The Strange Shengshan County (Two-in-One)

This was the first time Xu Yuan had learned that the Heavenly Word Mantra also contained the "Roll" incantation.

As soon as he finished speaking, he was blasted out of the cave by a force.

Perhaps out of deliberate revenge, Tianyan controlled a special force within it, Xu Yuan to spin continuously in the air until he crashed into a patch of warm, soft jade.

Ran Qingmo caught him a hundred meters in the air, her clear eyes slightly lowered, and she asked in a soft voice:

Are you alright?

"."

When he came to his senses and looked up,

With the full moon high in the sky, her long hair, flowing in the wind, seemed to be edged with silver, making her serene and breathtakingly beautiful.

Xu Yuan, suppressing his dizziness, circulated his internal Cultivation Method twice, then grinned at her:

"Nothing."

"."

Ran Qingmo hesitated slightly and glanced in the direction of the cave.

And that glance met Tianyan's deep golden eyes.

The slender figure stood alone at the cave entrance, her eyes coldly fixed on the two figures in the air.

A single glance felt like an eternity.

In the end, it was Xu Yuan who broke the silence first, because he felt that if he continued watching, something bad was about to happen again:

"Ran Qingmo, let's go first. Tianyan is injured, and she won't chase us until she recovers. That's enough time for us to escape."

Ran Qingmo withdrew her gaze and glanced down at the man in her arms:

"Oh"

"Alright, let's hurry."

But before he could finish speaking, she, dressed in black, pouted and released him.

"." Xu Yuan.

As the snow melts, tender green buds sprout from the branches.

On one side of the official road, a woman dressed in black with an exceptionally graceful figure stood out. She wore Veil Hat, and through the draped veil, one could only vaguely see that she was tall and slender. Beside her was a handsome young man dressed in brocade robes.

Xu Yuan surveyed the pedestrians and passersby around him.

Because for some reason, the Big Ice Block refused to fly with him these past few days, and without a map, the two of them wandered around the Wanxing Mountain Range for almost a month before finally managing to get out of the Wanxing Mountain Range.

We came across an official road, and this is the scene before us, which has been along the road to this day.

The official road was bustling with people, but there were few commoners. Most of them were merchants, knights-errant, or mercenaries, and many of them had dried bloodstains on their clothes.

Xu Yuan glanced around and gently shook his head.

It's unknown how much of this blood is from humans and how much from demons.

It seems that this place is not peaceful due to the rampage of Demon Beast in the Wanxing Mountain Range.

The official roads of the Great Yan were very prosperous, extending in all directions and reaching almost every town in the Great Yan. Their spaciousness was comparable to that of the highways in the previous life.

People in this world also understand the truth that "to get rich, build roads first".

The extensive network of official roads and the canal transport brought prosperity to trade routes, leading to the flourishing of various merchant guilds.

However, the extraordinary nature of this world means that there is absolutely no fertile ground for the growth of capitalism.

Even the most prosperous merchant guilds and chambers of commerce can only be dogs under the control of extraordinary forces.

Of course, who knows, maybe one day a powerful figure will appear out of nowhere.

As we traveled along the way,

The "refugee camps" that gradually appeared on both sides of the official road soon caught Xu Yuan's attention.

This wasn't the first time Xu Yuan had seen such a refugee camp.

Along the official roads, local governments would sprinkle a powder called "Monster-Repelling Powder".

This powder is made from special organs found in the corpses of high-level Demon Beast. It emits a strong aura that instills fear in low-level Demon Beast, thus driving Demon Beast away.

In addition, the local Heavenly Supervision Bureau also needed to regularly organize personnel to patrol the official roads within their jurisdictions to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

The importance attached to official roads in various parts of the Great Yan Dynasty was far greater than that attached to townships.

This has led to an ironic situation—

Monsters and spirits wreak havoc in the towns and villages, making it difficult to allocate manpower to control them, but they are unimpeded on the official roads.

As a result, the refugees whose homes had been destroyed by Demon Beast and demons spontaneously fled to both sides of the official road and gathered there. The simple wooden sheds they built were almost everywhere along the road.

Because for these refugees,

The official road was safe, allowing them to survive temporarily.

Walking along the side path, Xu Yuan sighed softly.

He could clearly see the filthy environment between the shacks, several men with bloodstained knives escorting another shirtless man into a shack, several emaciated children relentlessly beating another child protecting food, and even the withered arms hidden in the snow.

If he didn't leave the city, Xu Yuan would probably never see such a scene in his entire life.

No matter how much Zhou Chen said to him before, it was all for naught compared to seeing him in person.

The bustling and tranquil town of Great Yan was built upon countless piles of dead bones.

The Great Yan Dynasty is too vast.

Even with such extensive local decay, it still thrives.

Half an hour later,

Looking at the endless refugee camps on both sides of the official road, Xu Yuan couldn't help but frown slightly.

Too many, too big.

