A Countermeasure (Part Two)

Xu Xinyao hesitated slightly, then silently stopped and stood to the side.

After Xu Yuan finished his operations methodically, he casually sealed the Saint's Remnant Soul with a restriction, and then said unintentionally:

"By the way, Xu Changge might be with Father."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xinyao paused for a moment, then subconsciously glanced at the wound on the back of her hand:

"Third Brother, are you worried I'll tell on you to Eldest Brother?"

"Complain?"

Xu Yuan glanced at her, murmured something, and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

He recalled some memories from the past.

Boys are often mischievous when they are young, and if their fathers don't care, only their older brothers will.

As the only girl in her family, Xu Xinyao was doted on by her eldest brother, Xu Changge.

Xu Xinyao has a pushover personality; she only cries secretly when she's wronged. But the problem is, Xu Changge can tell she's been crying as soon as he sees her. Every time this happens, Xu Changge will drag her out and beat her up without saying a word.

Because he was the only person in the entire Prime Minister's Estate who would provoke Xu Xinyao.

This guy has had some personality issues since he was a child. He doesn't care about facts; he only cares about what he thinks, not what you think.

He's a domineering CEO.

If all four of his children were present, this situation would most likely escalate into him running away while cursing Xu Changge, Xu Changge calmly catching up and ready to beat him up, Xu Xinyao pulling her eldest brother aside to persuade him, and his second brother Xu Chang'an standing in front of him, trying to reason with his eldest brother.

Second Brother Xu Chang'an loves to reason with people, and he's almost never lost a debate.

The problem is, although the second brother can reason with Xu Changge, he can't beat him.

The verbal argument eventually turned into a physical fight. Xu Xinyao cried and tried to persuade them to stop, but the two brothers were beaten up together.

This scene has played out countless times within the Prime Minister's Estate.

later

Later, he was gradually left alone in the mansion, as everyone else left.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan gently shook his head:

"It doesn't matter, you can say whatever you want. Anyway, I won't be going back to the Imperial Capital anytime soon."

Xu Xinyao looked down at the wound on the back of her hand:

"This was Xin Yao's fault; Third Brother was right to hit her."

Xu Yuan ignored her.

About fifteen minutes after the formation was activated, the communication was finally answered belatedly, the voice as calm as ever:

"Changtian?"

Xu Yinhe's location seemed to be in a busy downtown area, so the noise level was slightly high.

"Yes, Father, it's me," Xu Yuan replied.

As soon as he finished speaking, the noise coming from the Communication Crystal suddenly disappeared, indicating that the other party had used some method to block out the surrounding sounds.

"Something came up earlier. You're looking for me now because of the matter in Shengshan County?"

Xu Yuan nodded:

Yes, that's right.

"Because Shengshan County was destroyed?"

Xu Yinhe asked this question in a deep, calm voice, without the slightest hint of emotion, as if he were already prepared for the massacre of the entire Shengshan County.

Xu Yuan was taken aback upon hearing this.

He had previously used Communication Crystal to clearly inform his father in Huanglong Market about the general situation and how long Shengshan County could hold out. The father listened calmly at the time, unaware that his father had already accurately predicted what was happening here.

If he hadn't encountered Xu Xinyao along the way, Shengshan County would most likely have been completely wiped out by now.

After a pause, Xu Yuan replied in a low voice:

"No."

"No?"

Xu Yinhe's voice remained calm as he changed the subject, saying, "It seems something has happened."

"I met Fourth Sister in Huanglong Market," Xu Yuan said crisply.

"Little Four?"

Xu Yinhe's voice held a hint of surprise, then his usually calm tone softened with a smile, "That's quite a coincidence, she's with you now?"

"Hmm." Xu Yuan.

Xu Xinyao, standing to the side, murmured, "Father."

Upon hearing this voice on the other end of the Communication Crystal, there was a brief silence before a soft reply:

"Don't blame yourself too much. This has nothing to do with you. I will handle it." "Have a good talk with your Third Brother. You haven't seen each other for a long time."

Xu Xinyao clenched her fists and remained silent.

Xu Yuan listened from the side and gently shook his head.

My father has always treated his family this way.

He cleans up after his children when they do things; even if the sky were to fall, he would be there to hold it up.

However, Xu Yuan still spoke up:

"Father, Little Four should reflect on this matter carefully; she trusted the sect too much."

"Um?"

Xu Yinhe asked with a slight doubt, then smiled and said, "Don't blame your sister too much. Your brother can't stand seeing her suffer."

Xu Yuan chuckled and said:

"So what if I can't stand it? She was definitely wrong."

