The Wanxiang Sect's Plan (Part Two)

No one dislikes money, and no one would stop earning because they already have enough.

This is true for individuals, and even more so for sects.

Because of Xu Xinyao's initiative to make the connection,

The Wanxiang Sect does not need to purchase expensive "array blueprints" or pay extra high fees to "array masters"; it only needs to pay for the array materials.

Although Shengshan County is only a county town, it is actually quite large in scale due to the once-thriving trade in Demon Beast.

Xu Yuan didn't understand formations, but he had read many of the internal reports and gazettes from the Prime Minister's Estate's residence.

This naturally includes information about the initial investment and subsequent output of constructing the formation.

To construct an illusion array covering such a large area as Shengshan County, Xu Yuan roughly estimated that the silver needed to purchase the materials would be a staggering one million taels.

certainly,

This is the money spent on purchasing materials at market prices.

As such a behemoth, the Wanxiang Sect naturally had its own supply channels. However, even so, the cost of establishing this Illusion Array should be over 600,000 taels of silver.

600,000 taels

The Wanxiang Sect is not a single entity, but a collection of interests; it's impossible for it to spend so much money to accompany that Fourth Sister in doing charity.

The reason for choosing to invest is inevitably because one can gain more.

But now, the Wanxiang Sect has simply abandoned this lucrative path and run away.

"Hey, Young Master Zhou?"

Just as I was thinking,

A clear, crisp female voice suddenly rang out from the bustling street, tinged with excitement:

"Young Master Zhou, what are you doing standing here?"

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Xu Yuan subconsciously looked in the direction of the voice, but after seeing the person, he suddenly realized that the voice was actually calling him.

Across the bustling street, two young people were looking at him, one of whom, a pretty and innocent-looking girl, was skipping and waving at him.

Upon seeing them, Xu Yuan reacted slightly and recognized the two as the sect disciples he had seen before in the desolate Li Family village.

Zhou Xiaohe and Li Erzhu.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan smiled and nodded at them.

He remembered that these two were from the Wanxiang Sect, and their status should be quite high. Why were they here now?

Seeing that Xu Yuan recognized her, Zhou Xiaohe immediately pulled the expressionless Li Erzhu beside her and walked towards Xu Yuan.

As they approached,

Li Erzhu politely clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Brother Zhou, it's been a long time."

Zhou Xiaohe leaned forward and said with a smile:

"Young Master Zhou, what brings you here?"

Xu Yuan's eyes were filled with a smile:

"I just happened to be passing by and came into town to buy some supplies. What are you doing here, Miss Zhou?"

Without hesitation, Zhou Xiaohe pointed to Li Erzhu beside her and answered:

"This simpleton heard that there were Demon Beast around here, so he insisted on coming to exorcise them. He's been exorcising monsters all the way here, and before he knew it, he'd arrived at Shengshan County. He figured he'd come here to sell some demon cores, and then he unexpectedly ran into you, Young Master Zhou. Hehe."

Xu Yuan glanced at the silent Li Erzhu with slight surprise, and smiled:

"Brother Li is truly a chivalrous man."

Li Erzhu shook his head, his voice very calm:

"I just wanted to do what I could."

Zhou Xiaohe waved her hand, looked at Xu Yuan, then at the Fenghai Chamber of Commerce of Commerce plaque, and asked:

"What Young Master Zhou wants to buy is difficult to procure; does it require a major merchant guild?"

Xu Yuan nodded, then asked in a low voice:

"Hmm, Miss Zhou, I remember that the Fenghai Chamber of Commerce should be under your Wanxiang Sect. Why is it closed today?"

Zhou Xiaohe blinked and shook her head upon hearing this:

"I don't know. Father never lets me concern myself with these things. It's probably because of the Demon Beast tide. About half a month ago, a senior brother came to tell us to hurry back to the sect and not to linger in this area."

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

It seems that the reason why the Wanxiang Sect withdrew from Shengshan County was mostly because of this Demon Beast tide.

It wasn't too surprising.

For the past month or so, he and Ran Qingmo have been extremely cautious in the Wanxing Mountain Range.

On one hand, it was due to the Tianyan, and on the other hand, it was due to the horde of Demon Beast in the Wanxing Mountain Range.

Although most of the Demon Beast were not of high rank, even ants can devour an elephant, so they could only run away when they encountered the two of them.

Once they are held back by thousands of Demon Beast, Demon Beast numbers continue to increase, even with the Saint's Remnant Soul and Ran Qingmo, they will die with resentment in the mountains.

Seeing that Xu Yuan remained silent, Zhou Xiaohe hesitated for a moment, then said with a charming smile:

"What would you like to purchase, Young Master Zhou? Medicinal herbs, pills, or something else? I'm quite familiar with the merchants' association in Shengshan County; I can offer some advice."

Xu Yuan snapped out of his daze, looking slightly hesitant:

"Won't that be troublesome?"

Zhou Xiaohe stared intently at Xu Yuan's face, shaking her head:

"No, no, we're free these days, so staying a day or two later won't hurt, right, you idiot?"

