The Siege (Two-in-One)

In this world, cultivation level isn't everything, but it certainly represents a person's status.

A third-rank Grandmaster might not be much in a place like the Imperial Capital, but in a small border town like this, he would be considered a distinguished guest among distinguished guests.

It was precisely because of this that, thanks to Ran Qingmo, Xu Yuan easily made an appointment to meet with the highest military and political official in Shengshan County.

Under the cover of night,

A young military officer, around twenty years old, led a young couple toward the inner hall of the County Office with neither servility nor arrogance.

"Young Master Zhou, this way please. General Wang is waiting for you inside."

As Xu Yuan walked, he took in everything inside the County Office.

This place is less like an office for government officials and more like a military camp, with everyone in the office wearing the standard uniforms of the Great Yan Border Army.

The only other clothing I saw was that of the Taxation Bureau.

However, judging from the calluses on the hands of those Taxation Bureau, which were so thick they could produce sparks, they were clearly just a group of border soldiers disguised as Taxation Bureau.

The entire Shengshan County was a border town completely controlled by the border troops.

However, even though they had military and political power over the area, these border troops did not seem to have an easy life. There was no trace of any formation in the entire County Office, and there was not even the most Bright Pattern Lamp. They relied entirely on firelight for illumination.

If we were to use modern society as an analogy, it would be roughly equivalent to a local government compound that is so poor that it uses kerosene lamps for lighting.

It could be said that they were extremely poor.

These basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are secondary; the key issue is that the swords worn by these border soldiers are mostly made of ordinary iron.

The reason why the Great Yan Dynasty is so full of martial virtue is because the Great Yan army is full of cultivators and martial artists.

Aside from some clerical jobs, there are almost no ordinary people in the regular army.

It's a very simple principle: mortal armies can barely win against low-level cultivators like Xu Yuan by sheer numbers, but once they encounter Grandmaster like Ran Qingmo, a single powerful sword strike is all it takes to send the mortal army scrambling.

The cultivator army is completely different.

Because cultivators can form formations.

According to the evaluation given by the Saint's Remnant Soul, the most important change in the transformation of the sect world into the imperial world, besides the changes in the Source Qi of heaven and earth, was actually due to the discovery of military formations.

Xu Yuan had never seen a large-scale military formation before, but according to the internal reports from the Prime Minister's Estate, large-scale military formations seemed very powerful.

A third-grade Grandmaster is basically instantly killed in front of an army of ten thousand.

Of course, a third-rank expert wouldn't be foolish enough to directly confront an army formation.

Shengshan County has two battalions, or one town, with a total strength of about 10,000 people when fully staffed. However, given the current state of Shengshan County, it is impossible for it to be at full strength.

Xu Yuan didn't know the exact number of people, but he knew from the journey that at least two-thirds of these border troops were carrying ordinary iron weapons.

Cultivators use ordinary people's weapons.

Ordinary iron weapons can indeed kill, but their combat effectiveness will be reduced by at least half.

Because iron weapons cannot contain the Source Qi.

The weapons used by the muscular thugs in the Wuxuan Academy of Jingjiang Xu Estate all contained some "Black Iron" or "Iron Essence" to ensure their strength. It seems that the imperial court really has no money.

The young garrison commander leading the way seemed to notice Xu Yuan's gaze:

"Young Master Zhou, you flatter me. The taels of silver allocated by the imperial court to our Shengshan County every year have all been used by General Wang to repair the city walls and the city's defensive formations. The iron weapons are barely enough to deal with those beasts."

As he spoke, the general pointed to the sword at his waist.

Xu Yuan glanced at the blade and smiled slightly:

"Making the blade thicker and rougher is a simple and crude solution, but it is one of them. However, once the trade routes in Shengshan County are opened, the situation will improve after next year."

The young garrison commander grinned:

"General Wang said the same thing. If nothing unexpected happens, our Shengshan Army will be able to replace a batch of equipment next year, all thanks to Miss Xu's formation."

When Xu Xinyao was mentioned, a hint of longing appeared in Qingniantun's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

The group walked to a courtyard gate guarded by two sixth- Body Fusion soldiers. The young garrison commander clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xu Yuan.

"Young Master Zhou, General Wang is inside."

"."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan glanced at the courtyard in front of him and, unusually, sensed a fluctuation of an array.

With Sound-Isolation Array and Soul-Evasion Array to prevent others from exploring, this is probably the most important place in the County Office.

"Open the door."

The young garrison commander gave instructions to the two soldiers on duty, who promptly opened the door for the three of them.

Upon entering the courtyard, one sees an open space resembling Martial Practice Platform. Burning bonfires illuminate the entire Martial Practice Platform, and a wide avenue extends inward. At the far end of the courtyard is a large hall, where a group of people sit, seemingly discussing something.