Xu Yinhe smiled upon hearing this and uttered three words:

"There has been progress."

After a pause, Xu Yinhe steered the conversation back on track, his voice coming through:

"Now that Shengshan County has been saved, you must have come to me to talk about the Wanxiang Sect, right?"

"Hmm." Xu Yuan nodded.

Xu Yinhe asked in a low voice:

"Lou Ji's men just went to Huanglong Market and retrieved the prisoner you mentioned. Changtian, how do you want your father to deal with the Wanxiang Sect?"

Xu Yuan didn't speak, but instead glanced at Xu Xinyao beside him, signaling her to speak.

A glint flashed in Xu Xinyao's eyes. She bit her lip and whispered:

"Father, there must be many people in the Wanxiang Sect who are unaware of this."

Xu Yinhe didn't speak; only his steady breathing could be heard.

Xu Xinyao continued:

"The ones who want to take action against Shengshan County are probably those high-ranking officials, isn't that right?"

"Well"

Xu Yuan sighed softly at this moment, looking at Xu Xinyao with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Xu Xinyao swallowed the words she was about to say when she saw her Third Brother's gaze.

Xu Yuan took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"Father, I agree with Xin Yao's words. I don't recommend taking immediate action against the Wanxiang Sect, but my reasons are different from hers."

Xu Yinhe transmitted the following from the Communication Crystal:

Tell me about it.

Xu Yuan glanced at his Fourth Sister, whose eyes were downcast and whose fists were clenched, and said in a low voice:

"Right now, our primary concern shouldn't be revenge, but rather disaster relief and mitigation. Given the current state of Shengshan County, less than one-tenth of the border troops are still alive, and the official system is completely paralyzed. In addition, there's the shortage of medicine and food. With so many people and Demon Beast dead, there's a high probability of another plague outbreak later on. All of these things require money."

"."

After a brief silence, Xu Yinhe's voice came:

"Changtian, do you mean you won't attack the Wanxiang Sect, but instead use that as a pretext to demand silver and supplies as compensation?"

Xu Yuan's gaze was deep and calm as he spoke in a low voice:

"It's just that we're not taking action yet."

"Father, you should know that both Pingning Prefecture, where Shengshan County is located, and Xize Continent are in huge financial deficits and simply cannot afford disaster relief funds. If we want disaster relief, we can only go through you. Not to mention the time involved, after layers of exploitation, it would be quite good if we could get half of the money and grain into Shengshan County's hands."

"Moreover, the current situation is not suitable for attacking the Wanxiang Sect."

Xu Yinhe quieted down a little, his voice now carrying a hint of interest:

"Go on."

Xu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then continued in a low voice:

"First, the annual Spring Tide have not yet subsided, making it difficult for the government troops of the Xize Continent to spare enough elite troops to deal with the Wanxiang Sect. If troops are transferred from other places, they will most likely be discovered by these sects. If things are exposed, the Wanxiang Sect will not wait to be slaughtered; they will surely be prepared to take desperate measures. The Wanxiang Sect has been operating in the Xize Continent for hundreds of years. If we take action, they will rebel, and the losses will be enormous."

Never start a war when the other side is fully prepared.

"."

After saying that, Xu Yinhe smiled, very softly, but Xu Yuan heard it.

The large, sealed room remained silent for a moment before the Communication Crystal flashed again:

"Continue."

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then continued:

"Secondly, the enormous compensation will likely cause infighting within the Wanxiang Sect. While they are united in the face of common interests, they will not be a cohesive unit when it comes to compensation. They will try their best to pin the blame for the failure on others to minimize their own losses."

Xu Yinhe listened carefully, then calmly asked:

"What if they refuse to pay?"

Xu Yuan shook his head:

"They won't refuse to pay. At most, they'll ask us to hand over the witnesses and all relevant information. And the moment we reached the agreement, we became accomplices. If they bring up the past again and expose the truth, we will also be implicated."

Xu Yinhe's voice remained calm and unhurried:

"If that's the case, how should we attack the Wanxiang Sect again in the future?"

Xu Yuan chuckled softly:

"No reason is needed from now on."

"."

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence.

Then,

Xu Yinhe laughed, and this time his laughter could be clearly heard in the silent stone house.

"Heh, from now on, no reason is needed. Changtian, anything else?"

"Certainly."

Xu Yuan replied, glancing at Xu Xinyao, whose expression was complicated.

"Thirdly, and most importantly, just as you did before, Father, this action sends a signal to the sect that our Prime Minister's Estate has yielded, that you have abandoned your intention to reorganize the sect, and that we have begun to prepare our escape route."