As he spoke,

Zhou Xiaohe nudged Li Erzhu beside her with her elbow.

Li Erzhu hesitated slightly, then replied in a measured tone:

"Xiao He, the sect leader has asked you to..."

Zhou Xiaohe immediately glared at the other person. "Oh, if you don't want to wait, you can go back first!"

"..." Li Erzhu shut his mouth.

Zhou Xiaohe cleared her throat and smiled:

"Young Master Zhou, what do you want to buy?"

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Xu Yuan glanced at the two men and hesitated slightly, then whispered the names of more than ten kinds of herbs:

"Soul Dove Grass, Spirit Returning Flower, Soul Green Vine"

After speaking slowly, Xu Yuan quietly observed the other person's expression.

These are all medicinal herbs that can help the Saint's Remnant Soul restore its soul power.

Because he had no physical body, the old man's soul power could not regenerate on its own; once used, it was gone. To restore it, he could only rely on external objects such as pills or medicinal herbs.

The group fell silent for a moment.

Zhou Xiaohe's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, and she quickly showed an embarrassed expression, whispering:

"Young Master Zhou, I only recognize a few of the medicinal herbs you mentioned."

Xu Yuan was not surprised; there were countless medicinal herbs in the world. He simply said:

"Anything I say is fine; price is not an issue."

Zhou Xiaohe blushed slightly and shook her head:

"Young Master Zhou, it's not a matter of price; there's nowhere to buy this medicinal herb in Shengshan County."

"No?"

Xu Yuan sighed, paused, and then asked, "What about flying Demon Beast? Grade C is fine."

The Bureau of the Exotic Beast Bureau divides all the mythical Demon Beast in the world into two categories: military and civilian, and flying and ground-based, and further divided into six classes from top to bottom: A, B, C, D, E, and F.

Xu Changge's Mystic Eagle is a top-tier military flying Demon Beast, and it's extremely expensive.

Based on the amount of money Xu Yuan holds, he can only afford to purchase one Class C civilian flying Demon Beast for transportation at most.

Even so, Zhou Xiaohe still shook her head:

"No."

"D-class flying Demon Beast are also acceptable."

"No, not at all."

"Grade E?"

"Young Master Zhou, Shengshan County only has Demon Beast eggs and cubs."

"." Xu Yuan.

"." Zhou Xiaohe.

There was nothing in this small place, Xu Yuan sighed softly:

"Thank you for reminding me, Miss Zhou. It seems that Shengshan County doesn't have what I need for the time being."

Zhou Xiaohe was also a little embarrassed and said in a low voice:

"Why don't you come with us to Wanxiang City as a guest, Young Master Zhou? Wanxiang City is home to many chambers of commerce, and many large chambers of commerce have branches in the city."

Xu Yuan did not answer immediately.

He only came to this place to buy things, and since there's nothing to sell, he has no reason to stay.

Moreover, the actions of the Wanxiang Sect clearly indicate that there is something wrong with Shengshan County; only a fool would stay here.

After a moment's hesitation, Xu Yuan glanced at Ran Qingmo, who had been standing quietly to the side, and said:

"Ying'er, what do you say?"

"I'll listen to you," Ran Qingmo replied softly.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan exhaled and slightly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhou Xiaohe:

"Then we'll have to trouble you two along the way. But before we set off, we still need to purchase some miscellaneous items."

Zhou Xiaohe became visibly excited upon hearing this:

"I won't bother you. Let's go. I'm so bored with this idiot all day long. By the way, Young Master Zhou, what happened to the little girl who was with you before?"

The Wanxiang Sect was not built in the mountains, but rather beside a waterfall on a huge cliff.

Because of the water vapor rising from the waterfall, Wanxiang Sect is shrouded in mist all year round. When viewed from above, the cluster of buildings looks like a fairyland.

The corridor leading to the sect's important "Council Hall" was winding and twisting. Two middle-aged men walked along it, their unhurried footsteps and soft conversation drifting over.

The bearded man asked softly:

"Old Five, I heard that another secret envoy has been sent from the prefectural city?"

The Old Five was silent for a moment before replying:

"Yes, they said they want our Wanxiang Sect to reinforce Jiugu Town. The imperial border troops there are almost at their limit; this year's Demon Beast tide is coming on very strong."

The bearded man thought for a moment, then sighed:

"A demon, it's a damn demon again!"

"Our Wanxiang Sect's ancestor made the stupidest decision to choose this place next to the Wanxing Mountain Range. Dealing with these demons every day, killing one batch only to have another grow back next year."

"Oh, what was the Sect Master's reply?"

The Old Five thought for a moment and replied in a low voice:

"The Sect Master sent Qi Changyu with a group of over a hundred inner disciple."

The man with the bushy beard frowned.

"They really sent people? That area is a disaster zone every year. I hope Changyu doesn't get killed there."

The Old Five chuckled:

"Don't worry, the sect leader didn't arrange any flying Demon Beast for them. They probably won't make it there in time if they walk."

The bearded man grinned and nodded upon hearing this.

"The imperial court wants us to contribute without giving us any benefits? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Our sect leader is much better at scheming."