Xu Yuan could see that those people were all in military uniforms, but compared to the ordinary soldiers he had just seen, the group of people in the hall were clearly generals.

The young garrison commander explained in a low voice:

"General Wang is probably discussing military and political affairs with Mr. Liu and the others right now. Young Master Zhou, please come with me to the side room to wait for a moment."

Xu Yuan wasn't in a hurry and nodded.

After leading Xu Yuan and Ran Qingmo to a side room, the young garrison commander left to report.

After the village chief left, the hermitage fell silent for a moment.

Xu Yuan glanced at Ran Qingmo, who hadn't uttered a sound, and chuckled softly:

Why do you seem a little uneasy?

Ran Qingmo took the Veil Hat down and laid it flat on her lap. After thinking for a moment, she whispered:

"The Source Qi here fluctuated greatly after the formation was activated, Tianyan may have followed this Source Qi here."

Xu Yuan chuckled softly upon hearing this:

"We've been lost in the Wanxing Mountain Range for over a month, and we don't even know our final destination. If she can find us, then I'll accept my fate."

He paused for a moment,

Xu Yuan sighed and glanced at the misty sky outside:

"Moreover, the most urgent matter right now is not Tianyan's problem, but rather hoping that that spendthrift woman won't make me clean up her mess."

"A spendthrift woman?" Ran Qingmo tilted her head.

"Xu Xinyao."

Xu Yuan said with a smile, "It seems my dear silly sister has been used by the Wanxiang Sect."

"Oh"

Ran Qingmo seemed to understand but not quite, hesitated slightly, and then asked, "Xu Yuan, shouldn't we run away?"

Xu Yuan's words sounded helpless:

"If we could run, of course we would. The problem is, if we can't break this formation, we can't get out."

Ran Qingmo looked at Xu Yuan, her voice very serious:

"Your teleportation sword technique should be able to break through the formation."

"What will you do if I go out?" Xu Yuan asked back.

"."

Ran Qingmo pursed her red lips and remained silent.

In the silence, there was a gentle knock on the door of the side room from the outside.

"Tap tap tap--"

The knock was steady and firm.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan knew that the person he was supposed to meet had arrived, and immediately stood up and said:

"Please come in."

"Squeak--"

With a jarring creak of the wooden door, a burly middle-aged man in military uniform appeared in the doorway. His hawk-like gaze swept across the room before he stepped inside and clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.

"Zhou Chen, Young Master Zhou?"

"It is indeed I, Zhou. Greetings, Colonel Wang." Xu Yuan also clasped his hands in a salute.

"The situation is urgent, so I won't stand on ceremony." The middle-aged man in military uniform acted decisively. After the two sat down, without any preamble, he asked crisply, "Young Master Zhou, what do you want from this old man?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan asked directly:

"My senior sister and I wish to borrow passage to leave the battlefield. I wonder if Colonel Wang would be able to do so?"

"Borrow a passage to advance?" Colonel Wang frowned immediately upon hearing this.

Xu Yuan asked in a low voice, "Is there a problem?"

Colonel Wang had no intention of beating around the bush:

"Young Master Zhou, this matter may not be feasible at the moment."

Xu Yuan looked at the burly man and tentatively asked:

"Colonel Wang, if you are worried that the Demon Beast will disrupt your plans, my senior sister and I will deal with the Demon Beast along the way, and I will also compensate Shengshan County with ten thousand taels of silver."

Colonel Wang shook his head, his voice low. "That's not the issue."

Xu Yuan's heart sank slightly upon seeing this.

Formations are not static; creating a path within Illusion Array is not technically difficult.

After carefully considering his words, Xu Yuan ultimately chose to ask directly:

"But there's something wrong with the Illusion Array?"

General Wang's eyes narrowed sharply, but he didn't hide anything immediately:

"Yes."

"Not under the control of your Shengshan Border Army?"

"."

General Wang immediately frowned, a scrutinizing glint in his eyes, and said in a low voice:

"Young Master Zhou, this is a matter concerning our Shengshan Border Army; you are our guest."

Xu Yuan shook his head and took out a Wind Listening Pavilion token from his pocket:

"Has Colonel Wang ever heard of my Wind Listening Pavilion?"

"Are you intelligence brokers?"

"." Xu Yuan.

General Wang's eyes flickered as he glanced at Ran Qingmo, his attitude softening noticeably as he asked:

"Excuse me, I may be a bit blunt, but are you not from a sect, Young Master Zhou?"

Xu Yuan smiled slightly, "Of course not."

The border troops of the Great Yan have always harbored great hostility towards people from sects, especially in severely affected areas like Shengshan County, which is attacked by Demon Beast every year.

He paused for a moment,

Xu Yuan asked, "General Wang, was what I said just now correct?"

General Wang hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"Our Shengshan Army can handle the current situation for the time being."

