Chapter 570: The Atmosphere Has Reached Its Peak

"Didn't I already say that Xu family's Dharma Phantoms are garbage? Am I supposed to back down just because one's perfected? Besides, I'm not necessarily going to lose." Wei Yuan insisted.

Bao Yun argued with him for a long time without result, and now she bit her teeth in fury, hugged Wei Yuan, and sank her teeth hard into his arm—only to find her silver teeth aching from the impact, making her even angrier.

Wei Yuan quickly softened his posture; otherwise, by sheer physical instinct alone, Bao Yun could hardly break his skin.

Bao Yun snapped, "If you want to go die, then go—no one's stopping you!"

"Fine, I won't go."

Bao Yun was stunned again, but felt it was too soon to be happy—her face wouldn't allow it—so she forced a stern expression and asked, "What changed your mind?"

Wei Yuan said, "I'm the one who said it. The whole world knows. If Xu Xu Lanshan can't bear it, she should come to me. Every day she stays in the Xu family after returning is another day she hangs herself on the pillar of shame."

Bao Yun nodded. "That's right! But we can't just sit around passively—she'll just pretend not to hear. We need to send people to spread rumors in Xu family territory—say… say Xu Xu Lanshan's just a pretty face, climbed her way up by sleeping with men, has nothing but realm, zero combat ability. A third-rank Heart Phantasm perfected won't even challenge a first-rank Spirit Nurturing? Such a waste—she should just find a husband and marry already."

Wei Yuan gave a thumbs-up—he could never have thought of that. Only the Dragon and Phoenix geniuses could.

Wei Yuan immediately dispatched a Kaihui Kaihui Daoji to the internal contact within the caravan, ordering them to spread the rumor immediately across Xu family territory, especially inside Hanyang Pass. Many within the caravan already resented Xu Xu Lanshan and agreed instantly.

Then Bao Yun added, "I heard Xu Xu Lanshan now handles the western defense of the Xu family—she's the one who ordered the pass sealed, blocking even a single person or item from leaving to aid the enemy. It's said even Qiu Niu Master Fenhai Zhenjun clashed with her over it, to no avail. She dares to ignore even a True Immortal's face—perhaps her backer is Xu Xu Wangu."

Wei Yuan nodded. "Our own authorized caravan is currently blocked inside the pass, carrying nearly a hundred thousand refugees. Their food won't last long. But if I send grain inside now, the Xu family will seize it all."

Bao Yun thought for a moment. "We absolutely must not send grain. That only tells them we're desperate for these refugees—and then they'll hold us hostage. At the very least, they'll jack up the price."

"But let's flip the perspective. Aside from us Qingming, everywhere else sees refugees as a burden. Our intense focus on them is abnormal. So we must act as if we don't care—that's the normal attitude."

Wei Yuan pondered. "What if we pay the Xu family a toll? Ten taels of silver per person, like in Zhao Guo?"

Bao Yun shook her head. "The situation here differs from Zhao Guo. You don't understand how aristocratic families operate. Right now, with a hundred thousand refugees trapped at the pass, the Xu family's pressure is no less than ours. If these people truly starve to death at the gate, it'll be a scandal shaking the realm—the Xu family's reputation will be ruined forever. Even if Xu Xu Lanshan is Xu Xu Wangu's own daughter, she'll be punished—ten years of solitary confinement is the lightest penalty."

"Our aristocratic clans value reputation above all. Do too many such things, and you risk being expelled from the Seven Surnames and Thirteen Clans. So right now, the Xu family is stuck between a rock and a hard place—it's a battle of endurance. I'd bet Xu Xu Lanshan is waiting for you to bring up the silver issue, so she can have an excuse to back down."

Wei Yuan frowned. "Is reputation even useful? I mean, the Xu family's done so many vile things—what reputation do they even have left? Why would they care about something that doesn't exist?"

