Greed Arose in All Living Things

Li Shun stirred his thoughts, and his consciousness descended into the Square Inch Space, beside the Threefold Self-Reflection Stone Statue.

"Three Reflections Upon Myself. If this stone statue too belonged among the Hundred Schools, then it must have been a great figure of the Confucian School. And someone capable of changing Heaven and Earth with a single word... Its original realm and status must have been extraordinarily high. For all anyone knew, it might even have been one of the legendary Sages."

"Among the Hundred Schools, what they valued most was the inheritance of their orthodoxy. Tell me, in this world, what could surpass the personal legacy of a Sage?"

Li Shun stood beside the damaged stone statue, lost in leisurely reverie for a long while.

Then he let out a soft, lingering sigh. "Unfortunately, the statue is still damaged. And even if I were lucky enough to restore it completely, I might not necessarily obtain its inherited memories as I wished."

"In the end, I still need to find another path. Keeping my feet on solid ground is the proper way."

Li Shun shook his head slightly.

"It is so difficult to enter one of the Hundred Schools... Thinking about it now, I had somewhat underestimated Feng Guan before. At the very least, he had learned some introductory methods of the School of Novelists. By now, it had been nearly half a year since he left Cold Mountain County. I wonder how he is doing now..."

Li Shun's great undertaking of cultivation had collapsed halfway through, while Cold Mountain County's circumstances had not improved in the slightest. Instead, they had only grown worse.

Flood crests surged down from upstream without end, raging for three days and three nights straight.

After three days, the towering waves had completely submerged Cold Mountain County, turning it into a true solitary city beneath the water.

If the city-protecting formation overhead suffered even the slightest mishap and shattered, the boundless ocean would pour down like the Milky Way flowing backward, burying every living being in the city in the blink of an eye.

With a life-taking blade hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment, the people of Cold Mountain County were like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring under such suffocating pressure. Their nerves had been stretched to the limit.

Quarrels and brawls between neighbors erupted one after another, growing ever more frequent, leaving the Black-Armored Army soldiers responsible for maintaining order in the city run ragged.

Yet the few officials of Cold Mountain County were far more relaxed by comparison.

Inside the Cold Mountain County yamen.

County Assistant Yu Shang stroked his beard and said, "My lord, you may set your mind at ease. The grain, fodder, and supplies stored in the county treasury remain fairly abundant. So long as nothing unexpected happens, they will suffice for the entire city's people for half a year. If we further order everyone to live frugally, lasting a full year will by no means be difficult!"

County Commandant Cheng Yishu also chimed in from the side. "The Black-Armored Army's camp has also stockpiled a great deal of military rations. Even taking ten thousand steps back, if we truly reach the end of the road, the brothers can go out of the formation and catch fish and shrimp to fill their stomachs. There is no need to worry about starving to death."

"The only question is when this flood will finally recede. Being trapped in this underwater barrier day after day is truly no way to go on."

Cheng Yishu sighed softly.

County Magistrate Fang Xun's face was as dark as water as he said unhurriedly, "Yesterday, I personally went outside the city to investigate. This flood has come with fierce momentum and spread across an extremely wide area. The surrounding lowlands have all been submerged. Moreover, with nowhere for the floodwaters to drain, they have gathered into a lake nearby."

"Fortunately, it is now the height of summer. Under the blazing sun, the water vapor evaporates quickly. By my calculations, this flood disaster will recede completely within two months at most."

Hearing this, Yu Shang and Cheng Yishu both showed traces of delight. "That would be for the best!"

As they spoke, all three tacitly avoided mentioning reporting the matter to the imperial court and requesting disaster relief.

After all, though the flood was severe, it had not truly damaged Cold Mountain County's foundations. But if they reported it...

No matter what, they would certainly be unable to escape the charge of neglecting their duties and mismanaging the region.

They might as well drag things out like this. Once the disaster subsided on its own, they could deceive Heaven and cross the sea, pretending that nothing had ever happened.

Yet events did not seem to unfold as they wished.

Indeed, under the scorching sunlight, the water level pressing above everyone's heads fell day by day at a visible rate.

But the people's living conditions did not improve because of it. Instead, they became increasingly terrible.

Countless wild beasts in the mountains and wilderness had drowned in the floodwaters. Tens of thousands of animal carcasses had piled up, soaking in stagnant water.

After being baked beneath the blazing sun, they gradually brewed an indescribable, sky-choking stench.

That corpse stench and poisonous miasma seeped through the barrier of the city-protecting formation in wisps, hanging over Cold Mountain County day and night.

Gradually, frail townspeople began to suffer from the poisonous miasma, contracting strange illnesses and coughing violently without cease.

"My lord, perhaps we should activate the Bright Light Formation's purification function after all," Yu Shang suggested to Fang Xun, his expression ugly.

Yet Fang Xun, seated at the head, merely half-closed his eyes and remained silent.

He seemed to be pondering something.

Only after a long while did he slowly say, "The Bright Light Formation of Cold Mountain County has limited overall power. If its purification function remains active at all times, its defensive capability will be weakened accordingly. I am worried..."

Fang Xun did not voice the concern in his heart.

Yesterday, Wu Kuang had come to report that he had finally found traces of Xiong Jin's nephew.

So Fang Xun had personally left the city to hunt him down, intending to capture him alive.

Yet unexpectedly, that brat had still managed to escape!

"I am at the middle stage of the Spirit Resonance Realm. With the official seal's enhancement, my strength is nearly equal to the upper stage of the Spirit Resonance Realm. That brat is merely in the Mortal Embryo Realm. There should have been no twists or turns. Yet who could have imagined..."

Fang Xun drew a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the faint pain in his chest.

"Not only is he thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, with monstrous strength, but more importantly, that brat is especially familiar with the terrain around Cold Mountain County."

"First, he set fire to melt the ice. Now there is this strange plague. It seems this little thief is no reckless fool who came seeking revenge in a moment of hotheadedness. He has been proceeding step by step, coming for me with purpose and a plan."

At this thought, a thread of regret quietly crept into Fang Xun's heart.

"Perhaps I should simply report his whereabouts. Although I would be unable to claim all the credit, I would certainly receive a share of the rewards."

But just as that retreating drum had begun to sound in his heart, an extraordinarily intense unwillingness suddenly surged up within him.

"During yesterday's fight, that brat was already seriously injured by me. As long as I can find his trail again, he will be unable to escape even with wings!"

"Such heaven-shaking merit should naturally be enjoyed by Fang Xun alone!"

"Besides, Cold Mountain County is currently being inundated by floodwaters. If I choose to report it at this critical juncture..."

"Forget it. I will try one last time!"

After a fierce battle between Heaven and man within Fang Xun's heart, his greed ultimately overwhelmed his reason.

"Why not deliberately reveal a flaw and lure the snake from its hole!"

Fang Xun's eyes flashed. A plan had already formed in his mind.

He suddenly put on an expression of compassion for all under Heaven and declared loudly, "Very well. We shall follow Elder Yu's suggestion and immediately keep the Bright Light Formation's purification effect active at all times. As the father and mother official of Cold Mountain County, how could I possibly stand by and watch the people under my rule suffer?"

Hearing this, Yu Shang immediately cupped his hands solemnly. "My lord is righteous and wise indeed."