"Well said."

Xu Yinhe gave a soft compliment, but immediately denied it, saying, "But Changtian, you've overlooked the most important point."

Xu Yuan's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "What?"

Xu Yinhe's voice was calm:

"Only when a knife is held to their throat will the sect back down. Even if they agree to compensation that makes the Wanxiang Sect bleed, they will only squeeze it out little by little. It may take ten or twenty years to pay it all. Never overestimate their bottom line. Their bottom line has no limit."

Xu Yuan frowned:

"Father, about this matter..."

Xu Yinhe said softly:

"I have already instructed Yuan Hao to lead 40,000 Black Scale Army in secret departures from the Anfeng Continent Prefecture in batches under the pretext of supporting the border."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyes flickered.

After so many years, the Wanxiang Sect has lost the original founding ancestor's awareness of "the emperor guarding the country's gate," and has moved its sect to the easternmost part of the Xize Continent, near the border with the Anfeng Continent.

Moreover, he knew the entire Yuan Hao, within Cangyuan.

One of the high-ranking officials under this old man had such a striking personality that Xu Yuan remembered this later-stage BOSS.

A complete warmonger.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan collected his thoughts and asked hesitantly:

"But wouldn't such actions provoke the Wanxiang Sect to take drastic measures?"

Xu Yinhe replied:

"No one can get close to the military camp. These 40,000 Black Scale Army are being deployed in batches of 50 men each, and they will only converge when they are near Wanxiang City."

Xu Yuan looked slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

How dare the armies of this world travel like this, breaking up into smaller units under such communication conditions?

Moreover, what about the supplies and war equipment if the army marches like this? What if some units get lost along the way?

However, after a moment's thought, Xu Yuan understood.

A unit of fifty men can maintain secrecy while keeping basic organization and discipline in place. As for supplies and equipment, they can be transported by air using Sumeru Ring and flying Demon Beast. After all, this troop movement is within the territory, so there is no risk of being ambushed. Moreover, the official roads of the Great Yan are extremely developed, with many post stations along the way. Unless one deliberately ventures into deep mountains and forests, it is virtually impossible to get lost.

Moreover, most of these soldiers were likely trained at the Tian'an Martial Hall.

This extraordinary world cannot be measured by the war models of the past.

After a long pause, Xu Yuan said softly:

"Father, at this marching pace, how long will it take to reach our destination?"

Xu Yinhe was naturally fully aware of this:

"Judging by the time, the vast majority of the troops should be able to converge on Wanxiang City in about twenty days."

Xu Yinhe paused as he spoke:

"At that time, Changtian, you will go and talk to the people from the Wanxiang Sect."

Xu Yuan's eye twitched.

After a while,

Xu Yuan blurted out a single word. "Me?"

"Of course," Xu Yinhe said slowly, "Yuan Hao is violent by nature and not suitable for negotiation, so you go."

Xu Yuan coughed lightly. "Father, are you sure you want me to go?"

Xu Yinhe's voice was gentle:

"I wasn't sure whether I should let you go, but now I am."

"Certainly,

"If you don't want to go, Changtian, you can refuse."

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then replied:

"I'll go!"

Xu Yinhe gently tapped the desk in front of him. "Don't feel guilty. It's okay even if the deal doesn't go through."

After a pause, Xu Yuan asked:

"Father, may I take Xin Yao with me?"

"." Xu Xinyao.

Xu Yinhe did not agree immediately, but asked:

"Xin Yao, would you like to go with your brother?"

Xu Yuan turned to look at her, Xu Xinyao nodded gently.

"This matter arose because of Xin Yao, so naturally I am willing."

Xu Yuan chuckled lightly:

"Father, since that's the case, then I will make some preparations."

Xu Yinhe did not hang up immediately, but simply said:

"Don't rush, I have something else to discuss with you."

Xu Yuan paused upon hearing this, pondered for a moment, and then asked:

"Father, please speak."

Xu Yinhe hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"I just came from the Marquis of Martial Achievement Estate."

"Marquis of Martial Achievement?"

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, subconsciously thinking of the princess Mu Zhiyun: "What does this have to do with me?"

Xu Yinhe did not deny it:

"Yes, it's related."

"Father, please speak frankly."

You've already reached the age of twenty.

"."

Hearing those familiar words, Xu Yuan's heart skipped a beat, but he remained silent.

Seeing that Xu Yuan remained silent for a long time, Xu Yinhe coughed lightly:

"Marquis of Martial Achievement has agreed to let you return to the Imperial Capital, and I have also arranged a marriage for you."