"That's only because you know the inside. These sordid deeds are fine behind closed doors—but if they become public, everyone turns against them, and other clans will cut ties. Right now, to the world, the Xu family is still a normal aristocratic house—just a bit more aggressive due to lacking deep roots."

Wei Yuan thought carefully—it was true. Even the Xu family's two attacks on Qingming had been framed as "suppressing bandits," and Qingming had indeed been little better than bandits back then.

Even after Wei Yuan became a Military Governor, the world still saw him as a warlord upstart, no different from a bandit—his death would earn no sympathy.

Only after winning the war against the Yu Kingdom, slaying a million foreign tribes, did Qingming finally gain recognition from the Great Tang people—becoming legitimate, gaining righteous cause. Ultimately, all Tang people believed true heroes were those who conquered foreign lands and expanded territory.

Now, if the Xu family attacks Qingming again, they must find a careful excuse. Otherwise, striking the frontier troops who just fought foreign tribes would be a grave taboo—if it blew up, even the Tang Son of Heaven would issue an edict to investigate.

The Eastern and Western Jin and Northern Qi had all spent over a century waiting to tear down the northern Shanmen of Taichu Palace. They finally got their chance when Taichu Palace weakened and the Liao tribes launched a massive invasion—but they still dared not openly attack Taichu Palace. Instead, they quietly opened a gap in their defenses and let the Liao tribes through.

But Wei Yuan already knew this—he'd seen the detailed plan laid out in the human world. Still, he feigned ignorance and asked humbly, "So what should we do now?"

Bao Yun snorted. "You've clearly already thought of something—why ask me?"

But seeing Wei Yuan's expectant gaze, her heart softened. "The initiative is in our hands now. We must pressure the Xu family—more pressure means faster resolution. The best way to pressure them is to ruin their reputation. Didn't that corrupt Confucian scholar Cai Cai Shizhi write dozens of essays slandering you recently? He made quite a stir."

"He can slander you—he can slander anyone. Right now, hundreds of thousands of refugees hang by a thread because of the Xu family's selfishness. That's a clear human disaster. If he doesn't write a mountain of essays to scream about it, is he even a scholar?"

"There aren't hundreds of thousands."

"One hundred thousand is too few—it lacks impact. Besides, by the time someone comes to verify the refugee count, we'll already have achieved our goal."

Wei Yuan said, "True, but this guy probably won't be easy to manipulate. If he refuses to write, we can't force him."

Bao Yun smiled faintly. "Who said we can't? He has a mortal enemy in the literary world—Liu Liu Wenkai. Their reputations and status are nearly equal; they've written dozens of poems insulting each other. Liu Liu Wenkai once owed a favor to my Bao family—I've already had someone contact him. This gives him a chance to repay the Bao family's debt and strike his enemy—he agreed instantly. With him goading him, Cai Cai Shizhi's temper will fall right into the trap."

Wei Yuan wasn't pretending this time—he was genuinely astonished and delighted. He grabbed Bao Yun's hand. "You really thought this through so far!"

Bao Yun's cheeks flushed slightly. "It's nothing. Just put in a little effort—you can do it too."

Watching Bao Yun's faintly blushing face, the Human Renjian Yanhuo erupted in a roar: "Kiss him! Kiss him!"

The hecklers were all the Immortal Plants—mortals had no right to witness Wei Yuan's private life. Even the usually solemn Red Lotus Bodhi joined in, shouting the loudest, making Wei Yuan see the true nature of this big-browed, big-eyed immortal plant.

Wei Yuan had no intention of indulging them—but he'd finally calmed Bao Yun down, and the atmosphere was perfect. So he leaned in and swiftly kissed her cheek.

Bao Yun shot him a glare, then turned and bit him hard—catching him completely off guard.

They were reconciled. Wei Yuan seized the moment: "Why were you angry?"

At the mention of it, Bao Yun glared at him fiercely—still furious—but spoke anyway: "Red Lotus Karma Fire isn't ordinary karma fire—it's something only Immortal Ancestors and Buddhas can wield. You used it to purify a million Wu tribesmen—do you know how much karmic retribution that carries? How do you know you can withstand it? And… and you never told me!"