This refugee camp is too large. Even if it's large due to its proximity to a water source, it couldn't possibly be this big, could it?

It was several times larger than any refugee camp Xu Yuan had seen on his journey.

Many of the makeshift wooden shacks were newly built.

Are all these refugees because of the Demon Beast uprising in the Wanxing Mountain Range?

But won't something happen if so many refugees gather here?

An uneasy feeling slowly spread through Xu Yuan's heart.

I don't know how much time passed,

"Xu Yuan."

Ran Qingmo suddenly spoke up.

Xu Yuan snapped out of his reverie, glanced sideways, and replied in a low voice:

"What's wrong?"

Ran Qingmo stared at the refugees on both sides of the Veil Hat, remained silent for a moment, and then shook his head:

"Nothing."

Xu Yuan glanced at her, sighed, and whispered:

"The emergence of refugee camps like these is actually an inevitable product of the current situation."

"Inevitably?" Ran Qingmo's eyes were filled with doubt.

Xu Yuan didn't speak, but asked in a low voice:

Haven't you ever seen a place like this before?

Ran Qingmo pondered for a moment, then shook his head:

"I have seen it. Before I went out to travel, my master took me to see many things, including places like this."

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked:

What did he tell you?

Ran Qingmo hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"My master told me that I should not interfere in fights between people, but if Demon Beast harass the people, I must help them as much as I can, otherwise there will be more and more poor people."

Xu Yuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"I'm not asking you that. I mean, did he tell you why there are refugees in the world?"

"."

Ran Qingmo's eyes flickered, and he nodded:

"I said that."

"What did he say?"

"Master said that, firstly, the court officials are corrupt, and secondly, the court only allows our sect disciples to move within the initially defined boundaries, and the court itself is powerless to control these areas. Even if the people are allowed to be harmed by Demon Beast, the court will not allow us to go and help."

"."

Xu Yuan was speechless upon hearing this.

What Master Ran Qingmo said was both true and false.

The imperial court does not allow sects to reside permanently in local areas, but rather forbids them from going out to exorcise demons.

As for official corruption, that certainly exists, but it's not the main reason.

Ran Qingmo noticed the look in Xu Yuan's eyes, hesitated slightly, and asked in a low voice:

Did I say something wrong?

Xu Yuan looked at the muddy mixture of blood and icy water on the surface of the refugee camp and sighed.

"Wrong, and not wrong."

"Hmm?" Ran Qingmo's eyes were filled with doubt.

Xu Yuan looked at her, untouched by the dust, remained silent for a few moments, and then said softly:

"Ran Qingmo, what do you think a sect is?"

"It's home," Ran Qingmo replied matter-of-factly.

"No, I mean from the perspective of the Great Yan Dynasty."

"An aid to shared governance."

"."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan suddenly felt like laughing, a genuine urge to laugh.

Because Ran Qingmo answered in the official language written in the Great Yan History compiled by the imperial court.

"What are you laughing at?" Big Ice Block seemed a little annoyed.

Xu Yuan coughed lightly and shook his head:

"Maybe at first, but not anymore."

"Why?" Ran Qingmo asked.

The wind rustled her Veil Hat, revealing glimpses of her fair skin beneath.

As Xu Yuan walked, he said softly:

"Because the imperial court is almost unable to suppress the sects."

"In other words, the imperial court and the sects are essentially on opposite sides. For the imperial court, the sects are no longer an asset, but rather parasites."

"."

Beneath the Veil Hat, Ran Qingmo pursed her red lips.

Xu Yuan pointed to that shantytown:

"Ran Qingmo, your master is right. The imperial court does not allow sects to go out, but your master probably meant that sects are not allowed to set up training grounds outside the region."

"Why?" Ran Qingmo.

"Why what?" Xu Yuan asked.

Why doesn't the imperial court allow sects to set up branch offices?

Ran Qingmo asked earnestly, "Master said that if the sect disciples were to set off from Heaven Origin Mountain to exorcise demons, the round trip would be too far and time-consuming. We must set up a training ground in another place to quickly eliminate those scourge-causing Demon Beast. If we set up a training ground, our sect disciples could stay there permanently, and the people could come to us directly if anything happened."

Xu Yuan watched as Ran Qingmo rubbed her temples, her voice tinged with helplessness:

"It is indeed easy, but this precedent should not be set. Now that sects are exempt from paying taxes, if this precedent is set, it will be difficult for the imperial court to take back the area where your sect has established its dojo. Ten years. Ten years is too short. It is estimated that in a hundred years, the Great Yan Empire may be devoured by sects and become a sect-dominated world."

"So,

"The imperial court would rather let them live or die than let your sect take over."

"."

Upon hearing this, Ran Qingmo's beautiful eyes seemed to understand but not quite:

"Is there no solution?"

Xu Yuan smiled upon hearing this, his tone leisurely:

"Actually, solving the problem of homelessness is quite simple."