Xu Yuan sighed and said in a low voice:

"Colonel Wang, there's some news about the Wanxiang Sect that I think you might be interested in."

Colonel Wang raised an eyebrow and tapped the table with his calloused index finger:

"Oh? Young Master Zhou is planning to sell information to my Shengshan Border Army?"

"It's not for sale, it's a gift."

"Your Wind Listening Pavilion does charity work?"

Maybe.

Xu Yuan looked at the other person calmly without saying a word.

Sometimes silence is more convincing than explanation.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Colonel Wang narrowed his eyes, and finally sighed:

"Then I, Wang, will listen attentively."

"The Wanxiang Sect intends to create Ghost Mist in Shengshan County."

"." General Wang.

Seeing the astonishment and confusion in Colonel Wang's eyes, Xu Yuan said in a calm voice:

"It seems you, Colonel Wang, are unaware that Ghost Mist can be raised?"

"."

Colonel Wang remained silent, but his brows were furrowed deeply.

Xu Yuan stared at the other person for a few breaths, and roughly understood what was going on.

The fact that Ghost Mist could be kept as a pet might be taken for granted by him, the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's Estate, but for Colonel Wang, it was a shocking piece of information he had never heard of before.

The array techniques for raising demons and ghosts are essentially equivalent to the highest level of technological secrets of a country.

Xu Yuan leaned back gently in his chair.

"This next piece of news is also a free bonus from me, but please keep it confidential, Colonel Wang."

"The art of array formation has now developed to the point where it can control and restrict Ghost Mist. Many sects in the world are actually secretly raising demons and ghosts. Major forces such as Tianyuan Sword Sect and Tian'an Chamber of Commerce have more than one Ghost Mist. The ' Soul Pill ' circulating in the market are refined by these sects or chambers of commerce's ' Demon Ghost Breeding Ground '."

After listening carefully, Colonel Wang took a deep breath and said:

"I can believe what Young Master Zhou said about raising demons, but do Young Master Zhou have any evidence regarding the Wanxiang Sect Sect's desire to create Ghost Mist in my Shengshan County?"

"There's no evidence." Xu Yuan shook his head straightforwardly.

Upon hearing this, Colonel Wang seemed relieved and let out a long sigh of relief.

"To be honest, Young Master Zhou, I have never had any goodwill towards people from sects, but now Shengshan County has gathered a total of 400,000 people, and the Wanxiang Sect doesn't have the guts to do that."

Why not?

"Of the 400,000 people, if even a few escape, and this matter is exposed, the Myriad Wanxiang Sect will be condemned by everyone, and no one can protect it."

"Colonel Wang, you're right."

Xu Yuan glanced at the burly middle-aged man in front of him and said in a low voice, "But wouldn't it be enough to just not let anyone escape?"

"Four hundred thousand people, four hundred thousand pairs of eyes"

"But now 400,000 people are trapped inside this Illusion Mist Array, and there are probably tens of thousands of Demon Beast surrounding it."

"." Colonel Wang.

"Knock knock."

Xu Yuan tapped the table lightly and whispered:

"I'd also like to add some news for Colonel Wang: In the past five years, the number of border towns along the Wanxing Mountain Range that our Great Yan Dynasty has lost to Demon Beast is too numerous to count on two hands. The fall of Shengshan County was the work of Demon Beast; the Wanxiang Sect just happened to discover that this place was suitable for building Ghost Mist."

"But you still have no concrete evidence." Colonel Wang seemed unwilling to believe this alarming intelligence.

Xu Yuan could roughly understand Colonel Wang's thoughts.

Four hundred thousand people.

If evidence of such inhumane acts were to circulate, the imperial court would absolutely take action to exterminate the entire clan.

Even if it weren't for the tragic deaths of the people in Shengshan County, they would still forcefully destroy the Wanxiang Sect as a warning to others.

But in other words,

If what he said is true, the Wanxiang Sect must have made complete and meticulous preparations to carry out the plan to massacre the city.

Given this deliberate scheming and unpreparedness, it's unlikely that Shengshan County will escape disaster.

When this kind of information is suddenly presented to someone, no one can accept it immediately.

With a sigh, Xu Yuan looked at Colonel Wang and said in a low voice:

"If you don't believe me, it's actually quite simple to verify. Colonel Wang only needs to verify a few things."

Colonel Wang clenched his fist slightly, looking at the handsome young man before him:

"What is it?"

Xu Yuan said in a low voice:

"We need to check the control of the Illusion Mist Array, the number of Demon Beast around Shengshan County compared to previous years, and also examine the other City Protection Array walls."

Speaking of this,

Xu Yuan paused for a moment, then said in a low voice;

"Of course, there's one more crucial point: Colonel Wang, you'd better go check right now to see if the Communication Crystal in the County Office is still functioning."

"If not... hehe."