Chapter 500: Karmic Debt is Hard to Eliminate

In the cultivation room, Zhang Sheng and Su Xuejing discussed the Dao. Both sides were at an extremely high realm, speaking fast, not wasting a single word, and soon entered the topic of whether to cultivate one sword or ten thousand swords. Both held their own views, and neither could convince the other.

This situation was very common in discussing the Dao. Generally speaking, in the case of not being able to convince the other party, most of the time they would have to compare, and who was more powerful would be known after a fight. But now Zhang Sheng was re-cultivating and couldn't compare, so the two had to continue arguing.

Wei Yuan could see it, the more gentle sword cultivators were on the surface, the more stubborn they were in their bones. That Su Xuejing was smiling, but he was dead set on not giving up, and every sentence had to be seriously debated with Zhang Sheng. Debating and debating, the two had long been off-topic, but like two stubborn donkeys, neither was willing to give up.

Wei Yuan and Shangguan Qianmo were drowsy listening on the side, so Wei Yuan took out a chessboard, and Shangguan Qianmo immediately became energetic, and the two started playing chess on the side.

Shangguan Qianmo was a guest, so she took the white pieces first. As a result, as soon as she placed a piece, Wei Yuan placed a piece right next to her.

Shangguan Qianmo was furious, fought back indignantly, and the two fought for more than 50 moves. This piece of Shangguan Qianmo's chess was killed, and she lost the opening.

Her temper suddenly came up, feeling as if something was rushing to the top of her head, and shouted: "I was careless just now, it doesn't count, come again!"

The two reopened a game, Wei Yuan placed a piece right next to her again, and then after more than 60 moves, Shangguan Qianmo lost.

The third game, Wei Yuan's first move was still to place...

The fourth game, place...

I don't know how many games it had been, Shangguan Qianmo really couldn't bear it anymore, and shouted: "Stay away from me!"

Wei Yuan followed the words and moved his body back, a little further away from her.

Shangguan Qianmo was so angry that she almost couldn't catch her breath, staring at Wei Yuan, wishing she could pounce on him and bite him hard.

Fortunately, she finally realized that the gap in chess skills between the two was too large, so she threw the pieces and admitted defeat, and then said: "Looking at your chess style, it has the flavor of 'Ten Games of Graffiti'. Have you studied that chess manual?"

Wei Yuan didn't expect that there would be such a moment of showing off, so he hurriedly sat upright, looking shy, and said: "You talk about that chess manual... actually, I was the one who played it."

Shangguan Qianmo originally wanted to ask Wei Yuan for advice on the "Ten Games of Graffiti," but once she heard that this chess manual was actually played by Wei Yuan, for some reason, she suddenly felt that the chess Dao was boring, and it was better to cultivate the sword. At least those who were not pleasing to the eye and dared to stick to it could be beheaded with one sword.

Wei Yuan saw that Zhang Sheng and Su Xuejing were debating endlessly, so he summoned Feng Tingyu to accompany them, and he left the main peak and went to the south of Qingming to pick up the refugees.

A guest-welcoming town was specifically built in the south of Qingming, originally as a place for the Zhao Guo merchant team from the south to stay before entering Qingming, and only the checked merchant team would be allowed to pass.

At this time, the guest-welcoming town in the south was bustling with noise and excitement, countless refugees gathered here, and people arrived one after another.

The refugees stranded in the town had exceeded 50,000, and they were all concentrated in the open space outside the town.

Wei Yuan set up ten porridge sheds here in one breath, two meals a day for each person, each with a large bowl of thick porridge and a steamed bun. This porridge-giving level, compared to the porridge sheds in other states and counties, not to mention being seven or eight times stronger, was still three or four times stronger. Therefore, as long as the refugees arrived in Qingming, they didn't want to leave.

On the edge of the open space, seven or eight tables were also set up, each with a scholar sitting behind it, registering the refugees one by one.

Several Dao Foundation cultivators with loud voices used Dao power, constantly repeating: "If you want to join Qingming, joining the army is the fastest way. The Military Governor has given extra grace, promising that as long as you have participated in a battle, you will be given the status of a soldier, and from then on, you will be our Qingming people! After three battles, you will be a civilian! For those dragging their families, as long as one person in the family becomes a Body Forging cultivator and joins the army, a quota for Dao Foundation training will be granted.

People in Qingming are issued food every day!"

These words were repeated constantly, countless refugees were interested, surrounding the minor officials and asking questions endlessly. A long line was formed in front of the tables for registration. Seeing that the line was too long, several cultivators were moving new tables and chairs, preparing to add more than a dozen tables.

The refugees who registered to join the army were concentrated in another place, and when 500 people were gathered, they were taken away in a team. The venue where they gathered was just over ten *zhang* away from the refugee camp, where several large pots were set up, and meat was stewing in the pots.