You went to die, and I didn't even know what you were doing—I only found out when it was already happening. Do you have any idea how desperate that feels?

"So after the battle ended, I planned to quietly leave once the mess was cleaned up."

Wei Yuan suddenly felt a chill of dread and pulled her into his arms. "I did discuss it with Master Feng. The array was his design. I never intended to use it—until the chance suddenly came. I just thought, I couldn't let it slip."

"Really?"

No single word, no single detail, no single lie!

"Of course it's true! I don't want to die! Besides, we're clearly gaining the upper hand—there's no need to fight Red Leaf to the death. Master Feng calculated: the karma came from the Wu tribesmen. Returning it now lets us resolve part of the karmic debt—the rest is entirely manageable, we can slowly dissolve it later. I'm not going to die. Besides…"

Bao Yun's face lit up. "Besides what?"

Wei Yuan hesitated. The Human Renjian Yanhuo' solution was clearly effective—but saying it out loud felt embarrassing.

Seeing Bao Yun press, Wei Yuan gritted his teeth and blurted: "Besides, how can I die now? If I really died—what would you do?"

Bao Yun burst into laughter, radiant. "If you die, I'll marry someone the next day—and pour the wedding wine over your grave!"

Wei Yuan quietly exhaled—he'd known all along: among the Dragon and Phoenix geniuses, there was still talent.

That last line was clearly a lie. Bao Yun knew it was a lie. But she was delighted that Wei Yuan bothered to lie to her. And so, at last, she was pacified.

At that moment, Wei Yuan received word: Master Chuhe True Person had returned. He bade farewell to Bao Yun, embracing her—his hands grew restless again, attempting to grasp the hills, failing—his palm couldn't encircle one.

Bao Yun rubbed her face against his like a kitten, then saw him out the door. Both now cherished the slow, gradual intimacy—they weren't rushing toward anything.

Wei Yuan suddenly felt this relationship was like ice cream from the world beyond heaven—each tiny lick lasted a long time.

But then Wei Yuan remembered: Xu Xu Wenwu always bit into ice cream—gobbled it down in a few bites. Thinking of that, he realized: every bit of fat on this little round plump was guilty—each pound earned by his own careful bites.

Master Chuhe True Person beamed, and upon seeing Wei Yuan, launched into a flood of talk—how the heads of every silk clan revered him, how they were stunned into silence upon learning of his Heavenly Merit, how none dared show the slightest disrespect.

Wei Yuan was speechless. This was one of the old Daoist's tricks. He did have many Heavenly Merits—but they were all clawed out by cats, contributed in part by snakes, and mostly just flowers he'd spent.

Master Chuhe True Person's main purpose was to deliver a crucial message: Qingming would resume silk procurement—but only from clans unrelated to the Xu family, and only at the border outside Hanyang Pass.

At first, the clan heads hesitated, fearing the Hanyang Pass garrison wouldn't stand idle. But the old Daoist patted his chest and swore: as long as they delivered the goods three li beyond Hanyang Pass, they needn't worry. No matter how many soldiers guarded the pass, none could cross that three-li line of death. If even one foot stepped over it, he'd make them vanish forever!

The threat had its effect. Each clan head had their own ways to smuggle goods beyond Hanyang Pass. Besides, silk wasn't a strategic resource—no reason to block it.

After recounting his journey, Master Chuhe True Person looked uneasy. "Nephew, I've blown my own horn—will I fail to deliver? If I do, my face won't have anywhere to hide."

Wei Yuan didn't mock the old Daoist for thinking he even had a face. He'd been fretting over how to pressure Xu Xu Lanshan—and now, hearing the old man's words, inspiration struck. He burst into laughter. "You're being too modest! I want every single soldier in Hanyang Pass to be unable to step out the city gate!"

(End of Chapter)