.

At that moment, a cultivator outside the door announced, "Commander Liu Fei of the Left Army's Third Battalion requests an audience!"

Wei Yuan left the Tai Chu cultivators in the study and went to sit in the front courtyard's side chamber.

Under Qing Ming's current military structure, each battalion consisted of a thousand men. While the commander was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, every hundred men also required a Foundation Establishment squad leader. This battalion was composed partly of Xu family defectors and partly of former imperial troops, totaling about seventy percent, with the remaining thirty percent from refugees across the lands.

Liu Fei was tall and robust. After entering, he bowed, then sat on the side chair.

Wei Yuan asked a few questions about the battalion's casualties, then said, "Your battalion fought bravely this time and will be rewarded according to military regulations. But relief has no established precedent yet—this time, rewards will be converted into military merit, celestial silver, and promotion slots."

Liu Fei leapt to his feet and shouted, "My Lord, the brothers don't want anything else—they just want land! With land, their hearts will be at ease, and they can fight for you without hesitation! My Lord Wei, those brothers are dead, but their families still wait. The living brothers wait too!"

Wei Yuan pulled out the memorial and asked, "Did you write all this?"

Liu Fei said, "Yes, I wrote it all! My Lord Wei, the brothers risk their lives in battle—aren't they fighting for a home? And we don't ask for much—just the field beside our camp. I've already picked it out!"

Wei Yuan asked again, "Is this the sentiment of your entire battalion?"

Liu Fei paused, then said, "I haven't asked them, but it should be fine—whatever I say, the brothers follow me."

"Then what will you do if no land is granted?"

Liu Fei knelt down with a thud and said, "If my Lord refuses, then please let us leave. We'll fend for ourselves from now on."

Wei Yuan's voice turned icy: "Are you planning mutiny?"

Liu Fei remained prostrate and said, "I dare not! But, My Lord Wei, over two hundred brothers died in this battle—I've done my duty to you and to Qing Ming! If you won't grant relief, I truly cannot understand. Let us seek another path! If you believe these brothers have fought bloodily for Qing Ming, then please spare them a way to live!"

"Who taught you to say this?"

Liu Fei hesitated, then said, "Many share my thoughts. Military merit rewarded with land is the universal custom—but you forbid it! I was just frustrated, so I spoke this way."

Wei Yuan said coolly, "You're loyal—even now, you're shielding others. Go cool off. Someone, arrest him and throw him in the dungeon, to await judgment!"

(End of Chapter)