Someone was brought over, and the cultivator standing by the pot would give them a large steamed bun, break it open, and pour a spoonful of stewed meat into it.

Not far away, the refugees could see clearly that the cultivator's spoon was solidly full of meat, almost without soup. Each of the guys who joined the army ate with oil on their mouths and glowing eyes.

When Wei Yuan arrived, he saw Li Zhi personally responsible for this, directing the cultivators to accept, settle, and divert the refugees, everything was in good order.

Wei Yuan came to Li Zhi's side and asked: "Why is Brother Li here? Your troops suffered heavy casualties, don't you need to appease the military heart?" Li Zhi said: "The backbone of these troops are all old people from Southern Qi, and the appeasement and pension can be done by subordinates. These refugees all come from Zhao Guo, and many of them migrated from my territory. It's not easy for me to cause chaos here."

Sure enough, many refugees who originally wanted to make noise calmed down when they saw Li Zhi, and then many people actively joined the army, and only a small part of them were suspicious and still watching. But since they had come to Qingming, they couldn't leave.

Li Zhi said: "There are already 80,000 refugees arriving in Qingming, and only 30,000 have arrived from Zhao Guo, and there will be more later."

Most of the mortals who moved were from Li Zhi's territory, after all, they were organized the fastest. And the speed of the refugees without masters moving was relatively much slower.

Except for the direction of Zhao Guo, the convoy Wei Yuan sent to Jin Guo had just set off, and the post stations along the way had not yet been established. It would take at least a month to transport people back from Jin Guo.

But now a battle had wiped out 200,000 civilians, and such a large gap must be filled as soon as possible.

Wei Yuan said: "What is the plan of Cui Shutong, the Pacification Commissioner of Yu Yang?"

Li Zhi said: "I sent him some gifts, and he accepted them. So he doesn't encourage it but doesn't obstruct it, letting us recruit ourselves. News came from Zhao Guo today that more than 10,000 refugees have been recruited and are being sent here."

"Recruiting like this is probably a bit slow, we have to think of another way."

"Then what ideas do you have?"

Looking one by one...

Wei Yuan said: "Since Brother Li can send gifts to Cui Shutong, it means he approves of this matter. Why don't you ask Brother Li to make another trip and tell Cui Shutong that I want to buy refugees!"

Li Zhi didn't seem surprised, just asked: "How to buy?"

"What price do you think he will accept, Brother Li?"

Li Zhi said: "Five taels of silver per person, only young and strong men and women, no old people, one tael per child. We will take care of the transportation costs and food and lodging on the road. In this case, five taels of worth, we bear the expenses on the road ourselves, estimated to be five taels, totaling ten taels per person."

"I use a part of the armor to offset?"

"That would be the best, and you can ask for a higher price." Li Zhi was well-versed in the military and political operations of Zhao Guo. The armor produced by Qingming was always in short supply, and Zhao Guo was also in a period of expansion, expanding the army from top to bottom, brewing a great war against the mountain people, and could eat as much armor as there was.

Moreover, every time Cui Shutong got a breastplate from Qingming, he could earn 30 taels of immortal silver by turning it over to the army. Even if a part had to be distributed, he could earn at least 20 taels. So even if the armor price was higher, with one more piece of armor, he could earn one more sum.

Wei Yuan said: "That's good, let's count it as one breastplate for 500 refugees."

Li Zhi looked at the sky and said: "There is no time to lose, I will go to Zhao Guo now."

Wei Yuan held him back and said: "Brother Li, this matter will produce a lot of karmic debt. After you finish talking and come back, don't intervene in the refugees' affairs."

Li Zhi smiled slightly and said: "My Kingly Way is best at dealing with karmic debt, don't worry."

After saying that, he ordered people to open the flying boat and boarded the boat with a Dharma Form subordinate, heading straight for Zhao Guo.

Watching the flying boat disappear into the horizon, Wei Yuan sighed secretly in his heart. No matter how strong Li Zhi's Kingly Way was, it was impossible to completely deal with all the karmic debt. Karmic debt was the most difficult to deal with. Since ancient times, so many great powers had been trembling, and no one had seen anyone dare to neglect it. Li Zhi said this just to make him feel at ease.

Li Zhi brought these refugees to Qingming, and they would soon go to the battlefield, many of whom could not survive the first battle, so the karmic debt would be very thick.

Although Wei Yuan had the Red Lotus Salvation True Mantra, everything had advantages and disadvantages. Wei Yuan faintly felt that every time this mantra was used, he would be one step closer to the Luo Han, have one more cause and effect with the Luo Han, and inexplicably have the idea of saving all living beings in his heart.

If this mantra was used a few more times, not to mention whether those guys outside the sky would find him, Wei Yuan suspected that he would have to enter the empty gate and live a life of saving all living beings from then on.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 501 =====