He paused for a moment,

The bearded man's smile faded, and he asked in a low voice:

"Those large fortresses on the border should be fine, right?"

"If some small, peripheral towns fall, at most a few people will die. But we can't afford to lose those places in Nandu County. If we lose them, Demon Beast will come in, and much of our Wanxiang Sect Sect's wealth is in that area."

The Old Five answered quite easily:

"Don't worry, we've been preparing since before the New Year. Our Wanxiang Sect Sect's Qianhuan Army has plenty of supplies. We've also made arrangements with Tianyin Temple and Fengqing Sect, and we'll support each other."

Upon hearing this, the bearded man gently shook his head.

"The imperial court is truly laughable."

"They started squeezing our sect members out of the government system decades ago. Back then, they probably couldn't have imagined that the situation would deteriorate to this extent."

"How foolish!"

In order to prevent the influence of sects from further infiltrating local areas, the imperial court has been gradually removing sect members from local power structures for decades.

If a disciple of a sect becomes an official and governs a region, the sect will naturally provide full assistance to ensure peace and tranquility in their jurisdiction.

Nowadays, very few sect disciples can hold official positions that govern a region. As for the governors and prefects who are transferred from the imperial court, the sects naturally do not treat them as well. It is considered respectful to pay lip service to the government's orders, and many sects simply ignore them.

This is one of the reasons why there are refugees everywhere today.

The Old Five took a deep breath:

"The imperial court can't insist on this forever; it will revert to the ancestral system. I estimate that once His Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, that black-robed Prime Minister Xu Yinhe, will have to back down."

The bearded man chuckled softly upon hearing this.

"The Prime Minister's Estate is at its zenith. If it were to mature and consolidate its power over another hundred years, it would likely become a Aristocratic Clan, perhaps even establishing its own sect."

"Hehe, I wonder where Xu Yinhe will choose to hold the event. It will most likely be in Jiangnan Prefecture. Last time at the Tianyuan Grand Competition, the Nine Swords Sect members in Jiangnan Prefecture were all rolling in money."

Having said that,

The two looked at each other and smiled.

This is a general consensus within the sect.

The current emperor and the Prime Minister's Estate may indeed have some problems with their thinking, but the problems are not serious, because reality will make them correct these erroneous ideas.

The world does not belong to the Great Yan Dynasty, but to the Great Yan and its sects.

Without the cooperation of the sects, although the Great Yan remained prosperous, chaos had already begun to emerge in just over twenty years.

Once you realize your mistakes and revert to the old ways, and pay a price, we'll sit down and everything will return to normal.

Your Li Family is the imperial family, and your Prime Minister Xu Estate is still the number one Aristocratic Clan in the world.

Neither of them spoke again, and they walked along the winding corridor into the Wanxiang Sect hall, the most important place in the Myriad Council Hall.

Push open the door,

Two rows of chairs were neatly arranged on either side of the hall, both filled with people, while an elderly man with a goatee sat in the main seat.

The Wanxiang Sect Master sat in the main seat, looking at the two who had arrived late, and smiled slightly:

"Old Five, Youngest, sit down, we're talking about you."

The two smiled and went to their seats.

The Old Five laughed:

"Sect Master, why did you summon us here in such a hurry? Is it to discuss matters concerning Shengshan County?"

The Wanxiang Sect Master Myriad Manifestations smiled through his deep eyes and said:

"Naturally, the fact that my Wanxiang Sect has invested over two million taels of silver in Shengshan County this time is certainly something that needs to be taken seriously."

The bearded man stroked his chin, a mocking smile on his face:

"This is all thanks to the Fourth Miss of the Prime Minister's Estate. If it weren't for that old man Xu Yinhe being so arrogant, I would have gone to the Capital to propose marriage to the Prime Minister's Estate."

The Wanxiang Sect Master smiled noncommittally.

"That girl's array formation skills are naturally very high, having been taught by that old man Jiang He. If it weren't for her Illusion Array, our plan might have been delayed for several more years."

"Alright, Sect Master, have all the refugees gathered there?"

"The gathering is basically complete, exceeding 200,000 people. The city's residents number around 170,000. Adding the caravan guards, scattered wandering knights, and resident border troops, the number of people with cultivation skills is probably over 20,000."

"Where are the Demon Beast?"

"Sufficient Beast-Luring Incense has been prepared."

"Does the sect leader mean we can begin the battle?"

"Nature."

"Won't it leave any traces?"

"Don't worry, it's very clean. It was made by Demon Beast."

"Hehe."

Everyone present laughed, because they all knew how much benefit this plan would bring to their Wanxiang Sect.

The Wanxiang Sect Master tapped his chair, paused, and said loudly:

"Alright, everyone's here, let's proceed with the final vote."

After saying that,

"Swish, swish, swish!"

The vote was merely a formality in bringing the plan to this point; the elders present unanimously passed the resolution to activate the grand formation.

Upon seeing this, the Wanxiang Sect Master slowly stood up and looked towards the direction of Shengshan County:

"Pass on the message,"

"Activate the formation, create Ghost Mist!"

It's a bit late.