"As long as either the sect or the imperial court backs down, either the sect is willing to pay taxes, or the imperial court is willing to allow you to set up a temple, either path will allow these homeless people to live and work in peace. After all, the current national strength of the Great Yan is quite strong."

But speaking of this,

Xu Yuan shook his head, a strange and sarcastic smile playing on his lips:

"However, that's impossible. The emperor will never relinquish power, and the sects will never back down. That's why my father chose to destroy your Tianyuan Sword Sect."

"."

After she finished speaking, a hint of sadness flickered in Ran Qingmo's beautiful eyes during the silence.

"It seems there's no room for maneuver."

She realized the insurmountable barrier between the sect and the imperial court.

Xu Yuan raised his hand and patted her arm.

Ran Qingmo raised her eyes and looked at him through the Veil Hat.

He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling.

"Don't worry, I'll try my best to create some room for maneuver for you."

She bit her lip and nodded gently.

"Um"

The two remained silent and continued on their way.

The refugee camps on both sides stretched out until a city came into view in the distance, at which point the wooden buildings erected on both sides of the official road gradually became sparse.

Shengshan County.

It's the border city where the Fourth Sister set up the Illusion Array.

Walking along the official road, it gets closer.

The city wall of Shengshan County appears somewhat dilapidated, with pits and craters covering a length of over ten meters. The array formations on the wall, perceived by the Will Soul, flicker on and off.

The woman named Zhou He he met on the road earlier hadn't lied to him.

If Xu Xinrou doesn't take care of Shengshan County, it will probably become a wasteland in a few years.

Because of its proximity to the Wanxing Mountain Range, many martial arts masters, mercenaries, and warriors who hunt Demon Beast use this county as their base. And it is precisely because of these Demon Beast hunters that many caravans come here to buy various materials from the Demon Beast corpses.

However, the number of caravans decreased significantly afterward because Demon Beast hordes would frequently attack the city.

Now, perhaps thanks to the security provided by the Illusion Array, the caravans have returned, and Shengshan County is gradually regaining its prosperity as a commercial border town.

It's very popular.

Unlike the other counties and prefectures of the Great Yan Dynasty that Xu Yuan had visited, the people of Shengshan County, a border city, were noticeably more fierce and unruly.

Eight out of ten pedestrians on the street were carrying weapons.

There were martial arts practitioners, cultivators, and some disciples from various sects who came here for training.

The city was bustling with people of all kinds.

Ran Qingmo's attire was not particularly eye-catching; on the contrary, Xu Yuan's brocade robes and fine clothes were rather striking.

Because many female sect disciples in this city choose to cover their faces to avoid unnecessary trouble, while young masters rarely come to this border region to play; most of them are dressed in close-fitting clothes.

Walking through the bustling crowd, Ran Qingmo looked around:

"Xu Yuan, what do we do now?"

Xu Yuan answered matter-of-factly:

"Buy some things."

Halfway through the conversation,

Xu Yuan suddenly stopped and stared at a shrine in the distance.

A blood-red light flashed in his eyes.

In that shrine, he saw a sculpture of a gentle and tender woman.

Ran Qingmo, puzzled, followed the gaze and asked with a slightly strange expression:

"What's wrong?"

The blood-red light in Xu Yuan's eyes faded, and he shook his head slightly, his expression unreadable.

"It's nothing, I just didn't expect that Shengshan County would actually build a shrine for that Fourth Sister."

Ran Qingmo understood upon hearing this and asked in a low voice:

"Do you want to go take a look?"

Xu Yuan shook his head:

"There's no need. The fact that she built this Illusion Array is actually protecting the peace of this area, which is quite good."

Having said that, he turned and left.

The two walked around the city once.

Standing in front of an imposing little building with its courtyard gate tightly closed,

Xu Yuan looked up at the four large characters "Fenghai Chamber of Commerce" and muttered with a strange expression:

"I remember Shengshan County is the territory of the Wanxiang Sect, so how come their chamber of commerce and restaurant closed down a month ago? It doesn't make sense."

When it comes to purchasing goods, the merchant guilds of large sects are often much more comprehensive than those of smaller sects.

There was no Tian'an Chamber of Commerce with his family in Shengshan County, so Xu Yuan had to settle for second best when purchasing goods, but even that didn't work.

Ran Qingmo followed Xu Yuan and asked in a low voice, "Is it strange?"

Xu Yuan glanced at her and nodded with a smile:

"Of course it's strange."

"Sects do not pay taxes, nor are they allowed to touch local taxes. If they want to amass wealth, they do so by controlling local commerce."

"The Wanxiang Sect spent a fortune setting up the Illusion Array outside the city. Now that Shengshan County has finally prospered, the profits from the Demon Beast trade are enormous. With proper management, tens of thousands of taels of silver a year is not uncommon."

"Logically speaking, the Wanxiang Sect wouldn't give up."

As they talked,

Xu Yuan vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

I feel dizzy, it's a bit late.